On The Ledge | Grow houseplants with the experts

Latest Episodes:

Episode 76: how to take great photos of your houseplants Dec 15, 2018

Show notes

Whether you're keeping records of houseplants' growth or showing them off on social media, taking photographs indoors can be tricky. I speak to three plant photographers to find out their top tips on lighting, framing and focusing your shot - and learn about some simple, inexpensive pieces of kit that can help you up your game. Plus - I answer a question about a Philodendron 'Pink Princess' that's letting its name down by being anything but pink.

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/bpQaQL

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 75: do houseplants clean the air? Dec 07, 2018

Show notes

You've read the headlines, but do houseplants really clean the air in your house? A Nasa study from decades ago is the oft-cited authority on the subject, but surely there must be some more recent research into the topic?

Thankfully, the answer is yes. Curtis Gubb is in the final year of a PhD at the University of Birmingham. He's working on a project to discover whether houseplants really do have a positive effect on air quality, working in partnership with the RHS. I chatted to him about his research findings so far, and found out a bit more about the truth behind the headlines on air quality and houseplants as a route to healthy skin

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/Z0Y6v0

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 74: Aquascaping with George Farmer Nov 30, 2018

Show notes

Professional aquascaper George Farmer turned his hobby into a successful career, becoming one of the stars of the aquarium scene. I visited his home in Cambridgeshire to find out where it all began, get some tips on how to get started with your first underwater landscape, and how his love of aquascaping helped him deal with PTSD in the wake of his previous career in active service as an RAF bomb disposal operative.

See here for full show notes: https://is.gd/Jc1QWB

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 73: Dutch houseplant adventures part two Nov 23, 2018

Show notes

I recently visited the Netherlands as a guest of The Joy of Plants; last week's episode covered my trip to the Flora Holland show, and this week I'm talking about the plants I saw at the three nurseries we visited the following day - Amstel BV, Ubink and Vireo.

James Wong was there too so we got to geek out over houseplants together - fun!

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/JPo3hS

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 72: Dutch houseplant adventures part one Nov 16, 2018

Show notes

I recently visited the Netherlands as a guest of The Joy of Plants; it was an informative and fun trip, and a brilliant opportunity to understand the fascinating world of Dutch ornamental plant production. This week I'm talking about the plants I saw at the Flora Holland trade show during day one of the visit - next week I'll cover the greenhouse growers we visited. Former OTL guest (I think we can now call him a regular…) James Wong was there too so we got to geek out over houseplants together - fun!

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/MBdUbl

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 71: Weird Plants by botanist Chris Thorogood Nov 09, 2018

Show notes

Houseplants are all weird and wonderful, but there are some that outdo the rest for their ability to surprise us.

Dr Chris Thorogood is a botanist at Oxford Botanic Garden with a clever sideline in painting brilliant pictures of the plants he loves and studies: his new book, Weird Plants, is a brilliant book for anyone who wants to delve a bit deeper into some of the strangest corners of the botanical world.

In today's episode I find out from Chris why engineers are studying the slippery qualities of Nepenthes pitchers, which creature uses Low's pitcher plant as a toilet, and why Stapelia flowers look mouldy.

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/P6okrd

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 70: OTL at the RHS London Urban Garden Show Nov 02, 2018

Show notes

I normally record On The ledge in my pyjamas with an unwashed face and a mug of tea at ten o'clock at night, so last Friday it was rather a novelty to be at the RHS halls in London, fully dressed and mostly clean, with a cocktail in my hand, recording an episode of On The Ledge in front of a live audience.

My guests were Alys Fowler, Birmingham-based gardener, garden writer and author of houseplant book Plant Love, and London-based horticulturist and garden designer Rob Stacewicz, both fellow plant addicts: I talked to Rob about his incredible UV Garden installation at the show showcasing, and finding out what's on Alys's plant Christmas list and taking questions from the audience.

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/xPyl3u

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 69: Jane Perrone's houseplant tour part two Oct 19, 2018

Show notes

If you've listened to episode after episode of me talking about my plants, and have wondered exactly what my plant collection looks like, now is your chance. (I did do a kitchen houseplant tour back in episode 38 but lots of plants have been moved since then…)

In this episode I offer up a tour of my kitchen and half of my sun room plants, and you can watch a video on YouTube as well as listening to an audio account here.

See here for full show notes: https://is.gd/ETbQKX

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 68: preparing your houseplants for winter Oct 12, 2018

Show notes

It's the time of year when we do the houseplant shuffle - that desperate effort to get all the houseplants safely inside before they are ripped apart by winter winds or rendered crinkly with an overnight frost. In this episode I demonstrate how I get a plant ready to come inside, and talk to Norwegian nursery owner and houseplant collector Tommy Tonsberg about how he gets his plants through the long winter.

See full show notes here: https://is.gd/W9TYIX

Want to unlock bonus content and listen or watch ad-free? Join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Check out The Atlas of Deadly Plants, Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants and my houseplant cards Houseplant Gardener in a Box here.

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Follow Jane Perrone on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseplantfans

Episode 67, part seven: Epiphyllum anguliger aka fishbone cactus Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

The first challenge with this plant is mastering its Latin name! The genus Epiphyllum belongs to the forest or orchid cacti, named for their orchid-like stems. Anguliger means 'angle bearing' and if you've seen the flattened stems of this plant you'll know why! Its striking zigzag or ric rac patterns make E. anguliger a popular feature on Instagram.

See here for full show notes: https://is.gd/il5mtB

Check out Legends of the Leaf, my book on houseplants http://legendsoftheleafbook.com

Support On The Ledge on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ontheledge

Follow Jane Perrone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.perrone

Join the Houseplant Fans of On The Ledge group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/house...

Join in #HouseplantHour on Twitter every Tuesday 9pm UK time (4pm ET): https://twitter.com/houseplanthour