Gayle Lynn Falkenthal

Art Becomes a Living Thing at San Diego Art Alive

| April 26, 2018 | Categories: Case Studies, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants
Brianna's finished floral artwork next to the original painting at the "Art Alive 2018" exhibit.
“Art Alive” has been part of my life and my family’s life for several decades. I first got involved way back when I was still a florist. No matter how busy I got, this is one community project I’ve always enjoyed and will always make time for it. “Art Alive” is now in its 37th year. Local and national floral designers create their own floral interpretations of artworks from the Museum for “Art Alive” every year. There will be more than 100 floral displays of art masterpieces, and a whole weekend of flower-filled activities and events. For me it’s the perfect intersection of nature and art.… Read More

18 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day 2018 – Sunday and All Year Long

| April 19, 2018 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company, Sustainable Living
Environment, global warming
Forty-eight years ago today, the first Earth Day took place in 1970. It is now an annual event celebrated on April 22, coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. It reaches more than 192 countries each year including hundreds of communities in the United States. Not to brag, but we celebrate Earth Day every single day at Good Earth Plant Company! We are a green-run company and we believe in sustainable practices. They are now just a normal part of our everyday routines. We love it when the rest of the world takes a day to focus on environment issues and finding good solutions we can easily adopt.… Read More

Ten Unusual Indoor Plants for Your Office Desk

| April 12, 2018 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Office Design, Plantscaping
Office plant designs
You’ve read here many times about the benefits of having plants in your workplace environment. They absorb impurities and toxins in the air, they help dampen noise down in open floor plans, and they improve your mood, creativity, and productivity. Really, there is no down side. You may have noticed the same type of indoor plant on everyone’s desk in every office. The reason you see certain plants all the time makes sense. These plants tolerate the less than perfect growing conditions in many indoor spaces. They will absorb some abuse, and still look beautiful. This is why Good Earth Plant Company uses and recommends hardy flowering orchids, colorful bromeliads, pretty variegated pothos, tough sansevierias and the workhorse dracaena family.… Read More

Green Roofs Could Save San Diego Enough Tax Money To Fix our Streets

| April 5, 2018 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Green Roofs, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
We need urban and suburban parks to insure all San Diego residents are within walking distance of nature. Photo: Nathan Rupert/Creative Commons fix our streets
Sometimes I wonder why I read the news, because it can be depressing. I guess because it’s a relief none of my own problems ever make it into the San Diego Union-Tribune or on local TV. If they did, I’d know I’m having a REALLY bad day. A few recent stories in the news were a serious downer for this Eco-Warrior. In the first one, a report by the City of San Diego ran down our infrastructure funding gap. This is the money we don’t have to fix our streets, sidewalks, lights, traffic signals, and such. The one that got my attention was the $243 million we need to fund local parks.… Read More

Easter Comes Early for Good Earth Plant Company and Alpha Square

| March 31, 2018 | Categories: Case Studies, Gardening, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Jim Mumford and daughter Allie Mumford survey the bromeliads and orchids at the Alpha Square Apartments about to find new homes for Easter.
Easter came a little earlier than expected for Good Earth Plant Company, and for residents of the Alpha Square Apartment complex. Eco-Warrior Jim Mumford and daughter Allie Mumford delivered orchids and bromeliads to residents to brighten their homes. They were enthusiastically received with many smiles. Good Earth Plant Company also provided orchids to the San Diego Blood Bank as a donor premium. We received wonderful responses. If an orchid or bromeliad can convince someone to donate the gift of life, we are all for it. You can contact the San Diego Blood Bank to learn whether you are eligible to donate (most healthy adults are!)… Read More

Cool Things Made From Plants, Not Plastic

| March 29, 2018 | Categories: Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
uman beings are addicted to plastic and trashing our planet with discarded bottles, fishing nets, and more. We need to find a solution. Photo: Courtesy Ocean Cleanup Foundation
Forget being addicted to drugs, or sugar, or the internet. America is addicted most of all to plastic. Last week, the Ocean Cleanup Foundation published a report on the Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge mass of trash swirled together by the ocean’s currents. It sits between the California coast and Hawaii. It is hundreds of miles from land, from any major city. So much trash is getting into the Pacific Ocean that doesn’t biodegrade, it has now grown to 87,000 tons, four to 16 times bigger than anyone previously thought. It is four times the size of the state of California.… Read More

Should I Put My Indoor Plants Outside In the Rain?

| March 22, 2018 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
  It’s a question we don’t ask very often in San Diego County. But with a nice rainstorm predicted to last throughout the day, it’s an ideal time to explore this question. Why wouldn’t we want to take advantage of the rainfall to save water and give our indoor house plants a healthy drink and a good shower? The answer seems obvious, doesn’t it? In general, it is a good idea – but there are some pitfalls you need to know about and avoid. Good Reasons to Let Nature Water Your House Plants Rain coming straight out of the clouds to water your plants provides several benefits.… Read More

11 Deadly Enemies of Your Indoor Plants

| March 15, 2018 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
When chosen wisely and treated well, indoor plants can survive and thrive in nearly any office or home environment. It is well worth the investment of your time and attention to be sure your plants are getting the right care. But whether it’s due to ignorance, neglect, or flat out abuse, indoor plants face many enemies to their good health. The team of professional horticulture technicians who care for plants every day at Good Earth Plant Company know how to avoid the most common problems, and troubleshoot others when they pop up. Through our 40 years of experience, we’ve put together 11 enemies of your indoor plants for you to learn about and avoid.… Read More

Hey Denver, Call Good Earth Plant Company About Your Green Roofs

| March 8, 2018 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Green Roofs
Hey Denver, Good Earth Plant Company has over a decade of experience with green roofs. This photo was taken on the first anniversary of our roof in March 2008.
The smart voters of Denver, Colorado are the first voters to pass their own Green Roof Initiative. It passed with 54 percent of the vote. The new city ordinance requires any building with more than 25,000 square feet of gross floor area under the roof to include green spaces. Fantastic! But trust elected officials and civil servents to screw up even the best idea. Four months later there is a crazy amount of handwringing going on over how to make the new ordinance “work.” The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment has formed a review task fore including initiative supporters, water and power authorities, and “green roof experts.”… Read More

Trees Are a Teen’s BFF

| February 22, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Are you and especially your kids getting enough vitamin N - as in Nature? Good Earth Plant Company San Diego
  It wasn’t all that long ago that my son and daughter, Ted and Allie, were typical high school students, in a typical 21st century high school. But you don’t have to be a parent or a high school student to feel the impact of the recent events in Parkland, Florida and worry about our teenagers. No, this blog isn’t going to turn into a discussion about events in the news. There are plenty of other places to talk about those issues. But what I do want to talk about is what seems like an epidemic of troubled, depressed teenagers. As a parent it upsets me to see so many kids hurting.… Read More