It has been an eventful year (in more ways than one), and despite the circumstances, I hope I’ve been able to make mrplantgeek.com a safe space for positive plant discussion and a lighthearted escape during some tough times. With the pandemic greatly impacting the plant and gardening industry, from cancelled markets and shows to garden centre closures, we have all needed a pick-me-up in 2020!
I’ve had a look through the content that has been published on this blog over the past year in order to discover what you’ve enjoyed reading most – whether to improve your mood, or inform and inspire you during your lockdown gardening endeavours. To help you revisit some of these uplifting moments, I’ve put together a list of the most popular blog posts in the year of 2020. Enjoy!
1. The best of women’s World Naked Gardening Day 2020
World Naked Gardening Day provided some real entertainment and liberation for those brave enough to post on social media, as well as those who preferred to celebrate the day in private! World Naked Gardening Day round-ups are always popular on this site (I wonder why), and this blog post did not disappoint!
Read the article here.
2. The best of men’s World Naked Gardening Day 2020
Of course, the men had something to say about World Naked Gardening Day too! We had a fantastic selection of contributors – including a little offering from myself…
Read the article here.
3. 5 indestructible plants for your garden
Although many of us found ourselves with a bit more time this year, we still favoured low-maintenance plants for our gardens! Readers loved this article, featuring the plant-version of The Avengers: ‘The Indestructibles’!
Read the article here.
4. What makes this the most fragrant shrub in the world?
Strongly scented plants aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but many of you seemed to like the sound of the Daphne Perfume Princess – a highly perfumed shrub that produces brilliant lilac flowers and strong foliage!
Read the article here.
5. The ethereal jacaranda bonsai blue
Everyone went crazy over this compact Jacaranda! A favourite of urban gardeners, this incredible plant was set to be entered into the Plant of the Year competition at 2020’s cancelled RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Let’s hope it gets the attention it deserves next year!
Read the article here.
6. Mr Plant Geek turns 4
2020 marked the year that Mr Plant Geek turned 4! It has been an incredible journey so far, and I look forward to many years of gardening and geeking out with you!
Read the article here.
7. Three simple secrets to a healthy fiddle leaf fig tree
Few plants have dominated Instagram quite like the Fiddle Leaf Fig (I’d say Monstera is just a cut above!). I saw that some eager houseplant newbies were struggling with FLF care problems, so I published this blog post to clear up any troubles!
Read the article here.
8. WTF is propagation?
I designed the WTF Gardening section of this website to help out wannabe Plant Geeks on their way to plant success – and this article, grinding down the meaning of ‘propagation’ to its bare bones, really struck a chord with those who want to learn the art of DIY plant breeding!
Read the article here.
9. Get the skyscraper garden style
With so many of us confined mostly to our homes this year, it’s no wonder that we wanted to make the most of our outdoor spaces. For those with little or no garden, this may have seemed like an impossible task. But I put together some inspiration from the skyscrapers of the world’s biggest cities to prove that this wasn’t the case!
Read the article here.
10. 5 ways we’ll use our gardens differently after lockdown
Finally, many Plant Geeks were intent on looking to the future to see what gardening might look like post-lockdown. So I offered my predictions, based on the wants and needs of gardeners across the country during the pandemic, and how these might impact garden usage in future.
Read the article here.
What was your favourite article of 2020?
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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