Today we’re visiting with Nez, a plant lover who is building her own backyard botanical garden in Los Angeles.

I think of this Monstera pinnatipartita as my “soul plant.” My husband bought it for me in September 2021 as a congratulatory gift, because I was stagnant in my old position and chose to take a step back and make a lateral move career-wise in order to keep progressing. This plant was stagnant for the first eight months, then started growing with a vengeance. It has already needed to be repotted twice in order to keep growing.

Sometimes when it looks like you aren’t visibly growing, you’re actually growing on the inside and working on your “roots” (aka your mental and emotional health) and laying the foundation for your future self. Then when the right time comes, you’ll have stronger emotional and mental “roots” to support your new outward growth.

These tropical plants are huddling together outside and trying to survive an unusual cold spell in Southern California—and they’re doing great. We really need to chill out with the helicopter–plant parenting because plants are SO much more resilient than we give them credit for.

Maranta leuconera is an easygoing plant that just chugs along and never gives me problems.

I talk a lot of crap about calatheas, but this Calathea majestica “White Star” is a favorite plant in my collection. It is prone to spider mites, so I have to keep it far away from the rest of my plants. It’s worth it, though, because look at the foliage!

I loved my Maranta leuconeura ‘Beauty Kim’ when I first got her, even during her ugly phase.

And look at her now!

I am obsessed with this Anthurium vittarifolium at the San Diego Botanic Garden. It’s as long as I am tall!

I got this Florida Beauty philodendron as a lightly rooted cutting, and it’s been quite the lesson in patience! We’re well on our way to a big beautiful plant someday.

Beautiful variegated leaves of Hoya ‘Rangsan Splash’

My variegated Hoya multiflora in flower

If you want to see more from Nez, check out her Instagram: @staythirstymyfronds

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.