Alternate titles for this episode: Plants That Stink or Smell This Episode. Kidding aside, lovely smelling plants are a bonus that every garden deserves. We all spend so much time on making sure our gardens look good, we seldom think about how they smell. And we’re not just talking roses here people. On today’s episode we feature a plethora of perennials and even a couple of shrubs that make us think of root beer, vanilla, and all sorts of sugary confections. Steve got hungry halfway through, so please forgive the few minutes of dead air while he tracked down the nearest donut.

Expert testimony: Julie Lane Gay is a garden designer and former nursery owner in Vancouver, British Columbia.

It’s easy to get excited about the first tulip or even the first dandelion in the yard (OK—that might be a stretch). But what about those plants that don’t get all the love and attention, yet still brighten up those first few months of the gardening season? Today we’re honoring those unsung heroes of the spring garden—plants that need a better PR agent because they’re marvelous, but not very well-known. We’ve got a few native dark horses and even a shrub that Steve thought he’d never like. To get you really laughing we revisit some childhood memories of using spring plants in mischievous ways. Finally, we debut a new segment where we give a brief look into what’s going on (good, bad, and ugly) in our gardens right now.

Expert testimony: Bill Cullina is the executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum.

Finding interesting plants for shade can be a struggle but when you add in the desire for that plant to be a woody shrub, the list narrows even more. But these structural wonders are essential in giving our shady beds and borders depth and real presence. In this episode we feature shrubs that will tolerant a range of low-light situations. Some flower beautifully in spring or winter, other save their best show for fall. Regardless, the list is robust, especially because associate editor Carol Collins joins us to highlight an impressive native plant she adores and a peony (yes, that’s right a woody tree peony counts as a shrub) that everyone will want to save their pennies to purchase.

Expert testimony: Andrew Bunting Vice President of Public Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society.

Despite there still being snow on the ground here in the Northeast, we’re thinking spring. Yes there are daffodils and tulips to look forward to, but perhaps even more impressive is the show of spring flowering trees. It’s an incredible sight to see a woody plant that was nothing but bare brown branches a few weeks earlier, explode into a flurry of pastel blooms. Our selections today are impressive, and most are moderately sized so they are easy to include in the smallest of properties. Are you suffering from the winter doldrums still? Then give this episode a listen and you’ll soon be dreaming of more colorful days to come.

Expert testimony:

Matt Lobdell is the curator at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

If that title doesn’t grab you, nothing will! We’re talking all things ferns including East Coast natives, West Coast natives, selections that are from prehistoric times, and even a climbing fern. Yep—that’s right, a climbing fern! And in case all of that excitement isn’t enough for you, the entire episode is filled with 70s soft rock and disco references. Have you always wondered if Steve could imitate Barry Gibbs falsetto? Well, tune in to find out the answer. 

Expert testimony: Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson, owners of Far Reaches Farm in Port Townsend, WA.

With so many events canceled in the last year, we sure are happy that the plant breeders still decided to unveil a healthy crop of new plants for us to drool over. Of course there were a handful of new huecheras and more phlox than we ever knew could exist, but there were also some interesting options that no one (including us) saw coming. And now, we want them all. In this episode we discuss some noteworthy candidates in every category: perennials, annuals, shrubs, and even a couple fruiting plants. What’s the one thing that could stop these plants from all landing in our shopping carts? Not enough space in the garden.

Expert testimony: Visit FineGardening.com to see Richard Hawke’s recent webinar, New Plants Showing Promise.

Asking listeners to submit questions for our annual Q & A episode is a bit like sending out party invitations (in pre-COVID) and hoping that someone shows up. Thankfully, you guys not only showed up but you brought snacks and drinks too! We got an overwhelming numbers of questions submitted for this episode, so we weren’t able to answer them all. But, we did pick out a handful to tackle to the best of our ability. We cover evergreen percentages, garden design tips, and why your water may be killing your houseplant. Even our faithful sidekick Peter got in on the action and had a few questions of his own. Whether you sent us a question that we didn’t get a chance to answer or didn’t ask a question at all, hopefully you’ll glean some insight from our answers. Or at least be amused by our best attempt to offer advice! We like to think of ourselves as the garden equivalent of Dear Abby, but sadly we’re not.

Listener audio question: Elizabeth Haller, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Truth be told, Steve and Danielle don’t grow many clematis. But, over their many, many years at Fine Gardening, they’ve researched and written a lot about this genus. In doing so, they’ve formed strong opinions about the species and cultivars that are truly top-notch. Their picks may not include the huge, in-your-face star flower-types folks first think of when they hear “clematis.” Instead, our podcasting duo offers insight into selections that have unique habits or interesting flower colors and shapes. By the end of this episode you’ll come away wanting to try at least one of these gorgeous vines and wondering why you haven’t planted them before.

Expert testimony: Dan Long is the owner of Brushwood Nursery, which specializes in vines and climbers in Athens, Georgia.

What can we say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? With all the bad that occurred, one positive for the staffers at FG was more time spent in our gardens. This enabled us to truly monitor what plants did well and which ones did not—sometimes by no fault of their own. We are ending the year by taking stock of our plant successes and failures. There were some surprises from little-known native plants that appeared to enjoy the drought this summer, while other plants that we had coveted, struggled. Steve even talks about plants that made it through an entire year (or three) in a pot, on the side of his driveway, and lived. If those selections can survive those conditions, just think how well they’d do in your garden with a little more attention! We asked Associate Editor Carol Collins to join in the reminiscing and she shares an amusing story about growing an annual she longed for, only to have uninvited garden guests spoil everything.  

It’s that time of year when we dream of all the plants we’d buy if a blank check showed up in our stockings. Some are weird, some are workhorses we never got around to purchasing, and some are brand new offerings that will only become available in 2021. Danielle brought out her infamous jingle bells to up the festiveness (much to Steve’s chagrin) and the entire conversation was filled with cheer and goodwill—well, most of it anyway. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, these plants will surely give you a reason to celebrate the season.

Expert testimony: Joseph Tychonievich, horticulturist, frequent Fine Gardening contributor, and author of, Rock Gardening:  Reimagining a Classic Style.