Growing the Future: Mother’s Day 2022

| May 4, 2022 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Good Earth Plant Company owner Jim Mumford and his mom, Sandy Fowler, at the Van Gogh exhibit earlier this month. Photo: Jim Mumford Mother's Day 2022
When it’s time to decide on the weekly blog post topic, we check the calendar at Good Earth Plant Company. The past few years, we’ve dedicated the first post in May to World Naked Gardening Day (AKA WNGD). For whatever reason, it’s one of our top blog posts every year. What’s wrong with you people? That’s OK. We’ll do anything to get people thinking about plants and ways to enrich their lives with plants, with or without clothing. This year, WNGD also falls on Mother’s Day 2022 weekend. I’ve done a lot of things to embarrass my mom Sandy over the years.… Read More

Hooray, It’s Time to Celebrate Earth Day 2022

| April 20, 2022 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Sustainable Living
Earth Day 2022 reminds us of ways to preserve our planet - and plants can be a big part of the solution. Photo: Pixabay
The first Earth Day took place in 1970. It is now an annual event celebrated on April 22 in more than 192 countries each year in hundreds of communities in the United States Guess which city has the BIGGEST Earth Day event? Yes, it’s right here in San Diego. The annual Earth Day Fair 2022 returns to Balboa Park after two years off due to the pandemic this Sunday, April 24. It is the largest free, all-volunteer Earth Fair in the United States. Organizers definitely need both volunteers and cash donations. Please help if you can. This year’s Earth Fair features 300 exhibitors, the Children’s Earth Parade from 9:30 to 11 a.m.,… Read More

San Diego Tree Week: Calling All Treehuggers!

| April 13, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Can you imagine Balboa Park without its sigature Moreton Bay Fig Tree at Sixth and Upas? We can't. Photo: Wikimedia Commons San Diego Tree Week
Some of my favorite quotes are about trees. I love what they express about the power of nature, optimism, and time. “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit” – Nelson Henderson “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago” – Warren Buffett “He who plants a tree, plants a hope” – Lucy Larcom “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now” – Chinese proverb I love all things trees. I always have. One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was about the magic of treehouses in September 2013.… Read More

Celebrating 15 Years of Our Thriving Green Roof

| March 30, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Environment, Green Roofs, Sustainable Living
My original green roof at Good Earth Plant Company in Kearny Mesa, still growing strong after 15 years.
Fifteen years ago this month, the first permitted commercial green roof appeared on a building in the City of San Diego at Good Earth Plant Company. Just a few days ago, I ran across the original invitation to our dedication event and even a copy of my speech that day. Today, the roof is still thriving and teaching us something new every day. Looking back on this milestone anniversary, I admit I took a giant leap of faith installing the roof in 2007. But my whole career has been filled with leaps and innovation. The only difference here was how BIG a leap it was.… Read More

New Thoughts for 2022 About The Nature of the Post-Pandemic Workplace

| March 23, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Where would YOU rathr work? Our Second Edition white paper is optimistic about the future of the American office. Download your copy free! Post-pandemic workplace
The modern American office is now competing with the work from home (WFH) environment. Employees are voting with their feet for more flexibility in their lives. The days of the open office and cubicle farms are over. How should the workplace evolve? It was time for my colleagues and me with Silverado Roundtable to dig deep to offer human resources professionals, facilities managers, and the design community some tools to address the post-pandemic reality. We present The Nature of the Post-Pandemic Workplace – Second Edition. I never thought I’d write ONE white paper. Now I’ve written two! How did we get here?… Read More

Ten Ways to Go Green St. Patrick’s Day

| March 16, 2022 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
My neighborhood mascot Mr. Stumpy is ready for St. Patrick's Day in his recycled Irish attire! Thank you, Nina! Photo: Jim Mumford Go Green St. Patrick's
You don’t have to be Irish (or part Irish like me) to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today, March 17. And I won’t judge if you continue the celebration through the weekend. Slainte! We love any occasion focusing on green things. The Eco-Warriors at Good Earth Plant Company don’t think of shamrocks when we think about going green. There are many more ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all year long besides just wearing green and drinking green beer. Think green all year with our ten ways to go green on St. Patrick’s Day. Eat Greener For some of you (like me), this is a tough one.… Read More

Our Mission To Enrich Peoples’ Lives With Plants

| March 9, 2022 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
We're thrilled to partner with Paige Kries of Plant It Again. (L to R): Team member Laurie Boarders, Paige Kries, Jim Mumford, volunteer Margee Lawrence, and Kaylee Yoon. Photo: Paige Kries growing our mission
Time for some truth-telling on the blog this week. Our industry has a dirty little secret. Of all the environmentally responsible businesses in the world, you might think working with plants is especially earth-friendly. But in reality, there is waste associated with our business. Clients want their plants to look perfect. Living things are rarely perfect. We often swap out old plants that get too big for the space or aren’t doing well for some reason. Since we don’t want to spray anything inside your home or office, we always remove plants with disease or pest issues. We provide beautiful living art pieces that contain orchids and other flowering plants.… Read More

Christmas In March? It’s Never Too Early!

| March 2, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Clients are going for fun, lighthearted desigs. This live 12 foot tall tree is decorated in red and black, with 12 large drums, soldiers, and matching velvet balls. Photo: Whinney Designs Christmas in March
Years ago, I attended the Dallas Christmas Mart in January. Looking at holiday décor so quickly after we had just packed up and stored the previous year’s décor was not high on my list. But the show organizers made it very enticing, covering my airfare and hotel. So why not check it out? I was overwhelmed! Floor after floor after floor of lights and balls and ribbons and faux trees and wreaths and more. The prices were reasonable, but the discounts were on volume. I was very reluctant to place a big order for our somewhat small business, especially as it was so early in the year.… Read More

Monarch Butterflies Making A Comeback

| February 23, 2022 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Environment, Gardening, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
The western California monarch is in danger of extinction. Good Earth Plant Company provides critical milkweed habitat and we're thrilled to see it working. Photo: Erin Lindley
With so much troubling news about our environment lately, any good news is welcome, and I found some worth sharing with you. The Monarch butterfly is making a comeback! Last month, the Xerces Society reported a surprising outcome from its 25th annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count. Volunteers observed 247,237 monarch butterflies observed across western overwintering sites: a more than 100-fold increase from last year. Xerces Society biologists Isis Howard and Emma Pelton write, “This year’s total both amazed us with the monarchs’ ability to bounce up from a record low and underscores the importance of ongoing conservation efforts to recover the western monarch butterfly population.”… Read More

Sustainability Must Be More Than a Buzzword

| February 16, 2022 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Moss Walls, Sustainable Living
A closer look at the variety of textures and colors used in this moss wall design. Photo: Good Earth Plant Company questions about moss walls
After several years of designing and building living walls for our clients, we realized at Good Earth Plant Company we needed another option. While it’s always our preference to bring Nature into workplaces, homes, and other indoor spaces with living plants, it’s not always possible due to lighting, location, or other challenges. Then in 2015, Good Earth Plant Company installed our first moss wall. Moss walls provide most of the benefits of traditional living walls plus a few distinct advantages: Moss walls can thrive in any indoor setting. Moss walls don’t need any light or water, and minimum maintenance. Moss walls are incredibly lightweight for their size compared to the same size living walls.… Read More