We’ve heard about plant parents (folks who care for plants the same as pets and even children) and the younger generations of gardeners (as well as plenty of others in the same houseplant tribes) flocking to garden centers, urban plant shops and even farm markets in search of the same interesting houseplants they see on Instagram and Tick Tock. Wholesale growers and retailers who’ve been riding the trend have seen significant growth in terms of both interest and sales. Thankfully the trend doesn’t seem to be fading, so if you’re not yet in the game, you haven’t missed the wave. On the other hand, the hot plant of the day does seem to change rapidly so staying aware of different genera and having a wide range of different plants available seems pretty critical.

Host Bill Calkins is joined in this episode by Andrew Britten, the tropicals and foliage technical and sales manager at Ball, to help us all understand the most common genera available and run through a pretty long A-Z list to help you understand how to produce them with success. Andrew has an impressive resume built as a head grower, production manager, technical advisor and sales manager for some of the largest and most cutting-edge greenhouses in North America. He’s produced and grown dozens of genera and is here to share everything from plant origins and varieties available to types of starter material and brief cultural best practices.