Describe your garden.
We grow in containers, raised beds, and in-ground. I love being able to experience them all.
We also grow herbs, flowers, and vegetables (annuals and perennials), and I absolutely love color all around the garden. It makes me so happy and cheers me up instantly when I walk through the garden and see all the beauty.
Tell us about the first time you ever gardened.
I watched my grandmother garden for years while growing up. She had the most beautiful garden and should have been featured on a magazine cover – that’s how beautiful it was! My husband and I are high school sweethearts, and when he joined the military, we got stationed in Germany. We stayed in apartment-style homes but had a small little space. There was only so much cooking and cleaning you can do, so I decided to go to one of the German garden centers and start some plants. Let me just say it definitely did not look like my grandmother’s, and those plants didn’t survive for too long.
If you could have one gardening superpower, what would it be?
To blink my eye and all the weeds go away. Weeding is definitely one of my least favorite things to do when it comes to gardening.
Share your secrets! What’s the best gardening hack you know?
Build and nurture your soil. If you take care of your soil, then the soil will take care of the plants.
GAME BREAK!
2 Truths and a Lie (Gardening Edition)
We asked @auyannaplants to give us 3 facts about herself – 2 truths and one lie. Can you guess which is the lie??
1. I have lived in Germany, Japan, and Italy and visited several different countries.
2. I am a Licensed Master Cosmetologist.
3. One of my favorite foods of all time is okra.
Would You Rather... only be able to plant in-ground or only be able to plant in containers?
Plant in containers. I will always have a special space for containers because during the times we stayed overseas, there was no space, so I always planted in containers!
Would You Rather... water your garden one cup of water at a time or only have one month of your flowers in bloom?
Water my garden one cup at a time. I love to see color as much as I can for many months in the garden.
Which would you would kiss, which you would marry, and which you would kill?
Petunias -- KISS
Marigolds -- MARRY
Zinnias -- KILL
BONUS QUESTIONS:
What got you passionate about sharing gardening tips with beginner gardeners?
I started out on YouTube just showing everyone around my home and garden – just having fun. After the pandemic, I witnessed people panic because of the food shortages. They were trying to grow things but were getting even more frustrated because the plants were not surviving. Many of my family members were calling me asking me how to do certain things with plants or calling me on Facetime asking me what was wrong with the plant, and I thought to myself, “I know a lot of people are having the same problems.” I have always told myself teaching was something that I don’t consider myself good at, but it has been so fun. I feel like gardening is a skill that everyone should know whether you choose to use it on a regular basis or only when you need to.
I get so excited when people send me pictures of plants or their gardens based off some of the tips that I have shared, and that’s why I want to continue to share… because my biggest goal is to get as many people as I can to start a garden. You don’t need a green thumb to grow. You just need to start and be willing to learn, because gardening is a journey, and I am always learning. Gardening teaches you so much. People get discouraged when they have killed one plant. Let me tell you… I have killed hundreds, maybe even thousands, but there was a lesson in it all, so I don’t want people getting discouraged when this happens.
You’re such a natural in front of the camera! Were you ever nervous to start doing videos or was it just second nature?
I absolutely was so nervous because I am from the south, and I have a southern drawl. I didn’t think people would understand what I was saying, but you would be surprised at how many people leave a comment and tell me they love my accent. I was also very camera shy, I don’t even take a lot of pictures now, but I told myself it’s not about you – it’s about teaching others how to grow. They are there for the message not how you look, and I know that if it helps one person, then I am ready to get on camera!