episode 318

Tasty and Beautiful Herbs

Herbs are those special plants that provide delicious flavors and boast numerous uses. However, we tend to only focus on their tastes and fail to give them credit for their aesthetic beauty and flowering benefits to pollinators. This week, Nathan talks about some of the most beautiful, but also tasty, herbs to try in your garden this year. Don’t just send herbs to the “herb garden”, combine them with all the other wonderfully beautiful flowers blooming in your landscape!

episode 317

Not Your Grandma's Mints!

Don't let the word "mint" turn you off from listening to this episode of New Southern Garden! Peppermint and Spearmint have been grown in gardens about as long as their stems spread from one end of your garden to the other. These mints are notoriously aggressive, but their "cousin" mints are not. The mint family of plants is full of diverse and beneficial plants that don't move into every crack and crevice they can find. Join Nathan as he discusses the wonderful side of the mint family and talks about why you should grow them These aren't your granny's mints!

episode 316

Extraordinary Relationships in Your Garden

Relationships can be complicated. But in the garden, they are welcomed! This week, Nathan talks about the unique and some times unusual matches between plants and other creatures. Join Nathan as he encourages you to increase the biodiversity in your landscape!

episode 315

Native Baptisias (AKA False Indigo)

This week, Nathan talks about one of his favorite garden perennials: Baptisia (also known as False Indigo). This native spring-flowering plant is becoming more and more popular in gardens and for good reason. Baptisia is very drought tolerant, provides winter interest with its blackened seed pods, and is becoming more available in a variety of colors and styles. Jump on the Baptisia bus as Nathan tells you all about them!

episode 314

Long Live(d) Perennials!

Perennials are some of our favorite garden plants because they return year after year without replanting. Some of them even seem to live...forever! Join Nathan as he discusses the longest lived perennial plants you could grow. (One of them could live to be 100 years or more!)

episode 313

Gardening with AI, Pinestraw V. Mulch, and Slug Traps

Join Nathan as he gardens with artificial intelligence! The world is changing, so why not garden differently? Nathan puts AI to the horticultural test to see if it can provide gardeners with helpful but accurate gardening know-how.

episode 312

Pruning Basics for Every Gardener

Whether you are a new gardener or have been gardening for one hundred years, pruning can be intimidating but it can be necessary at times. Join Nathan as he guides you through trimming and clipping your way to a beautiful garden.

episode 311

Composting Basics for the Lazy Gardener

This week Nathan takes you on the wonderful journey of making your own compost! Compost is a great way to keep recyclable organic matter out of the landfill and into your garden to keep your plants growing well! If you're a lazy gardener like Nathan, you'll learn how to have nature make the compost for you with little work on your end. Keeping a compost pile or bin is easier than you might think!

Episode 310

Peonies and Tiny Evergreen Groundcovers

Join Nathan as he starts off discussing what's going on inside your plants right now as they prepare for their first flush of growth this spring. It's a little bit of a botanical discussion, but it's pretty important stuff. Then, he reminds you to be careful with your peony buds as they begin to grow and gives you his top tips for growing them in the garden. Lastly, he discusses five great tiny and evergreen ground covers to fill all the cracks and crevices of your garden or use as a substitute for turfgrass. Groundcovers are often overlooked, but are super important to use and use well!

episode 309

Plant What's Blooming Now!

This week, Nathan encourages you to plant what’s blooming now! Late winter blooming plants are reminders that the gray days of winter will soon be surpassed by the warm spring nights. He talks about some of the classic and well-known bloomers such as forsythia, daffodil, hyacinth, and lenten rose. But he also discusses some once beloved but now almost forgotten selections like the super fragrant winter honeysuckle and the delightful ground cover winter jasmine. Join Nathan as he helps you choose plants that will be a long-lived reminder of the spring days around the corner!