Have you ever picked up a plant at the garden center and wondered how the houseplants even get here? I didn't think about it much until I was invited to speak at Cultivate, one of the biggest horticulture industry conferences, and I spent the whole time walking the halls. I'd been caring for plants for years. But I had no idea how much love and time go into getting one plant onto a store shelf. So I asked my friend Justin Hancock to walk us through it. Justin is a horticulturist at Costa Farms, the largest houseplant grower in the world. We talked about plant hunters, secret R&D areas in greenhouses, years of testing, and literally millions of cuttings before a plant ever makes it onto a store shelf! Let's dive in!
In this episode, we learn:
- [01:33] Come hang out with me over on Substack!
- [02:58] Welcome back, Justin Hancock!
- [05:19] Why the horticulture industry is so grounded and generational
- [06:30] What has Justin’s experience in the horticulture industry been like?
- [07:38] Why many horticulture businesses are passed down through generations
- [09:29] How a plant gets from discovery to your local garden center
- [11:12] What is a plant hunter, and how do you become one?
- [12:14] What makes a good new houseplant
- [14:00] How long does a plant spend in R&D before it hits shelves?
- [14:11] How growers forecast plant trends years ahead of social media
- [15:51] Meet the plant rebels who changed history in Rebel Gardeners by Camilla Anderson!
- [17:43] Plant hunting vs. plant breeding
- [19:35] Why aureums are so shy to flower…
- [20:52] What happens after a plant passes R&D? (propagating from one cutting to thousands)
- [22:40] Costa's five-point testing process and why variegated plants are so tricky to produce
- [24:40] The other roles that touch plants before they reach the garden center
- [25:19] How Costa is making its potting mixes more sustainable and locally sourced
- [26:33] How many plants make it out of R&D (and the Monstera subpinnata that flopped)
- [28:37] How tissue culture fits into plant hunting and production
- [29:33] What is tissue culture, and how is it different from growing from a cutting?
- [30:53] Should everyday plant parents buy tissue culture plants?
- [34:01] When trends move faster than production: the pink princess philodendron
- [36:12] What's hot right now and the new genera coming out of R&D
- [38:55] Inside Justin's book, The New Complete Guide to Houseplants
- [40:40] Bonus plant profiles and signed copies when you pre-order through Costa Farms!
- [42:31] Rapid-fire questions: underrated & overhyped houseplants
- [44:00] The plant Justin always kills, and the one he grows best!
- [45:30] The one thing he wishes every person understood about their houseplants
Mentioned in our conversation:
Where do your favorite houseplants come from?
Check out the full show notes and blog to find out!
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Thank you to our episode sponsor:Quarto: Rebel Gardeners by Camilla Anderson
Grab your copy of Rebel Gardeners at quarto.com, wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore.
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