Brie Arthur’s career in horticulture looks much like a vine climbing a trellis, with vertical ascents paired with zigs and zags navigating the various obstacles and opportunities ahead of her.
A professional gardener, author, YouTube host, and self-proclaimed plant nerd, Arthur first laid down roots in horticulture through the 4H program in her home state of Michigan. She studied landscape design and horticulture at Purdue University, interned at a private estate in Hillsborough, cultivated and propagated at local garden centers Plant Delights and Apex Nurseries, and assisted on the PBS show Growing a Greener World.
Even with this deep well of expertise, Arthur still ran into garden trouble with the strictest of governing bodies — her Fuquay-Varina neighborhood homeowners association — regarding her home’s raised vegetable beds.
With a plucky attitude and undeterred enthusiasm, Arthur joined the HOA board so she could enter the conversation, and eventually uncovered what would become a career-defining concept: foodscaping.
“If you incorporate your vegetables with your ornamentals, you’ll treat them better. You’ll notice them more. They’ll be in places where you interact on a regular basis,” Arthur says from her back porch while she picks a cucumber off the vine.
“It completely changed how I can use the space on my property, and my HOA didn’t even realize I was growing vegetables.”
That same HOA eventually awarded Arthur “Yard of the Year” soon after.
“I was doing a lot (of landscape design) in Cary, where they have such strict covenants. I could not wait to share my experience with other people so they feel more empowered by what their landscape can offer in a literally outside of the box way,” she says. “You don’t have to waste your budget on lumber; you can put the money into making the beds that you want to grow the best they possibly can be.”
A book called Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy served as Arthur’s first inspiration, and she has since authored her own books, The Foodscape Revolution and Gardening with Grains. She also teaches gardening workshops and delivers presentations on sustainable landscaping practices.
Foodscaping — commingling edible and ornamental plants in a landscape — became Brie Arthur’s signature practice. Every fall she hosts an open garden and seed sale with seeds harvested from her own home garden.
Foodscaping “is just being logical, meeting your own needs with how you garden,” she says.
Plus, Arthur hosts a YouTube channel, called Brie the Plant Lady, with more than 1,000 videos and 27,000 subscribers. She posts weekly garden tours and shares gardening tips, how-tos, and design advice.
“My videos are trying to show people how you can spend 15 minutes a day outside in your garden and it never feels like work.
“We’re reaching people with authentic, real information — gardener-to-gardener content.”
She continues: “I think my proudest moment is just recognizing that what you do as a home gardener can really influence the people living around you.
“There is no other occupation that makes the world a better place than horticulture, period. Literally every plant you put in the ground helps solve some sort of environmental catastrophe that we are actively dealing with.
“Oddball tropicals in pots,” such as the ginger, rice, and turmeric seen here, adorn Arthur’s driveway, where she has complete control of the water and soil.
“We offer hope to the world through active planting and engaging people in a meaningful context. Whether that’s flowers for butterflies, or food that you eat, or native trees that help absorb excess water from tropical storms, or native perennials that have resilience to the hellscape that was June. All of it matters. … All you have to do is embrace one part and you’re contributing in a positive way.”
We may not all reach Arthur’s level of expertise, so her resources are full of information and tips to start gardening at any level.
“Gardening is a hobby. Hobbies are meant to be done with regularity. They’re something you’re supposed to look forward to. And so taking it in small bites, making it feel manageable, is really important.”
Container gardens are a great option for novice gardeners, Arthur says.
“Because they’re pots, you have complete control over how much water they get and what soil they’re in and how much fertilizer you use. You can change them for the season. And because we’re so mild in the winter, you can do a lot of really cool gardening through the winter season.”
Arthur says the most important step to garden success at any level is to take care of your soil.
“In North Carolina, 90% of your budget needs to be in compost. Our soils are terrible. We get a lot of rain; all the organic matter washes away. You are never done adding organic matter. I wish that your main budget was plant shopping, because that’s way more fun, but it’s not.”
Arthur’s own Fuquay-Varina home is an explosion of texture, color, and variety with her signature combination of vegetables and ornamentals. She’s layered eggplant, peppers, and basil in with sesame, sunflowers, and zinnias. You’ll find key limes, zucchini, and tomatoes in the summer and cabbage, broccoli, and poppies in the winter.
“One of my signatures is oddball tropicals in pots,” Arthur points out as we stroll past her planters of ginger, turmeric, and rice. “All of it came from the grocery store. Grow them in pots on your driveway, and you have this super unique experience.”
Arthur’s YouTube channel encourages 15 minutes spent in the garden each day, so tasks remain enjoyable instead of burdensome.
Arthur’s next undertaking will be a native North American garden on the property next door to her current home.
“Growing vegetables is easier than growing native gardens,” she admits. “The native plant palette isn’t as accessible. … One of the cool things about native gardens is they’ve evolved for burning. We’re going to build a big bed in the front yard, and the whole intention is to only plant things that we can light on fire.”
It’s impossible to avoid Arthur’s enthusiasm for gardening and horticulture, a discipline she truly loves to share.
“It’s really all about getting this enthusiasm into kids as much as possible. If you’re good at something when you’re little, you won’t be afraid of it when you’re in your 20s and 30s, when you actually become a consumer of horticulture.”
