Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Check out the gift guide with 37 items perfect for plant lovers and lots of exclusive discounts!
https://growingjoywithmaria.com/gifts-for-plant-lovers/

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This week I chat with my plant friend Jennifer Gulizia, a passionate cut flower farmer who transformed her childhood dream into a thriving 20-acre property in the Hood River Valley. Jennifer shares her incredible journey, from her early days planting clearance blooms in a tiny Portland backyard to a serendipitous pivot from wedding photography into full-time flower cultivation. She recounts the challenges of losing her initial growing space and the powerful role a vision board played in manifesting her current 20-acre land, where she's dedicated to healing the soil and nurturing beautiful plants.

We explore how Jennifer built her business, from selling specialty varieties to local florists to launching online education, including the Dahlia Growers Collective and successful Dahlia summits. She discusses the influence of resources like Florette's book, Gabe Brown's work on soil health, and documentaries like 'Kiss the Ground' on her regenerative farming practices. Jennifer also reveals her ambitious documentary project, aiming to showcase the ripple effect of locally grown beauty and inspire more people to connect with nature. This conversation is a testament to resilience, community, and the profound joy that these natural wonders bring to our lives.

Come hear Jennifer's story!
In this episode, we learn:
[02:02] Join the Growing Joy Weekly Newsletter!
[03:00] Meet Jennifer of The Flowering Farmhouse!
[04:02] Where did her love of cut flowers begin?
[06:25] How a bride’s homegrown bouquet showed her that people actually buy flowers
[07:48] What she learned growing 300 dahlias for local florists
[10:27] How COVID-19 led her to launch a flower CSA
[11:26] Leasing her neighbors’ fields to grow the farm
[12:32] How did she almost lose her flower farm?
[13:29] What soil health and regenerative farming taught her about starting over
[15:45] Find comfort and plant care guidance in Krystal Duran’s new book, More Than Just a Plant!
[16:59] Experience the richness of Manuka honey with up to 3x more antioxidants with Manukora Honey!
[18:48] Finding the 20-acre farm nobody wanted except her!
[21:50] How they made the move work
[22:51] How a vision board helped her find her dream farm
[25:29] How her flower farm business has evolved
[29:25] Why she’s making a documentary about local flowers
[31:16] My cut flower dream in South Florida!
[32:49] Why are so many celebrities suddenly growing flowers?
[36:08] Why are humans so drawn to flowers?
[36:40] How flowers reflect beauty, memory, and even math!
[38:48] How do you stay resilient when your business falls apart?
[41:15] The mindset shifts that helped her keep going
[45:43] How to plan your first cut flower garden
[48:11] What flowers should you grow in your first cut flower garden?
[53:28] Can you grow dahlias in a hot climate like South Florida?
[54:31] Where to find Jennifer and The Backyard Bouquet Podcast!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Dahlia Growers Collective
A Regenerative Flower Farm Documentary Film
The Dahlia Design Summit
Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden
Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown
For the Love of Soil by Nicole Masters
10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy
More Than Just a Plant by Krystal Duran
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
Growing Joy Episodes:362: More Than Just a Plant: Finding Joy Again After Loss with Krystal Duran
355: The Secret Language of Flowers Every Plant Lover Should Know with Mary Kelava
241: Small Space Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners with Lisa Mason Ziegler

The Backyard Bouquet Podcast Episode 90: Sarah Raven: A Year of Cut Flowers

What's it like having a dahlia farm?
Check out the full show notes and blog here for Jennifer's stories!

Follow Jennifer:
Website
Podcast
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok

Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Quarto: More Than Just a Plant by Krystal Duran
Grab your copy of More Than Just a Plant at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
Manukora
Go to manukora.com/bloom to get up to 31% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, a guidebook, and an onboarding call with Manukora's clinical specialist, PLUS $75 worth of free gifts!

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:
Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung
Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)
Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!
Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria
Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria
Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria
Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com
Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join us as Corinne shares her powerful journey to kitchen garden wellness and herbal healing. Facing chronic health issues like MCAS and severe migraines, Corinne found answers in herbalism and growing her own food. She reveals how making a rosemary tincture helped manage her migraines by increasing blood flow, and how a simple garlic oil infusion effectively treated her daughter's recurring ear infections. Beyond specific remedies, Corinne explains how her kitchen garden in Raleigh, NC (Zone 8A) became a profound space for nervous system regulation, helping her tap into a parasympathetic state without even trying. Discover how growing herbs like chamomile and thyme, alongside fall crops like kale, broccoli, and sugar snap peas, transformed her health and mindset. Corinne emphasizes that the garden is more than just a vegetable patch; it's a beautiful, accessible wellness practice woven into daily life, teaching patience and providing a non-judgmental space for healing. Learn how to integrate gardening into your routine, whether it's enjoying morning coffee among your plants or sharing harvests with neighbors. Corinne's story highlights how growing your own food can be a wellness revolution for the whole family, even inspiring kids to eat their vegetables. Let's dive in!

In this episode, we learn:
[01:21] Why I'm about to start my first in-ground garden in Florida
[02:41] Meet Corinne! + how health issues led her to herbalism
[04:12] Growing in a Zone 8A kitchen garden
[07:39] How rosemary helped her MCAS migraines
[08:24] What is MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)?
[10:29] How to make a rosemary tincture
[12:55] Why she learned the herbal remedy first before growing the plant
[14:36] How garlic oil cleared her daughter’s ear infections
[15:41] Grow food in small spaces with The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby!
[17:01] Feed your houseplants this fall with Espoma Organic’s premium plant foods!
[20:02] What should a beginner medicinal herb garden include?
[23:24] How the kitchen garden can help your nervous system
[25:01] Have we overcomplicated wellness?
[27:14] How gardening also teaches us patience
[28:25] How her garden grew from pots to raised beds
[30:37] What grew well in her summer garden
[31:49] When to plan and plant your fall kitchen garden
[32:34] Seeds vs. seed starts (aka growing for the season of life you're in)
[33:52] How do you turn your kitchen garden into a wellness practice?
[37:16] Sharing the garden with friends and neighbors!
[39:03] How gardening got her son to eat vegetables
[40:27] What Corinne’s kitchen garden coaching looks like
[42:05] Where to find Corinne and The Nourished Garden!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Growing Joy Episodes:349: Grow Your Own Luffa: Luffa Gardening Tips for Plant Lovers with Janice Cox
319: How to Preserve Food From Your Garden with Staci and Jeremy Hill, Ep 319
168: Grow Your Own Tea: Intro to Herbalism with Juliet of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine


Start small and with what you'll use,
check out the full show notes and blog for Corinne's fall kitchen guide!

Follow Corinne:
Website
Coaching
Workshops
Instagram

Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Quarto: The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby
Grab your copy of The Container Kitchen Garden at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
Espoma Organic
Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:
Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung
Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)
Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!
Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria
Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria
Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria
Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com
Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is a plant ever really just a plant? I don't think so. I went from former plant killer to a house full of green in about three months. And somewhere along the way, my plants stopped being decor and started being company. For many of us, plants are also routine and a reason to get up in the morning. And for Krystal Duran of Plants With Krystal, they were a big part of healing after losing her husband. In this episode, we talked about grief, growth, and why you don’t have to be at your peak all the time. Come join our conversation.

In this episode, we learn:
[02:08] Join my free Substack newsletter!
[03:04] Meet Krystal Duran from @_plantswithkrystal_
[03:42] What it’s like to write a book after years of short-form plant content
[04:46] Short-form videos vs. long-form writing
[06:26] What was Krystal’s relationship with nature like as a kid? (+ the first houseplant she killed!)
[09:46] Why some popular houseplants just don’t work for every home
[11:33] How a move to Indiana and a career in social work led her to plants
[14:01] Why she started with cacti and succulents for her plant collection
[15:32] Learn 35+ ways to make new plants with The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation from the American Horticultural Society!
[17:05] Keep your houseplants cared for this fall with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
[19:00] Is your succulent growing, or is it stretching for light?
[20:22] Krystal’s love story with her husband, Tony
[22:49] What happens when a plant lover marries a minimalist?
[26:11] Plant life parallels
[27:27] How plant care helped her decompress after hard workdays
[30:09] Why plants offer "companionship without expectation"
[32:11] Losing her husband and dealing with grief on social media
[35:24] How the plant community showed up for her (even inside Animal Crossing)
[37:10] What happened to her 300-plant collection while she was grieving?
[40:00] What grief taught her about patience and finding joy in small things
[43:11] Why we're not supposed to be at our peak all the time
[44:34] The indoor lotus pond she built that didn't last
[47:22] Why she shifted toward low-maintenance plants
[51:16] Inside More Than Just a Plant (her book about grief, plant care, and community)
[53:11] What are some creative ways to gift plants to new plant parents?
[55:48] Where to find Krystal and her book!

Mentioned in our conversation:
More Than Just A Plant by Krystal Duran
Growing Joy 330: 2026 Garden and Houseplant Trends: My Main Takeaways from Northwest Flower and Garden Festival
Growing Joy 247: Growing Joy "After Dark": Spilling the Planty Tea with Kamili Bell Hill and Agatha Isabel

Needing more lift from your plants?
Check out the full show notes and blog.

Follow Krystal:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube

Thank you to our episode sponsors:
Quarto: The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation by the American Horticultural Society
Grab your copy of The Essential Guide to Plant Propagation at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
Espoma Organic
Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:
Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung
Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)
Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!
Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria
Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria
Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria
Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com
Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When winter sets in and our gardens go dormant, that 'green itch' doesn’t go anywhere!
In this Best of Growing Joy replay, I’m revisiting my conversation with returning guest Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago, certified horticultural therapist and author of Verdura: Living a Garden Life, all about indoor plant projects for stress relief and mental health.
Perla shares her genius tiny barefoot garden, a shallow pot of fragrant thyme you can rest your feet on for a little grounding when it’s too cold to go shoeless outside (an idea I’ve used ever since). We also cover creating a miniature garden escape, gardening for your inner child, and why just 15 minutes with plants can lift your mood for days.
In this episode, we learn:
[01:53] Rebranding of my YouTube Channel
[02:43] Introducing Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago aka Agrochic!
[04:24] How did Perla develop her passion for gardening and plants?
[07:05] How did Agrochic start?
[09:38] How did Perla balance Spanish and English content?
[11:32] What does her plant collection and garden look like?
[15:08] Make meditation more relaxing and meaningful with Wind River’s Meditation Chimes!
[16:51] Learn how to grow cut flowers with The Cut Flower Handbook’s beautiful illustrations!
[18:41] Why are people drawn to nature and plants right now?
[21:08] Seeking simplicity to escape social media overstimulation
[22:08] Perla’s interesting success stories about bringing plants into clients' lives
[29:17] What is nature’s role in mood and healing?
[30:42] Concept of gardening as a means to reconnect with one's inner child
[34:18] Rediscover a sense of “awe” and childlike wonder
[38:21] What is Perla’s barefoot garden project all about?
[45:02] How do you create a miniature garden for yourself?
[50:34] Get Perla’s book and follow her on social media!

Mentioned in our conversation:
Book by Perla ¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life: 30 Projects to Nurture Your Passion for Plants and Find Your Bliss
Book by Florence Williams The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative
GardenComm
My Garden Break
KidsGardening

Is your green thumb getting restless this winter?
Check out the full show notes and blog for indoor plant projects that ease stress while your garden sleeps!

Follow Perla:
Website – Spanish
Website – English
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter/X


Follow Maria and Growing Joy:
Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung
Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!
Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)
Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!
Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria
Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria
Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria
Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com
Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.