This week on We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito talk about the gardening influences of Beatrix Potter with Marta McDowell, author of Beatrix Potters Gardening Life. You might remember Beatrix Potter from her famous The Tale of Peter the Rabbit, but Beatrix was also a natural scientist and conservationist! Learn about Beatrixs childhood, and how her summers in Scotland fostered her love for the natural world. How did Beatrix get involved with botany, and what was her involvement with noteworthy gardens like Kew Gardens? How did Beatrixs fist books get published, and how did she develop her unique painting style? Find out Beatrix was able to brand herself and produce her own spin-off merchandise for Peter Rabbit long before branding became an institution. Thanks to our sponsor, Heritage Foods USA. Music by Pamela Royal. Beatrix Potter was very early in making spin-off merchandise. She made, by herself, the first stuffed model of Peter the Rabbit and arranged to have them manufactured... She wanted to make money. [36:15] -- Marta McDowell on We Dig Plants

Episode 127: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life

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On our season finale, host Carmen Devito visits Zone 1 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which includes Alaska, and also revisits Zone 13, which includes Puerto Rico.

First, we hear from Peter Johnson and Rusty Foreaker, agronomists with Alaska's Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture. After the break, we're joined by Dr. Grizelle González, Project Leader of the Research and Development Unit at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico.

Episode 212: Zone Envy – Zone 1

This month on We Dig Plants, hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito visit Zone 2 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which includes Fairbanks, Alaska, where our first guest Cyndie Warbelow is a gardener.

After the break, we're joined by Marta McDowell, author of The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes That Inspired the Little House Books.

Episode 211: Zone Envy – Zone 2

This month on We Dig Plants, hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito visit Zone 3 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which includes parts of Alaska.

Joining them on the line is Jeff Lowenfels, the author of a trilogy of award winning books on plants and soil, and the longest running garden columnist in North America.

Episode 210: Zone Envy – Zone 3

This month on We Dig Plants, hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito visit Zone 4 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which includes the Wisconsin prairie.

A pioneer in the native plant industry and recognized internationally as an expert in native plant community ecology, Neil Diboll has guided the growth of Prairie Nursery for 30 years. He has dedicated his life to the propagation of native plants and their promotion as uniquely beautiful, ecologically beneficial and sustainable solutions for landscapes and gardens. In 2013 Neil was the recipient of the Great American Gardeners Award from the American Horticultural Society.

Episode 209: Zone Envy – Zone 4

This month on We Dig Plants, hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito visit Zone 5 of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which includes parts of both Nebraska and Iowa.

Del and Alice Hemsath are members of Nebraska's Soil Sisters and Misters Garden Club, which promotes education of the general public about the importance of outside activities for health, supports community projects, and provides education for youth and adults.

Kelly Norris is an award-winning author and plantsman from Iowa and the first director of horticulture at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, a newly revitalized public garden in Des Moines, Iowa.

Episode 127: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life

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