Good Earth Plant Company Tips

The horticultural experts at Good Earth Plant Company have years of experience caring for plants and creating exceptional designs to enrich peoples’ lives with plants. Our experts generously share their advice with readers who want to improve their plant care methods to be more successful in helping their plants thrive and stay healthy.

Our website contains an extensive FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions section. The most common questions asked by clients are included in each section.  If you don’t see your question answered, we invite you to contact us.

Top Biophilic and Nature Design Trends for the Roaring 20s

Pink flamingo lawn ornaments were invented in 1957. The first one had a name: Diego! Photo: Lena Svensson, Pixabay
The start of a new year would not exist the same way without the human creation of the calendar, but Nature would still let us know it’s the start of a new cycle as the days begin to slowly grow longer heading toward spring. We also feel these natural rhythms going into our 44th year in business (wow!) at Good Earth Plant Company. We look forward to seeing what’s new in our world, along with clever twists on old ideas, plus brand new concepts. We love recycling. Based on what we’re seeing and conversations with our colleagues and our customers, we’re looking forward to the following Top Plantscaping and natural design trends to start the decade of the Roaring 20s returned in 2020.… Read More

Top Blog Posts for 2019: Practical Tips and Naked Gardening

Find out which of our nearly 200 Good Earth Plant Company blog posts made our Top Ten List.
Good Earth Plant Company KNOWS what you like. Most of all, you like our practical tips. We know you love great photos. And who can’t use a laugh or a WOW in their day! But – we aren’t going to speculate why for the third year in a row, you made Naked Gardening our Number One most read blog post for 2019. We’re just going to report the facts. Good Earth Plant Company puts a lot of work into our blog, because we love bringing you the latest news about interior design trends affecting YOUR health and wellness at home and in the workplace.… Read More

Good Earth Plants’ Top Ten Indoor Plant Care Myths

House plant care tips
Unlike your indoor plants, some of these myths have been around a long time but they just won’t die. If you’re still thinking any of these plant care tips are true, we’re going to put a stake through them now and forever. Myth #1: Put your brand new plants in a bigger pot right away to encourage them to grow It seems like it would make sense. Giving a plant a chance to spread out its roots means it will grow bigger and faster, right? The truth is the opposite. Plants prefer having their roots completely filling out container space. When a plant senses it needs to fill out a bigger pot with new roots, it will divert its energy to the roots, not the stems, leaves, or blooms.… Read More

Don’t Hire Your Contractors Based on Fake News!

Earlier this week, I found myself getting completely frustrated by a Facebook “friend” trying to back up a political opinion with some pretty suspicious “facts.” This person claimed all the sources were legitimate. But when I checked them out and dug a little, they were all sketchy. Then I compared them to my own independent research, and there was no doubt. Fake news. Yes, I know, as you’re reading this you’re thinking – “Hey Jim, don’t take stuff on Facebook so seriously.” I get it. But like it or not, people get most of their news and information online these days.… Read More

Go Green This Halloween – Recycle Your Pumpkins

Don't be an environmental meanie after Halloween: recycle your pumpkins. Photo: Arnica Backstrom / Pixabay
It’s Halloween today, and 180 million Americans of all ages plan to take part in some kind of festivities today. We’re all about it at Good Earth Plant Company, because so much of Halloween connects with nature. Around this time of year, the seasons are making the transition from the last summer harvest to the cooler, darker days of fall and winter. We make the fall time change this Sunday, November 2. Irish immigrants brought their beliefs about nature to the United States. They explained the natural processes they saw happening during the seasons on magical spirits. It’s not surprising when you think about pre-industrial people trying to make sense of the world without sophisticated science.… Read More

Best House Plants For Small Spaces

Even in minimal living space, you csn always find room for plants. Photo: MiliVanily/Pixabay
Have you ever watched the show on HGTV called “Tiny House Hunters?” Episodes follow homebuyers who want to seriously downsize. By definition, a small house is around 500 square feet. A tiny house is from 100 to 400 square feet. It’s hard to get solid numbers, but most groups agree there are about 10,000 of these tiny houses in the U.S. This isn’t a whole lot different than an average RV. According to the RV Industry Association, one million Americans live full time in an RV. New York City apartments have a reputation for being small, but the average studio apartment is 550 square feet.… Read More

Good Earth Plant Company’s Summer Reading List – Naturally!

Summer is the perfect time to read a new nature book and get inspired. Photo: Erika Wittlieb / Pixabay
Science shows us getting out and enjoying the benefits of nature will make us healthier. Reading about nature isn’t a bad idea either. How about reading a book about nature at your favorite outdoor spot? Maybe it’s the beach; maybe it’s the park. Maybe it’s a hammock in your backyard. It doesn’t matter. And we just happen to have some of our favorite nature books for you here to enjoy this summer.  Choose any of them, and then choose your favorite spot. Your Guide to Forest Bathing Amos Clifford Amos Clifford is the founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.… Read More

Bring the Heat: Indoor Plants That Like It Hot

Small sansevierias in pots on a table.
Updated August 2024. We are fortunate living in San Diego where the weather remains close to perfect most of the time, but even sometimes the heat and the humidity can feel overwhelming. If it seems more humid lately, it’s not your imagination. Warmer ocean temperatures generate more humidity. If only they’d generate a little rain! When you feel the heat, so do your plants. Hot summers can be rough, even for your indoor plants. If you’re trying to conserve energy and save money (and you should!) by not blasting the air conditioning, plants can suffer. Plants not native to warm climates or already weak due to poor care, pests, or other issues, need extra attention.… Read More

Our Top Ten Best Plant and Nature Apps

Back when kids like me didn’t have smartphones, we used BOOKS to learn about nature. If you wanted help identifying plants or birds or animals, you used books called “field guides” to take with you to help figure out whether you were looking at a sparrow or a warbler. If you wanted to figure out where a trail would go, you used a paper map. You better not tear it, or get it wet! But now, technology has put this kind of knowledge in the palm of our hands – as long as your power doesn’t wear out and your wifi is working.… Read More

Grow or Die

When you’ve been in business doing something for more than four decades, you probably think you’re pretty good at it. The mere act of surviving all the challenges running a business throws at you says it all. Plenty of people take their expertise for granted, though. That’s the kiss of death. The minute you think you know-it-all is the minute you don’t. I’m a firm believer in new knowledge and growth as one of the key ingredients to success in nearly anything. And why wouldn’t growth be at the heart of working in a green business like plantscaping and biophilic design?… Read More