Let's Argue About Plants

By Fine Gardening Magazine

Arts Design Hobbies

What's Let's Argue About Plants about?

The podcast for people who love plants—but not always the same ones.

Brought to you by the editors of Fine Gardening, this fun, informative podcast tackles all things topical in gardening. You’ll listen to the insights (and arguments) of Editor-in-Chief Steve Aitken and Senior Editor Danielle Sherry as they discuss various horticultural subjects on a deeper level. You will also hear from today’s leading horticultural minds who will offer their wisdom and opinions about what you might want to grow in your garden. We guarantee you’ll be entertained and feel like a better gardener.

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Episode 136: Plants with Pr...

06.02.2023

We all love plants that have some personality. These are the ones that stand out and make us take notice, and when we see them at a nursery, public garden, or in a fellow gardener’s collection, they go straight onto ...

Let's Argue About Plants episodes:

06.02.2023 Episode 136: Plants with Presence We all love plants that have some personality. These are the ones that stand out and make us take notice, and when we see them at a nursery, public garden, or in a fellow gardener’s collection, they go straight onto ...
05.19.2023 Episode 135: Spring Flowering Dwarf Shrubs If you’re looking to add some heft to the spring garden, but don’t want to overwhelm genteel bulbs or ephemeral perennials then dwarf, spring-flowering shrubs are the answer. These little powerhouses are quick to put on new growth in the ...
05.05.2023 Episode 134: Hole Fillers Every garden has gaps that need to be filled from time to time. Whether you are looking for a short-term stand-in while a bed is being reworked or a quick fix after another plant dies, it is nice to have ...
04.21.2023 Episode 133: Spring Combos To gardeners, spring is the signal of something big to come. It kicks off our season. For the next several months we will primp and preen our beds to maximize their beauty and relish in their good looks. But as ...
04.07.2023 Episode 132: A Tribute to Tulips Tulips are a lavish spring gift that any gardener can give to themself and to their neighborhood with just a little advance planning. Whether your tulip bulbs are pre-ordered as early as possible in summer through your favorite supplier, or ...
03.17.2023 Episode 131: Green Plants Green plants? Well of course! What else would our topic be for a St. Patrick’s Day episode? Today we’re talking about plants that are stunners despite being “just green.” Turns out that these selections of perennials, annuals, trees, and shrubs ...
03.03.2023 Episode 130: Favorite Spring Greens Growing spring greens is an easy, satisfying project that takes very little time and very little garden space—you can even grow greens in containers! Homegrown spring greens will be fresher than any you can find at the grocery store or ...
02.17.2023 Episode 129: Early Risers Raise your hand if seasonal affective disorder has set in for you. Yep, us too. Because the skies are grey and the landscape is mostly brown in many areas of the country, we decided that today’s episode would be geared ...
02.03.2023 Episode 128: Our Loved Ones’ Favorite Plants For many gardeners, sharing a love of plants with family and friends adds another layer of enjoyment to a very fulfilling pastime. In this episode, Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Catharine Cooke explore plants that have special meaning or associations ...
01.20.2023 Episode 127: Plants for Winter’s Worst Much like the United States Postal Service, these plants will not let rain, nor sleet, nor driving snow stop them from pulling through the worst winter weather imaginable. It can be hard to find plants that will look two months ...
01.06.2023 Episode 126: Winter Stunners The winter blues have certainly set in around here. But thankfully we have a few plants outside that seemed to have saved their best for last. Today Carol and Danielle are talking about Winter Stunners—trees, shrubs, and even a subshrub ...
12.19.2022 Episode 125: Sensational Seed Heads Flowers and foliage get most of the fanfare, but a plant with eye-catching seed heads will add interest for weeks or even months after its bloom time is over. The textures and shapes of these seed-bearing structures are delightfully diverse, ...
12.02.2022 Episode 124: Wish List Plants It doesn’t matter whether we’ve been naughty (Danielle) or nice (Carol) this year—we’re still going ahead and adding plenty of plants to our wish lists. We’re talking about trees that we’ve had our eyes on for months and a perennial ...
11.18.2022 Episode 123: Listener Q & A It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not because it’s the holidays, because it’s the annual Q & A episode here on Let’s Argue About Plants. When we put a call out each year asking you, our faithful ...
11.04.2022 Episode 122: The Most Colorful Fall Plants Depending on where you live in North America, fall in the garden can bring anything from a flood of vibrant color to just the slightest hint of a new hue. Here in New England, we’re pretty lucky to get an ...
10.21.2022 Episode 121: Wicked Plants They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. Nope, it’s not the Adam’s Family, it’s the array of wicked plants on today’s episode. It’s Halloween season so we’ll be talking about an assortment of plants that ...
10.05.2022 Episode 120: An Interview with Doug Tallamy We very pleased to bring you a special episode of Let’s Argue About Plants today, featuring an interview with Douglas Tallamy, PhD. Several months ago, Christine Alexander, digital content manager for FineGardening.com, sat down with the famed professor of entomology ...
09.16.2022 Episode 119: Favorite Sedums What’s not to love about sedums? They’re drought-tolerant, they attract pollinators, and they flower later in the season when not much else is going on in the garden. But they also have their drawbacks—namely a proclivity to splay open (we’re ...
09.02.2022 Episode 118: Unusual Autumn Perennials What gardener doesn’t like something a bit out-of-the ordinary, right? Especially when it’s a plant that puts on a serious show as the final curtain call is happening. Today we highlight some of our favorite unusual fall perennials, options that ...
08.19.2022 Episode 117: Tender Plants Worth Saving Nearly everyone can grow tropical plants outdoors during the summer months, but when the first frosts are forecasted gardeners in colder climates know there will be some tough decisions ahead. Which plants will be moved to those coveted spots by ...
08.05.2022 Episode 116: Plants We Should Like, but Don’t They’re tough, they’re hardy, they thrive in almost any location. So, why don’t we love them? Give this episode a listen to hear about plants that have a ton of good attributes, but just can’t bring ourselves to draw a ...
07.15.2022 Episode 115: Underrated Herbs We all know and love parsley, sage rosemary, and thyme. And then there’s sweet basil which is perhaps the queen of all the herbs. But what about those herbs that are just as tasty—or attractive—but don’t get the same accolades? ...
07.01.2022 Episode 114: Drought Tolerant Woodies According to NASA Earth Observatory, one-third of the United States experienced some level of drought in 2020 and 2021 was much the same. This pattern of extended dry weather is sadly becoming more and more of the norm. We recently ...
06.17.2022 Episode: 113 Big and Bold Plants The original title of this episode was, Big and Bold Plants for the Back of the Border. But between the length and the tongue-twister alliteration, we shorted it a bit for promotional purposes. However, on today’s program you’ll hear all ...
06.03.2022 Episode 112: Best Cutting Garden Flowers When late May and June hits, we can’t help wandering out into the garden with a pair of shears in hand. Bringing fresh flowers into the house seems like a seasonal rite of passage for most gardeners (at least those ...
05.20.2022 Episode 111: Weed Suppressing Ground Covers Is there anything ground covers can’t do? They are useful in problem areas like steep slopes, under trees and shrubs, and in spaces that need erosion control. They also reduce maintenance by enveloping areas that would ordinarily need a boatload ...
05.06.2022 Episode 110: Best Gift Plants Always give a gift that you yourself would like to receive. That’s excellent advice when it comes to life-- and as gardeners, we can extend that sentiment to giving plants as gifts. Ask yourself: what plants would I like to ...
04.22.2022 Episode 109: Shopping List Plants Little kids have Christmas. Gardeners have spring. To us, this is the most wonderful time of the year. And with the start of the season, comes those inevitable trips to the nursery. In an effort to not max out their ...
04.08.2022 Episode 108: Problem Solving Perennials Yes, that’s right: plants can solve problems. Maybe not problems like those noisy neighbors next door or your husband failing to replace the toilet paper roll, time and time again. But plants can solve problems like a barren patch of ...
03.25.2022 Episode 107: Skinny Plants They’re often called the “exclamation points” of the landscape, drawing attention in a not-so-subtle way. Of course, we’re talking about columnar (AKA fastigiate) plants and today we’re highlighting some of the best options. Skinny plants are invaluable for several reasons ...
03.11.2022 Episode 106: Spring Natives Even though there’s still snow on the ground for many of us, warmer weather is most definitely on our brains. So today we’re going to be talking about native plants that put on a spectacular show in spring. And, although ...
02.25.2022 Episode 105: Underappreciated Veggies There’s no reason to tell everyone how great ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes are because everyone already knows! And the same goes for ‘Blue Lake’ green beans or ‘Hot Wax’ peppers. We all know these names because they are great varieties that vegetable ...
02.11.2022 Episode 104: Plants for Winter Interest If you live in the Northeast, Mountain West, or Midwest your idea of winter interest is certainly different than say, a gardener living in the South. Those of us who live in cooler locales are often satisfied with calling any ...
01.28.2022 Episode 103: Seeds We’re Starting Is there a better time of year than seed-ordering season? You may shop for seeds online, or perhaps you prefer the analog version (like us) of paper catalogs. Regardless, ordering and starting seeds is an act of defiance against the ...
01.14.2022 Episode 102: Favorite Self-Sowers What if you could have a garden that basically planted itself? The idea isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. Self-sowing plants are delightfully serendipitous plants that will happily disperse seed without any intervention from you. Yes, there are lots ...
12.17.2021 Episode 101: Berried Treasure Perhaps it’s the winter season we’re in right now, or perhaps we’re just hungry, but regardless, we have berries on the mind. This episode highlights some plants that provide us with unexpected (but very appreciated) fruit. It could be a ...
12.03.2021 Episode 100: Wish List Plants Well loyal listeners, it’s hard to believe, but this is our 100th episode! We cannot thank everyone out there who has stuck with us from the early days of trying to figure out what a podcast about plants should sound ...
11.19.2021 Episode 99: Only Three Trees The thought of restricting most gardeners to only three of any plant might sound cruel. After all, what makes us happier than heading to the nursery to fill a shopping cart? But limiting your plant palette has many advantages. Less ...
11.05.2021 Episode 98: Upgraded Classics Everyone likes an upgrade. Whether it’s a faster car or a more efficient cell phone, it’s hard to turn down a better version of something you already like. Plants are much the same. If you already love that gorgeous catmint ...
10.22.2021 Episode 97: Native Alternatives to Common Plants Here at Let’s Argue About Plants we’re big fans of native plants. Our gardens are filled with them and for good reason: native plants are essential to the preservation and health of the local ecology. Aside from their benefits to ...
10.08.2021 Episode 96: Favorite Ornamental Grasses Nothing says fall in the garden more than the sight of ornamental grasses pluming. It goes right along with all other things that signal the season change—the kids going back to school, pumpkin spice everything, and turning the heat on ...
09.17.2021 Episode 95: Unexpected Fall Color Since the Let’s Argue About Plants podcast is based in New England, we know all about fall color. This time of year is a favorite for most of our staffers with the native sugar maples turning bright red and the ...
09.03.2021 Episode 94: Bulbs On Our Shopping List Fall is a wonderful time of year for gardeners for so many reasons. It finally cools down so you can actually weed and prune without breaking a sweat. Many of us get to experience the color change of many perennials ...
08.20.2021 Episode 93: Tropicals We Wish We Grew You know you’re a hardcore gardener when you dream about moving to the tropics--not for the beaches and tiki drinks--but because that would enable you to grow so many more cool plants. In this episode we discuss tropical plants we ...
08.06.2021 Episode 92 : Favorite Plant Pairings Peas and carrots. Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. If this was Jeopardy the correct answer would be, “What are perfect pairings.” On this episode we’re talking about two plants that just seem to belong together. It could be ...
07.15.2021 Episode 91: Drought-Tolerant Plants It pretty much seems like drought is the norm these days. No matter where you live—East Coast, West Coast, or anywhere in between—periods of no rain are commonplace. Some gardeners out there have been dealing with droughty conditions for decades ...
07.09.2021 Episode 90: Favorite Workhorses Right about now you might be asking yourself, “What exactly is a workhorse plant?” In our minds it is a plant that asks little from us but delivers a whole lot to the garden. These are tough plants, capable of ...
06.18.2021 Episode 89: Just Four Perennials Do you ever find yourself recommending the same handful of plants to friends and neighbors? We do. These might not being the splashiest of plants, or even the ones that you’d base an entire design around. But, these are fantastic ...
06.04.2021 Episode 88: Memory Plants
05.21.2021 Episode 87: Plants to Build a Bed Around For those who are a little confused by this episode’s theme let us try to explain. Yes, all garden beds are built with plants. But, there are certain plants that are such solid performers that they are the perfect jumping ...

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