Hey — We're Lily & Marco 🌿
A plant scientist and a landscape designer who bonded over a shared obsession with making things grow.
How Bloom Wise Started
Lily was working as a horticulturist at a botanical garden when she started noticing the same questions over and over from visitors: "Why are my leaves turning yellow?" "How often should I water this?" "Is my plant dead?" She realized most gardening content online was either too technical or too vague to actually help.
Marco, who designs residential gardens for a living, had the same frustration from the other side — clients would follow random internet advice and end up overwatering, over-fertilizing, or planting things in completely wrong conditions. Together, they started Bloom Wise: a place for gardening advice that's clear, tested, and actually correct.
Meet Lily
Lily has a degree in horticulture from Oregon State and spent four years working at a botanical garden in Portland. She specializes in indoor plants, tropical houseplants, and propagation. She writes the plant care guides, troubleshooting content, and seasonal growing calendars. Her approach is patient and thorough — she'd rather explain the "why" behind plant care than just give you a watering schedule. Off-blog, she maintains a greenhouse with over 200 plant species and volunteers at community garden programs in underserved neighborhoods.
Meet Marco
Marco is a landscape designer with a focus on sustainable, native-plant gardens. He brings the outdoor gardening expertise — vegetable gardens, raised beds, container gardening, and soil science. He has a gift for making complex horticultural concepts feel simple and accessible. His garden designs have been featured in regional home magazines. When he's not designing or writing, he's experimenting with companion planting, building raised bed prototypes, or losing track of time at the local nursery.
What We Stand For
- Honest plant care. We won't tell you a plant is "easy" if it isn't. Realistic expectations lead to better results.
- Tested advice only. Every tip on this site comes from hands-on experience, not recycled Pinterest posts.
- Killing plants is normal. Every great gardener has a plant graveyard. We're here to help you learn from it, not feel bad about it.
- Grow what works for you. A thriving pothos on your desk counts. You don't need a farmhouse garden to be a gardener.
Beyond the Garden
Lily and Marco are based in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by one of the best growing climates in the country. They spend weekends visiting nurseries, hiking through old-growth forests for botanical inspiration, and hosting "propagation swap" events where local plant lovers trade cuttings. They also partner with community gardens to provide free workshops on growing food in small spaces.
Have a plant question, need help diagnosing a sick leaf, or just want to share your garden?
Reach out on our Contact page — we genuinely love talking plants. 🌱