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Follow These 16 ‘Plant Parents’ for a Greener Thumb

Who wants to run away and live in the woods? If that’s you, it’s likely it’s a distant dream. However, house plants allow us to bring nature indoors. Some folks have a “green thumb” and a magical ability to keep plants alive. While some succeed at keeping plants alive, others struggle with keeping them healthy. Thankfully, social media has come to the rescue.

Instead of spending hours searching for plant care tips online or in a library, we can follow the right plant parent accounts on TikTok or Instagram. These accounts simplify things with 60-second reels that break down even the most complex plant care techniques. This makes cultivating a green thumb easier for even the most plant-challenged folks.

Luckily, many successful plant parents share their wisdom—and they’re folks with the greenest thumbs on the internet.

Parenting Plants: It’s Easier Than You’d Think

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

What is a plant parent? Usually, it’s someone who is nuts about houseplants. However, even folks who want to grow their forest at home struggle to keep plants alive. A survey from the start of the pandemic-induced plant ownership craze revealed that 47% of folks don’t buy plants because they don’t know how to care for them.

Despite this data, the urge to own and care for plants makes sense. Plants make us feel better. Although we can’t live in the forest, we can bring it inside. Whether it’s to destress or purify the air, plant care is possible. Or, if you want a whimsical wonderland in your front yard, gardening is for everyone.

With so many different kinds of plants — succulents, tropicals, foliage — it’s no wonder folks are so intimidated. Learning from experienced plant parents is a great way to cultivate the jungalow, cottage garden, or food forest of your dreams.

Cottage Gardening: A World of Charm and Beauty

Farm and herb garden on the Kirchberg plateau in Reinhausen, municipality of Gleichen.
Image Credit: Nemracc – CCA SA 4.0/WikiCommons.

Rooted in English tradition, cottage gardens hail back to Elizabethan times when serfs had excess land to grow crops. Over time, the nobility adapted these to leisure gardens, balancing practical wildflowers with structured design. Today, cottage gardening crosses the Atlantic and encourages the use of native plants in overly developed spaces.

Growing a cottage garden requires some skill, especially if you are unfamiliar with companion planting and native plants. When planted properly, many herbs and flowers pair well together, producing a sea of color.

Aside from their enchanting natural charm, cottage gardens attract pollinators — a massive plus for the environment! With more pollinators, your herb garden will yield a bountiful harvest. Wondering where to start? Look no further than these cottage gardeners.

1. The Garden Cottage

In the UK, Megan teaches about foraging wild herbs in her cottage backyard. She sits on larger land, so foraging generates various fungi, herbs, and flowers. If properly harvested, she can incorporate these in a more cultivated fashion, propagating a more structured cottage garden. Learn more about foraging at her website.

2. In the Cottage Garden

Another UK gardener, Amy, offers design tips and tricks for those desperate to grow a cottage garden. Follow her content for insight on growing your food in a beautiful, flower-filled space. She emphasizes reducing waste and saving on expensive food costs.

3. Blooming Joy Flower Co.

Although she’s a flower-focused gardener, Kara focuses on cut flower gardens. Based in Tennessee, she focuses on Zone 7 natives. Her experience with florals is beneficial for folks trying to grow non-native species. She’s particularly insightful on structuring “informal” plants like wildflowers.

Native Gardening: Embracing the Beauty of Local Flora

Native Plant Garden at the U.S. Botanic Garden.
Image Credit: DC Gardens – CCA 2.0/WikiCommons.

Local flora offer many benefits to gardeners and native fauna. Planting natives works for many gardening styles and allows for many plant types. Whether it’s a cottage garden, vegetable garden, or combination, native plants offer many inherent benefits over non-natives.

For some, planting natives rebels against the norm of using invasive species, often devastating the environment. Others see it as restorative and counteracting the negative aspects of industrial agriculture.

4. Native Habitat Project

Forester and conservationist Kyle Lybarger set out to educate folks about the benefits of native plants. What began as a demonstration of conserving and protecting rare natives in Alabama became a much larger endeavor. Lybarger expanded his efforts to the Native Habitat Project to “promote the restoration and management of native ecosystems.”

5. Native Plants for Life

One ecologist has made it her mission to educate others on the benefits of native plants. She believes that “to save nature, we must plant native species and remove invasive plants.” She needs current and future gardeners to see native gardening for its reduced water usage, increased biodiversity, and promotion of a healthy environment.

Permaculture Plant Parents: Nurturing Plants and the Planet

Permaculture plant and garden space.
Image Credit: Terence Groos – CCA SA 4.0/WikiCommons.

Beyond planting natives, some plant parents love cultivating sustainable gardens with permaculture. Following ancient tradition, permaculture copies natural ecosystems. Plant parents prioritize sustainability in their gardening, such as composting, rainwater harvesting, and organic pest control.

Food forests, a common product of permaculture, offer a reduced environmental impact. Often, these gardens yield much larger harvests than traditional gardens. Planting and relying on nature’s patterns conserves resources and produces a thriving ecosystem.

6. Transformative Adventures

Mike Hoag offers tons of information to enrich other gardeners. His focus on food forests and permaculture is a big eye-opener to some preconceived notions of unkempt gardens. Unlike conventional gardening, food forests use nature’s patterns to grow. Hoag educates others on how to transform their landscape into a permaculture paradise.

7. PermacultureFX

Run by the self-dubbed Plant Man, PermacultureFX “exists to tool up dirt ninjas, urban gardeners, and suburban homestead wannabes with tools needed to care for the earth, their communities, and their well-being.” He educates folks on edible landscape design, offering food forest tips for the perfect permaculture garden.

Small Gardens: Making the Most of Limited Space

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As metro areas build up and homeownership remains difficult, folks get stuck with fewer green spaces. Others, stuck in apartments for extended periods until an affordable house hits the market, are limited on options, too. For some, houseplants are enough, but others want a garden. Urban and small gardens remain popular as outdoor space is limited.

Part of the challenge lies in maximizing space, but plenty of gardening solutions exist. For indoor planting, it’s about space and light to grow. For those with small outdoor areas, it’s all about strategic design and planting.

8. Floricult Gardens

North Carolinian Lauren Dubinsky teaches folks how to grow a garden on a quarter acre of land. She grows lots of things, depending on the season. She’s all about simplifying the gardening experience for beginners and pros. From working with seedlings to improving soil health, she offers many great videos and other resources to guide any small-time gardener with big plant dreams.

Gardening Basics: Getting Your Hands Dirty

Two happy little girls digging in a raised bed garden
Image Credit: Kristen Prahl/Shutterstock.

Starting a garden intimidates some. Only some people trust themselves with cultivating plants to a full harvest. Even somewhat experienced gardeners suffer setbacks from stronger winters or summers. Learning to recover and adapt to the unexpected is part of the joy of gardening.

Thankfully, some pros test out the best tools and hacks for those without gardening knowledge. It’s up to you to give them a try!

9. Epic Gardening

What began as a devoted hobby for one man, Kevin Espiritu has built the world’s most-followed gardening brand. Talk about harnessing the power of social media. From gardening basics in harsh climates to tried-and-tested quality gardening products, Epic Gardening “teaches the world to grow.”

10. Joe Gardener

Joe Lamp’l, founder of The Online Gardening Academy, teaches us gardening basics. He runs a podcast, hosts a TV show, and offers several courses on gardening. With his skills, he’s created strains so desirable he even sells the “master seeds” on a waitlist! Joe’s tagline is “Grow like a pro — no experience required!”

Self-Sufficient Plant Parents: Growing Your Food

grandparents in the garden
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Although understanding gardening basics helps initially, you’re ready to grow more. Whatever your green thumb goals are — flower farming, herbs, veggies, permaculture — self-sufficient gardening is doable. With these gardeners’ tips, cultivate the garden of your dreams.

12. Garden Marcus

Marcus Bridgewater, author of How to Grow, teaches gardening and self-sufficiency with a holistic focus. He coaches folks on how to grow their gardens and themselves. For him, feeding yourself with your garden takes time and dedication, working with the plants and developing yourself.

13. In My Patch

Sarah teaches folks how to grow their veggies for the whole family. For her, gardening basics start with being able to feed yourself. Check out her classes and resources for folks who want a functional garden to sustain themselves or a family.

14. Urban Farmstead

Kyle Hagerty’s Urban Farmstead bridges the gap between self-sufficient, permaculture, and “lazy gardening.” He teaches folks how to make the most of old-world gardening traditions and the simplicity of modern-day methods. For example, his latest tactics allowed him to go on vacation for 21 days and leave his garden unattended.

Caring for Houseplants: The Basics of Being a Plant Parent

Image Credit: DimaBerlin/Shutterstock.

Maintaining a garden on a limited budget takes skill. If you lack resources or space, houseplants offer a chance at affordable greenery. These supplement small gardens with propagation stations, cute plant hangers, and trellises.

Houseplants offer a vital reprieve from polluted air and concrete corners for city dwellers, but keeping up with that fiddle leaf fig or Swiss cheese monstera proves tough for some. Fortunately, some great plant parents are sharing their wisdom online.

15. Reagan Kastner

Botanical business owner Reagan offers hacks for keeping houseplants alive. She’s all about saving plants neglected by others and teaching folks how to revive their rescued plants. Considering she sells plants for a living, take her advice on keeping your plant props thriving.

16. Tanner the Planter

He sells plants and rehabs others’ plants for a living. Tanner teaches basic houseplant care for even rare and tough-to-maintain flora like orchids. His course for houseplant basics opens the door for anyone to cultivate a green thumb.

Grow a Greener Tomorrow

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Gardens and houseplants do so much for us. They provide a healthy hobby. For some, they offer a great source of income. For others, they bring calm and tools to destress. Many people find great satisfaction in eating their harvest.

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