Now that the site is up and working I’d like to share a new book with you that I received a PDF copy of, called The New Complete Guide to Houseplants: Expert Houseplant Growing Advice for Everyone by Justin Hancock.
Before I tell you about the book, I want to tell you why a gardening book caught my attention in the first place. If you didn’t know all my life I’ve been gardening, whether it was in my own home or with my grandmother’s Dorie, or my other grandmother Irene, or with Suzanne and me when we had our own home. And then when Charlie was a baby, I got him into gardening alongside his grandmother Sherry and we also created a garden for homeschooling.
Now we’re carrying on the tradition with my mother-in-law as we’re building a memorial garden for my father-in-law. When I started looking through this book, I wasn’t looking at gardening as something completely new to me. I was looking at it as something that has been part of my family for generations and something we’re still learning about today.
And that is one of the reasons this particular book interested me. I want to be honest with you about something before we get too far into this review. The copy I received for this review was a PDF preview. I didn’t have a copy of the physical book.
If you’ve been around GreatfulMoments.com for a while, you probably know that I really do prefer physical books. There is just something about holding a book in your hands, feeling the pages, turning them, putting a bookmark inside, and carrying the book through the house with me.
I like taking books with me when I go to my mother-in-law’s house, and I especially like being able to photograph the actual book for my articles. I am hoping the physical copy arrives because I would love to spend time with this book that way and add my own photographs and hands-on impressions.
For now, though, I can tell you what caught my attention from the digital preview. And there was plenty. What I really like about The New Complete Guide to Houseplants is that it isn’t written only for somebody who already knows what they’re doing.
This book can be useful for someone who has been growing plants for years, but it also makes sense for someone who walks into a store, sees a beautiful houseplant, brings it home, and then realizes they aren’t quite sure what they’re supposed to do next.
I don’t know if this has happened to you or not but it has happened to Charlie and I probably to my friends and family as well. Justin Hancock takes those everyday questions and gets down to the practical side of caring for plants—lighting, watering, feeding, propagation, troubleshooting, pruning, re-potting, pests, and choosing plants that actually fit the conditions you have at home.
And that last part is important. Because sometimes we don’t have a green ie brown thumb. Sometimes we simply bought the wrong plant for the spot we wanted to put it in which has happend to me in the past.
Justin said something during our q&a that I really appreciated: losing a houseplant isn’t a reflection on you. Sometimes it simply means you didn’t have the right plant for your space. I think a lot of people need to hear that including Charlie and I.
One of my favorite things Justin said in our interview was about beginner plants. His top three recommendations are Chinese evergreen, snake plant, and ZZ plant. He explained that these plants have a wide tolerance for light levels and watering.
But then he made a distinction that really stuck with me: Surviving is not the same as thriving. I love that. As well as going to my local garden to learn more about those Trees which could be a #Homeschooling Field Trip and a #TeachingMoment for my family.
A plant may survive because we forgot to water it for a while, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is growing as beautifully and healthily as it could. Snake plants and ZZ plants can sometimes go as long as a month between waterings, according to Justin, while a peace lily is much more communicative when it needs water because it starts to droop.
That is the kind of practical information I appreciate. Instead of simply telling someone, “Water your plant,” the Author helps explain how different plants communicate what they need.
Another thing Justin talked about was watering. And this is an area where I think many of us can get ourselves into trouble because we are trying to be good plant parents. He says too much water is generally a bigger problem than too little water, especially for new plant parents. That makes sense when you think about it.
We bring home a new plant and want to take care of it. We see it sitting there and think, “Maybe it needs some water.” Then we water it again. And again. Before long, we’re loving that poor plant right into trouble.
Justin has a simple way of checking a small tabletop plant. Pick up the pot. Potting mix holds moisture like a sponge, so the heavier the pot, the wetter the soil is likely to be. After you’ve had the plant for a couple of weeks, you should begin to recognize what it feels like when it needs water.
Or, if you’d rather get your hands dirty, stick your finger into the potting mix and feel whether it is dry, moist, or wet. I much prefer practical advice like that to making gardening seem harder than it needs to be.
As I was looking through this book, I kept thinking about Charlie. When Charlie was a baby, I got him involved in gardening, and we used gardening as part of our homeschooling not only with Charlie but also Suzzane.
Looking back, I can see so many ways The New Complete Guide to Houseplants could have fit into what we were doing at school. This could have been a wonderful resource for a home economics class on #gardening.
A student could learn about caring for living things, sunlight, watering schedules, planning, responsibility, and what to do when something doesn’t go according to plan. They could research different plants, learn what each one needs, keep track of watering, observe new growth, and troubleshoot problems.
There is reading involved. There is research. There is observation. There is responsibility. There is learning patience. And there is the very real-life lesson that sometimes things don’t work the first time—and that’s okay.
That makes gardening a wonderful hands-on school experience. And it doesn’t have to be limited to one age group. Younger students can enjoy the photographs and basic plant-care information, while older students can dig deeper into the science and responsibility involved in growing plants. I really wish I had a resource like this when Charlie and I were doing our homeschooling years.
This book also immediately made me think about our 30-Minute Reading Challenge. Thirty minutes doesn’t have to mean sitting down with a novel. Reading can be about learning something new, too.
A reader could spend 30 minutes exploring the book’s plant information, learning about lighting, watering, propagation, or troubleshooting. Then they could take what they learned and look at the plants they already have at home.
For families, that could turn into a fun reading-and-doing activity. Read for 30 minutes. Choose a plant. Check its light. Feel the soil. See if it needs water. Look for new growth. Don’t give up on it.
That’s the kind of reading challenge I enjoy because the reading can lead you into something else instead of simply closing the book when the timer goes off which we all do more times than not.
Because of all those possibilities, I already know this book won’t belong in just one place here at GreatfulMoments.com. You’ll find The New Complete Guide to Houseplants in our Christmas Gift Guide.
At $35, it is a little more than I would normally spend on a gardening book for myself, but I can absolutely see it being a meaningful gift for someone who loves houseplants, gardening, learning, or spending time working with plants.
And I wish I had been able to include it in our Summer Gift Guide for families who enjoy gardening together, because it would have fit beautifully there. If I had the extra funds I would buy a copy for my mother in law Sherry.
Gardening gives families something they can do together. You can choose plants, work with the soil, figure out where things should go, watch for new growth, and learn along the way. It can become a family project rather than something one person does alone.
Then there is our Fall Gift Guide.: Fall is a natural time to start thinking about gardening, bringing plants indoors, learning more about houseplants, and preparing for the changing seasons. A book that helps you understand lighting, watering, plant selection, and troubleshooting makes a lot of sense as we begin spending more time inside.
And there is another reason I can see this book being particularly meaningful as a fall or Christmas gift in my family. My mother-in-law and my family are working on a memorial garden for my father-in-law.
We’re having to make decisions about what we want to plant, where things should go, how much sunlight different plants need, and how we’re going to care for them. So when I look at this book, I don’t just see something pretty to put on a bookshelf.
I see a resource that could actually help us make some of those decisions. It could even make a thoughtful birthday gift in November for my mother-in-law as we continue working on that garden.
Justin also talked with me about why houseplants have become such an important part of people’s homes. He explained the concept of biophilia, a #teachingmoment for my family which is based on helping connect people with nature.
That really resonated with me. A plant can certainly make a room look better, but it can also give us something living to care for. For people who don’t have easy access to outdoor spaces or who live in urban environments, houseplants can provide one small connection to nature right inside their home. And I love that idea.
There are always new plants catching people’s attention, and Justin says monstera varieties are especially trendy right now. Another #teachingmoment for Charlie and I as we research them.
I wanted to let you know there is the classic Monstera deliciosa, along with newer selections such as monstera ‘Bulbasaur’ and ‘White Monster.’ He also points to pothos varieties, which are versatile and easy to propagate.
That last part makes pothos particularly fun for families because you can propagate them and share them with friends and family. You aren’t just growing a plant. You’re creating little pieces of a plant community which I know my neighbors here in my Apartment complex would like.
I was blessed to be able to send Justin five questions because I wanted to give you more than just my impressions of the book. I wanted to hear from someone who has spent more than 25 years working with plants.
Here is our full conversation.
- For someone who loves the idea of having houseplants but doesn’t have much experience, what are a few of the best plants to start with — and what makes them so forgiving for beginners?
Justin Hancock: “My top three for beginners are Chinese evergreen, snake plant, and ZZ plant. They’re great choices for beginners because they have such a wide tolerance for light levels and watering.
Snake plant and ZZ plant, in particular, can often survive (important call out: Surviving is not the same as thriving) watering as little as once a month. As long as you don’t overdo the care, they’ll hold up to a lot.
If you’re someone who might care for them a little too much, something like a peace lily may be a better option; it’s not forgiving of being forgotten, but it’s very communicative in that it readily starts to droop when it’s thirsty, so you always know whether it’s well hydrated or not.”
2. You’ve developed your “Goldilocks Zone” approach to watering. What is one of the biggest watering mistakes you see people make, and how can they tell when a plant really needs water?
Justin Hancock: “Too much water is generally more of a problem than too little water—and that’s the biggest mistake I see new plant parents tend to make. And it’s totally natural—we want to care for our new plants and make sure they have everything they need to thrive.
But in that we can give them too much of a good thing. One of the things that makes overwatering challenging, too, is that it happens over time. Giving your plant too much water once isn’t necessarily going to show up right away (like under-watering does). If you have a small, tabletop plant, my favorite way of determine whether it might be thirsty is to pick it up.
Potting mix holds moisture like a sponge; the heavier it is, the wetter it is. After having your plant for a couple of weeks, you should be able to lift it up and tell right away if it needs water or not based on how heavy it is. If that’s not your speed, then you can stick a finger in the potting mix and feel if it’s dry, moist, or wet for yourself.”
3. Houseplants have become such a big part of how people decorate and enjoy their homes. What do you think plants add to a living space beyond simply making it look beautiful?
Justin Hancock: “There’s an interior design concept called Biophilia that’s based on helping connect people with nature—and I think that’s so important—especially for folks who live in more urban environments and have less access to nature.
.Scientists have documented a host of physiological and psychological benefits to having houseplants—so houseplants may just be as good for our health as our décor.”
4. There are always new and unusual plants catching people’s attention. Are there any houseplants you think are especially worth watching right now, whether they’re trendy or simply underrated?
Justin Hancock: “In terms of trendy, monstera varieties are super hot right now, from the classic, tried-and-true Monstera deliciosa to newer selections like monstera ‘Bulbasaur’ and ‘White Monster’.
When you start looking at the different sizes, shapes, and patterns monsteras offer, I think it can be difficult not to find at least one that you like! Similarly, pothos varieties are really on trend. They’re such versatile houseplants—and most are so easy to propagate that you can readily share them with friends and family, creating your own little plant community.”
5. After more than 25 years working with plants, what is one piece of advice you wish every new houseplant owner could hear before they bring their first plant home?
Justin Hancock: “Take stock of your home’s lighting before picking out plants. A lot of plant parents tend to over-estimate the amount of light their space gets and a houseplant just won’t be happy if it doesn’t get the light it needs to grow.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of buying a gorgeous new houseplant you think you have a spot for and then see it just sit there—or even decline—because it doesn’t have the energy to put out healthy new growth.
On a more positive note if you want a more uplifting option, it’s that it’s okay if something goes wrong. Plants that don’t make it provide really valuable learning experiences that help us do better in the future.
I’ll hear from someone who lost their first plant and they’re hesitant to try again—but you shouldn’t be. Losing a houseplant doesn’t need to be a high-stakes proposition and isn’t a reflection on you. It generally means you just didn’t have the right plant for your space.”
About the Book
The New Complete Guide to Houseplants: Expert Houseplant Growing Advice for Everyone by Justin Hancock is a hardcover gardening book designed for everyone from beginning plant parents to more experienced houseplant growers.
The book covers practical subjects including lighting, watering, feeding, propagation, pruning, re-potting, pest prevention, troubleshooting, and choosing plants that work with the conditions in your home. It also includes plant profiles, photography, and advice designed to help readers do more than simply keep plants alive.
The hardcover edition is $35 and is scheduled to be published December 1, 2026.
Meet the Author: Justin Hancock is a consumer horticulturist and Director of Research and Development at Costa Farms. He has more than 25 years of experience working with plants.
He has also worked as a senior garden editor and “Garden Doctor” for Better Homes and Gardens and has shared gardening information through print, digital, television, and speaking engagements.
After talking with Justin, one thing that stood out to me was how encouraging his approach is. Gardening is supposed to be something we learn from. If a plant doesn’t make it, we learn.
If we water too much, we learn. If we choose the wrong plant for the light we have, we learn. Then we try again. I think that’s a pretty good lesson for gardening—and maybe for life, too. What do you think?
My Take on The New Complete Guide to Houseplants
Even though I have only had the digital preview so far, I can already see why this book caught my attention. It brings together something that has been part of my family for a very long time: learning by doing.
I think about my grandmothers. I think about gardening with Dorie. I think about Suzzane and the home we had together. I think about Charlie being a baby and learning through gardening as part of our homeschooling.
And now I think about my mother-in-law and the memorial garden we’re creating for my father-in-law. That’s a lot of history wrapped up in something as simple as putting a plant in the ground or setting a houseplant in a sunny window.
For me, that’s what makes this book more than just another gardening book. I can see it being used as a homeschooling and home economics resource. I can see families reading it together.
I can see it fitting into our 30-Minute Reading Challenge. I can see it being a summer family-gardening gift, a fall gift, or a Christmas gift. And I can see it sitting on my mother-in-law’s table while we figure out what we’re going to plant in memory of someone we love. That’s a pretty good place for a book to find itself.
Disclosure: GreatfulMoments.com received a digital preview of The New Complete Guide to Houseplants in consideration of a review. I have not yet received the physical book. I am hoping to receive it so I can experience it firsthand and add my own photographs and hands-on impressions. All opinions expressed in this article are my own.
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Find The New Complete Guide to Houseplants on Amazon
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
