In Conversation with Botanical Documentary Filmmaker, Maria Morris

Ladies Who Lunch ConversationsArt of the Garden

May 30

Horticultural Film Documentarian is featured guest, Ladies Who Lunch Conversations

You could say that Maria Morris, the horticultural film documentary creator, is in a “growing” genre of botanical cultural art, with Flowers and Plants as the stars 🌺🌼🌟of the feature documentary films she premieres. As the special Ladies Who Lunch Conversations guest starring in my recent videocast, Maria and I discuss her journey as a filmmaker that took her from the charm of ornamental horticulture to seeking prestige-quality documentary films about plant art around the globe, showcasing the drama, passions, and stories rooted in the astonishing world of plants.

Maria Morris, Horticultural documentary filmmaker: Ladies Who Lunch Conversations videocast guest

Maria works for PlantPop, a horticultural film studio. There, she’s been able to flex her moving picture talents to create short and feature-length films that explore the relationship between people and plants.

With a background in documentary filmmaking and a passion for storytelling, Maria travels widely to capture the voices of growers, gardeners, breeders, and plant enthusiasts. In our Conversation, she tells us about her plant travels to China, Canada, Columbia, and across many of our US states to uncover the stories of people whose work and passions are rooted in plants.

Maria describes how she has discovered a vibrant community of gardeners; furthermore, she says it has been a privilege to capture the deeper, often overlooked stories behind the plants themselves. Each film presents a new opportunity to spotlight communities and perspectives that rarely find their way to the screen, much less the big screen.

These days she’s quick to say that she’s grateful for the opportunity to document the beauty of plants and the moments that give them their meaning, shaped by the people behind each story. Maria explained, “My time as a filmmaker with PlantPop has already been a truly transformative experience and I hope our audience feels the same sense of discovery, connection, and inspiration that it has given me.”

With a background in documentary filmmaking and a passion for storytelling, she has captured the astonishing beauty and mystery of plants using the lens of her camera, her passion for the plants and storytelling, and her film art talent, to elevate plants and horticulture ~ spotlighting communities & perspectives that imbue her films with a rare intrinsic quality. You might be tempted to say that she’s “directed” her leading actors to award-winning performances.

In our Conversation, I asked several probing questions about how she teases out the mysterious, hidden narratives and you will hear Maria describe to the viewers whose story is she telling?Who is the story is about: is it the plants’ story or the growers’?...

Lily tablescape feature to honor “Daylily” feature film maker, Maria Morris

Lily-themed table decor for Ladies Who Lunch Conversations guest, “Daylily” filmmaker

For our Conversation, my tablescape tribute was a pretty easy one to design ~ using lilies, of course!

Ladies Who Lunch Conversations videocast with “Daylily” Filmmaker

With her filming taking her to global destinations, I had to ask what her favorite destination has been. Can you guess? And what is her favorite floral fragrance? And I figured viewers would want to learn how did she come to be a botanical filmmaker ~ working to showcase the magic of plants? (As an artist who claims plants are my muse in several pursuits, including garden design, literature, and fragrance, I can readily understand her curiosity about the astonishing, seductive world of plants...)

Maria generously shared her journey for this passion that has informed her career. And she’s really just at the starting (garden) gate 😀 She tells us how, as a filmmaker with PlantPop, it has been such a transformative experience working with a team who describe themselves as “growers at the vanguard of pursuing and promoting plants as cultural art. PlantPop is a horticultural film studio that tells interesting stories about plants and how they improve people’s lives.”

In our Conversation, I also asked her about the balance she strives for between education and entertainment; beauty and utility; how much research and editing goes into her work. I was also curious about the ideal length of a film of this genre to not only engage viewers but to hold their attention to properly lay out and tell the arc of a story. (No 30-second TikTok shorts!)

You can view the fabulous videocast on my Ladies Who Lunch Conversations Facebook page, and on my YouTube page.

In our Conversation I explained when and how Bill and I first discovered PlantPop ~ at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s 2026 Show.

PlantPop’s time-lapse flower video thumbnail as seen at PHS Flower Show

On the second day of the Flower Show, we walked in to find a bandshell or amphitheater, fronted by benches populated with rapt viewers of all ages, watching a huge display screen of lush blooms and flowers unfolding in rapturous, luscious, time-lapse beauty. Like I’d never seen before… As if in a dream…

We too were mesmerized, seduced by the glamorous flowers. And that began my fascination with PlantPop and in turn, Maria, the grower’s featured filmmaker. When we talked, Maria said she hopes audiences feel the same sense of discovery, connection, and inspiration that it has given her. I can assure you that once you’ve viewed her flower film, you will. You’ll never think of a screen star quite the same way.

Without a doubt, Maria is a very special inspiration to us, no matter your career path. Still, she said she loved my question about what she would tell a young woman looking to become a horticultural filmmaker like her. (And I loved that she shared that unbridled response!) Of course, her counsel is golden. One point she made is worth noting straight away here because it shows her intuition and compassion.

Remarking that she is a shy person, not a talker; and that rather than seeing this as a deficit, she explained it made her a better listener. That’s key to being a good interviewer and storyteller, director, and film documentarian. See how her life lens viewed this as an asset?!

Listen and enjoy how a dream comes true when you trust and believe in yourself.

Maria's first feature-length film, "Daylily" premiered last year in theaters and will soon be available to view streaming if you missed it in the cinema. You can create your very own “green carpet” of celebrities and toast the stars at your Flower-filled watch party. The Link for Daylily is here:

Tap arrow to view Daylily trailer

Maria’s newest film, "Rosa," is in production, slated to be released next year. Can't wait.

In the meantime, you can also visit PlantPop and their film gallery. You’ll find film categories that feature Portraits of gardeners & florists and their plants, Field Trips about growers and gardens, and their very successful annual Film Festival. They encourage entrants, too. Maybe you’ll be inspired and submit for the next horticultural film showcase?

(Grab your popcorn ~ a favorite plant-based treat) and enjoy the show.

Even if you have a brown thumb or worse, slay your plants, you will come away entranced after viewing the botanical film art. Maria is the Kathryn Bigelow of horticultural filmmaking, able to dazzle plant and art lovers alike. Maria writes “The stories each flower can tell us are endless.” We hope she continues to bring us their stories in her brilliant, beautiful films.

Thank you again, Maria. You are so delightfully inspirational.