How to Set Your Plants Up for Success This Summer, According to Plant Kween

With nearly 400,000 Instagram followers, plant expert and influencer Christopher Griffin (they/she/he), better known as Plant Kween, understands firsthand the benefits of community—especially in a complex (sometimes confusing) undertaking like planting. If you’re wanting to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days to curate your own greenery collection, they have a wealth of care tips and insights on connecting with other plant lovers to offer, whether you’re refreshing your at-home garden or starting from the ground up.

On the topic of community (and in the spirit of Pride Month), Griffin wants to emphasize the value of putting their identity at the forefront of their work.

“Having a lot of underrepresentation in green spaces, in horticulture and botany, when it comes to folks who look like me—I think that’s been a really important aspect of my Plant Kween journey,” they say. “Sharing those bits and pieces of myself so that other Black, brown, queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ folks know that these are spaces for them and that they deserve to take up space.” 

Finding common ground and being able to connect with other people in the gardening space can help alleviate the nerves that come with caring for a plant, provide you with helpful hacks, and give you access to personalized advice.

If the fear of killing off a plant or two is keeping you from trying to grow (literally), Griffin believes proper preparation is the answer to alleviating that anxiety. They teach a Skillshare class detailing this process, guiding students through setting themselves up for success (and reminding them not to take it too seriously). Each lesson focuses on learning a certain skill, like doing an environmental assessment, watering, and repotting.

Even with their years of experience, Griffin still reaches out to others for troubleshooting help.

“I believe we all offer something to the community,” Griffin says. “There are some plant struggles that I may experience, and I’m like, ‘Girl, how did you get through that? Like, tell me your tips and tricks.’ And there are things that I couldn’t find online, so it’s like a quicker process [to ask a real person], right? Or they can physically come over and help me—the Internet’s not gonna leap out the computer and come help me.”

While Griffin isn’t able to jump out of this article (unfortunately), they’ve shared their top tips for getting your plants summer-ready—here’s everything you need to know.

How Plant Kween Prepares Their Space for Summer Planting

If you’re thinking about starting a garden or buying a couple of live houseplants, the start of summer is the perfect time to do so.

“You have a temperature advantage, and the sun is out for longer periods of time,” Griffin says. “Plants are also at their strongest in this growing season, so I would say summer is a wonderful time—I think folks are inspired.”

Griffin breaks up their planting process twice a year: in the fall and winter, and then in the spring and summer. The first thing they do is conduct an environmental assessment, which involves taking note of the direction of your windows and understanding the positioning of the sun; it’s higher in the sky in the summer, and depending on how your windows are set up, your space could be getting a lot more sunlight or less. Therefore, you may have to move your plants around with the changing of the seasons, they explain.

Humidity levels also change throughout the year, and it’s a key factor to consider when figuring out your care plan and schedule.

“[Your plants] may be getting a lot of sun, and it may be drier in your apartment or home or office, and so you may need to increase their watering schedule,” Griffin says. “In terms of particular plants that may do well, I always encourage folks to go the easier route. So folks may want to look into the pothos, the ZZ plant, and the snake plant—those are plants that are very light-flexible.”

Most houseplants are tropical, used to higher humidity (60 to 75°F is their typical sweet spot), and they do not like air conditioners—so keep them as distanced from those cooling appliances as possible. Griffin also recommends investing in a hydrometer, which measures the average temperature and humidity level in a room (they actually have four set up throughout their apartment).

If you’re gardening outdoors, measure the temperature of your soil outside before planting anything—the soil needs to be around 55°F to be more pliable and prevent frozen seeds.

“I would encourage folks if they’re thinking about starting an outdoor garden to look into the native species of plants in their area so they can contribute to that, thinking eco-consciously,” Griffin says. “That also contributes to the kind of wildlife that you have in the neighborhood as well, and it’s a wonderful way to think sustainably.”

Whether you’re a novice or long-time plant parent, Griffin believes gaining confidence in your skills and expertise starts with curiosity, outside of just caring for the plant—no matter the season.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I’m like, ‘Well, what do plants really use water for?’” he says. “I think there’s a lot that you can learn, and if folks lean into curiosity, I think it’ll just better prepare them for the nature that they’re bringing into their home, because they understand so many different things about the plant outside of just focusing on like, ‘Oh, how do I keep this plant alive?’ That’s the minimum, and I feel like you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not allowing yourself to explore the lush lessons that these plants can really teach us.”