Shows
The Garden Mixer#23 Fabulous Foliage plants for SummerYou’re tired. You’re hot. You’re yearning for autumn to set you free. But how your garden looks right now has everything to do with the choices you made in past planting seasons and a lot to do with foliage. Have you capitalized on the resilient summer foliage options that keep working when the lobelia has melted and the poppies are so over? This week on The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne explore six of their favorite foliage plants for summer — each choosing a perennial, a shrub, and a tender perennial (aka ‘temperennial’) — and then choos...2025-08-0855 minThe Garden Mixer#22 Ten Great Ornamental Grasses EpisodeThey’re deer resistant, drought resistant, and boredom-resistant — and they’re not without controversy. Ornamental grasses might be the magic texture your garden has been missing all these years. Whether you want to ‘blur and merge’ as per Grasses for Gardens and Landscapes author Neil Lucas, or ‘punch and soften’ as per the more violent of your two co-hosts, Marianne Willburn — using ornamental grasses strategically can help your garden relax and sway into summer, filling gaps, feathering edges, and giving you three-season architecture without the bagworms.Join Leslie and Marianne as they share with listeners their top ten or...2025-07-2557 minThe Garden Mixer#21 The Beach or Beans EpisodeYou’d like to go on vacation. Your family wants you to go on vacation. But you don’t know how to leave your garden. So you don’t go on vacation.Wrong answer. You NEED a vacation. You just need to prep your garden and make it Vacay-Ready.This week Leslie and Marianne dive into what it really takes to leave your garden without the guilt. From prepping your plants to prepping your mindset, they want to help you take a break without sacrificing your blooms. Whether you’re heading to the b...2025-07-1159 minThe Garden Mixer#20 The Tools EpisodeWelcome back! The girls are rested, refreshed, reenergized, and ready to tackle the overgrown gardens that await them with the tools they love this week. From can't-be-without pruners to surprising new finds, Leslie and Marianne dish the dirt on the implements that help them dig it. Are brand names important? What’s a seckie? How do you pronounce Okasune? And what on earth is Marianne’s problem with the hori-hori and will the woman ever let it rest? Apparently not.Also up for discussion — herons, rabbits, the elusive golden shovel, and why th...2025-06-271h 04The Garden Mixer#19 Interview with Marianne and Scott Beuerlein about Garden Rant (from the Archives)Waaaayy back when this podcast was just Leslie doing Into the Garden with Leslie, Marianne was a frequent flyer even though she was just a guest at that time. In this episode, Marianne and Leslie team up with Scott Beuerlein to talk about their "Dear Gardener" correspondence on Garden Rant. Next week Leslie and Marianne, are back, tanned rested and ready for the summer garden and they will be talking about tools!2025-06-2059 minThe Garden Mixer#18 The Garden Mixers' First MixThis week we reach into the archives to bring you the first ever time Leslie interviewed Marianne on her podcast Into the Garden with Leslie. You can tell by the stilted convo and awkward silences that we didn't really hit it off, and we've been faking it ever since. Actually, we hit it off so well that as an apt preview of what was to come, we go completely off of whatever topic Leslie had planned and roam all over the garden. Marianne and Leslie are taking a scheduled summer break, so there are no...2025-06-1349 minThe Garden Mixer#17 The Doug Oster EpisodeThis week the girls mix dry humor and deep honesty with Doug Oster, Emmy award-winning garden broadcaster & author from Pittsburgh. This, unbeknownst to Marianne, makes him a Yinzer — and that does not mean he enjoys a Yingling from time to time.For years, on television, radio, newspapers and social media, Doug has been an outspoken champion for organic gardening, and for the passion and personality of ordinary gardeners and the gardens they tend. They'll discuss the importance of independent garden centers in helping to cultivate that personal touch, and dip into the changing demographics of ga...2025-06-061h 10The Garden Mixer#16 The Bikini Ready EpisodeSo. The garden is chaotic and you’ve either got guests coming, or you’re in danger of having an ever-so-mini breakdown each time you glance outside. How can you make it Bikini-Ready in a fairly short space of time?The answer: you can’t. But you can definitely make it look decent in a one-piece.This week, spurred on by one too many Ad-stagram promises to change your skin, hair, and body just in time for summer; AND an impending visit to Leslie’s garden by Marianne, the girls discuss some truly miraculous quick fixes to...2025-05-231h 08The Garden Mixer#15 Linda VaterThis week, the girls welcome Linda Vater to the Mix and try to stay focused on important topics like Marianne’s new topiary snail. Linda Vater is a blogger, garden designer, stylist andlifestyle influencer with a penchant for grabbing shears and a gin and tonic and going after defenseless shrubs who don’t know how much they’re going to love their new look.She has gardened for decades in Oklahoma City and is nationally known for inspiring others to shine a garden lens on everything from what’s for dinner to what you’re picking up...2025-05-091h 09
The Garden Mixer#14 1/2 One More Sip: House Plant VacationThis week we're mixing up indoor/outdoor lines with a #houseplantvacation. Do you allow your hard-working houseplants a little time off during the growing season to be the plants they were born to be? Just as we could all use a little time soaking up the sun, getting the drinks in, and feeling fresh air on our faces, our houseplants could too. What a shame that time outside doesn’t make us look years younger like our plants.Marianne shares her thoughts as the author of Tropical Plants and How to Love Them, an...2025-05-0217 min
The Garden Mixer#13 1/2 One More Sip: Should You Label Your Plants?In One More Sip of the Garden Mixer, episode 13 1/2, Marianne and Leslie give you the lowdown on this burning garden question. 2025-04-1720 minThe Garden Mixer#13 The Yellow & Blue EpisodeWhen the spring erupts in tones of yellow, lemon, gold, and that weird orangey-mustard that you’re not sure you love, it’s time to bring on the blue. Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn have suggestions for how to achieve that in your garden, and dip briefly into the controversy surrounding the [almost] universally loved daffodil. From blue bells in the woods to blue spells when you're pulling out Vinca minor by the fistful, they'll touch on some of gardeners' favorites, and get sucked down a rabbit hole or two on their way.For...2025-04-101h 12The Garden Mixer#12 1/2 One More Sip: Gardening ClickbaitWelcome to One More Sip (of The Garden Mixer)…a short form 15-minute episode for in-between weeks where Leslie & Marianne try — so far, successfully — to discuss one random topic that deserves some attention. But not necessarily agreement. This week we're talking gardening click-bait. The good, the bad, and the what-the-actual-hell? There have always been hucksters, shysters, snake oil salesmen, and dodgy characters selling magic beans. And now we have the internet. What’s the best way to approach the clickbait that tempts us al...2025-04-0317 min
The Garden Mixer#12 The Brie Arthur EpisodeIt's a wild mix of topics this week on The Garden Mixer. Along with their guest, author and speaker Brie Arthur, Leslie and Marianne talk plant propagation, foodscaping, blooming shrubs, maintenance-hungry perennials, and lifechanging illness. Turns out Brie is not just an expert on making baby plants, but can also share a thing or two about physically & mentally dealing with tick borne disease when your life is lived 100% in horticulture. It's not going to stop her -- or either of them for that matter. (spoiler alert: Grey Goose vodka is your friend.) Join Leslie and...2025-03-271h 41
The Garden Mixer#11 1/2 One More Sip: Poisonous Plants Freak OutMuch like days when you intend to start tomato seeds and end up digging the outline for the new pond, our bi-weekly conversations mix up topics, plants , and guests, and keep us on our toes.We love that mix, but this week, we're experimenting with One More Sip -- a short form episode for in-between weeks that deals with one topic only.At least that's what Marianne promised. This week we're talking poisonous plants. Do you feel like there is a lot more made of plant toxicity in academia, social media and news...2025-03-2015 minThe Garden Mixer#11 The Dixter Pruning Download EpisodeHow much can you learn about pruning when your loppers are older than most Influencers? It turns out, quite a lot when you’re taught by the right people. This week, Leslie grills Marianne on her recent trip to the UK and the Great Dixter Symposium where pruning was on the menu (along with some incredible food thanks to Claire Rooney @thelayeredcook Now's the time to get into the garden and prune, and the girls advocate a bold approach (with a little insurance on the side). From Rosa rugosa to Wisteria ahem sinensis (and fr...2025-03-131h 14The Garden Mixer#10 The Impatient Seeds Episode with Erin SchanenWe’re clinking glasses this week with Erin Schanen, YouTube’s Impatient Gardener, and we’re not asking her about her tomatoes.That’s right, who needs to eat when June is a feast for the eyes? We’ll be interrogating Erin on the flower seeds she practically starts in her sleep, the ones that need a little more attention, and the favorites she would never be without.First, there are a couple topics the girls want to hash out over Marianne's timeless gin & tonic and Leslie's 1990s glass of buttery...2025-02-271h 16The Garden Mixer#9 The Cheeky Seeds EpisodeAfter 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...2025-02-131h 15The Garden Mixer#8 The Boxwood and Cigarettes EpisodeThis 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.
Othe...2025-01-301h 10The Garden Mixer#7 The Chicken Soup EpisodeChickens 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...2025-01-161h 12The Garden Mixer#6 The Big [Old] Book EpisodeLeslie 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 Sackv...2025-01-0258 min
The Garden Mixer#5 The Downsized EpisodeIn 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 b...2024-12-191h 01The Garden Mixer#4 The Beuerlein on Bulbs Episode: Part IIThis 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 off...2024-11-281h 04
The Garden Mixer#3 The Beuerlein on Bulbs Episode: Part IIn 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 choi...2024-11-2150 minThe Garden Mixer#2 The Berries, Bananas and Books EpisodeOn 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...2024-11-071h 13
The Garden Mixer#1 The Inarguably Inaugural EpisodeMarianne 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! 2024-10-241h 16
The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn Joins the Podcast Formerly Known As... 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...2024-10-101h 11The Garden MixerWith Marianne Willburn Mid September 2024Well, 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. 2024-09-171h 16The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn on Native PlantsMarianne 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.
2024-09-051h 13The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn on Drought and Heat in the GardenDid 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. 2024-08-011h 07The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn, Unpacking the English Garden Tour 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. 2024-06-2459 minThe Garden MixerBack From Travels Quick Episode 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. 2024-06-2117 minThe Garden MixerMarianne Willburn England Garden Tour Preview 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!2024-05-171h 11The Garden MixerThe Spring Garden with Marianne WillburnHydrangea 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. 2024-04-241h 08The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn Garden Tour HERE, 119 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.2024-03-2341 minThe Garden MixerErin Schanen and the Philly Trends 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. 2024-03-101h 17The Garden MixerSusan Harris of Garden Rant, 115 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. 2024-02-0956 minThe Garden MixerMarianne Willburn and Winter Gardening, 111Winter 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!2023-12-191h 07The Garden MixerGarden Ranters Marianne Willburn and Scott Beuerlein, 99Garden 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!2023-07-151h 00The Garden MixerKate Daly of the Monarch Messengers and Forget Me Not, 91 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. 2023-04-081h 20
The Garden MixerSustainability Tips from 8 Different Gardeners, 85I 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. 2023-01-0441 min
The Garden MixerFavorite Plant Combinations of Favorite Guests, Episode 71What 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!2022-07-0927 min
The Garden MixerThe Great Dixter Round Up with Marianne Wilbur, 70Possibly 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. 2022-06-181h 05
The Garden MixerMarianne Willburn on Great Dixter, the Fringe Tree, 65If 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...2022-05-141h 02
The Garden MixerClaus Dalby on Containers in the Garden, the Tulip, Garden Consulting 60Claus 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.2022-04-0944 min
The Garden Mixer54: Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens; Edgeworthia ChrysanthaThe 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. 2022-02-2644 min
The Garden MixerInterview with Tanya Anderson of Lovely GreensThis is the video version of the interview of Episode 53. Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens discusses her new book, A Woman's Garden. 2022-02-2527 min
The Garden Mixer53: Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens; Stinking Hellebore; Boxwood pruningTanya 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. 2022-02-1940 min
The Garden Mixer52: The Snow Drop, Emma Biggs on Vegetable Gardening with Kids, Pruning Hydrangea arborescensA 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 Fun joins 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. 2022-02-1238 min
The Garden Mixer51: The Orchid, Serome Hamlin's Enchanted Gardens, How to Prune an Oak Leaf HydrangeaI 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. 2022-02-0542 min
The Garden Mixer50: Golden Alexander, Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener, Pruning Hydrangea paniculataBecause 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! 2022-01-2950 min
The Garden Mixer49: The Ficus, Julie Hart of Tasmania, Pruning Macrophylla HydrangeasI 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...2022-01-2238 min
The Garden Mixer48: Live Oak, Kelly Lehman, Start of Winter Pruning TipsThis 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. 2022-01-1541 min
The Garden Mixer47: The Crinum, Jenks Farmer, OasisThis 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...2022-01-0843 min
The Garden Mixer46: 2021 Guests with 2022 Garden GoalsA 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!2022-01-0123 min
The Garden Mixer45: Lots of Christmas Plants and Dogs in the Garden with Sister Kim, who is a Dog Trainer!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. 2021-12-2539 min
The Garden Mixer44: Amaryllis, Ellen Zachos of The Backyard Forager, bulbs in potsBesides 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. 2021-12-1841 min
The Garden Mixer43: Magnolia macrophylla, Tim Schipper of ColorBlends Bulbs, Bulb planting tipsTim 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...2021-12-1148 min
The Garden Mixer42: Winterberry, Carolyn Mullet of CarexToursPlant 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! 2021-12-0441 min
The Garden Mixer41: Red Twig Dogwood, Steph Green on Christmas Containers, Pruning TipsSteph 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' 2021-11-2746 minThe Garden Mixer40: The Arizona Cypress, Anthony Bellomo, Compost vs FertilizerIn 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.2021-11-2043 min
The Garden Mixer39: Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple, Erin the Impatient Gardener, planting a tree and moreI 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!)2021-11-1340 min
The Garden Mixer37: Ajania pacifica, Sister Sue Ann on bulbs, moving peonies and moreAfter 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. 2021-11-0642 min
The Garden Mixer36: Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Lizzie Fox of the Rose Press Garden, Brooklyn Bridge ParkThe 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. 2021-10-3039 min
The Garden Mixer35: Japanese and native American Anemones, Christy Wilhelmi, more on compost!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...2021-10-2349 min
The Garden Mixer34: Marianne Wilburn on bring plants in for the winter, the Rex Begonia, and the soil knifeThis 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. 2021-10-1647 min
The Garden Mixer33: The Chrysanthemum, fall gardening thoughts with Sister Sue Ann, and thoughts on noisy blowersThis 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. 2021-10-0950 min
The Garden Mixer33: Asian Jumping Worms, Zinnias, and Gregory BrittGregory 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!2021-10-0241 min
The Garden Mixer32: The Pansy; Fall Containers with Steph Green of Contained Creations; Rusty GearFollowing 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!2021-09-2546 minThe Garden Mixer31: Marianne Willburn of American Gardener Magazine, and the Begonia grandisThis 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.2021-09-1847 min
The Garden Mixer30: Peggy Cornett of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and Snow on the MountainI 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!2021-09-1133 min
The Garden Mixer29: Coleus, Dean Norton of Mount VernonThis 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. 2021-09-0432 min
The Garden Mixer28: Dahlias, Beverly Lacey of Blue Heron Farms, late season pruning and MosquitosThe 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". 2021-08-2840 min
The Garden MixerWeek 27: The August Garden with Scott Beuerlein and my mother-in-law's borderTraveling 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. 2021-08-2143 min
The Garden Mixer26: Great Blue Lobelia, Bunny Williams Paul Tukey and Organic LawnsI 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. 2021-08-1433 min
The Garden Mixer25: White Pine, Andy Brand of the Coastal Main Botanical Gardens, Rusty GearWhen 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!2021-08-0733 min
The Garden Mixer24: Mountain Mint, Brie the Plant LadyMountain 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.2021-07-3131 min
The Garden Mixer23: Phlox, Garden Party Gardening with Sue AnnThe 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. 2021-07-2433 minThe Garden Mixer22: Echinacea, Container =Gardening with Steph Green, and Pesky Bunnies, Tree of Heaven and Stilt GrassThe 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? 2021-07-1742 min
The Garden Mixer21: The Gardening Podcast SummaryPlant 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. S95v0UUWGdYdRxLsnKb22021-07-1024 min
The Garden Mixer20: Monarda, Gardenerd Tip of the Week and how to properly water your plantsIcky 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!2021-07-0333 min
The Garden Mixer19: Lavender, Chickens, and how to deal with MosquitosWe 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 List2021-06-2631 minThe Garden Mixer18: Virginia Sweetspire, Hardscaping, and a VA Anthem!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 Playlist2021-06-1930 minThe Garden Mixer17: Longleaf Pine, Chris Jones, and a Plant Pod!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 2021-06-1228 minThe Garden Mixer16: Verbena, Cut Flowers with Jenny, and Gardenerds!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 23:552021-06-0531 minThe Garden Mixer15: Oaks, Doug Tallamy, and a Webinar!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 23:592021-05-2931 minThe Garden Mixer14: Tender Annuals, My Sister Sue Ann 2.0, and "The Ugly Bug Ball"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
2021-05-2231 minThe Garden Mixer13: Okra, Diane Burns, and "Vegetables"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 7:212021-05-1529 minThe Garden Mixer12: Pinxterbloom Azalea, My Garden, and Audible Recs!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 21:502021-05-0828 minThe Garden Mixer11: Fringe Tree, My Sister Sue Ann, and "Surrey with the Fringe"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 20:082021-05-0126 minThe Garden Mixer10: Camassia, Rod and Maggie Walker, and "Poison Ivy"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 playlist2021-04-2427 min
The Garden Mixer09: Boxwoods, Michael Abbott, and Chasing CarsThe 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 playlist2021-04-1726 min
The Garden Mixer02: Native Plants, Carol Carter, and Hydrangea Pruning BasicsThis 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.2021-04-1026 min
The Garden Mixer03: Daffodils, Piedmont Master Gardeners, and Nathan ColbergThe 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.2021-04-1026 minThe Garden Mixer04: The Paperbush, Anne Blackwell Thompson, and Pruning Your RosesPlant 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.
2021-04-1025 min
The Garden Mixer05: Dogwoods, Historic Garden Week, and MulchThe 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
2021-04-1024 minThe Garden Mixer06: Canadian Hemlock, Kelly D. Norris, and Perennial DivisionThe 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
2021-04-1024 minThe Garden Mixer07: Twin Leaf, Peggy Cornett, and Haydn String QuartetsThe 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_Haydn2021-04-1024 minThe Garden Mixer08: Tulip Poplars, Jason LaRose, and How to Shop for PlantsThe 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 20:422021-04-1026 minThe Garden Mixer01: Hellebores, Matt Berry, and How to Prune AzaleasIn 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.
2021-03-3125 min