plants

Healthy Houseplants Your Stuffy Nose Will Love

| March 11, 2017 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Thanks to everything you’ve read on our blog (OK, and maybe elsewhere), you’ve decided to add plants to your indoor environment. It’s a smart move and with spring around the corner, it’s perfect timing. But for the one out of ten people who suffer from asthma and allergies, you need to make your choices carefully. We’ve known since the landmark 1989 NASA study we quote so often here that plants can greatly improve our indoor air quality by filtering harmful toxins and pollutants – things like benzene, formaldehyde, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But many plants also produce pollen as part of their reproductive process.… Read More

Hotel Del Coronado Gets Its Own Living Wall

| February 24, 2017 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Living Walls
Did anyone watch the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune” during its “San Diego Week?” The show backdrop featured classic symbols of San Diego. The most prominant was the unmistakable red turret roof of the Hotel Del Coronado. The beautiful Hotel del Coronado is a little more beautiful today thanks to its new living wall, installed in late January by Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings. This project has been a year in the making as it made its way through a lengthy approval process by the City of Coronado. The City and several organizations must maintain the historic preservation of the landmark and ensure any renovations or construction don’t harm the structure.… Read More

Can Plants Save The World? Isn’t It Worth Trying?

| February 17, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
I started my career in the plant industry with a flower bucket stand in downtown San Diego. Now I’m heading toward my 40th anniversary in business at warp speed. It’s crazy! It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a little luck and lots of help along the way. I’m grateful for where it’s taken me. When you have the gratitude attitude, two things happen. First, you feel great. Second, you want to pass it on, and that feels great, too. In 2016, a presentation by Alpha Project Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau opened my eyes to the growing scope of homelessness in San Diego.… Read More

Shhh, Be Quiet – Your Houseplants are Sleeping

| February 2, 2017 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
When the weather is sunny during the first few months of the year in San Diego, it’s hard to remember it’s winter time. Yes, even in Southern California. The days are getting longer again but we have several more weeks to go before we are getting a full, healthy dose of sunlight and the days even out into spring. During these winter months, your houseplants are taking a nap. Like many other creatures, they slow down and “hibernate” during the winter. Living creatures including plants evolved to conserve their energy when resources are scarce due to the natural cycle of the seasons in winter.… Read More

Don’t Bug Me! House Plants That Resist Pests

| January 11, 2017 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Closeup of Sansevieria plant in metal pot, domestic gardening, indoors interior.
Good Earth Plant’s Top 12 Pest-Resistant House Plants Many people love the idea of greening their indoor spaces but worry about pests. Thankfully, there are numerous pest-resistant house plants that are perfect for those without a green thumb. Even if you are a beginner, you can make it a lot easier on yourself if you choose plants that are proven to be easier to care for than others. But we’re standing by to help: it’s our mission at Good Earth Plant company to enrich people’s lives with plants. Give us a call to learn more about how we can assist you in selecting the perfect pest-resistant houseplants for your space! … Read More

Real vs. Fake: The Christmas Tree Smackdown

| December 1, 2016 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
One of the Christmas trees created by Good Earth Plant Company for our clients.
The debate starts up every year about this time. We’re no closer to settling it, but it doesn’t stop me from trying. So choose up sides, and let’s go. Which is better for the earth, a real Christmas tree, or an artificial Christmas tree? There’s a little twist to this discussion in Southern California: our ongoing drought. Despite the welcome rain in San Diego County earlier this week, California is in its third year of a serious drought. The average Christmas tree grows for an average of six to eight years before it reaches the typical six to seven-foot height for cutting and display.… Read More

Time For Thanks at Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings

| November 23, 2016 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company
Good Earth Plant Company's original business location on a Thanksgiving nearly four decades ago! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It is (already!) Thanksgiving 2016, and I’m thankful for many people in my life. Thanksgiving is a good time to let them know. I’m thankful for: • My folks: far from perfect, but great role models and teachers. They set a good standard and give me plenty to both admire and laugh about. • My son Ted: just enough of me in him to make me proud, just enough “other” to make him interesting. He is going to save the world. You watch. • My daughter Allie: although she tries to deny it, she is way too much like me – plus smart, capable and talented.… Read More

Plants’ Secret Language: Can They Communicate?

| July 21, 2016 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
People have been talking to plants for years. Is there now a way for plants to talk to us?
When I first got started working with plants professionally in the late 1970s, talking to your plants to make them grow better was a hot topic. Even Prince Charles said in a 1986 interview that he talked to his plants. “I just come and talk to the plants, really. Very important to talk to them; they respond.” Some people thought it was pretty hippie dippy, but others took it seriously including a lot of scientists, long before the 1970s fad. German researcher Gustav Fechner wrote a book about it in 1848. Electrical signals in plants were discovered over 100 years ago, in 1873, by British scientist John Burdon-Sanderson.… Read More

Summer Gardening Projects Let Kids Get Dirty and Keep Parents Happy

| June 9, 2016 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Share your spare veggies and other produces with co-workers this summer.
Kids are counting down the days until school is out for the summer. Don’t we all remember that feeling? If you’re a parent, you have a different perspective. Something like, “oh no, how am I going to keep the kids busy and out of trouble all summer!” Why not encourage your kids to do something that comes naturally? Encourage them to get their hands dirty in fun gardening activities. Take advantage of San Diego’s summer weather to work on projects outdoors when it’s cool enough, and indoors when the sun is a little too strong. There are many age appropriate opportunities for gardening and art projects that will instill a love of nature that will last a lifetime.… Read More

Honor Mom the Good Earth Plants Way on Mother’s Day

| May 4, 2016 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Plantscaping
Three generations of Mumfords together at La Jolla Shores celebrating Mother's Day in better times, May 2016: (L to R) daughter Allie, Mom, and yours truly.
For those of you who aren’t aware, let me save you from being in the doghouse with Mom the rest of the year. Sunday, May 8 is Mother’s Day. You’re welcome. It’s really hard to miss it if you’re exposed to any kind of advertising. We have been bombarded for two months with advertising reminding us to buy those flowers, chocolates, and greeting cards to honor Mom. I’ve written before about the crazy time for florists at Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day is even crazier when it comes to flowers. The Society of American Florist reports Mother’s Day is the second largest flower holiday, accounting for 24 percent of all flowers sent annually – yes, one in four floral purchases all year long is for Mother’s Day.… Read More