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pistilsandpollen.bsky.social
Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen
@pistilsandpollen.bsky.social
58 followers 100 following 110 posts
Urban gardener & houseplant educator | Founder, Pistils & Pollen 🌱 | Helping new plant parents grow confidence—from Chicago, growing indoors, on rooftops, parkways, and community gardens. Join our growing community! https://www.pistilsandpollen.com
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 1d
Spooky season pick: dark, dramatic foliage! 🌿 I shared my favorite Halloween-ready houseplants on my blog (including ZZ ‘Black Raven’, Alocasia “mask,” red Syngonium). Which one is your vibe? #Halloween #Houseplants
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 1d
Have you tried using grow lights? I swapped out a few of my recessed lightbulbs for grow lights and it allows me to grow in places I couldn't otherwise
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 2d
Autumn sun = deeper beams through my south windows, and my Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum is living its best life. I move it a foot closer this time of year and rotate weekly. Where does your best fall light land? #Houseplants #CozyVibes
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 3d
This season our community garden almost doubled—more gardeners, more food, more blooms for pollinators. 🐝 The full 2025 Community Garden Tour is live on YouTube (and in the Pistils & Pollen app). What would you plant with extra space? #CommunityGarden #UrbanGardening
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 4d
Popped into the Golden Triangle (Chicago) for an end table and left inspired by their plant styling—low-light classics, elevated with unexpected containers + great placement. Simple plants, big impact. What’s your go-to vessel for a dim corner? #LowLightHouseplants #PlantStyling
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 8d
TBT: Gave my Anthurium vittarifolium a hanging basket upgrade so those long leaves can really shine. Anyone else team “plants at eye level”? #Anthurium #Houseplants
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 9d
Found baby ginger at Granor Farm—no peeling needed and the flavor is unreal. Local, organic food feeds more than us; it feeds the community. How do you use fresh ginger? #BabyGinger #SupportLocal
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 10d
New short: Community garden tour—small space, big growth. Full video on YouTube (link in bio).
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 11d
New frond on my Platycerium elephantotis after a move to brighter light + higher humidity. Proof that small tweaks add up in plant care. What’s thriving at your place this week? #Houseplants #FernCare
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 15d
Playful plant chore: adding a moss pole extension for my pothos so it can keep climbing and leafing up. Simple upgrade, big payoff. What’s your go-to support for your climbers? #Pothos #IndoorGardening
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 16d
Spotted a bouquet with full fall colors at David’s Delicatessen & Coffee—flowers turning before the trees. Also: big love for their seasonally fresh, veg-friendly sandwiches. What’s your first sign of autumn this week? #AutumnVibes #LocalFood
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 17d
Small space, big wins: my starter trio = herbs, flowers, and leafy greens. Perfect for community plots or containers, and a great way to plan for next season. What’s your first pick? #SmallSpaceGardening #CommunityGarden
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 18d
Weekend planting: Solidago flexicaulis plugs in the parkway—compact, shade-tolerant goldenrod that blooms late to keep pollinators fed after Agastache. #UrbanGardening #PollinatorPlants
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 22d
New leaf on my Philodendron melinonii. Brighter spot + humidity and a chunky aroid mix = steady, happy growth. What small change made a big difference for your plants? #Philodendron #IndoorGardening
James holds a Philodendron melinonii indoors, showcasing a new unfurling leaf beside large, glossy mature leaves.
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 23d
Black swallowtail caterpillars on bronze fennel = host plant magic. Fall is prime time to plant for next year’s pollinators—root now, bloom later. Pollinator series is in my app (link in bio). 🌿
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 24d
Remounted my Platycerium ridleyi from cedar to a fernwood block so it can keep mounding. Fresh sphagnum, gentle ties, bright-filtered light. Small project, big payoff for epiphyte lovers. 🌿
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 25d
Deck days = leaf days. My Ficus umbellata filled out outside this summer—big light, bigger leaves. Indoors soon, but not rushing it. A few are in my shop if you’re tempted. 🌿
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · 29d
My Monstera adansonii reached the summit—so I extended the moss pole and let it keep going. Not a tutorial, just plant-y joy with music. Bigger climb, bigger leaves. 🌿 #Monstera
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Oct 1
Planting 6 × ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ (aromatic aster) in a tight clump for a big purple show next fall—a late-season runway for solitary bees as Agastache winds down. Fall planting = roots now, blooms later. 🌿
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Sep 30
In case you missed it: Ep. 2 goes deep on the roots behind Pistils & Pollen. Watch the full chapter on YouTube or in the Pistils & Pollen mobile app. 🌿 #PersonalGrowth #HealingThroughPlants
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Sep 29
Hand-sized Nepenthes pitcher! The secret was… more light. Loving the reminder that plants teach when we listen. What care tweak changed a plant for you? 🌿
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Sep 25
Gave my terrarium a little spa day—new fern in, moss refreshed, a few crispies clipped, water, back on the credenza. Small maintenance, big calm. 🌿 #Terrarium
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Sep 24
Planted 9 Rudbeckia maxima in three drifts—between Agastache, Echinacea, and Liatris. Fall planting = root work now, pollinators + height next summer. Urban habitat, one clump at a time. 🌿
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Reposted by Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen
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Nick @gardenwizard.bsky.social · Sep 23
#bugsky #bloomscrolling #gardening
An eastern carpenter bee on a crackerjack marigold. There is a garden in the background.
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Dr. James | Pistils & Pollen @pistilsandpollen.bsky.social · Sep 23
Nice shot!
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