Le Journal

Field notes from the studio: everyday plant care, written plainly and illustrated by hand. New editions as the seasons ask for them.

Watercolor illustration of hands lifting a root ball out of a ribbed forest-green pot, a larger cream pot and trowel waiting beside

N° 03 Repotting 7 minute read

A size up, not a palace.

Sooner or later every healthy plant outgrows its pot. Repotting looks brutal and feels rude — to the plant, it is simply a bigger room with better air. Here is when to do it, and how to do it gently.

Watercolor illustration of a hand pouring water from a brass watering can into a peperomia in a ribbed forest-green pot on a linen tablecloth

N° 02 Watering 7 minute read

Water less. Watch more.

More houseplants are loved to death than forgotten: overwatering, not drought, is the leading killer of indoor plants. The fix is not a schedule — it is learning to read what your plant is already telling you.

Watercolor illustration of three glass jars holding pothos and philodendron cuttings with white roots, beside brass pruning snips

N° 01 Propagation 8 minute read

One plant becomes many.

Propagation is the quiet magic of gardening: a clean cut, a jar of water, and a few weeks of patience turn one healthy plant into the next one — for free. Here is how to do it well, and how to keep both plants thriving afterwards.

A row of glass jars with rooting cuttings on a wooden shelf; below the shelf, a navy technical blueprint shows the roots as white schematic linework