You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Listen, if you were anything like me, you know how it goes. You stop by the hardware store after

work to pick up some command strips or drain-o. You take a quick peek at the garden center as you're

walking by, and then you lock eyes with a plant from across the room and it's all over. You rush

to get at home, you find a cute spot for it on your bookshelf. But then, after a few weeks,

that lush plant you fell in love with at the store is looking a little rough. This, or at least

something similar, has happened to the best of us. When I purchased my first plant, which was a

fiddly fig, I had zero idea what I was getting myself into and I had no idea what I had,

what type of plant I even had. That's Hilton Carter. He's a plant stylist and author. He also has a

YouTube series with a apartment therapy called The Plant Doctor. Today, he owns about 200 plants.

When I started to see a little chain happening when all of a sudden the leaves were falling off,

I started to freak out because I wanted to be good at taking care of this plant, but I realized

that I had already started the process wrong. I went back to the nursery asked, what type of plant do I

have here? I took a photo on that. I was like, what type of plant did I buy from you guys?

They told me it was a fiddly fig and in that moment I said, all right, I'm going to do everything

I came to make sure I care for this plant. Maybe you're ready to try again after killing that last

succulent or that plant in your kitchen isn't doing so hot right now. Wherever you are in your

journey into plant parenthood, we're here to help. I'm Danielle Net. By day, I'm an engagement

editor at NPR, but in my free time, I'm one, a big stand-up life kit, and two, the very proud mom

of about 60 health plants. So today, I'm stepping in front of the mic for the very first time to

record a podcast episode. I'm going to be walking you through what you need to know to help your plant

live its best life, from figuring out what kind of lighting you have in your space to knowing when

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