GARDENERS MAY RECOGNIZE Brie Arthur from her Brie the Plant Lady YouTube channel, where she shares advice from her home garden; from her books, The Foodscape Revolution and Gardening with Grains, which show how to incorporate edible crops within home landscapes; or from her appearances on PBS’s Growing a Greener World. But before turning to horticultural communications, Brie studied design and plant care and worked at leading wholesale and retail nurseries. Originally from southern Michigan, she now gardens in North Carolina with her husband, David; their three cats; and a team of neighborhood helpers.
SCOTT BEUERLEIN: Where did your interest in gardening come from?
BRIE ARTHUR: Like many, my initial introduction to gardening was through my parents and grandparents, who had flourishing yards and spent most of their free time growing flowers and food crops. Some of my earliest memories are intertwined with helping my grandmother tend her suburban Pittsburgh garden, and even now, the smell of marigolds instantly transports me back to her hillside plantings. In my family, a “good” weekend meant we went to bed exhausted after a full day of mowing, weeding, mulching, trimming hedges and edging beds.
My true horticultural journey began to take shape when I joined my local 4-H group, the LaSalle Lucky Bunch. It was within this group, thanks to passionate extension agents, that my interest in horticulture really started to emerge. These dedicated mentors introduced me to the wide world of plant cultivation, laying the foundation for my future as a horticulturist.
One of my pivotal moments in 4-H was when I entered a flowering plant into the county fair, and I learned my first botanical nomenclature —. This not only won me a sweepstakes but also started my journey as a plant enthusiast. However, 4-H taught me much more than just plants. I honed my skills as a public
