Plant Coach: The Beginner's Guide to Caring for Plants and the Planet, Nick Cutsumpas

I decided to purchase Plant Coach: The Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Plants and the Planet after flipping through its pages and spotting a photo of a Dieffenbachia that looked far healthier than the one in our home. Something about that vibrant plant felt like a gentle nudge — an invitation to learn how to give mine the same chance to thrive.

Outside of work and reading, I’m a true nature lover. During the winter months, when I can’t immerse myself in the green spaces I adore, I turn to my growing collection of houseplants to fill that void. Tending to them brings me so much joy; each new leaf feels like a small celebration. Still, there are moments when I may notice a plant struggling and realize it needs more from me than I currently know how to give. Those moments send me searching for ways to improve their environment, deepen my understanding, and become a better caretaker for the little pieces of nature I keep indoors.

One of the core ideas in the book is reframing your home: it’s more than just a place to keep plants. By thinking in ecosystem terms, you're encouraged to consider the interactions between light, air, humidity, soil, and how your plants live together. The book helps you “assess your space,” observing conditions that affect how well plants can thrive. 

The book introduces the idea that our homes function as living ecosystems, and that the choices we make, how we arrange our plants, what materials we use, and how we understand their needs—shape the health of that ecosystem. That perspective resonates with me. It turns plant care into something more meaningful: a relationship with the space I live in and the living things I welcome into it.

About the Author

Nick is passionate about all things green. As a full-time plant coach, urban gardener, and landscape designer, Nick’s mission is to leave the earth greener than when he found it - giving people the knowledge and confidence they need to create their own green spaces in the pursuit of environmental action and social justice. 

Nick has more than 150 clients in New York + California and has been featured in the NY Times, Vogue, Food Network, Business Insider, and Goop and the Netflix original series "The Big Flower Fight”. 

He's a host on Netflix’s Instant Dream Home and an author.