Meet Our First Featured Plant Person Megan: How She Finds Happiness Through Her Hobbies and Her Houseplants
All photography owned and copyrighted by: Lindsey Gregory, Lucid Linds Photography
Hello Nashville Plant People friends! Welcome to our very first Featured Plant Person blog.
Featuring members of our community has been something I have wanted to do for about two years now, but finding the time between working a full-time job, constant home renovations, and of course caring for my own 135+ houseplants has presented a bit of a roadblock for me. However, things in my life have magically shifted in my favor. I am so excited to combine my love of photography with strengthening connections among our green-thumbed community. In these articles I will introduce you to real plant people who are a part of our community and live in the greater area of Nashville, TN.
Featured Plant People are welcoming all of us into their homes and sharing a glimpse of how they live their lives among the many different versions of what it’s like to collect, care for, style, and grow with the houseplants they bring into their homes. With all of that said, let’s jump in and meet Megan, a passionate plant person, indoors and out!
I asked Megan to tell me who or what inspired her to start collecting houseplants?
“I opened my yoga studio in 2019 and knew it had to be full of natural light and plants. Yoga is all about breathing so what's better paired with breath than plants right? I had to down size my [studio] space due to the pandemic and ended up having to relocate all the plants I had accumulated to my house. I now have a lot of plants in a house with not near enough sunlight so that has been a challenge.”
When Megan and I were planning her photo session for this feature she reached out and told me that she had the idea of a few shots in her bathroom where she not only keeps most of her indoor houseplants, but a space that she loves to spend a lot of time unwinding and relaxing in. Megan has about 30-40 indoor plants, she said, “Give or take with several actively dying at any moment”. Happens to the best of us, right? She went on to tell me, “I am a fan of very hot baths and showers so it is also a place of high humidity. I started collecting Calatheas and they thrive in that atmosphere and I love how dramatic they are.”
Hello Handsome
While visiting Megan in her home I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Chester, the handsome orange tabby you see here. We quickly became best friends. I love cats as much as houseplants. I miss Chester already.
If you have the natural light of a window in your bathroom your houseplants can thrive there due to the high humidity that many species prefer. Bathrooms can be a space that is often less likely to experience temperature fluctuations, creating a stable environment for plants to flourish in. Adding houseplants to your bathroom not only brings a touch of nature to your space, but also helps to purify the air and promote relaxation. Personally, I don’t have a window in my main bathroom, so I have plans to one day add a skylight or sun-tunnel in there.
I was curious to ask Megan to share with me what it is about collecting and keeping houseplants brings her the most joy?
“Most of my life I have had zero decorating skills. My house and walls were mostly blank because I never knew what to decorate with. But then came along plants. I love nurturing them and do get a thrill when I see them throwing a new leaf, but really just love the visual joy they bring all through the house filling voids and empty spaces.”
Do you have a favorite local place to buy your houseplants?
“Earth First Plant Co. is the cutest plant and vintage shop. They have so much knowledge about your plants and will pot everything up for you. They love taking care of our community and being involved in making it a better place.”, Megan expressed with excitement. I loved hearing this and I look forward to connecting our Nashville Plant People community with Earth First Plant Co. more in the future.
From Megan’s bathroom we moved to her outdoor sanctuary, her adorable 8x8 greenhouse. When Megan submitted to be one of our Featured Nashville Plant People she mentioned maybe getting some pictures in her greenhouse. For photography, I was elated, the light in a greenhouse is always perfect for snapping some photos. Megan shared with me that she hangs her hammock in there in the winter months with the heaters running to hang out with her plants, she said it helps combat her seasonal depression. The struggle of seasonal depression is so real for many of us. As a matter of fact, my own husband has lovingly coined the nickname, “Winter Wife” for me. I am not the same person in the winter as I am in our warmer seasons when everything is green and growing. Anyone else go a little dormant when it’s cold and dreary outside too? Check out some of the fun images of Megan in one of her happy places.
Megan has turned all of her hobbies into businesses. Because of her love for yoga, paddle boarding, and gardening, her businesses include owning a yoga studio, paddle board shop, and fresh cut flower business. She said, “I am lucky to get to do all the things I love daily as my "job" and come home to husband and animals every day on our 20 acres”, (where she grows all her flowers). To say that I felt very inspired and happy to meet Megan is an understatement.
Are there any plant-related products or tools that you would recommend to our community?
“I use almost all terracotta pots. I have figured out the hard way root rot can happen too swiftly if you don't have a pot that can drain or absorb the moisture. I have also stopped with the rocks on the bottom of pots I have read far too many things that suggest it doesn't help with drainage but makes it worse and I have witness it first hand in many casualties.”
Have you ever helped create a "Plant Person"?
“I have definitely given a few friends plants and cuttings and tried to influence them into becoming plant people. But you win some and lose some there. I always make sure to tell people, ‘as many plants as you see thriving around me I've killed just as many so don't be so worried it happens to the best of us’.” Megan mentioned.
I couldn’t agree more with that, I’ve had people reach out to me and ask for help with their struggling houseplants, but tell me they are too embarrassed to show me a picture. Too which I always respond with, “please don’t be, I’ve definitely lost many houseplants myself”. We all loose some plants some times, especially when we are first learning what different houseplants need to be happy. Truth be told, I still do, even when I try my best not to.
“I love what house plants teach us about ourselves. We can't all win at every plant and that is ok. There will be some plants, for me it's ZZ and Snake [plants], that you just can't keep alive and it's ok to realize that and move on. Be content with what you can keep thriving and don't worry about what you can't.” - Megan
We've come to the end of our first Featured Plant Person. I want to send Megan a giant THANK YOU for jumping on board for this new project. I hope you enjoyed reading about Megan's inspiring story as much as I enjoyed the entire process - from making a new plant friend and to capturing her and her beautiful plant-filled spaces on camera, to introducing her and her passion for all things green to all of you. Megan's love for nature and pursuit of happiness through her hobbies and businesses is a reminder to us all to find solace in the things in life that light us up and put a smile on our faces.
If you would like to follow Megan’s journey of growing flowers and produce go here. You can also find her flower bouquets at Black Press Coffee Shop located in the Gallatin Square.
Keep an eye out on all of our socials and in our email newsletters for more upcoming Featured Plant People. Let's continue to support each other within our Nashville Plant People community and keep spreading the love for all things green.
Happy planting my plant friends,
-Lindsey, Nashville Plant People
P.S. If you would like to be a Featured Plant Person you can apply here!
