Plantrama - Plants, Landscapes, & Bringing Nature Indoors

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.   

This episode addresses if eggshells are beneficial in a veggie garden, along with roses: fertilizing, deadheading, insects and diseases. Plus a question about the tall verbena.  :30  True or False:    Eggshells are good for the vegetable garden. 4:31 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Roses in early summer.   25:16 Love Letters and Questions:      From Billie about Verbena bonariensis

If you’re wondering if you can still plant vegetables, or you’re seeing your new plants being eaten, this episode is for you. Learn what to do about holes and bites out of young plants, hear how to repot houseplants now, and find out which indoor plants should be sent “to summer camp.” :39  What’s For Dinner  Planting in early June 5:00  Eat/Drink/Grow: Seeds that don’t germinate, seedlings that disappear, and young plants that are being eaten. 19:29   Insider Information: Repotting houseplants. 23:25   Love Letters and Questions:  A question from Bailey about putting a Norfolk Island Pine outside for the summer.

Hear about eating unripe apricots and growing the tiny, tasty cucamelons. Learn how to plant for better weed management, discover the exotic, fragrant Brugmansia plant and learn what thinning seedlings is all about. :33  What’s for dinner:    Unripe Apricots and cucamelons. 7:04 Insider Information:  Planting for easier weed management. 13:43  Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Brugmansia, aka Angel’s Trumpets 19:44   Love Letters and Questions:    Kipper wonders what “thinning” means.

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?

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.

: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?

Learn about planting in galvanized containers, if hyacinth beans are edible, and underplanting trees with shrubs. Hear Ellen and C.L.’s picks for their three top garden ingredients for cocktails, what plants like coffee grounds, and C.L.’s favorite variety of kale. Plus more questions that came in from the audience at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle.  :40 Just For Fun: Galvanized containers for plants. 5:25 Eat/Drink/Grow: Questions from Seattle Flower Show 16:04 Love Letters and Questions What is your favorite kale and why? And, Coffee grounds for plants?

This episode was recorded live at our appearance at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. This week, the second part of our talk on Flower Power and the Cocktail Hour. In this episode we give examples of flower-fueled cocktails you can make.

This episode was recorded live at our appearance at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. This week, the first part of our talk on Flower Power and the Cocktail Hour. We discuss great plants and how to create a flower-filled environment for gathering in the evening.

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

Be inspired to make lettuce wraps for dinner, hear about growing coriander, and learn about plant pheromones. Plus hear how Ellen and C.L. advise Don about his ugly junipers. :32  What’s For Dinner: “Lettuce Wraps” 4:30  Eat/Drink/Grow: Coriander 14:44   Insider Information: What are plant pheromones?20:09   Love Letters and Questions: Don asks what to do with ugly junipers.

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?”

: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’)

In this episode C.L. and Ellen discuss research into growing plants in salty soils, aerating lawns with spiky shoes, and a plant that’s a three some. We end explaining why it’s possible to have too much manure in your soil.   :47    Did You Know: From the world of Plant Science: salty soils 3:50  True or False: You can aerate your lawn by walking on it with golf shoes.   7:57 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Lichen: The plant that’s a threesome?   14:44 Love Letters and Questions:   Tim writes, “Is it possible to have too much manure in your garden soil?”   Link to the article about salty soils and bacteria: https://news.byu.edu/intellect/byu-scientists-discover-way-to-make-crops-grow-in-salt-damaged-soil

Get inspired to make a spring salad containing flower petals, hear about how a native plant in one area might be invasive elsewhere, and learn about a lemon-scented herb. The episode ends with a question about coconut coir.  :31 What’s For Dinner: Spring tonic salads 4:28 Eat/Drink/Grow: A plant that’s native in one place (and oh-so-beneficial) might be harmful in another location. 13:01 Insider Information: All about the herb called Lemon Balm. 17:38 Love Letters and Questions Cory wants to know what coconut coir is used for.

This episode of Plantrama gives you a heads up about two great plants, talks about what happens when people find a new plant and want to either patent it or otherwise bring it to market. We end with advise for Helen about her boxes in San Francisco.   :30 Insider Information – Plant Reviews:   Burpee Silky Sweet Hybrid turnip and Agastache ‘Glowing Embers’ from High Country Gardens 6:01 Eat/Drink/Grow: What to do if you’ve found/discovered a new plant. 19:24 Love Letters and Questions: Helen writes to ask for our suggestions for plants in her boxes in San Francisco. She says, “Currently I have dead chrysanthemum plants in there and wanted something that would be more permanent.”  

Discover why you should grow Cannas, hear about easy perennials to grow from seed (more plants!), and learn about the wild wintergreen plant…teaberry flavor from a foraged berry? :28 Plant Noob: Cannas – how, when, where, why.  We mention ordering from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. 8:56 Eat/Drink/Grow: The easiest Perennials to grow from seed.   20:31 Love Letters and Questions: Nathan emailed us to ask about wintergreen berries.  

Ellen and C.L. provide the 1-2-3 steps to planting window boxes, discuss some really bad plant advice seen online, talk about easy vegetables to grow from seed, and answer a question about winter protection. :35 Plantrama 1 2 3: I want to put window boxes on the front of my house. 8:20 True or False:   Putting used diapers in the bottom of a hanging basket! 11:20 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Easiest Vegetables to Grow From Seed 20:22 Love Letters and Questions:   Harry asks ”Is it too late to wrap plants?”

In this episode you’ll learn how to make fritters (vegan and not), discover annuals that are easy to grow from seed, and hear about two opportunities to connect with your Plantrama hosts, live in 2020. :28 What’s For Dinner: Fritters Foraged and Farmed   Ellen’s Fritter recipe here. 6:50 Eat/Drink/Grow: Easiest Annuals To Grow From Seed     21:31  Love Letters and Questions: Two opportunities to meet us and learn more about plants. Northwest Flower and Garden Show GardenComm Save the Date for the annual meeting in 2020.