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Plant Inspired Vacations with Leslie Halleck and Marcia Castro-Rosenberg, Ep 274

Did you know you can use your plant passion as inspiration for how and where you go on vacation? I'm sure many of us have already done this on a small scale. Maybe you've been on a trip and kept taking pictures of plants that look just like the ones you have at home. Or perhaps you've insisted on visiting a local plant shop or botanical garden while on vacation (guilty as charged!). But plant friends, that can be just the beginning of how you travel and botanize for your plant passion.

And we're going to dive into everything you need to know about it today with my horticulturist bestie Leslie Halleck, who has been on the show many times, and Marcia Castro Rosenberg, listener-turned-plant-shop owner and also a dear friend of mine.

Leslie and Marcia have actually teamed up to create a once-in-a-lifetime trip called Botany & Betterment in The Amazon! It's a seven-day riverboat and jungle adventure on the Rio Negro River in Brazil this August 2025.

In this episode, we learn:

[03:40] Get to know Marcia
[07:51] Leslie’s botanizing trips
[11:32] What is botanizing?
[15:17] Support sustainable gardening with Espoma Organic’s premium gardening products!
[16:52] Bring nature back to your garden with Kelly Norris's Your Natural Garden
[18:55] What are their most memorable botanizing experiences?
[25:37] What are the botanizing basics?
[30:14] Where can you find plant keys & field guides
[34:57] On creating the ultimate Amazon trip: ‘Botany & Betterment’
[39:23] Hiring local guides for your trip
[43:50] Building community and personal growth
[49:45] Where can you find more info about Leslie and Marcia

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What Is Botanizing?

Botanizing is basically the opposite of plant blindness. You take time to really see the plants around you—like if you're on a daily hike, in your backyard, or exploring a new country.

You observe and appreciate them. For Leslie, it means spending hours on a hike, crouched down to take pictures of plants (or even sketching them). In fact, she’s lived in a rainforest in Puerto Rico, trekked through Ecuador’s ecosystems, and even climbed an active volcano to botanize at 18,000 feet!

Marcia grew up in Brazil but didn’t really notice the plants around her until she went on a riverboat trip in the Amazon with her biologist uncle. It changed her life, and now she’s a proud owner of a plant shop called Rooted For You.

Ways to Start Botanizing While Traveling

The beautiful thing about traveling for your plant passion is that you can start small, unless you’re brave enough to trek through the Amazon, right? Sure, you go girl.

My recent move to Florida has turned me into a backyard botanizer—every single tree and plant is new to me, and it's been super fun exploring.

But there are so many easy ways to weave botanizing into your next trip. Here are a few ideas:

Take a Local Walk: Start with your backyard like me, or if your neighborhood has a nearby trail (Download the AllTrails app for great hiking spots).

Visit Plant Shops: Check out the local plant shops when you’re traveling. These places are full of inspiration, and the staff can point you toward other must-see planty spots.

Stop by Botanical Gardens: Look up botanical gardens or arboretums in the area. They’re often the highlight of my trips, and you might find rare or native plants you’ve never seen before.

Bring a Botanizing Kit: You can start obsessing over little travel watercolor sets, sketchbooks, and hand lenses to capture what you see on the go.

Hire a Local Guide: Probably my most favorite tip. Local guides can show you hidden gems like local spots and share insider knowledge about the plants and ecosystems you’re exploring.

The Ultimate Plant Travel Adventure

Leslie and Marcia have put together what I call the ultimate botanizing travel adventure with Botany & Betterment. It’s a seven-day riverboat and jungle adventure on the Rio Negro River in Brazil.

They called it “glamping” because you’ll get air-conditioned cabins (crucial), hot water, four different decks, and even a jacuzzi.

Every day, there’s something amazing planned—guided hikes, motorized canoe rides, yoga, and wellness sessions (but you’re free to opt out on some activities).

And because the water is so acidic, there are no mosquitoes. You'll be swimming with pink dolphins! Not in a tank, but in their natural habitat.

And don’t worry—Leslie and Marcia have thought of everything to make it super accessible and stress-free. They’ll take care of the logistics; you just show up and enjoy.

Why Should You Travel for Plants?

Because there is so much more to it than just plants. It’s about getting in touch with nature, learning new ecosystems, and finding inspiration in the beauty around you. Plus, it’s just fun! You’ll meet wonderful people, have core experiences, and come home with stories (and maybe even some plant cuttings).

And if you’re not ready for something so big, that’s okay too. Start local, start small, but just start. As Marcia says, once that plant blindness is lifted and the botanizing starts, it just doesn't stop.

Mentioned in our conversation:

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

Overwintering your plants or just refreshing their potting mix? Set them up for success with high-quality soil, fertilizer, potting mixes and more! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar-powered plant, zero waste manufacturing, and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Quarto: Your Natural Garden by Kelly D. Norris

If you want to bring more biodiversity to your garden, have you considered or heard of New Naturalism? Kelly Norris has just come out with a new handbook all about how to build and maintain natural gardens called “Your Natural Garden“. This book is all about using garden care methods that mimic nature instead of controlling it; with advice, tutorials, and gorgeous photographs offering examples of well-tended naturalistic plantings and the tasks that are needed to properly care for them.

Grab a copy of Your Natural Garden by Kelly Norris at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, quarto.com or amazon.com to get inspired and take action on your garden.

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