The Internet’s Favorite Plant Tía Wrote a Book About Grief — and She’s Coming to the Toledo Zoo
She has more than 300 houseplants, millions of followers, and a story about loss that turned into a movement. Now Krystal Duran — the “Houseplant Tía” behind Plants with Krystal — is putting it all in a book, and Toledo gets a visit.
“More Than Just a Plant: How to Care for Your Plants as They Care for You” drops Tuesday, Nov. 3. Part plant-care guide, part memoir, the book grew out of the most painful chapter of Duran’s life: after her husband died in 2022, she started sharing her grief — and her plants — with followers on TikTok and Instagram, and found a community of people whose plants had carried them through hard times too.
From plant killer to plant famous
Duran, now based in Indiana, is quick to admit she used to kill everything green that entered her home. She started posting her houseplant experiments during the pandemic looking for fellow plant people — and ended up building one of the biggest plant communities on the internet, named one of Indianapolis’ Top Content Creators of 2026 by the IndyStar.
Her pitch is simple: plants are never just decoration. They’re companions, teachers and, sometimes, the thing that gets you through.
Toledo date
Duran will be the Toledo Zoo’s guest for a special edition of its Wild Reads book club — the Zoo’s program connecting literature, animals and the natural world.
@_plantswithkrystal_ on Instagram
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: IndyStar, GirlTalkHQ, Jejune Magazine, NewsLocker Toledo
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