Growing up, my parents owned a feed and seed store along with a nursery. Both of my parents and grandparents loved yard work and gardening. As a result, naturally I grew up hating gardening. I love how pretty flowers are and in the last few years I have grown a veggie garden from seed with my son. I have grown to enjoy gardening to some degree or another but I have yet to master the art of house plants.
I literally murder every single house plant I have ever owned including cactus! However I am envious of those that are successful at house plants. In recent years there have been three new house plant speciality boutiques open here in my hometown! And my hometown is NOT a mecca like LA or NYC. But houseplants seem to be a pretty big deal right now. I have also seen a few articles about how house plants are big for people with anxiety or just looking for self care. There has never been a time when self care has become so important as during this pandemic. So when I saw this book come up for review I was intrigued.
Not only does the author tick all the boxes for me when it comes to fun and memorable, but the book itself sounds so interesting and user friendly. This is normally not the sort of book I would review or feature since I read mostly fiction books like murder and romance. I don’t normally feature a lot of non-fiction books but this one just stood out above all the others. If you are looking to up your houseplant game and are looking for a fresh voice who will get you excited and eager to grab some houseplants for yourself, then look no further than Christopher Griffin the PLANT KWEEN!
Summary
This accessible and empowering guide to plant care as self-care is the perfect book for this Spring. Written by Black, queer, and non-binary plant influencer and expert Christopher Griffin aka @PlantKween, YOU GROW, GURL! (3/22) spills the juiciest tea on how to take care of yourself while taking care of your plants.
Griffin (he/she/they) aka @PlantKween is the go-to source on plant-care as self-care. With tips, tricks, and stunning content filling their Instagram feed, what a better way to share their knowledge with the world than with YOU GROW GURL! (Harper Design / March 22, 2022)—a gorgeous, accessible guide to all things plants.
Six years ago, Griffin was just beginning the plant parenthood journey with one small Marble Queen Pothos. Today, this Black Queer non-binary femme plant influencer tends to a family of more than 200 healthy green gurls in the Brooklyn apartment they call home.
Christopher can discuss:
· Top Three Green Gurls for Beginner Plant Parents
o The houseplants that are easy to care for and hardest to kill. Details include: natural habitat, growth pattern, sunlight needs, watering needs, and preferred soil mixtures.
o NOTE: This could also be adapted to “Top Three Plants for your Office”
· Four Easy Steps to Green Up Your Space
· Let’s Get Those Hands Dirtay: A Repotting Tutorial
o The process of repotting a plant, whether it is in its original nursery pot or in a more permanent planter but needs to be potted into a larger planter so she can spread her roots. Christopher can do a live demo.
· Three Easy Ways to Propagate Your Plants
o The different ways that a plant parent could propagate their plants, thus greening up their space with the plants they already have.
· Give your Green Gurl the Support She Needs: A Moss Pole Tutorial
o The importance of moss poles for certain green gurls and guiding through making their own moss pole with some simple materials.
The Lit Bitch 