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

With summer in full swing, we’ve got ripening tomatoes on the brain. Sure, staples like ‘Big Beef’ and ‘Celebrity’ are well-known to most vegetable gardeners, but what about ‘Jersey Devil’ or ‘Rose’? Steve and Danielle invite assistant editor (and tomato-grower extraordinaire) Carol Collins to join the conversation this week about the best tomato varieties they’ve ever grown.

Expert: Teri and Joe Smith, owners of Smith’s Acres, a 35-acre farm in Niantic, Connecticut.

Come take a walk on the darker side of the garden with us, where we discuss plants for shade that are just as stunning as their sun-loving cousins. We go beyond hostas and heucheras and delve into options that are a bit odder. (Full disclosure: We do talk about one particularly interesting hosta). These plants are sure to make your shade shimmer.

Expert: Richard Hawke, Plant Evaluation Manager for the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Have you ever fallen in love with a plant so deeply, you’ve purchased--then killed it--several times? If the answer is yes, we can relate. This episode features plants that hosts Steve Aitken and Danielle Sherry just can’t seem to ever keep alive. Richard Hawke, plant evaluations manager at the Chicago Botanic Garden joins in the fun and shares his plant failures, too. Because, doesn’t it make you feel better when the experts admit to killing things, just like the rest of us? 

Expert: Richard Hawke, plant evaluation manager for the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Whoever said the best garden plants are the ones with the most flowers has never seen ‘Ghost’ painted fern. This episode celebrates all those plants that shine bright without a single bloom in sight. Whether it’s shocking chartreuse leaves or a texture like rubber bands, these plants put on a show. And, in case you ever wondered what Southern Comfort bourbon has in common with interesting foliage plants—this show will provide the answer.

Expert: Sharon Nyenhuis, garden designer in Sequim, Washington.

Sure, you could plant all of your containers with mundane geraniums and boring petunias—but why? This episode will give you several ideas for more thrilling options like a red banana that gets 6 feet tall in one summer, evergreens that can live for years in the same pot, and technicolor coleus cultivars. With our experts recommendations you’ll never have to settle for run-of-the-mill container gardens again.

Expert: Barbara Libner, container garden designer for Ravenna Gardens in Seattle, Washington.

Is there any group of plants more loved -- and hated? In this episode Steve and Danielle come to terms with their feelings about this quintessential garden plant.  Are there varieties that really are disease resistant? Which ones actually smell like a rose should? Perhaps we can change your mind with one that has fern-like foliage or beautiful red hips the size of a quarter. Or can anything make you love these often reviled shrubs? Tune in to find out. 

Expert: Ritchie Steffen, curator at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, Washington.

Friends don’t let friends buy annuals -- or do they? This week we’ll talk about which of these fleeting gems are truly worth spending money on. We’ll discuss which annuals are our favorites in pots and which ones are best for filling in gaps in the garden. Looking for something that won’t require tons of water or fertilizer? We’ve got that covered, too. 

Expert: Barbara Libner, container garden designer for Ravenna Gardens in Seattle, Washington.

From new plants to staples we should’ve planted years ago, this episode will take a look at plants that are on our nursery shopping list this season. There’s a baptisia that has tricolor blooms, a purple potato that looks like it’s speckled, and more than a few must-have evergreens. And, if those don’t float your boat, there are plenty of other suggestions to tempt you—and help empty your wallet at the garden center this year.

Expert: Ritchie Steffen, curator at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, Washington.

Daffodils and tulips? We are way beyond that. Our arguers wrestle on whether or not hellebores are worth it and bring up a bed's worth of options sure to start your season off right. From edgeworthia to an incredible redbud, we kick around a lot of plant choices. Which ones will you agree on?

Expert: Sharon Nyenhuis, landscape designer from Sequim, Washington.