Podcast

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…

April 23, 2019 Nighttime Temperatures, Lisa Mason Ziegler, William Darlington, Thomas Grant Harbison, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Cameron, Spring Rain for Houseplants, Barbara Pleasant, and Summer Parties at Biltmore

There’s a soldier’s prayer that goes, “Stay with me, God. The night is dark, The night is cold: my little spark Of courage dies. The night is long; Be with me, God, and make me strong.” Dark. Cold. Long. It’s easy to get so excited about the first nice days of spring. “It was 80 degrees today!” “It’s going to be above 70 all next week!” Well, hold your horses. You forget about those nights. Remember? Dark. Cold. Long. No…

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,……