Stem cells in the plant shoot are maintained via a gene regulatory feedback network, and perturbations to these genes lead to changes in the size and shape of the stem cell niche. Growth itself is highly dependent on cell wall properties where heterogeneous and anisotropic mechanical properties need to be regulated to generate correct size and shape of the tissue. We use a Computational Morphodynamics approach, combining live imaging and mathematical models of cell wall mechanics and gene networks, to understand how growth and differentiation is coordinated in the plant shoot. I will discuss how mechanical patterning can overlap with gene expression patterns, and how cell size and tissue size are regulated and influence the maintenance of the stem cell niche.