Did you know that your houseplants have superpowers? Some can actually seek out darkness to find the light, some can count, and some can actually bring wealth. To help me reveal all these amazing aspects of our houseplants is my new friend, David Domoney. He’s a celebrated British horticulturist, television presenter, and author with over 30 Royal Horticultural Society medals. And his book, Plants with Superpowers, is what actually inspired me to do this episode. This is the first of a two-part series on plants and their superpowers, and I have him on twice because he is such an enthusiastic person. I love his energy so much.

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:50] Why is green considered a calming color
• [04:40]  How did David become the lore specialist of plants?
• [08:33] What inspired David to write his book?
• [11:20] What is the superpower of the Venus flytrap?
• [13:43] Venus Flytrap evolution and feeding tips
• [14:40] Garden in comfort and style with new Dovetail Workwear X John Deere overalls, designed specifically for women!
• [17:57] How plants help our world become livable
• [18:22] How important is the role of soil microorganisms in the process of nutrient uptake in plants?
• [19:46] What is the superpower of Mimosa pudica?
• [21:33] What is the superpower of Monstera?
• [22:42] Different growth patterns of plants
• [28:28] What is the superpower of the Prayer plant?
• [30:56] Nature as the original artist
• [33:11] What is the superpower of aloe vera?
• [34:54] What is the superpower of the jade plant?
• [39:59] Where can you find David online?

 

 

 

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Houseplants with Superpowers

Here are 7 houseplants doing extraordinary things right now on your windowsill.

 

#1 Venus Fly Trap (The Plant That Can Count)

David said that Darwin called it one of the most amazing things to witness, and honestly, same. The Venus Fly Trap doesn’t just snap shut on anything that touches it.

Inside the trap are tiny trigger hairs. So if just one is touched, nothing happens. But if two hairs are triggered within 30 seconds, it knows something is moving… and snap.

It literally has memory. I feed mine with dried bloodworms, and I have to squeeze the trap after feeding to simulate movement so it thinks it caught something.

It’s ridiculous and amazing and makes me feel like a little kid every time.

 

 

#2 Nepenthes (The Carnivorous Plant That Traps Mice)

Also known as the pitcher plant, this one is straight out of a sci-fi movie. Some species have grown so large they’ve been known to digest mice!

David told me a story about someone finding a rat inside a particularly large Nepenthes. It had climbed in, maybe looking for food or shelter, and never made it out.

Nature is wild. These plants evolved in nutrient-poor environments, so they became carnivorous to survive.

 

 

#3 Mimosa Pudica (The Sensitive Plant That Plays Dead)

For this one, you just touch the leaves and they close up in front of your eyes. Then the branches droop, and it looks completely dead. It’s a defense mechanism where it plays dead to avoid being eaten.

You can grow this one from seed at home! I love it for kids and curious adults alike.

 

#4 Monstera (The Plant That Finds Darkness to Reach the Light)

The Monstera doesn’t grow towards the light at first. It grows toward darkness (skototropism). In the wild, it crawls along the forest floor looking for the darkest shadow, which usually means a large tree. When it finds that tree, it climbs. And only then does it break through the leaves at the top to reach the light.

That’s a nice plant metaphor if I’ve ever heard one. Sometimes, to find the light, we have to move through the darkness first.

Also, those holes in Monstera leaves allow light to pass to the lower leaves and reduce the impact of rainfall.

 

 

#5 Prayer Plant (The Plant That Sleeps with Style)

I’ve always loved this one for its beautiful variegation, but now I love it even more. The prayer plant folds its leaves up at night, like hands in prayer, to reduce water loss through transpiration. It closes to protect itself while it sleeps.

You can even hear it rustling at night as the leaves move.

 

 

#6 Aloe Vera (The Natural Skincare)

Cleopatra used it. Alexander the Great conquered islands for it. And estheticians have told me to just rub it on my face at night.

Aloe vera has over 75 active ingredients that help with everything from sunburn to stretch marks to aging skin.

David had used it for his daughter’s skin irritation to shampoo and seen results in 20 minutes.

 

 

#7 Jade Plant (The Living Legacy)

The jade plant, or money tree, is more than a symbol of prosperity. It’s a friendship plant. It’s incredibly easy to propagate by just plucking a leaf, letting it root in water, and passing it along. 

What’s amazing is it’s not a new plant. It’s a clone. An exact DNA copy of the mother plant.

I inherited one from a friend, who inherited it from another friend. It’s probably over 50 years old now, and I’ve passed it on to others. There’s a whole web of people connected by this one plant. Literally a living, growing legacy of care.

 

 

Houseplants and Superpowers

There’s something about plants that instantly shifts us. David said it best: “We don’t need pills. We need plants.” (he meant this for general health, not for people who have been diagnosed)

So a simple 15-minute walk in nature can reduce cortisol for 72 hours. Even just watching your plants move or bloom can snap you out of your stress and bring you back to wonder.

“Nature is the original artist.” I agree with David. The closer we get to it, the more joy we find.

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• ‘Plants with Superpowers' by David Domoney
• ‘My House Plant Changed My Life' Signed Book by David Domoney
• TV Shows where David Domoney appeared in
• Growing Joy Ep 269: Carnivorous Plants: The Houseplant Pest Control You Never Thought Of with Kenny Coogan

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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