Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors

In this episode C.L. and Ellen explain what "bare root plants" are and why you might want them. Next, they talk about the genus Dracaena, which includes some of the most popular houseplants. They end by disagreeing about general rules for pruning (sorry Morgan).

:27 Plant Noob: Bare Root plants

11:55 Eat/Drink/Grow: Dracaena

20:21 Love Letters and Questions: Morgan requests some easy rules of thumb about pruning.

If you're wondering if you need to protect your perennial plants with a winter mulch, this episode is for you. Ellen and C.L. go on to talk about the moth orchids, the most commonly sold orchid and an easy one to grow. The show ends with a discussion about the pros and cons of leaving the leaves in your landscape and gardens.

:30 True or False: Perennials have to be protected with a "Winter Mulch." 5:35 Eat/Drink/Grow: Phalaenopsis – The most common orchid sold today. 23:43 Love Letters and Questions: Allison wonders about if it's wise to leave the fallen leaves in her gardens.

Ellen and C.L. give ideas for the best low-tech kitchen tools, gift suggestions for all on your list, and tips for why ordering your seeds now is a good idea. We end with some audible plant-based listening suggestions for a listener.

:29 What's For Dinner: Some suggestions for must-have, low-tech kitchen equipment 8:42 Eat/Drink/Grow: Our suggestions for plant/garden related gifts for the new homeowner, the first-time vegetable gardener, the houseplant lover, and the forager. 18:19 Insider Information: Seed orders now? 20:13 Love Letters and Questions: Morgan asks for other plant-based listening suggestions.

From roots to leaves to flowers! C.L. and Ellen talk about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, explain what a root nodule is, and discuss leaf-spot fungus, especially on house plants. The episode ends with a listener question about flowers for a Florida garden.

:30 What's for dinner: Yams Vs Sweet Potatoes

2:52 Insider Information: What are root nodules

4:31 Eat/Drink/Grow: Fungal Leaf Diseases

18:04 Love Letters and Questions: Chris asks about flowers for a Florida garden.

It's all houseplants all the time in this episode of Plantrama. Ellen and C.L. give advice about cleaning the leaves of indoor plants, talk about the many Calatheas that grow well with less light, and answer a question abot the tropical known as "money plant."

:36 Plant Noob: Ways to clean off houseplants in the winter

6:52 Eat/Drink/Grow: Calatheas – low-light house plants.

22:07 Love Letters and Questions Nicki asks: "How do I grow Pachira aquatica, aka money plant?

The Plantrama team discusses the advice to hang herbs upside down for drying, and whether you should prune evergreens now. We end with a letter from a listener about doing battle with the birds.

:31 True or False: Hanging herbs upside down to dry them helps the flavors (or in the case of Cannabis, the cannabinoids) drain into the leaves/buds. 2:27 Eat/Drink/Grow: Pruning evergreens now. 18:52 Love Letters and Questions: Alexander and the battle with the birds.

Ellen and C.L. talk about cranberry recipes that go beyond the traditional "cranberry sauce." They discuss potting "soils" and their composition, and give a listener advice about a Dracaena fragrans (aka corn plant) that has gotten too tall.

:31 What's For Dinner: Cranberries

8:23 Eat/Drink/Grow: Potting Mixes

24:26 Love Letters and Questions: From Bailey, a tale of the too tall dracaena

C.L. and Ellen give you some different ideas for using apples this season, discuss planting bulbs with an auger on a drill, explain the term "old wood" and answer a listener's question about tomatillo plants.

:30 What's for dinner: Apples or crabapples, anyone?

7:54 The Plant Noob: Using a hand drill and an auger to plant lots of bulbs.

14:19 Eat/Drink/Grow: What is meant by the term "old wood." As in "these hydrangeas flower on old wood."

21:49 Love Letters and Questions: Paula wrote: "I planted a Tomatillo plant for the first time in my vegetable garden and got no fruit.

The Plantrama team discusses the importance of soil temperature when planting bulbs for spring bloom. In the main segment we talk about handling the amaryllis bulbs you have kept from last winter, and how to bring them into flower in December. We end with a question about how frequently houseplants should be fertilized.

:29 Insider Information: Bulbs have their own "anti-freeze!"

7:16 Eat/Drink/Grow: Amaryllis in the fall

16:22 Love Letters and Questions: Peter asks about fertilizing houseplants.

Ellen and C.L. discuss what root stimulator products are and if they are necessary when you plant. They also address why houseplants might drop leaves when you bring them back inside for the winter, and how to fit even more plants in your house.

:32 True or False: You should use a "root stimulator" that is high in phosphorous

9:14 Eat/Drink/Grow: Why houseplants and tropicals drop leaves when you bring them in for the winter.

19:43 Love Letters and Questions: Kim asks how to fit more plants in her apartment.