Luke Ruggenberg is on the show today. Luke is the author of Twenty Reasons Not To Garden (And Why I Ignore Them All) and it was that clever book title that lead me to buy Luke’s book and then track him down on Twitter and get him to be a guest on the show.     Luke…

Ethan Kauffman is on the show today. Ethan’s the director at Stoneleigh - America's newest public garden. I got the chance to talk plants with Ethan (that was exciting!) and not surprisingly, I learned a ton from him, and hopefully, you will, too. You’re going to love hearing his thoughts on favorite plants, using natives, and his choices for perennials that shine in different seasons. Stoneleigh is an impressive role model for home gardeners; showing how a native garden can be created to...

Brand New Podcast - Just in time for Spring! Practical Organic Gardening Explained, Plus How to Solve Garden Challenges Naturally with Mark Highland.

Al Zelaya is on the show today and we’re talking about the real value of trees.   You know the old saying, "money doesn’t grow on trees”?     Well, Al Zelaya might beg to differ. He's been working on tree valuation for quite a while and he’s about to show us just how to value a…

Michelle Balz (pronounced Balts) is on the show today and she’s the author of Composting for a New Generation: Latest Techniques for the Bin and Beyond .     A long-time backyard composter with a passion for reducing our impact on the planet, Michelle offers laid-back advice for home composters in the Confessions of a Composter blog, teaching classes on…

Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz are on the show today and they are the authors of Gardening with Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More. As landscape designers, Karen and Christina see gardens through a different lens. They like to begin their work on a garden space by…

Barbara Pleasant (SG584) is back on the show and she's the author of  The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual. Barbara shares some excellent tips:- why you should buy plants from low light areas- Container vs. Plant: who lives? who dies to live another day?- Pets vs. Houseplants: Addressing Poisonous Houseplant Concerns- Barbara's trick for harvesting and storing…

Wendy Kiang-Spray is on the show and she's the author of The Chinese Kitchen Garden. And boy, do I love this book. It’s half how to grow, half how to cook, and half an amazing glimpse into the wonderful Kiang-Spray Family - so that’s 150% worth of yummy, beautiful, love in one book. Plus - it’s…

Today’s show is a dream come true for me - Leslie Buck is on the show and she's the author of Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto. Cutting Back is Leslie’s charming memoir of her time spent in the gardens of Kyoto, Japan.    Now, I read about Leslie and her memoir last…

Megan Cain (SG557) - aka The Creative Vegetable Gardener  is back  on the show today and we’re discussing how to garden smart and how to be a smart gardener with the help of her Smart Start Garden Planner.   Think of all the adjectives you associate with the term gardener: Hopeful Constant Keen Enthusiastic Practical Skilled …

Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, a.k.a. The Houseplant Guru, is on the show today and guess what we’re talking about?  Ding! Ding! Ding! You’re right! Her new book on houseplants published by Cool Springs Press called Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing and Caring for Indoor Plants. One of the things I appreciated the most about Lisa’s book, is that she divided the 125 houseplants featured in her book into three helpful categories: Easy to Grow, Moderately Easy-to-Grow, and...

Guten Tag. Ola. Bonjour. Bur-dup? That’s the official greeting of the world's most abundant domestic animal - chickens. Today we’re learning How to Speak Chicken with expert chicken translator Melissa Caughey of the blog Tilly’s Nest and the new book with the intriguing and quirky title, How to Speak Chicken. I’ve done lots of interviews over the years - and I guarantee you, this is one that I will personally never forget.

Naturalist Nat Wheelwright is on the show today and he’s sharing an incredible resource he created with Bernd Heinrich - it’s a 5-year-calendar-journal and it’s called The Naturalist’s Notebook. When Storey Publishing sent Nat's book to me before Thanksgiving, I have to tell you I actually gasped when I opened it, because it is so beautiful…

Columnist Lynn Gendusa is back on the show today and she’s sharing a beautiful article she wrote last year for Thanksgiving and it’s called Thanksgiving in a Garden. Lynn has a knack for telling stories that tug at heart strings and give us a respite from the go-go-go of our days. Gardeners have a soft spot for nostalgia and simplicity; Lynn’s writing offers both. This isn’t an pure gardening episode, but it’s one gardeners will enjoy. I think you’ll agree, she has a thankful heart.

Brand New! Plant remedies for preventing colds and flu (since avoiding getting sick is on everyone’s mind as we head into winter). We discuss "the pizza herbs" like Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Bee Balm (Monarda), Lavender, and "the cool mints" like Peppermint, Spearmint, Hyssop, and Catmint/Catnip - plus the power of Garlic, Onion, and Hot Peppers. I’m thrilled you can join me for this highly informative chat with Katja Swift. When cold and flu season hits this year, you’ll be glad you...

Katie Dubow is back on the show today and she’s sharing the 2018 Garden Trends Report released by Garden Media Group. It’s their 17th annual Garden Trends Report for 2018, Nature’s Rx for Mental Wellness - nature is the best medicine! “We already know gardening works wonders for our health,” says Garden Media Group founder Susie McCoy.…

Trees are the Gentle Giants of our Gardens and today we are so fortunate to learn from Master Arborist and Beloved Industry Expert Rex Bastian.   Trees are so essential to our lives. They give us oxygen. They anchor the soil. They provide shelter and store carbon.  In the garden, trees provide so very much, yet many…

In most parts of the country, winter is making an early entrance. In Minnesota, snow and sleet arrived four full days before Halloween. Snow events and freezing temperatures bring gardening to a hard stop. This week, we’re saying goodnight to our 2017 gardens and I’m sharing my final punch list to inspire your to have…

Cheryl on Facebook Email Cheryl Seed Saver Extraordinaire and co-author of The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs, Cheryl Moore-Gough is on the show today. Cheryl is going to help us learn how to save our seeds to use in next year’s garden, to share with our fellow…

On today’s show, I welcome a tender-hearted friend of the Monarch cause - Kylee Baumle and she’s written a book called The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly. Now, I’m going to tell you something most professionals in the gardening industry already know and that is this: Kylee is a huge supporter of the Monarch cause.…

On today’s show, I welcome award-winning designer Jan Johnsen to the show to discuss her book - The Spirit of Stone - in which she presents a beautifully photographed, inspiring guide to 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden: from practical steps, paths, and garden walls, to naturalistic dry streams, inspired rock gardens,…

  Today’s show is all about top tomato varieties - with one of the country’s  leading tomato experts - Craig LeHoullier the author of Epic Tomatoes. In his book, Epic Tomatoes, you get a chance to have Craig mentor you through the wide, wide world of tomatoes. You learn how to grow and harvest with…

    If you are a fan of succulents - and it seems that they’ve justifiably charmed every living, breathing gardener on planet earth - then today’s show will be a total joy for you. I got the chance to talk succulents with the Queen of Succulents - Debra Lee Baldwin.  Debra has a new book…

The always fabulous Marta McDowell - the garden author from Chatham New Jersey and the author of All the President’s Gardens from Episode SG545 - is on the show today to talk about her latest book, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder; which tells the tale of the plants and places of the beloved author…

The witty and wise garden author Barbara Pleasant is on today’s show and we’re talking about her book Homegrown Pantry: A Gardener’s Guide to Selecting the Best Varieties & Planting the Perfect Amounts for What You Want to Eat Year-Round. How many potatoes should I plant for a family of four? Which fruits should I…