Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors

Seed Planning, Catching Up, and See You In Seattle Jan 26, 2023

Ellen and C.L. talk about three interesting edibles from the True Leaf Market catalog, explain what they’re working on and catch up with some listener emails. They end by talking about seven seed starting tips offered by our friends at Gardeners Supply Company, and invite listeners to join them at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle.

:30 What’s For Dinner: Our top picks from the True Leaf Market catalog

7:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: What's new with the Plantrama team.

19:46 Insider Information: 7 tips for seed starting

Tasty meals, New Plant Discoveries and a Dormant Period Sep 15, 2022

We’re talking about garlic and crabapples, plants that are new to our hearts, and some interesting research on bulbs done at Cornell University. Plus some words of appreciation for all of our listeners…Plantrama people are the best!

See the bulb research information here.

:27 What’s For Dinner: What C.L.and Ellen love for tasty meals.

5:14 Eat/Drink/Grow: New Plants…new to us, that is.

15:21 Insider Information: Bulb research from Cornell University

23:03 Love Letters and Questions: We’re entering a dormant period, but here’s our shout out to all of our listeners.

Rusty Nails For Blue Hydrangeas, Queen Anne_s Lace, and Too Many Plants Sep 08, 2022

Learn about turning Hydrangea flowers blue, how to tell if you’re looking at Queen Anne’s lace or the poison hemlock, and not enough room for all these plants! Plus C.L. loves listening to the Audible version of Michael Pollen’s book, This is Your Mind on Plants.

:29 True or False: To turn Hydrangeas blue, place rusty nails in the ground

3:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Queen Anne’s Lace and Poisonous Look-Alikes

15:04 Check This Out: Michael Pollen’s book “This is Your Mind on Plants”

20:30 Love Letters and Questions: Candace writes: “There isn’t room in my house for all of these plants…not if I want to say married. Help!”

Peppers, Dry Summers, and a Clover Lawn Sep 01, 2022

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

Encore Snacks, Outdoor Office and Entertaining Aug 25, 2022

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.

Encore of Yellow Leaves, Fall Vegetables and Bringing Houseplants Inside Aug 18, 2022

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/

Encore Mulch, Nitrogen and Smart Weeds Aug 11, 2022

Ellen and C.L. discuss whether the use of mulch robs the soil of nitrogen, and we take a dive into the Polygonaceaefamily…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!

Thanks to our sponsors at Dramm Rainwands!

https://rainwand.com/

Encore of End of Summer Flavors, Taking Cuttings, Transplantation Aug 04, 2022

In this encore 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.

:32 What’s for dinner: End of Summer Flavors! Partially ripe wild grapes and home grown tomatoes with creamy brie and fresh basil.

5:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: taking cuttings. If you want to propagate a favorite shrub, perennial or tree, now is the time for making cuttings.

21:22 Did You Know? Fall transplanting. Which plants can be moved early in the fall?

28:02 Love Letters and Questions: bring your houseplants indoors but leave the bugs outside.

Pickles, Small Trees, and Dealing with Bare Spots Jul 28, 2022

What can you pickle this summer? Should you buy a tree that’s tiny? Ellen and C.L. discuss these topics, plus what to do with bare or just unattractive spots in the garden, and whether summer planting makes sense in July.

:29 What’s for dinner: Pickles. 7:12 Insider Information: Don’t be afraid to start with small shrubs and trees! 12:30 Eat/Drink/Grow: Dealing with bare areas where plants have died or construction had to happen. 22.52 Love Letters and Questions: Bailey wrote about moving to a new property in the heat of the summer.

Brought to you by our friends at https://rainwand.com/

Mulch killing weeds, Citrus from Seeds, and a Robot Weeder Jul 21, 2022

Have you wondered how, or if, mulch kills weeds? Have you tried to grow a citrus plant from a seed? Ellen and C.L. discuss these topics, and answer Dianna’s question about her kousa dogwood that isn’t doing well. Plus C.L. tells Ellen and our listeners about a robot that weeds in gardens.

:28 Plant Noob: Does mulch kill weeds? 6:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: Some considerations when growing citrus from Seed. 14:02 Check THIS Out!: Tertill: a solar-powered, robot weeder.

18:13 Love Letters and Questions From Dianna: “I purchased a kousa dogwood from a landscaper and they installed it for me.”

Foliar Feeding, Forks in the Garden and Auto-Flowering Cannabis Jul 14, 2022

Have you seen the photo of plastic forks, tines up, in the garden? Wondering about spraying fertilizer on the leaves of plants to give them added nutrients? And how about that auto-flowering type of Cannabis…should you be harvesting in July?

:36 True or False: Plastic forks in the garden? 7:21 Eat/Drink/Grow: Foliar feeding. 18:20 Love Letters and Questions: Manny asks about Cannabis

Raspberries, Rock Walls, and Perennial Bloom Jul 07, 2022

Ellen and C.L. talk about the difference between raspberries and blackberries, give suggestions for plants that grow well in the tiny spaces in rock walls, and discuss whether you should panic when you see bugs on a plant. We end with a listener’s question about a perennial garden filled with early-summer bloomers.

:30 What’s For Dinner: Raspberries

6:32 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants to grow in Rock Walls

18:19 Plant Noob: What to assume when you see an insect?

22:24 Love Letters and Questions: Leddy wonders if the perennials she bought in May can be brought into flower again.

Edible Flower Petals, Tap Roots and Crop Rotation Jun 30, 2022

C.L. and Ellen have suggestions for edible flower petals, whether you want to use them for visual or taste appeal. Hear a discussion about taproots - what are they and what they mean for you – and hear if you need to be concerned about crop rotation.

:38 What’s For Dinner: Flowers petals!

5:53 Eat/Drink/Grow: Tap roots.

20:18 Love Letters and Questions: Amanda asks: “Can you recommend any books or reliable resources for crop rotation?

Mint, Harvesting Garlic, and Plant Supports Jun 23, 2022

Ellen and C.L. discuss ways to use the mint you grow, the basics of harvesting garlic, and ways of supporting vegetables and newly planted trees. Plus we answer a listener’s question about spraying fertilizer directly onto foliage.

:33 What’s for dinner: Mint beyond mojitos 4:12 Insider Information: Harvesting Garlic 17:46 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plant supports. 26:40 Love Letters and Questions: Karen asks about spring fertilizer directly on plants.

Flea Beetles, a Book Review and Houseplants at Summer Camp Jun 16, 2022

Ellen and C.L. talk about a common insect that causes damage in many vegetable gardens: flea beetles. Next they address questions and issues that arise when houseplants have been put outside for the summer, review an inspiring new book, and answer Ryan’s question about possible ground cover crops for weed suppression in flower farms.

:28 Plant Noob: Flea beetles

7:37 Eat/Drink/Grow: So your houseplants are out for Summer Camp

18:12 Book Review: The Urban Garden

22:12 Love Letters and Questions: From Ryan about weed control in a flower farm.

Dead Trees, Early Flowering Perennials, and What NOW? Jun 14, 2022

C.L. and Ellen discuss what to do if your tree dies, and what actions to take when something has already happened and you need to respond or do your best to fix it.

:30 True or False: You should remove dead trees from your property

6:24 Eat/Drink/Grow: After the fact. Or, I’ve already done it! Now What???

22:00 Love Letters and Questions: Sandi asks: “When early flowering perennials such as blue salvia, peonies, or penstemon stop blooming, what do I do with them?

Dill, Planting in June and What Alliums Do Jun 02, 2022

: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?

Lettuce Wraps, Garden Diversity and Mediterranean Gardening May 26, 2022

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”

How to Fill Raised Beds, Hugelkulure and Garden Mentors May 19, 2022

The Plantrama team discusses the best way to fill a raised bed, why the practice called hugelkulture is getting so much buzz, a podcast recommendation, and finding a garden mentor.

:30 Plant Noob: Why you shouldn’t fill a raised bed with only compost. 5:24 Eat/Drink/Grow: Hugelkultur 16:29 Check THIS Out!: a plant podcast that C.L. loves. 18:48 Love Letters and Questions Morgan in Michigan writes about finding garden mentors.

Seed Info, Gardening in Clay and Potting Media May 12, 2022

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

Pasta, Catkins, and Roses oh my! May 05, 2022

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

Spring Salads, Organic Fertilizers, and Clematis Apr 28, 2022

In this episode Ellen and C.L. celebrate spring salads, discuss organic fertilizers and discuss the many ways to grow vining Clematis.

:28 What’s for dinner: Spring Salads

6:24 Insider Information: Organic fertilizers

11:03 Eat/Drink/Grow: Clematis

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Rainwand.com

Raised Beds, Labeling Plants and Check THIS Out! Apr 21, 2022

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/

Fertilizers, Cannabis, and Plant Roots Apr 14, 2022

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?

Strawberries and Soil Temperatures Apr 07, 2022

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

Spring Greens, Plants for Arbors, and Forced Bulbs Mar 31, 2022

Spring Greens, Plants for Arbors, and Forced Bulbs

In the last episode for March Ellen and C.L. answer the last batch of questions collected at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. Many of these focus on plants for arbors and pergolas.

:28 What’s for dinner: Spring Greens 3:37 Insider Information: Can a night blooming Cereus grow indoors in AK? 5:27 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants for arbors, pergolas and trellises 18:16 Love Letters and Questions: From Rachel about a forced hyacinth bulb

Parsley, Outdoor Furniture, Insect Repellants and Plant Empowerment Mar 24, 2022

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

Garden Design, Strawberries in a Greenhouse, and Dog Business Mar 17, 2022

Hear about how to garden if you move frequently, creating consistent gardens in sun and shade, colors that work together, and growing strawberries in a greenhouse. That and keeping the neighbor’s dogs from killing plants when they urinate on them.

With thanks to our sponsors:

Storey Publishing, Gardener's Supply Company and Botanical Interest Seeds!

1:06 Plant Noob: The neighbor’s dogs kill my plants on the sidewalk!

4:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Designing Gardens – questions from the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival

17:09 Insider information: purple hyacinth beans...edible or poison?

17:57 Love Letters and Questions Growing strawberries in greenhouses

Hydrangeas, Peonies and Vegetable Garden Soil Mar 10, 2022

Questions from the 2022 Seattle flower show continue, with blue, mophead hydrangea blooming and pruning in our main segment. Ellen and C.L. also talk about pH for vegetable gardens and peonies that stop blooming.

This episode brought to you by our friends at Dramm - makers of rainwands and other garden gear.

:45 The Plant Noob: How important is soil pH for vegetables 6:56 Eat/Drink/Grow: Hydrangea Happiness 18:17 Love Letters and Questions: 30 year old peony stopped blooming.

Raspberries, White Flower Gardens, and Fungus Gnats Mar 03, 2022

C.L. and Ellen answer questions that were submitted at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. They discuss pruning raspberries, great plants with white flowers, and how to get rid of fungus gnats.

1:31 What’s For Dinner: Raspberries!

10:14 Eat/Drink/Grow: Gardens with White Flowers.

21:56 Insider Information: Fungus Gnats

With thanks to our sponsors at the NWFGS: Storey Publishing.

Gardener's Supply Company, and Botanical Interest Seeds.

Breakfast Alternatives, and Growing Peppers Feb 24, 2022

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.

Pollinating Citrus Indoors, Plant Professions, and Relief for the Covid Cranky Feb 17, 2022

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.

Growing Perennials and Cannabis From Seed and Plant Communications Feb 10, 2022

Have you ever wondered if plants talk to each other? Do you want to have a big number of perennial plants cheaply? Would you like to know what it takes to grow Cannibis from seed? Ellen and C.L. cover these topics in this episode.

:30 True or False: Plants talk to each other. 7:22 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Perennials From Seed 21:06 Love Letters and Questions: R.B. wrote: “Last year I tried growing Cannabis from seed and it was a failure.

Cilantro, Plants for Your Sweet Tooth, and Weeds Feb 03, 2022

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

Dried Mushrooms, Identifying Evergreens, and Repotting Houseplants Jan 27, 2022

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.

Plant Empowerment and Bromeliad Bloom Jan 20, 2022

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.

Eggshells, Moss and Terrariums Jan 13, 2022

The Plantrama team discusses the common belief that eggshells provide quick calcium for plants. Next we look at the myths, misunderstandings and misuse of moss, and end with a question about making a terrarium.

:30 True or False: Eggshells are good calcium for gardens

4:45 Eat/Drink/Grow: Moss.

21:37 Love Letters and Questions: Ricci asks about terrariums

Chestnuts, Hellebores, and Growing Foxgloves Jan 06, 2022

Ellen and C.L. talk about eating chestnuts, the perennial plant that’s commonly called hellebores, and what it means when you are talking about pesticides. We end with a listener’s question about growing foxglove plants from seed.

:34 What’s For Dinner: Chestnuts

6:31 Eat/Drink/Grow: Helleborus

17:50 Insider Information: Define “Pesticide”

21:38 Love Letters and Questions: Lynn asked about propagating foxgloves

Grafting, Starting Pepper Plants, and Rice Alternatives Dec 30, 2021

We start out discussing what can be substituted for rice when you cook. Our main segment is about grafted plants, and we end with a discussion about vegetable seeds that you might want to start in the winter, and whether it’s worth it to save a poinsettia from year to year.

:30 What’s For Dinner Alternatives to rice 9:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: Grafting and Grafted Plants 18:46 Insider Information: Vegetable seeds that get started early. 22:29 Love Letters and Questions: Kenny wrote: Poinsettia…save it or not?”

Heavy Amaryllis Flowers, Cuttings and Cyclamen Dec 23, 2021

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.

Bare Root Plants, Dracaena and Pruning Dec 16, 2021

In this episode C.L. and Ellen explain what “bare root plants” are and why you might want them. Next, they talk about the genus Dracaena, which includes some of the most popular houseplants. They end by disagreeing about general rules for pruning (sorry Morgan).

:27 Plant Noob: Bare Root plants

11:55 Eat/Drink/Grow: Dracaena

20:21 Love Letters and Questions: Morgan requests some easy rules of thumb about pruning.

Mulching Perennials, Moth Orchids and Leaving The Leaves Dec 09, 2021

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.

Plant and Garden Gifts, Ordering Seeds and Alternative Garden Audio Dec 02, 2021

Ellen and C.L. give ideas for the best low-tech kitchen tools, gift suggestions for all on your list, and tips for why ordering your seeds now is a good idea. We end with some audible plant-based listening suggestions for a listener.

:29 What’s For Dinner: Some suggestions for must-have, low-tech kitchen equipment 8:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Our suggestions for plant/garden related gifts for the new homeowner, the first-time vegetable gardener, the houseplant lover, and the forager. 18:19 Insider Information: Seed orders now? 20:13 Love Letters and Questions: Morgan asks for other plant-based listening suggestions.

Yams vs Sweet potatoes, Root Nodules and Fungal Diseases Nov 25, 2021

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.

Low-Light Houseplants, Money Plant and Cleaning Indoor Foliage Nov 18, 2021

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?

Drying Herbs, Pruning Evergreens, and Bird Attack Nov 11, 2021

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.

Cranberries, Potting Soils, and a Too-Tall Houseplant Nov 04, 2021

Ellen and C.L. talk about cranberry recipes that go beyond the traditional “cranberry sauce.” They discuss potting “soils” and their composition, and give a listener advice about a Dracaena fragrans (aka corn plant) that has gotten too tall.

:31 What’s For Dinner: Cranberries

8:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: Potting Mixes

24:26 Love Letters and Questions: From Bailey, a tale of the too tall dracaena

Apples, Augers, Old Wood and Tomatillos Oct 28, 2021

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.

Spring Flowering Bulbs, Amaryllis and Fertilizing Houseplants Oct 21, 2021

The Plantrama team discusses the importance of soil temperature when planting bulbs for spring bloom. In the main segment we talk about handling the amaryllis bulbs you have kept from last winter, and how to bring them into flower in December. We end with a question about how frequently houseplants should be fertilized.

:29 Insider Information: Bulbs have their own “anti-freeze!”

7:16 Eat/Drink/Grow: Amaryllis in the fall

16:22 Love Letters and Questions: Peter asks about fertilizing houseplants.

Root Stimulator, and Houseplants, Houseplants, Houseplants Oct 14, 2021

Ellen and C.L. discuss what root stimulator products are and if they are necessary when you plant. They also address why houseplants might drop leaves when you bring them back inside for the winter, and how to fit even more plants in your house.

:32 True or False: You should use a “root stimulator” that is high in phosphorous

9:14 Eat/Drink/Grow: Why houseplants and tropicals drop leaves when you bring them in for the winter.

19:43 Love Letters and Questions: Kim asks how to fit more plants in her apartment.

Fall Purees, Watering and Pesky Black Gnats Oct 07, 2021

In this episode we are making purées for use later in the winter, and considering when you might need to water in the fall. Ellen and C.L. discuss managing those pesky fungus gnats (tiny black flies) that can emerge from your houseplants, and we answer a question about using red pepper to deter rabbits, deer and other critters.

:29 What’s For Dinner: Fall purées 6:53 Eat/Drink/Grow: Fall watering. 14:48 Insider Information: Fungus gnats – again. 21:18 Love Letters and Questions: Anne asks about using hot pepper flakes for animal repellants.

Nuts, House Plants and Late Migrating Hummingbirds Sep 30, 2021

Hear about nuts for dinner, houseplants that will make you smile, and late-to-migrate hummingbirds. We also answer Kim’s question about perennial garden cleanup in the fall.

:30 What’s For Dinner Nuts!

11:17 Eat/Drink/Grow: House Plants that will make you happy all winter

20:30 Insider Information: Supporting late-to-migrate hummingbirds.

23:18 Kim writes: Do I need to clear out a perennial garden? Does a garden really need to be “put to bed?”

Nuts, House Plants and Late-to-Migrate Hummingbirds Sep 30, 2021

Hear about nuts for dinner, houseplants that will make you smile, and late-to-migrate hummingbirds. We also answer Kim’s question about perennial garden cleanup in the fall.

:30 What’s For Dinner Nuts!

11:17 Eat/Drink/Grow: House Plants that will make you happy all winter

20:30 Insider Information: Supporting late-to-migrate hummingbirds.

23:18 Kim writes: Do I need to clear out a perennial garden? Does a garden really need to be “put to bed?”

Nuts, House Plants and Late-to-Migrate Hummingbirds Sep 30, 2021

Hear about nuts for dinner, houseplants that will make you smile, and late-to-migrate hummingbirds. We also answer Kim’s question about perennial garden cleanup in the fall.

:30 What’s For Dinner Nuts!

11:17 Eat/Drink/Grow: House Plants that will make you happy all winter

20:30 Insider Information: Supporting late-to-migrate hummingbirds.

23:18 Kim writes: Do I need to clear out a perennial garden? Does a garden really need to be “put to bed?”

Root Crops, Plant Protection and Flies Sep 23, 2021

Ellen and C.L. talk about root crops – potatoes, and sunchokes – and what “open pollinated” means. We discuss the pros and cons of protecting plants for the winter, and answer a listener’s question about plants that draw flies.

:36 What’s for dinner: Root Crops: Potatoes and Sunchokes 5:55 Insider Information: What does “open pollinated” mean? 10:34 Eat/Drink/Grow: Should Your Plants be protected for the winter? 23:00 Love Letters and Questions: Chris emails: “First time writer, long time listener. I have a fly question.”

Saving Plants Through the Winter and Preserving the Harvest Sep 16, 2021

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about how to decide which tender or tropical plants to save indoors through the winter, how to preserve your garden or foraging harvest, and whether weeds choose to grow where they blend in.

:32 Plant Noob: Deciding which tropicals/annuals to try and save through the winter. 9:05 Eat/Drink/Grow: Preserving The Harvest 19:45 Love Letters and Questions Morgan smart, chameleon weeds?

Compost, Witches Brooms and Pressed Flowers Sep 09, 2021

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

Growing Perennials From Collected Seed and Early Fall Color Sep 02, 2021

The Plantrama Partners-in-Plants start by discussing how to eat the parts of plants we often toss out or put into the compost. Next, we talk about growing new plants from the seeds that you might see right now in your perennial garden. We end by answering a listener’s question about what might make a shrub or tree turn bright colors very early in autumn.

:36 What’s For Dinner: Parts of plants we often ignore: Carrot stems, beet stems and queen Anne’s lace flowers.

11:12 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing perennials from the seeds you find in your garden

19:28 Love Letters and Questions: Shelley writes: What would cause a tree to turn colors and drop its leaves early in the fall?

Yellow Leaves, Fall Vegetables or Foraging, and Bringing Houseplants Inside Aug 26, 2021

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?”

The link to Ellen's rose hip soup recipe: https://backyardforager.com/rose-hip-soup-recipe-nyponsoppa/

Pasta Salad, Pineapple Weed, Transplanting, and Systemic Insecticide Aug 19, 2021

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.

Green Apples, Caffeine, and Corn Aug 12, 2021

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.

Cakes, Limited Room and Dense Raised Bed Plantings Aug 05, 2021

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/

Blueberries, Panicle Hydrangeas, and a Weed Wand Jul 29, 2021

In this episode Ellen and C.L. talk about the blueberry harvest, soil acidity or alkalinity, Hydrangea paniculata plants, spraying foliage with water in hot weather and a magical way to control weeds. (And no, there is not magic wand for weeds…let’s just get that cleared up before falsehoods start to be spread.

:40 What’s for Dinner: Blueberries 7:00 The Plant Noob: All about soil pH 15:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Panicle hydrangeas 25:03 Insider Information: Should you water your plant’s leaves in hot weather 28:42 Love Letters & Questions: Is there a magic wand for weeds?

Your Outdoor Office, Daylilies, and Mosquito Control Jul 22, 2021

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

Grilling, Fertilizing, Deer and Carnivorous Plants Jul 15, 2021

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.

Summer Cocktails, Pruning and Storm Damage Jul 08, 2021

We begin with summer cocktails in this best of Plantrama episode, then go on to talk about summer pruning, hail and dealing with storm damage. Ellen and C.L. are also united in their dislike of landscape fabric.

1:51 What’s for dinner: Summer Cocktails

6:46 Insider Information: Hail

9:36 Eat/Drink/Grow: Summer Pruning

14:54 The Plant Noob: Landscape Cloth

21:57 Love Letters & Questions: Summer Storm Damage

Roasted Vegetables, Mothballs, Bacteria and Clay Soil Jul 01, 2021

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.

Roasted Vegetables, Mothballs and Clay Soil Jun 30, 2021

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.

Plant-ID Apps, Bee Balm, and Japanese Beetles Jun 24, 2021

The Plantrama team presents farmed and foraged edibles for the end of June, and discusses how to tell if your plant-ID app has given you a correct identification. We celebrate The Year of the Monarda, and why beebalm has a place in most gardens. Plus Ellen and C.L. and talk about Japanese beetle control.

:37 What’s for dinner: End of June foraged food and the first crop of broccoli.

6:35 Insider Information: Ways to check accuracy of plant-identification apps.

11:03 Eat/Drink/Grow: It’s the year of the Monarda!

20:50 Love Letters and Questions: Kim wrote about a problem with Japanese beetles.

Check out the Mt Cuba Monarda Trials: https://mtcubacenter.org/trials/monarda/

See the National Garden Bureau’s Year of the Monarda information: https://ngb.org/year-of-the-monarda/

Weed Seeds, Artichokes, and Citrus Trees Jun 17, 2021

C.L. and Ellen discuss how weed seeds have an amazing ability to rest dormant in the soil for years. We peel back the layers of Artichokes, review a book about growing a mini fruit garden, and discuss keeping citrus trees happy indoors.

:36 Plant Noob: Weed seeds remain viable for decades…so

6:43 Eat/Drink/Grow: Artichokes

17:49 Book Review: Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden: Planting and Tending Small Fruit Trees and Berries in Gardens and Containers

19:52 Love Letters and Questions: Rachel asked about growing citrus trees indoors.

We reference this article from the New York Times.

Marking Your Territory, Elderberries, and Hydrangea Color Jun 10, 2021

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.

A Summer Cocktail Hour, Nitrogen-fixing Plants, and Pinching Annuals Jun 03, 2021

In this episode of Plantrama Ellen and C.L. answer a listener’s question about growing male Cannabis plants. They explain why it’s good to pinch many newly planted annuals, what nitrogen-fixing plants are, and celebrate an early summer cocktail hour.

:27 What’s For Dinner: It’s the cocktail hour in June!

3:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: Nitrogen-fixing plants.

16:39 Insider Information: Pinching annuals.

21:15 Love Letters and Questions: Is there value in a male Cannabis plant?

Photo below is Ellen's Butterfly Kiss cocktail.

BBQ, Soil Bacteria, and Annuals for the Kitchen Garden, Cutting Garden and Containers May 27, 2021

In this episode Ellen and C.L. discuss plants to grow or forage for with the barbeque in mind. They explain that not all microorganisms are good for all plants, give suggestions for great annuals, and talk about cutworm protection.

:40 What’s for dinner: Gearing up for the BBQ season.

7:30 Insider Information: Mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria

12:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Great annuals to grow this summer.

23.43 Love Letters and Questions: Paper cups around veggie stems?

Your Outdoor Office, Dwarf Conifers, Hand Watering and Hydrangeas May 20, 2021

Do you need shade for your outdoor office? Want a low-maintenance, colorful landscape? Do you hand-water your vegetable plants or want to make your hydrangea flowers blue? This episode addresses all of these issues!

:29 Your Outdoor Office: Ways to make shade

7:10 Eat/Drink/Grow: Dwarf Conifers

20:19 Insider Information: Hand-watering your vegetable

25:03 Love Letters and Questions: Coffee ground for blue hydrangeas

Planting in Square Holes, Plants for Small Arbors, and Long-Lived Perennials May 13, 2021

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.

Asparagus, Topiary, and The Deadly Nightshade May 06, 2021

The Plantrama team discusses growing and foraging for asparagus, reviews a lovely book about public gardens you ought to see, and answers a listener’s question about the weed called nightshade. They also disagree about topiary…C.L. loves them, Ellen? Not so much.

:32 What’s For Dinner: Asparagus ~ wild and garden grown

9:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Topiary

22:01 Book Review: George Weigel’s 50 American Public Gardens You Really Ought to See

24:28 Love Letters and Questions: Is nightshade a bad neighbor?

Earthworms, Passion Flowers and Carnivorous Plant Day Apr 29, 2021

C.L. and Ellen tackle the myth that earthworms can grow once cut in half. They extol a favorite vine, the Passiflora, celebrate World Carnivorous Plant Day with margaritas, and discuss water-filled plant protectors.

:27 True or False? Earthworms regrow.

3:53 Eat/Drink/Grow: Passion flower vines

14:05 Insider Information: World Carnivorous Plant Day is May 5th

17:35 Love Letters and Questions: Reginia asks if we can comment on water-filled tomato protection.

Cress, Spring Flowers, and Old Carpet as Mulch Apr 22, 2021

Spring plants are first and foremost in this episode as we talk about cress, foraged and farmed, the Year of the Hyacinth, and two spring flowers, Ranunculus and Bellis perennis. Ellen and C.L. tell Paul why old carpet might not make the best mulch.

:40 What’s for dinner: Cress wild and tame.

10:13 Insider Information: The National Gardening Bureau says it’s the year of the Hyacinth.

14:02 Eat/Drink/Grow: About 2 Spring Plants

23:07 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks, “Does old carpet make good mulch in a vegetable garden?”

Edible Flowers, Zucchini Problems, and White Specks in Potting Soil Apr 15, 2021

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?

Fertilizing, Rhododendrons, and Plants That Lead to Divorce Apr 08, 2021

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?

Earthy Flavors, Soil Temperatures and Houseplant Growth Apr 01, 2021

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

Spring Pestos, Photosynthesis, Mulch and Fennel Seeds Mar 25, 2021

If you think that pesto has to be made of basil, think again! Ellen and C.L. talk about spring pestos, how quickly plants start to photosynthesize, and discuss the pros and cons of various types of mulch. We end with a question about the best fennel to grow if you want the seeds.

:34 What’s for dinner: Spring Pestos! Make pesto before the basil has even germinated.

4:58 Insider Information: How quickly does photosynthesis start?

8:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Much about Mulch

24:15 Love Letters and Questions: Cassy asks about growing fennel for seeds, not greens or bulbs.

Diagnosing Houseplant Problems, Plant Terms and a Focus on Fertilizer Mar 18, 2021

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?”

Are Sunflowers Poisonous, Green Flowers, and Aggressive Plants Mar 11, 2021

C.L. and Ellen rave about green flowers, explain the difference between aggressive and invasive plants, and discuss the common belief that sunflowers poison other plants. Plus we answer Meredith’s question about why cut flowers don’t grow roots.

:40 True or False: Sunflowers poison other plants 5:19 Eat/Drink/Grow: Green Flowers! 14:51 The Plant Noob: The difference between aggressive and invasive plants. 19:31 Love Letters and Questions: Meredith asks “What makes some plants easy to propagate, and others not-so-easy?”

Spring Tonics, Planting Seeds Too Early, and Direct Sowing Mar 04, 2021

Did you know that a spring tonic doesn’t have to be a drink? Hear Ellen and C.L. talk about tonics, what to do if you’ve started your seeds too early, the definition of direct sowing and vegetables for hot climates.

:30 What’s For Dinner: What’s your spring tonic?

4:57 Eat/Drink/Grow: Starting seeds too early.

15:31 Insider Information: What does it mean to direct sow?

19:50 Love Letters and Questions: Erik writes about growing vegetables in Texas.

Frozen Greens, Cannas, and Peroxide in the Garden Feb 25, 2021

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

Standards, Yarrow, Voles and a Book Review Feb 18, 2021

Ellen and C.L. explain what a “standard form” plant is and why you might want to plant the perennial yarrow in your landscape. Hear a rave review of Jessica Walliser’s new book about science-based companion planting, and learn about vole trails.

:30 Plant Noob: What’s a “standard?” 4:13 Eat/Drink/Grow: Achillea, aka yarrow 14:16 Product Review: Plant Partners book review 19:45 Love Letters and Questions: Tedi wonders about the trails she sees in her garden after a snow melt.

Sterilizing Soil, Growing Peppers and Water for Houseplants Feb 11, 2021

If you’re wondering about sterilizing soil for seed starting, growing peppers in your vegetable garden, or the best water for your houseplants, this episode is for you.

:30 True or False: You should bake garden soil in the oven, then use it to start your seeds indoors. 5:35 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Peppers 19:53 Love Letters and Questions: Kari wrote to ask about chlorine in water for houseplants.

Fennel, Epiphytes and Pelleted Seed Feb 04, 2021

:30 What’s For Dinner: Fennel 7:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Epiphytes – what they are, some common houseplants that are epiphytic, and what this means for how we care for those plants. 15:03 Insider Information: What are pelleted seeds? 19:44 Love Letters and Questions: Melissa writes about paperwhite narcissus.

Ellen and C.L talk about growing fennel, what an epiphytic plant is, and why you may want to try some pellitized seeds. We answer Melissa’s question about why some paperwhite narcissus are more fragrant than others.

Link to Brent and Becky’s Bulbs: https://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/Narcissus/Ziva/Narcissus

Herbs, Plant Pinching and African Violets Jan 28, 2021

In this episode of Plantrama we talk about essential herbs to grow or forage for, pinching plants to make them bushy, African violets and a Zoom houseplant event in February.

:28 What’s for dinner: Essential herbs to grow or forage for.

7:40 Insider Information: “Pinching” tips off of plants to make them bushier.

12:33 Eat/Drink/Grow: African violets – Saintpaulia

21:02 Connections: Zoom with us the Plantrama Team!

Male and Female Plants, and Plants That Clean Soil Jan 21, 2021

Ellen and C.L. discuss plants that male or female, how some plants are used to remove harmful substances from the soil, and why it might be good to test old seed instead of automatically tossing it out.

:27 Plant Noob: Dioecious plants

8:33 Eat/Drink/Grow: Phytoremediation

16:48 Love Letters and Questions: Karen wrote to ask about the seeds she has left from past years.

Rainbow Tomatoes, Jade Plants, and Lichen Jan 14, 2021

The Plantrama team discusses the clearly fake rainbow tomatoes, growing the wonderfully real jade plants indoors, and Ellen’s new craft cocktail class.

:30 True or False: Rainbow Tomato Seeds

3:17 Eat/Drink/Grow: Jade plants: Crassula

13:29 Insider Information: Ellen’s online craft cocktail course

17:30 Love Letters and Questions: Anthony writes asking why lichen seems to shrink and grow.

Quiche, Worm Poop, and Prickly Pear Cactus Jan 07, 2021

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.

Celebratory Cocktails, Small Greenhouses, and Sticks on Fire Dec 31, 2020

In this New Year’s Eve podcast, Ellen and C.L. raise a glass to toast a better year ahead. Hear about small in-home greenhouse/terrariums, learn about “pencil cactus,” and listen to our answer for Quinn, who wants to fertilize his Ohio lawn in the winter.

:30 What’s For Dinner: Celebratory Cocktails 6:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Tiny Home Greenhouses 12:57 Plant Noob: Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' 21:00 Love Letters and Questions: Quinn wrote to ask about whether it’s too late to fertilize his lawn in Ohio.

Hoyas, Garden Styles, and Stems that Photosynthesize Dec 24, 2020

Hear about an easy and elegant houseplant as Ellen and C.L. talk about Hoyas. Learn about determining your garden style, and discover how plants without leaves might still be photosynthizing.

:30 Insider Information: All about hoyas 8:34 Eat/Drink/Grow: Knowing or learning what your garden style is. 20:24 Love letter and Questions: Did you know that green stems are capable of photosynthesis?

Anthuriums, GMO Seeds, and Good Winter Reads Dec 17, 2020

Looking for an amazing houseplant that flowers all year? Worried that the seeds you buy might be GMO’s? Could you use a good book to read this winter? All of these topics and using shredding paper in the garden, in this episode.

29 Plant Noob: Are some seeds available to home gardeners GMO? 4:21 Eat/Drink/Grow: Amazing Anthuriums 14:15 Product Review: Good winter reads – fiction that features plants. 22:16 Love Letters and Questions Karl wrote asking if the stuff from his paper shredder would make good mulch.

Healthy Soil, The Christmas Rose, and Spider Plants Dec 10, 2020

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.

Cookies, Growing Ferns Indoors, and Clearing Vegetable Gardens Dec 03, 2020

Hear about some savory/sweet cookies, learn about ferns that make attractive houseplants, discover the meeting of the term “entire margins,” and find out if you should clear out your vegetable garden…all in this week’s episode of Plantrama.

:32 What’s For Dinner: Cookies!

5:31 Eat/Drink/Grow: Ferns as houseplants.

17:40 Insider Information: What does “entire leaf margins” mean?

18:46 Love Letters and Questions: Deb asks if she has to clear the dead vegetables out of her vegetable garden now.

Spice Rubs, String-of-Pearls Plant and Starting COVID Gardens Nov 26, 2020

Discover spice rubs, a hot “Curio” houseplant, and hear what to do with the bulbs and other plants you haven’t yet placed into the ground.

:30 What’s for dinner: Spice Rubs for Meat and Tofu

5:18 Insider Information: A suddenly “hot houseplant” - Curio rowleyanus, syn. Senecio rowleyanus

9:34 Eat/Drink/Grow: When you forgot to put bulbs or other plants into the ground.

17:24 Love Letters and Questions: Did you start a “Covid Garden?” How was your experience? We want to hear your stories. How did planting make you feel? What was the most problematic thing, and what was the most joyful aspect of the process? Email us!

The Link for Ellen’s Wild Spice Cabinet online course: https://backyard-forager.thinkific.com/courses/The-Wild-Spice-Cabinet

Bulbs Growing In Fall and a Plant-Filled Zoom Room Nov 19, 2020

In this episode we consider how drought and snow effect plants, creating a plant-filled Zoom Room, and spring bulbs that come up before spring.

:30 Plant Noob: Is snow hard on plants?

7:05 Eat/Drink/Grow: Drought! The long-term consequences of dry periods.

14:23 A Plant-Filled Zoom Room: How to create a lush environment for your virtual work.

20:30 Love Letters and Questions Cara writes: “Some of my bulbs are coming up! I think they believe it’s spring…

Houseplant Fertilizers, Avocados and Cranberry Plants Nov 12, 2020

Hear Ellen and C.L. discuss fertilizers for houseplants, the amazing avocado, and cranberries, wild and cultivated.

:30 True or False: You have to use special fertilizer for each type of indoor plant.

5:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: Avocados are AMAZING!

14:40 Love Letters and Questions: Do cranberries grow under water?

Juniper Berries, Begonias and Orchid Pots Nov 05, 2020

Learn about eating juniper berries, bodacious begonias, pots for orchids and keeping cats away from plants.

:30 What’s For Dinner: Juniper berries

6:49 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Begonias

17:50 Insider Information: Do you need special orchid pots for your orchids?

20:40 Love Letters and Questions: Mark: My cat continues to want to climb my large monstera and dracanea plants!

Link to American Begonia Society: https://www.begonias.org/

Parsley, Garden Destinations and Evergreens On Balconies Oct 29, 2020

In this episode Ellen and C.L. discuss the herb that gets no respect, parsley. We also talk about planning garden trips for the spring, what evergreens will grow in containers on a balcony, and providing supports for indoor plants.

:28 What’s For Dinner: Parsley.

6:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plan a garden trip for next spring or summer.

13:55 Insider Information: Plant supports for indoor plants

22:36 Love Letters and Questions: Yolanda wrote to ask what evergreen she might plant in a large pot on an apartment balcony.

Propagating Succulents, Insect Lifecycles, and Collecting Rainwater Oct 22, 2020

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?”

Pumpkin Spice Plantrama Oct 15, 2020

For better or worse, in this episode Ellen and C.L. are delving into Pumpkin Spice. We start talking about allspice, and then do a deep dive into the plants that produce the flavors in the most popular seasonal latte offered at local coffee shops.

:30 True or False: Allspice is a mix of several spices. 3:44 Eat/Drink/Grow: Where do real pumpkin spices come from? 22:32 Love Letters and Questions Megan writes to ask if dried herbs and spices can go bad.

Painted pumpkin faces in our illustration were done by our friend, artist and illustrator John Sullivan.

Fertilizing, Fall Cocktails, and Houseplants Oct 08, 2020

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.

Vegetable Garden Wrap-up, Dandelions and Chestnuts Oct 01, 2020

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.

Perennial Plants and Perennial Gardens in Fall Sep 24, 2020

Hear what plant people mean when they talk about “the canopy,” learn about a must-have book if you grow perennials, and find out what you can do in perennial gardens in the fall. Plus a look at what’s growing in C.L.’s “bunny bin.”

:40 Plant Noob: What is “the canopy?” 2:26 Insider Information: the “bunny bin” 5:54 Book Review: Herbaceous Perennial Plants – Fourth Edition by Allan Armitage 10:19 Eat/Drink/Grow: The perennial garden in autumn. 22:13 Love Letters and Questions: A shout out to Andree.

Cherry Tomatoes, Silverberry and Saving Seed Sep 17, 2020

In this episode we talk about foraged silverberries, cherry tomatoes, saving seeds, and whether fall is the best time for planting. Ellen and C.L. end with a question from Jenna about possible uses for carrot tops.

:27 What’s for dinner: Silverberry and Cherry Tomatoes 7:27 Eat/Drink/Grow: Saving Seeds. When to do so, how to save, pros and cons. 16:32 True or False: Fall is the best time for planting.

22:14 Love Letters and Questions From Jenna: using carrot tops.

Mint, Outdoor Pots in Winter, and Transplanting in Fall Sep 10, 2020

Ellen and C.L. give you ideas for using all of that mint that has exploded in your gardens over the summer. We explain how to keep container plants through the winter without pot or plant death, and answer a listener’s question about transplanting in the fall.

:42 What’s For Dinner: What Can You Do With Mint? 7:43 Eat/Drink/Grow: Keeping Plants in Pots Through the Winter 19:47 Love Letters and Questions: Sandra emailed to ask if September is a good time to move shrubs.

Preserving Herbs, Pruning Large Shrubs and Cannabis Not Budding Sep 03, 2020

Learn the truth about calcium and the black blossom end rot on your tomatoes, hear about preserving the herbs you’ve grown, discover a better way to prone large shrubs, and find out why a Cannabis plant isn’t budding.

Our sponsor today is Territorial Seeds.

:40 True or False: Lack of calcium in the soil causes blossom end rot in tomatoes 8:05 Eat/Drink/Grow: Preserving Herbs 16:42 Insider Information: Limbing Large Shrubs UP 20:43 Love Letters and Questions: Cannabis not budding

Eggplant, Frost Protection, Drying White Hydrangeas Aug 27, 2020

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

Sedges and, Grasses, and Mildew, Oh MY! Aug 20, 2020

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.

Vegetables Crossing, Planting After Tree Removal and Tomato Leaves Aug 13, 2020

Wondering if your zucchini can cross with the neighbor’s pumpkins? Want to know about planting where a tree used to grow? Ellen and C.L. talk about those topics plus finding inexpensive plants for shade and curling tomato leaves.

:37 True or False: Zucchini can cross with pumpkins so that you get weird fruit. 3:11 Eat/Drink/Grow: Why a plant might not grow when put near where a tree used to be. 13:27 Plant Noob – Inexpensive plants for shade? An email from Madeline. 16:44 Love Letters and Questions: Ted asks why on some days the foliage on his tomato plant is curled.

Flower Power Cocktails, Vines, and Planting For Fall Vegetables Aug 06, 2020

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.

Your Outdoor Office, a Deep Dive into Daylilies and Mosquitos Jul 30, 2020

Ellen and C.L. give ideas for making your outdoor office (or Zoom Room) greener. We talk about the maintenance of daylilies, and answer a listener’s question about controlling mosquitos.

:32 Your Outdoor Office: Still working from home? You need greenery. 4:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: A Deep Dive into Daylilies. 16:58 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks if there is a natural way to help control mosquitos and if some plants really repel them.

Your Outdoor Office, a Deep Dive into Daylilies and Mosquitos Jul 30, 2020

Ellen and C.L. give ideas for making your outdoor office (or Zoom Room) greener. We talk about the maintenance of daylilies, and answer a listener’s question about controlling mosquitos.

:32 Your Outdoor Office: Still working from home? You need greenery. 4:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: A Deep Dive into Daylilies. 16:58 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks if there is a natural way to help control mosquitos and if some plants really repel them.

Your Outdoor Office, a Deep Dive into Daylilies and Mosquitos Jul 30, 2020

Ellen and C.L. give ideas for making your outdoor office (or Zoom Room) greener. We talk about the maintenance of daylilies, and answer a listener’s question about controlling mosquitos.

:32 Your Outdoor Office: Still working from home? You need greenery. 4:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: A Deep Dive into Daylilies. 16:58 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks if there is a natural way to help control mosquitos and if some plants really repel them.

Zucchini Mania, Plants That Change Spontaneously, and Top Foraging Plants Jul 23, 2020

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

Bolting vegetables, Houseplants Outdoors, and Tree Transplantations Jul 16, 2020

Wondering why your salad, broccoli or radishes are flowering? Thinking that the houseplants you put out for the summer aren’t looking fantastic? Learn about attractively arranging houseplants outside, summer orchid care, what “bolting” means in the veggie garden, and a good time to transplant a tree.

:30 Plant Noob: Why some vegetables “bolt” 8:53 Eat/Drink/Grow: Summer orchid care, houseplants at summer camp, and using indoor plants for outdoor décor 22:55 Love Letters and Questions Fred writes that he wants to move a small maple tree that was planted in the wrong place.

Mulch and Nitrogen, Smartweeds, and Aliens in Junipers Jul 09, 2020

Ellen and C.L. discuss whether the use of mulch robs the soil of nitrogen, and we take a dive into the Polygonaceaefamily…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.

Omelets, Peonies, Oak Galls and Soap in the Garden Jul 02, 2020

This episode will inspire you to make an omelet using vegetables you’ve grown or foraged for. Ellen and C.L. take a deep dive into peonies and all the questions people have about them not flowering, when to move them, how to control mildew and more. Finally, we clue you in about the fascinating (and mostly harmless) round growths on oak leaves, and advise a listener about the use of soap in the garden.

:33 What’s For Dinner Omelet Ideas, Farmed and Foraged 6:36 Eat/Drink/Grow: Peonies They’re finished flowering but you’ve got questions! 21:35 Insider Information: Oak Galls 25:19 Love Letters and Questions: My wife likes putting Irish Spring soap in our vegetable garden…

Weed Control, Brambles, and Pinching Cannabis Jun 25, 2020

If you’re wondering about growing blackberries or raspberries, want to know how to use a hoe for weed control or how to pinch your cannabis plants for bushy growth, this episode will help. Plus foraging for pineapple weed and growing pineapple sage.

:35 What’s for dinner: Pineapple weed, pineapple sage

6:32 Insider Information: When to use a hoe to control weeds in vegetable/annual/perennial gardens.

9:33 Eat/Drink/Grow: Brambles! Black raspberries, blackberries, raspberries

22:53 Love Letters and Questions: Tim writes to ask about pinching cannabis plants grown outside.

Pruning to Reduce Size, Pine needles and Milkweed Jun 18, 2020

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.

Eggshells, Roses and Growing Tall Verbena Jun 18, 2020

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

Early June Edibles, Vegetable Garden Problems, and Repotting Houseplants Jun 04, 2020

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.

Apricots, Cucamelons, Weed Management and Angels Trumpets May 28, 2020

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.

Fertilizing, Flowering Vines, and Elderberries May 21, 2020

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?

Dividing Perennials, Herb Gardens and Pruning Lilacs May 14, 2020

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.

Dandelion Flowers, Foodscaping, and A Plant That Won_t Flower May 07, 2020

: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?

Galvanized Containers, Cocktail Ingredient Plants and Other Q&A Apr 30, 2020

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?

Cocktails With Flower Power Apr 23, 2020

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.

Flower Power and the Cocktail Hour, Places and Plants Apr 16, 2020

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.

Box Store Plants, Bamboo and Saving a Money Tree Apr 09, 2020

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

Lettuce Wraps, Coriander and Replacing Ugly Junipers Apr 02, 2020

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.

Chopped Salad, Leaf Spot Fungus, and Attracting Hummingbirds Mar 26, 2020

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?”

Make Plant-able Pot, Low Maintenance Perennials and A Cannabis Book Review Mar 19, 2020

: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’)

Too Much Manure, Salt in Soils, and A Plant Threesome Mar 12, 2020

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

Spring Tonic Salads, Lemon Balm Herb, and Coconut Coir Mar 05, 2020

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.

Plantrama Reviews, Discovering New Plants, and Succulents for Boxes Feb 27, 2020

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.”

Cannas, Easy Perennials From Seed, and Wild Wintergreen Feb 20, 2020

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.

Windowboxes, Easy Vegetables from Seed, and Bad Garden Advice Feb 13, 2020

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?”

Fritters, Easy Annuals From Seed and a Career Building Vacation Feb 06, 2020

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.

Lasagna Without Pasta, Seed Starting Terms, and Flapjack Plant Jan 30, 2020

You can make a lasagna without pasta! We offer several ideas. Plus we explore seed starting terms such as thinning, damping off and seed leaves, and end with a discussion about the succulent flapjack plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora).

:30 What’s For Dinner: Lasagna without the pasta. 5:26 Eat/Drink/Grow: Thinning, damping off, and “seed leaves” – some seed starting basic terms. 18:41 Love Letters and Questions Emma writes about a flapjack plant.

Bitters, Terrariums, and Heat For Seed Germination Jan 23, 2020

This episode starts with talk about bitters, what they are, why you want them in a cocktail, and how to make your own. We go on to talk about the basics for making a terrarium and end with a question from a listener about using heat mats for starting seeds.

:30 What’s for dinner: Bitters. The link to Ellen's Recipes for bitters.

9:07 Eat/Drink/Grow: Terrariums

23:57 Love Letters and Questions: Hannah writes, “Do I need to use heat mats?”

Roses, Mealy Bug, and Sensitive Plants Jan 16, 2020

We begin this episode with the types of roses that are available for gardens, and which are the easiest to grow. Next we discuss the cottony bug that plagues many houseplants, the mealy bug. And we end with a question from a listener about the sensitive plant, a mimosa with leaves that close when you touch them.

:29 Plant Noob: The types of roses.

9:30 Eat/Drink/Grow: Mealy Bug.

17:12 Love Letters and Questions Byron writes that he’s a parent and wants to find some Sensitive Plant for his kids.

Monstera Plants and Growing Your Own Wedding Jan 09, 2020

Do you want to know what it takes to successfully grow a Monstera? Ellen and C.L. explain the first three things you need to know about this stylish plant. In the main segment we discuss options for DIY brides…or anyone planning to have a large event in their yard or garden. The episode ends by talking about what type of lights are needed for starting vegetable seedlings.

:33 Plantrama 1 – 2 – 3: “I want to grow a Monstera plant.”

4:41 Eat/Drink/Grow: Grow Your Own Wedding.

17:02 Love Letters and Questions: Gabby writes: “I want to grow my own vegetable plants from seeds this year. What kind of lights do I need?”

Nachos, Clivia, Dormancy, and Frosty Fern Jan 02, 2020

In this episode of Plantrama we talk about vegan Nachos, growing a Clivia plant, why some plants go dormant, and how to keep a frosty fern alive.

:31 What’s For Dinner: Nachos! C.L.'s Vegan nachos can be seen here.

5:07 Eat/Drink/Grow: Considering Clivia

13:25 Did You Know: What is a “dormant period” and do plants need one?

18:29 Love Letters and Questions: Meghan writes to ask how to keep her ‘frosty fern’ alive.

Heavy Amaryllis Flowers, Seed Catalogs and Houseplant Vacation Care Dec 26, 2019

In this episode we talk about using Sumac as a spice, how to keep those huge and how to prevent those heavy Amaryllis flowers from falling over and breaking off. In the main segment we discuss seed catalogs and end with Fred’s question about how he can keep his houseplants alive when he’s away on vacation. Plus a link to The Wild Spice Cabinet, Ellen’s online course.

:30 What’s for dinner: Using Sumac as a spice. Check out Ellen's Foraged Spice Class Here.

5:39 Insider Information: Supporting Amaryllis flowers

13:25 Eat/Drink/Grow: The seed catalogs are out!

19:15 Love Letters and Questions: Keeping houseplants alive while you’re on vacation.

Taming Overgrown or Too Large Gardens and Garden Design Tips Dec 19, 2019

We begin this episode with the importance of planting something new “at ground level.” Next Ellen and C.L. discuss what to do if your gardens have grown too large or unmanageable. We give garden design tips and end with Kerry’s request for different holiday plant suggestions.

:30 Plant Noob: The importance of digging a large enough hole. 6:21 Eat/Drink/Grow: What to do if your garden beds have “gotten away from you.” 17:27 Garden Design Tips: Straight lines are formal, groups are less so. Why odd numbers are important. 21:24 Love Letters and Questions Kerry asks for suggestions for holiday plants that aren’t Christmas Cactus, Cyclamen or Poinsettias.

semary, Native Switch Grass, and Moldy Cannabis Dec 12, 2019

This episode gives you some hints about growing and cooking with rosemary. Ellen and C.L. discuss what makes a plant deserve the label of “invasive” and we talk about Panicum virgatum, aka switch or panic grass. And speaking of panicking…P.J. writes about mold on his Cannabis buds.

:30 What’s for dinner: Rosemary

6:27 True or False: A plant that spreads quickly is invasive and should be avoided.

11:51 Eat/Drink/Grow: Panicum virgatum – aka switch grass

16:45 Love Letters and Questions: P.J. writes to say that his cannabis plants molded!

Twice Baked Potatoes, Norfolk Pines, and the Plantrama Gift List Dec 05, 2019

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?

A Houseplant Debate, Plants Underwater, and Hardy Palm Trees Nov 28, 2019

Have you wondered why some plants can live underwater but your houseplants die if you give them too much water? Hear why this is, which houseplants Ellen and C.L. recommend, and learn about “Secret Suppers” in this episode of Plantrama.

:33 Insider Information: Why some plants can grow under water while others rot and die in too much water.

9:20 Eat/Drink/Grow: Houseplant Debate!

20:12 Did You Know: A Secret Supper Learn more here.

24:58 Love Letters and Questions: Paul wants to know if there are palm trees that are cold hardy.

Late-To-Migrate Hummingbirds, Yellow Leaves, and Comparing Apples to Oranges Nov 21, 2019

Are you wondering if the plant with yellow leaves will recover and turn green again? Have you ever wondered if we can indeed compare apples to oranges? And what plants are good for a slope in part sun? Ellen and C.L. discuss all of these, and C.L. tells a story about a late-to-migrate hummingbird.

:27 Plant Noob: When leaves turn yellow, are they likely to turn back to green again?

5:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Comparing Apples to Oranges

8:18 Story: A late to migrate hummingbird.

16:34 Love Letters and Questions Sue wrote asking for recommendations for plants to hold soil on a slope that gets morning sun.

Edging Flower Beds, The Right Sized Pot, and A New Plant On the Block Nov 14, 2019

Do you like that nice, crisp line that edging a lawn provides in your landscape? Are you hungry for a delicious stuffing to prepare this Thanksgiving? Ellen and C.L. have thoughts and suggestions. They are also anxious to introduce you to the new kids on the block…not the band, but some great new varieties of a native shrub. All of that plus a discussion about the importance of the size of pots for indoor or outdoor containers.

:28 What’s for dinner: Wild mushroom and chestnut stuffing…foraged or store bought

3:50 True or False: Garden beds need to be “edged” every year.

11:02 Eat/Drink/Grow: New Kid On The Block: Diervilla shrubs!

17:30 Love Letters and Questions: Barbara wrote saying, “My question is about pots for container plantings.

Flower Fluctuations, Fall Pansies, and Are You Tired of Kale Yet Nov 07, 2019

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.

Straw Bale Gardens, Overwintering a Bay Tree and An Acorn Myth Oct 31, 2019

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

Ornamental Fun With Fall Grasses, Leaving the Leaves, and Wild Grapes Oct 24, 2019

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.

Late Planting or Transplanting, Outdoor Furniture in Winter, and Indoor Green Walls Oct 17, 2019

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

Compost, Drying Plants Upside Down, and Fried Sage Leaves Oct 10, 2019

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.

Plantrama Trailer Oct 08, 2019

Here's a taste of what the Plantrama Podcast is all about.

Fall Cocktails, Winter Protection and Growing Fig Trees Sep 26, 2019

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

Repotting Orchids, Coffee Plants, and Saving Seeds Sep 19, 2019

Do you need to repot an orchid? Want to grow a cup-a-Joe in your living room? Maybe you’re interested in saving seeds from plants you’ve grown in your garden, or you need a handy tool for deadheading and cutting flower bouquets. If any of this is of interest, have we got a podcast for you!

:28 Plant Noob: How to repot an Orchid 10:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Coffee plants 18:27 Product Review: Product review…garden snips by Corona and Dramm 22:17 Love Letters and Questions: Randi asks about saving seeds.

Overwintering Plants in Pots, Firepit Plantings, and Eating Dahlias Sep 12, 2019

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.

Flower Garlands, Fall Fix-ups, and Quince Sep 05, 2019

In this episode the Plantrama team talks about creating colorful flower garlands for a celebration, fall fix-ups for containers, gardens and curb appeal, and quince bushes or trees. We end with a question from Torry about what “soil amendments” are and what they can do.

:29 Just For Fun: Flower garlands

5:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Fall fix ups

15:31 Insider Information: Quince plants and their fruits

22:24 Love Letters and Questions: What on earth is soil amendment?

Green Tomatoes, Saving Tropical plants and Raccoons Eating Corn Sep 05, 2019

Ellen and C.L. discuss what to do with green tomatoes, saving tropical plants over the winter, and how plants get their names. We end by answering Kirk’s question about raccoons eating the sweet corn he grew this year.

:31 What’s For Dinner: Green Tomatoes.

4:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Saving Caladiums, Mandevilla and Cannas for next year.

16:55 Insider Information: How plants get their names

23:47 Love Letters and Questions: Kirk says the raccoons ate all his corn!

Fall Foraging, Critters and Borage Aug 29, 2019

Join Ellen and C.L. as they talk about silverberries (Elaeagnus umbellata), an easily grown herb with edible flowers (Borage), and what to do when the population of critters explodes. All that and some discussion about leaf shapes and cooperative extention services.

:28 What’s for dinner: Foraging for silverberries

4:02 Plant noob: Let’s talk about the borage plant.

8:19 Eat/Drink/Grow: Leaf shape vocabulary

15:47 Insider Information: Critter population explosion!

21:43 Love Letters and Questions: Maria reminds us about the importance of Cooperative Extension Services.

Summer Squash, Winter Squash and Eating Squash Flowers Aug 22, 2019

In this episode Ellen and C.L. squash a lot of information into about 25 minutes. We talk about how to prepare summer squash flowers, ways to judge if a winter squash is ripe, and coping with squash vine borers and powdery mildew on squash plants. Once we’ve been fully squashed, we move onto the berries on Staghorn Sumac.

:35 What’s for dinner: Eating squash flowers 5:26 Insider Information: How to tell if winter squash is ripe 10:08 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pests of Summer Squash 22:03 Love Letters and Questions: Are Sumac berries poisonous or edible?

Transplanting, End of Summer Plant Sales, and Cinnamon Fungicide Aug 15, 2019

Can you move plants now, in the summer? Is it smart to buy end of summer sale plants? Would you like the Earthkind Mosquito repellant? Could cinnamon be used for fungus control by putting it into the soil? These are the questions that C.L. and Ellen consider and answer in today’s episode.

:30 Plant Noob: Should you wait to plant or transplant in the fall? 8:30 Eat/Drink/Grow: Should you buy end of the summer sale plants? 18:30 Announcement: Live Plantrama Events on Cape Cod 19:10 Product Review: Earthkind Mosquito repellant 22:20 Love Letters and Questions: A question about cinnamon fungicide from Kristy

Stuffed Vegetables, Watering Lawns and Planting in Cracks Aug 08, 2019

Stuffing vegetables gets this episode off to a tasty start. Ellen and C.L. also consider the watering of lawns, how to grow plants in cracks of pavers, and what might cause a peony not to flower well.

:45 What’s for dinner: Stuff it! Stuffed vegetables and flowers. 6:03 True or False: Lawns need to be watered every other day. 13:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: Planting in the cracks. 20:57 Love Letters and Questions: Peony blooming question from Elizabeth

Painted Rocks, Powdery Mildew and Cannabis Flowering Aug 01, 2019

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.

Summer Cocktails, Summer Pruning and Summer Storm Damage Jul 25, 2019

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?

Easy Weed Control, Whitefly and Harvesting Root Crops Jul 18, 2019

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.

Roasting Summer Harvests, Mothballs and Bacteria Jul 11, 2019

We start this episode with information about roasting vegetables, and C.L. claims that roasted garden green beans taste as good as French fries. We then go on to trash the idea that mothballs can be used to repel animals in the garden, and talk about bacteria…the good, the bad, and the ugly. The episode ends with Chelsea’s question about growing plants in clay.

:35 What’s for dinner Roasted vegetables and foraged edibles 5:21 True or False: Use mothballs to repel animals from your garden? 7:48 Eat/Drink/Grow Bacteria…the good, the bad and the ugly 15:01 Love Letters and Questions: Chelsea asks about gardening in clay.

Fireworks, Pesto and Harvesting Garlic Jul 04, 2019

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

Coffee Grounds, Plant Emergencies, and Sweet or Savory Cooking Jun 27, 2019

Ellen and C.L. discuss garden or foraged ingredients that can swing both ways (sweet or savory), we discuss how to respond to a plant crisis, and examine the practice of putting coffee grounds in the garden.

:31 sweet or savory

4:17 coffee in the garden

8:35 don’t panic!

18:16 garden tours

Link to the blancmange recipe that Ellen speaks about.

Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival ~ ten days of garden tours Cape-wide.

GardenWalk Buffalo ~ a weekend of hundreds of open gardens.

Container Maintenance, Diagnosing Plant Problems and Product Picks Jun 20, 2019

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:

Radishes, Duct Tape, and Marauding Mint Jun 13, 2019

C.L. and Ellen debate whether duct tape can be used to fix broken branches, discuss radishes, help a listener deal with a garden thug that’s disguised as a popular herb, and talk about the importance of mycorrhizae.

:30 radishes and milkweed

4:38 duct tape

8:37 mycorrhizae

19:49 lawn full of mint

Foraged Ornaments, Edible Perennials and Tick Diseases Jun 06, 2019

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?

Peat Moss, Beautiful Containers and Organic Labeling May 30, 2019

Listening to this podcast will help you choose some great plants for mixed containers. You’ll find out why peat moss doesn’t make good mulch and why you’ll want to give every young person you know that book Gardening With Emma. And you’ll discover that just because a plant or product isn’t labeled “organic” doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily problematic.

30 Did You Know: Does peat moss make good mulch?

5:41 Eat Drink Grow: Planting beautiful containers.

19:48 Review: Gardening with Emma, a book about plants for young people.

24:33 Love Letters and Questions: Kip asks if non-organic plants, seeds and products contain poisons.

May Foraging, Annual Sunflowers and What Plants Do At Night May 23, 2019

In this episode you’ll hear what you can forage for in May, learn about what plants do in the nighttime, and discover the joy of planting annual sunflowers. Ellen and C.L. also explain how some plants deliver beauty inside during the winter and outdoors in the summer. Plus we answer Sara’s email asking if it’s too late to plant in her yard and gardens.

:32 What’s For Dinner: May foraging

4:27 Insider Information: What plants do at nighttime.

10:49 Eat/Drink/Grow: Why you should grow annual sunflowers.

17:00 Did You Know: Double duty plants. Why some plants can be used for outside décor and indoor plants.

22.39 Love Letters and Questions: Sara asks if it’s too late to plant.

May Cocktails, Liming Lawns and Gorgeous Salads May 16, 2019

In this episode Ellen and C.L. toast the month of May with spring cocktails, explain how to figure what amount of mulch you need, and talk about creating beautiful salads that are foraged or farmed. Plus we end with Pete’s question about liming lawns.

:35 What’s For Dinner? A toast to May! Spring cocktails.

4:48 Did You Know? How to calculate how much mulch or loam you need.

9:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Gorgeous salads, gardened or foraged.

17:11 Love Letters and Questions: Pete asks about liming lawns

Formula for calculating cubic feet of mulch or soil: L (in inches) x W(in inches) x D (in inches) ÷ 1728 = cubic feet

Planting Shrubs & Trees, Tums for Tomatoes, and Eating Dandelion Flowers May 09, 2019

Learn how you can eat dandelion flowers, the best method for planting shrubs and trees and why perennials may need to be split and divided periodically. Plus the Plantrama team talks about planting tomatoes with Tums… a good idea, or not?

:30 True or False: Plant your tomatoes with tums to prevent blossom end rot. 5:27 Plant Noob: What’s this I hear about dividing perennial plants? 13:45 Eat/Drink/Grow: planting trees & shrubs 21:21 Love Letters and Questions: How to eat dandelion flowers?

Dealing With Deer, Pebble Trays For Houseplants, and Live Show Questions May 02, 2019

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.

Dock, Dill, May baskets, Stems, and Squash Bugs Apr 25, 2019

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

Signature Weeds, Raised Beds, and Black Walnut Myths Apr 18, 2019

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

Mustard Greens, Pansies and Brown Leaves After Winter Apr 11, 2019

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.

Deer or Rabbit Resistant Plants and More From Seattle Apr 04, 2019

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

Eating Japanese Knotweed, Some Must-Plant Vegetables, and Mandevilla Vine Mar 28, 2019

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.

Soil Testing, Planning Your Tomato Garden, Fiendish Weed Seeds Mar 21, 2019

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.

Fiddlehead Ferns and Comparing Cannabis and Tomatoes Mar 14, 2019

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.

New Beds, Hops, and The Neighbors Dogs Mar 07, 2019

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.

Sorrel, Seeds, and Sawdust in the Garden Feb 28, 2019

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.

Foraged Lemons, A Bees Point of View, and Pruning Roses Feb 21, 2019

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.

Leaf Edges, Containers for Seedlings and Hazardous Potting Mix Feb 14, 2019

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.

Repotting, Double Digging, and Spicy Peppers Feb 07, 2019

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?

ilted Plants, Tree Bark, and Planting on Steep Slopes Jan 31, 2019

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.

Oyster Mushrooms, Aphids, and Pass-Along Houseplants Jan 24, 2019

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

Shagbark Hickory, Starting Flowers From Seed, and Organic Fertilizers Jan 17, 2019

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.

Fragrant Plants Indoors, Eating Spruce Tips, and Plantrama Seattle Jan 10, 2019

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.

Rainbow Roses, Dish Garden Care, and Jerusalem Artichokes Jan 03, 2019

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.

Wintergreen, Bromeliads and GMO Seeds Dec 27, 2018

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.

Nematodes, Avocados and Berms Dec 20, 2018

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!

Juniper Berries, Banana Plants and Perennials From Seed Dec 13, 2018

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.

Lucky Bamboo, Bracts and Pruning Evergreens Dec 06, 2018

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.

Getting a Peace Lily to Bloom, Human Hair in the Garden, and Biennials Nov 29, 2018

Hear Ellen and C.L. talk about the practice of putting human hair in the garden will keep critters away. Next we explain how to get a peace lily to flower again, and the difference been a plant that’s an epiphyte and one that’s a parasite. C.L. tells how she came to be a garden communicator (she never intended to write and talk about plants and gardens!) and we answer Sam’s question about when biennials flower.

:32 True or False? Will human hair keep critters out of the garden?

3:12 Plant noob: How to get a peace lily to flower again.

8:08 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants that are epiphytes verses plants that are parasites. What is the difference?

15:12 Story: how CL became a garden communicator

20:19 Love Letters and Questions Sam asks about when biennials flower. Every other year? Odd years? Even years?

Grow Lights, Holiday Boxwood Trees, and Our Thanksgiving Table Nov 22, 2018

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?

A Hot Houseplant, Worm Castings and Shepard’s Purse Nov 15, 2018

In this episode of Plantrama Ellen and C.L. talk about a very common (and edible) weed known as shepherd’s purse. They discuss how to successfully grow the large-foliaged houseplant, fiddle leaf fig, and explain the benefits of worm castings. Their question this week comes from Carson who wants to know how to prevent mouse damage in her house and shed.

:28 Did You Know: We talk about a common weed, Capsella bursa-pastoris, aka shepherd’s purse.

5:50 Eat/Drink/Grow: Learn about the current hot houseplant, the fiddle leaf fig. No, it’s not the fig that produces fruit for Fig Newtons… but it’s large houseplant for bringing greenery into your home.

14:26 Inside Information: Worm castings – why you might want to pick some up at your local garden center.

21:18 Love Letters and Questions: Carson wants to prevent the mice from damaging things in her shed over the winter.

Tropical Hibiscus, Plant Gifts, and Cooking Dandelion Greens Nov 08, 2018

On Plantrama today Ellen talks about cooking dandelion greens and then she and C.L. differ about bringing someone a plant as a gift. They agree about growing and how to over-winter tropical hibiscus, and explain how to store dahlia tubers.

:31 What’s For Dinner: How to cook dandelion greens.

Find Ellen's recipes and links on our website.

4:10 Plant Noob: Should you bring someone a plant as a gift? Ellen and C.L. disagree.

9:09 Eat Drink Grow: Tropical hibiscus – how to keep this lovely plant happy through the winter.

14:29 Love Letters and Questions: Bailey asks how to store dahlia tubers for the winter.

Blue Hydrangeas, Cattails and Birdseed Shells Nov 01, 2018

In this episode we talk about the common belief that the shells of sunflower seeds “poison plants.” We also discuss why some people can grow blue mop head hydrangeas but others have a hard time getting them to flower. You’ll learn about the importance of cattails in nature and to a forager, and hear about preserving a #LeafStackChallenge.

:28 True or false? Birdseed shells poison plants. Are they really allelopathic? (Allelopathy is a biological occurrence when an organism/plant produces one or more biochemicals that influence the germination, growth, or survival, of other organisms/plants.)

4:43 Plant Noob: Can you grow blue hydrangeas where you live?

14:47 Eat/Drink/Grow: Cattails (Typha latifolia)

21:17 Love Letters & Questions: Can I preserve my leaf stack challenge?

Walnuts, Banana Peels and Storing Seeds You Didn’t Plant Oct 25, 2018

Ellen and C.L. begin by talking about walnuts, foraged and cultivated. Discover if banana peels are good for your roses and if you need to spray your evergreens with an anti-desiccant. Learn how to store seeds that you didn’t use last summer, and if common houseplants are edible.

:32 What’s For Dinner? English walnuts and foraged black walnuts.

4:22 Insider Information: Are banana peels really good for roses?

8:50 Eat/Drink/Grow: Anti-desiccants. What they are, what they do, and should you use them in the fall?

19:04 Did You Know? How to store seeds that you didn’t plant this season.

20:20 Love Letters & Questions: Are common houseplants edible?

Plant Sex, Seeds for Birds and a Leaf-Stack Review Oct 18, 2018

Ellen and C.L. discuss why you might not want to do a “fall cleanup” of your perennials. Next, we discuss S-E-X among the photosynthesizing crowd. Male and female plants, what that means for your landscape, and what happens if you don’t have both sexes. We review Asclepias speciosa ‘Davis’ and bring you up to date about #LeafStackChallenge posts on Twitter and Instagram.

:33 Did You Know: Leaving perennials so the birds can eat the seeds.

5:35 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plant Sex! Male and female plants.

14:58 Product/Plant Review: Asclepias speciosa ‘Davis’

19:25 Love Letters and Questions: A #LeafStackChallenge update

Carrots, Repotting Houseplants, and Halloween Pumpkin Seeds Oct 11, 2018

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

Staking Trees, Pinching Plants and Harvest Parties Oct 04, 2018

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.

Leeks, Fall Mums, and Why Plants in Pots Stay Smaller Sep 27, 2018

In Episode 50 Ellen and C.L. talk about growing leeks, the fall classic Chrysanthemum, and how Robbie found lumpy tubers in the windowbox. Plus we discuss why plants that are in pots won’t grow as large as the same plant put into the ground.

:33 What’s for dinner: Leeks

5:30 Eat/Drink/Grow: Mums! Whether you call them Mums Chrysanthemum, or Dendranthema, do you love them or hate them? Or do you eat them?

13:25 Did You Know: Plants in a pot will stay smaller than those planted in the ground. What goes on below is reflected up above.

15:28 sweet potato vine tubers! Robbie cleared out window boxes and found some tubers in the soil. “I planted sweet potato vine,” Robbie writes, “are these edible sweet potatoes?”

Weird Plant Growth, Growing Garlic, and Orchid Rebloom Sep 20, 2018

In episode 49 Ellen and C.L. discuss how to get an orchid to rebloom, how to plant garlic this fall, and why you occasionally see a stem go crazy and grow in a flat, contorted manner. All this and a review of the Dramm One Touch Rain Wand.

:30 Plant Noob: What’s that weird stem on my plant? It could be the ever fascinating fasciation.

4:46 Eat/Drink/Grow: It’s garlic planting time, so we talk

11:31 Product Review: Dramm One Touch Rain Wand. What it is and why we love using it.

16:10 Love Letters and Questions: Kerry wrote an email that said “I’ve had a moth orchid plant for two years. I got it from a neighbor who was going to throw it out because it hadn’t re-bloomed for her. Is there any hope? Or should I toss it?”

Apples, Amaryllis, and The Truth About Acorns Sep 13, 2018

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?”

Planting Bulbs, Ten-Minute Improvements, and The Leaf-Stack Challenge Sep 06, 2018

:55 Just For Fun: It’s the leaf stack challenge! Or we should say, #leafstackchallenge

4:00 Eat/Drink/Grow: Quick fixes to your landscape. Whether you’re having company or just want to spruce up the garden for your own pleasure, Ellen and C.L. offer 10-minute fixes anyone can do.

11:16 Insider Information: Myths about planting bulbs. Thanks to Bill Miller, Professor of Horticulture at Cornell for giving us the real dirt on planting bulbs. See the bulb planting machine here.

15:20 Love Letters and Questions: Monty wonders when someone should pull out or cut down flowering annuals in the fall.

End of Summer Flavors, Taking Cuttings, and Fall Transplantation Aug 30, 2018

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.

Savory Tarts, Lawn Substitutes and Hedges Aug 16, 2018

:30 What’s For Dinner: Savory Tarts Pick your favorite vegetables or herbs, add some eggs and cheese, and make savory tarts for appetizers, lunch or dinner.

5:04 Plant noob: Lawn Substitutes. Tired of mowing? Is there really such a thing as a no-maintenance lawn substitute?

12:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Hedges. What to plant, how and when to prune, keeping them full top to bottom, and when is a hedge better than a fence?

Morton Arboretum Hedge Collection

28:53 Insider Information: When to Say Goodbye. When do you cut bait on a plant? When is it time to say, “It’s been great, but now we have to say goodbye…”

32:36 Love Letters and Questions: Email from Tim: “People talk about the best containers for growing plants, but I remember my grandfather in San Diego was raising things in tin cans, wooden boxes and even old tires. He grew all kinds of stuff successfully, so what’s the deal with that?”

Blueberries, Hydrangeas, and a Magic Wand For Weeds Aug 03, 2018

:40 What’s for dinner: Blueberries

6:54 Insider Information: Soil pH. In other words, how acid or alkaline your ground is, and why you should care.

14:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: Panicle Hydrangeas. Large or small, there is a dependable and beautiful plant for your landscape.

24:58 Did You Know: Is it helpful to water the leaves of a plant in hot weather?

28:35 Love Letters and Questions: Wouldn’t we all like a magic wand for getting rid of weeds!

Fertilizing, Carnivorous Plants, and Dealing With Deer Jul 19, 2018

:30 What’s for dinner: Throw it on the Barbie! Grilling, farmed and foraged.

5:52 Plant noob: How often do I have to fertilize annuals, perennials and containers?

12:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: “Feed Me!” Carnivorous plants… grow your own bug traps…just don’t try and feed them hamburger.

Carnivorous plants can be ordered online from Predatory Plants, Grow Carnivorous Plants, and Logees.

19:43 Insider Information: Battling Bambi – a few quick tips about deer control.

25:49 Love Letters and Questions Email from Chelsea who asks about growing edibles on a windy NYC terrace.

The Golden Gnome Awards 2018 Jul 05, 2018

1:20 What’s For Dinner: Best Edibles

Ellen and I award a Golden Gnome to edible plants with surprising flavors. 3:56 Insider Information: Best desk bouquet Flowers

What a treat it is to gather flowers and foliage for small bouquets. And the Gnome goes to… 6:59 Eat, Drink, Grow: Science, Art and Dinner! And the Gnome goes to…

Best Gathering of The Plant Tribe, Wild Category: Wild Harvest Festival

Best Gathering of The Plant Tribe, Cultivated Category: Perennial Plant Association

Best Art Made With Plants, Wild Category: Mullbury Woods Frames

Best Art Made With Plants, Cultivated Category: Botanical collage by Peggy Turner Zablotny

Best Non-Plant Podcast That Featured Plants: Stuff You Should Know, January 2, 2018

Most Surprising Plant Book: An Arkansas Florilegium by Edwin Smith and Kent Bonar, published by the University of Arkansas Press 20.40 Did You Know: Best Fire Pit Plants:

Sedum acre and Thymus serpyllum… low, tough and…edible! 23.35 Love Letters and Questions: A love letter from Ellen and CL to other people. Best plant hashtag: #monsteramonday

Continual Harvest, Houseplants to Summer Camp, and Rosa Rugosa Jun 21, 2018

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.

Drying the Harvest, Perennial Garden Maintenance and Understudy Plants Jun 07, 2018

: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.

Asparagus, Marigolds for Insect Control, and Mixed Containers May 24, 2018

: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?”

Questions From NWFGS Seattle May 10, 2018

: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!

Edible Flowers, April Showers, and Skunk Cabbage Apr 26, 2018

: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

036 Plantrama Live In Seattle NWFGS Apr 12, 2018

Including the typical segments you’ll hear in every episode of the Plantrama podcast

:15 Introduction by Janet Endsley, NWFGS Program Director

2:14 Ellen and C.L. introduce each other. (One of us is a cat person, and another a dog person…)

4:04 What’s For Dinner?

The Merry Woodsman Cocktail

In a cocktail shaker full of ice, combine two ounces of spruce tip infused vodka with 3/4 ounces of elderflower liqueur, and 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger syrup. Shake for 30 seconds, then strain and pour into a martini glass. Add 1 1/2 ounces of seltzer and garnish with a spruce tip.

Nasturtium Leaf Hors d'oeuvres

Pick some of the largest leaves and add the filling of your choice. Suggestions include cream cheese mixed with herbs, goat cheese with olives, hummus, or finely chopped egg salad. Add a nasturtium flower and either fold or roll the leaves, place on a plate garnished with more nasturtium flowers and serve.

7:02 Eat/Drink Grow: Ellen and C.L.’s Essential Plant Picks for 2018

Saffron Sentinel Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) large shrub/small tree (Zone 4) For sun to part-shade; yellow flowers; tart, red fruit; red fall foliage; to 20’ tall

Bobo Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Ilvobo’) dwarf hydrangea shrub (Zones 3-8) For full sun to part shade; long lasting white flowers that age to pink. Bone hardy and good in containers too.

Monarda ‘Bee-Happy’ perennial (Zone 4) Sun - part-shade; mildew resistant; red flowers; to 18” tall; edible.

Variegated Spreading Salmon Sunpatiens annual grows to 18-24” tall and wide. Sun/Pt Shade.

Davis Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa ‘Davis’) perennial (Zone 4) For sun to part-shade; wildlife resistant; drought tolerant; multiple edible parts

Pepper Mad Hatter F1 – unique, early & delicious. Not spicy. Stake to support pepper-laden branches. Sun

Malabar spinach, Basella alba annual vine/vegetable. This is a pretty plant for garden or container. Full sun; attractive, fast-growing vine; heat tolerant edible green

King Tut Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) annual except in zones 10 and 11. Dramatic! Tall! Graceful! And totally deserving of three exclamation points! Sun, gardens or containers, average moisture.

19:08 Insider Information: Tools For Success

Ellen and C.L. use all of these tools

Smart Pot Grow bags in many sizes and shapes. Portable, long lasting! www.SmartPots.com C.L. grows potatoes and so much more in these, plus lines large containers such as metal troughs. There are even Smart Pots that create instant raised beds, round or rectangular. Unfold, fill & plant!

Cobra Head Weeder Versatile weeder and planting tool. www.CobraHead.com

Wireless Deer Fence Different and effective way to control Bambi. www.WirelessDeerFence.com

Gardener’s Supply Cart Easier than a wheelbarrow, endlessly useful. www.Gardeners.com

26:40 For The Plant Noob (aka beginner, newbie, Plant Geek 101) Ellen and C.L. have walked through the Northwest Flower and Garden Show looking for the “news you can use.” Here are some of the garden design tips that they found in the displays this year.

Larger groups of plants look better than singles, unless the single plant is large. Sometimes more is more. Groupings and swaths make a better visual display. Want Wow? Plant more.

Odd numbers are visually appealing. The human brain likes to see odd numbers, so planting in groups of one, three, five, seven or more usually looks better. If you have two plants, put them very far apart or use them to frame something such as a path, set of stairs, or birdbath.

Contrast is important. A well-designed garden contains plants with contrasting foliage colors and/or textures and different sizes and shapes. Contrast the textures of foliage with solid structures or stone. Consider using contrasting colors or shapes/sizes of flowers.

We love landscapes that visually say “leisure” or “tribe gathering.” The reason furniture, firepits and fireplaces are appealing in a garden is that they remind us of relaxation. But don’t just add these to your landscape…use them! Sit with a cup of tea or a cocktail and watch the natural world. Invite friends over, put aside digital devices, and reconnect with nature and each other.

33:10 Audience Questions

035 Rhubarb, Curb Appeal and The Invasion of the Garden Gnomes Mar 29, 2018

:40 What’s for dinner: Rhubarb & Knotweed Fresh stems and shoots are on the menu today – from cultivated rhubarb to the wild Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). Early spring crops are what's for dinner.

5:16 Insider Information: Curb Appeal What, specifically, is curb appeal? How can we all get more, and does it mean a total landscape makeover?

11:30 Eat/Drink/Grow: The Invasion of The Garden Gnomes (aka Garden Ornaments) The gnomes are taking some good-natured heat today as we talk about ornaments in the garden.

19:39 Did You Know: Chickweed It’s a petite, kind of sweet and good to eat weed. The bane of a all-grass-lawn-lover, and a something to pull from flowerbeds. But Ellen tells you how to turn your reaction from “oh no” to ‘oh boy!”

25:15 Love Letters and Questions: Harper asks if the soil in window boxes needs to be changed every year.

034 - Edible Landscaping, Houseplants From Supermarket Pits, and Primroses Mar 15, 2018

: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?

033 - Cymbidiums, Shamrocks, Spring Edibles, Cold Frames Mar 01, 2018

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.

032 - Jellies, Lemon Cypress, and Scale Feb 15, 2018

:33 What’s For Dinner: Jams

Ellen is a big jam maker. Here how she saves fruit for cooking up jams later. She advises that people new to jams and jellies get the Ball Blue Book or So Easy To Preserve.

8:11 The Plant Noob: Lemon Cypress

This lime colored small tree is often sold at Christmas time as a holiday plant. Ellen and C.L. talk about how to keep it alive as a houseplant indoors, and where it can be planted outside.

14:10 Eat/Drink/Grow: Scale

One of the hardest insect pests to manage is scale. In this episode we talk about scales found on indoor and outdoor plants, how to identify this pest and what treatments you can use.

15:51 Insider Information: Seeds

If you’re new to seed starting you’ll want to know when seeds can be started inside on a widow sill or under lights. Ellen and C.L. caution not to plant seeds too early!

29:04 Love letters and questions: Greenhouse Gift Plants

Holding holiday gift plants until it’s time to plant them outside in spring.

031 - Micro-greens, Pruning and Birds in the Landscape Feb 01, 2018

: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?

030 - Seeds, Snake Plant and Plantrama in Seattle Jan 18, 2018

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.

029 - Amaryllis, Breathing Room, and the Art, Science and Dinner of Orchids Jan 04, 2018

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.

028 - Paperwhite Narcissus, Cyclamen and The Franklinia Tree Dec 21, 2017

0:30 – 5:37 What’s for Dinner: Calamondin Citrus

5:43 – 11:51 Did You Know: Paperwhite Narcissus

12:02 - 20:08 Eat/Drink/Grow: Cyclamen

20:14 – 24:53 Insider Information: The Franklinia Story

24:56 – 27:28 Love Letters and Questions: Addison asks about weeds to eat from the lawn.

027 - Winter Cocktails, Poinsettias, Preventing Mouse Damage and A Solstice Celebration Dec 07, 2017

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.

026 - Winter (or Thanksgiving) Meals, Christmas Cactus and Holiday Gifts Nov 23, 2017

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.

025 - Crabapples, Winter Protection and Fungus Gnats Nov 09, 2017

:50 Did You Know...about the pros and cons of Winter Protection? Think you should wrap your evergreen shrubs in burlap for the winter? Ellen explains how to correctly construct a protective screen, and C.L. wonders why anyone would want to upholster their shrubs. 4:45 Eat/Drink/Grow: Crabapples.How to choose a tree, which varieties C.L. and Ellen are lusting after, and what to do with the fruit. The two varieties mentioned are Chestnut and Dolgo. C.L. directs you to two helpful crabapple sites. One from The Morton Arboretum and a chart from J. Frank Schmidt. Ellen gives this link on her website for crabapple recipes. 16:45 Insider Information: Last Chance Harvesting. Cool weather greens such as curly dock (for foragers), Tuscan kale, carrots, pak choi, chard and Brussels sprouts (for gardeners). Ellen also talks about ginkgo nuts. Have you heard the saying, "Stinko ginkgo?" 21:05 Love Letters and Questions: Fungus Gnats and Fruit Flies Robbie writes "Help! I've got fruit flies in my kitchen."

024 - Foraged Walnuts, Winter Protective Mulch, and Secrets From the Pumpkin Patch Oct 26, 2017

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.

023 - Insider Information on Garden Tourism, New Plants and Garden Products, and What on Earth is GWA? - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Oct 12, 2017

We're pleased to take you into the world of garden communicators and garden tourism in this episode. Fresh out of the GWA annual meeting and trade show, Ellen and C.L. share what they've learned about new plants and products for the home landscape. We talk about how GardenWalk Buffalo is a model for other regions when it comes to tourism dollars and community development. We talk about new plants and products that we discovered at the Garden Writers Association meeting. And we answer a listener's question about bringing Meyer lemons indoors.

022 - Winter Squash, Fall Cleanup and Saving Summer Annuals - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Sep 28, 2017

In this episode we talk about how to tell if winter squash is ripe and how to preserve it. We discuss saving annuals from year to year, and give the pros and cons of fall yard cleanups. Ellen and C.L. also invite you to become inspired by the artist Andy Goldsworthy.

021 - Barbecued Greens, Firepits, Preserving the Harvest & Our Secret Six Tools - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Sep 14, 2017

I'm hoping that you'll try the barbecued chard recipe we talk about in this episode - even non-vegetable eaters and kids often love this dish! We also give you several ways to preserve the bounty from your garden. Whether you dry or can it, as Ellen prefers, or roast and freeze it as C.L. does, you'll enjoy your garden-grown or foraged harvest through the winter with these methods. We also speak about your firepit plantings, and give our favorite "secret six" tools that will make your outdoor adventures easier. (Link to barbecued chard: http://coffeeforroses.com/barbecued-chard/ )

020 - Pesto, Stinkhorn Fungus & Watering Containers - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Aug 31, 2017

Ellen and C.L. give you ideas for making the most delicious, fresh pesto on earth...and then move on from great taste to horrible smells! Yes, after talking about garden-grown pesto we discuss stinkhorn fungi...a creepy and spooky fungus that smells like dead meat. After a trip to the all together ooky we move on to the practical: how to water your outdoor containers. And as always we answer a listener's emailed question. Art, Science and Dinner: it's all in your own backyard!

019 - Garden Hors D’oeuvres, Natural Office Surroundings, and Outdoor Entertaining - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Aug 17, 2017

In late-August it's time to relax and celebrate the end of the summer season. Ellen and C.L. start this 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.

018 - Growing Garnishes, Deadheading and Irrigation - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Aug 03, 2017

In this episode C.L. and Ellen celebrate plants in summer. They begin by suggesting ways you can add color, flavor and fragrance to your beverages and food with flowers, foliage and herbs from your own backyard. Next we consider flowers that are wilted or dead and offer suggestions for why these should be taken out of the garden. (Deadheading: why, how, and "Do I have to?") In the main segment we consider how plants are watered. Sprinklers? Soaker hoses? Drip irrigation? Hand-watering from a hose? And as often happens, Ellen and C.L. may not agree... We end by talking about adding plant experiences into your trips and vacations, and offer two tips for our garden/plant destinations of choice.

017 - Tomato Troubles, Attracting or Repelling Insects, and Getting Started with Foraging - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Jul 20, 2017

Is there a way to repel insects from your outdoor office? Ellen has a short answer for this question...and we discuss the down-and-dirty truth. We also sing the praises of sending houseplants to summer camp and help you sort out problems you might be having with your tomato plants. Ellen offers Insider Information about getting started with foraging, and the program ends with a question from a listener about plants that attract flies.

016 - Zucchini, Plant ID and Tips for Growing Berries - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Jul 06, 2017

What's for dinner? In this episode Ellen and C.L. begin by discussing summer squash, aka zucchini. We mention the use of organic fungicides for controlling powdery mildew, and the variety Zephyr for continued production even after the plant has mildew. For The Plant Noob: Next, we discuss the ways to get an accurate identification of a plant. Eat, Drink, Grow: In this segment we talk about growing blueberries and blackberries. Insider Information: In section discusses an article from Garden Design Magazine. We finish off the program by answering an email about daylily maintenance. Learn more about Garden Design Magazine by going to https://www.gardendesign.com

015 - Your Outdoor Office, Peaches, and Arugula VS Garlic Mustard - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Jun 23, 2017

Ellen and C.L. both love arugula, and C.L. talks about how easy it is to grow from seed. But Ellen prefers to forage for her greens, so in this episode it's Arugula vs. Garlic Mustard! For the plant noob we offer information about the type of plants you'll find in the landscape, and begin our series about Your Outdoor Office. Finally, we are inspired by the article about peach recipes in the summer issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and offer some insider information about growing your own delicious fruit. An email about "blooming on old wood" finishes up this episode.

014 - Herbs on the Deck, Hardiness Zones and Tips for the Planting Season - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Jun 05, 2017

Ellen and C.L. start celebrating the planting season by talking about herbs in containers. Next they answer the question, "What the heck are hardiness zones?" In the main part of the podcast the topic is planting. Does your planting have to be done by a certain date? Do you really have to add peat moss to a planting hole? And what about removing that burlap or wire basket? All of these planting questions are answered, followed by a Sunflower Story and an email from a listener. It's planting season...let's play in the dirt!

013 - Pronouncing Plant Names and Growing Herbs Indoors - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 04, 2017

In this episode we disagree about how to pronounce "Plantrama" which leads to a discussion about the pronunciation of plant names. We also talk about successfully growing herbs by the kitchen window, and answer a listener's emailed question.

012 - Nicotiana, Spreading Problems, and Giveaway Bouquets - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 04, 2017

In this episode we talk about two lovely self-seeding annuals, being worried that a plant problem will spread, and growing random acts of kindness.

011 - Seeds, Weeds and What’s For Dinner - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 04, 2017

In this episode C.L. gives a tip for growing strong seedlings under lights, we talk about dealing with weeds in the yard (spoiler alert: Ellen wants you to eat them!) and we share some of our favorite "What's for dinner?" plants.

010 - Fragrant Plants, Drainage and All About Heirlooms - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 04, 2017

In this episode we talk about two of our favorite plants for fragrance, rant a bit about the practice of putting rocks and shards in the bottom of pots, and discuss the pros and cons of heirloom plants.

009 - Edibles, Aphids and Plants for Privacy - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 04, 2017

What's for dinner? In the fall, the answer might be mushrooms and eggplant. We begin by talking about growing and cooking eggplants and foraging for mushrooms. Next we talk about aphids on plants and then move on to discussing planting for privacy.

008 - Saving Succulents, Moss and What’s For Dinner? - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors May 01, 2017

Did you grow succulents in your window boxes or strawberry jar this year because they are drought tolerant and just look so cool? If so, you might be wondering if you can keep them for next year. This episode explains the hows and whys of saving succulents. We also talk about an under appreciated plant, moss, and ask each other, "What's for dinner?"

007 - Bulbs, Evergreens and Overwintering Pots - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 30, 2017

Fall is the time for planting bulbs, but how deep should you plant them? And how can you prevent the squirrels (aka, those bastards!) from digging them up? In this episode we talk about bulbs, why evergreens just might have "better clothing" and keeping container grown plants through the winter.

006 - Dish Gardens, Seed Viability and Insects - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 30, 2017

The combination of plants commonly sold as dish gardens or gift baskets usually need the plants to be separated and repotted after a month or so. Today Ellen and C.L. talk about this, and explain how to know if your seeds from previous years are still good to grow. We also talk about insects and why it's good to know about their different mouth parts.

005 - Leaves, Epsom Salt and Dandelions - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 28, 2017

Sometimes the preconceptions that we come to the landscape with don't do us any favors. For instance, did you know that the leaves that come down from the trees in the fall are GOLD for your garden? Have you considered that the lowly dandelion might be a desirable plant? And if you've been told that Epsom Salt is the cure for just about everything, we're here to ask you to think again...

004 - Dinner, Diversity & Dahlias - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 28, 2017

Like you, Ellen and C.L. love good food. So part of today's program is about what's for dinner. We also look at why diversity in a landscape is important, and put a special focus on one of the most treasured flowers for the cutting garden: dahlias. Ellen explains why you might want to think about dahlias for your dinner table, not just for the centerpiece.

003 - Wow Factor Plants, Rain Gauges and Acorns - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 28, 2017

Looking for a plant that will impress everyone who comes to your yard or garden? Do you wonder why your plants have dried up even though it seemed like last week was so rainy? Perhaps you've heard that many acorns foretell a long, cold winter. Ellen and C.L. discuss these topics, along with story time and a listener's question.

002 - Lemon Verbena, Fertilizer & How to Drink Your Plants - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 28, 2017

Take a deep breath because today we're talking about one of our favorite herbs, lemon verbena. We'll also discuss fertilizers and making beverages from your garden.

001 - Troughs, Making it Bloom and Fire Pit Plantings - Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors Apr 28, 2017

In this episode we talk about planting in livestock troughs, how the hours of daylight are important for bringing plants into bloom, and what plants to use around your firepit. Plus story time and an answered email.

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