The Horticulturati

What's the deal with mulch? Why do we do it? Where does it come from? Mulch is a noun, a verb, and--for many--a pile of mystery. On this episode, we discuss mulch's history, weigh in on the bag vs. bulk debate, and call into question the whole practice. Roll up your sleeves and grab a shovel, because your hosts are ready to dump several cubic yards of mulch facts in your mind's driveway!

Mentioned in this episode: Austin Resource Recovery Recycling Center (currently closed due to COVID); Rodale's How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method; Cheryl Hazeltine's Central Texas Gardener.

More info at our website: www.horticulturati.com. Email us at [email protected]. Our theme song is "Plants" by The Horticulturati House Band.

How is the global pandemic impacting local food systems? We interview @Hallie_Casey of Sustainable Food Center and On To Grow On podcast to find out. We discuss food supply chains, how local farmers' markets are adapting, and who counts as "essential" workers during a Shelter in Place Order. Then we dig into a more fun topic: soil! How do you know if your soil is healthy? What's the role of soil in regenerative agriculture? Lastly, we introduce a segment called the "Gardener's Gauntlet," in which we invite guests to spill their horticultural passions and peeves.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Essential Worker Travel Form letter from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, the SFC Farmers' Markets, the USDA's National Resources Conservation Service (NCRS), Texas Plant and Soil Lab, and One To Grow On's series on organic agriculture. This one goes out to John Prine, who is battling the virus.

Drop us a line on our website or email [email protected] and find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Best wishes to everyone! Here is a little plantastic escapism to entertain you. [We recorded this episode on 2/28 and added a little corona check-in intro on 3/21. Episode begins around 4:19.]

Can plants "hear" music? What would plant-generated music sound like? On this episode, Leah and Colleen attend "The Secret Song of Plants," the release party for an album of the same name by music therapist Andrea Cortez. Accompanying Andrea is cellist Henna Chou and… a pothos ivy?!?!

Join us as we dive deep into the world of plant music, plant sentience, and philosophy, from the Plant Wave, to The Secret Life of Plants, to Mort Garson's "Plantasia," and beyond.

Watch the Secret Life of Plants documentary here.

More info at our website: www.horticulturati.com. Email us at [email protected]. Our theme song is "Plants" by The Horticulturati House Band.

Also mentioned in this episode:

"Inside the Spiritual World of Plant Based Instruments" (Vice magazine, 2016); "Data Garden Quartet" at Philadelphia Museum of Art (2012); Multiple intelligences; "Rock or Bach an Issue to Plants, Singer Says" (New York Times, 1971); In Search of … Other Voices with Leonard Nimoy (TV series, 1977)

PS. In our research, we found several great podcast episodes on the topic of plants and music and tried not to rehash too much territory. Highly recommend you check out: "Smarty Plants" (Radiolab, 2018); "Plants That Sing" (Twenty Thousand Hertz, 2019); "The Secret Life of Plants" (The Organist, 2018), "Are Plants Listening?" (Sound Meditation Radio, 2020).

How did the invention of time-lapse photography revolutionize our understanding of plants? Leah checks in with Charles Darwin and Barbara Streisand on this subject. Colleen tells us how to get certified through the International Society of Arboriculture, and brings us up to speed on some Facebook drama. But first, a garden update... It's been a bad year for the roses. Watch the videos we discuss at the end of the episode at our website: www.horticulturati.com

Email us at [email protected]. Our theme song is "Plants" by The Horticulturati House Band.

Mentioned in this episode: Tree Folks Urban Forest Stewards Program; "The Secret Life of Plants: Visualizing Vegetative Movement 1880-1903" by Oliver Gaycken in Early Popular Visual Culture (Feb 2012); Charles Percy's The Birth of a Flower (1910); The Revolutionary Genius of Plants by Stefano Mancuso; Science in Action: Time Lapse Photography (1964); On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970).

Shake off those umbrellas! On this episode, Austin-based garden designers Colleen Dieter and Leah Churner discuss Central Texas' climate and its consequences. Specifically, rain. And the lack thereof. Leah explains how longitude is destiny, and Colleen examines how "Xeriscape" became "Zeroscape." But first, a garden update: Leah's ripping out landscape fabric and Colleen has a misadventure with a skid-steer.

Email us at [email protected] and visit us at www.horticulturati.com. Our theme song is "Plants" by The Horticulturati House Band.

Mentioned in this episode:

"Austin's on the Wrong Side of the 100th Meridian," by Christopher Collins in The Texas Observer, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Path to Power by Robert Caro, Southwest Gardening by Rosalie Doolittle and Harriet Tiedebohl, and "Gravel in the Garden: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" with Elizabeth McGreevy on KLRU's Central Texas Gardener.

On the premiere episode of The Horticulturati, Austin-based landscape designers Colleen Dieter and Leah Churner discuss the majesty of Joshua Trees and the thorns of Martha Stewart. But first, it's gardeners' corner: Colleen plants an orchard for wildlife and Leah buries cardboard to build soil.

Email us at [email protected] and visit us at www.horticulturati.com.

Our theme song is "Plants" by The Horticulturati House Band.

Mentioned in this episode: Womack Nursery, Legg Creek Farm, American Eden by Wade Graham, Special Occasions by Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart's Gardening: Month By Month, Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography of Martha Stewart by Jerry Oppenheimer, and this Cereal Cube Castle.

The Horticulturati is a new gardening talkshow co-hosted by designers Leah Churner and Colleen Dieter. Visit us at www.horticulturati.com