PLANT/GROW: a Plant Swap with Mandy Lancia

My love of house plants runs deep. Admittedly, I've slaughtered my fair share from overwatering or under sunning- but with time my black thumb has grown much greener and now it sometimes feels a bit like my apartment is slowly turning into a urban jungle.
It's always exciting to meet a fellow crazy plant lady, especially when they are darling souls like local creative, Mandy Lancia. Together we dreamed up a way to share our greenhouse obsession with the masses by bringing together plant lovers for the most lovely Sunday afternoon we can think of... a plant swap!

Drawing on the traditions of an old school swap meet, this gathering is focused on community, creativity, and plants. Bring a little something green/take home a little something green! Not only can you pass on a previously loved plant or one that may not be thriving in your home, but you will walk away with a plant with a story behind it.

We want to make sure that all new plant friends stay healthy, so we'll have a repotting table where we will share tips and tricks to keep your house plants alive and kicking. You're encouraged to BYOV (bring your own vessel) and terra cotta pots will be available, but we're especially excited to offer one of a kind pottery from Portland ceramicist, Mimi Ceramics. Her pottery is just the dreamiest! Sweets and treats will be provided by Bang Bang Pie.

the details //

DATE

Sunday, August 14th

TIME

11am - 3 pm

LOCATION

Foxtail + Moss Studio

2320 N Damen 1ER

Chicago, IL

You can purchase a ticket for $5 here or snag one at the door for $7. Can't wait to see you there!

PLANT / GROW: How To Care For A Fiddle Leaf Fig

Fiddle leaf fig trees have been the "it" girl of house plants in the design world for a few years now and I've long had my sights set on bringing one home to join my indoor plant family. Even though my black thumb is slowly turning a dark lush shade of green, I was still feeling intimidated by how needy I've heard the plant can be. Not to mention the price tag on one of these babies can be pretty hefty! So I did my research and spoke to a few growing inclined friends. After much reassurance that fiddle leafs are far more low maintenance than they are rumored to be, I went ahead and pulled the fig tree trigger. That was almost 7 months ago and I'm happy to report that my little leafy lady is alive and kicking (if not for a brown spot or two)! Below are a few basic ground rules I've found super helpful in caring for my plant.

Fiddle leaf figs love sunlight...just not too much.
Place your fig near enough to a window that it will get light all day but never be in direct sun (or you run the risk of burning the leaves!) Here's a super pro-tip: plants always grow toward the light, so rotate your fig every few weeks to keep it growing even and straight.

There's not an exact science to watering.
I know, not exactly the advice you were looking for. The frequency and amount you need to water your fig is in constant flux. The current temperature and humidity in your home, coupled with the  size of your plant will determine how much and how often you water, but generally, when the top inch of soil is dry (but the deeper soil is still damp) it's time to water. Your watering routine will vary season to season so be flexible and let your plant tell you when it's time for a drink. In between waterings, don't be afraid to give your fig a good misting. Because we run central air and heat in our home, it can get pretty dry in here. I mist my fig almost daily and she seems to love it!

Don't be scared of brown spots and dropped leaves.
Fiddle leaf figs are fickle and fussy plants and they're not afraid to show it! Brown spots and dropped leaves are going to happen, but don't panic. Often times spots and falling leaves are actually due to too much plant love, so ease up on watering. On the flip side, your fig might be trying to tell you she's thirsty. Change and monitor your watering routine and those unsightly spots should clear up!
Or it might just be that your plant is catching a chill. Figs naturally come from warm humid climates so they will not thrive in drafty or cool places (lesson I learned the hard way...keep them away from air conditioning vents!)
Even though brown dry leaves are ugly, don't pull them off. You can trim away brown edges without harming the plant. But mostly you just have to be patient. The fiddle leaf fig is slow to action (it's growing cycle actually goes dormant in winter), so it could be a year before your tree starts looking lovely again.

So fresh and so clean.
Housecleaning applies to your fiddle leaf fig too! Their wide leaves tend to collect a lot of dust. Not only does this look nasty, but dust could also keep your plant from absorbing the nutrients it needs by blocking the sun and letting fungus and bacteria build up. A cotton cloth (or old t-shirt) works well to gently wipe down the leaves. Feel free to give the whole tree a rinse a few times a year. Throw your fig in a room-temp shower or hose it down outside on a warm sunny day (just make sure to let the plant dry in indirect sunlight).

Have you had any luck keeping a fiddle leaf fig alive and thriving? Do share your tricks and tips! And check out this article and this article for some advice from the pros.

{Lauren}

Earth Day

Today is our favorite day in April - Earth Day! Go for a walk around your neighborhood, plant some flowers, or volunteer on this special day. Help mother nature out a bit and be conscience of the choices you make that effect not only you, but the world. Here are a few things we do to take care of this lovely planet we call home.

Eat locally grown seasonal food when possible. Shop farmers markets, fruit stands, and visit local food co ops. Although only some towns have indoor markets during the cooler seasons, most do have markets in the warmer months. Find out where they are in your city, enjoy fresh food and support local businesses.

Lower your carbon footprint. Put down your car keys, grab a helmet, and bike to your destination. Not only is it great exercise but it takes the stress and annoyance of rush hour traffic out of your commute. Public transit is another great option.

Turn off lights when you walk out of a room. Although we admit we aren't the best at this, we're trying! Save electricity (and money in your pocket) by getting in the habit of turning off lights every time you leave a room.

Remember to recycle your electronics. Don't let them pile up in your junk drawer or throw them in the trash where they don't belong - recycle! Contact your city or go online to find your nearest electronic recycling center.

Use Reusable shopping bags at the grocery store. Ditch those pesty plastic bags! Always try to keep a tote bag or two on hand (find one you can fold up real small and leave it at the bottom of that big leather tote you're always carrying around). There are so many different sizes, colors, and cute designs - we must own 10 each!


Do you have plans this Earth Day? What are your tips for helping out mother nature?

MAKE // Marble and Copper Plant Stand

Back in the fall, we talked about brining outdoor plants inside to weather the winter. It can be a tricky process, keeping those things alive all those months, but somehow I've managed to do it. I'd even go so far as to say a few of my plants are thriving! I decided to celebrate (ahem..show off) my green thumb success, by making a lovely little stand on which to perch my favorite plant. So I gathered some inspiration from the million or so amazing plant stand DIYs circulating Pinterest right now, and headed to the hardware store to see what I could come up with. Thanks to some sage advice from a random and kind old man who was watching me struggle with fittings in the plumbing aisle, this plant stand is not only a cinch to put together, but cost me under $25 to make. I'm in love with how modern the copper and marble look together. And I think my plant is pretty happy too!

Three 3/4 inch Copper Pipes cut 10 inches long
Three 3/4 inch Copper Tee Fittings
Three 3/4 inch Copper Tube Caps
Six 3/4 inch Copper Tube Straps
Polished Porcelain Floor Tile (12 inches x 12 inches)
Plywood (10 inches x 10 inches x 1/4 inch)
Wood Glue
Twelve 3/4 inch screws
Drill
Level

Step One // Lay the floor tile face down and center the plywood on the back. Glue the plywood in place. Make sure you follow the directions on the glue and allow to dry a full 24 hours.

Step Two // Plan the placement of the legs by laying the tee fittings and tube straps out on the plywood. If you go with three legs like I did, placing them in a tripod (or triangle) shape will make the stand most sturdy. Measure and mark where you will position the legs and then drill holes for the screws.

Step Three // Secure the tee fittings with the tube straps and screw in to place.

Step Four // Fit the pipes in to the tees and put the end caps on the open end of the pipes. Now your legs are in place!

Step Five // Turn the stand over and make sure it's level. I had to adjust one of my legs by bending it out ever so slightly. Place your favorite plant on top and sit back and enjoy!


What do you guys think!? Share your Foxtail + Moss inspired DIYs with us by tagging photos with #foxtailmakes.

{Lauren}

PLANT / GROW: Bringing Outdoor Plants Inside for the Winter

When Spring hits, I anxiously wait till the weather hits 50 degrees so I can start bringing my indoor plants outside. My back porch becomes a beautiful plant haven, a perfect second home for them to receive copious amounts of light and and fresh air. During the Summer, they grow and thrive greatly outdoors. Come Autumn, when the weather starts to become cooler again, I start the process of bringing them all back inside. The first year I did this, I made a few huge rookie mistakes. I brought a couple moths and insects into my apartment, a plant or two died, and I overwatered a bunch of them! Still wanting to transfer my plants outside for the warm seasons, I did some research and below are some tips I've learned over the years that help your plants with the transition.

1. Wash your plants before you bring them inside. Spray them with a blast of water from the hose, or apply a simple soap spray (1 tablespoon of dishwasher detergent to a gallon of water) and let dry. This not only cleans your plants, but helps prevent bugs from traveling indoors with your plants.

2. To reduce shock, bring your plants inside before you turn on the heat for the season.  Warm fall days are great for opening your windows one last time, bringing in your plants, and getting them settled. Don't be surprised if your plants drops a few leaves. They will be adjusting to less light and consequently their growth slows or even sometimes stops over the Winter.

3. Inspect outdoor plants before you bring them inside and keep them away from other indoor plants for a week or two. Insects and diseases can spread rapidly indoors, so monitor your plants to make sure they are healthy.

4. Your plants are no longer out in the Summer heat all day soaking up sun, so keep in mind their soil will not dry out as quickly. Reduce watering accordingly. Water them only when the top two inches have dried out and make sure not to don't over soak them.

After bringing all my plants in for the season, I decided to do a quick tally. I have 35 indoor plants. 35 you guys! Does this officially make me a crazy plant lady?

{Claire}

PLANT / GROW 04

Honey bees are in big trouble these days and we're all about spreading the word to help save our buzzing little buddies! Colony Collapse Disorder, the sudden disappearance and die-off of bees, is a critical environmental issue because bees play such a crucial role in our ecosystem. It's been said that we have bees to thank for one in three bites of food we eat!

We adore this print by Hannah Rosengren. Its a beautiful reminder of the herbs and flowers we can plant in our gardens (or in pots on our porches or windowsills) that feed bees and in turn promote pollination and the livelihood of bees and other pollinators. Besides planting bee friendly gardens, there are plenty of super simple things we can do to help: Buy local honey. Stop using commercial pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Buy organic (and thusly pesticide-free) food. Head over here if you're interested in more information. And check out other lovely prints by Hannah here!

PLANT / GROW 03: A Plant Potluck

Over the weekend we hosted a plant potluck in Lauren's backyard. What on earth is a plant potluck, you say? Well, it's totally just like it sounds. We gathered together five friends and spent an afternoon in the sunshine potting plants, sipping sparkling sangria, and sharing snacks. We provided the soil and a few clippings from plants in our homes and asked everyone to bring a pot or planter for themselves or to share. It was just like a regular ol' potluck, but with way more dirt under our fingernails!

Flora, friends, and food sounds like your idea of fun? Below we share our tips on how to throw the perfect plant potluck!

1 //  At a potluck, you want a mix of main dishes, sides, desserts, and drinks. A plant potluck is no different! Assign each friend a type of plant to bring (hanging, flowering, succulent, etc). Have one friend bring the soil, another bring the planters. Someone can provide gardening tools or gloves. Let the variety happen organically.

2 //  Did you know that you can take a clipping from pretty much any plant, put it in a cup of water and the clipping will sprout roots within a week or two? Pretty cool, right? Get creative with how you source your plants. Visit your local nursery, grab an herb plant from the farmers market, bring a clipping from your favorite house plant, or snip something from the side of the road. We used rooted clippings from plants in our homes. We adore the idea of passing on a little piece from a plant that has been loved and cared for previously. Most of the clippings we chose could be mixed or matched in a pot and it was fun to get creative with the variety.

3 //  Give a crash course in caring for house plants. Does your best friend have a particularly green thumb? Ask her to share her gardening secrets. We sent everyone home with a little hand out that gave a break down of when to water and how much sun each plant needs.

4 // Get dirty! Forgo the gloves and get your hands in the soil. Appreciate just how lovely the mess you're making is.

Everyone was so proud of their newly potted sprouts! We even set up a spontaneous photo booth just so we could model with and show off our little friends! After we got our hands a little dirty, we spent the rest of the afternoon laying on blankets in the lawn, swapping stories and laughing.  As the sun went down, we lit a bonfire and Claire broke out a lemon and rosemary pie. Pretty much the perfect end to a perfectly beautiful day. 

PLANT / GROW 02

As an apartment dweller in a major city that's seriously lacking on space, I consider myself lucky to have a sunny, albeit pretty tiny, backyard. It's pretty much where we spend all of our time in the warmer months. There's a patch of grass that's perfect for throwing down a blanket and wasting away a Summer afternoon laying in the sun. There's a little stone patio with a big wooden table where we eat almost all of our meals and host bar-b-ques every chance we get. And, as of a few weeks ago, there's a new big raised bed vegetable garden tucked away in the back corner of the yard!

Raised bed gardens are a such a great alternative to traditional ground gardening for a number of reasons (read more about them here), but we chose to go this route to maximize space and to avoid planting our vegetables in Chicago's unpredictable natural soil. It took us an afternoon to build the bed (check out this video for a simple how to), fill it with soil and compost, and plant our veggies. We planted tomatoes, kale, spinach, and all sorts of peppers.

This is my first year growing vegetables and I'm super proud of this little garden. I love checking in on our plants every morning and am already plotting and planning the dishes I'll make when the veggies are ready to harvest!

DIY Branch Garden Markers //

Supplies:
A small branch or stick
Vegetable Peeler
Fine grain sand paper (optional)
Permanent Marker

Use a vegetable peeler to remove bark from the branch just as if you were peeling a carrot. Peel away enough bark to create a flat surface to write on (I was having a hard time getting the surface smooth with just the vegetable peeler, so I went over the branch a couple of times with fine grain sand paper). Label each branch with a permanent marker and place accordingly in your garden!

{Lauren}

CURATED: The Garden

Well I think by now it's pretty obvious: we're obsessed with gardening this season!  We've been spending a lot of time searching for the perfect garden accessories.  Here are some of our favorites that we've found.

1. Somerset Hat: Protect your head from powerful UV rays while gardening with a palm woven hat. The Somerset hat is great because you can either dress it up or down: wear it while gardening or out to the farmer's market.  //  2. Thoughtful Gardener Tool Set:  With a painted wood handle and a leather hanging loop, this tool set is both functional and would look beautiful on display.  //  3. Elkskin Suede Gloves: Pick up a pair of strong and durable gloves to protect your hands. When we found these, the marigold instantly caught our eye.  //  4. Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables: Great introductory book to heirloom vegetables. Easily to follow, full of useful information, and the photography is gorgeous.  //  5. Gardener Boots: This boot has it all:  a good sole, nice support, comes in cute colors, and is the perfect height for garden and backyard work.  //  6. Copper Watering Can: We are so in love with everything copper lately and this watering can hits the spot!

*This is not a sponsored post. This is simply a collection of items we love!

PLANT / GROW 01

Earlier this week we shared a few snap shots from a trip we took to a local plant nursery. Claire and I are both in the process of planting vegetable gardens in our respective backyards.  Last year, Claire made her first raised bed garden. In years past, I've planted tomato plants and a few herbs in pots on my apartment's balcony. Gardening inspires up to eat healthier and fresher and (I'm about to lay down some serious cheesiness here but bear with me) get outside and truly soak in just how amazingly insane and beautiful nature is. Its a pretty incredible feeling to dig your hands down in the earth and grow something.

We're really excited to bring you this new series all about gardening and growing. You might be a super experienced gardener, or you might be struggling to keep just one house plant alive. Maybe you have your very own lush big yard, or a tiny plot of grass, or just a pot to plant in. We definitely don't claim to know everything there is about having a green a thumb but our hope is that everyone can learn a little something from this series! In future posts, we'll be talking about herb gardens, window sill gardens and gardening solutions for apartment dwellers, indoor plants (and how to not kill them!), composting, building a raised bed garden and what to plant in it, and how to tend and care for a vegetable garden. But we'd love to hear from you! What garden related topics would you like to see us cover?

{Lauren}

"We are stardust, we are golden and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden." - Joni Mitchell

Plant Shopping

Over the weekend, we stopped by a local nursery to pick up a few plants and herbs. We're both super eager to get our backyard gardens planted and growing but Spring is late in coming to Chicago this year. Surrounding ourselves with some serious greenery was good for our souls and gave us a little hope that we'll have our hands in the dirt soon enough!

Do you have a green thumb? Claire is a pretty seasoned gardner while Lauren is more of a novice. We'll be talking more about gardening, growing, and all things green later this week in a new series we've been working on. See you then!