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This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, Master Gardener host Katrina interviews fellow host Teena. The topic is “The Kitchen Garden - California Style” with an emphasis on Southern California and zeroing in on Orange County of course!  Learn about California cuisine and how to grow it! These two lovely ladies will provide a lively, and tasty, dialogue describing how you can enjoy growing your own fresh ingredients around the home. Start with perennial herbs. Rosemary, thyme, chives, and oregano. These are herbs you might use all the time depending on your taste and what you like to cook. Teena and Katrina have Southern California gardening and cooking down pat. You don’t need a lot of space. Fruit trees come in dwarf varieties. Citrus trees are so nice to have on hand for brightening up a simple fish or chicken dish. Teena starts with the simplest plan for your Southern California Kitchen Garden so if you are new to gardening, this show is for you.  And you’ll find ideas regardless of where you live.  

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UC Master Gardeners Sally and Kris have prepared a show that’ll take you across the Atlantic Ocean to the birthplace of the English Garden. “Lessons Learned from English Gardens” is the topic. We have “formal” gardens as you can imagine in a Royal palace and you can have “informal” gardens that are also referred to as “Cottage Gardens”. The latter is one of the most prevalent types of design since Elizabethan times and typically very English. Sally and Kris toured many gardens in England and learned how very adaptable the English gardening techniques can be for local California gardens. They will compare notes and pass them along to you. Grab your crumpets and tea and sit down for an hour’s worth of international gardening tips you can put to use right now.   

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 This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, you are in for a real listening treat! UC Master Gardener and show host Teena Spindler devotes the entire hour to the “Joy of Blooming Perennials.” Her guest is Horticultural Consultant and “The Plantsman,” Nicholas Staddon. He is an expert in new varieties of nursery plant material available in Southern California. And “spokesperson” he truly is! In his infectiously witty British way, he will tell you what is so joyful about growing the one category of plants that will bring you color and texture to your garden year after year without replanting. That is the nature of perennials versus annuals and biennials. This show continues with creating beauty in your garden as recent shows have spotlighted. Tune in for a joyful experience! 

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This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we bring you the monthly tips and tricks and what-to-look-for’s in a show we call “This Month In The Garden”. It’s May already, and it’s the time of year to see new crops growing in the warming soil.  Are you planning a family and/or friend soiree during the spring or summer?  We’ll talk about preparing your outdoor space.  Our Master Gardener hosts Teena Spindler and Katrina Kirkeby suggest some different flowers, perennials, vines, and food crops to consider this month.  They even talk about cherries because tis’ the season?  And of course, they’ll discuss all the garden tasks to stay on top of during May.  

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So you don’t have a big garden footprint.  No space to build and plant a box big enough to be worthwhile?  Well, think vertically!  This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, our Master Gardener hosts Katrina Kirkeby and Teena Spindler discuss all the possibilities to get plantings to grow in a very small space.  Get strawberries off the ground away from those slugs! Cover your fence with pots secured with zip ties! Flowers, herbs, edibles, succulents … just about anything short of trees, of course, can work.  Do’s and don’ts and how-to’s galore!  Tune in and grow up!

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 A showcase garden is designed to be both beautiful and purposeful — a space that draws people in, highlights plants at their best, and creates year-round interest. Whether your garden is large or small, learn how to transform it into a standout landscape. On this episode of “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, our topic is How to Make a Showcase Garden!  Two University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Teena Spindler and Kay Havens discuss how to get your garden show ready! Teena and Kay are two of the premier Master Gardeners who design outdoor spaces.  Learn about some easy steps to get your beautiful garden ready to show as gardens are never truly finished.  A showcase garden develops character over time and becomes a reflection of the gardener’s creativity and care. 

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Master Gardener Host Mark Oertel sat down with fellow Master Gardener Teena Spindler and discussed Heritage and Pass-Along Plants.  We call them that because these are plants that have been given or taken another person, and that person is often someone close to us.  This is a plant or a descendant of a plant that has been lovingly cared for or admired from afar.  You know what I’m talking about.  That blue iris that blooms “out of the blue” telling you that someone is looking down and smiling upon you today!  You may have inherited your family home and would never, ever consider digging up any of the beautiful plants your parents or even your grandparents tended for years.  You know the feeling, right? On the other hand, think about what you have in your garden that you cherish and would like to share with someone! They will remember you forever! But also remember this. Be aware of the regulations and common sense around sharing plants that may be either invasive or simply unclean in terms of pests and diseases. Share with love!  Listen in and smile! 

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On this edition of “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we bring you a show on the topic of “Indoor House Plants”.  Master Gardener Dece Morgan interviews Julie Bawden-Davis who is a fellow Master Gardener and a resident expert on indoor house plants. Bawden-Davis is a bestselling author, journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber.  She’s authored over 45 books in a variety of genres that includes page-turning suspense novels with a little romance, spiritual books meant to inspire and enlighten, and of course gardening books.   Dece met Julie at her home for a relaxed tour and conversation discussing Julie’s vast home collection of different houseplants. You’ll pick up tips on potting, lighting/exposure, watering needs, fertilizer suggestions, and growth patterns. Don’t think you have a green thumb? Learn about ‘hard to kill' plants for your home. 

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 Master Gardener Katrina Kirkeby brings in Master Gardeners of Orange County Program Coordinator Randy Musser and fellow MG Teena Spindler to discuss the joys of participating in as well as visiting garden tours. The spring tour season is about to begin in late April in Southern California and goes all the way to the end of June in places like the Pacific Northwest. Spend a day caravaning around your local area to take in the ambiance supplied by home gardeners just like you! Get inspired by the different styles and tastes along the way.  Our guests give you insights on preparing for a garden tour as well as the easy steps to make your garden a showcase.  Who knows, you might even want to offer your jewel of a garden and become a host, too! 

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PlantCon is a convention for plant enthusiasts that features a massive market with plant vendors from all over the world, educational seminars from experts, and specialized workshops.  It acts as a community gathering to connect plant lovers, creators, and professionals.  Since PlantCon was in Los Angeles this year,  our own KUCI reporter and host John Kim was there to interview several of the experts in attendance.  Meet his guests – “MK” from Florida talking about Hoyas, Braulio and his Carnivorous plants, and April explaining all about her entrepreneurial accomplishments. Not only do these guests have keen fascination with plants themselves, but they have also devoted their time, sweat, assets, and heart to the worldwide plant community. If you love plants, you’ll love this episode as John brings you the best of PlantCon. If you’ve ever developed an interest in a type of plant, but you have no clue where to start, who to talk to, and wondered what on earth are you doing you’ll learn about talking to people who speak your language of plants!