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 “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners” Explores “Landscapes as Nature” on KUCI 88.9 FM.  Reimagine your outdoor spaces with an inspiring new episode titled “Landscapes as Nature.” Host Teena Spindler welcomes special guest Ron Vanderhoff of Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach for an engaging conversation on the growing movement toward naturalistic landscape design.

This episode highlights how landscapes can function as living ecosystems. Known as “landscapes as nature,” these designs mimic native environments by incorporating layered plantings, diverse species, and regionally appropriate vegetation. By prioritizing native plants, gardeners can create outdoor spaces that are not only beautiful, but also sustainable and supportive of local wildlife.

Listeners will learn how to design with layers, variety, and texture—combining groundcovers, shrubs, and trees to reflect the structure of natural habitats.

“Landscapes as nature blend human creativity with ecological function,” says Spindler. “This approach helps gardeners create spaces that are both resilient and deeply connected to the environment.”.

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 This week “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners” on 88.9 FM KUCI Irvine explores the captivating world of bromeliads.  In this episode, Master Gardener Bill Brooks sits down with Cristy Brenner, President of the Saddleback Valley Bromeliad Society, who shares her deep passion and decades of experience with these unique and eye-catching plants. Brenner, who has been “addicted” to bromeliads since 1995, offers listeners an engaging look at why these plants are gaining popularity—especially among California gardeners.

Bromeliads are exceptionally well-suited for California’s climate. As waterwise plants, they thrive with minimal irrigation, making them an excellent choice for sustainable landscapes. Their long-lasting blooms provide extended color, but it is often their striking foliage—featuring bold patterns, textures, and colors—that truly steals the show.

Listeners will learn about the remarkable epiphytic nature of many bromeliads, meaning they can grow without soil by attaching themselves to surfaces like trees, walls, or mounts. Whether displayed in pots, nestled in rock gardens, or artistically mounted, bromeliads offer versatile design possibilities for any garden space.

Beyond their beauty, bromeliads are also incredibly easy to care for. They are low maintenance, have few pest problems, and require little to no fertilizer, as they absorb nutrients directly from the air. Even more appealing, bromeliads “keep on giving” by producing offsets, or “pups,” allowing gardeners to expand their collection over time.

Discover how bromeliads can transform your garden into a low-water, high-impact oasis.

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 Part Two of Two of Master Gardener Mark Fierle’s interview with the founder of Square Foot Gardening - Mel Bartholomew.  An engineer by training, Mel researched and developed the Square Foot Gardening method and first published his ideas in 1981.  His book “Square Foot Gardening" went on to become the best selling gardening book in America.  Currently, most home gardeners grow fruits and vegetables in raised beds, and it was Mel ideas that got this method started.  The second part includes some of Mel’s seldom heard stories, tips, and wisdom.  Learn how Square Foot Gardening works so you can get your warm season and cool season gardens growing! 

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 Sally Richards, Hydroponics Master Gardener expert, joins us today and gives us the story of the team she was instrumental in creating within our local county Master Gardener organization.

Year-round venues featuring hydroponic systems to view by the public are few and far between, so listen and learn how easy it is to grow the hydroponic way.  Learn how to have year-round vegetables and fruit grown indoors or out. The Team has been active in updating the Great Park Farm and Food Lab’s system to a “wicking” system which you can duplicate at home.   Like the hungry roots of that lettuce plant, get your feet wet here with hydroponics for both the home or apartment gardener.

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 California is almost ten years into the legislation, planning, and implementation of one of the most significant environmental plans ever developed. Senate Bill 1383 was passed in 2016 with the goal of diverting methane-producing organic waste from California’s landfills. This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, our intrepid host and Master Gardener Bill Brooks met up with David Tieu, Central Region Deputy Director of OC Waste and Recycling recently to talk about what the regulations mean for residents of Orange County and beyond. This is a show we are calling Composting and Organic Waste in Orange County. Your city may have already started a waste bin system requiring the household to separate its waste three ways. The bottom line for the discussion of organic waste is this – It is illegal to put organic waste in the landfill bin. Waste management companies have been turning your household green waste into thousands of tons of certified disease and weed-free compost and mulch! And then, they provide the finished product back to residents for  pick up so we can replenish our gardens!  This mulch and compost is free of charge. You can leave the composting to your trash haulers if you don’t want to deal with composting yourself!  Regardless of the state you live in, many municipalities across the country are implementing programs like Orange County’s.  

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 The hot and dry season can occur year round in California.   Our intrepid “In the Garden” host Master Gardener David Letourneau is bringing you a much-needed episode called “Creating A Defensible Space Against Wildfires”. David talked with OC Fire Authority representatives Teri Merritt, Fire Prevention Specialist / Wildland Pre-Fire Management and Captain Larry Kurtz to bring you new ideas plus all the recommendations to help keep your property safe from an oncoming wildfire. Beware of Mexican Feather Grass, a very popular landscape plant ,but it is now considered invasive and a fire hazard.   Those dead palm fronds up in the canopy easily catch fire. “Oily” plants like cypress are drought-tolerant but very flammable. Brush clearance 100 feet from structures is the rule of thumb. This may require cooperation from your neighbors so be a good neighbor and listen in on what to do to be safe from wildfires. For further information https://ocfa.org/ 

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Have a small space and love to grow food? A reprise of a popular show on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners", our beloved former “In the Garden” host Mark Fierle spoke to an icon of the gardening world – Mel Bartholomew. In this show, first aired less than one year before Mel passed away - Mel talks about his visionary concept called Square Foot Gardening. From learning what went wrong in his community garden, Mel developed a space-defying, compact design to solve the weed problem in his community’s row garden.  Most people now have vegetable gardens in raised beds, and it was Mel’s engineering background and ability to solve problems that led him to engineer the Square Foot Gardening method.  It has enabled people around the world, including people with disabilities and the blind, to feed themselves as well as to enjoy the joys of gardening. 

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 Plants that eat bugs? You read that right! You know gardeners need to control bad bugs eating our beautiful gardens, right? But believe it or not, there are certain types of plants that seek their nourishment from insects and others that become trapped in specialized plant parts like sticky leaves or deep pitcher-like appendages. We know them as Carnivorous plants. In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners, Master Gardener Bill Brooks meets with John Kim, Master Gardener and President of the Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts (SCCPE or “Skippy” for short). Your mind might go right away to a Venus Flytrap. But that only scratches the surface of carnivorous plants. This episode focuses on what carnivorous plants are, how to grow them, and just about everything you need to know about these most unusual plants! 

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The growing incidents of human/coyote conflicts such as the encounter on the sand in Huntington Beach in April 2022 exhibit a need to discuss ways of measuring and then managing for the coexistence of the urban homeowner/gardener and the now urban coyote populations. “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, explores the subject of Coyotes and a unique method of monitoring their population. Master Gardener Katrina Kirkeby talks with Dr. Niamh Quinn, the current UC Cooperative ExtensionHuman-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, for the about the subject. If you have concerns for your small children and pets in the presence of coyotes, you should know about a remarkable new interactive service that is available on the Master Gardener website. It’s called “Coyote Cacher”. You can find it here at https://ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher/. You can sign up for coyote encounter email alerts, report  sightings, and see on maps just where the reports have occurred and the level of encounter from simple sightings on up to dangerous/tragic results.

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In the Garden presents a new episode titled “Garden Innovations at The Giving Farm,” hosted by Bill Brooks. In this episode, Brooks explores groundbreaking work happening at Westminster High School’s The Giving Farm.  Located on the campus of Westminster High School, the Giving Farm is home to a vibrant eight-acre farm and orchard that has become a model of innovation, education, and community service. This dedicated team of UC Master Gardeners in Orange County developed an orchard management program designed to streamline essential tasks such as fertilization, pruning, and pest control—ensuring long-term tree health and productivity.  A standout feature of the program is the use of QR-coded signs placed on each tree, linking visitors directly to easy-to-use care guides. Master Gardener Ronald Cheung led the thoughtful design of these signs, combining in-depth horticultural research with accessible information to help every tree thrive. The result: healthier trees, stronger harvests, and increased fresh food donations to support the Orange County Food Bank.  Our Master Gardeners refer to SCREC in the episode, and that means the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, California.  

Beyond orchard management, the Giving Farm initiative has expanded to include nutrition education, culinary connections, and even the rich history of the fruit grown there, helping students and the community understand not just how food is grown, but why it matters.

“Garden Innovations” highlights how collaboration, technology, and passion for service can transform a school farm into a powerful resource for education and hunger relief.