Podcast

April 30, 2019 Raisin Day, George Washington, William Starling Sullivant, Bertha Stoneman, Samuel Mills Tracy, David Douglas, Matt Mattus, Tulip Turkestanica, and Washington’s Botanical Garden

I realize you are very excited to get going in your own garden. But don’t forget to schedule some time this spring to visit other gardens. The gardens of friends, neighbors, or public gardens can provide you with inspiration and teach you something new – even when you didn’t think you’d learn anything. #BTW This entire week, April 27-May 4, is Historic Garden Week at Monticello (“MontiCHELLo”) in Virginia. If you visit today, April 30, you can learn more about…

April 29, 2019 Perennial Defined, Agnes Chase, Cornelia Vanderbilt’s Wedding, Alfred Hitchcock, Ron McBain, #AmericanSpringLive, Botany Bay, Mary Gilmore, Garden-Pedia, Composting, and the Significance of Grass

Merriam-Webster gives the following synonyms for the word perennial: abiding, enduring, perpetual, undying Those terms can give gardeners unrealistic expectations for their perennials. They’re not eternal. They will eventually part ways with your garden. But, for as long as they can, your perennials will make a go of it. Returning to the garden after their season of dieback and rest. Ready to grow. Ready for you to see them and love them all over again. Brevities #OTD It’s…

April 26, 2019 Placement of Early Spring Bloomers, Eugene Delacroix, Charles Townes, Irma Franzen-Heinrichsdorff, John J. Audobon, Frederick Law Olmsted, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Kavanagh, Justin Martin, Photo Friday, Anna Eliza Reed Woodcock, and the Michigan State Flower

How close are your earliest bloomers to your front door? Your crocus, snowdrops, iris, daffodils, tulips, forsythia, daphnes, and magnolias? When I redid my front garden last year, the designer had put all my earliest bloomers right near the front porch and walk. When I asked her reasoning, she reminded me of our long winters. Her advice was spot-on: When spring finally arrives, it’s much more pleasurable to have those earliest blooms where you can see them first thing when…

April 25, 2019 A Botanist’s Hello, Zucchini Bread Day, President Truman, NPSOT, Gustavus Adolphus College, Marcus E. Jones, Julia Morton, Alice Tangerini, Windflowers, Agnes Falconer, Roger L. Williams, Garden Markers, and George H. Engleheart’s Daffodils

Today I learned how botanists used to say “hello” to each other. In the 1800s and 1900s, a common way for botanists to introduce themselves, often from the other side of the world, was to send each other plant specimens as the foundation for developing a relationship. When it comes to friendship, plants are icebreakers, communicators, and binding ties all rolled into one. Brevities There are many delightful anniversaries today. Today is National Zucchini Bread Day. Zucchini…

April 24, 2019 Chives, Botany Day, Tomitaro Makino, Lucien Plantefol, Vancouver’s Botanist Restaurant, Paul George Russell, Henry Van Dyke, Charles Sprague Sargent , Stephanne Barry Sutton, Window Cleaning, and a Story from John Muir

I recently had a gardener ask me about the first herb I’d ever grown. That would be chives. Chives, like many herbs, are so easy to grow. Plus, you get the cute little puffball blossom. I had a chef friend show me how she liked to cut off the flower. Then, she snipped a little triangle off of the bottom where the bloom and the stem come together (kinda like cutting paper to make a snowflake). By doing this, you…