Heather and I met at a speaking gig in North Carolina last fall. Her mantra is Garden Thoughtfully. What a coincidence because my presentation at that Master Gardeners symposium was called Thoughtful Gardening. We are on the same page in terms of gardening with both beauty and habitat in mind.

Did you feel the dog days of summer WAY earlier than you usually do? Marianne Willburn and I talk about climate change in the garden and some good strategies to learn from what your plants are experiencing, without succumbing to the doom and gloom that generally accompanies the topic.

Each year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society comes out with a list of trends that we should be on the lookout for in the gardening world. Erin the impatient Gardner and I break down this list and go through all 10 points, offering opinions, critiques, and support for some wonderful gardening ideas. You may be interested to know that halfway through our interview, there's a knock at the zoom door, and Marianne Willburn sort of lets herself in. Well, I did send her the link…. Lots of laughs and lots of good gardening information on episode 117.

I follow through on last week's threat of choosing the plant species named after a venereal disease as the Plant of the Week (Lobelia siphilitica) and Bunny Williams and I chat about gardens, garden design, HER garden, which is spectacular, and her garden book, On Garden Style at 5:55. The Play List includes info on spider mites, flagging annuals, and the possibility of an organic lawn. 

When in Maine... you go see the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and chat with Andy Brand (5:17) about how wonderful they are! The Plant of the Week is a the state flower of Maine, but here's the catch: it's not a flower. The Play List includes some timely veg transplant and seed starting information, none of which I will take advantage of, but you can! And Rusty Gear, who provides my into music, has another album out. Must hear!

Mountain Mint is a total winner-- edible native deer resistant pollinator that performs as well in sun as in shade. And edible ornamentals are the expertise of Brie the Plant Lady, who tells us all about foodscaping at 5:48. The Play List (25:12) talks about tomato pruning, the difference between purslane and spurge, and the Temptations, and I,  Wish it Would Rain.

The Plant of the week is another native, and a classic stalwart in the summer border, the Phlox paniculata. I chat with sister Sue Ann  at 5:34 about how to get your garden ready to party, and give you a few garden chores in The Play List at 26:18, and I recommend 99% Invisible, which is a captivating podcast based on design, architecture, culture and history. 

The Plant of the Week is the coneflower-- a great American native that blooms for months in summer. We chat with Steph Green of Contained Creations (7:13) about having gorgeous containers, and turn to pests in the garden (32:45) and whatever can we do about bunnies and Japanese beetles? 

Plant of the Week is Persicaria (00:40); good info from recent gardening podcasts such at ticks from Tom Christopher's Growing Greener (5:02), Nature and Gardening from Margaret Roach's A Way to Garden (9:49); and the Joe Gardener Show's discussion National Gardening Association's Annual Survey (14:18). I also touch on why we use Latin in gardening and some timely gardening tips. Into the Garden with Leslie is now available on Podchaser. S95v0UUWGdYdRxLsnKb2

Icky things (a worm and a snake) I posted on Instagram; Plant of the Week is Monarda, and the interview (at 7:21 is with Christy Wilhelmi of Gardenerd Tip of the Week podcast and website. Christy is a California small space organic gardening guru! The Play List (26:15) includes questions on ivy on trees, Magnolia leaves, and lots of information on proper watering techniques. And what to listen to? Christy's Gardenerd Tip of the Week Pod, of course!

We have the famous Chicken Lady, Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily, to try to talk me into having them in the garden. The Plant of the Week is Lavender and there are tips on nasty garden things like poison ivy and mosquitos in The Play List

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro and Plant of Week/5:08 interview/22:29 The Play List

Today, I sit down with Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping to learn more about hardscaping. The playlist includes a VA anthem and food for flowers! 

Time Stamps: 

0:00 Intro / 2:49 Plant of the Week /5:09 Guest / 23:03 Playlist

This week, I chat with Chris Jones, assistant grounds superintendent at Pinehurst Resort, about landscaping and the longleaf pine!

Timestamps

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:10 / Guest 4:29 / Playlist 19:56

Notes:

Cicadas: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2021/cicadas-lifecycle-brood-x/

My article: https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-prune-garden-perennials-in-summer 

Linda Vater of Potager Blog and I discuss her new Garden Journal, hellebores are the plant of the week, rose pruning tips.

This week, Jenny Hopkins of Big Arms Farm clues me in on the cut-flower farm operation, with tips for the flower-loving home gardener as well!

Time Stamps

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 4:32 / Guest 7:04 / Playlist 23:55

This week, I sit down with Doug Tallamy—entomologist, author, and the oak tree's biggest advocate!

Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 3:35 / Guest 5:25 / Playlist 23:59

This week, I talk tender annuals and my lovely sister Sue Ann joins me to discuss container planting. 

Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:40 / Guest 6:30 / Playlist 24:20 

In keeping with our veggie theme, our plant of the week is okra! Diane Burns, head gardener at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of vegetable gardening. Tune in for a yummy Beach Boys track. 

Timestamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 3:40 / Guest 5:38 / Playlist 7:21

Our plant of the week is pinxterbloom, an azalea native to Eastern North America. This week, the tables have turned: my friend Susan Terwilliger interviews me about my garden! Tune in for some garden-friendly audible recs. 

Timestamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 4:47 / Interview 6:40 / Playlist 21:50

My little sister Sue Ann Kane joins me to talk about starting a garden from scratch. Our plant of the week is the fringe tree: what song could be more fitting than "Surrey with the Fringe (tree) on Top"?

Timestamps: 

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:26 / Guest 4:54 / Playlist 20:08

The plant of the week is the Pacific NW native, Camassia! I’m joined by Rod and Maggie Walker from Blue Ridge PRISM. Need something to listen to while playing in your garden? I recommend “Poison Ivy” by The Coasters.

0:00 intro / 2:43 plant of the week / 5:32 interview / 22:00 playlist

The plant of the week is the boxwood! Today we are talking with Michael Abbott of Bartlett Tree Experts. When I look at my garden this time of year I'm reminded of a line of a song, Chasing Cars. 

0:00 intro & corrections / 3:05 plant of the week / 6:15 interview / 25:26 playlist

The plant of the week is the tulip poplar. This week's interview is with arborist Jason LaRose from Queen City Silviculture. The Play List includes what to shop for and Vivaldi's Spring. Corrections 3:21 / Plant of the week 4:19 / Interview 6:25 / Play List 20:42

The Plant of the Week is the Twin Leaf or Jeffersonia diphylla. This week's interview is with Curator of Plants at Monticello Peggy Cornett. The Play List includes what to do in your garden this week and what Jefferson would have listened to: Haydn’s String Quartets.

https://www.monticello.org/
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a409
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_string_quartets_by_Joseph_Haydn

Susan and I talk about GardenRant.com because of course that's a great blog of which she is a founding member, but we also touch on her hometown of Greenbelt, Maryland, her website of Good Garden Videos, and, of course, hula hooping, which is part of every good garden conversation.

The plants of the week are the Hemlock and the River Birch (both natives). This week's interview is with Horticulturist Kelly D. Norris about his latest book New Naturalism. The Play List talks about early perennial division and Tom Christopher’s podcast Growing Greener

The Plant of the Week is the State Flower AND tree of Virginia. This week's interview is with two of the three chairs of Albemarle’s part of the state-wide Historic Garden Week. The Playlist includes mulch information and American singer and songwriter Rusty Gear

Plant of the Week is Edgeworthia chrysantha, update on Historic Garden Week prep, interview with Anne Blackwell Thompson of Blackwell Botanicals on display at Quirk Gallery, and The Playlist includes winter annual weeks and Margaret Roach’s Podcast A Way to Garden.

The Plant of the Week is a spring fave, the daffodil. This week's interview promotes the Virtual Spring Lecture Series provided for free by Piedmont Master Gardeners. The Playlist talks about what to do in your garden this week and promotes a local musician.

This week’s Plant of the Week is the Ilex verticillata, or Winterberry. Carol Carter talks to us about Native Plants and their importance in nature and in our gardening. The Playlist includes information about bulb fertilization, soil compaction and a quick list of Hydrangea pruning basics. This week's listening recommendation is the Gardeners’ Question Time Podcast produced by the BBC.

In this first episode, Leslie introduces herself and how she got into gardening. She also introduces the Plant of the Week, the Hellebore. Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping talks about how to hire the right landscaping contractor, and The Playlist includes information about tree care, and azalea pruning. Her listening recommendation: Winter Garden by Eraldo Bernocchi, Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie.

Jennifer Rauschmayer of Edible Landscape Design of Plano, Texas and I talk about the ins and outs of running a business doing what you love: gardening. From getting your first paperwork done, finding clients, cultivating client and crew relationships, subcontracting, how and what to bill-- we cover it all in this long conversation. Back to regularly scheduled NOT business for the next episode, but we hope someone out there can benefit from this information that helped us as we got started doing what we love for a living!

The Spoonmores created a gardening app called From Seed to Spoon, but more recently they have married AI and gardening with the latest app, called Grow Bot. Listen to the fascinating story of how they started out gardening for themselves, but have become app creators who are helping all gardeners with their wonderful ideas.

Winter gardening... How could you? Why should you? Because you love it, basically, and there is no reason to not love it in winter if you have the right gear, attitude and projects. Marianne tells us her tips and tricks-- there is no reason not to get into it!

Poisonous plants, sharp tools, noxious chemicals (hopefully not in YOUR shed) and a place to compost the body-- gardens are perfect places for murder. Marta McDowell has compiled the tools, motive, detectives and authors in her latest book Gardening Can Be Murder, and you could be surprised how many laughs we have over this deadly topic.

What do you think of when you hear the term moon garden? White flowers can set a good scene, and summer nights filled with scents are enticing, but there are so many more good ideas to consider. Listen to my interview with Jarema Osofsky, who wrote a book on the topic!

What's better than quick and good (and maybe sometimes a bit soil infused) garden tips from someone who just seems like they would be a good garden pal? Nothing, and I found out for sure that she would be.

Tiffany of @QuickandDirtyGardens is knowledgeable, fun, and a great teacher about garden basics and foraging for mushrooms. Get in on this fun conversation!

Kathy Jentz of Garden DC has written another book: Groundcover Revolution: How to use sustainable, low-maintenance, low-water groundcovers to replace your turf - 40 alternative choices for: - No Mowing. - No fertilizing. - No pesticides. - No problem!

Podcasters often host interesting experts in the field on which they love to talk. This episode is no different, but because the expert, Scott Beuerlein, Director of Horticultural Outreach at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, does a monthly column interviewing all kinds of interesting people in horticulture, you are going to get a bigger bang for your buck. Scott and I talk about a lot of the different people in the industry that he and I find interesting and here's a bonus: Scott is very interesting all by himself!.

Author of "The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide" and "Glorious Shade", Jenny Rose Carey is a fount of information on how to grow. In her 4.5 acre garden north of Philadelphia, called North View, Jenny has shade, sun, dry gardens--

even a stumpery! Come into Jenny's garden and learn some good tips and information.

Laura Boissonault of How's it Growing and I have a good old garden chat about her New Jersey creation, complete with green house.

So brief because you know how moving is… But I just wanted to say hello and I'll be back in two weeks' time with a more normal episode.

Back to unpacking!

How about a book that gives you a plethora of suggestions on how to garden sustainably or regeneratively? Chris presents a wide range of ideas in her book "The Good Garden" but no mandates and no guilt about the choices you have as you care for your land.

Two interviews about new gardens! Here are edited versions of Episodes 62 and 14, which were very helpful for me to re-visit with my impending move!

...even though it appears that this is the 101st and counting is not my strong suit. Listen to Jen describe her booming business in Houston Texas (but willing to expand!) that sets up clients with ready to go raised beds for veg, herbs and pollinators.

Garden Writers, Ranters, Speakers and friends, Marianne and Scott join me to talk about garden travel (past AND future) and the correspondence that they treat us with on the blog Garden Rant.

I named this episode as #99 because somewhere along the line I must have lost count-- seems like it may instead be the big 1-0-0!

I chat with Kevin Graham and Dragan Kurbalija about their farm in King George's County, Virginia. More news on my move-- we have found a place and it is tiny! How do you curate a ton of plants and containers?

I interview Nick McCullough, horticulturist, nurseryman, designer, speaker and author, about his new book, written with his wife Allison and Teresa Woodard. Titled American Roots, the book explores some of the best of our gardens, and gardeners, right here in America. After last week's announcement of us moving away from this garden, I begin to talk about HOW I will choose plants to take or leave and the process of ending one garden and starting another.

In this very short episode (laryngitis!) I have a special announcement about my garden.

Marianne and I are home from our travels and in this episode we talk about the very successful first garden tour put together by Marianne and Andrea Gasper. So many fabulous English Gardens-- Rousham, Kiftsgate, Wisley, Blenheim, Waterperry, and that's just the half of it.