Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors (Ellen Zachos and C.L. Fornari)

C.L. and Ellen give you some different ideas for using apples this season, discuss planting bulbs with an auger on a drill, explain the term “old wood” and answer a listener’s question about tomatillo plants.

:30 What’s for dinner:  Apples or crabapples, anyone?

7:54 The Plant Noob: Using a hand drill and an auger to plant lots of bulbs.

14:19 Eat/Drink/Grow:  What is meant by the term “old wood.”  As in “these hydrangeas flower on old wood.”        

21:49 Love Letters and Questions:   Paula wrote: “I planted a Tomatillo plant for the first time in my vegetable garden and got no fruit.

This program explains why you might want to plant a hickory tree, and which flowers can be started indoors this spring. C.L. and Ellen also discuss how organic fertilizers work and why you should appreciate that they aren’t instantly available to plants. The episode ends with the mystery of the disappearing foxglove plants.

:30 Did You Know: What is a shagbark hickory tree and why should you care?

recipe for shagbark hickory syrup 

Go Native Tree Farm in Manheim PA is a place you can order hickory

5:52 Eat/Drink/Grow: Yes, it’s time to start thinking about which flowers to grow from seeds.

18:07 Inside Information: How organic fertilizers work.

20:55 Love Letters and Questions:  Portia is wondering why her foxgloves have disappeared.

This episode of Plantrama is brought to you by American Meadows.

Use the code PODCAST19 for $5 off of an order of $40 or more.

Ellen and C.L. discuss whether the use of mulch robs the soil of nitrogen, and we take a dive into the Polygonaceae family…smart weeds and knotweeds. We give you the scoop on two informative webinars for anyone interested in growing hydrangeas, and answer a question about the odd, jelly-like forms that a listener has found on some junipers.

1:42  True or False: Mulch robs the soil of nitrogen.     
6:21  Eat/Drink/Grow: Is your weed smart or knot? 
12:31   Insider Information: Hydrangea webinars given by C.L.    
16:33  Love Letters and Questions: Aliens in the juniper!   

With thanks to our Dramm, our sponsor. Find their great products at RainWand.com 

The Virtual Hydrangea classes that C.L. recorded are: Mopheads and Lacecap Hydrangeas, and  https://bit.ly/panicle_smooth Hydrangeas.

On this winter episode Ellen and C.L. consider a North American native plant that has been a favorite flavoring for gum, tea and toothpaste. We discuss why perennials bloom at a particular time of year, chat about why we love bromeliad plants, and explain how to care for them. At the end of the podcast we answer Paul’s question about GMO seeds.

:31 What’s For Dinner? Wintergreen – leaves and berries.

6:44 Insider Information: Why do perennials bloom at a particular time?

10:33 Eat/Drink/Grow: Bromeliads – what they are, and how to care for them.

19:57 Love Letters and Questions: Paul wonders if he should worry that the seeds he’s buying are genetically modified.

Ellen and C.L. address more questions from the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. We discuss the herb that gets no respect, Parsley, plus keeping outdoor furniture dry, escaping the insect invasion in your outdoor living areas, and how we started a podcast...and how you might start a garden business too!

:40   What’s for dinner: Parsley

4:19  Insider Information:  Garden furniture in rainy climates

10:57  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Keeping mosquitoes out of the garden

16:05  Plant Empowerment – How Plantrama came to be

With thanks to our sponsor: www.rainwand.com

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about keeping your containers flowering and looking great all summer. You’ll learn about diagnosing plant problems, favorite product picks and sand in the compost. 

:31 annual container maintenance

7:02 diagnosing plant problems

19:31 favorite product picks

26:08 sand in the compost

Product Picks:

Presto Bucket

Excalibut Dehydrator

Push/Pull Hoe

MaxSea Fertlizer

0:34 What’s for dinner: Advance planning? Ordering veggie seeds for growing this spring and winter foraging.

6:37 Plant noob: Why you should know about Sansevieria, the Swiss Army Knife of Plants.

11:37 Eat/Drink/Grow:  The Art, Science and Dinner of Seeds

23:12 Insider Information: Methusela…the story of the 2000 year old palm seed that sprouted. 

26:58 Love Letters and Questions

Reese wants to know how we record Plantrama if we’re not in the same location.

We start off this podcast with a toast to fall as Ellen presents an autumnal cocktail…a frozen persimmon margarita! We discuss protecting plants for the winter (should you?) and growing figs in cold climates. The glorious, fall-flowering goldenrod is a plant we celebrate, and we’re happy to announce the arrival of Plantrama shirts and other merch.

:31 autumnal cocktails

4:35 winter protection

13:10 figs

23:04 goldenrod

27:34 Plant 911/merch

In this Plantrama episode Dock and Dill are on the spring menu, we vow to make May baskets this year, and look at stems from the point of view of science, art, and dinner. We end with Todd’s question about squash bugs in his vegetable garden.

:30 What’s For Dinner: Dock and dill

9:05 Insider Information: May baskets

14:32 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Stems

22:43 Love Letters and Questions: Dealing with squash bugs

Is compost – homemade or purchased – a good substitute for fertilizer? What is that thick growth in a tree? Ellen and C.L. answer these questions and respond to a listener about uses for pressed flowers.

:26 True or False:   Compost is fertilizer.  

3:50  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Witches’ Brooms

19:58 Love Letters and Questions: Kelly asks for ideas about what to do with pressed flowers.

Check out the pressed flower art by Peggy Turner Zablotny

This episode starts with ideas for cooking with dried mushrooms. We explain how to tell the difference between pine, fir and spruce trees, do a dive into Ericaceous plants, and end with a question about taking cuttings and transplanting houseplants in the winter.

:30 What’s for dinner:  How to cook with dried mushrooms 

9:16 Insider Information:  Pines, firs and spruce.

14:11 Eat/Drink/Grow:    Ericaceous plants

22:11 Love Letters and Questions:  Shannon wrote about repotting houseplants now.

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about eating the tips off of spruce trees, what people mean when they say they are “forcing plants,” and which houseplants can bring fragrance into your home this winter.

:32 What’s for dinner: Spruce tips! Euell Gibbons was right…

5:35 Plant Noob: What does “forcing plants” mean?

9:13 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing fragrant houseplants

16:00 Love Letters and Questions:   Randall asks if the Plantrama team will be back in Seattle this winter for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

 The Plantrama team discusses the advice to hang herbs upside down for drying, and whether you should prune evergreens now. We end with a letter from a listener about doing battle with the birds.

:31   True or False:    Hanging herbs upside down to dry them helps the flavors (or in the case of Cannabis, the cannabinoids) drain into the leaves/buds.
2:27   Eat/Drink/Grow:   Pruning evergreens now.
18:52   Love Letters and Questions: Alexander and the battle with the birds.

Hear about two cocktails that use edible flowers, learn about the ways vines support themselves or climb structures, and discover how to tell which flowers are male or female on your summer squash. Plus we answer a listener’s question about fall vegetable plantings.

:45 What’s For Dinner: Flower Power Summer Cocktails

6:08 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Vines – how they grow, when to go annual or perennial.

16:07 Insider Information:  How to tell male from female flowers on summer squash

20:42 Love Letters and Questions:  Keri writes saying that she has open areas in her vegetable garden where the plants have finished.

The Plantrama duo discuss caffeine as an insecticide, and talk about corn, which is a grass and a great deal more. The episode ends with a discussion of picking green apples.

:36    True or False:      Caffeine is a natural insecticide.
7:42    Eat/Drink/Grow:  Corn: it’s a vegetable! It’s a biofuel! It’s livestock food! It’s an autumn decoration!
18:49   Love Letters and Questions:  Mary wrote to ask about picking green apples.

In this episode Ellen and C.L. tackle a myth about box stores selling plants that have been raised with neonicotinoids, we discuss the amazing bamboo, and answer a question about saving a houseplant.

:34 True or False:   Box store plants are raised using neonicotinoids

4:54 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Bamboo

20:25 Love Letters and Questions: A listener asks if her money tree houseplant can be saved

C.L. and Ellen and talk about ways to prepare eggplant, protecting your fall crops from frost, taking cuttings of shrubs and tender plants, and drying white hydrangea flowers.

:47  What’s for dinner:  Eggplant  
11:08  Insider Information:  Protecting fall crops if an early freeze is predicted.
16:56  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Taking cuttings of woody plants and tender perennials.  
26:26 Love Letters and Questions:  Kya writes to ask if she can dry her Hydrangea paniculata flowers

If you’re wondering if you need to protect your perennial plants with a winter mulch, this episode is for you. Ellen and C.L. go on to talk about the moth orchids, the most commonly sold orchid and an easy one to grow. The show ends with a discussion about the pros and cons of leaving the leaves in your landscape and gardens.

:30  True or False:   Perennials have to be protected with a “Winter Mulch.”  
5:35  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Phalaenopsis – The most common orchid sold today.
23:43   Love Letters and Questions:    Allison wonders about if it’s wise to leave the fallen leaves in her gardens.

:33 What’s For Dinner? Asparagus! What types to buy and how to grow this spring treat.

 7:42 True or False? Marigolds We’ve all heard about it: “Plant marigolds to keep insects away from your vegetables.” But does it work?

11:32 Eat/Drink/Grow

28:07 Questions or Love Letters Lane asks, “Is it too late to plant?”

It’s pasta for dinner, and everything coming up roses in this episode of Plantrama. Ellen shares her nettle pasta recipe, and C.L. talks about a quick way to use any garden greens with linguine. We discuss the highs and lows of growing roses, and end by answering a listener’s question about catkins.

:37 What’s For Dinner:  A go-to garden or foraged pasta.  

6:55 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Roses.

24:50 Love Letters and Questions: Diedre asked What is a catkin?

Brought to you by our friends at Rainwand.com 

It’s time to take stock of the vegetable garden and consider what thrived and which crops were a bust. Ellen and C.L. discuss why Ellen loves to forage for chestnuts, and how she cooks them, plus we answer a question about dandelion foliage in the lawn.  

:35 What’s For Dinner:  Chestnuts!

8:02 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Veggie Garden Wrap Up

22:35 Love Letters and Questions:   Neil emails about the dandelions in his lawn. 

Link to Ellen’s recipe for chestnut soup.

Link to Ellen’s recipe for chestnut mousse.

Do you need a special fertilizer for Cannabis budding? Do you need special fertilizers for different types of plants? Do some fertilizers work better than others, and can you make your own out of food scraps? These questions answered and more in this episode.

:33      True or False:   In order to get Cannabis to bud, you have to use special “bloom” fertilizers
3:22     Eat/Drink/Grow:  Fertilizer Facts and Fantasies
20:06   Love Letters and Questions:   Shelley wrote:  “Is it true that the roots of plants only go out to the dripline?

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about the misinformation about edible juniper berries that you find online. We talk about growing banana plants, and why you might want to start perennials from seed. Lauren asks about germinating milkweed seed.

:30 What’s for Dinner? Juniper berries…really?

See Ellen’s post about Juniper berries on her blog.

7:16 Eat/Drink/Grow: Banana plants. Growing hardy varieties in cold climates or tropical types in containers.

17:53 Insider Information: Growing perennials from seed.

22:38 Love Letters and Questions: Milkweed seeds - we refer Lauren to this page on the American Meadows Website. 

Hear ideas for making quiche or frittatas, learn about earthworm castings and why it’s good for plants, and discover a cactus that grows in most of North America.

:36   What’s For Dinner: Quiche or Frittata

5:55    Eat/Drink/Grow:  Earthworm Castings.

15:52   Insider Information: Opuntia humifusa, prickly pear cactus

21:56   Love Letters and Questions:    Anne writes about blue flowers.

In this just-after-the-solstice episode, Ellen and C.L. discuss how to use juniper berries, supporting heavy amaryllis flowers, taking cuttings and Cyclamen.

 Ellen's Smreka recipe here.

:30 What’s for dinner: What can you use juniper berries for?

5:00 Insider Information: Supporting heavy Amaryllis flowers

9:57 Eat/Drink/Grow: Taking Cuttings – which plants should you take cuttings from, how and when.

22:22 Love Letters and Questions: How to keep Cyclamen alive.

In this “best of Plantrama” episode Ellen and C.L. encourage you to roast your veggies and foraged foods, whether you’re serving them immediately or freezing them for the future. We badmouth the use of mothballs in the garden, talk about the role of bacteria and answer a question about gardening in clay soils.

:42  What’s for dinner: Roasted vegetables and foraged edibles

5:28 True or False: Use mothballs to repel animals in the garden?

7:56: Eat/Drink/Grow: Bacteria…the good, the bad, and the ugly

15:10  Love Letters & Questions: Chelsea asks about gardening in clay.

In this episode we define some terms that plant geeks toss around, and give you a recipe for figuring out what’s wrong with your houseplants. If you’ve ever wondered why fertilizer is called “plant food” or how lichen can grow on a rock or your roof, this is your podcast!

:28   Plant Noob:  Semi-Evergreen? Sub-shrub?
3:39  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Diagnosing problems on houseplants.
17:45 Focus on Fertilizer:  Why fertilizer shouldn’t be thought of as plant food.
19:24 Love Letters and Questions  Nina asked “How the heck does lichen grow/stay alive on stones and dead branches?”   

In this episode Ellen and C.L. discuss staking trees and pinching plants. They give ideas for holding a harvest party, tell about the first plant they fell in love with, and answer Kip’s question about preserving garden and foraged foods.

:35 True or False? Staking Trees. Do you need to stake a tree when you plant it?

4:18 For The Plant Noob. What does it mean to “pinch plants” and why would you want to do so?

8:47 Eat/Drink/Grow. Harvest Party! Ideas for gathering with family and friends and celebrating the fall season.

18:08 Story Time. Ellen and C.L. remember “their first.”

20:06 Love Letters and Questions. Kip asks about the best method for food preservation.

:32 What’s For Dinner? Edible Flowers   Whether you plant them or pick them in the wild, there are many spring flowers that will make your dinner table tastier and more attractive.

6:58 Insider Information: Skunk Cabbage   If you’ve gone for a walk in a boggy area this spring, you might have caught sight of this strange and fascinating plant.

11:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: April Showers From rain chains to rain barrels, rain gauges and rain gardens...we’re all about drizzle and downpour.  

23:29 Did You Know: Elevating Pots Raising outdoor boxes and containers can create a more dramatic display and give decks and patios some breathing room.

27:32 Love Letters and Questions: Micah wants to know about the best time for feeding Bulbs

Should you really plant pansies in the fall? Why didn’t my plant bloom well this year when last year it was beautiful? Are you tired of kale yet? These are some of the deep questions that Ellen Zachos and C.L. Fornari consider in this episode of Plantrama. Oh….and evergreen plants for stylish winter containers.

:28  What’s For Dinner:   Tuscan Kale!
6:09  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Planting Pansies in the Fall.
13:21  Insider Information: Why some plants bloom heavily one year and not the next.
16:33  Love Letters and Questions Gail writes, wondering if she can plant small evergreens in her window boxes for the winter.

:35 What’s For Dinner? How you can preserve the plants you forage for or grow by dehydrating.

6:07 Insider Information: Herbs: The Delightful Dozen – Ellen and C.L. talk about their must-grow herbs. Chives, Fennel, Thyme, Mint, Dill, French Tarragon, Lemon Verbena, Lavender, Sage, Rosemary, Basil, Cilantro.

18:42 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Early summer perennial maintenance.  

25:03 Did You Know: “Understudy Plants” Raising a few things as backup, because the show must go on!

30:40 Love Letters and Questions: Skylar wrote to ask if you can assume that if one flower is edible, does that mean all varieties of the same type are also edible.

Ellen and C.L. talk about the insect pest known as whitefly, and discuss several ways of controlling summer weeds. We end by answering Robie’s question about how to know when an underground crop is ready for harvesting.

:30  Plant Noob: Whitefly. What this insect is, what it does, and which plants it often attacks.

       
7:46  Eat/Drink/Grow:  Weeds: No Easy Way Out!   Various methods of weed control.

18:20  Love Letters and Questions Robie asks how you know when to harvest potatoes. 

Ellen and C.L. explain that yes, it is possible to have too much compost in the soil. We discuss the lovely Helleborus niger, aka the Christmas rose, and answer a question about spider plants.

:28   True or False: Healthy soil has a high percentage of organic matter in it.

4:55  Eat/Drink/Grow:  The Christmas Rose – Helleborus niger

13:49 Love Letters and Questions:  Ken wrote asking about spider plants, aka ribbon plant, aka airplane plant.

 00: What’s For Dinner - we discuss what is on a forager’s Thanksgiving table, and what is on a vegetable gardener’s spread. Find links to the recipes here:

8:59: The Plant Noob - Today’s topic is common cooking sage, aka Salvia officinalis.

12:59: Eat, Drink, Grow - We’re growing Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus in this episode. What they are, keeping them alive, and how to be sure they came into flower every year.

20:34: Insider Information – Just in time for your Shop Small Saturday, it’s time for Ellen and C.L.’s holiday gift suggestions.

30:19: Love Letters and Questions – We heard from Freddi who asked if it’s too early to put down “winterizer” fertilizer.

:35 – 6:10 What’s For Dinner: Microgreens – you can grow these tasty, nutritious greens yourself, indoors, even in the winter time.      

6:12 – 12:00 Insider Information: Spider mites – at this time of year you might find spider mites on your indoor plants.

12:05 – 23:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pruning – why we prune plants and a basic recipe for approaching most trees and shrubs.      

23:26 – 27:56 Did You Know:  Birds in your landscape – how to attract birds and provide for them in the coldest months of the year.   

27:59 – end Love Letters and Questions: Miniature roses from a greenhouse…can they be planted outside later in the spring?

1:06 What’s for dinner: Dahlias!

4:44 True or False:   You need a different fertilizer for each type of plant.

9:40 Eat/Drink/Grow: Hot & Cold…Fire pit plantings and over-wintering plants in outdoor containers.

19:42 Love Letters and Questions:   Making sense of the markings on rain gauges.

Ellen and C.L. celebrate their 100th episode with talk about keeping potted plants alive through the winter, plantings that make your fire pit experience more fragrant or beautiful, and fertilizers for every type of plant. We begin by revisiting how dahlia tubers and petals are edible and end with a question about rain gauges.

What’s For Dinner :40 Winter cocktails are on the menu in this episode. Ellen gives a recipe for a foraged Carob Horchata and C.L. talks about using the rosemary plant your brought indoors to create a Rosemary Gin Gin. Links to recipes at Plantrama.com

Insider Information 4:20 Mice! How to prevent mouse damage on newly planted trees and in other garden situations.

Eat/Drink/Grow 10:02 In this section you’ll find out how C.L. feels about poinsettias (pro) and Ellen doesn’t hold back about her opinion (con) of Euphorbia pulcherrima. We discuss the history, care and advantages of this popular holiday plant. And if you think that Ellen and C.L. disagree about the merits of poinsettias in general, just wait until C.L. mentions spray-painting the plant…

Did You Know 21:01 After the total disagreement about Euphorbia pulcherrima, it’s back to common ground with a discussion of luminarias and celebrating the solstice.

Love Letters and Questions 25:25 Today Ellen and C.L. give the recorded equivalent of thank you notes, expressing appreciation for people who wrote such great reviews of Plantrama on iTunes.

In this episode you’ll hear about ways to prepare the chard, kale or other greens you froze last summer. Learn why water beads up on some leaves, all about Cannas, and if hydrogen peroxide is a good thing to use on plant problems.

:30  What’s for dinner: Greens from the freezer

4:22 Insider Information: What are “Hydrophobic leaves?”

8:55 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Cannas       

17:42 Love Letters and Questions:  Samantha asked about using hydrogen peroxide in the garden

In this end-of-August episode, C.L. and Ellen discuss how to tell why the leaves on your plant are turning yellow. They explain that noticing which leaves are yellowing, and where they are, can help explain why this is happening. Next the Plantrama team explains some botanic terms, and discusses what to forage for or plant in your vegetable garden right now. The episode ends with advice to Sandy about when to bring her houseplants back inside after they have spent the summer out of doors.

:38 Plant Noob: Yellow Leaves – how to know what causes this?

9:42 Insider Information: Angiosperm and Gymnosperm – what do these terms mean?  

11:26 Eat/Drink/Grow: Fall Planting and Foraging     

22:23 Love Letters and Questions: Sandy wonders “when does houseplant summer camp end?”

 https://backyardforager.com/rose-hip-soup-recipe-nyponsoppa/

https://rainwand.com/

Discover which ferns to harvest for spring “fiddleheads,” why you shouldn’t start seeds in pots of garden soil, comparing and contrasting starting tomatoes and cannabis from seed, and the possibility of planting peas in July. 

:32 What’s For Dinner: Fiddlehead ferns – new ostrich fern shoots.      

6:54 Plant Noob: Why can’t I use garden soil to start my seeds in or for my outdoor containers?

10:14 Eat/Drink/Grow: Is Cannabis the “new tomato”? How are these plants similar for starting from seed?

Love Letters and Questions: Saul wants to know if he can plant a second crop of peas in July once the first crop finishes.

Ellen and C.L. start this episode out by discussing painted rocks. Are you painting them this summer? Are your kids painting on rocks? Do you love finding a rock with a message on it when you go to the beach or woods, or do you hate this practice? Next we talk about powdery mildew: what it is and when to treat or ignore. We end by answering a question about bringing cannabis into bud.

:30  Just For Fun: Painted rocks…love them or hate them?    
4:11  Eat/Drink/Grow: Powdery Mildew
18:52   Love Letters and Questions: Cannabis flowering.

Do you grow citrus indoors for at least part of the year? Learn to be the bee! We also suggest plants for the “COVID cranky” (and who isn’t?) plus becoming a local or niche garden expert.

:34     Plant Noob:  Pollinating Citrus You’re Growing Indoors   
4:24    Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants for the Covid Cranky
18:36   Plant Empowerment:   Becoming a local or niche garden guru.

The Plantrama team gets their fingers sticky with strawberry juices today as we talk about foraging for wild berries, and how to grow strawberries in your garden. Hear about the types of plants, protecting berries from critters, using this plant as groundcover, and more. We end with some thoughts about soil temperatures.

Here is a great chart from the Cooperative Extension-Sacramento County, showing how long seeds take to germinate in different soil temperatures. 

:38 What’s For Dinner: Strawberries

3:45 Eat/Drink/Grow: Strawberries

19:25 Insider Information: The importance of soil temperatures

From roots to leaves to flowers! C.L. and Ellen talk about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, explain what a root nodule is, and discuss leaf-spot fungus, especially on house plants. The episode ends with a listener question about flowers for a Florida garden.

:30  What’s for dinner:    Yams Vs Sweet Potatoes

2:52    Insider Information:  What are root nodules

4:31    Eat/Drink/Grow: Fungal Leaf Diseases    

18:04   Love Letters and Questions:  Chris asks about flowers for a Florida garden.   

C.L. and Ellen celebrate the summer season by talking about grilling, fertilizing, and carnivorous plants. We also discuss dealing with deer and growing edible plants in windy, urban situations such as rooftops and terraces.

:38  What’s for Dinner ; Grilling: farmed and forager
6:00  Plant noob: Fertilizing
13:05   Eat/Drink/Grow: carnivorous plants
19:50   Insider Info: Battling Bambi
25:57   Love Letters & Questions: Chelsea asks about growing edibles on a windy NYC terrace.

In this autumnal episode Ellen Zachos and C.L. Fornari talk about the pros and cons of straw bale gardens…fantastic or a fad? We talk about burdock (one person’s weed is another’s dinner) and keeping that potted bay tree over the winter indoors.

:28 Plant Noob: What is burdock?

3:33 Eat/Drink/Grow: straw bale gardens

12:42 Did You Know: Overwintering bay trees

22:54 Love Letters and Questions The myth of sweet acorns

:38    What’s For Dinner: Dill.   
8:59    Eat/Drink/Grow:  “Is it too late to plant?” 
20:14   Insider Information:  What alliums do.
22:42   Love Letters and Questions: Donna re: miniature lemon cypress tree

In this first of five June episodes, C.L. and Ellen talk about growing dill, planting in the summer, and what allium foliage does when these bulbs come into bloom. Plus we answer a listener’s question about growing lemon cypress trees indoors…was she given bad advice?

In this Plantrama episode we talk about eating the invasive Japanese knotweed, three of C.L.’s must-plant vegetable varieties, growing Mandevilla vine and poison green potatoes.

:32 What’s For Dinner: Foraged Japanese knotweed.

5:10 Insider Information:   Three of C.L.’s must-grow vegetables: Black Beauty Eggplant, Chinese Red Noodle Beans, Bright Lights Chard

11:12 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Mandevilla Vine – why you want to grow this tropical vine, which varieties to look for, and whether it is worth keeping it over the winter.

20:18 Love Letters and Questions: Mandy asks why it’s bad to eat green potatoes, and how to prevent the ones she grows from turning green again.

C.L. and Ellen discuss the internet-based rumor that you should dig a square hole when planting trees, and give suggestions for plants to grow on small trellises and arbors. We finish with a discussion about how to know if a perennial plant will reliably return, or if it’s a “temperennial.”

:40  True or False: Plant trees in square holes
7:41 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Plants for small arbors and trellises
20:51  Love Letters and Questions:   Rick writes to ask how you can tell if a perennial plant will live for many years or not.

It’s all houseplants all the time in this episode of Plantrama. Ellen and C.L. give advice about cleaning the leaves of indoor plants, talk about the many Calatheas that grow well with less light, and answer a question abot the tropical known as “money plant.”

:36   Plant Noob: Ways to clean off houseplants in the winter

6:52  Eat/Drink/Grow: Calatheas – low-light house plants.

22:07  Love Letters and Questions Nicki asks:  “How do I grow Pachira aquatica, aka money plant?

:32  What’s For Dinner  Dandelion Flowers

4:51   Eat/Drink/Grow:  The Edible Landscape – Vegetable Gardens and Perennial Edibles aka “Foodscaping”

21:35    Love Letters and Questions: I have a plant that won’t flower.

In this episode, brought to you by Dramm Rainwands, we talk about eating dandelion flowers, foodscaping, and what to do with a plant that won’t flower. Is fertilizer the answer?

Ellen and C.L. talk about the possibility of pruning to reduce a plant’s size, plus information about milkweed.  We discuss pine needles in compost and how to keep a hanging basket looking great.

With thanks to our sponsor at Rainwand.com 

1:15      Plant Noob:     Can I make my shrub or tree smaller?

8:49      Eat/Drink/Grow: A deep dive into Milkweed.

17:15    True or False:   Putting pine needles in a compost bin.

19:39    Love Letters and Questions:  How to take care of a flowering hanging basket.

How to germinate milkweed seeds information here. 

In late June it’s time to talk about repeat sowings of salad greens, foraging for lamb’s quarters, sending houseplants to summer camp, and all about Rosa rugosa. Ellen and C.L. end the episode with advice about how to keep a hanging basket looking good all summer.

0:35 What’s For Dinner? Planting and foraging for a continual harvest.

6:25 For the Plant Noob Sending houseplants to “summer camp.” 

13:00 Eat/Drink/Grow We talk about Rosa rugosa, aka the beach rose or wild rose. Why Ellen loves it, why C.L. is a bit less enthusiastic, and how to care for this rose.

21.51 Story Plant theft!

27:24 Questions or Love Letters Quinn wants to know how to keep a hanging basket looking good all summer.

30 What’s for dinner: Mustards, Cresses, and Peas Spring greens and Peas

What to forage for in early spring, and should you really plant peas on Saint Patrick’s Day?

5:18 Insider Information: Cymbidiums

How to grow Cymbidium orchids, keep them alive through summer and bring them back into flower.

9:15 Eat/Drink/Grow: Cold Frames and Other Ways of “Pushing Spring”

Ellen and C.L. explore the ways we can jumpstart our spring growing with cold frames and other means of protection. See the lyrics for Lou and Peter Berryman’s song that C.L. refers to on the Plantrama website. 

21:57 Did You Know: Shamrocks

At this time of year garden centers and grocery stores are filled with several types of Oxalis plants, sold as signs of spring and symbols of St. Patrick’s day. We talk about how to grow these as houseplants and use them in outdoor containers.

26:05 Love Letters and Questions:

Planting pansies as early as possible.

Ellen and C.L. discuss whether human urine helps with critter control in the garden and they talk about a favorite shrub, Sambucus, aka elderberry. The episode finishes with a discussion of changing the pH for a potted hydrangea so that the flower turns from pink to blue.

:40   True or False:  Urinating around the garden can keep deer or rabbits away.
5:20 Eat/Drink/Grow: Everything Elderberry, or the Sensational Sambucus     
17:18   Love Letters and Questions:  Charlotte writes from Germany about her potted hydrangea.

:35 What’s For Dinner: Edible Landscaping

We discuss some of the plants that do double duty in the landscape: these are attractive and edible! The plants mentioned are: Roses, crabapple trees, plum trees, blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) old-fashioned quince (Chaenomeles japonica 'Toyo-Nishiki’), bee balm, ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), potato-bean vine (Apios americana), doyle's thornless blackberry, rainbow chard, salad greens, and nasturtiums.

10:05 The Plant Noob: Buying Plants in 6 packs vs. 4” Pots

Those new to planting often wonder why some plants are sold in inexpensive six packs, while others are only available in small pots. Ellen and C.L. explain.

14:15  Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Plants From Pits and Leftovers

Have you ever wondered if you can grow an apple or orange tree from the pit of the fruit you bought in the store? And how about making a houseplant from the top of a pineapple or the seed from an avocado?

21:25 Insider Information: Those Cheerful Supermarket Primroses…

They have round flowers in bright colors and make us believe that spring is, indeed, just around the corner. Ellen and C.L. talk about whether you can plant these outside once the warmer weather actually arrives.

29:00 Love Letters and Questions: Soil Treatments

Is it possible to treat the soil to get rid of all your insect and disease problems?

After C.L. and Ellen discuss hailstorms, summer pruning and landscape fabric you’ll be ready to just relax with a summer cocktail and consider foraging. Ellen gives a recipe for a “Bear Bait” cocktail that contains milkweed, and C.L. encourages listeners to use other herbs instead of mint in a traditional drink.

:33 What’s for dinner: Summer Cocktails – foraged and garden.

5:28 Insider Information: Hail! What to do when pellets of ice have damaged your garden.

 8:18 Eat/Drink/Grow: Summer pruning. Is it smart to cut in July?

 13:25 Did You Know: Landscape fabric smack-down!

 20:38 Love Letters and Questions: What do people commonly ask about foraging?

The Plantrama team discuss a botanic term for plants that put leaves straight up out of the ground (no stems!), and answer a listener’s question about a Bromeliad that hasn’t made more blooms. Ellen and C.L. present a new segment: Plant Empowerment, which explains how to make a passion for plants into a profession. We start with custom container plantings.

:33    Plant Noob:   Acaulescent plants 

2:38    Eat/Drink/Grow:  Plant Empowerment! 

25:33    Love Letters and Questions    Jennifer wrote about a Bromeliad that isn’t flowering.

In this end-of-May episode Ellen and C.L. discuss using lettuce to wrap tasty fillings, for a meal or snack. We explain what a botanist does, the importance of several types of diversity in our yards and gardens, and answer Pete’s question about applying Mediterranean style to a Minnesota garden.

:28      What’s for dinner:   Lettuce Wraps
3:22     Insider Information:   What is a botanist?
7:33       Eat/Drink/Grow:    Garden Diversity 
21:58   Love Letters and Questions:  From Pete about “Mediterranean Gardening”

In this “best of Plantrama” episode Ellen and C.L. encourage you to roast your veggies and foraged foods, whether you’re serving them immediately or freezing them for the future. We badmouth the use of mothballs in the garden, talk about the role of bacteria and answer a question about gardening in clay soils.

:42  What’s for dinner: Roasted vegetables and foraged edibles

5:28 True or False: Use mothballs to repel animals in the garden?

7:56: Eat/Drink/Grow: Bacteria…the good, the bad, and the ugly

15:10  Love Letters & Questions: Chelsea asks about gardening in clay.

This podcast will inspire you to create more chopped salads, explain leaf spot fungus, and provide a list of plants that will attract hummingbirds. We also explain some flower terminology and answer a curious listener’s email.

:40 What’s for dinner: “Chopped Salad”

5:18 Insider Information: Leaf spot fungus.

17:00 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants to Attract Hummingbirds    

22:08 Did You Know:  Difference between a single, semi-double, and double flower forms.

25: 08 Love Letters and Questions: Meg writes: What does CL stand for?”

In this episode Ellen and C.L. discuss some favorite peppers, and answer common listener questions about drought-damaged plants and helping their gardens recover from a hot, dry summer. We share an exciting new plant from Proven Winners, and answer a listener’s question about clover lawns.

:36 What’s For Dinner: Peppers!

10:39 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Recovering From A Hot, Dry Summer  

19:45 Insider Information:  Excited about Queen Tut Papyrus

21:35 Love Letters and Questions: Sandy writes:  “Do you like clover lawns?”

Link to Queen Tut on the Proven Winners Website:  https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/cyperus/graceful-grasses-queen-tut-dwarf-papyrus-cyperus-prolifer 

Today we discuss garden-grown and foraged food with earthy flavors, and do a deep dive into the importance of soil temperatures for planting, soil activity, seed germination and growth rates. We end with a discussion about what you can expect from houseplants in the winter, and how to decide which plants are appropriate for an area that’s sunny in the winter and shaded in the summer.

:30 What’s For Dinner:  Earthy flavors.

6:59 Eat/Drink/Grow: The Importance of Soil Temperatures.

18:18  Insider Information:   Should your houseplants be growing in the winter?

20:39 Love Letters and Questions: Planting for appropriate outdoor light

This episode of Plantrama was recorded live at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. Ellen and I talked about outwitting rabbits and deer, plus we argue about the benefit of pebble trays filled with water for humidifying plants. We had a great audience and the attendees asked many interesting questions.

:50       Did You Know:      Rabbit & Deer in the garden…may The Force be with us!
10:25   True or False?: Pebble trays filled with water for houseplants…do they increase humidity or not?
12:50   Inside Information: Lessons from the flower show
14:52   Eat/Drink/Grow: The Leaf stack challenge and questions from the audience including the following: Can deer be trained? Why no egg repellant spray on edibles? Does cannabis repel deer? And more!

For the recipe to make C.L.’s homemade rabbit and deer repellent, go here.

The Plantrama team talk about your outdoor office; making places on decks, patios, porches or even in the woods where you can work and create. We take a deep dive into Daylilies, and answer a listener’s question about mosquitoes.   This episode is being brought to you by our friends at www.rainwand.com

1:30      Insider Information: Your Outdoor Office
5:57      Eat/Drink/Grow: A  Deep Dive into Daylilies
18:09   Love Letters and Questions: Mosquitoes Control

Hear how to use all the summer squash from your garden, learn about the new foraging calendar from Amber Lotus Publishing, and listen to Ellen give her top plants for foraging in the Midwest and Northeast. In our main segment we’ll talk about why a plant might change growth habits, or develop different foliage and flower colors.

1:30  What’s for dinner:   It’s zucchini mania!

8:45   Insider Information:  Ellen’s Backyard Foraging Calendar is out!

11:32 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Why some plants “revert” changing growth patterns or color

20:31   Love Letters and Questions: Sara asks if Ellen will name her top 5 plants to forage for in the Northeast or Midwest

Order Ellen's calendar here: 

https://www.amberlotus.com/backyard-foraging-2021-wall-calendar

In this episode we’re talking about apple recipes and getting your amaryllis to bloom again this year. We discuss whether a large crop of acorns really means it will be a long, cold winter, and answer a listener's question about bringing plants inside.

:30 What’s for dinner: Apples, wild and domestic.

4:58 True or False? A big crop of acorns means that there will be a hard winter.

8:03 Eat/Drink/Grow: Amaryllis, Part II. Bringing them indoors, chilling/resting, repotting (if needed) and waking them up again.

13.08 Love Letters and Questions: Kip wrote asking if she should take off the spotted or brown-tipped leaves when she’s bringing her plants in for the winter. “Just how careful do I need to be about cleaning them up?”

Have you wondered what people mean when they talk about a plant’s dripline, or if you can still put plants in the ground in October? Do you want to know if you can leave your outdoor furniture in the elements over the winter, or if it’s possible to have one of those Pinterest-posted green walls indoors? If so, this episode is for you!

:30  Plant Noob:   What’s a “dripline?”

3:03   Eat/Drink/Grow: Is it too late to plant or transplant?

16:43   Your Outdoor Office: Bring the chairs and tables inside or leave them out?

20:02   Love Letters and Questions: Tina asks how to make a green wall indoors

:40  What’s for dinner: Questions about wild-crafted cocktails and raised bed vegetables. 

4:40  Plant noob: Can you have too much compost?

7:31  Eat/Drink/Grow:   We answer questions about deer, smart pots, dahlias, Rhododendron mulch, and under-planting Japanese maples.

23:11  Insider Information: Emptying a Gardener’s Supply cart, our favorite gardening books and plants, yellow jackets in pots, and why Linda hasn’t heard of us before.

We end with a follow-up email from Ryan, who attended the show and now is a Plantrama regular. Thanks, Ryan!

:32 Plant Noob: How to make your own plant-able pots for starting seeds in.

5:57 Eat/Drink/Grow: Perennials that don’t spread very much.

16:21 Product Review: Book: Growing Weed in the Garden by Johanna Silver

22:15 Love Letters and Questions Pippa asks about using products that make houseplants have shiny leaves.

Link to the YouTube video about making square newspaper pots:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dlGQP81yfo

The list of perennials we covered:

Peony (Paeonia)

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis)

Monkshood (Aconitum)

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)

Bugbane (Actaea racemosa)

Agastache ‘Blue Fortune' (Agastache foeniculum ‘Blue Fortune’)

Ellen and C.L. talk about how often plants need fertilizer, and several flowering vines  you should know and grow. They review a product that treats poison ivy and poison oak and Ellen explains the difference between elderberry shrubs.

:38   True or False:    I need to fertilize all my gardens every year, right?
8:43    Eat/Drink/Grow:  Flowering Vines  
17:37  Product Review:  Zanfel for Poison Ivy/Poison Oak
20:51  Love Letters and Questions   From one of the attendees of the Northweest Flower and Garden show: What’s the difference between the blue and purple elderberry flowers?

Acorn baklava and creamed chard start off this episode. Hear how holiday boxwood trees are made, and learn about providing your indoor plants with supplemental lighting. A listener asks about “seed FOMO” – should seeds be ordered now and will they still be good next spring?

:40 What’s for dinner: Ellen and C.L. talk about what dishes are on their Thanksgiving table. As usual, Ellen’s forager’s table is way more exotic than C.L.’s gardener’s table.

6:11 Insider Information:   How are the boxwood trees you see for sale at this time of year made? Learn about these holiday decorations, and see how to make them below.

11:41 Eat/Drink/Grow: Do your plants need artificial light? What type of lights you can use, and how to place them most effectively.

21:05 Love Letters and Questions: A listener asks about “seed FOMO” – should seeds be ordered now so that you don’t miss out?

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about cilantro and coriander...one in the same plant. We have agreeing opinions about Stevia, and explain the reason that it takes awhile for some new introductions to reach the marketplace. The podcast ends with Anne’s question about hauling weeds to the compost...necessary?

:30        What’s For Dinner:  Coriander/Cilantro  

10:38    Eat/Drink/Grow:   Plants that are natural sweeteners...beyond sugar.

19:41    Insider Information:  How the horticultural supply chain works

22:25    Love Letters and Questions: Anne wonders if she can leave the weeds in the garden after pulling

Ellen and C.L. ignite the plant equivalent of fireworks in today’s episode. We revisit how pesto doesn’t have to be made only from basil, talk about harvesting garlic, and answer Vincent’s question about wildflower gardens.

:32 Just For Fun: Fireworks in the garden

6:32 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pesto revisited

12:42 Insider Information: Harvesting garlic

17:32 Love Letters and Questions: Wildflower garden

The Plantrama team gives those new to vegetable gardening some advice about raised beds...how deep, what to fill them with, and whether they need a weed barrier underneath. We talk about how to remember what you’ve planted, without sticking ugly labels next to every plant in your garden. In a new segment, we tell you about a couple of great things that we’ve discovered.

:45   Plant Noob:  Raised bed Tips   
10:46   Eat/Drink/Grow: Methods for remembering what you’ve planted
21:36   Check THIS Out!:  C.L. raves about Fleurs de Villes and Ellen talks about Spice Jungle!

https://www.spicejungle.com/

https://www.fleursdevilles.com/  

Our podcast is supported by our friends at Dramm – check out all of their wonderful products at https://rainwand.com/

C.L. and Ellen explain that succulents are easy to propagate, and talk about why we should care about the life cycle of insects. The episode ends with a discussion about collecting rainwater for houseplants.

:30   Plant Noob:   How to propagate succulents  
9:41       Eat/Drink/Grow:   Life cycle of most insects…
18:42   Love Letters and Questions:   Paul writes: “A friend told me that I should be collecting rainwater for my houseplants.  True?”

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about a great way to prepare fresh sage leaves for a garnish, whether hanging herbs and other plants upside down to dry is important, the basics of compost, and how long carrots can be left to grow in the ground.

:27  What’s for dinner: Fried Sage Leaves
4:22 True or False: You have to hang plants you’re drying upside down
8:37  Eat/Drink/Grow: Compost 101
25:45 Love Letters and Questions:   Carol asks how long she can leave carrots in the ground.  

The Plantrama team talks about ideas for pasta salad and reipes using pineapple weed. We get you thinking about transplanting in the fall, discuss how to manage plants that self-seed just a bit too enthusiastically, and answer a listener’s question about scale.

:30 What’s for dinner:    Pasta Salad and Pineapple Weed

5:14 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Preparing for Fall Transplanting

15:10 Insider Information:   Preventing plants from self-seeding too much.

21:09 Love Letters and Questions    Shannon asks about scale.

We start out talking about why you might eat stinging nettles, or just avoid these painful plants. Learn about varieties for your tomato garden and why heirloom tomatoes aren’t always the best choice. Plus dormant weed seeds and basil downy mildew disease.

:30 Did You Know: Nettles

7:12 Eat/Drink/Grow: Planning your tomato garden

Inside Information: Fiendish Weed Seeds

23:43 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks why his basil keeps dying in mid-summer.

Go to the American Meadows website and use Code PODCAST19 for  $5 OFF A $40 ORDER – AMERICANMEADOWS.COM

In this episode we mention an article on a weed seed experiment published in the January/February issue of The American Gardener magazine, published by the American Horticultural Society.

In this episode Ellen explains what to make with under-ripe wild grapes and C.L. persuades listeners to combine some creamy brie cheese with those homegrown tomatoes. Next we explain that the end of the summer is the ideal time to propagate everything from woody ornamentals to annuals and perennials. Now that cooler weather is on the horizon, we discuss what can be transplanted in the fall, and answer a listener’s concern about importing bugs into the house when she brings potted houseplants back in for the winter.

Ellen and C.L talk about how to make ornaments for your garden from rocks or sticks you can find locally. We discuss what plants you can include in your perennial garden that are also edible and give tips for avoiding ticks and tick borne diseases. The episode ends with a question from Kelly about transplanting in June.

:32 Just For Fun: Foraged garden ornaments…accent your landscape for free!

6:12  Eat/Drink/Grow: The edible perennial garden.

16:44 Insider Information: ticks and tick borne illnesses

23:36 Love Letters and Questions: Kelly asks if it’s too late to transplant?

Learn about an easy, vegetable comfort dish and the Norfolk Island Pine houseplant. Discover great holiday gifts and find out what is meant by “genus and species.” There are no stupid questions here, as long as the topic is plants!

:30 What’s For Dinner:   Twice Baked Potatoes
6:42  Eat/Drink/Grow:   Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla native to Norfolk Island, a small island between Australia and New Zealand and not really a pine.
14:34 Insider Information: The Plantrama Gift List
21:28 Love Letters and Questions: Could you please explain the terms species and genus?

In this 200th episode of Plantrama, Ellen and C.L. celebrate with cake! Hear about Ellen’s berry pudding cake and C.L.’s beet cake. Next we talk about where to plant if you’re running out of room (remember topsy-turvy tomatoes?) and whether it’s okay to pack vegetables into a raised bed.

2:45 What’s For Dinner:  Unusual cakes

8:13 Eat/Drink/Grow:  What to do when you’re running out of room….

16:38 Love Letters and Questions: Dense planting in raised beds.

Here’s the link to my berry pudding cake recipe: https://backyardforager.com/black-raspberry-pudding-cake-recipe/

If you’re bored with your usual breakfast, this episode is for you. We also explain photoperiodism, talk about starting pepper seeds and growing them in the garden, and answer a listener’s question about Lantana.

:30 What’s for dinner: Breakfast Alternatives

8:11 Insider Information:  Photoperiodism  

10:56 Eat/Drink/Grow:  Peppers

25:55 Love Letters and Questions: Sam writes to ask about Lantana

Link to Ellen's Clafouti recipe.

Link to C.L.'s Oatmeal Cups recipe.

Ellen and C.L. talk about whether fertilizing is always a good thing, and they take a deep dive into the genus Rhododendron, which includes what we commonly call azaleas. Then they answer Candace’s question about whether her spouse’s pruning of the blue hydrangeas is grounds for divorce.

 :33 True or False: Fertilizing never hurts…right?

7:57 Eat/Drink/Grow: Rhododendrons and Azaleas

24:21 Love Letters and Questions: Pruning blue hydrangeas, and can this marriage be saved?

In this episode Ellen and C.L. give you a way to identify grasses, sedges and rushes, we discuss the mildew that you might be seeing on various plants, and answer a listener’s question about where to find unusual plants.

:39  Plant Noob:  Sedges, grasses and rushes.  

9:19 Eat/Drink/Grow:   A deep dive into MILDEW.

23:44  Love Letters and Questions:  Ellen asks where to find the plants we speak about.

Learn when to cut back lavender, how to grow herbs in pots, and why your perennials may need dividing. Discover where to plant herbs. Hear about pruning lilacs and wisteria, brought to you by Dramm Rainwands.

:28   Plant Noob:  Dividing perennials  - how, why and when.
9:13   Eat/Drink/Grow:  Herb Garden Questions from the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival
20:57  Love Letters and Questions:  When should I prune lilacs and wisteria.

Have you ever bought an envelope of seeds that had no instructions on it? Do you have clay soils where you garden? Ellen and C.L. start the program with these topics, then move onto invasive plants in the landscape, and the differences between different types of potting media.

:30   True or False:   It’s okay to send out seeds without any germination information.
5:12     Eat/Drink/Grow:  Gardening in Clay
21:18  Insider Information:  Inspired by Carol invasives in the landscape
25:16   Love Letters and Questions:    From Adriana any difference between potting soil and seeding-starting mix?

 Brought to you by our friends at Rainwand.com

0:37 – 4:33 What’s for dinner: Foraged Pesto and Winter Squash Soup

4:37 – 10:56 Insider Information:   “Breathing Room”

11:03 – 25:15 Eat/Drink/Grow:    The Art, Science and Dinner of Orchids

25:25 – 30:33 Did You Know: How to keep an Amaryllis from year to year.

30:36 – 35:15 Love Letters and Questions: A love note from Kerry.

In Episode 67 Ellen and C.L. talk about oyster mushrooms, those creepy aphids, and houseplants that you can easily share with the world. We end by answering Patty’s question about GMO verses hybrid plants.

:30 What’s for dinner: Oyster mushrooms! Forage for them, grow them or buy them in the supermarket.

4:31 Insider Information: Creepy, crawly and ever-present aphids.

10:55 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pass along houseplants

Shout out to The Gardenangelists podcast.

19:09 Love Letters and Questions: Patty asks about GMO verses hybrid plants.

 Pass-along Houseplants - Madagascar Jewel (Euphorbia leuconeura) Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) and Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides

 Today we’re talking about carrots, wild and domestic. We explain that before a plant has fruit it comes into flower, and discuss the how, why, how often and when of repotting houseplants. This episode finishes with Sandy’s question,“Can I plant, or eat, the seeds we take out of the pumpkins that are being carved for Halloween?”  

 :30 What’s For Dinner: Carrots

4:52 Plant Noob: Flowers Before Fruit

8:28 Eat/Drink/Grow: Repotting Houseplants

20:50 Love Letters and Questions: Eating and Planting Pumpkin Seeds

Learn about the best containers for starting seeds (and it’s not ice cream cones or eggshells), why leaf edges are important, and how to make “juice mousse.” Plus a discussion about how good potting mix can go bad.

:31 What’s For Dinner: Juice Mousse – (no, not moose juice!)

4:04 Plant Noob: What are the “leaf margins” and why is this information useful?

7:20 Eat/Drink/Grow: Containers for seed starting…and no, those cute photos on Pinterest or Facebook aren’t a good idea.

17:45 Love Letters and Questions: Pete asks if there is such a thing as “killer potting soil,” aka potting mix that makes you sick.

In this episode we talk about the white perlite in potting mixes, spend the main segment talking about edible flowers, and answer a question about why a listener’s zucchini plants aren’t producing well. 

:30 Plant Noob: What are the white specks in my pots?

3:41 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Edible Flowers

17:43 Love Letters and Questions What’s with the lack of zucchini?

Have you ever wondered if you could eat black walnuts? Or maybe you're undecided about using a winter protective mulch on your perennial garden...do our plants really need a down blanket to keep them warm? And in our Eat/Drink/Grow segment we talk about the science, art and dinner of pumpkins.

We’re celebrating fall with autumnal beverages, talking about applying fertilizer in the fall, and discussing cleaning up houseplants when you bring them back indoors.

:31   True or False: Winter is a good time to fertilize gardens.

4:38  Eat/Drink/Grow: Fall Cocktails and other garden or plant-based beverages.   

17:58  The Plant Noob: Cleaning up houseplants when you bring them back inside. Repotting now? Cut back? Fertilize? Insects?

26:24   Love Letters and Questions:   Liz asks about the shownotes.

Kale-tini

For Two Cocktails

2 cups tightly packed kale

1 cup water

juice two limes

4 oz vodka or gin

1 Tbls agave syrup

The Process:  Cut enough kale into pieces to fill a 2-cup measure. Cover these pieces with water and place in a food processor or blender. Puree for a minute.

Strain the solids out of the pureed kale with a fine sieve, pressing with a spatula to get as much juice from the leaves as possible.

Squeeze the limes and add the lime juice, vodka, and agave syrup. Mix well or shake in a mason jar to combine. Pour into glasses over ice. Garnish with a small kale leaf.

In this December episode Ellen and C.L. talk about nematodes (harmful and beneficial), and the amazing sex life of the avocado flower. C.L. gives her opinion about putting small berms in a landscape, and tells a story that her berm rant sparked from someone in her audience. We answer Ellen’s question about gardening when high…in an upper altitude, that is.

:27 Did You Know? What the heck are nematodes, and should gardeners care?

6:00 Eat/Drink/Grow: All about avocados. A pretty cool sex change for the flowers, and a fun houseplant to grow from a pit.

15:20 Story time: C.L. tells a story about garden design and berms, plus how this sparked a tale from an audience member that made us laugh.

18:40 Love Letters and Questions: Ellen wrote about growing plants when you’re in a Rocky Mountain high.

This small berm at the end of a driveway really looks like a grave! 

C.L. and Ellen explain how you can make your ornamental grasses look amusing and fun for the fall into the winter holidays. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks to not raking the leaves out of your gardens, and talk about wild grape vines. The episode ends with Sara’s question about her houseplants that got frosted.

:30     Just For Fun: Making ornamental grasses look festive.
3:33     Insider Information: Should you be leaving the leaves?
11:28   Eat/Drink/Grow: Grapes growing wild!
21:50   Love Letters and Questions Sara writes about her plants that got frosted.

Ellen and C.L. talk about lucky bamboo; what type of plant it is and how to care them. We explain what bracts are and why some plants have very showy ones, talk about making more plants by air layering, and answer Sal’s question about pruning evergreens now so the greens can be used for holiday decorating.

:32 True or False? Lucky bamboo. Is it really bamboo? Is it lucky?

7:25 Plant Noob: Bracts. What are they?

12:20 Eat/Drink/Grow: Propagating plants by “air layering.”

17:51 Love Letters and Questions: Sal asks about pruning evergreens in December.

In this Encore presentation from 2017, Ellen and C.L. start the end-of-summer party off with suggestions for snacks and garden hors d’oeuvres. The second segment offers ways that you benefit from an outdoor office, and no, it’s not the low rent.

Our main segment suggests ways you can spruce up (horticultural pun intended) your yard and gardens for summer gatherings. Whether you’re holding a simple barbecue, birthday celebration, rehearsal dinner, cocktail party or other event, here are ideas for hiding eyesores, improving what you’ve got and adding color.

Our fourth segment addresses a plant noob’s question: “Will this plant will come back to life or is it dead?” We end with an email from a listener who asks about end-of-year bargain plants.