Explore every episode of the podcast The Garden Mixer: A Gardening Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel: What Really Scares Experienced Gardeners (Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 06 Nov 2026 | 00:22:27 | |
From landscape fabric and boxwood blight to copperhead snakes, even experienced gardeners have things that make their stomachs drop into their shoes! Marianne Willburn and Leslie Harris are normally brave and stalwart gardeners, but there are moments when they'd rather not look too closely for fear of confirming their worst suspicions. Halloween may be over, but in this Barrel Aged edition of One More Sip from The Garden Mixer, we're still talking about the things that genuinely scare us in the garden—and the things that really shouldn't. Are poisonous plants as frightening as some gardeners think? What about non-venomous snakes, spotted lanternflies, and other much-publicized garden threats? We share our experiences, a few cautionary tales, and some perspective on which garden problems deserve your attention and which might not be worth losing sleep over. Because gardening should be a pleasure, even when something scary is lurking in the shrubbery! Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring.
Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| What to Do With Fallen Branches: Dead Hedges & Habitat Nests | 30 Oct 2026 | 00:59:28 | |
Every garden —even the smallest — produces dead things: the limbs that come down in a storm, the invasives you’ve finally pulled, the sticks that land in front of the door and sit there longer than you’d like. Sooner or later you have to decide what to do with them. Today, Leslie and Marianne go through the traditional options, from the bonfire to the chipper to the bags on the curb; but would rather make the case for keeping it all where it fell — well, sort of. To do that, Marianne catches up with horticulturist Gregg Tepper, the man behind her beloved habitat nests — sculptures built from fallen branches that shelter wrens and beetles and look fantastic doing it. And Leslie discusses her experience working in neighborhoods with sharp-eyed HOAs to create her own mini-sculptures and dead hedges. Happy Halloween. Let’s clear up the bodies. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Meet The Garden Mixer: A Garden Podcast | 27 Oct 2026 | 00:00:53 | |
Gardening shouldn't be boring! Join Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn for lively conversations, strong opinions, cocktails and plenty of laughs. From favorite plants to garden triumphs and disasters, there's always something to stir up. New episodes every other week, with Barrel Aged One More Sip conversations in between. Follow The Garden Mixer and join the fun! | |||
| Barrel: Ugly Fall Clearance Plants (Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 23 Oct 2026 | 00:18:41 | |
Gardeners love a challenge, and they also like a deal. So when those two factors come together on the death racks of your local nursery or big box, it’s really hard to say no. Should you? Today on One More Sip of The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne find themselves at odds about the best way to handle your late-season plant hoarding tendencies. Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One More Sip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deep dive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after a year of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes while they’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and Substack LIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy and costs less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude is deep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring. Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| Parking Lot Plants: Better Than You Think! | 16 Oct 2026 | 01:12:03 | |
Parking lot plants. The ones growing between the cart return and the McDonald’s drive-through. The ones shaved into meatballs and meatloaf and shapes that can’t be easily defined in meat terms. The ones that ask for nothing more than hard pan, cigarette butts & exhaust fumes — and deliver anyway. These plants have a reputation problem. Not because they aren’t good plants, but because they’ve been used badly, repeated endlessly, and associated with the worst design instincts of the last fifty years. And yet: there is a reason they keep showing up. They work. They survive. And they look beautiful when they are transported out of the ninth circle of hell and brought to a garden where they can be the plants they’re meant to be. Leslie and Marianne are here to raise a glass to them — and to make the case that the parking lot plant in your garden, handled with intention, is not a consolation prize. It’s a plant that has already proven itself under conditions your garden will never impose. So how about a little respect? Today on The Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel: Our Biggest Gardening Mistakes, So Far (A Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 09 Oct 2026 | 00:29:00 | |
In this latest Barrel-Aged episode of One More Sip of The Garden Mixer, Marianne and Leslie talk about all of their worst gardening boo-boos over the years. The format is interesting-- this is a LIVE Substack video that took place a year ago. They bring up mistakes that range from planting the wrong thing to just plain planting wrong and one story involves the explosion of a rear window. Who knew gardening could get so violent? At least it's never boring when you listen to Marianne Willburn and Leslie Harris of The Garden Mixer. If you are interested in being up to date with One More Sip of The Garden Mixer, which is our in between episode that comes out between bigger sips (regular episodes), head over to Substack to join our community and support the show. And thanks! Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| How to Build a Deer Fence when One Type Won't Do. | 02 Oct 2026 | 01:19:45 | |
Last December, Leslie and Marianne talked deer fences on the podcast — and Marianne’s imminent enclosure and ironic freedom. Somewhere in the middle of that episode, Founding Mixer and friend Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener, decided she’d had enough. Not of the podcast. (uh, obvs!) Of the deer. So she did what any reasonable person does when pushed past the breaking point by a herd of four-legged garden criminals: she went all in. Not with one kind of fence. With four. Simultaneously. On a suburban property with ordinances, a neighbor with opinions, a driveway that needed a gate and a woodland doubling as a deer maternity unit. She is here to tell us how it went. And more importantly, how you might piece together a solution for yourself if you can’t just pick up the phone and call the local fencing company. Spoiler: She’s zapped herself three times on the electric fence. But her phlox have never looked better. Join us as we discuss thinking outside the box to create a box. Today, on the Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel: Garden Paths (Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 25 Sep 2026 | 00:25:55 | |
What makes a good garden path? Gravel? Grass? Pavers? Wood chips? Flagstone? And why does something that looks gorgeous in one garden become a maintenance nightmare in another?In this Barrel Aged One More Sip, Leslie and Marianne head down the garden path—quite literally—to talk about the materials they’ve used, loved, regretted and sworn never to use again.Marianne is preparing to replace nearly 100 feet of struggling turf path with gravel, which leads to a conversation about pea gravel, stone dust, stepping stones, wood-chip paths, flagstone, edging and even those beautiful slices of tree trunk that look wonderful...until they start rotting.We also talk about how wide a garden path should be, choosing a surface that works with the style and scale of your garden, dealing with snow, weeds and wheelbarrows—and why landscape fabric under a path is one mistake neither of us wants to make again.Because a path isn't just a way to get from one part of the garden to another. It changes how you move through the garden, how you see it—and how much work you'll be doing to maintain it.And yes, gravel wins quite a few points. Whether Marianne still loves hers after installing nearly 100 feet of it remains to be seen.The Garden Mixer with Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn.Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring. Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess (your garden) out there.The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substackhttps://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/Socials – Pick Your Platform:Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixerhttps://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixerSpar with us on X @gardenmixerpodhttps://x.com/gardenmixerpod“French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Golden Hour in the Garden: Plants for Fall Color | 18 Sep 2026 | 00:46:03 | |
With some surprise and not a little relief, the garden is hurtling towards late middle age by mid-September. The promise of spring and the relentless drive of summer have departed, and with them the cultural expectation that the garden needs to look good in a crop top and pretend that it’s still May. There are some big bonuses to late middle age. With lowered expectations now the norm for those around you who don’t garden, your plot is well positioned to surprise and delight visitors with color, texture & not a little sass. It may be the Golden Hour, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rock it. This week, Marianne and Leslie remain so dedicated to their craft and the proposition that ‘rock it’ is more than just a salad green, that they bring the Show with them on vacation to Normandy. (Or at least Leslie was on vacation when the girls recorded this episode — Marianne was working her derrière off). However, since they had a fine coachload of exceptional gardeners whose ideas they could harvest for fall color ideas (including a group of professional container designers) they didn’t have to work too hard. It’s LIVE-ish from Normandy, with a surprise or two — and don’t forget to check out the YouTube silliness. Today on The Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel: Putting Your Best Friend Plants in Storage (Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 11 Sep 2026 | 00:24:12 | |
Gardeners in cold climates dabbling with tropical and subtropical plants in their summer gardens are about to come to a hard stop: First Frost. If you’re a gardener who loves these plants outside, but doesn’t particularly want them rubbing shoulders with you over the winter, you may be interested in which ones Marianne terms “Best Friends” in her last book, Tropical Plants and How To Love Them — plants that can be stored in dark, dormant conditions in a frost-free location. Today on One More Sip the girls discuss the plants that can take this kind of treatment, the ones that can’t, and encourage you to safely experiment to add even more to your list. From digging those rhizomes to the details of storage — they’ll make it easier than ever to bring some of your favorite “Best Friend” plants through the winter so you can enjoy them in your garden for years to come. | |||
| Garden Center Secrets: Just in Time for Fall! | 04 Sep 2026 | 01:07:32 | |
It’s planting season once again for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere – which of course means buying season, and splurging season, and did-I-really-need-that-many-clearance-plants season. Need a strategy? Today we welcome Louisa Zimmermann Roberts, co-owner of Thanksgiving Farms in Frederick, Maryland who’s been watching the buying habits of customers for decades, and has more than a little insight on what you should be doing when you fill that cart. She’ll have you examining that root system, squinting at plant tags, rethinking your potting soil, and generally becoming the smartest gardener on the block. Today on the Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel: 10 Things to STOP Doing in Your Garden (Barrel Aged One More Sip) | 28 Aug 2026 | 00:19:23 | |
On this Barrel Aged and decanted episode of One More Sip of The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne go full listicle and shelve the “Do!” for the “Better If You Don’t Do” on a range of issues in the garden — from design considerations, to maintenance considerations, to yes…psychological considerations. While gardening is a creative, subjective exercise, we can definitely make it harder on ourselves than it needs to be — and the girls try their best to help you learn from their mistakes (…and the mistakes of others). Join them as they put together the gardener’s ultimate Honey Don’t Do list. Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring.
Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| Garden Travel: How to See a Garden Without Missing It. | 21 Aug 2026 | 01:08:19 | |
Each year, millions of gardeners prowl the globe seeking ‘aha!’ moments that they can bring back to their own gardens at home. Are you one of them? Leslie has been visiting gardens abroad for decades, and over the last two years, Marianne has built a company dedicated to bringing great gardens to great groups of people. Together they’re heading to Normandy next week to see gardens such as Giverny, Jardins d’Etretat, Chateau de Boutemont, Le Jardin Plume, and Chateau Champ de Bataille. And they want to do it right. So what is the BEST way to see a garden when you finally decide to go? Do you study? Do you wing it? Do you spend hours behind your phone taking the perfect shot only to find you can’t remember the garden because you never experienced it? And what on earth do baby faces have to do with a garden anyway?!? Thankfully, you don’t need a visa or a VISA to journey with them today. All aboard! Next stop: Garden Inspiration! __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel Aged: Should You Keep Bees? | 14 Aug 2026 | 00:23:28 | |
This week, Leslie & Marianne dive into the sticky world of beekeeping as a gardener. Leslie is buzzing with questions (and incredibly bad puns) and mercilessly questions Marianne who kept bees for over 15 years and can’t let go of the possibility to do so again (just as soon as she gets her resident bear problem under control and/or moves out of her valley). Is she delusional or just in love? Whether you’re thinking about plunging into this fascinating world — or simply need motivation to keep harvesting those 50 pound supers in the heat of summer, you’ll appreciate the helpful hints and honest perspective on a hobby that captivates gardeners and non-gardeners world-wide. Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring. Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Drought & Heat Strategies with Carol Reese | 07 Aug 2026 | 01:20:03 | |
In the heat of August, it’s not just gardeners that want to check out — it’s their plants. But there’s a lot plants can tell us about the conditions we’re all navigating, so it’s worth paying attention when the temperatures soar. To channel those thoughts, Leslie and Marianne welcome Carol Reese — horticulturist, writer, humorist, retired University of Tennessee extension specialist, and keeper of approximately three to four hundred dogs — though not all at once. Carol gardens on 118 acres in West Tennessee, where the heat index routinely clears 105°F and the garden operates on something close to feral principles. So does she, and she’s ready to dish on what survives in serious heat, why it’s hard to watch Europeans complain about their new normal, and why giving people plants you know they should be growing is a public service — even if you have to grab a shovel and plant them yourself. You might want to pull up a chair somewhere shady — it’s time for a long cool drink with The Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel Aged: Botanical Names- Why Do Gardeners Use Them | 31 Jul 2026 | 00:20:30 | |
Botanical Names: Those complicated, two-part, dead language elements of tongue- torture that every gardener looking for a special plant will face at some point in their horticultural journey. Should you embrace the challenge, and feel vulnerable? Or dismiss the challenge and [possibly still] feel vulnerable? This week on One More Sip of The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne discuss the third option — studying with curiosity, speaking with confidence, and ignoring those who use botanical nomenclature as a weapon in conversation. Bet you can think of a few peeps that fit THAT bill. If you find yourself mumbling botanical names in horticultural circles in the profound hope that no one hears you; or vainly sifting through seven types of ‘wood fern,’ searching for the one you want, it’s time to get resources, get confident, and get communicating better in this discipline that you love! Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring.
Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| Garden Ornaments: Can We Go Too Far? | 24 Jul 2026 | 00:49:48 | |
Every gardener has a tchotchke threshold — the point at which a garden stops being a garden and starts being a yard sale with better plants. But where exactly is that line, and who gets to draw it? After decades of embracing, avoiding, judging, and occasionally defending their own questionable choices, Leslie and Marianne weigh in on the art of garden ornamentation — how to use it well, when to put the hedgehog down, and why Fergus Garrett's favorite garden in Hastings has hardly any plants in it at all. Toads or total chaos? Today on The Garden Mixer. __________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel Aged: Staking Floppy Perennials | 17 Jul 2026 | 00:17:46 | |
It’s mid summer and if you haven’t been staking your floppiest floppers, the chance is you haven’t quite gotten away with it. Some plants stand tall on their own. Others need a little help. In this Barrel Aged One More Sip of The Garden MIxer Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn tackle one of gardening's most practical—and most overlooked—skills: staking. They discuss which plants are worth staking, which ones are better left alone, how to make supports nearly invisible, and why choosing the right plants in the first place can save you a lot of work. Along the way they share techniques learned at Great Dixter, the beauty of traditional pea-sticking, why timing matters, and a few confessions about staking jobs that never quite happened. Whether you're growing peonies, delphiniums, dahlias, grasses, or other tall perennials, this conversation will help you keep your garden looking natural instead of looking like a tomato patch. Gardening shouldn't be boring. Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring.
Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| Our Biggest Gardening Mistakes, And What We Learned | 10 Jul 2026 | 01:05:44 | |
Every gardener has them. The plant that ate the house, the catalog seduction that ended in tears, the tree you loved that didn’t love you. Regrets are how gardeners learn — or in Marianne’s case, how they beat themselves up while learning. Leslie chose the topic. Marianne suffered through it. Both of them had more material than an hour could possibly cover. Welcome to a guided tour through the taxonomy of gardening mistakes — organized by category, confessed to with varying degrees of shame, and occasionally still present in the garden because nobody could bring themselves to finish the job. The girls are drinking deep from the well of regrets, and they’re fairly sure you’re going to relate. Today on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Barrel Aged: Deadheading, the Chelsea Chop & Other Garden Surgery | 03 Jul 2026 | 00:18:02 | |
Deadheading, do we or don't we? The answer, as you expected, is complicated. And Leslie and Marianne want to dive into the nuance on this barrel aged edition of One More Sip. In fact they’re going to discuss a lot of heinous herbaceous amputations in the name of beauty, such as Chelsea chopping, tiered pruning, and post-pruning. Why does it work? And when doesn’t it? And do you really have the patience to snip 235 cornflower heads into a basket when you can simply rip it out and let the Verbena bonariensis take over? All this and baby stealing on this Barrel Aged version of One More Sip of The Garden Mixer. Welcome to a Barrel Aged episode of One MoreSip. One More Sip is our every-other-week deepdive on a single topic — released fresh to paid subscribers, and then, after ayear of fine barrel aging, uncorked for the wider Mixer community. You’re holding the bottle now. Enjoy!! If you’d like to catch these episodes whilethey’re still young — and get all the show notes, the GM Chat, and SubstackLIVE events that go with them — upgrading your free subscription is easy andcosts less than a decent bottle of anything. To those already subscribed: our gratitude isdeep. Thank you for supporting our mission: Gardening Shouldn’t Be Boring.
Hit the YouTube subscribe button so we can keep you smilingwhile you hit the mess (your garden) out there.
The Garden Mixer Podcast https://episodes.fm/1561064602 Full Show Notes bonus episodes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’sSubstack https://thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com/ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer https://www.instagram.com/thegardenmixer/ Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer https://www.tiktok.com/@the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod https://x.com/gardenmixerpod “FrenchBistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW
| |||
| Hydrangeas: What Every Gardener Should Know | 26 Jun 2026 | 01:12:43 | |
America has a hydrangea problem. In the best possible way. They’re consistently among the best-selling flowering shrubs in the country, they colonize every garden center and big box supercenter from May to August, and, if you don’t have a deer problem, you’re likely to succumb to the latest plump, end-of-aisle offering every time you go out to buy some milk. Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener, and Founding Mixer, describes what has happened to us in one word: Hydrangification. Marianne did not want to do a hydrangea episode — Hydrangement is real, Leslie’s got a bad case, and how much more can possibly be said? But Leslie disagreed and drafted in Scott Beuerlein — radio host, horticulturist at the Cincinnati Botanical Zoo and Botanical Garden, and Marianne’s nemesis at GardenRant — to prove it. He had analogies. He had opinions. He had been thinking about hydrangeas all day. And Marianne was wrong. It turns out there is quite a lot left to say. Join them as they delve deep into the hydrangea addiction sweeping the country. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Growing Alliums: What You Need to Know | 11 Jun 2026 | 01:00:51 | |
Alliums are more than just big purple lollipops — though those are magnificent and need no apologies. This episode covers the full arc of the genus: from the early-season small species to the big June globes, through the alien-landed wonders of late spring and early summer, into the summer-blooming perennial types that changed how many gardeners think about late-season color. Whether or not Leslie and Marianne can do a 24/7 Allium channel based on the amount of species in this cool genus (970), they can certainly do a dive deep into the allium rabbit hole. The Allium Channel. 24/7…. hmm… bears thinking about. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Container Gardening Hacks Beyond “Thriller, Spiller, Filler” | 29 May 2026 | 01:13:02 | |
HACK YOUR POTS: SMART PLANTS. PERFECT PLACEMENT It’s prime container gardening season, and everywhere gardeners are spending more than they should to achieve the dream of pots that stop people in their tracks and make their neighbors slightly jealous. But as anyone who has watched a lovingly assembled pot turn into a crispy disappointment knows — it’s not quite as simple as thriller, spiller, filler.
(Those words. So useful. So annoying.)
Today on The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne are getting into the real business of containers: placement, proportion, pairing, and the hacks that professional container gardeners actually use — the ones they learned the hard way, so you don’t have to. There will be opinions about sweet potato vine. There will be strong feelings about saucers. And somewhere in there, a 95-year-old gardener named Donna is going to redefine your potting vocabulary. If Leslie can remember what she said.
Grab your trowel. And maybe a dark and stormy. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Hot Flashes in the Garden! (actually, microclimates) | 22 May 2026 | 00:25:08 | |
Before “microclimates” became a gardening buzzword, Leslie and Marianne were already having hot flashes in the garden. 🔥🌿 In this vintage One More Sip episode of The Garden Mixer, we talk about: Also included: This episode originally aired for paid One More Sip subscribers and is now being released publicly one year later. #gardening #gardenpodcast #microclimates #gardeningtips #plants #thegardenmixer #horticulture #gardendesign | |||
| High Impact, Low Effort Flowers | 15 May 2026 | 01:16:14 | |
When the growing season is moving at breakneck speed, an easy win in the form of copious, gorgeous, hey-I-forgot-about-THOSE! flowers is not only cherished, but longed for. Even gardeners who insist on making things more difficult for themselves (ahem…Marianne?) can enjoy the guilty pleasure of high impact, low effort blooms that do a disproportional amount of the work, and make you look like you know what you’re doing.
In this week’s episode of The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne share some of their favorite flower-power plants, and confess that sometimes, their best laid plans are made better by plants who showed up, grabbed a drink, and quietly got on with the business of being beautiful. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| The Big Fat Peony Episode | 01 May 2026 | 01:13:22 | |
Flamboyant, sophisticated, blousy and beautiful - the peony tops the favorites chart of so many gardeners (and non-gardeners), that we had to devote a spring episode to them. They are delicate, but tough, and can live for up to a century -– so it makes sense to figure out what you want and where you want it before you plant one. Leslie & Marianne start that conversation with their favorites today, on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Flowering Ground Covers: Beauty & Protection, or Future Regret? | 17 Apr 2026 | 01:02:45 | |
Leslie and Marianne have ground to cover today. And possibly, so do you. Spring hits, everything wakes up and suddenly your garden looks like it’s got a bad case of bedhead. Bare spots and awkward tendrils abound. What can pull everything together and literally connect the dots? Our suggestion is a strategic toupee in the form of a good ground cover that also protects the soil, cools the roots, & pampers the wildlife. But which ones? Some ground covers don’t just fill in, they take over. And what makes a ground cover anyway? It’s time to expand our definition beyond the ubiquitous three-inch mondo grass. Ground covers. The ones that behave, the ones that absolutely do not, and how to tell the difference before you plant yourself into a corner. And what do eighties big hair and cheesecake pans have to do with gardening anyway? Today on the Garden Mixer. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Spring Garden Panic with Erin The Impatient Gardener | 03 Apr 2026 | 01:22:32 | |
Just when you thought winter would never end, spring comes and clobbers you with seeds, weeds, and a list that just won’t quit. Cue the panic. There is a TON to do — so how do we prioritize what’s important, what’s inconvenient, and what’s seriously not getting touched for a couple months? Leslie and Marianne thought that the best person to tell them was friend and Founding Mixer Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener. With her down-to-earth Wisconsin wisdom and general smart-assery, she’ll get us all in good shape — or at least slap us around a little over a cocktail. Today on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Do Gardeners Still Have a Voice? The Native Plant Debate | 20 Mar 2026 | 01:03:14 | |
Absolute certainties make Marianne’s Spidey senses start to tingle; Leslie simply ignores absolutes and does her own thing. Which means Leslie would have been much more fun in high school. But where do they come down on the native/non-native debate? Bouncing off a recent article in GardenRant, where Marianne laid out the development of a powerful movement in US horticulture, the girls dig into the tension -- and once or twice, into each other. In an industry where plants are happily termed ‘good’ and ‘bad’, invasive plants have now been joined in purgatory by the new baddie term of ‘emerging invasives’, and not a little zealotry informs policy decisions that affect what we can buy, grow, work with, and write about, can we afford to ignore the issue? Have some thoughts? We would love to hear them AND read them on air in a future episode. Send them to comments@thegardenmixer.com or drop them in The Garden Mixer Chat on Substack with other Mixers from around the country. ___________________ Hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Pruning 101: Moving Past the Panic | 06 Mar 2026 | 01:04:36 | |
It’s that time of year when we put blade to wood and help our shrubs and trees to become the best versions of themselves. Pruning is a big job and many gardeners are right in the middle of it by the beginning of March. Some of us are excited by the challenge. Others are dreading the many decisions still in front of them.
Leslie and Marianne aim to channel that excitement, alleviate any anxiety, and set you loose on another pruning season. It’s not rocket science. It’s not even weird science. It’s working boldly and courageously — throwing in a little curiosity, and having fun. They’ll tell you why, how, and with what. And they’re definitely going to need the Dixter bell. Today, on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| The Dirt on Composting | 20 Feb 2026 | 01:12:06 | |
Compost: it’s so misunderstood. Vilified by HOAs, and loved by gardeners, it’s been ignored, worshiped, blamed, blessed, and then quietly banished to the far corner of the yard. Yet this magical garden process keeps working anyway, taking our scraps, our weeds, our gardening mistakes, and even items that we should have cleaned out of the fridge last month and turning them back into organically rich soil. What are the issues? What are the joys? What are the things that make the whole process easier? Leslie and Marianne don’t want you to overthink it, they just want you to start it — as they simplify and celebrate the compost pile, today on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| A New Year for American Gardeners with Rochelle Greayer | 06 Feb 2026 | 01:19:04 | |
They’re BAAAAAAAK! Season II kicks off today — WELCOME if you’re new and welcome back if you’re not! Even Leslie and Marianne have been missing the weekly mix of seasonal relevance and irreverence — and a chance to raise a glass in support of our gardening audience all over the world who are dedicated to the proposition that gardening shouldn’t be boring. The Garden Mixer is bringing you one of those gardeners today — Rochelle Greayer, the new editor of The American Horticultural Society’s American Gardener Magazine. Are you an AHS member? We hope you will be by the end of this episode. In a country of over 340 million people that covers over 3.7 million square miles of extremely confusing but necessarily detailed eco-regions, what exactly does it mean to be an American Gardener? Are the characteristics of an American Garden as easy to recognize as those of a British, Italian or French Garden? What are we adding to the conversation around gardening, and where are we owning it? And why does the RHS get all the good press anyway? July 2026 marks a big birthday for this country of gardeners — perhaps it’s time to take the microphone back and celebrate our strengths. We’re indulging our revolutionary tendencies today, on the Season II kickoff of The Garden Mixer! ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Gardening on Social Media: What's Real and What's Not with Amanda the Everhopeful Gardener | 19 Dec 2025 | 01:19:45 | |
In the beginning, social media and gardening seemed meant for each other. After all, how better to teach than to show? But it does feel like we might have lost our way in the last few years. Now we’re pushed towards viral moments, not moments of true discovery. Now we watch sexy six packs selling six packs; and find ourselves navigating a manufactured reality that makes everyday gardeners feel inferior, not empowered. Are we doing more following than we’re actually doing gardening? We’re talking to gardener and garden influencer Amanda Nadeau of The Ever Hopeful Gardener today about who to trust, why to trust, and when to just let go and have fun. Even Leslie’s cocktail is trying to be #authentic, today on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Deer Proof Your Garden: Where Deer Stop and Sanity Begins | 05 Dec 2025 | 01:10:33 | |
Deer Damage. Few things crush a gardener’s spirit faster than to stroll outside and see that Bambi has invited himself for dinner. Coincidentally, few things crush Marianne’s spirit more than referring to these four-legged agents of the Devil in cute terms such as ‘Bambi’. What’s on their perfectly curated menu? Pretty much all of your favorite garden plants. Sprays, granular applications, and motion sensors can keep those deer at bay, for a minute or two. But what about the ultimate solution? No, the other ultimate solution — a fence. Leslie’s been there, and loved it. But just how tall, how expensive and how ugly does it need to be to protect our plants? The answer may surprise you. Today, the girls discuss the pros, the cons, and the many considerations of deer fencing, deer spraying, and all the things in between, as Marianne prepares to have her garden world rocked by the installation of a Bambi-blocking fence. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| Garden Season Wrap Up with The Impatient Gardener #31 | 21 Nov 2025 | 01:16:24 | |
Promises, promises. We all make them at the beginning of each year. And — made desperate by the cold claws of winter — gardeners make even bigger ones at the beginning of each growing season. Today on The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne take journalistic integrity to a new level and actually follow up with the promises made, the products they loved, and the season they foretold back in February when they hosted Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener. They’re catching up with this popular Midwestern gardener and social media star over large cocktails and larger garnishes, and Marianne is throwing out some suspiciously large statistics in honor of the first anniversary of their Substack debut. From the angst of sweet peas to the unbridled joy of bananas, it’s definitely confession time, and no-one’s skimping on the honesty or the drinks. Join these three gardener-friends as they beat their chests and rend their garments. Or is that just Marianne? ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| The Late Autumn Garden: Let's Put Some Lipstick on This Pig #30 | 07 Nov 2025 | 00:53:16 | |
Let’s be honest and dispense with the illusion of carefree, perfectly decaying, infinitely Instagrammable, late fall gardens. In reality, the leaves have blown off the trees, the decorative pumpkins are getting soft spots, and there’s a whole lot of flattened, crushed, eaten, and dejected going on where you had envisioned majestic seed heads, trusses of berries, and full-on fall splendor to welcome friends and family home for Thanksgiving. Today, Leslie and Marianne have some tips for successfully curating the reality of that garden. How do we uncover the good, downplay the bad, and plan for better next year? How do we put lipstick on this pig? The girls are transitioning to the winter garden — beautifully. Today on the Garden Mixer. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #29 All About Bulbs. Plant Now, Thank Yourself Later | 31 Oct 2025 | 01:09:19 | |
How better to take advantage of the experience, skill, and time of others than to buy and plant a plumped-up, pumped-up, ready-to-bloom-for-you bulb? Or maybe two hundred. When perennials need a couple years, shrubs insist on commitment, and trees require a selfless gift to future generations; bulbs are all about YOU — and it’s time to indulge. Granted, it’s the you of six months from now — but where else in life can you successfully pull off a surprise party for yourself? And afford the florist? Today, Leslie and Marianne explore all the options. Which ones will delight the senses, which ones will delight the critters, and which tools can help you get them in the ground. It’s not too late to grab those last-minute deals and give yourself the spring surprise party your family keeps meaning to throw. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #28 The Great Transplantation: How to Divide and Transplant the Right Way | 17 Oct 2025 | 01:02:06 | |
Cool air and warm soils mean that it’s a great time to divide and multiply the plants that you love, and Leslie and Marianne want to help you do it easily, efficiently, and with the least amount of plant pain as possible. What are they dividing in their gardens and how are they doing it? And why is it so good for the plants to rip them from happy homes just when they were thinking of taking a well-earned nap? For that matter, why aren’t the girls sipping pumpkin lattes and waiting ‘till spring? Set down that bulb planter and grab those two forks, because it’s all about FREE this week on The Garden Mixer. (Just for the record Marianne hates pumpkin lattes. Leslie's a fan.) ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #27 The Cornwall Chronicles: Gardens in the Gulf Stream | 03 Oct 2025 | 01:15:24 | |
Today, The Garden Mixer is highjacked by two jetlagged women drinking way too much coffee and trying to pull themselves together to adequately describe the many sights, tastes, and eureka moments of nine days visiting gardens in Cornwall and the Southwest of England. From new naturalism and earthworks at Wildside, to the breathtaking views across Tresco Island, to extraordinary fairy tale hotels, the girls discuss special moments and numerous takeaways — both for their gardens at home, and for future visits to this very special area of the UK, often under-visited by American garden-trippers looking for “The Big Five.” (Though which gardens constitute “The Big Five” is still up for debate.) For the WHOLE story, this is an episode you’ll particularly appreciate by following up on The Garden Mixer Youtube channel, where the video version is #jamfirst packed with photos and snark. (Even if Marianne insists it should be #creamfirst.) What the heck is she talking about? By the end of this episode, you’ll not only know what clotted cream is, but you’ll be well versed in the right way to layer it on a scone. At least according to Marianne. Plus, microscopes, dahlias, & unbelievably, Beavis and Butthead. All on this week’s Garden Mixer. ___________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #26 The Great Migration: Plants in the House | 19 Sep 2025 | 01:01:27 | |
September has snuck up on most of us and cold weather is right around the corner. Suddenly it’s time to walk through your garden and decide who’s making the travel team and who’s sitting out this season in the great hereafter. Can you set aside sentiment and choose the strongest and healthiest to make winter a joy instead of a chore? Do you know when to bring them in? (And what you can get away with?) From bathing them, to babying them, Leslie and Marianne share personal anecdotes and practical tips for managing houseplants and storage plants, addressing pest control, and deciding which plants to prioritize based on space, aesthetics, sentiment, and good old-fashioned guilt. The girls are not always on the same page, but they’re generally aiming for the same ending: To avoid the last-minute first-frost scramble and a herniated disk. Plus, Damn I Wish I Planted That for the late September garden, ritualistic flogging in Clear Up Corner, and a fine red wine lessened un peu by a lousy French accent — all on this week’s episode of The Garden Mixer. _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #25 Autumn Blooms for Bees: Must Have Pollinators | 05 Sep 2025 | 00:53:31 | |
Pumpkin spice may have snuck itself onto the shelves (and into Leslie’s cheesy introduction), but that doesn’t mean that the pollinating insects in your garden have stopped searching for pollen to store and nectar to sip. On today’s episode, Leslie and Marianne discuss some late blooming species you can grow to keep those pollinators healthy and gearing up for winter — and which will also make you smile as the garden moves from summer-sizzle to autumn-fizzle. Soil is warm, bugs are low, temps are cool, rains are coming, and nurseries are selling. Time to give that hard-working garden a few new picks to extend the bloom season until (and sometimes after) frost. Between them, the girls will give you nine terrific choices. But wait there’s more! A set of Ginsu knives, AND two further great plants for this time of year in Damn I Wish I’d Planted That. All this and competing tropical cocktails, Choppin’ Broccoli, and some serious cultural confusion over Matthew Perry resolved, on this week’s episode of The Garden Mixer. _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #24 The Art of Editing Your Late Summer Garden | 22 Aug 2025 | 01:06:02 | |
As a gardener, you are not just creative, you are a creative. Your job is to go out there and create your tail off. But the other job you must strive to do well is that of an editor, tightening the voice of your garden with strategic cuts that help it shine and become the garden you envisioned (even when those cuts seem counterintuitive). This means that cruel things are going to happen. Cruel, and perhaps unusual. In this episode, Leslie and Marianne talk about everything from volunteer seedling strategies to de-browning the borders. Get ready to yank flowers, cut limbs, discard seeds, and mop your brow. It’s going to be bloody, but it’s going to be good. _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #23 Fabulous Foliage plants for Summer | 08 Aug 2025 | 00:55:35 | |
You’re tired. You’re hot. You’re yearning for autumn to set you free. But how your garden looks right now has everything to do with the choices you made in past planting seasons and a lot to do with foliage. Have you capitalized on the resilient summer foliage options that keep working when the lobelia has melted and the poppies are so over? This week on The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne explore six of their favorite foliage plants for summer — each choosing a perennial, a shrub, and a tender perennial (aka ‘temperennial’) — and then choose their favorite option from the suggestions sent in by listeners on The Garden Mixer Chat on Substack. Overall, the girls are in remarkable agreement this week…except for one, notable exception. What are we looking for in summer foliage? Are flowers a necessity or a bonus? And, how many times, precisely, should a gardener kill a plant before giving up? All this and Leslie learning the meaning of FFS, on this week’s The Garden Mixer. _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #22 Ten Great Ornamental Grasses Episode | 25 Jul 2025 | 00:57:28 | |
They’re deer resistant, drought resistant, and boredom-resistant — and they’re not without controversy. Ornamental grasses might be the magic texture your garden has been missing all these years. Whether you want to ‘blur and merge’ as per Grasses for Gardens and Landscapes author Neil Lucas, or ‘punch and soften’ as per the more violent of your two co-hosts, Marianne Willburn — using ornamental grasses strategically can help your garden relax and sway into summer, filling gaps, feathering edges, and giving you three-season architecture without the bagworms. Join Leslie and Marianne as they share with listeners their top ten ornamental grasses and discuss why they are willing to risk censure and scorn for more than one of them. Plus, Marianne confesses to a criminal act. And it’s not displaying her bare over-50 arms either. Leslie’s criminal act this week is using the term “Tips and Tricks” before Marianne takes a sip of something that can help her cope with hearing it. _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #21 The Beach or Beans Episode | 11 Jul 2025 | 00:59:18 | |
You’d like to go on vacation. Your family wants you to go on vacation. But you don’t know how to leave your garden. So you don’t go on vacation. Wrong answer. You NEED a vacation. You just need to prep your garden and make it Vacay-Ready. This week Leslie and Marianne dive into what it really takes to leave your garden without the guilt. From prepping your plants to prepping your mindset, they want to help you take a break without sacrificing your blooms. Whether you’re heading to the beach or taking a long weekend right in the middle of the growing season, you can come home to a thriving garden. With the right prep, your beans will be just fine. All this plus the puzzling but indisputable link between testicles, armpit hair, and tomatoes. It's another wildly inappropriate episode of The Garden Mixer, so carpe your diems and get that garden Vacay-Ready! _______________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #20 The Tools Episode | 27 Jun 2025 | 01:04:45 | |
Welcome back! The girls are rested, refreshed, reenergized, and ready to tackle the overgrown gardens that await them with the tools they love this week. From can't-be-without pruners to surprising new finds, Leslie and Marianne dish the dirt on the implements that help them dig it. Are brand names important? What’s a seckie? How do you pronounce Okasune? And what on earth is Marianne’s problem with the hori-hori and will the woman ever let it rest? Apparently not. Also up for discussion — herons, rabbits, the elusive golden shovel, and why these hard-working gardeners aren’t eating breakfast these days. Yep, it’s a random mix of wonderful and we’re so glad you’ve joined us. __________________________________________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #19 Interview with Marianne and Scott Beuerlein about Garden Rant (from the Archives) | 20 Jun 2025 | 00:59:28 | |
Waaaayy back when this podcast was just Leslie doing Into the Garden with Leslie, Marianne was a frequent flyer even though she was just a guest at that time. In this episode, Marianne and Leslie team up with Scott Beuerlein to talk about their "Dear Gardener" correspondence on Garden Rant. Next week Leslie and Marianne, are back, tanned rested and ready for the summer garden and they will be talking about tools! | |||
| #18 The Garden Mixers' First Mix | 13 Jun 2025 | 00:49:08 | |
This week we reach into the archives to bring you the first ever time Leslie interviewed Marianne on her podcast Into the Garden with Leslie. You can tell by the stilted convo and awkward silences that we didn't really hit it off, and we've been faking it ever since. Actually, we hit it off so well that as an apt preview of what was to come, we go completely off of whatever topic Leslie had planned and roam all over the garden. Marianne and Leslie are taking a scheduled summer break, so there are no notes on Substack that correspond to this episode, and no video version either. We do this because we know that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Back soon! | |||
| #17 The Doug Oster Episode | 06 Jun 2025 | 01:10:28 | |
This week the girls mix dry humor and deep honesty with Doug Oster, Emmy award-winning garden broadcaster & author from Pittsburgh. This, unbeknownst to Marianne, makes him a Yinzer — and that does not mean he enjoys a Yingling from time to time. For years, on television, radio, newspapers and social media, Doug has been an outspoken champion for organic gardening, and for the passion and personality of ordinary gardeners and the gardens they tend. They'll discuss the importance of independent garden centers in helping to cultivate that personal touch, and dip into the changing demographics of gardeners across the nation from the perspective of three gardeners who have WAY too much dirt under their fingernails. They’ll also touch on how garden media has changed, and which changes feel embraceable. (Hint: Leslie’s embracing everything.) Join them as they go deep and sometimes a little dark — because killing the deer that just wiped out your lilies is going to leave you in a Game of Thrones frame of mind. Deer. It’s what’s for dinner. At least at Marianne’s. _______________________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||
| #16 The Bikini Ready Episode | 23 May 2025 | 01:08:20 | |
So. The garden is chaotic and you’ve either got guests coming, or you’re in danger of having an ever-so-mini breakdown each time you glance outside. How can you make it Bikini-Ready in a fairly short space of time? The answer: you can’t. But you can definitely make it look decent in a one-piece. This week, spurred on by one too many Ad-stagram promises to change your skin, hair, and body just in time for summer; AND an impending visit to Leslie’s garden by Marianne, the girls discuss some truly miraculous quick fixes to have you feeling better about the plant combos that didn’t gel, the deer ravaged hostas, and the obscene amount of ostrich fern taking over the beds. You’d be surprised how much chaos can be contained by a few focused minutes and a bit of garden Spanx. _______________________________________ Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify Full Show Notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack ________________________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram @thegardenmixer Indulge us on TikTok @the.garden.mixer Spar with us on X @gardenmixerpod “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW | |||