The rise of COVID-19 in the United States gave rise to many new activities and trends the population experimented with in order to stay sane during months of lockdown and isolation. One such trend that took off at the beginning of the pandemic and has remained ever since is the increase in green thumbs across the country.
My partner, Emiko Powers, and I decided to check out Cal Poly’s Poly Plant Shop and Arboretum, located in the Horticulture Unit, in order to discover why the green thumb trend has grown so popular. Much to our surprise, Emiko and I discovered a story much deeper than what we were originally expecting. In order to get the story, however, we had to jump through a few COVID hoops.
“Finding story ideas and interviews during COVID-19 has been really difficult,” Powers said. “It can often be very tiring and frustrating when you’re chasing a story that you’re really passionate about that only leads to a dead end because of the pandemic. I think the best way to get around this is to keep pushing on stories you’re excited about, there’s always another way to tell the story, you just have to find it.”
Right off the bat, it was tough to find a source to interview in the first place. The Poly Plant Shop has has to lay off many employees because of the pandemic, and I was set on finding a student-employee who would be willing to talk about their challenges with COVID-19 and their job at the plant shop. Eventually I discovered Emma Blair, an Agricultural Communications and Spanish junior who has worked as a florist at the Poly Plant Shop since her freshman year at Cal Poly. After a few days of getting approval for both Emiko and myself to come observe, film and interview at the shop and greater Horticulture Unit, we were ready to go.
Emiko worked on the video and interactive side of the story, wandering about the Plant Shop, greenhouses, surrounding gardens and Arboretum in order to capture an accurate portrayal for the audience. Meanwhile, I spent my time observing the shop—taking in the sounds, the smells, the customers, the ways in which COVID-19 has altered the shop, and more. I had hoped to set up our interview spot inside the florist area where Blair was arranging some bouquets, but we had to move our setup outside in the Arboretum for safety reasons.
Although the Arboretum provided a beautiful interview shot, the combination of the wind, community members walking by and wearing masks made it difficult at times to continue on with the interview—we had to take time for many pauses and breaks in the interview. Once we got going with the interview, however, Blair provided us with very insightful and intriguing information on the Plant Shop. We were particularly intrigued in that for Blair, and many other community members, the Plant Shop and Arboretum have allowed for a safe haven throughout COVID-19.
“This job is definitely something I look forward to the entire week,” Blair said. “I feel like Monday through Wednesday I’m always just sitting at my computer or at my desk or on my bed the entire day, and so what’s nice about Thursdays and Fridays is those are the days that I work, so I’m always up out and about running around and working with my hands. So it’s been a really nice change of pace”
Although the Poly Plant Shop has faced difficulties throughout the past year due to COVID-19, it has surprised its employees with the amount of popularity it has gained. The Poly Plant Shop is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M., and the Leaning Pine Arboretum is open every day from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.