Bloom and Grow Garden Party & Garden Society
Rooted in plant community and horticulturist led plant care education
Welcome to the
Bloom and Grow Garden Party & Garden Society.
Your one stop shop for Plant Parenthood Growth. A private, virtual gardening community rooted in high quality education, planty friendship and growing together.
Hosted by Planty Podcaster and Plant Lady, Maria Failla & the Garden Society Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck
The Bloom & Grow Garden Party Platform and Garden Society were made just for you, after surveying hundreds of members of our community.
We asked what we could do to help you continue to bloom and grow on your plant parenthood journeys. We heard you wanted:
• A private, safe space to connect with other like-minded plant friends
• Deeper dives with plant care education with trusted experts to help you cut through the noise, and get the plant care advice you need
And thus the Garden Party Platform and Garden Society were born!
What's the difference between the Garden Party Platform & the Garden Society?
The Garden Party Platform & App is rooted in community. Like minded plant friends from around the world can come together in this safe, algorithm and troll free space, to nerd out about plants, post in the dedicated conversation spaces for various planty interests and even connect with local plant friends through the "plant friends near me feature".
The Garden Society is rooted in education. It's the premium tier within the Garden Party Platform, for those who are ready to dive deeper into their plant parenthood journey. You'll grow your knowledge with exclusive monthly education, provided by Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck, and grow your plant/person connection with calls with Maria.
"Think of the Garden Society as the coolest plant school around, and think of the Garden Party as the coolest place to play with your friends at planty recess." - Maria
When I join, what do I get?
Garden Party Members
Full Access to:
Easy to navigate platform and App (for both iOS and Android) with dedicated conversation topic spaces for all things planty: houseplants, gardening, planty DIY, plants & wellness and so much more
Regional groups and the "Plant Friends Near Me" feature to connect with local plant friends and make #plantfriendsIRL
A dedicated Plant Swap Space to grow your collection through kindness and generosity!
Support from other like-minded plant parents to connect and swap your planty knowledge with
Security and safety through our Community Guidelines and Best Practices #kindplantfriendsonly #notrollsallowed
Relief from being Facebook free with no algorithms or weird targeted ads you don’t want
Quarterly community calls with Maria to deepen our virtual connection as a community
Weekly prompts to cultivate an engaged community
Garden Society Members
Full Access to the Garden Party Platform membership above, plus:
Monthly “Node of Knowledge” plant care lectures rooted in science with Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck
Monthly “Ask our Horticulturist Anything” to troubleshoot your personal plant issues with Leslie (yes that’s right, an opportunity every month, to troubleshoot your plant collection with a horticulturist, not a billion blogs or Youtube videos that don’t apply to you)
Monthly “Growing Joy” Calls: to explore the plant/person connection on a deeper level with Maria
Private conversation space with other Society Members to discuss monthly Nodes of Knowledge topics and themes and grow together
Priority in submitting interview questions for other Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast Episodes
Back in the day...
...plant and gardening enthusiasts would gather at local garden and community centers for garden society meet ups, where they could nerd out with fellow plant geeks to get expert level education from guest speakers, trade tips and techniques and show off their prized plants.
Nowadays, the plant community has extended past local garden centers, into a world wide web of plant friends across the internet.
But the internet has also created an overwhelming amount of unvetted plant care guides and advice, that are sometimes just plain wrong or hard to understand.
We created The Bloom & Grow Garden Society, in partnership with the Society’s Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck
as a safe space for plant friends to grow their plant care knowledge and themselves: through our exclusive high-quality plant care education provided by Leslie coupled with a community based approach to keep the conversation going after our classes in the Garden Society Hub of the platform, and explore the plant/person connection, together.
Longing to find a community where you can make meaningful connections with like-minded plant enthusiasts and gardeners, and benefit from expert-level education and guidance, all while growing alongside your plants?
The Bloom and Grow Garden Society is here for you… online and at your fingertips.
The Bloom and Grow Garden Society is for you if:
...You’re ready to get serious about growing your plant and gardening knowledge, but want to do it with a friendly fun plant community.
...You’re looking for plant care education taught by experts.
...You’re tired of spending hours weeding through social posts, blogs or videos from random sources, just to find an accurate answer to your pressing houseplant or gardening question.
...You’re looking for personalized help with your plant collection.
...You’re up for connecting with like-minded plant friends in a safe, community driven space, no trolls allowed.
...You believe that plant-care truly is self-care.
...You’re looking to dive deeper into the plant/person connection.
...You’re tired of buying new plants, and want to invest in learning to care for the ones you already have.
...You’re looking to grow more joyful moments in your life.
Meet Your Garden Society Host, Maria
Maria is the Plant Killer Turned Plant Lady behind the Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast and Media. Bloom & Grow Radio is a planty podcast that educates, empowers and inspires everyone to care for plants successfully, grow their indoor jungles and cultivate more joy in their lives. She is on a mission to make the world a kinder and greener place through the practice of plant care, and is so excited to have the Garden Party and Society as a way to house our incredible community of international listeners who are all on this planty journey together.
After struggling to find high quality, science based plant care education on the internet (and hearing the same woes from my community of listeners) she created the Garden Society as a safe space for our community to deepen their plant care knowledge and take their plant parenthood to the next level.
The Dream behind the community
Maria's Dream for the Garden Party & Society
For the platform and app to be a safe space for you to ask whatever questions you need to grow, to make true, real connections with other Plant Parents you might never be able to connect with, to be encouraged to try new things, and to feel supported, seen, and celebrated in every step of your planty journey.
To empower members to not rely on care cards, blogs or other people for advice, because the science based education provided within the platform gives them the knowledge to answer their own questions (and access to a horticulturist for when they don’t have the answers!). I also hope our Growing Joy calls, and the daily support provided by other members of the platform helps our community feel seen, supported and helps them continue to #keepblooming and #keepgrowing
About Maria
Meet your Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck
Leslie F. Halleck is a Certified Professional Horticulturist (ASHS) who has spent her nearly-thirty-year career hybridizing horticulture science with home gardening consumer needs. As a green industry communicator, book author, and horticulture instructor, her specialty is digesting horticultural and botanical science and techniques into formats that are friendly, easily understandable, and executable for both the home hobbyist and budding professional.
Halleck earned a BS in Biology/Botany from the University of North Texas and an MS in Horticulture from Michigan State University. Halleck’s professional experience is well rounded, with time spent in botanical field research, public gardens, landscape design and maintenance, garden writing, garden center retail, and horticulture and green industry consulting. At the end of 2012, Halleck devoted herself full-time to running her company, Halleck Horticultural, LLC, a horticulture industry consulting and marketing agency. Halleck is also currently a UCLA Extension Instructor for the Horticulture & Gardening Program.
Halleck’s previous positions include Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum, and General Manager for North Haven Gardens (IGC) in Dallas, Texas. Halleck is now a regular feature on the professional speaking and industry publication circuit, but she also continues to offer up common-sense gardening advice and hands-on learning to home gardeners via her Plantgeek Chic blog, public workshops, plant swaps, and consumer publications. During her career, Halleck has written hundreds of articles for local, regional, and national publications, as well as taught countless gardening programs for the home houseplant keeper, indoor grower, flower gardener, edible enthusiast, and backyard farmer.
Halleck is the author of several books, including "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers" (2018) and "Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make More Houseplants, Vegetables, and Flowers" (2019). Her latest book, "Tiny Plants: Discover the joys of growing and collecting itty bitty houseplants" was released in June, 2021
The Science of Plant Dormancy
November
Great question! Maria and Leslie created the educational content of the Society with our members in mind. Therefore, as we get to know our members, Maria and Leslie plan on creating lectures based on member requests.
That being said, we have to start somewhere. So please click the arrows below to review our Educational Content Calendar for the coming months:
What will we be learning in the Garden Society, you wonder?
Learn how light, temperature, water, and time influence development and dormancy in your houseplants and garden plants. Click here to learn more.
January
Indoor and Outdoor Seed Starting Intensive
We’ll be taking a deep dive into Seed Starting techniques and will go into further detail on how to treat seeds and break seed dormancy for difficult species, such as many succulents and wildflowers. This class is for both indoor and outdoor plant parents looking to start seeds.
February
Plant Transpiration: How Humidity & Temperature Impact Your Plants
Humidity and temperature drive plant transpiration. But how? We'll dig into how plant transpiration works in your plants (indoors and out), and learn the difference between absolute humidity, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit. We'll cover strategies for growing more challenging high-humidity species indoors, as well as learn to recognize signs of plant stress in the garden. More to come!
March
Water Quality & Watering Techniques for Your Plants
The topic of water quality gets thrown around online, a lot. But what is the real difference between tap water, RO water, and rainwater? What's in them, how do you measure their quality, and what impact does each (and what they potentially contain) impact your plants? Water quality and Plant Nutrition go hand in hand. More to come!
April
Plant Nutrition 101
Plant nutrition is a pretty intense topic, and yes, it's going to take more than 90 minutes to cover the basics. But this class is going to lay the foundation for your understanding of plant nutrients, what they do and how they move in your plants, and how to understand fertilizer ingredients and labeling. Plus, we'll cover fundamental fertilizer strategies for both indoor plants and gardens. More to come!
Did you know? Seeds and Plants have a biological clock that helps them rest and conserve resources to avoid adverse environmental extremes; and grow and develop when environmental conditions are ideal. Not all seeds and plants have a required dormancy or rest period, but some plant species do. You may have discovered this tendency in some of your indoor plants, such as Anthurium spp, Lithops spp., and Amaryllis spp., to name a few recognizable genera, as well as many other garden plants. Plant dormancy cycles may have tripped you up in your plant care regimen – especially with indoor plants - and may even have resulted in plant loss. Or, you might have struggled to germinate certain seeds that also have a dormancy requirement.
Dormancy, and the transition time into dormancy, helps plants prepare for periods of drought, times of nutrient and light shortages, and freezing or very hot temperatures. Knowing when to stop growing, or at least slow down, is key to plant survival. We’ll take a deep dive into the science of how plant dormancy works - including more complicated processes such as vernalization - what triggers it, what’s going on when your plant is “asleep”, and how to modify your plant care (water, light, and fertilizer) to work with your plant’s natural cycle, rather than disrupt it. You’ll also learn how indoor conditions may be modified indoors for some species, as well as artificially recreate a dormancy or vernalization treatment.
If you’re ready to learn more about how seasonal changes in the environment influence your plant development, and how to best care for them as the seasons change, this class is for you! Especially if you grow sensitive species of Anthurium, want to know when to prune your hydrangeas (or not prune them!), or are interested in growing and forcing bulbs indoors and in your garden.
A timely topic as you transition your houseplants and garden for the winter season.
Questions? I got you!
Click the Arrows below to find the answers you need.
You can access the Garden Party & Society through your web browser (community.bloomandgrowradio.com), or the Might Networks iOS and Android App! Once you sign up, you'll be able to text yourself the app directly from your Garden Party Profile! If you access the platform via the web browser, we highly recommend bookmarking the tab to give you easy access.
The Garden Society is an exclusive space within the Garden Party Platform.
The Garden Society is a premium tier within the Garden Party Platform & App. When you enroll in the Garden Party you get access to the Garden Party Platform which allows you to connect and grow with Garden Party members. When you enroll in the Garden Society, you’ll have full access to the Garden Party platform and members, but also be added to a private space within the Garden Party Platform that will house all of the exclusive educational content, live calls, and separate spaces for the Society Members to connect about their monthly lectures.
I like to think of the Garden Society as the coolest plant school around, and the Garden Party is like planty recess.
Any plant parent who is interested in connecting with other plant friends in an exciting new way that goes way beyond your normal Facebook group. Inside the Garden Party we’ve got dedicated spaces to have in depth conversations about houseplants, gardening, plant care SOS, plant identification, planty DIY and more. Plus there are quarterly community zoom calls with Maria and the chance to meet other local plant friends by joining regional groups.
Anyone looking to take their plant parenthood development to the next level.
The Bloom and Grow Garden Society is for you if:
• You’re ready to get serious about growing your plant and gardening knowledge, but want to do it with a friendly fun plant community
• You’re looking for plant care education taught by experts, not enthusiasts
• You’re tired of spending hours weeding through social posts, blogs or videos from random sources, just to find an accurate answer to your pressing houseplant or gardening question
• You’re looking for personalized help with your plant collection
• You’re up for connecting with like-minded plant friends in a safe, community driven space, no trolls allowed
• You believe that plant-care truly is self-care
• You’re looking to dive deeper into the plant/person connection
• You’re tired of buying new plants, and want to invest in learning to care for the ones you already have
• You’re curious about starting your own planty business, but want higher level education help you become the expert
• You’re looking to grow more joyful moments in your life
Absolutely! We have a dedicated Gardening topic conversion space in the Garden Party Platform reserved for sharing your outdoor gardening related trials and tribulations. Leslie is an avid gardener herself and has worked hard to keep the Nodes of Knowledge lectures helpful for both indoor and outdoor gardeners. See the curriculum above.
We get it! Navigating a new platform can be scary. We give weekly question and conversation prompts that make it easy for you to simply respond to join the conversation. We also have a New Member Challenge that is designed to get you comfortable in the Garden Party with no fears! Plus, every post in the platform is searchable, so if you are struggling with a plant, or curious to learn more about some aspect of plant care- you can type a keyword into the search bar, and every post related to your keyword will pop up! It’s a living, growing community plant care resource!
Great question. The Garden Society Lectures, Ask Our Horticulturist Anythings, and Growing Joy Calls are live, but are uploaded into the platform the day after the lecture, so you have 24/7 access to all materials to view at your own convenience, after get uploaded to the platform.
We are planning on surveying our Founding Society Members and choosing dates based off of the most member availability. However, to get the ball rolling, we have the first three months of lectures and meetings on the books, listed below. No worries if you can’t make a live call, they will be uploaded into the Society Education Hub and available for replays at your convenience.
November 2021:
Welcome Party: Wednesday 11/10 at 8 pm EST
Growing Joy Call: Monday 11/15 at 3 pm EST
Node of Knowledge #1: The Science of Plant Dormancy Wednesday 11/17 at 6 pm EST
AHA #1: Tuesday 11/30 at 12 pm EST
December 2021:
Node of Knowledge #2: Grow Lights 101 and Beyond Wednesday 12/8 at 7 pm EST
AHA # 2: Thursday 12/16 12 pm EST
Growing Joy # 2 Tuesday 12/28 at 3 pm EST
January 2022:
Node of Knowledge #3: Indoor and Outdoor Seed Starting Intensive Wednesday 1/12 at 7 pm EST
Growing Joy Call #3: 1/18 at 8 pm EST
AHA #3: Thursday 1/27 at 2 pm EST
Founding Member Pricing for the Garden Society (25% off!) is available through Tuesday November 9th. Enroll as a Founder Member for $29.99/mo or $357.00 for an annual membership. Normal pricing begins on November 10th at $39.99/mo ($479 annual).
Note: if you are an existing Garden Party Member you must upgrade inside of your Garden Party Platform account. Go to "Education" in the Nav bar and you'll see the option to upgrade.
Make sure to take advantage of this amazing discount!
Access to the Garden Party is $6.99/mo or get two months free by enrolling annually at $69.99
Woot woot, so excited to have you join us! If you are an existing Garden Party member, you’ll need to upgrade within the platform with an “internal” membership upgrade.
Adding Garden Society Access to your existing Membership is simple:
Step One: Located the “Education” section of the left hand navigation bar.
Step Two: Purchase the Garden Society Plan
Step Three: You’re in! Wait for an email with a tour of the Garden Society!
*Due to the tech of this hosting platform, there is no way to roll your existing Garden Party membership with the Garden Society upgrade, so you'll have two charges for your complete membership per month (or annually if you subscribe that way). This is clunky, my apologies but we hope to have the hosting platform develop a roll out that makes this simpler in the future!! Thanks for your understanding. You must be enrolled in the Garden Party to gain access to the Garden Society.*
Nope! It’s a month-to-month subscription that you can cancel at any time. Some annual subscriptions offer steep discounts, so check those out!
Monthly members can cancel at any time. They will have access to the platform until their next subscription date.
Annual Members have a 60 day cancellation period. See details in the refund policy.
Monthly subscribers can simply cancel their membership at any time. They will have access to the platform until their next subscription date.
Annual Members have a 30 day cancellation period. If you prove you have made your best effort to get the most out of the Society by attending/watching replays of all Nodes of Knowledge, AHAs and Growing Joy calls and feel like it’s not the right fit, we will refund you the prorated amount for the remainder of your subscription.
Due to the time and effort put into the educational content Leslie and Maria have worked hard to create on a monthly basis, no full refunds are permitted.
Kind words from Garden Party members
"The Garden Party is a welcoming, and warm place for us to learn and grow together, celebrating our wins and fails (learning opportunities)! Maria's warmth, openness, joy, and love has created truly the kindest and plantiest corner of the internet for us to all Bloom and Grow in together."
Christy
"I love this close-knit community - it definitely feels more personal in a way that other platforms can sometimes lack."
@plantsonpapertowelroll
"Having a space with quality content from plant parents of all levels is an amazing resource for all kinds of planty people! From houseplants to gardening, members are super helpful and encouraging."
Jaime
"A fantastic community with some of the most knowledgeable nicest folks you'll ever meet."
Michael
"The Bloom and Grow Garden Party is an excellent place to go to connect with other plant people and ask questions. Everyone is so kind and willing to help each other. The Garden Party fosters an environment of respect and celebration of each other's successes."
"I really enjoy the kindness of everyone on the platform. It’s a ‘safe-space’ to share our victories and woes around plants without judgement."
Choose the membership for you!
Don't miss our founding member pricing - Available through Tuesday, November 9!
• Easy to navigate platform and App (for both iOS and Android)
• "Plant Friends Near Me"
• Plant Swap Space
• Community support
• Security and safety #notrolls
• Algorithm & FB ad-free space
• Quarterly community calls
• Weekly community prompts
$6.99/mo
Garden Party Platform
Full access to the Garden Party Platform Plus:
• Monthly plant care lectures with Horticulturist in Residence, Leslie Halleck
• Monthly “Ask our Horticulturist Anything”
• Monthly “Growing Joy” Calls
• Private conversation space
• Priority in submitting interview questions for podcast episodes
Or get 2 Months free at $399.99/year
$39.99/mo
Garden Society
Or get 2 months free at $69.99/year
Click here for full program descriptions.
