Super Cool Plants - Formerly Known as Let's Argue About Plants

Why on earth would you ever put a tall plant in the front of your garden-- even in the middle?  You’d block whatever is behind it, right? Not necessarily.  Enter the amazingly versatile category of see-through plants. Many of these unsung heroes have a bulk of tufted foliage that stays under a foot, but from that mass shoots a plethora of delicate flowers which allow the garden beyond to be seen. Other options include incredibly fine textured plants with leaves resembling smoke. We even talk about an ornamental grass that shoots off its own bottle rockets just in time for the 4th of July. Listen to the interesting options in this episode and you’re sure to put a few tall plants at the front of you garden ASAP.

Expert testimony: Leslie Harris owner of LH Gardens, a landscape design and maintenance firm in Charlottesville, Virginia.

What good is a cake without the frosting? Sure, it still tastes good, but it isn’t giving you its full potential. That’s sort of what a garden is like without nooks and crannies plants: Good, but not as great as it could be. These tiny treasures fill in all the gaps and cracks of a landscape. They’re great for planting between stepping stones or along the edges of walls. Often they’re considered alpine plants, thriving in rocky soils and less than hospitable conditions—but not always. Steve and Danielle do their best at giving options for nooks and crannies plants for sun, shade, and for various different soil types in this episode. Much to Steve’s disappointment, there was no baked goods sampling during taping.   

Expert testimony: Rebecca Sweet, owner of Harmony in the Garden, a landscape design  company in the Bay Area of California.

This episode was inspired by a loyal listener, Elizabeth, who reached out to us and asked for help. She has a 10-month old son and she wanted recommendations for plants that might foster a love and curiosity for the outdoors in her child (once he can walk, of course). So, we accepted the challenge and dug deep into our own childhood memories—and more recent experiences from the kids in our lives—to come up with a list of plants that are sure to delight little ones.  Some of our picks smell good, some taste good, and some are great host plants that will attract caterpillars—and who doesn’t love discovering a cool-looking caterpillar? Listen now and you’re sure to come away with a few plants that kids of all ages (even 60-year-old kids) will enjoy.

Expert testimony: David Vaughn, curator for “My Big Backyard,” the children’s garden at the Memphis Botanic Garden in Tennessee. 

Take a tour through Danielle’s and Steve’s garden as they point out some of their go-to plants. These options may not be the showiest or most alluring plants in their beds, but these are the dependable stalwarts that show up year after year without complaint.  This episode was also filmed to have a companion video. So, if you so choose, you can watch it to get a sneak peek into our host’s gardens. We even visit the summer cottage of expert nurseryman, Ed Gregan, where he points out two of his most reliable shrubs—and gives us a pruning lesson at the same time!

Expert testimony: Ed Gregan from Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Blue--arguably the most elusive color in gardening. If you’ve ever bought a plant that touted “beautiful blue blooms” only to discover that when it flowered it was actually purple, you are not alone. Or, perhaps you’ve drooled for years over pictures of Himalayan blue poppies, the truest of blue flowers, and one of the most difficult plants to cultivate successfully. Well, Steve and Danielle to the rescue. In this episode the pair discuss awesome plants with blue blooms (or at least Danielle does—turns out Steve is a bit color-challenged). The topic was so inspiring, there was even some signing. We apologize for that in advance.

Expert testimony: Dan Robarts,  horticulturist and propagator at Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens in Boothbay.   

Impact is created in many different ways in the garden. Sometimes you get impact from a single plant that has an interesting form or stunning color. Other times, you get visual impact from grouping several of the same plants together.  These masses are eye-catching and lend a movement to the landscape that is much needed. Not every plant is cut out for massing, however. It can’t be too big, or too overbearing. And, generally, a good massing plant puts on a show during several seasons: One hit wonders need not apply. Find out some of our favorite plants for grouping in this episode including some bullet-proof perennials and a few dwarf shrubs. In expert testimony, we’ve got a Midwest designer to weigh in with some of his favorite plants for massing—did someone say pollinator magnets?

Expert testimony: Austin Eischeid is the owner and principal designer at Austin Eischeid Garden Design based in Chicago, IL.

When you think about shade do you think about various different colors of green? Maybe a white striped hosta if you’re lucky? You’re not alone. Many of us think that the term “colorful shade plant” is a fantasy—that there isn’t an appreciable number of plants that produce vibrant reds, yellows, or purples in little to no sun. But, that’s not the case. In this episode Danielle and Steve talk about several plants that put on a colorful display in the darkest corners of their beds and borders.  From a spotted low-grower that gets a plethora of blue, pink, and purple blooms in early spring to a dogwood that will leave visitors to your space stunned by its golden hue.  And, did you know there are several lilies that bloom prolifically in the shade? It’s true, according to this week’s expert testimony. 

Expert testimony: Ed Lyon, director of the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University.

With the forever changing and unpredictable winters we’ve all grown accustomed to it’s hard to know what to expect each spring. Sometimes plants we never thought had a chance in hell of coming back sail through the winter unfazed.  And then there are those occasions when you were positive a hardy, no-fail shrub would be sprouting in April without any trouble—and you were wrong. This episode celebrates those plants that Steve and Danielle were flabbergasted to see emerging this spring. These perennials and shrubs were thought to be long-shots for returning, perhaps due to neglect (Steve) or wishful zonal thinking (Danielle) but regardless, they persevered. Nothing makes us feel better than an underdog’s success story!

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

It’s been a long winter and a less than stellar start to spring, so naturally we went a little overboard on the seed-starting this year. While Steve purchased and started mostly flowers/ornamentals, Danielle went to town in the edibles department. And, we couldn’t do an episode on seed-starting without our resident expert, Fine Gardening Associate Editor Carol Collins telling us all about the varieties (both edible and ornamental) she’s growing this year. We’re talking about bicolored tomatoes, flowering vines you’ve never heard of, and a variegated pepper almost too pretty to eat.

For years these plants have been on our lists of must-haves—but they have tragically never made it into the garden. Why? Truthfully it’s probably because both Steve and Danielle suffer from short term memory loss and when it comes to buying plants, they are easily distracted. But then something happens, like a visit to a botanic garden, that triggers them to say, “Why am I not growing this?” These are amazing plants that really standout in their season of glory, but sadly, they seem to always get left of the shopping list. Apparently plant guru Andy Pulte can relate because he chimes in with some plants that he’s kicking himself for not planting. Is this a universal thing with gardeners? We think so.

Expert testimony: Andy Pulte is a faculty member in the Plant Sciences department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.