08/18/2026
Plantcon recap post #1:
There really are no words for PlantCon.
How do you describe being surrounded by thousands of people who get it?
People who understand the squeals. The excitement. The obsession. The passion. The weird little things that make your heart race when you see a new leaf, a beautiful root system, the perfect piece of moss, or a particularly good piece of string. 😂
But more than that… people who don’t just understand it. They encourage it.
They get it.
And I think that’s what I needed most.
One of my favorite moments was meeting Britt Parrish and immediately geeking out over kokedama—the moss, the string, the shaping, and our entire kokedama journeys.
I told her about my late mother-in-law, Debbie, who gave me a dragonfruit cutting that I hand-carried on a plane from Colorado to Washington. That cutting did absolutely nothing for almost a year, then Debbie had passed.
When I came home from Debbie’s services…
…it had grown two new arms.
I told Britt the story, and she got goosebumps.
And honestly? So did I.
Not because I think everyone needs to understand exactly what that moment meant to me—but because for once, I didn’t feel weird for feeling that deeply connected to a plant.
I felt seen.
I also got to sneak away from my booth for a little while (thanks to my amazing mama, who ALWAYS has my back ❤️) and sit in on the panel interviews.
Y’all.
That was the moment I thought…
THIS is where I belong.
My own journey with plants began as a way to cope and take care of myself. Somewhere along the way, plants became a gateway to connecting with other people.
And listening to Britt talk about how plants became an escape from a toxic relationship—and how she continues to use plants to challenge herself, better herself, and connect with her community—really stayed with me.
She is so down-to-earth, inspirational, and genuine. Definitely someone I want to keep learning from.
Then there was Terry Richardson from The Black Thumb.
He described his relationship with plants as symbiotic.
He takes care of them…
…but they take care of him, too.
I have felt that exact relationship with plants for years.
I just never had the words for it.
In that moment, I felt seen and heard all over again.
Maybe that’s what PlantCon gave me more than anything:
A place where I don't have to explain why plants are powerful.
A community that understands that plants can be healers.
That they can connect us to ourselves, to other people, and maybe even to the past, present, and future.
And then—because apparently PlantCon wasn't already emotional enough—a fellow kokedama artist, newer in her own journey, said something to me that I will never forget.
She looked at my work and said:
“This is the level I would want to be at if I was selling. The sizing, shaping and consistency are superior.”
Y’all.
I cried.
😭😭😭
I have worked SO. HARD.
I have kokedama’d SO many plants.
I have researched. Experimented. Failed. Started over. Changed my soil mixes. Changed my techniques. Made ugly ones. Made beautiful ones. Made enough mossy little balls to question my life choices. 😂
So hearing those words from another artist—someone who understands the work that goes into this—hit me right in the heart.
PlantCon reminded me that all of this matters.
The plants matter.
The art matters.
The connection matters.
And the community matters.
I came home from PlantCon exhausted, inspired, emotional, and more certain than ever that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I belong here.
With the plant weirdos. 🌿
With the artists.
With the people who squeal over new growth.
With the people who believe plants can change us.
With the people who get it.
And I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me next. 🌱❤️
Thank you, PlantCon, for making me feel like I found my people.
