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Tanya and Jos are home from Miami, cold, jet-lagged, and still on speaking terms. This week they spill the tea on their first-ever IAS Tropical Plant Expo. In the news: Hold My Bud: oaks that got eaten by caterpillars one year open their buds about three days later the next. That's enough to starve the hatchlings, and enough to cancel out a decade of climate-driven early spring. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.Pilea does math: the vein loops on a Pilea peperomioides leaf form a near-perfect Voronoi diagram around its hydathodes. This could change how botanists think leaf veins form.Who grew your houseplant? Grist reports on the WeCount! campaign asking Costa Farms and big retailers to sign a worker-written code of conduct on heat safety. Ethical sourcing shouldn't stop at the forest edge.Miami: Two visits to Bill Rotolante's Silver Krome GardensA barbecue that turned into a who's-who of the aroid world, with Dr. Tom Croat at the tableBooth lessons from a bootstrapped European startupJos's talk on intersectional hybridization in AnthuriumAroids After DarkA private tour of Dr. Jeff Block's gardenFairchild's outdoor rainforestHot or Nah: Anthurium 'Titan Fingers', Hoya 'Parfum Pagode', Adenium socotranum Rate That Weird Plant: Haworthia pumila 'Donuts', Verticordia staminosa subsp. cylindracea var. cylindracea, Pachypodium rosulatum subsp. gracilius Follow Prop Culture for new episodes every two weeks, and find us on ⁠YouTube⁠, ⁠Substack⁠, and ⁠Instagram⁠ for the full plant-nerd experience.

Episode 20 and we finally have an aroid taxonomist in the room. Marco Cedeño Fonseca is a Costa Rican botanist who did his master's on Monstera at the University of Costa Rica and just finished his PhD at the Berlin Botanical Garden — as in, he got the title the day before we recorded and told us at the very end. News: the Thomas B. Croat Aroid Garden was inaugurated in Tabasco, Mexico. A 5-meter plant gets a strong opinion out of Marco about plastic plants in Costa Rica. And a new Typhonium was named in Thailand, which sends us down a hole about why genera keep getting split. Interview: How a forestry student ended up building a greenhouse in his apartment to germinate Monstera seeds; why juveniles are the taxonomic problem; the Monstera everyone calls esqueleto that has never been documented in the wild; what a Costa Rican field botanist does all day in a German DNA lab; and the one Monstera he's never seen. Hot or Nah: Dendrobium Kirkland Nixon 'Bredren', Anthurium warocqueanum × veitchii, Dionaea muscipula 'Medusa'.Rate That Weird Plant: Gethyllis namaquensis, Tecticornia verrucosa, Ranunculus semiverticillatus. Follow Marco on Instagram: @marco_vcfRead about the Croat garden on the IAS Substack: substack.com/@aroidsociety Next episode: Probably live from the IAS Tropical Plant Expo in Miami. Prop Culture is brought to you by Hortikult's Plant Provenance, PlantCard.io, Plant My Event, Webaceae, and Gifts for Plant People.

Your plant isn't being dramatic when it stretches for the window — it's reading the light. This week Tanya and Jos get into a red-shade-cloth vanilla farm in Hawaii, the real science of phytochrome and shade avoidance, and why cannabis growers manipulate far-red light on purpose. Plus: an AI plant-photo fraud scandal shakes the collector community, a Hawaiian botanist free-solos volcanic cliffs to save endangered plants by hand, two Australian orchids get pulled back from the brink, and Tanya drops a hot take on who actually gets to have an opinion about non-native gardening. In this episode: News — An AI-generated plant photo scandal rocks the collector community; field botanist Steve Perlman free-solos 3,000-ft Hawaiian sea cliffs to rescue endangered native plants; two Australian orchids (the Queen of Sheba orchid and the Rosella spider orchid) get major conservation wins; and a humbling lesson on humidity, monsoons, and what "houseplant" even means depending on where you live. Main Topic: Red Light, Explained — What a lava-red vanilla farm in Hilo taught us about phytochrome, shade avoidance, and why your leggy pothos is just speaking a language plants have used for millions of years — plus how cannabis growers weaponize far-red light for bigger yields and higher THC. Hot Take — Should Europeans stop planting palm trees? Tanya says the people criticizing them should look at their own backyard first. Hot or Nah — Cymbidium goeringii 'Cheonjong', Philodendron 'Jupiter', and Alternanthera ficoidea (Joseph's coat) go under the microscope. Weird Plants — A starfish-shaped Mexican vine (Dictyanthus pavonii), a South African micro-succulent with a flower 20x its own size (Oxalis bullulata), and a spiky Amaryllis relative found in a 64-square-kilometer sliver of the Western Cape (Brunsvigia radula). Follow Prop Culture for new episodes every two weeks, and find us on YouTube, Substack, and Instagram for the full plant-nerd experience.

Tanya's back from Corsica (barely rested, extremely tanned in spirit) and Jos has news about the UK's Plant Heritage — a royal-patronage plant conservation charity with over 600 protected collections, four of which now belong to King Charles III himself. It kicks off a real conversation about colonial extraction in the plant world, plus an update on the Monstera Stan bracket tournament (RIP to your wallet, congrats to Mexican Mint) and a citizen science detour into bird counts and Cape Cod sunfish patrols. Then Veronica Moore — @brownskinplantmama, host of the brand-new Plants Are Therapy podcast — joins for a conversation that goes way deeper than plant care. She tells the story, for the first time publicly, of why Brown Skin Plant Mama started faceless and anonymous in 2020, and how a year of talk therapy and a lot of grief turned plants into something sacred. She breaks down her "plants as a mental health mirror" philosophy, talks candidly about representation in the plant and wellness space, and unpacks the "coopetition" mindset she lives by — community over competition, always. Stick around for Hot or Nah (an Alocasia, a Nepenthes, and a Begonia with a name none of us should have googled live) and Rate That Weird Plant, where a Ceropegia earns two perfect 10s for looking like something out of the Addams Family. 🔗 Find Veronica: @brownskinplantmama / @plantsaretherapypodcast For the full article and images for this episode, ⁠visit our Substack⁠!

Hosts this episode: Jos Vanden Abeele & Kaylee Ellen(Tanya Quintieri is off the grid in Corsica this week — back next episode.) No guest interview this time, so Jos and Kaylee fill the runtime with a stacked news round and two full plant-rating segments. Tanya's off soaking up Corsica, so it's just Jos and Kaylee this week — and they've brought a full plate of plant news. Top of the list: the strange, orchid-based science behind stretchy Turkish ice cream, and why making it is quietly devastating wild orchid populations across Anatolia. From there, the two cover the closure of legendary Florida nursery Tropiflora, a wild story of rare orchids thriving inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, a cactus-smuggling bust at a Brazilian airport, and a deep dive into how aroids actually climb. Plus: a hot take on Anthurium pricing, and two full rounds of Hot-or-Not and Weird Plant of the Week. For the full article and images for this episode, visit our Substack!

Episode 16 — and it's Hortikult's two-year anniversary, so we're celebrating by talking about paperwork. Our guest is Dr. Sarah Spaulding, evolutionary biologist, Tanya's co-chair on the IAS education committee, and the person behind BOTANOPHILE — the export business that gets rare plants from US growers into collections around the world. Sarah explains what that actually involves: monthly USDA inspections where a stranger examines every plant you own for hours, phytosanitary paperwork, group shipments with 400 plants going to 25 people in different countries, and the immutable law that if your box gets stuck in customs it will be during the worst heatwave or the deepest freeze of the year. She also tells us why she calls it "a luxury service that nobody needs," why you will always be somebody's villain no matter how hard you try, what her Instagram handle apparently means to everyone except her, and why sharing plants is basically a love language. Plus in the news: MIT researchers find that rice seeds can "hear" rain and germinate 30–40% faster because of it; the National Herbarium of Ukraine in Kyiv — 2.3 million specimens, 250 years of history, and a critical resource for Australian botany — issues an urgent call for global support; and Jos reluctantly advertises Cultivar Stitch, his new line of embroidered iron-on plant patches (cultivarstitch.com). Then: Hot or Nah with a fluorescent Begonia, a blue-sheened fern, and Alocasia longiloba 'Black Saturn'. And Rate That Weird Plant, featuring boba-shaped succulents, a plant that looks unmistakably like a rabbit vibrator, and a Euphorbia we should probably apologize for. Adult language, adult tangents, adult plants. As always. CONNECT Substack: ⁠⁠propculture.substack.com⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/prop.culture.podcast⁠Website: ⁠⁠hortikult.com/podcast⁠Connect with us: ⁠⁠[email protected]

Derek Haynes — The Chocolate Botanist — joins us for one of our widest-ranging episodes yet: equal parts plant science, stand-up, and a conversation that genuinely mattered. We open with the news. Tanya reports from Japan, where a 26-year-old got arrested within 24 hours for swapping the price tag on a ~$1,700 Operculicaria (a slow-growing Madagascan caudex succulent that mimics a decades-old bonsai) down to about $25 — then panicked and fled at the till. Then Jos digs into TWP Tropical, the Oklahoma seller being called out across Reddit and Facebook over allegedly importing poached Anthurium carlablackiae and papillilaminum, blocking anyone who questions them, running "blind pre-sales," and faking listings with AI-generated plants. All firmly "big alleged." Then the interview. Derek is a trained plant biologist — a decade managing an automated greenhouse where he says he's grown and touched over a million plants, plus stints at the NCSU Phytotron, tissue culture, and hand-pollinating corn for the USDA. He walks us through how plants can be turned into protein factories, and he's refreshingly honest about where the "scientist in a lab" image ends and the guy with a hole-puncher in a 40°C cornfield begins. (There's also a small-world moment when it turns out Jos breeds the very same tobacco species Derek used to grow.) But the core of this one is his mission. We get into the Botanical Green Book — his project spotlighting Black plant people and mapping the safe spaces our community doesn't always provide — and Derek shares hard, first-hand experiences of being ignored and unwelcome in plant shops as a 6'3" Black man. He makes the case for being "a co-conspirator, not just an ally," lays out his ethnobotany thesis that plants are food, medicine, and ancestry, and tells the story of the trusted mentor who quietly talked him out of his dreams — and what he'd tell the next young Black botanist instead. He also gives a shout to the Black women who built his brand: Erica Parker Smith, Lucretia of Soul Sister Plants, and Erica Powell. We close with the games. Hot or Nah rates a color-shifting Dimorphorchis (hot), a "Mother and Daughter" croton (lukewarm), and a big-leaf Anthurium (Jos: smitten; Tanya: stank face). Then Rate That Weird Plant takes on a frilly snake gourd flower, a "grandma's dentures" Bulbophyllum, and Gastrodia agnicellus — officially the ugliest orchid on Earth — with the segment descending exactly where longtime listeners know it always does. Find Derek: @thechocolatebotanist on Instagram. He also co-hosts The Dirt on Gardening (live Tuesdays, 7pm ET). CONNECT Substack: ⁠propculture.substack.comInstagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/prop.culture.podcastWebsite: ⁠hortikult.com/podcastConnect with us: ⁠[email protected]

The day has finally come. We've summoned the Master of Moss Poles, none other than Jan, aka SydneyPlantGuy! But first things first: In this episode, we discuss the latest "news" on common houseplant mistakes, and we talk about attending plant shows. Then we interview Jan, and what an interview it was! Did you know that Jan can be spicy? In our Hot or Nah segment, we rate: Begonia U02Hoya multiflora 'Pandawa Lima’Alocasia scalprum ‘Narrow'Cycnoches The GrinchAnd finally we rate some really weird plants! Monsonia multifidaAndromischus marianiae f. herreiPilosocereus Glaucescens aka Wooly Blue Torch CactusCONNECT Substack: ⁠⁠https://propculture.substack.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/prop.culture.podcast⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠https://hortikult.com/podcast⁠Connect with us: ⁠⁠[email protected]

International Children's Day is celebrated worldwide on June 1, and on the second Sunday of June in the United States. The day holds special significance for Czechs. 80 years ago, on June 10, 1942, Nazis massacred hundreds of men, women, and children in the Czechoslovakian town of Lidice. Since Tanya lives in the Czech Republic, we decided to honor this day and 1) have her daughter (10) on the podcast, and 2) publish this episode on this Monday, rather than our usual Tuesday. Safe to say, Tanya's kiddo is not as crazy about plants as Tanya is. Tune in for this wholesome, candid, and sometimes hilarious episode, where Tanya and Jos ask Zara about her mother's obsession with plants. In our News segment, we cover a questionable claim that Anthuriums are making a comeback. Were they ever gone? We also look towards Scotland, where the organizers of a plant festival decided to include a sauna in the activities for visitors. And, of course, we're rating weird plants.

They say sh!t happens, right? Episode 12 has us handling a Take Two, because Tanya & Tech. Nonetheless, it's an enlightening episode! In the news segment, we cover the past two decades in houseplant collecting according to a Google Trends report (shoutout to affordablebiscuit on Reddit!). Also in the news: a fascinating report from Matador Network on America's rarest flower. The video follows researchers deep into Florida's remote swamps as they trek through flooded forests and climb high into the tree canopy to study the ghost orchid — one of the rarest and most elusive flowers in North America. It blooms unpredictably and depends on a single, still-unidentified pollinator that continues to baffle scientists. INTERVIEW with @MonsteraStan We also got @MonsteraStan on the mic for a proper chat. He breaks down the origin of his handle (name + Monstera obsession, shocking we know), how he became a plantfluencer in the first place, and what six years of aroid madness has actually taught us — if anything. He takes on the critique that variegated Monstera cultivars are basically all the same plant in a trench coat, weighs in on Monstera hybrids muscling into the scene, names the cultivar he's currently losing his mind over, and gets into the politics of plantfluencer friendships and collabs. We also discuss his Monstera World Championship, and he shares a hot take on TC plants that we're just going to let him say. CONNECT Substack: ⁠https://propculture.substack.com/Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/prop.culture.podcast⁠Website: ⁠https://hortikult.com/podcastConnect with us: ⁠[email protected]

Jos returns from judging the first-ever Sensoria Expo in Hangzhou and reports back on what plant collecting looks like at China-scale. Plus: a sobering study on collapsing orchid pollination, the Alocasia 'Pink Bull' mislabel, two hot variegated Anthuriums, and weird plants featuring praying-hand pea flowers. CONNECT Substack: ⁠⁠https://propculture.substack.com/⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prop.culture.podcast⁠Website: ⁠⁠https://hortikult.com/podcast⁠Connect with us: ⁠⁠[email protected]

Tanya, Jos & Kaylee unpack a Facebook plant-DNA conspiracy, the wild trickery orchids use to scam pollinators (yes, including sex), Tanya's hot take on why rotating houseplants is b******t, and weird-plant ratings featuring an elephant's foot. CONNECT Substack: ⁠https://propculture.substack.com/ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prop.culture.podcastWebsite: ⁠https://hortikult.com/podcastConnect with us: ⁠[email protected]

We kick off with the latest in plant trademark drama: Proven Winners' newly branded "Mythic Phoebus," which, under the trade name, is a variegated Alocasia (likely Alocasia Dora or similar). We dig into why a grower would trademark both a fake genus and a fake species name, what it means for the collector community, and why renaming common aroids as "boutique" plants is a growing marketing trend. Then we head to Monster, Netherlands, where 84-year-old Jan's 12-year-old Ficus has outgrown his living room — a sweet reminder that, properly cared for, houseplants can become generational specimens. Main topic: Plant gatekeeping in the houseplant community. We break down the practice of buyers clearing out big-box stock of rare plants (Anthurium, variegated Monstera, and rare Philodendron) to resell at a markup on Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, and eBay. Kaylee offers a shop-owner's perspective on why this mirrors industry-wide sourcing practices from Dutch, Thai, and Indonesian growers. Tanya covers the entrepreneurial and legal side: tax obligations, EU plant passport regulations, buyer protection, marketplace reporting laws, and how private resellers undercut legitimate plant shops across Europe. Jos shares a grower's perspective on the difference between strategic stock-building and true gatekeeping — including his own experience with variegated Anthurium and rare Monstera aurea cuttings. New Segment — Hot Take of the Week: Kaylee argues that species-specific soil mixes are overcomplicated marketing b******t. Jos shares what commercial Dutch Anthurium growers actually use (spoiler: it looks mostly like coco coir with wood fiber, peat, and bark — no chunky perlite, no added pumice). We discuss whether boutique Aroid soil mixes, Alocasia mixes, and Begonia mixes are meaningfully different, or just repackaged marketing — and when tailored substrate actually matters (cacti vs. tropicals vs. high-humidity grow tents). New Segment — Hot or Not: Jos introduces two new plants making waves in the collector community: Philodendron Yaku (Yaku Heart) — a velvety, trichome-covered Peruvian Amazon species. Is it the next Philodendron rugulosum, or just an overhyped weed with a marketing team? Compared to Anthurium and Homalomena.Stellar Palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum cultivar) — a new European-bred palm selected for stronger root systems and longer shelf life, aimed at solving the common issue of palms declining rapidly indoors. We discuss the ethics of breeding indoor plants for pest resistance, durability, and commercial applications.⭐ Rate That Plant — our recurring weird plant segment: Stapelia hirsuta (starfish flower/carrion plant) — the Apocynaceae succulent with hairy, embroidery-like flowers native to South Africa and NamibiaAstraeus hygrometricus (hygroscopic earth star) — technically a fungus, not a plant, but too visually striking to skip. A hygroscopic species that opens and closes based on humidity.Deuterocohnia brevifolia — a Bolivian and Argentinian bromeliad that forms dense, geometric green mats resembling moss balls or marimo on scale. A standout terrestrial bromeliad for collectors.Also discussed: indoor humidity and beneficial insect use against thrips and spider mites, the Thai constellation Monstera pest problem, cuttings strategy for rare Anthurium breeding, and why box-store plants aren't always bred for hardiness. Follow Prop Culture for weekly episodes on collectors' plants, aroid drama, collector culture, and everything happening in the houseplant world. Drop your hot take in the comments or slide into our DMs on Instagram — and tell us: would you buy a plant-themed adult toy from us? (Yes, we're serious. Not really. Kind of.) CONNECT Substack: ⁠https://propculture.substack.com/ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prop.culture.podcastWebsite: ⁠https://hortikult.com/podcastConnect with us: ⁠[email protected]

In this episode of Prop Culture, hosts Tanya and Jos welcome Kaylee Ellen as their new co-host, a much-loved plant YouTuber known by many. The trio discusses plant naming controversies, including trademarked cultivar names and shops rebranding plants for profit. They cover news about a tech billionaire planning a futuristic succulent dome in Somerset and share which plant genera they'd avoid buying again, with Calathea topping the community poll. Also: Kaylee opens up about her plant shop journey, and then the episode wraps up with a fun "Rate That Weird Plant" segment featuring unusual succulents. Timestamps Kaylee's Podcast Journey That Never Happened (until now)(00:01:16) Kaylee shares her experience starting a second YouTube channel and her desire to do a podcast. Plant Naming Controversy: Mysteria Spotsylvania (00:02:29) Discussion about a plant shop renaming a Thai Constellation as "Mysteria Spotsylvania" and trademarking plant names. Cultivar Naming & Shop Branding Issues (00:06:01) Debate over shops rebranding plants, trademarking cultivar names, and the ethics of plant naming in the community. Ecotypes, Variegation, and Plant Diversity (00:11:44) Conversation about natural plant variation, ecotypes, and the tendency to over-categorize plants. Niche Collecting & Kew Gardens Anecdote (00:14:18) A story about collecting different forms of the same species and a visit to Kew Gardens. News: Tech Billionaire’s Succulent Dome (00:15:16) Discussion of Koos Bekker’s plan to build a futuristic dome greenhouse for succulents in Somerset, England, and local reactions. Facebook News: Plants Never to Buy Again (00:21:37) Review of a poll in a Facebook group about plant genera people vow never to buy again, and hosts share their personal lists. Top Unpopular Plants & Community Poll Results (00:26:01) Revealing the top plants people regret buying: Calathea, Alocasia, Croton, and others, with commentary on why. Interview: Kaylee Ellen's Background (00:31:42) Start of the in-depth interview with Kaylee, covering her real name, online persona, and experiences as a content creator. Reflections on The Rare Plant Shop (00:34:39) Kaylee discusses her journey as a plant shop owner, the business lessons she has learned, and the impact of online reviews. Business, Reviews, and Customer Service (00:44:32) Debate about the importance and pitfalls of online reviews, customer complaints, and strategies for handling negativity. Content Creation: Best and Worst Work (00:53:32) Kaylee reflects on her proudest and least favorite content as a YouTuber, including documentaries and less elaborate videos. Dream Plants & Unlimited Budget (00:57:47) Hosts discuss what plants they would buy if money were no issue. Community vs. Individualism in Plant Collecting (01:01:16) Exploration of whether plant collecting is inherently individual or community-based, and the diversity within the plant community. Content Creator Community & Isolation (01:06:16) Kaylee shares her experience of isolation as a creator and her recent efforts to connect with other plant YouTubers. Plant Community Drama & Negativity (01:08:04) Discussion of conflicts and negativity within the plant content creator community, including personal anecdotes. LGBTQ+ Presence in the Plant Community (01:12:56) A conversation about why the plant community is a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals and the nurturing aspect of plant care. Rate That Weird Plant (01:20:59) Hosts rate and humorously describe unusual plants, including Pachypodium namaquanum, Bowiea volubilis, and Duvalia caespitosa. Hot Takes Challenge & Episode Wrap-Up (01:35:48) Announcement of a challenge for next week (sharing hot takes on plant collecting), closing remarks, and sign-off. CONNECT Substack: ⁠propculture.substack.comInstagram: ⁠@prop.culture.podcast⁠ Website: ⁠Prop Culture on Hortikult⁠ Connect with us: ⁠[email protected]

Tanya is officially back in Europe, but her "Queendom" is in a state of emergency. Between dry rot and a thrips infestation on her Thai Constellation, she’s facing the reality of leaving her collection in the hands of a "non-plant" husband for seven months. In this chaotic and hilarious episode, Tanya and Jos are joined by a Mystery Guest—a well-known figure in the plant community who is currently moonlighting as a student of the drums. Together, they explore the concept of "Orchid Diplomacy," the science (and laziness) behind plant watering gadgets, and a deep dive into the "John Does" of the botanical world: NoID plants. In This Episode The Mystery Guest: We introduce a future collaborator who loves animals, working out, and is currently not terrorizing her neighbors with an electronic drum set. Can you guess who she is? Potting Mat Post-Mortem: Why The Guardian wrote 280 words on a plastic mat and whether they are actually a "shit bin" for your kitchen repotting sessions.Watering Woes: Jos questions why people find watering so challenging, while our Mystery Guest makes the case for the "lazy" glory of self-watering pots and watering globes.Orchid Diplomacy: The 70-year tradition in Singapore of naming orchids after world leaders like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.Travel Log 2026: Jos is heading to China to judge Anthurium at the Sensoria Fest Exposition alongside industry legends.Tanya and the Mystery Guest are prepping for the Southeast Plant Show and the IAS Tropical Plant Expo.The Rise of the NoID: * Why a "NoID" is actually a badge of honesty in a world of mislabeled hybrids.How "bench crosses" and forgotten labels pollute the botanical lineage.The valuation gap: Why a name is the primary currency in the collector's market.Weird Plant Ratings (The "In the Gutter" Edition): Dermographism (Dinteranthus): Described by the girls as "flowery anuses" or a "bag of dicks," Jos insists it's just a "finger fig". Rating: 6/10.Cyphostemma juttae: A "troubled bonsai" that looks like a giant ginger root or "Groot upside down". Rating: 6/10.Welwitschia mirabilis: A desert survivor that only grows two leaves for thousands of years and was compared to an "STD in soil". Rating: 7/10.Substack: Prop Culture on Substack — Leave your guesses for the Mystery Guest in the comments! Instagram: @prop.culture.podcast Website: Prop Culture on Hortikult YouTube: @prop.culture Connect with Us: [email protected]