Plantrama - Plants, Landscapes, & Bringing Nature Indoors

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.

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

C.L. and Ellen discuss what the weeds are telling you about your soil, the pros and cons of raised bed vegetable gardens, and the widespread myth about black walnut trees poisoning other plants. :32  Did You Know: Signature weeds 4:56 Eat/Drink/Grow: Raised beds 18:46   Inside Information Black Walnut myth busting

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about growing and foraging for mustard greens, explain what is meant by the term “hardening off,” and discuss a favorite spring flower. We wonder why pansies are said to “have faces” and answer Carl’s question about the brown leaves on his rhododendron.   :30 What’s For Dinner: Mustard greens, wild & tame 5:34 Plant Noob: What is hardening off? 13:44 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pansies and Violas 23:23 Love Letters and Questions: Browned leaves on evergreen plants.

At the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, Ellen and C.L. talked about foraging for garlic mustard and C.L.’s favorite summer squash. We give recommendations for plants that Bambi and Thumper don’t like, and take questions about succulents and mushrooms. :35    What’s for dinner: garlic mustard and summer squash 7:40   Insider info: deer and rabbit resistant plants 19:58   questions: succulents indoors or outdoors and mushrooms in the garden

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.

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.

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.

This episode covers how and when to make new gardens without tilling, witch hazel shrubs, growing hops vines, and dealing with the neighbors’ dogs. :30 True or False? Do you have to turn up the soil when you’re creating new gardens? 7:18 Plant Noob:  Witch hazel shrubs – fall or winter flowering.  10:49 Eat/Drink/Grow All about hops vines. Growing for ornament or beer. 19:55 Love Letters and Questons: Carolyn wonders how to keep her neighbors’ dogs from “doing their business” in her gardens.   Use the code PODCAST19 for $5 off of an order of $40 or more from our friends at AMERICANMEADOWS.COM Check out Ellen's course: The Wild Spice Cabinet: 11 Foraged Herbs & Spices that Will Change the Way You Cook on her website. 

Find out if you need to soak seeds before planting them, how to grow better root crops, and if it’s OK to put sawdust in the garden. We also talk about sorrel – the weed and the cultivated vegetable. :34 What’s For Dinner: Sorrel – yes, it’s a weed. Yes, it’s a vegetable. Yes, it’s delicious. 4:10 Insider Information: Soaking seeds. You might have heard that all seeds should be soaked before planting. This isn’t necessarily true… 8:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: Root Crops – how to grow better edible roots. 20:26 Love Letters and Questions: John wants to know if it’s OK to put sawdust in his garden.

In this episode you’ll hear about how bees need both pollen and nectar, why you might be able to find Meyer Lemons without growing them, when roses should be pruned and a houseplant called “climbing onion.” :30 Did You Know: Meyer Lemons might be foraged? 4:02 Eat/Drink/Grow: Making the bees happy with pollen and nectar. 14:40 Inside Information: There’s an easy to grow houseplant called the climbing onion. (aka Bowiea volubilis) 18:07 Love Letters and Questions: Sandy asks when roses should be pruned.

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.

Double digging of soil, repotting plants in larger pots, and growing hot peppers, are on today’s episode. Discover starting peppers from seed and preserving them after harvest, plus learn if the “hot lips plant” is for real. :28  True or False? Double digging – what is it and is it necessary when starting a garden? 6:47  Plant Noob:   Do I need to use a larger pot when repotting a plant? 11:30   Eat/Drink/Grow Many like it hot! Everything you ever wanted to know about spicy peppers 23:05   Love Letters and Questons: Is the “hot lips plant” real?  

C.L. and Ellen discuss wilted plants and how to tell why they are drooping, we recommend two newsletters to sign up for, and discuss the bark on trees…what it does and why it’s different on each type of tree. Ellen tells us the story of how she went from a Broadway performer to plant geek, and we answer Ami’s question about plants to put on a sunny slope. :30 True or False? A wilted plant needs watering. 3:48 Plant noob: Great newsletters to subscribe to. Ned Friedman’s observations from the Arnold Arboretum Adam Haritan’s newsletter, Learn Your Land.   7:20 Eat/Drink/Grow:   Tree Bark - what it is, what it does, and why it’s different for the various types of trees. 11:49 Story Time: Ellen’s story about how she became a “plant person.” 14:48 Love Letters and Questions  Ami asks about planting on a sunny slope.

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

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.

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.

In Episode 64 C.L. and Ellen discuss the “rainbow rose scam,” how to handle the plants in a dish garden, growing and eating Jerusalem artichokes, and smaller sunflowers for the garden. :28 True or False? You Can Grow Rainbow Roses From Seed 4:49 Plant Noob: What to do with a dish garden long term 8:19 Eat/Drink/Grow: Jerusalem artichokes - Helianthus tuberosus, aka sunchokes. 17:10 Love Letters and Questions: Sandy asks about growing dwarf sunflowers   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.

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.

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!