We are about to get a bit closer.

Soil is an enigma wrapped in puzzle lost in a maze. In this story I talk with my friend Professor Bill Fonteno to try and find some truth about soil. We discuss what is soil, what is media, and get some insight to the conversation surrounding peat moss. For more on Professor Fonteno's work Bill Fonteno | Horticultural Science | NC State University (ncsu.edu)

Richard Hawke from the Chicago Botanical Garden brought all the knowledge and opinions for this episode. Richard and I discuss the trials that he's been conducting at the Chicago Botanical Garden over the years and why so many of the plants that he has trialed aren't as easy to find as they should be. This is an episode that you are going to want to listen to several times. To see the trials Richard Hawke Conducts the the Chicago Botanic Gardens visit the link Below Plant Evaluation | Chicago Botanic Garden

If you are a flower farmer this is a gift from me to you. John Dole from NC State University joined me to talk about harvesting, storing, and all-round post processing of cut flowers. John is easily the most well respect professor on post flowering processing in the United States. For more on Johns work Dr. John Dole - Associate Dean and Director for Academic Programs (ncsu.edu)

To be a major part of building a legacy for roses is an incredible journey and that is exactly what Michael Marriott has achieved. Michael recently retired from David Austin Roses where he worked for four decades. He's one of the most respected people in the world of roses and one of my favorite guests. In this story we explore what his retirement has meant for him, the changes in gardening over the last year, and the traveling he's looking forward to again. Michael also along with his partner Rosie, future podcast guest, are offering garden tours in the UK which I can't recommend enough. For more information visit Michael's website below and follow him on social media as well. Michael Marriott (michaelmarriottrosarian.org) Michael Marriott (michaelmarriottrosarian.org) Garden Tours TOD GARDEN TOURS – Michael Marriott (michaelmarriottrosarian.org)

One of the best trends in gardening has been so many great gardening and horticulture experts sharing their knowledge. One of those stepping to the forefront of that has been Annie Guilfoyle. Annie is an exceptional garden designer and has taught garden design all over the world. She co-created the Garden Masterclass program. It is an absolutely fantastic program with some of the most talented people in the world of gardening participating. Originally the program toured gardens in the UK and Europe but like so many things in 2020 pivoted to an online platform. Annie and I share the story of how that transition took place and her perspective on so many things in the gardening world. For more on Annie and the Garden Masterclass program Garden Masterclass

The changes across the world over the last year have clearly been dramatic. One of the curious happenings has been a renewed interest in gardening. I wanted to explore the changes and interest we've seen in gardening over the year and Joe Lamp'L was the perfect person to explore this story. Joe has been producing and hosting gardening media content for over 20 years and now has created a dynamic online course series. We talked about the interest in in gardening and with so many new gardeners who do they trust for good information. For more Information on Joe's course series visit his website Organic Gardening | Grow Like a Pro with Joe Lamp'l | joe gardener®

Doug Oster has been telling stories of gardeners for his entire career in gardening media. I loved this conversation with Doug. I've read his columns in Pittsburgh for years but hadn't had the chance to talk with him before. So, we had lots to talk about. In this story that covers Doug's career and also do cities have their own garden culture? For more on Doug Oster Doug Oster - Everyone has a garden story, I'd love to tell yours Natchez Glen House Stories is possible because of your support of Natchez Glen

Kelly's new book 'The New Naturalism' is a great look into what the future of gardening can be. In this story we explore the worlds of ecology and horticulture and at times how they've been at odds but may be headed towards a renaissance. For more information about Kelly's work and to purchase his book 'The New Naturalism'

Ornamental grasses as a group were first introduced to me by Adrian Bloom. Over the last twenty years the use and beauty of ornamental grasses continues to grow. Getting to know the history of where they were and where they are today is very important to understanding how to use grasses in gardens. To help me get to that history Shannon Currey of Hoffman Nursery joined me for this story. Hoffman Nursery is a wholesale nursery based in North Carolina and was one of the first nurseries dedicated to growing incredible grasses for gardens.

Roy is both an incredible plants person and a fantastic garden designer. His understanding of plant communities and using that knowledge to create beautiful gardens is exceptional. Roy and I talk about his own journey with plants and gardening. And is working with plants an art? I also strongly encourage you to purchase Roy's book "The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden" For more information about Roy https://northwindperennialfarm.com/

Paul is one of the best voices for roses in the world. He not only is super knowledgeable about them as a plant but he has also grown them in various climates and traveled to see them around the world. One of my favorites things about Paul is he has also been producing content about roses for years now. In this episode we talk about all of the current issues with roses in the world of gardening. Follow Paul on all of his social media platforms http://paulzimmermanroses.com/

This was a fantastic conversation. Many times I go into podcasts not knowing the guest well or at all. Carolyn Mullet was a case of where we had never spoken before. By the end of the conversation I felt like we had known each other for years. Carolyn's book Adventures in Eden is an incredible look into some of the best gardens in the world. Carolyn's years as a garden designer give her a unique perspective into the gardens in her book and also the tours in Europe she offers. For more on Carolyn https://www.carexdesign.com/tours/ To follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ccamullet/

Mark is the Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina. In this story I share with Mark what an influence the JC Raulston Arboretum has been for me and my interest in horticulture. Mark is a true plants person and this is a great conversation about the world of plants. For more on Mark https://markweathington.com/ For more on the JC Raulston Arboretum

I knew of Plants Nouveau and had heard Angela's name before but the two of us hadn't talked before this story. Our conversation was fantastic about plants and Angela's career in horticulture. As a gardener this is a great insight on how a new plant comes to market and the rewards and challenges of that path. For more about Plants Nouveau http://plantsnouveau.com/

In recent stories we've talked about the different communication approaches in the gardening and horticulture world. In this story my new friend Carmen Johnston and I discuss how to best communicate with enthusiastic gardeners if they are new or if they are looking for more in-depth information. Carmen also shares her passion for plants, garden design, and container design. To Follow Carmen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carmenjohnstongardens/ For All of Carmen's Great Work https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/

Jimi Blake is an incredible plants person. There are very few people on social media who I follow that make me say "what plant is that?" and I love Jimi for being one of those people. His garden in Ireland, Hunting Brook, is a magical garden filled with some of the best plants from around the world. In this story Jimi shares his story and passion for plants and his new online course series which I highly recommend. To follow Jimi on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jimiblake_huntingbrookgardens To find out more about the online courses http://www.huntingbrook.com/courses-events/

Over the course of the podcast we've talked about the cultural differences of gardening. One example is how the United States looks at gardening as compared to the UK. To help me tell the story of some of these differences in is this episode my guest is Jo Thompson. Jo is one of the top garden designers in the UK and her work is absolutely beautiful. In this story we also explore the value and meaning of garden words including my name ;) To follow Jo, and you should immediately, all of her social media link are available on her website On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jothompsongarden/ https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/

The where do new plants come from story is so important to every gardener. How do we take a plant that we like and improve its' flaws to make it a plant we love? To help answer that question I have Chuck Pavlich Director of New Product Development from Terra Nova Nurseries on as a guest in this story. Chuck and the team at Terra Nova are doing some incredible work to reverse engineer some of the plants we know, and some we don't yet, to be beautiful in our gardens.

I say Epimedium you say? That's been one of the great questions of plant collectors for the last two plus decades. This incredible group of plants that only get better with age are still not well known amongst home gardeners. In this story I have the help of Karen Perkins from Garden Vision Epimediums to share the incredible plants that are Epimediums.