Plantrama - plants, landscapes, & bringing nature indoors

Ellen and C.L. discuss whether human urine helps with critter control in the garden and they talk about a favorite shrub, Sambucus, aka elderberry. The episode finishes with a discussion of changing the pH for a potted hydrangea so that the flower turns from pink to blue.

:40 True or False: Urinating around the garden can keep deer or rabbits away. 5:20 Eat/Drink/Grow: Everything Elderberry, or the Sensational Sambucus 17:18 Love Letters and Questions: Charlotte writes from Germany about her potted hydrangea.

In this episode of Plantrama Ellen and C.L. answer a listener's question about growing male Cannabis plants. They explain why it's good to pinch many newly planted annuals, what nitrogen-fixing plants are, and celebrate an early summer cocktail hour.

:27 What's For Dinner: It's the cocktail hour in June!

3:58 Eat/Drink/Grow: Nitrogen-fixing plants.

16:39 Insider Information: Pinching annuals.

21:15 Love Letters and Questions: Is there value in a male Cannabis plant?

Photo below is Ellen's Butterfly Kiss cocktail.

In this episode Ellen and C.L. discuss plants to grow or forage for with the barbeque in mind. They explain that not all microorganisms are good for all plants, give suggestions for great annuals, and talk about cutworm protection.

:40 What's for dinner: Gearing up for the BBQ season.

7:30 Insider Information: Mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria

12:04 Eat/Drink/Grow: Great annuals to grow this summer.

23.43 Love Letters and Questions: Paper cups around veggie stems?

Do you need shade for your outdoor office? Want a low-maintenance, colorful landscape? Do you hand-water your vegetable plants or want to make your hydrangea flowers blue? This episode addresses all of these issues!

:29 Your Outdoor Office: Ways to make shade

7:10 Eat/Drink/Grow: Dwarf Conifers

20:19 Insider Information: Hand-watering your vegetable

25:03 Love Letters and Questions: Coffee ground for blue hydrangeas

C.L. and Ellen discuss the internet-based rumor that you should dig a square hole when planting trees, and give suggestions for plants to grow on small trellises and arbors. We finish with a discussion about how to know if a perennial plant will reliably return, or if it's a "temperennial."

:40 True or False: Plant trees in square holes 7:41 Eat/Drink/Grow: Plants for small arbors and trellises 20:51 Love Letters and Questions: Rick writes to ask how you can tell if a perennial plant will live for many years or not.

The Plantrama team discusses growing and foraging for asparagus, reviews a lovely book about public gardens you ought to see, and answers a listener's question about the weed called nightshade. They also disagree about topiary…C.L. loves them, Ellen? Not so much.

:32 What's For Dinner: Asparagus ~ wild and garden grown

9:48 Eat/Drink/Grow: Topiary

22:01 Book Review: George Weigel's 50 American Public Gardens You Really Ought to See

24:28 Love Letters and Questions: Is nightshade a bad neighbor?

C.L. and Ellen tackle the myth that earthworms can grow once cut in half. They extol a favorite vine, the Passiflora, celebrate World Carnivorous Plant Day with margaritas, and discuss water-filled plant protectors.

:27 True or False? Earthworms regrow.

3:53 Eat/Drink/Grow: Passion flower vines

14:05 Insider Information: World Carnivorous Plant Day is May 5th

17:35 Love Letters and Questions: Reginia asks if we can comment on water-filled tomato protection.

Spring plants are first and foremost in this episode as we talk about cress, foraged and farmed, the Year of the Hyacinth, and two spring flowers, Ranunculus and Bellis perennis. Ellen and C.L. tell Paul why old carpet might not make the best mulch.

:40 What's for dinner: Cress wild and tame.

10:13 Insider Information: The National Gardening Bureau says it's the year of the Hyacinth.

14:02 Eat/Drink/Grow: About 2 Spring Plants

23:07 Love Letters and Questions: Paul asks, "Does old carpet make good mulch in a vegetable garden?"

In this episode we talk about the white perlite in potting mixes, spend the main segment talking about edible flowers, and answer a question about why a listener's zucchini plants aren't producing well.

:30 Plant Noob: What are the white specks in my pots?

3:41 Eat/Drink/Grow: Growing Edible Flowers

17:43 Love Letters and Questions What's with the lack of zucchini?

Ellen and C.L. talk about whether fertilizing is always a good thing, and they take a deep dive into the genus Rhododendron, which includes what we commonly call azaleas. Then they answer Candace's question about whether her spouse's pruning of the blue hydrangeas is grounds for divorce.

:33 True or False: Fertilizing never hurts…right?

7:57 Eat/Drink/Grow: Rhododendrons and Azaleas

24:21 Love Letters and Questions: Pruning blue hydrangeas, and can this marriage be saved?