This might sound crazy but I name all my plants, and sometimes I talk to them when they get a little sad. There's an article I read that spoke about how plants that were sworn and yelled at were unhealthy and ultimately died, but the plants that received verbal love thrived.
- Min Liu, Marly grower
One of the reasons we designed Marly to keep your plants hydrated and healthy for up to 60 days at a time was because of our love of travel.
We often found ourselves away from home for weeks and months at a time, only to return to brown leaves and bone dry soil.
Cue another walk of shame to the local plant store to buy replacements. Knowing the owner by name is a beautiful thing. But not like this.
It was a pain point that our friends were feeling too. Busy professionals who wanted to cultivate gardens but who were often on the road for work, vacations, weddings, life.
For that very reason, we wanted to create a planter that would let you travel worry-free, safe in the knowledge that you would return to healthy, thriving plants.
An early adopter of Marly was this week's guest, Min Liu. She, more than almost anyone else we know, is someone who lives to travel.
Her personal explorations and professional work have taken her all over the world. But Min is also a keen gardener and lover of plants - a difficult balance to strike.
So, what does gardening mean to someone who is perpetually on the move?
We were looking to forward to finding out.
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Hey Min, thanks for taking the time to speak with Marly today! Could you provide a mini bio on yourself and your background?
I was born in China, my passport is Canadian, my grow up years were in Michigan, and I've spent more time in New York than anywhere else. All those places are unique in their own way and that helps shape who I am today.
I currently have a small boutique company that brings creatives together to produce experiential events for brands. When I'm not working I'm usually trying to travel somewhere interesting or spending time with my mom in Kauai.
What's your favorite thing to grow inside your home or garden?
I've been growing herbs outside my window sill and that requires watering almost every day or every other day. I'm not a routine person so having a small ritual in the morning where I make my coffee and go outside to water them has been a small joy and a great kick start to the day.
Do you have any unusual tips or tricks for keeping your plants healthy?
This might sound crazy but I name all my plants, and sometimes I talk to them when they get a little sad. There's an article I read that spoke about how plants that were sworn and yelled at were unhealthy and ultimately died, but the plants that received verbal love thrived.
Are there any home or garden accessories/tools/products that you would recommend to our community, and why?
I keep it minimal so there's no specific tool (other than Marly) I feel like I really need.
How has your Marly planter helped you on your gardening journey?
I travel a ton and my schedule is not routine, but I love plants so Marly has been great at marrying these two facts. I've gotten plant sitters in the past and they've killed plants from overwatering.
Marly has just been so nice to give some more consistency to plants that are more finicky and I worry far less about having to leave my apartment.
Splitting your time between New York and Hawaii must give you a unique perspective on the environment and nature. How do you think those geographies influence you?
New York and Hawaii are like Yin and Yang. I tend to forget this but they are both islands, NY being more unusual as it doesn't have any of what a typical island can gift you. I need both to be happy and to satiate who I am as a person.
The city gives me the opportunity for social exposure and career growth to connect on a human level, and Kauai gives me a mental getaway and a place to connect with nature and reflect more inwardly.
Both have equal opportunities to present perspective and have really made a difference in dealing with what life throws at you.
What are you listening to, watching, or reading right now?
There's not much that's exciting going on TV right now other than House of Dragons. I did just rewatch Queen's Gambit as I'm currently going through an intense chess phase. It's one of the best shows to come out I think in the past couple of years.
Which bar, restaurant, park, store, or place do you always recommend a friend visits? Domestic or international.
I am always an advocate of traveling to a place that has limited access to your phone as it forces you to be present.
Top of my head, my favorite place I recently went to was Lencois Marenhenses in Brazil. It is difficult to get to, the villages near there only got electricity 10 years ago but it is astounding what the surrounding nature has to offer.
It's a national park that has hectares of white sand dunes and during the spring the rainfall creates lagoons of pristine blue water. There's also no service once you're in the park and the infrastructure limits the tourists.
What's the best gift you've ever received?
I gift myself a birthday trip somewhere I haven't been to every year and, to be honest, not even my sister can top that!
What's something or someone that inspires you?
I'm watching the Olympics currently and I have been mesmerized by all of the athletes. You hear a lot of the struggle and what they've done to get to where they are and it does tug at me emotionally seeing the strength of human will on display and the perseverance that they have.
I'd love to mirror that in my own life and pursuits.
I think that's a goal that we can all live by. Thank you for your time and letting us into your world today, Min, we appreciate it!
My pleasure!
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Min Liu is a creative producer based in New York City. She is the founder of Figment, a collective of like-minded individuals producing memorable experiences for brands they love.
Min grows using three of Marly's Smaller, Deep Indigo Self-Watering Planters plus legs for stacking (as pictured in the images above).
If you would like to be featured on the Marly journal, please reach out to growcurious@marlygarden.com, we would love to chat!
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