Podcast

April 22, 2019 Perennials, Tasha Tudor, Earth Day, August Wilhelm Eichler, Gloria Galeano, William Bartram Journal, Kew’s Gardener’s Guide to House Plants, Planting Trees and Shrubs, the Eichler Treasure Trove, and Peter Hirsch

Children’s book writer and illustrator Tasha Tudor (Books by this author) once said, It’s exciting to see things coming up again, plants that you’ve had for 20 or 30 years. It’s like seeing an old friend. This made me think of the old saying; Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. Perennials are old friends. Gold friends. They are the best kind of garden friends. They may not be as flashy or exciting…

April 19, 2019 Signature Plant, National Garlic Day, Gilroy Garlic Festival, E. Lucy Braun, Gilbert White, Primrose Day, Nancy Cardozo, Fiona Davison, Photo Friday, and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli

Does your garden have a signature plant? If you can’t decide, maybe it’s time to let your garden do the talking. Complete the following sentence: My garden has the perfect spot to grow…. (fill in the blank). For instance, you may have the perfect spot to grow anemone. I remember going to my friend Carmen’s house in the spring. I came around the corner and stopped in my tracks when I saw her happy anemones – so cheerful, so vibrant,……

April 18, 2019 Plant Pet Names, Paul de Longpré, Elsa Beata Bunge, Maryland State Flower, Black-Eyed Susan, John Gay, Studio Oh, and Planning for Arbor Day

Do you have pet names for your plants? Amy the Amaryllis. Jerry the geranium. Once I bought some dahlias at a private plant sale. Before I drove away, I rolled down the window to ask for the seller’s name; it was Doris. They’ve been my “Doris“ dahlias ever since. So whether they are called Howard or Bertie, Harry or Liz; if you’ve named your plants, you are not alone. The gesture of honoring a loved one, or the little laugh…

April 17, 2019 William Cullen Bryant, Double Take Plants, John Tradescant the Elder, Graham Stuart Thomas, James McBride, Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer, Gilbert White, Mignonette, Sam Postlethwait, and the Celery Bog Nature Area

William Cullen Bryant wrote, “There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.” That pretty much sums up what happens with the plants I’ve dubbed “double-takes”. A double-take plant is the one you first ignore or blow off – but them something about them causes you to take another look; to appreciate what you didn’t see the first time…

April 16, 2019 Truly Lovely Aprils, Robert Frost, Sir Hans Sloane, William Stearn, Ellen Nellie Thayer Fisher, Mary Gibson Henry, Sir Edward Salisbury, Aphra Behn, Penny Colman, and William Austin Dickinson

“The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day.” ~ Robert Frost April can be a challenging time in the garden. How many truly lovely Aprils does one get in a lifetime? I’d venture to say maybe five or six. Often, the gardens are too wet to get into, provided you could even get to them. Even with the rain, the snow hasn’t completely melted away. It’s too cold to turn…