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

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

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Overview
Episodes

Details

Looking for free, natural ways to decrease stress and increase joy and calm in your life? The answer might be simpler than you think: houseplants, gardening and nature. 

On Growing Joy with Plants, learn alongside Happy Plant Lady, Maria Failla to care for plants, engage with nature, and use them to manage your overwhelm, anxiety and experience happiness and calm you thought was only available on vacation.

Plant care is self care. Come grow some joy with us. Follow along on socials @growingjoywithmaria

Recent Episodes

The Transformative Power of Flower Essences: What Are Flower Essences and How Can They Help Me?
FEB 18, 2025
The Transformative Power of Flower Essences: What Are Flower Essences and How Can They Help Me?

Have you ever once thought about how flowers could do more than brighten your day? What if they could actually support your emotional well-being, reduce your stress, and even spark creativity? After 270+ episodes, this is my first time ordering a guest product right after the interview. Yes, I am on the flower essence bandwagon HARD after this interview.

But who wouldn't be after talking with Katie Hess, founder and flower alchemist of Lotuswei, a company dedicated to harnessing the essence of flowers to help us live more joyful lives? She’s an amazing educator and I learned so much in this conversation.


In this episode, we learn:

  • [04:41] How Katie started getting into the energetics of flowers
  • [06:10] The ripple effect of 3%
  • [08:12] What is a flower essence?
  • [09:46] Why are bees attracted to flowers?
  • [10:18] The concept of botanical wi-fi/flower wi-fi
  • [14:01] Our disconnection from nature
  • [15:48] Wind River Chimes
  • [17:30] Plants with Superpowers
  • [18:31] What is the human-flower connection?
  • [21:45] Validating flower essence information
  • [23:48] How do you study flower essence?
  • [27:31] How is a flower’s energetic code captured and distilled?
  • [30:32] The dilution process and its similarity with homeopathy
  • [33:02] Essential oil vs flower essence
  • [37:32] Most popular remedies and flowers that match
  • [41:25] How can you experiment with and experience flower essences?
  • [43:36] Take the flower essence test!
  • [45:27] Synergistic flower essence blends
  • [50:30] Flower essence that fits my lack of self-belief
  • [51:29] Where can you order your flower essence?


Mentioned in our conversation:


Want to find out which flower essence you can get started with?

Check out the full show notes and blog here!


Follow Lotuswei:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Pinterest

X


Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Quarto: Plants with Superpowers by David Domoney

Pick up Plants with Superpowers at your local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, quarto.com, or amazon.com. 


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



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style
* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA
* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm
* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM
* Check out Ollie: https://ollie.com/MARIA


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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56 MIN
Houseplant Confidence: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
FEB 11, 2025
Houseplant Confidence: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Lately, I’ve been hearing so many people talk about Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory—this idea of letting go of control, shifting your mindset, and ultimately finding peace. And you know what? I realized that I went through a similar shift when it came to my plant care journey, and I want to share it with you in this episode. I'll talk about how we think about our plants, our plant care, and how that shift in mind can bring so much joy, not just to our plant parenthood but also to our lives.


In this episode, we learn:


Mentioned in our conversation:


For mindset shifts and practices to help build your houseplant confidence,

check out the full show notes and blog here!


Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Wind River Chimes

Bring the gift of peace, serenity, and magic with chimes! Wind River is a Virginia-based company creating premium handcrafted and hand-tuned wind chimes for over 35 years. If you are looking for an amazing gift that can help you or your loved ones grow joy and find a moment of peace, a Wind River chime is the perfect option. Plus, you can engrave the wind sail on the wind chime with meaningful dates, names, or phrases!

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.


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



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style
* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA
* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm
* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM
* Check out Ollie: https://ollie.com/MARIA


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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36 MIN
Water Saving Techniques for Your Garden
FEB 4, 2025
Water Saving Techniques for Your Garden

How can we conserve water while maintaining healthy, attractive gardens, no matter what climate you're in? Record-breaking heat waves, devastating droughts, wildfires scorching millions of acres, floods turning streets into rivers—we've seen it all this year. As climate extremes test our resilience, our gardens are feeling the impact too. How do we ensure our gardens not only survive but also grow in these unpredictable conditions? Let’s talk about water-saving techniques and strategies to keep your garden lush and sustainable with Noelle Johnson, aka the “Arizona plant lady.” She’s a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and the author of the new book, ‘The Water-Smart Garden.’


In this episode, we learn:

  • [02:53] How Noelle became a plant expert
  • [04:36] Why water conservation is important
  • [07:27] What does water conservation look like?
  • [08:27] Identifying drought conditions
  • [09:56] Water-saving tips for renters
  • [10:49] What are the plants great for different plant zones?
  • [13:43] Drought-tolerant plants
  • [15:28] Espoma Organics’ premium gardening products
  • [16:58] AHS Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening
  • [18:52] Why you should go to a local nursery
  • [20:34] Making soil more efficient at water retention
  • [23:32] How mulch and ground cover help with water retention
  • [26:36] What are ollas for water saving?
  • [30:46] What are different ways of saving rainwater? (rain barrel, swale, creek beds, etc)
  • [36:32] What is xeriscaping?
  • [40:33] How can you reduce the water your lawn needs?
  • [44:14] Smart irrigation controllers
  • [45:30] Beginner tips for water conservation
  • [47:20] Advanced water conservation strategies
  • [49:14] ’The Water Smart Garden


Mentioned in our conversation:


For Noelle's complete list of water-saving tips,

check out the full show notes and blog here!


Follow Noelle:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

TikTok


Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Quarto: American Horticultural Society Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening

Grab a copy of Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Quarto.com, or Amazon.com.


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



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style
* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA
* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm
* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM
* Check out Ollie: https://ollie.com/MARIA


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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52 MIN
Plant Inspired Vacations
JAN 28, 2025
Plant Inspired Vacations

Did you know you can use your plant passion as inspiration for how and where you go on vacation? I'm sure many of us have already done this on a small scale. Maybe you've been on a trip and kept taking pictures of plants that look just like the ones you have at home. Or perhaps you've insisted on visiting a local plant shop or botanical garden while on vacation (guilty as charged!). But plant friends, that can be just the beginning of how you travel and botanize for your plant passion.

And we're going to dive into everything you need to know about it today with my horticulturist bestie Leslie Halleck, who has been on the show many times, and Marcia Castro Rosenberg, listener-turned-plant-shop owner and also a dear friend of mine.

Leslie and Marcia have actually teamed up to create a once-in-a-lifetime trip called Botany & Betterment in The Amazon! It's a seven-day riverboat and jungle adventure on the Rio Negro River in Brazil this August 2025.


In this episode, we learn:

  • [03:40] Get to know Marcia
  • [07:51] Leslie’s botanizing trips
  • [11:32] What is botanizing?
  • [15:17] Support sustainable gardening with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
  • [16:52] Bring nature back to your garden with Kelly Norris's Your Natural Garden
  • [18:55] What are their most memorable botanizing experiences?
  • [25:37] What are the botanizing basics?
  • [30:14] Where can you find plant keys & field guides
  • [34:57] On creating the ultimate Amazon trip: ‘Botany & Betterment’
  • [39:23] Hiring local guides for your trip
  • [43:50] Building community and personal growth
  • [49:45] Where can you find more info about Leslie and Marcia


Mentioned in our conversation:


To know more about Leslie and Marcia's botanizing adventures,

check out the full show notes and blog here!


Follow Leslie:

Website

Shop

Facebook

X

Pinterest

YouTube

Instagram

Follow Marcia:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn


Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Quarto: Your Natural Garden by Kelly D. Norris

Grab a copy of Your Natural Garden by Kelly Norris at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, quarto.com or amazon.com to get inspired and take action on your garden.


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



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style
* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA
* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm
* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM
* Check out Ollie: https://ollie.com/MARIA


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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55 MIN
Easy Houseplant Care, Houseplant Pest Control, and Motherhood and Plants
JAN 21, 2025
Easy Houseplant Care, Houseplant Pest Control, and Motherhood and Plants

If you’re a plant lover, you’ve probably come across Chantel, the brilliant mind behind @channygrayhome on Instagram. Over the past few years, she has built a community of over half a million plant enthusiasts. But there’s so much more to her than her incredible follower count.

In this episode, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my chat with Channy—where we talked about her plant history, her love for DIYs, her big move from the Arizona desert to lush Iowa, and how she juggles being a plant mom and a mom to three kids.


In this episode, we learn:

  • [03:15] How Channy and I met at a Botanical Garden
  • [07:28] What has Channy’s plant journey been like?
  • [15:14] Add serenity to your life in 2025 and beat the winter blues with Wind River Chimes!
  • [16:56] Start your kitchen garden today by grabbing a copy of Kitchen Garden Living by Bailey Van Tassel
  • [19:10] What does pest prevention mean for Channy?
  • [21:12] Channy’s new plant soap for pest control!
  • [23:57] What does a bubble bath for plants look like?
  • [25:07] How to balance motherhood and plant care
  • [28:17] Top tips to make plant care easy and fun!
  • [30:06] Decorating with plant cuttings
  • [32:03] Lechuza pon vs LECA
  • [33:54] How did Channy get into DIY projects?
  • [35:30] Moving to Iowa and preparing for changes
  • [38:02] What does Channy’s family think of her plant collection?
  • [40:38] What it feels like to have 500k+ followers
  • [43:00] What are her future plans for Channy Gray Home?
  • [44:30] Where can you find Channy on social media?


Mentioned in our conversation:


Learn more about Channy's top houseplant care tips,

check out the full show notes and blog here!


Follow Channy Gray Home:

Website

Shop

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok


Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Quarto: The Water-Smart Garden by Noelle Johnson

Grab a copy of Kitchen Garden Living at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Quarto.com, or Amazon.com to get inspired and grow organically.


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



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire and use my code BLOOM for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style
* Check out Graza: https://graza.co/MARIA
* Check out HelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/bloom10fm
* Check out Manukora: https://manukora.com/BLOOM
* Check out Ollie: https://ollie.com/MARIA


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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51 MIN