The Garden Mixer

#9 The Cheeky Seeds Episode Feb 13, 2025

After an ill-advised foray into AI generated humor, the girls toast another conversation with a large glass of Cheeky Red and an expensively-bittered Old Fashioned, and turn their attentions to getting organized in the face of seed starting chaos, adding some healthy crunch to your winter sandwiches, and painlessly and trendily composting when you don’t have chickens, time, or balcony space for a questionable pile of yesterday’s dinner scraps.

Marianne goes over her trusty Grab & Go method (which she intends to patent just as soon as her workload diminishes), and Leslie feigns not only interest, but intent – excited to do something about the shocking mess on her dining room table that threatens to hang around for several months if harsh steps are not taken. Some seed starting that doesn’t require mess, packets or constant chaos is counter-raised alfalfa sprouts – and Marianne tries to make a new convert in Leslie.

What Leslie is far more interested in, however, is compost. And she loves her Lomi. But she’s got her work cut out for her trying to sell a Porche to a girl that drives a VW Bug.

#8 The Boxwood and Cigarettes Episode Jan 30, 2025

This week the girls mix inappropriate metaphors with vague certainties, and come up with yet another episode to amuse and inform their eight listeners.

Without an ounce of humility, Leslie jumps out of the gate with nonsense about a distillery (possibly illegal) where she condenses her vast garden experience into enviable, crystal-clear drops of purity…and assumes Marianne does likewise.

Marianne reminds her that they are both just old — however not too old to enjoy a long, luscious, beautiful, lingering, sensuous, gratifying, fully-satisfying-smoke-a-cigarette spring.

Let’s hope they both get one soon.

Other topics this episode include Nancy Goodwin's garden at Montrose, Blight resistant boxwood, the wonders of The Mid-Atlantic Nursery and Trade Show, and what a bird table or feeder can do for your state of mind. (As in, smoke-a-cigarette-afterwards-joy.)

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Full show notes, links, and laughs at: thegardenmixerpodcast.substack.com

#7 The Chicken Soup Episode Jan 16, 2025

Chickens in broth and chickens in gardens are under the penetrating Garden Mixer gaze this week as Leslie Harris & Marianne Willburn move past their respective Christmas viruses and valiantly into the new year.

Suffering her way through a strong cup of homemade broth while Leslie goes back to the red wine, Marianne makes a case for why chickens have made sense for her soil, plants, and kitchen for the last 22 years. But why is she so militant about keeping them cooped?

Mahonia, Galanthus, and Garden Tours feature in this episode; as well as Marianne's channeling of Debbie Downer for her latest anti-tech rant on GardenRant. Proving once again that if you’re going to any event, you’ll have way more fun with Leslie.

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Full show notes, links and chicken soup recipes at ⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast⁠

Comments? Questions? Suggestions for better drink choices? Send them all to ⁠comments@thegardenmixer.com⁠ or check out their Instagram @thegardenmixer

#6 The Big [Old] Book Episode Jan 02, 2025

Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn mix old books, new coats, and the usual laughs in the first episode of 2025. In response to a listener’s request, Leslie is forced to indulge Marianne’s book recommendations for the winter months; and adds a surprising number of titles herself – pondering the secret sauce that makes a book capture her otherwise 8-minute attention span. True to her nerd identity, Marianne delivers her list of favorite reference books with affected speech patterns; but due to her shameful (and unresolved) issues with envy, the girls can’t come to agreement over the merits of Vita Sackville-West or indeed, how many servants and/or lovers she had. And what do Carhartt and Barbour now have in common anyway?

Full show notes at The Garden Mixer Podcast

Comments? Questions? Suggestions for better drink choices? Send them all to comments@thegardenmixer.com or check out their Instagram @thegardenmixer

#5 The Downsized Episode Dec 19, 2024

In this episode of the newly logo'd and newly music'd The Garden Mixer, Marianne tries her hand at interviewing Leslie -- posing transparently self-serving questions about Leslie's transition to a tiny garden in order to make herself feel better about the future.

In her (self-described) "penetrating and 60 Minutes-esque style", Marianne is after information that all gardeners secretly wonder about in their more overwhelmed moments:

Do I want to garden here forever? Can I garden here forever? What does it feel like to downsize when you love your big garden? What does it mean to have a balanced life like normal people?

Other discussion topics include bulbs (yes, apparently the two of them are still planting); exciting group trips to the UK and Portugal that Marianne is planning with her travel buddy Andrea Gaspar; and how to gather interesting greens and garden bits without being caught by your neighbors.

Questions, comments, or kudos? They'd love to hear them at:

comments@thegardenmixer

#4 The Beuerlein on Bulbs Episode: Part II Nov 28, 2024

This week on The Garden Mixer, Leslie Harris, Marianne Willburn, and their guest, Scott Beuerlein from The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, continue to wrestle over the big topic of bulbs for the benefit of listeners who still have bags of obligation awaiting them in the garage.

Big ones, little ones, early ones and late ones are discussed on their merits and – as Marianne is involved – their possible vulgarity. Sales are discussed. Vendors are endorsed. Scott once again endears himself to listeners by commiserating over post-bloom daffodil foliage, while Leslie issues judgement over braiding it, and offers alternatives. Meanwhile, Marianne talks about one of the problems of foliage that has nothing to do with looks but everything to do with successfully pairing bulbs with the rest of your garden. As usual, it’s a fun and informative mix up of plants and points of view, with the promise of more sophisticated drinking choices in future episodes.

#3 The Beuerlein on Bulbs Episode: Part I Nov 21, 2024

In this week’s episode of The Garden Mixer, Leslie Harris & Marianne Willburn stir up a spirited two-part discussion about all things bulb with their inaugural guest, Scott Beuerlein of The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Horticulture Magazine, and GardenRant.

Whether you’re going for naturalistic layers or the hypnotizing effect of thousands en masse, there’s more than one way to make the most of what you’ve still got left to plant, and they’ve all three got an opinion over which is best. Scott and Leslie inevitably gang up on Marianne’s design ideas and drink choices (even as Scott quaffs boxed red wine and admits some of his best displays are by accident); Marianne sexually harasses Leslie and snidely rejects her Bulb Spiral; and Leslie reveals her worst bulb planting mistake made while under the influence of inexperience (which they all agree is fairly common when you’re just starting out). And what does a poached egg have to do with bulb planting anyway? Marianne thinks it makes for a profound analogy, even if Scott is irritatingly better at expressing it.

#2 The Berries, Bananas and Books Episode Nov 07, 2024

On this episode we talk about the premeditated murder of some large Abyssinian bananas, how Leslie is meh on winter berries, peonies (Leslie protests the look of singles, Marianne protests Leslie's color choices), a good thing to do with excess cherry tomatoes (an alternative from leaving them in unlocked cars). We do several "Book Moments". Who are we kidding... only Marianne has book moments while Leslie continues to rely on the brain that lives in her back pocket. Deer deterrents, when plants fail, is it our fault and should we consider Mahjnong if we have a a black thumb? Also, Black Thumb; is that code for "I don't like to fuss with plants"? Winter annuals, and then finally (it's another long one, good people), shouldn't we have a guest for the next episode?

#1 The Inarguably Inaugural Episode Oct 24, 2024

Marianne and Leslie are ready to start stirring things up in their inaugural podcast episode of The Garden Mixer. Jumping into the fray of native plant zealotry, they cool down a little with normal topics such as perennials with great fall color, only to argue about botanical name pronunciation while offering botanical Latin sources for those who need to see the words they're attempting to say. It promises to be fun mix up of garden, drinks, plants, and laughs. Welcome!

Marianne Willburn Joins the Podcast Formerly Known As... Oct 10, 2024

Topics include: What should we name this new enterprise of doing this podcast together? Don't worry, we quickly get into garden things such as...

What's blooming in the fall garden right now? What plants are worthy of our winter indoor space and how do we get them ready to join us?

Can we improve the sound on this podcast so it doesn't sound like Leslie's sitting in the bottom of the barrel?

Come with Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn as they talk about gardening in a new podcast yet to be named, but formerly known as Prince. Kidding-- former known as Into the Garden with Leslie.

Karl Gercens of Longwood and Garden Travel Sep 25, 2024

If you like gardening, you can't not enjoy traveling to see gardens. The inspiration that you can get from any scene, pattern, color scheme or even a simple plant pairing is so great to take home. Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens has been to see THOUSANDS of gardens over many years and he tells us his secrets of when to go, how to prepare (hint: that may not be a thing) and how to enjoy a good garden trip.

With Marianne Willburn Mid September 2024 Sep 17, 2024

Well, we go over my Instagram saga, but you can FF through that if you want! By the way, I am back on now, @LeslieHarrisLulu and hope you follow me. Marianne and I discuss "de-browning" the garden, plant pronunciation, the chop and drop method of composting, arthritic hands, and other gardening nuggets for you.

Marianne Willburn on Native Plants Sep 05, 2024

Marianne and I touch on my (too) quick visit to her garden, gardening with spouses, how to make instant and free improvements to the garden, but mostly we go down a bit of a rabbit hole in terms of native plant zealotry. Is there too much judgement on this subject? Will you judge us for even wondering if there is? :) Come enter the fray and see what you think.

Heather Andrews, Garden Thoughtfully Aug 25, 2024

Heather and I met at a speaking gig in North Carolina last fall. Her mantra is Garden Thoughtfully. What a coincidence because my presentation at that Master Gardeners symposium was called Thoughtful Gardening. We are on the same page in terms of gardening with both beauty and habitat in mind.

Marianne Willburn on Drought and Heat in the Garden Aug 01, 2024

Did you feel the dog days of summer WAY earlier than you usually do? Marianne Willburn and I talk about climate change in the garden and some good strategies to learn from what your plants are experiencing, without succumbing to the doom and gloom that generally accompanies the topic.

Scott Beuerlein on Horticulture Magazine Interviews Jul 14, 2024

Podcasters often host interesting experts in the field on which they love to talk. This episode is no different, but because the expert, Scott Beuerlein, Director of Horticultural Outreach at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, does a monthly column interviewing all kinds of interesting people in horticulture, you are going to get a bigger bang for your buck. Scott and I talk about a lot of the different people in the industry that he and I find interesting and here's a bonus: Scott is very interesting all by himself!.

Marianne Willburn, Unpacking the English Garden Tour Jun 24, 2024

Marianne and I are home from our travels and in this episode we talk about the very successful first garden tour put together by Marianne and Andrea Gasper. So many fabulous English Gardens-- Rousham, Kiftsgate, Wisley, Blenheim, Waterperry, and that's just the half of it.

Back From Travels Quick Episode Jun 21, 2024

After a month away, I would like to re-introduce myself as the not serious and American garden Podcaster, Leslie Harris. I'll catch you up on how my garden fared with not much attention for over 30 days; what worked well in terms of planning for leaving it, and what didn't work as well.

Marianne Willburn England Garden Tour Preview May 17, 2024

Summer is coming and so are vacations. How do we prepare our gardens to get along without us? Marianne Willburn and I discuss tips and tricks on this topic and we also preview the fabulous garden tour in England that she and Andrea Gaspar have organized and I am attending!

Madeline Hooper and Garden Fit Apr 30, 2024

What's the most important gardening tool? Your body, silly, which, if you are like me, isn't quite the same as it used to be. Is there a resource where you can learn about how to improve and maintain this tool? Yes, and it's the PBS show called Garden Fit. Can you have sneak peaks at other people's fabulous gardens at the same time? Oh yes, you can. Listen to Madeline Hooper tell us about this fabulous combination of physical maintenance and envy inducing garden surveillance.

The Spring Garden with Marianne Willburn Apr 24, 2024

Hydrangea pruning, bulbs (tulips... are they worth it? of course), transplanting polygonatum, tchotchkes in the garden (MA thinks no, Les likes a bit of whimsy), and quite a long side path of Magnolia discussion. Oh, and the MOST important spring "chore"? Pretty easy: Look. Every. Day.

Katie Dubow and New Superstar Plants Apr 05, 2024

A DOZEN plants of the week here, as Katie Dubow of the Garden Media Group and I discuss their favorite new plants. And listeners, I DID write a blog post with links, but now my website is down. :(

Still a great podcast episode and you can link to the new plants right here!

Marianne Willburn Garden Tour HERE, 119 Mar 23, 2024

Just trying to make it clear that because Marianne toured my garden I didn't take very long. The plant of the week is a weeping Salix and I throw you a few early spring seasonal tips just in case you thought I was totally selfish.

Erin Schanen and the Philly Trends Mar 10, 2024

Each year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society comes out with a list of trends that we should be on the lookout for in the gardening world. Erin the impatient Gardner and I break down this list and go through all 10 points, offering opinions, critiques, and support for some wonderful gardening ideas. You may be interested to know that halfway through our interview, there's a knock at the zoom door, and Marianne Willburn sort of lets herself in. Well, I did send her the link…. Lots of laughs and lots of good gardening information on episode 117.

Linda Vater, 116 Feb 24, 2024

Linda Vater of Potager Blog and I discuss her new Garden Journal, hellebores are the plant of the week, rose pruning tips.

Susan Harris of Garden Rant, 115 Feb 09, 2024

Susan and I talk about GardenRant.com because of course that's a great blog of which she is a founding member, but we also touch on her hometown of Greenbelt, Maryland, her website of Good Garden Videos, and, of course, hula hooping, which is part of every good garden conversation.

SPECIAL EPISODE How to Run a Gardening Business, 114 Jan 28, 2024

Jennifer Rauschmayer of Edible Landscape Design of Plano, Texas and I talk about the ins and outs of running a business doing what you love: gardening. From getting your first paperwork done, finding clients, cultivating client and crew relationships, subcontracting, how and what to bill-- we cover it all in this long conversation. Back to regularly scheduled NOT business for the next episode, but we hope someone out there can benefit from this information that helped us as we got started doing what we love for a living!

Carrie and Dale Spoonmore, 113 Jan 18, 2024

The Spoonmores created a gardening app called From Seed to Spoon, but more recently they have married AI and gardening with the latest app, called Grow Bot. Listen to the fascinating story of how they started out gardening for themselves, but have become app creators who are helping all gardeners with their wonderful ideas.

Marianne Willburn and Winter Gardening, 111 Dec 19, 2023

Winter gardening... How could you? Why should you? Because you love it, basically, and there is no reason to not love it in winter if you have the right gear, attitude and projects. Marianne tells us her tips and tricks-- there is no reason not to get into it!

Marta McDowell, Gardening Can Be Murder, 110 Dec 01, 2023

Poisonous plants, sharp tools, noxious chemicals (hopefully not in YOUR shed) and a place to compost the body-- gardens are perfect places for murder. Marta McDowell has compiled the tools, motive, detectives and authors in her latest book Gardening Can Be Murder, and you could be surprised how many laughs we have over this deadly topic.

Jarema Osofsky and Moon Gardens, 109 Nov 18, 2023

What do you think of when you hear the term moon garden? White flowers can set a good scene, and summer nights filled with scents are enticing, but there are so many more good ideas to consider. Listen to my interview with Jarema Osofsky, who wrote a book on the topic!

Tiffany Garner of Quick and Dirty Gardens 108 Nov 04, 2023

What's better than quick and good (and maybe sometimes a bit soil infused) garden tips from someone who just seems like they would be a good garden pal? Nothing, and I found out for sure that she would be.

Tiffany of @QuickandDirtyGardens is knowledgeable, fun, and a great teacher about garden basics and foraging for mushrooms. Get in on this fun conversation!

Kathy Jentz and Groundcovers, 107 Oct 21, 2023

Kathy Jentz of Garden DC has written another book: Groundcover Revolution: How to use sustainable, low-maintenance, low-water groundcovers to replace your turf - 40 alternative choices for: - No Mowing. - No fertilizing. - No pesticides. - No problem!

Jenny Rose Carey, 105 Oct 17, 2023

Author of "The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide" and "Glorious Shade", Jenny Rose Carey is a fount of information on how to grow. In her 4.5 acre garden north of Philadelphia, called North View, Jenny has shade, sun, dry gardens--

even a stumpery! Come into Jenny's garden and learn some good tips and information.

Laura Boissonault, 106 Oct 17, 2023

Laura Boissonault of How's it Growing and I have a good old garden chat about her New Jersey creation, complete with green house.

We did it! We moved! 104 Sep 09, 2023

So brief because you know how moving is… But I just wanted to say hello and I'll be back in two weeks' time with a more normal episode.

Back to unpacking!

Chris McLaughlin of "The Good Garden" 103 Aug 26, 2023

How about a book that gives you a plethora of suggestions on how to garden sustainably or regeneratively? Chris presents a wide range of ideas in her book "The Good Garden" but no mandates and no guilt about the choices you have as you care for your land.

Page Dickey and Sister Sue Ann Aug 12, 2023

Two interviews about new gardens! Here are edited versions of Episodes 62 and 14, which were very helpful for me to re-visit with my impending move!

Jennifer McDonald of Garden Girls, and Celebrating 100 Episodes... Jul 29, 2023

...even though it appears that this is the 101st and counting is not my strong suit. Listen to Jen describe her booming business in Houston Texas (but willing to expand!) that sets up clients with ready to go raised beds for veg, herbs and pollinators.

Garden Ranters Marianne Willburn and Scott Beuerlein, 99 Jul 15, 2023

Garden Writers, Ranters, Speakers and friends, Marianne and Scott join me to talk about garden travel (past AND future) and the correspondence that they treat us with on the blog Garden Rant.

I named this episode as #99 because somewhere along the line I must have lost count-- seems like it may instead be the big 1-0-0!

Gardening Gays, 98 Jul 01, 2023

I chat with Kevin Graham and Dragan Kurbalija about their farm in King George's County, Virginia. More news on my move-- we have found a place and it is tiny! How do you curate a ton of plants and containers?

Nick McCullough, 97 Jun 17, 2023

I interview Nick McCullough, horticulturist, nurseryman, designer, speaker and author, about his new book, written with his wife Allison and Teresa Woodard. Titled American Roots, the book explores some of the best of our gardens, and gardeners, right here in America. After last week's announcement of us moving away from this garden, I begin to talk about HOW I will choose plants to take or leave and the process of ending one garden and starting another.

Special Announcement Episode 96 Jun 10, 2023

In this very short episode (laryngitis!) I have a special announcement about my garden.

On Garden Wedding Planning with Robin Stafford, 95 May 27, 2023

Binx and Andrew announced their engagement in March of 2022, and the great day is June 10, 2023. If you had over a year to make your garden look amazing for a wedding, how would you do it? Listen to my conversation with Robin Stafford-- tips, tricks and timing!

Doug Tallamy on "Nature's Best Hope" for young readers; Zizia aurea, 94 May 20, 2023

"Nature's Best Hope" was the first Doug Tallamy book I read, and although it points out some dire facts such as mass extinction, it does give hope to the situation of each property owner all over the world being able to help remedy the current insect and bird loss. Now it has been re-written for children, who have more time to truly be nature's best hope --although Dr. Tallamy points out that we can't wait for them to grow up; these individual and simple changes to the way humans interact with nature need to start now. The Plant of the Week is the Zizia aurea, and I talk about how to deal with bulb foliage and the end of peony season.

Garden Marcus, the Clover, 93 May 06, 2023

Marcus Bridgewater, known as Garden Marcus, author of "How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself" talks about his book and how positivity and balance can help us to be better people and gardeners. The Plant of the Week is the common clover, which is colonizing all over my lawn these days. Also included: what is happening in the early May garden.

Brie the Plant Lady and Her New Native Garden, the Chokeberry, 92 Apr 22, 2023

Brie Arthur is a horticulturist, author, speaker and now an Air BNB hostess! She has created the Carolina Garden House in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, outside of Raleigh. I talk to her about her new, almost completely native garden, which is next-door to her longtime personal garden. The Plant of the Week is the Aronia melanocarpa or chokeberry, and I give tips on daffodils.

Kate Daly of the Monarch Messengers and Forget Me Not, 91 Apr 08, 2023

Probably everybody's favorite butterfly is the Monarch, and Kate Daly has formed a group of Instagrammers who are teaching us what we all can do to help this wonder of nature. She and I discuss how to help out and also talk about the flower farm she is starting down in Alabama. The Plant of the Week is the Myosotis sylvestris and you will hear Scott Beuelein and Marianne Willburn talk about their writing relationship on Garden Rant and their trip to California to see the latest plants breeders have dreamed up.

Jenny Williams of the Laundry Garden, Special Historic Garden Week Addendum, 90 Mar 25, 2023

I chat with Jenny Williams, who gardens in northern Wales (@thelaundrygarden). Jenny and I chat about the origins and development of her garden, and the challenges and joys of having it open to the public via Instagram, UK Open Days, and the Retreat accommodation. The Plant of the Week is the Bougainvillea (I know; incongruous, but I visited Jamaica), and The Play List talks about what is going on the in garden right now.

Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping and Electric Equipment, 89 Mar 11, 2023

Besides the soul sucking noise of mowers and blowers in your neighborhood, are you aware that the internal combustion engines that make these machines run contribute more than their fair share of pollutants to our air? Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping is doing something about it. Every time a piece of equipment needs to be replaced, Dos Amigos is adding another electric battery powered tool to their arsenal. They have two electric vehicles and plan to get more. What if YOUR landscape crew could do this? What if EVERY landscape crew could? I hope you listen to this episode, but more than that I hope you share it.

The Plant of the Week is the Daffodil, and in the Play List you will hear a little primer on rose pruning.

Seth Pearsoll of the Philadelphia Flower Show, the Crocus 88 Feb 25, 2023

The Philadelphia Flower Show and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society pre-date the Chelsea Flower show and the Royal Horticultural Society. If that weren't impressive enough, the money raised because of this important event goes to community service efforts all over the state of Pennsylvania. Seth Pearsoll, the Creative Director of the show, fills us in on the history and behind the scenes information on what it takes to put on something of this scale. The Plant of the Week is the Crocus, and spring is coming!!

Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener on Compost Tea, etc, 87 Feb 11, 2023

We all garden a little bit differently and I love to check in on Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener on Instagram to see what she's up to because she's always trying something new. In this episode we discuss compost tea and why you may or may not want to go to the trouble to make some. We also have a regular old garden chat about just about anything that occurs to us. In addition, I summarize four gardening presentations I heard at the Piedmont Landscape Association from Thomas Rainer, Cole Burrell, Peggy Cornett, and Doug Tallamy. The Plant of the Week is the Galanthus, or Snow Drop.

Richard Hawke and Perennial Trials at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 86 Jan 28, 2023

This is a long one, but worth it in terms of information gleaned about some of the best perennials you can choose. Richard Hawke runs the famous evaluations at the Chicago Botanic Garden and in this episode he talks about the evaluations and what they mean and how they can help any gardener to know WHICH darned plant to choose. We talk about the process and then I insist that we go over the ones that I was basically forced to buy after hearing him talk at Speaking of Gardening at Asheville last summer. Forced is strong-- how about 'Unable to Resist'?

Apropos of nothing other than a little vacation I took in Florida recently, the Plant of the Week is the Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis), and in The Play List I talk about seed starting and winter pruning.

Sustainability Tips from 8 Different Gardeners, 85 Jan 04, 2023

I asked some of my favorite gardeners to share sustainable practices that they employ in their gardens. We get contributions from Linda Vater, Erin Schanen, Julie Hart (Nanny Noo), Amanda the Everhopeful Gardener, Emma Biggs, Marianne Willburn, Bunny Williams and Tasha Greer about what they do (or don't do) in their gardens to make our earth a bit happier.

Susan Nock of Thistle Containers all about Christmas 84 Dec 17, 2022

Looking for last minute Christmas decoration ideas for your containers and front door? Susan Nock of Thistle Containers gives us those goods plus ideas for inside, and maybe grander ideas for future decoration ideas if this year is a busy one for you. The Plant of the Week is an incongruous choice, but you will understand why I chose it once I explain. What to do in your garden right now is a compact list-- less is more at this time of year.

Ben Raskin on Woodchips, Illicium, 83 Dec 03, 2022

What if all mulch were free? What if the trees and branches that are chewed up every time an arborist works in your neighborhood could be distributed on your garden beds (you have to do that part) or added to your compost pile, or simply kept on your property to break down to become a seed and potting medium? That is what wood chips can do for you-- they aren't just for lining your paths or the bottom of your swing set. I chat with Ben Raskin author of The Woodchip Handbook, to get to the bottom of how gardeners can use chips, and wood chip myths are dispelled, so listen up! The Plant of the Week is the Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' and as always, I talk about what you could be doing in your garden right now.

Bill Quade of the Biltmore, Hedychium coronarium, 82 Nov 19, 2022

I get to talk to a guy who's been gardening at America's largest home, the Biltmore, for decades and he is now the Head Horticulturist there. Bill Quade gives us the ins and outs of what it's like to garden at a Frederick Law Olmsted home creation and keep it true to its original intent. The Plant of the Week is the Hedychium coronarium, and we talk about Monarch butterflies, bulb planting and more.

Joseph Tychonievich, the Sugar Maple, 81 Nov 05, 2022

Author and Speaker Joseph Tychonievich gives us a glimpse into the many presentations that he gives nationally, including topics such as Plant Breeding, Plant Pollinators and Why They Matter, and Dealing with Your Hosta Addiction. Author of four books including his latest, a comic book guide on how to grow tomatoes, Joseph makes his elevated understanding of horticulture and plant biology accessible to all. Other topics include the sugar maple and why that orange makes me happy this time of year, the alien invasive vine oriental bittersweet, and how to plant bulbs.

Botanic Garden of the Piedmont and Six Great Fall Plants, 80 Oct 22, 2022

Besides an interesting conversation with Consi Palmer and Carol Carter, who explain what it's like to start up a botanic garden, and besides talking about six great fall plants because I simply was not able to choose a Plant of the Week, I am all over the map on this episode. Here's a little list of what I talked about... changing out beds, working with your landscapers to improve issues like excessive noise and unnecessary fertilizers, plants that will make up my new tropical bed, how I didn't know Annabelle Hydrangeas can develop nasty tap roots, putting away your hoses for winter, what 20 orange azaleas can do for you, and more.

Steph Green, the Aster, 79 Oct 08, 2022

Both the New England Aster and the Chinese Tartarian Aster are making merry in my garden right now, so those are our Plants of the Week. I chat with Steph Green of Contained Creations who has begun an exciting new website that can have us all re-creating and enjoying her magical container combinations. Other topics include expert input on the question of Asclepius curavassica from Doug Tallamy and some science about mulching from an article written recently by Charlie Nardozzi.

Marian Boswall on Sustainable Gardening, 78 Sep 24, 2022

Marian Boswall is a UK Landscape Architect and Horticulturist who believes that sustainable gardening ideas add to the beauty of gardens. In this episode we discuss her ethos and how it came through in her book, 'Sustainable Gardening' via projects and ideas that every gardener can carry out. The Plant of the Week is the Blue Mist flower, or Conoclinium coelestinum, and I talk about how to divide perennials.

Madeline Hooper and Jeff Hughes of Garden Fit, 77 Sep 10, 2022

We all get aches and pains occasionally, but Madeline Hooper has found out a bit of magic-- we don't have to. She enlisted Personal Trainer Jeff Hughes to help her out, and the results have been pain free gardening for her, and an entire PBS television series for all of us. Garden Fit takes us to lots of different gardens and gardeners, showing us plants, design, beautiful spaces, and 'fixes' for what ails the gardener. The Plant of the Week makes the perfect filler in a container: Carex 'Everillo', and I talk about good fall plants, and what to do in your garden at this time of year.

Bunny Williams, Hostas, 76 Aug 27, 2022

Bunny Williams and I chat about her garden, new favorite plants and her birdhouse meadow, and also her new line of garden furniture, called Treillage after her former store. The Plant of the Week is the Hosta, which is polite enough to have the same common and botanical name. Various other topics include wood chips, leaving pulled weeds (hidden) in your beds, and Sir David Attenborough's 'A Life on our Planet'.

Erin the Impatient Gardener, Allium 'Millenium', 75 Aug 13, 2022

Besides talking about various goings on in my early August garden, I chat with Erin Schanen, the Impatient Gardener, about her hopes and dreams for her summer, but this was recorded back before the peonies bloomed! The Plant of the Week is the perennial Allium, particularly 'Millenium'.

On Little Limes, Pond Scum and Deer Control, 74 Jul 30, 2022

No guest this week, just little me answering some questions and sharing some experiential wisdom on deer control. I bought a new toy: a pond vacuum, so we dig a little into that scum. Follow up on No Mow May and the use of Round Up too. The Plant of the Week is the Hydrangea paniculate 'Little Lime' and I have a big announcement for you in this episode!

Brad Johnson of Garden Evolution; more on Jumping Worms and a look at Round Up, 73 Jul 23, 2022

Geum was first runner up for Plant of the Week, but since that's more of a spring plant, I went with the Madagascar Vinca. Brad Johnson and I discuss Geum, his DIY green house, using Round Up responsibly and his favorite tool, a step edger. I follow up on Jumping Worms and coming back from 3 weeks away from the garden.

Roxana of Soil and Margaritas, Tomatoes, Garden Predictions, 72 Jul 16, 2022

This week Roxana Snediker of Soil and Margaritas Instagram and YouTube fame joins us for a general discussion of her gardening in general, but we accidentally did a deep dive into tomatoes so I made that the plant of the week. At the beginning of this episode I am traveling home after 3 weeks and wondering what my garden will look like upon my arrival. I follow up at the end of the show by telling you what I found after I got home.

Favorite Plant Combinations of Favorite Guests, Episode 71 Jul 08, 2022

What happens when you ask some great gardeners what their fave plant combos are? You get some great ideas! Listen as Kelly Lehman, Lizzie Rose, Steph Green, Jenks Farmer, Marianne Willburn, Serome Hamlin and Linda Vater tell us what they think goes together well and why!

The Great Dixter Round Up with Marianne Wilbur, 70 Jun 18, 2022

Possibly the very first plant that Marianne Wilbur and I drooled over when we first got to Great Dixter for the May Symposium was the Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' so it is appropriate that Persicaria is our Plant of the Week. Marianne and I chat about our week together with Fergus Garrett and the gang at Great Dixter, and why immersing ourselves into the experience was so good for our gardens and for our souls. I also touch on two other garden enhancements that we learned about that week and they are coppicing and meadows.

Tasha Greer on Weed Free Gardening and the Geranium, 69 Jun 11, 2022

Weeds are inevitable, so don't get excited that I indulged in outrageous hype for the title of this episode. But if you garden with with weeds (and if you garden, you have weeds) intelligently, you may pick up some information on how, why and when to control them. Tasha Greer's new book, "Weed Free Gardening" may sound too good to be true, but the subtitle "A Comprehensive and Organic Approach to Weed Management" is a great description of what we will learn from her in the podcast. The Plant of the Week is the Pelargonium that everyone calls Geranium, and I round up some Great Dixter information as well as give the low down on my No Mow May experiment.

Maria Failla of Bloom and Grow Radio, the Mountain Laurel Jun 04, 2022

Maria Failla, the voice of Bloom and Grow Radio, has written a book called Growing Joy. She and I discuss the positive aspects about growing and that when you help a plant to live, you are really helping yourself with time in reflection and nature, all the while not being near a screen. Our Plant of the Week is the Kalmia latifolia, or Mountain Laurel, and I deal with questions on native bog plants, amending soil, and pruning Japanese maples.

Janice Groves of Jay's Garden Journal, the Rose, 67 May 28, 2022

Our Plant of the Week is the Rose, which is far far too big a topic to do well, so instead I offer some of my growing hacks. It's not that I grow them well, it's just that I have figured out how to enjoy them well without growing them perfectly well. Janice Groves of Jay's Garden Journal got my attention because of sheet mulching, but our talk rambled all over her sun baked, cheerful garden. Garden answers to questions like how to tidy liriope, when to cut back bulb foliage and what is a strimmer are included too!

John Robinson, The Columbine, Oak Tree information, 67 May 21, 2022

John Robinson is the neighbor and listener who answered my plea for help with the podcast, and in this episode I talk to him about his small but amazingly diverse garden. He is a champion of sustainable gardening and is very knowledgeable about natives. Plus, he handy enough to have designed and built his own chicken coop. Our Plant of the Week is the Aquilegia vulgaris, or columbine, and I talk about Peony Bud Blast. Doug Tallamy contributed to an answer to a question from a listener about Oak tree hybrids.

Marianne Willburn on Great Dixter, the Fringe Tree, 65 May 14, 2022

If you did your homework assignment, this is good follow up information on the gardens of Great Dixter and the symposium that Marianne Willburn and I will be attending next week! Not only do we talk about the gardening opportunity, but we also touch on the idea of saying yes to something it would have been far easier to say no to. The plant of the week is the Fringe Tree, and I also talk about No Mow May, getting rid of invasive Nandina, and the Joe Gardener podcast episode with Dave Goulson about his book 'Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse'.

Renée Clermont of Second Nature Designs, the Peony, How to Transplant a Rose, 64 May 07, 2022

Renée Clermont of Second Nature Designs in Martha's Vineyards talks design, containers, weather, and running a business up in a summer paradise. The Plant of the Week is the Peony, and I talk about roses, including tips on taming and transplanting them on this episode.

Cathy Corlett on Rain Gardens and More, the Bearded Iris, 63 Apr 30, 2022

Our plant of the week is having its spring moment and sticking its beard, or tongue, out at everyone in the prettiest way. In trying to get a better definition of a rain garden, Landscape Architect and I went down the garden path on that, plus Interpretive Gardens and Trauma informed Gardens. Lots of good listener questions are answered, including two on how to deal with invasive plants.

Page Dickey, Azaleas, Late Mulching Tips Apr 23, 2022

Page Dickey, author of Uprooted and many other garden books, talks to me about her new garden and the elements of design and nature that molded a very different space from her long time Duck Hill garden. Azaleas are hogging all the bandwidth in my garden right now so they are the plant of the week. I talk about deadheading bulb flowers, late season mulching and recalcitrant Hydrangea macrophylla in The Play List.

Clare Foster of House & Garden UK, Amelanchier canadensis, mulch around trees 61 Apr 16, 2022

Clare Foster is a garden writer and editor who gardens in the UK. We chat about several of her books and gardening in general. The Plant of the Week is the Serviceberry (Amerlanchier canadensis), and various other garden topics such as mulch around trees and seed sowing are under discussion too. In this episode I ask my listeners if they might know of someone who can help me out with this podcast-- marketing, editing, ect. I believe the job could be remote. Write me at LHarris@LHGardens.com if you are interested.

Claus Dalby on Containers in the Garden, the Tulip, Garden Consulting 60 Apr 09, 2022

Claus Dalby of Denmark comes Into the Garden with Leslie about his latest book, which is his first book in English. "Containers in the Garden" gives the total lowdown on Dalby's famous aesthetic. Leslie chose one of his favorites flowers, the tulip, as her Plant of the Week and besides talking about all the things that she did not get done in the garden this week, she explains the consulting part of her business, LH Gardens.

59: Kathy Jentz of Garden DC Podcast, Bloodroot, Camellia Pruning Tips Apr 02, 2022

The Plant of the Week is Bloodroot, or Sanguinaria canadensis. I chat with podcaster (GardenDC) and magazine editor (Washington Gardener Magazine) about the new book she has co-authored with Teri Speight called 'The Urban Garden'. There is follow up information on last week's Plant of the Week, the Virginia Blue Bell, and I talk about how I will, in theory, if it warms up, prune my Camellias this week.

58: Best New Plants of 2022 Mar 26, 2022

Diane Blazek of the National Garden Bureau and All America Selections walks us through some of the best new plants of 2022. Tips on cold frames, rejuvenation pruning of shrubs, and bringing indoor plants back outside. The Plant of the Week is Mertensia virginica, the Virginia Bluebell.

57:Linda Vater, Hyacinth, Camellia tips Mar 19, 2022

Linda Vater of Potager Blog joins me to talk about her new book, "The Elegant and Edible Garden". Before I herald the beautiful spring bulb the Hyacinth, I defame the alien invasive tree that is looking deceptive beautiful this time of year, and that is the Callary Pear. There are tips about growing Camellias, including the difference between the Camellia sasanqua and the Camellia japonica. Do snow damage daffodils? We discuss, and there is good news about snow and early spring bulbs.

56: Stephanie Rose of Garden Therapy, Winter Aconite, Pruning Climbing Roses Mar 12, 2022

Stephanie Rose is a prolific gardening author, and in this episode we discuss her 11th book, "The Regenerative Garden". The Plant of the Week is the Eranthis hyemalis, or Winter Aconite, and although I threw 'pruning climbing roses' into the title, there are lots of additional hands on seasonal gardening tips in this episode, such as cutting back liriope, dethatching your lawn, how to plant and prune lavender (okay, that's not seasonal, but someone wanted to know).

55: Raffaele Di Lallo, Clivia, Boxwood pruning Mar 05, 2022

This week's Plant of the Week is a house plant for most, in honor of our guest, Author of "House Plant Warrior" Raffaele Di Lallo. Lots of questions from listeners this week (REAL listeners) spring clean up in the garden and more-- tips on Boxwood pruning too.

54: Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens; Edgeworthia Chrysantha Feb 26, 2022

The Plant of the Week is the Paper Bush, an early spring bloomer, and Karl Gercens talks with us about Longwood Gardens, where he is the Manager of the West Conservatory, which is the only conservatory at the moment. Gardening tips about spring clean up in the garden, and forcing daffodils, and a couple of my garden fails.

Interview with Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens Feb 25, 2022

This is the video version of the interview of Episode 53. Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens discusses her new book, A Woman's Garden.

53: Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens; Stinking Hellebore; Boxwood pruning Feb 19, 2022

Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens has written a book about crafting with plants. She features her soap making and 7 other woman gardeners and the way they use their plants to do more. I talk a little about a plant I don't know, the Hepatica, and a bit more about one I do know, Helleborus foetidus. The Play List includes the basics of boxwood pruning.

52: The Snow Drop, Emma Biggs on Vegetable Gardening with Kids, Pruning Hydrangea arborescens Feb 12, 2022

A year of Into the Garden with Leslie! That went fast...

This week I celebrate the early tiny Snow Drop (Galanthus) that is blooming in my garden. Emma Biggs, who wrote Gardening with Emma: Grow and Have Funjoins me and we discuss her garden, gardening in a small space in Toronto, and her book written at age 15 to get kids into gardening. I finish my Hyrdrangea pruning series with tips on Hydrangea arborescens, and although I have not yet how to avoid the flops with my favorite Annabelle, there is some good pruning information there.

51: The Orchid, Serome Hamlin's Enchanted Gardens, How to Prune an Oak Leaf Hydrangea Feb 05, 2022

I couldn't resist paying homage to an outdoor plant that made me so happy while I was hanging out all smug in Horticultural zone 10 for a few weeks, but I will be happy to get back to my zone 7B indoor orchids. Serome Hamlin tells us all about his miniature Enchanted (but not Fairy!) Gardens (8:45) and after chatting about the evils of Nandina and the virtues of the native (to Virginia and other SE states) Camassia scilloides, I discuss how you could, but you really don't have to, prune an Oak Leaf Hydrangea.

50: Golden Alexander, Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener, Pruning Hydrangea paniculata Jan 29, 2022

Because this is the FIFTIETH episode of Into the Garden with Leslie we celebrate by choosing the Golden Alexander as the Plant of the Week. Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener talks to us about compost (6:40) and we go on to the NEXT type of Hydrangea, the paniculata type, (45:16) with pruning tips. Remember-- you never have to prune!

49: The Ficus, Julie Hart of Tasmania, Pruning Macrophylla Hydrangeas Jan 22, 2022

I had no idea that the Ficus incorporates so many different type of plant (including epiphytes) and is even the name for a type of sea snail found near Singapore. But in the episode I concentrate on plants-- house plants mostly. I have a chat with the delightful Nanny Noo (Julie Hart) of Launceston, Tasmania and before going into the normal gardening topic of pruning Hydrangea macrophylla (which you don't even have to do) I take a medium dive into the topic of doggie doo. There's more to it than you would think. Doomsday thinking from the EPA and more hopeful information from the USDA. Yes, it can be composted, but you REALLY need to know what you are doing.

48: Live Oak, Kelly Lehman, Start of Winter Pruning Tips Jan 15, 2022

This week I choose a huge plant that is right outside of our Florida rental as the Plant of the Week (2:18) and it is the Live Oak. Kelly Lehman and I chat about her flower farm, social media success and hydrangea pruning tips (6:30) and in The Play List I start what will be a series of winter pruning tips that I love to employ in cold weather.

47: The Crinum, Jenks Farmer, Oasis Jan 08, 2022

This week is all about a plant I hadn't known much about until I heard from Jenks Farmer (Augustus Jenkins Farmer III) and heard about his book, titled Crinum: Unearthing the History and Cultivation of the World's Biggest Bulb. The Crinum is also the Plant of the Week, and on the Play List I talk about getting the heavy snow off of your evergreens (sometime you don't have time to be gentle) and I go on a bit of a rant about Oasis, that floral foam that breaks down into nano plastics and ends up places we don't want it to end up.

46: 2021 Guests with 2022 Garden Goals Jan 01, 2022

A baker's dozen of my best guests, including a special one from Launceston, Tassie, who my listeners haven't even been acquainted with, tell us what they are up to in 2022. Kelly D. Norris, Jenny Sioux Hopkins, Christy Wilhelmi, Brie Arthur, Andy Brand, Bunny Williams, Scott Beuerlein, Dean Norton, Marianne Willburn, Lizzie Fox, Erin Schanen, Steph Green and Julie Hart, aka Nanny Noo, will fill you with inspiration for the next gardening season!

45: Lots of Christmas Plants and Dogs in the Garden with Sister Kim, who is a Dog Trainer! Dec 25, 2021

Merry Christmas to all! This week I explore 4 plants that are commonly in people's homes this time of year, including my favorite type of tree, the Frasier fir. My sister Kim of Canine Connection in Alexandria teaches about how to enjoy our new Covid pups, and all dogs, in the garden. And in terms of listening, it's to your family this holiday season, and all that they may have to offer you.

44: Amaryllis, Ellen Zachos of The Backyard Forager, bulbs in pots Dec 18, 2021

Besides learning that the Amaryllis is actually, in most cases a Hippeastrum, you will hear my rationalization for enjoying those bulbs without trying to get them to re-bloom the next year. I chat with Ellen Zachos about foraging for food (and cocktail enhancements!) in your own backyard: why you would even want to do this, and how to do it safely. Tips about planting spring bulbs in pots and thoughts on cleaning up your perennial bed. Do you have to. No, you do not.

43: Magnolia macrophylla, Tim Schipper of ColorBlends Bulbs, Bulb planting tips Dec 11, 2021

Tim Schipper, owner and founder of ColorBlends gives us the low down on bulbs-- what the 'blends' are, ideas on how to keep them coming back or not to worry if they don't and planting times. ColorBlends is my favorite bulb source and I just love how you get a brown scaly golf ball in fall and it becomes a magical flower a few short months later. The Plant of the Week is the Big Leafed Magnolia, whose offspring are blowing around in my yard right now like sails, and in The Play List we talk about bulb placement tips and leaving the leaves-- not just for habitat, but for soil enrichment, as I heard on Tom Christopher's conversation with Eric Fleisher of F2 Environmental Design December 1 podcast.

42: Winterberry, Carolyn Mullet of CarexTours Dec 04, 2021

Plant of the Week is the Winterberry or Ilex verticillata, and I chat with Carolyn Mullet of CarexTours, which gets interested American gardeners to the most amazing European gardens! My head cold brings several sections of this episode down a half octave or so, but I still enjoyed making it!

41: Red Twig Dogwood, Steph Green on Christmas Containers, Pruning Tips Nov 27, 2021

Steph Green of Contained Creations of Richmond helps us to figure out how to wow with Holiday Containers. Lots of great tips, whether you tend toward glitz or nature. The Cornus sericea, or Red Twig Dogwood, is the Plant of the Week and I talk about choices on fall clean up in your garden, rejuvenation pruning vs winter snips, and The Play List feature Johnny Mathis, with me accompanying (don't fret, it's very short) on 'It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas'

40: The Arizona Cypress, Anthony Bellomo, Compost vs Fertilizer Nov 20, 2021

In this episode, I give a fox update, answer questions about trugs and indoor plants (don't laugh! I knew the answer!), and interview Landscape Architect Anthony Bellomo of Millbrook, NY about his pivot to open the lovely Orangerie garden store and his garden at Clove Brook Farm. I also give you some ideas garnered from Christie Wilhelmi's YouTube about Fertilizer vs Compost.

39: Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple, Erin the Impatient Gardener, planting a tree and more Nov 13, 2021

I highly recommend you get your fall fiesta from the native Acer saccharum instead of that other colorful thing that is taking over our native forests: Burning Bush or Eonymus alatus. Erin Schanen the Impatient Gardener and I talk about most anything and everything, including her new naturalistic garden. And I take you through some basics of perennials division, planting a tree, and what to do with compost (not much, right now!)

37: Ajania pacifica, Sister Sue Ann on bulbs, moving peonies and more Nov 06, 2021

After a scintillating fox update (if you follow me on Instagram, you know that's a thing) I choose the Silver and Gold, or Ajania pacifica as the Plant of the Week. Sister Sue and I delve deep into how to plant bulbs, and maybe what bulbs to plant, and I deal with questions on Vinca minor, moving peonies and what to do in the garden this week. Shout out to the Home Grown National Park-- $20 for 20 million acres. It's not a great real estate deal, but it's a great cause.

36: Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Lizzie Fox of the Rose Press Garden, Brooklyn Bridge Park Oct 30, 2021

The color that most Oak Leaf Hydrangea leaves turn this time of year reminds me of a fine red wine sipped by the fire, so that means it has to be the Plant of the Week. You are going to be charmed by Lizzie Fox, a young woman in Norwich, England, who is turning seed shopping a shiny, beautiful and new direction, and other details include pruning hydrangeas, watering chores (at this time of year? maybe...) and the Brooklyn Bridge Park, as listened to Rebecca McMackin on Tom Christopher's Growing Greener pod.

35: Japanese and native American Anemones, Christy Wilhelmi, more on compost! Oct 23, 2021

Because we haven't featured a native Plant of the Week for a while, and because I could not ignore the Honorine Jobert in my yard, we double dip with both the Japanese anemone and the Anemone virginiana, which, although it isn't blooming now like our Asian friend, blooms in spring and is pretty too!

Christy Wilhelmi and I flit around the garden topics, touching down on compost, no dig gardening, managing fruit trees in a small space, and mini meadows. Basically, I asked her about some of the wonderful tips she gets on HER podcast, Gardenerd Tip of the Week.

And lastly on The Play List I talk more about compost, answer some listeners' questions, and talk about what to do in the garden this week.

34: Marianne Wilburn on bring plants in for the winter, the Rex Begonia, and the soil knife Oct 16, 2021

This week the author of Tropical Plants and How to Love Them, Marianne Wilburn, takes us through steps on what plants we may want to over winter, and how to make them happy. This is Marianne's second visit because she is so fun to chat with! The Plant of the Week is the Rex Begonia, and I also talk about some trees I have planted recently, more on composting, and one of my favorite tools, the soil knife.

33: The Chrysanthemum, fall gardening thoughts with Sister Sue Ann, and thoughts on noisy blowers Oct 09, 2021

This week we get all pumpkin spicy autumnal with the mum as our POW, some dried hydrangea and dahlias cutting tips, and a long chat with sister Sue Ann about what is happening in her garden, mine, and others of which we are jealous. Timely information about bringing indoor plants back in NOW is a great preview for next week's visit with Marianne Wilburn.

33: Asian Jumping Worms, Zinnias, and Gregory Britt Oct 02, 2021

Gregory Britt, "That Nice Guy Who Creates Epic Floral Artistry" joins me for a wandering (literally, as I chase him around the studio with my lame microphone and we battle traffic noise) chat about flowers, gardening, and house plants. I have collected good basic (read: for idiots like me) info on the Asian Jumping Worm and the classic Zinnia is the Plant of the Week!

32: The Pansy; Fall Containers with Steph Green of Contained Creations; Rusty Gear Sep 25, 2021

Following up on the very successful Episode 32 with Steph Green of Contained Creations, we explore fall containers with her (7:35) after getting you primed for filling them with the Plant of the Week, the Pansy! Special live concert with Rusty Gear (41:42) is a bonus!

31: Marianne Willburn of American Gardener Magazine, and the Begonia grandis Sep 18, 2021

This week, writer and gardener Marianne Willburn joined me on the pod. She is a monthly columnist for the American Gardener Magazine, as well as a writer for Garden Rant. You can also find her personal blogs here. We talk about all things plant marketing, plant sharing, even the native vs. nonnative debate and the oh-so-controversial Lawn. You can also read MY blog here! I publish a post to go along with each episode of the podcast.

30: Peggy Cornett of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and Snow on the Mountain Sep 11, 2021

I visited Peggy Cornett, and lots of cicadas, hence the ambient noise, at The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Tufton Farm, about two miles from Monticello. We chat about plants that Jefferson grew or otherwise historic plants, including the interesting annual Euphorbia marginata, or Snow on the Mountain. Since that sounds like a country song, it is, but from Australia, where it doesn't snow all that much!

29: Coleus, Dean Norton of Mount Vernon Sep 04, 2021

This week I visit Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture at George Washington's Mount Vernon (@ 5:47) and recommend Andrea Wulf's 'Founding Gardeners' in The Play List. The Plant of the Week really has nothing at all to do with the General, I cannot tell a lie, but it is a versatile and useful plant that I am propagating the heck out of these days, in order to improve my garden once the dog days wane.

28: Dahlias, Beverly Lacey of Blue Heron Farms, late season pruning and Mosquitos Aug 28, 2021

The Dahlia is the showy strumpet of the late season border, and she is a high maintenance diva that is so attractive she is worth all of the effort. We learn the ins and outs of growing the Dahlia from spring planting to lifting and dividing. Did you know that there are 17 different flower forms? Other topics include English Ivy and how I loathe it, late season pruning on low and crazy branches, and a podcast named "Tiny Vampires".

Week 27: The August Garden with Scott Beuerlein and my mother-in-law's border Aug 21, 2021

Traveling Garden Correspondent Leslie Harris is in hot and humid Hilton Head, South Carolina, picking apart why her mother-in-law's garden looks so darned good right now. Garden writer Scott Beuerlein of Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Horticulture Magazine and Garden Rant fame joins me on some other August ideas. Fall is coming, but let us indulge in a bit of self-pity, day dreaming, and plagiarism while we wait for it.

26: Great Blue Lobelia, Bunny Williams Paul Tukey and Organic Lawns Aug 14, 2021

I follow through on last week's threat of choosing the plant species named after a venereal disease as the Plant of the Week (Lobelia siphilitica) and Bunny Williams and I chat about gardens, garden design, HER garden, which is spectacular, and her garden book, On Garden Style at 5:55. The Play List includes info on spider mites, flagging annuals, and the possibility of an organic lawn.

25: White Pine, Andy Brand of the Coastal Main Botanical Gardens, Rusty Gear Aug 07, 2021

When in Maine... you go see the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and chat with Andy Brand (5:17) about how wonderful they are! The Plant of the Week is a the state flower of Maine, but here's the catch: it's not a flower. The Play List includes some timely veg transplant and seed starting information, none of which I will take advantage of, but you can! And Rusty Gear, who provides my into music, has another album out. Must hear!

24: Mountain Mint, Brie the Plant Lady Jul 31, 2021

Mountain Mint is a total winner-- edible native deer resistant pollinator that performs as well in sun as in shade. And edible ornamentals are the expertise of Brie the Plant Lady, who tells us all about foodscaping at 5:48. The Play List (25:12) talks about tomato pruning, the difference between purslane and spurge, and the Temptations, and I, Wish it Would Rain.

23: Phlox, Garden Party Gardening with Sue Ann Jul 24, 2021

The Plant of the week is another native, and a classic stalwart in the summer border, the Phlox paniculata. I chat with sister Sue Ann at 5:34 about how to get your garden ready to party, and give you a few garden chores in The Play List at 26:18, and I recommend 99% Invisible, which is a captivating podcast based on design, architecture, culture and history.

22: Echinacea, Container =Gardening with Steph Green, and Pesky Bunnies, Tree of Heaven and Stilt Grass Jul 17, 2021

The Plant of the Week is the coneflower-- a great American native that blooms for months in summer. We chat with Steph Green of Contained Creations (7:13) about having gorgeous containers, and turn to pests in the garden (32:45) and whatever can we do about bunnies and Japanese beetles?

21: The Gardening Podcast Summary Jul 10, 2021

Plant of the Week is Persicaria (00:40); good info from recent gardening podcasts such at ticks from Tom Christopher's Growing Greener (5:02), Nature and Gardening from Margaret Roach's A Way to Garden (9:49); and the Joe Gardener Show's discussion National Gardening Association's Annual Survey (14:18). I also touch on why we use Latin in gardening and some timely gardening tips. Into the Garden with Leslie is now available on Podchaser. S95v0UUWGdYdRxLsnKb2

20: Monarda, Gardenerd Tip of the Week and how to properly water your plants Jul 03, 2021

Icky things (a worm and a snake) I posted on Instagram; Plant of the Week is Monarda, and the interview (at 7:21 is with Christy Wilhelmi of Gardenerd Tip of the Week podcast and website. Christy is a California small space organic gardening guru! The Play List (26:15) includes questions on ivy on trees, Magnolia leaves, and lots of information on proper watering techniques. And what to listen to? Christy's Gardenerd Tip of the Week Pod, of course!

19: Lavender, Chickens, and how to deal with Mosquitos Jun 26, 2021

We have the famous Chicken Lady, Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily, to try to talk me into having them in the garden. The Plant of the Week is Lavender and there are tips on nasty garden things like poison ivy and mosquitos in The Play List

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro and Plant of Week/5:08 interview/22:29 The Play List

18: Virginia Sweetspire, Hardscaping, and a VA Anthem! Jun 19, 2021

Today, I sit down with Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping to learn more about hardscaping. The playlist includes a VA anthem and food for flowers!

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro / 2:49 Plant of the Week /5:09 Guest / 23:03 Playlist

17: Longleaf Pine, Chris Jones, and a Plant Pod! Jun 12, 2021

This week, I chat with Chris Jones, assistant grounds superintendent at Pinehurst Resort, about landscaping and the longleaf pine!

Timestamps

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:10 / Guest 4:29 / Playlist 19:56

Notes:

Cicadas: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2021/cicadas-lifecycle-brood-x/

My article: https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-prune-garden-perennials-in-summer

16: Verbena, Cut Flowers with Jenny, and Gardenerds! Jun 05, 2021

This week, Jenny Hopkins of Big Arms Farm clues me in on the cut-flower farm operation, with tips for the flower-loving home gardener as well!

Time Stamps

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 4:32 / Guest 7:04 / Playlist 23:55

15: Oaks, Doug Tallamy, and a Webinar! May 29, 2021

This week, I sit down with Doug Tallamy—entomologist, author, and the oak tree's biggest advocate!

Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 3:35 / Guest 5:25 / Playlist 23:59

14: Tender Annuals, My Sister Sue Ann 2.0, and "The Ugly Bug Ball" May 22, 2021

This week, I talk tender annuals and my lovely sister Sue Ann joins me to discuss container planting.

Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:40 / Guest 6:30 / Playlist 24:20

13: Okra, Diane Burns, and "Vegetables" May 15, 2021

In keeping with our veggie theme, our plant of the week is okra! Diane Burns, head gardener at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of vegetable gardening. Tune in for a yummy Beach Boys track.

Timestamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 3:40 / Guest 5:38 / Playlist 7:21

12: Pinxterbloom Azalea, My Garden, and Audible Recs! May 08, 2021

Our plant of the week is pinxterbloom, an azalea native to Eastern North America. This week, the tables have turned: my friend Susan Terwilliger interviews me about my garden! Tune in for some garden-friendly audible recs.

Timestamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 4:47 / Interview 6:40 / Playlist 21:50

11: Fringe Tree, My Sister Sue Ann, and "Surrey with the Fringe" May 01, 2021

My little sister Sue Ann Kane joins me to talk about starting a garden from scratch. Our plant of the week is the fringe tree: what song could be more fitting than "Surrey with the Fringe (tree) on Top"?

Timestamps:

Intro 0:00 / Plant of the Week 2:26 / Guest 4:54 / Playlist 20:08

10: Camassia, Rod and Maggie Walker, and "Poison Ivy" Apr 24, 2021

The plant of the week is the Pacific NW native, Camassia! I’m joined by Rod and Maggie Walker from Blue Ridge PRISM. Need something to listen to while playing in your garden? I recommend “Poison Ivy” by The Coasters.

0:00 intro / 2:43 plant of the week / 5:32 interview / 22:00 playlist

09: Boxwoods, Michael Abbott, and Chasing Cars Apr 17, 2021

The plant of the week is the boxwood! Today we are talking with Michael Abbott of Bartlett Tree Experts. When I look at my garden this time of year I'm reminded of a line of a song, Chasing Cars.

0:00 intro & corrections / 3:05 plant of the week / 6:15 interview / 25:26 playlist

08: Tulip Poplars, Jason LaRose, and How to Shop for Plants Apr 10, 2021

The plant of the week is the tulip poplar. This week's interview is with arborist Jason LaRose from Queen City Silviculture. The Play List includes what to shop for and Vivaldi's Spring. Corrections 3:21 / Plant of the week 4:19 / Interview 6:25 / Play List 20:42

07: Twin Leaf, Peggy Cornett, and Haydn String Quartets Apr 10, 2021

The Plant of the Week is the Twin Leaf or Jeffersonia diphylla. This week's interview is with Curator of Plants at Monticello Peggy Cornett. The Play List includes what to do in your garden this week and what Jefferson would have listened to: Haydn’s String Quartets.

https://www.monticello.org/
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a409
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_string_quartets_by_Joseph_Haydn

06: Canadian Hemlock, Kelly D. Norris, and Perennial Division Apr 10, 2021

The plants of the week are the Hemlock and the River Birch (both natives). This week's interview is with Horticulturist Kelly D. Norris about his latest book New Naturalism. The Play List talks about early perennial division and Tom Christopher’s podcast Growing Greener

05: Dogwoods, Historic Garden Week, and Mulch Apr 10, 2021

The Plant of the Week is the State Flower AND tree of Virginia. This week's interview is with two of the three chairs of Albemarle’s part of the state-wide Historic Garden Week. The Playlist includes mulch information and American singer and songwriter Rusty Gear

04: The Paperbush, Anne Blackwell Thompson, and Pruning Your Roses Apr 10, 2021

Plant of the Week is Edgeworthia chrysantha, update on Historic Garden Week prep, interview with Anne Blackwell Thompson of Blackwell Botanicals on display at Quirk Gallery, and The Playlist includes winter annual weeks and Margaret Roach’s Podcast A Way to Garden.

03: Daffodils, Piedmont Master Gardeners, and Nathan Colberg Apr 10, 2021

The Plant of the Week is a spring fave, the daffodil. This week's interview promotes the Virtual Spring Lecture Series provided for free by Piedmont Master Gardeners. The Playlist talks about what to do in your garden this week and promotes a local musician.

02: Native Plants, Carol Carter, and Hydrangea Pruning Basics Apr 10, 2021

This week’s Plant of the Week is the Ilex verticillata, or Winterberry. Carol Carter talks to us about Native Plants and their importance in nature and in our gardening. The Playlist includes information about bulb fertilization, soil compaction and a quick list of Hydrangea pruning basics. This week's listening recommendation is the Gardeners’ Question Time Podcast produced by the BBC.

01: Hellebores, Matt Berry, and How to Prune Azaleas Mar 31, 2021

In this first episode, Leslie introduces herself and how she got into gardening. She also introduces the Plant of the Week, the Hellebore. Matt Berry of Dos Amigos Landscaping talks about how to hire the right landscaping contractor, and The Playlist includes information about tree care, and azalea pruning. Her listening recommendation: Winter Garden by Eraldo Bernocchi, Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie.

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