John Mini Podcast

Today, I sit down with two colleagues from Plant Designs - a London, UK based interior landscaping firm. Jodie Sinclair and Callum Garner share their perspective on interior landscaping.

This episode was recorded in London at the end of a 3-day long program developed by John Mini Distinctive Landscapes and Plant Designs. As global leaders in interiorscaping, we meet annually to learn from each other in an endeavor to elevate the craft of indoor landscaping worldwide.  

In our conversation we discuss; 

• How they found a career in interiorscaping. 
• The role of indoor landscapes in cities and how these spaces have the potential to reconnect people with nature 
• Shifts in why clients invest in interior landscapes and how awareness of mental health is driving this investment.  
• The fun challenges of working with a live product

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

In this recurring episode we sit down with professionals in our field to hear their perspective on the importance of indoor landscapes and horticulture in the built environment.  

We are joined by Liana Hutcheon and Jack Harris from the John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team. Together their experience working on interior landscapes is just shy of 50 years.  

They’ll share why indoor landscapes are important and the many roles an interiorscape can serve. We’ll discuss shifts over past decades, how indoor plants moved beyond a trend and into an integral part of interior design, an indoor landscape’s connection to the concept of biophilia, and how interiorscapes speak to a client’s brand and values. This latter point is a particularly interesting take.  

In our conversation we reference the theory of biophilia. As discussed in the episode, we want to accurately reference when and who developed this theory. The term ‘biophilia’ was first used by the social psychologist Erich Fromm. However, the hypothesis of biophilia was later popularized in Edward O. Wilson’s book ‘Biophilia’, published in 1984.

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

Have you ever thought intimately about the tools you use? The selection, care, and purpose of each tool? This deep thought is a sign of someone who is passionate about their work. 

In this recurring episode we highlight the importance of paying attention to the details in the craft of urban horticulture. The passionate always optimizes their process by having a clear reason why they make each decision.  

We sit down with Matthew Wessol, the Director of Outdoor at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. Matt discusses his favorite tool in urban landscaping, revealing the depth of thought in improving his craft.  

Matt has practiced outdoor urban horticulture for nearly ten years. He’s worked hard from the ground up, beginning his career as an assistant foreman in landscape installations. In his early years, he transitioned to the horticultural service side of the business where he served as a Foreman, Supervisor and Account Manager in New York City. Today, he oversees the entire outdoor division at John Mini.

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

This is our first installment exploring the importance of outdoor urban landscapes. This will be a recurring conversation where we sit down with professionals in our field to understand their perspective on the importance of outdoor landscapes and horticulture in cities.  

In this episode, we are joined by Keith Behringer and Phil Adams from the John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team. Together they have a combined 28 years of experience working on and providing solutions for urban landscapes. They’ll walk us through some of their early days in their career, share personal convictions on the importance of urban landscaping, and highlight shifts in construction and the market that impact the world of urban landscaping.

In our conversation we reference a report by the global firm, Gensler. Here are the clarifications from our conversation. We were referencing Gensler’s ‘U.S. Workplace Survey 2022’. The report shows that ‘Outdoor Workspaces’ rank in the tops for a worker’s experience and a space’s effectiveness. Workplaces with ‘Outdoor Workspaces’ appear to have significant positive impact on a worker’s experience and the space’s effectiveness when compared to workplaces that do not have this amenity.  

At one point in our conversation, we touched on the biodiversity of New York City. If you want to geek out, here’s a pretty awesome resource from the American Museum of Natural History by Erik Kiviat & Elizabeth A. Johnson: Biodiversity Assessment Handbook for New York City. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

This is our first conversation in a series of episodes that explore the balance of aesthetics, sustainability and functionality in urban landscapes. We sit down with professionals in our field to understand how they balance these three considerations.  

The design, construction and maintenance of urban landscapes must consider the intended function, horticulture, the visual appeal and beauty, environmental considerations and more. Rarely are these considerations isolated when developing an urban landscape. They are intertwined and balanced by the professionals who design, build and care for them.  

In this episode, we are joined by Liana Hutcheon and Phil Adams from the John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team. Together they have over 17 years of experience working on and providing solutions for urban landscapes indoors and out.  We’ll discuss some of the many functions a landscape can serve. And, we’ll find the conversation gravitating toward sustainability despite it not always being their first or even second consideration when approaching an urban landscape. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

In today's episode we sit down with the Chief Horticulturalist at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, Andrew Engel, to discuss the renewal of indoor landscapes. 

In the episode we discuss; 

• What is renewal of interior landscapes and why it needs to be considered.
• The need to renew elements of indoor landscapes, such as planting medium and the plants. 
• How the time frame for renewal varies for each element and site.
• The difference in planning for renewal of interiorscapes versus a traditional outdoor landscape, while touching on the commonalities between an interiorscape and an urban outdoor landscape.
• When to start planning for renewal in urban horticulture.

Andrew has over 11 years of experience and practice in indoor horticulture and holds a Masters of Horticulture from RHS. His work with the John Mini team includes horticulture care at iconic indoor landscapes such as the Urban Garden Room at One Bryant Park, the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, the Ford Foundation atrium, and New York's largest indoor living green wall.

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

Two teammates from the John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team discuss their roles in developing an award-winning landscape project for a client who set out to reimagine the typical office. 

Liana Hutcheon, Sales & Design lead, and Sam Barrett, Head of Design, walk us through the design development of an innovative indoor landscape for Le Truc, a creative collaborative launched by Publics Groupe worldwide. 

In this project spotlight, our guests highlight; 

• Multi-disciplinary collaboration in urban horticulture and interior landscaping.
• How stories support the development of meaningful workspaces and collaborative settings.  
• Why it's important to stay bold and distinctive in your craft.
• The commitment required for successful landscape design and the nuances of project execution.

You can find pictures and a short description of the featured project here: https://www.johnmini.com/projects/jardin-of-color

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

In Today's project spotlight, we'll be sitting down with the Chief Horticulturalist at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, Andrew Engel. Andrew has over 11 years of experience and practice in indoor horticulture and holds a Masters of Horticulture from RHS. His work with the John Mini team includes horticulture care at iconic indoor landscapes such as the Urban Garden Room at One Bryant Park, the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, the Ford Foundation atrium, and New York's largest indoor living green wall.

Andrew walks us through a challenging interior landscape project that features three large Terminalia Buceras trees, also known as Bucida Buceras or Black Olive trees. The trees are part of an indoor atrium and amenity space in a residential building in New York City. 

In this episode we discuss; 

• The horticultural challenges of Terminalia Buceras  in commercial urban landscaping.
• The daring role of a horticulturalist who is brought in late in the game to rescue a struggling indoor landscape.  
• Multi-disciplinary collaboration when designing indoor landscapes.
• The importance of working with an indoor horticulturalist, not only during maintenance, but also during the design and installation phase of interiorscapes to effectively assess and receive recommendations for environmental needs.

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com. 

This is an episode to introduce the John Mini Podcast. 

In a quick 7 minutes, we explain who the team behind the John Mini Podcast is, why we launched this program, what to expect from it, and who might be interested in our future episodes.   

If you're interested in horticulture and plants, urban development, gardening, and landscaping please take a listen in and join us on this journey. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at [email protected]. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated!

And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession.

A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music.

Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.