Meet our friend Emma: A Q&A with content creator Good Growing

A few months ago, plant care creator Emma from Good Growing put smart plant sensors to the test on her YouTube channel (spoiler alert: Willow stole the crown). Her review video went viral at Willow HQ, and we just had to slide into her DMs. The result? The beginning of a budding friendship, pun very much intended.

Hailing from the United States and calling London home, Emma has grown a seriously impressive online plant posse with 18K TikTok fans, 48K Instagram followers, and a whopping 69K YouTube subscribers. Through Good Growing, Emma shares the good, the bad, and the slightly messy realities of houseplant parenthood. 

We sat down with Emma to dig into her journey, boldly ask her to pick her faves among her 200 plants, and how Willow helps her keep tabs on her indoor jungle.

We’re already dedicated Emma fans and know you pretty dang well by now, but for our Willow community, tell us a bit about yourself and how you started Good Growing?

I’m a Californian transplant living in London, UK and I got into houseplants when I moved here because I was depressed by all the grey and concrete of the city! I was desperately missing nature, so I grew myself an indoor jungle in our small flat over the past 6 years. Fairly early on in my collecting, I couldn’t find the plant care videos I actually wanted to watch, so I figured — why not make them myself? I started out creating informative and aesthetically pleasing content around taking care of specific plants and worked my way into sharing my entire journey – the good and the bad – online!

When did you realise Good Growing was more than a pastime and became a career?

I always had it in the back of my mind that it could become a career but I didn’t want to get my hopes up because content creating is not exactly an easy industry to “make it” in. So I worked on Good Growing alongside the end of my Masters degree and then my full-time job as an art handler at a major London museum. Over lockdown in 2020, I took a voluntary reduction of hours at the museum in order to pursue Good Growing more intensely. The part of the week where I was getting my hands dirty in soil and filming videos made me incredibly happy. In mid-2021, I took the plunge and went all in with plants and creating content full time. 

What was your first indoor plant? Do you still have it today?

My first plants were actually bought for me by an old college professor when he was in town because he believed, and I quote: “everyone needs to have plants in their life”. He gifted me a scindapsus pictus (satin pothos) and a fittonia (nerve plant). I was hooked and wanted to collect more. Unfortunately the nerve plant didn’t make it, but I do still have the satin pothos and it holds a very special place in my heart!

What’s your favourite plant species and why?

I’m currently really vibing with Alocasias. I love that there’s so much variety within them. So many different leaf shapes, colours, and textures. I’m especially attracted to the silver or dark, black ones. I also love propagating them through corms. I have a mystery corm prop box and it’s always a fun surprise when a new one sprouts and I get to figure out what it is. 

In your experience, what’s been the trickiest plant to take care of?

This will surprise you: my long term nemesis plant is the Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant). 

That is such a plot twist! Spider plants are known as easy plants.

It’s a myth! I’ve tried so many over the years and I just can’t seem to get the care right. And I’ve tried it all, I promise! I’ve also found that they are extremely pest-prone in my home, so I’ve sworn off them completely. 

What is one common mistake you see people making with their plants?

Assuming that all plants need a lot of water to grow. Most plants need less than you think and many factors – like species, pot size, environment, to name just a few – affect the plant’s watering needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all system. 

How did you find Willow?

I’m such a low maintenance plant girl, so I’m constantly on the look out for new tech to make my plant care easier, especially with 200 plants. So when I saw an ad for Willow’s smart plant sensors on Instagram I knew I had to give them a try! I tested them out along with a few other brands of sensors and found that Willow were by far the best. I keep Willow in new plants that I’m not as familiar with or in plants that I can’t bear to lose.

Any advice for busy plant parents?

Don’t be afraid to re-home plants if they’re no longer bringing you joy! I know that’s difficult when we want to collect them all, but if a plant is bringing you more stress, it’s just not worth it!