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Elevate Your Interior Decor with Plants: A Plant Design Crash Course

Elevate Your Interior Decor with Plants: A Plant Design Crash Course

Author: Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness August 25, 2026 Duration: 51:14
Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
LeisureEducationGardenHealthHealth & FitnessHome

What if the fewer the plants, the bigger the impact? Right now my house is a construction zone, and my plants are on their own. I have an eight-week-old baby, a '70s house we gutted mid-pregnancy, and a carpeted garage. So yes, a few plants have died. But something else is happening too! My taste is changing. I'm letting go of a lot of little plants, and I want one big beautiful plant for my bathroom instead. In fact, my friend Samantha Hermann of @houseplusplant and I are both in a transitional season of life. She’s moving into a house she designed around her plants... and cutting her collection from 300 to about 100. Here's what she taught me. Let's dive in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

  • [01:42] Grab a mini course for whatever your plants need right now with the Growing Joy Academy!
  • [02:57] Welcome back, Samantha of @houseplusplant
  • [04:05] How much did her plants influence her home design aesthetic?
  • [06:07] Instagram vs. reality: where do plant people actually keep their plants?
  • [07:36] Cutting her collection from 300 plants down to 100 (intentional vs. collector)
  • [10:11] Why she's only keeping big statement plants now
  • [12:03] The guilt of letting a plant go
  • [15:23] Manukora Honey
  • [19:22] What is she most excited about in the new house?
  • [22:20] Renovating a 1970s house while I’m pregnant!
  • [24:33] Collecting pieces with a story instead of getting them off Amazon
  • [25:29] What are some plant styling rules for a calm home?
  • [28:21] Treating a statement plant as art!
  • [30:19] What makes a plant grouping actually work?
  • [32:33] Does the rule of threes work for plants?
  • [33:54] Why there's always a hoya in her groupings
  • [36:49] Blooming houseplants that don't get enough credit!
  • [37:49] The custom window shelves she's sad to take down
  • [40:00] How to build grow lights into your house (outlets, dimmers, timers, and hiding cords)
  • [42:16] Why spreading plants throughout your home makes you enjoy them more
  • [45:20] What makes her book House + Plant different and QR codes to her DIYs
  • [47:28] Pre-orders, the October 6th release, and where to find Samantha!

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

 

For Samantha's amazing tips on how to do more with fewer plants,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

 

Follow Samantha:

Website
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
Facebook

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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, and a guidebook, PLUS $25 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


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There’s a quiet, accessible kind of wellness waiting for you on a windowsill or in a patch of soil. Growing Joy with Plants explores that very idea, moving beyond basic tips to examine how our relationship with the natural world directly nurtures our mental and emotional health. Hosted by Maria Failla, a self-proclaimed Happy Plant Lady and author of "Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness," this podcast feels like a warm conversation with a knowledgeable friend. Maria guides you through the practicalities of keeping your houseplants alive and thriving, but the discussion always circles back to the deeper connection-how the simple acts of watering, repotting, or simply observing growth can become anchors of calm in a hectic day. Each episode digs into how gardening and engaging with nature, even in small urban spaces, offer tangible tools to manage feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. This isn't about achieving a perfect indoor jungle; it's about finding moments of peace and genuine happiness through the process of care. The underlying message throughout the podcast is a powerful and gentle reminder: tending to your plants is fundamentally an act of tending to yourself. You’ll come away with not just better plant care knowledge, but a refreshed perspective on cultivating joy in your daily routine, learning that the serenity you might seek on vacation can be rooted right in your own home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
Podcast Episodes
All My Plants are Dead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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So, plant friends… all my plants are dead. Well, not all of them. But MANY of them. I had a baby in June, and my houseplants did not survive my postpartum era. What’s interesting is that I've heard from listeners who wen…
Motherhood, Seasons of Life and Changing Plant Passions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We're going back to basics today on how to propagate pothos, plant friends! It's one of the simplest things you can do as a plant parent. And pothos is probably the easiest plant to propagate, which is exactly why it's w…
Garden Inspired Cocktails and Mocktails for Joyful Living [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We often talk about garden-to-table, but what about garden-to-glass? AKA how to grow plants for garden inspired cocktails, and all the ways to turn a harvest into something delicious, regardless if you drink alcohol or n…

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