Ep. 269 - Cultivating Peace
In Defense of Plants Podcast
In Defense of Plants
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 14 June 2020
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
One cannot overstate the power of gardening to calm the mind, reinvigorate passion, and bring people together. Understanding and growing plants is one of life's greatest joys and that is exactly the sentiment our guest this week wants to share with the world. Joining us is Derek Haynes or as you may know him, The Crazy Botanist. Derek has been obsessed with plants and nature since he was a child and that passion has only grown over the years. Derek is a true botany nut, growing everything from luffa gourds to elderberries and pitcher plants. Derek is also a plant communicator, sharing his love of all things botany over his multiple social media platforms. Join Derek and me as we sit down to talk about what got him into plants, some of his botanical heroes, and his experiences as a black man in academia, the gardening community, and beyond. Derek is living proof of the power of plants to bring people together and to bolster our sense of identity and culture all while building community in the process. This is one episode you don't want to miss! This episode was produced in part by Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Dana, Chloe, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Vaibhav, Kendall, Christina, Brett, Jocelyn, Kathleen, Ethan, Kaylee, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Donica, Chris, Shamora, Alana, Laura, Alice, Sarah, Rachel, Joanna, Griff, Philip, Paul, Matthew, Clark, Bobby, Kate, Steven, Brittney, McMansion Hell, Joey, Catherine, Brandon, Hall, Vegreville Creek and Wetlands Fund, Kevin, Oliver, John, Johansson, Christina, Jared, Hannah, Katy Pye, Brandon, Gwen, Carly, Stephen, Botanical Tours, Moonwort Studios, Liba, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, doeg, Clifton, Stephanie, Benjamin, Eli, Rachael, Plant By Design, Philip, Brent, Ron, Tim, Homestead Brooklyn, Brodie, Kevin, Sophia, Mark, Rens, Bendix, Irene, Holly, Caitlin, Manuel, Jennifer, Sara, and Margie.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone and welcome to the In Defense of Plants podcast, the official podcast of Indefensiveplants.com. What's up? This is your host, Matt. Welcome to the show. How's everyone doing this week? There's no denying the fact that being around plants, gardening, or going out and hiking is some of the best things we can do for our mental health. And I think, especially if you live here in the United States, we need that more than ever these days. Well, that's exactly what we're talking about today. |
| 0:03.0 | Joining us is Derek Haynes. I think, especially if you live here in the United States, we need that more than ever these days. Well, that's exactly what we're talking about today. |
| 0:22.6 | Joining us is Derek Haynes, or as you may know him from his multiple social media accounts, the crazy botanist. |
| 0:28.6 | Derek is a lover of all things botany, and he wants to share that love with the rest of the world. |
| 0:34.6 | Now, he's trained as a botanist, but his specific passion is ethn ethnobotany and using plants to connect people to gardening, to the outdoors, to nature, |
| 0:42.2 | and build community in the process. We talk a lot about what got Derek into plants, |
| 0:47.5 | but we also talk about his experiences as a black man in the world of gardening, in |
| 0:51.2 | the world of academia, and beyond, and how that shapes the entire |
| 0:54.7 | way he interacts with the world, including his plants. This is a really powerful and amazing |
| 0:59.8 | discussion, and it's people like Derek that are helping people like me understand how much they |
| 1:04.5 | live in a bubble. This is such a good talk, and I really think you're going to enjoy it, |
| 1:08.9 | so I don't want to take any more time. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Derek. I hope you enjoy. |
| 1:30.7 | All right, Derek Haynes, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. |
| 1:34.5 | How about we start off by telling everyone a little bit about who you are and what it is you do? |
| 1:41.5 | Fantastic. So my name is Derek Haynes. I am the crazy botanist and pretty much, you know, |
| 1:45.0 | I am a botanist that is a little different than my peers. |
| 1:51.2 | I am on Instagram where I share my love of the botanical and the mycological, |
| 1:56.8 | and essentially I want the world to have the fondness of plants as I do. |
| 2:00.5 | That's wonderful. I love that message, and it's something we both share. Where did this all begin |
| 2:01.8 | for you, though? Were you always a plant person? Was it like an intro with gardening? Were you more of an |
| 2:05.8 | outdoorsy person that just kind of discovered plants just by hiking and stuff? Like, where did |
| 2:09.7 | where did the love for botany really begin for you? So I have always had a love and an affinity |
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