Known to Instagram followers as an ‘influencer,’ Plant Kween grows over 200 houseplants (the ‘gurls’ of the book’s title) in a small Brooklyn apartment. Christopher Griffin dedicates this book to the grandmother whose love of plants and gardening made a strong impression on him at a tender age.
Written in a conversational style, and providing the expected horticultural details one might need to keep a plant alive indoors, there are many unexpected aspects to this book: it is the first houseplant book I’ve encountered that comes with a playlist! Griffin is the opposite of snobbish, not a seeker of the rarest of plants for their own sake. Plants that can thrive and whose beauty brings delight are the important thing.
While anthropomorphizing plants, Griffin also phytomorphizes humans: “We are basically houseplants with complex emotions.” Caring for plants is inextricably linked to caring for one’s own well-being. He reflects on the ways that we might judge ourselves as ‘not having a green thumb,’ and recounts an apocryphal tale about the term’s origins which puts things in perspective. Griffin takes a forgiving and encouraging stance on gardening as an ongoing learning experience that is open to anyone.
As someone immune to the allure of Instagram who mainly grows plants outdoors, I was nevertheless charmed by this book’s ebullient enthusiasm for growing green ‘gurls.’ To quote the author, “This book is filled with that Black queer nonbinary femme plant parent joy!”