Podcast

June 28, 2019 Giant Flowers for Paul Bunyan Day, Harry V. Harlan, Importing Seeds, Henry Nehrling, Cicely Mary Barker, Plant Families by Ross Bayton, Pruning Spring-Flowering Shrubs, and the Effects of Culture

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Today is National Paul Bunyan Day. In Minnesota, most folks fondly remember the tales of Paul and Babe – his big blue ox. Speaking of big, Many gardeners have a fondness for giant plants. They are perfect if you have lots of space, or if you just prefer the look of tall or giant plants. You can Celebrate Paul Bunyan Day today by planting giant plants like these: hibiscus, Joe Pye weed, Baptisia, Hollyhock, Queen of the Prairie, Plume Poppy,…

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June 27, 2019 National Onion Day, Thomas Say, William Williams, William Guilfoyle, Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, The Glory of the Garden by Rudyard Kipling, Practical Botany for Gardeners by Geoff Hodge, Make a Garden Map, and Brevities

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Today is the very first National Onion Day. It was founded by the National Onion Association, which represents almost 500 growers from across the United States. The association celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. Onions are a member of the bulb family. There are twenty-seven different types of onion. They all grow underground, and they’re one of the easiest vegetables to grow. There’s an old saying that says that the thicker the onion skin, the colder the winter will be.…

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June 26, 2019 Moving a Bumblebee Nest, Charles Newbold, Charles Christopher Perry, The Rolling Stones, Margaret Morse Nice, Annette Wynne, Diana Wells, Planting Sunflower Seeds, and San Francisco Gardener John McLaren

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Have you ever needed to move a bumblebee nest? We discovered a nest under the basketball hoop on the driveway when the guys came to seal coat. To move it, I waited until dusk. Then I grabbed a terra cotta pot that was a little bigger than the nest… and my pizza peel from the kitchen. I placed the pot over the nest and then slid the peel under the pot. As I was carrying the nest, the buzzing sound…

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June 25, 2019 Empress Wu Hosta, David Douglas, William Robert Guilfoyle, Nathaniel Lord Britton, George Orwell, Gardener’s Latin by Bill Neal, Floral Pins, and Eric Carle

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Did you know that the most popular giant hosta is Empress Wu? At maturity, the plant is 5 feet tall with an 8-foot spread. Pictures don’t really do the Empress Wu hosta justice. Because of its size and fast rate of growth, Empress Wu demands soil that is consistently moist but not soggy. Brian and Virginia Skag bred empress Wu out of Lowell, Indiana. On February 23, 2010, they finally received their patent for the impressive Empress Wu hosta.  …

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June 24, 2019 Where to Plant Lilies, Thomas Blanchard, Stephen Endlicher, Kona Coffee, Queen Elizabeth’s Cerus Atlantica Glauca, Paul McCartney, John Ciardi, Plant Names Simplified by Arthur Johnson, Joe Pye weed, Aven Nelson and the Rocky Mountain Herbarium

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Did you know that lilies enjoy being planted in part shade? They don’t really like to be baked in full sun. If you plant them in a little bit of shade, it will allow your plant to experience less stress, and thus, it will elongate its stem. Lilies that are grown in full sun tend to be shorter and more stout. In nature, lilies grow in dappled light at the edges of woods and meadows.       Brevities #OTD…

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