We Dig Plants

_ We Dig Plants _ is getting artsy this week as Alice and Carmen welcome Abbie Zabar to the studio for a thorough talk on her work. Abbie is an acclaimed artist, graphic and garden designer, and the author of five books. Her first book, The Potted Herb (1988), is now considered a gardening classic. Her landscape collages have been represented by Allan Stone and BlumHelman, and the Flowers in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art series has been represented by Ursus Books & Prints and the Horticultural Society of New York. Her artwork has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Parrish Museum (Water Mill, NY), the International Paper Corporation, the Louvre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London) and the Vigeland Museum (Oslo), and is part of the permanent collections of the Mead Paper Corporation of America, the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation (Pittsburgh, PA) and the Smithsonian Museum. Zabar’s illustrated articles have appeared in Garden Design, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Gourmet and The New York Times, as well as in numerous esteemed British publications. Zabar is currently the Program Chairperson for the Manhattan Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society and a Learning Leader at P.S. 198.

This program was brought to you by the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York.

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This week on _ We Dig Plants _, Alice and Carmen are tipping their hats to the homesteaders that settled the country located west of the Mississippi River. Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land.  On the line with Dan Housholder, he explains the story behind his family’s history of 19th century homesteaders that worked the land in Kansas.  After returning to his roots and repurchasing the land that once belonged to his ancestors, he shares his homesteading journey from researching the original Homesteading Act to how his family became involved to the farm auction that led him back to the land in Kansas.  Tune in for a fascinating story!

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Fruits and vegetables have changed a lot since the onset of agriculture 10,000 years ago, as generation after generation of farmers artificially bred crops to select for more desirable traits like size and taste. Today on _ We Dig Plants _, Alice and Carmen are visualizing and delving into the vast world of plant genetics and breeding with James Kennedy, on the line from Australia.  A VCE Chemistry teacher at Haileybury, one of Australia’s largest and leading independent schools, he has 5 years teaching and tutoring experience in Cambridge, Melbourne and Beijing, plus he is a progressive informative graphic artist.  Realizing that scientific topics like evolution can be hard for anyone to digest, he has created some terrific infographics to show just how drastic evolution has been. One of of James’ original posters, for instance, shows how corn has changed in the last 9,000 years — from a wild grass in the early Americas known as teosinte to the plump ears of corn we know today.  Tune in for this fascinating show and check out James’ work here!

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A small patch of land within the 58-acre Shore Road Park, Narrows Botanical Gardenswas formerly an overlooked area of parkland. Today the gardens thrive, enriching the lives of nearby residents and on the line with hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito is Jimmy Johnson, urban landscape designer heavily involved with the Narrows Botanical Gardens. Continuing the series on horticultural disrupters, We Dig Plants is delving into the recent trend in park management: community involvement. Jimmy goes on to explain that these gardens are meant to satisfy the senses with colorful flowers, aromatic plants, and singing birds, making the Bay Ridge neighborhood in Brooklyn a beautiful destination.  Tune in for a great discussion on the numerous benefits of public horticulture!

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This week on _ We Dig Plants _, hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are talking green business with Brienne Gluvna Arthur.  By day, a grower and propagator at the Camellia Forest Nursery in North Carolina, Brienne is also dedicated to connecting with horticulturalists around the country with the groups Emergent and Green Women Unite, not to mention her blogging and posting on her own growing of ancient grains.  Tune in to hear how Brienne is changing the space around her through being outdoors with her hands in the dirt.

“We are going to be sustaining 9 billion people – horticulture has the opportunity to be a part of it.”

–Brienne Gluvna Arthur

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Wrapping up the series on botanical beauty, this week on _ We Dig Plants _ Alice and Carmen welcome the team behind Brooklyn Bar and Bath, Joann Montalto and Itala Pelizzoli. Launching their natural skincare business to give a fresh, natural alternative to products that pack a long list of unpronounceable ingredients, the ladies discuss becoming more conscious about knowing exactly what we put on our bodies on a daily basis. After the break, the hosts are on the line with Jenn Segale of Garden Apothecary, an organic bath and beauty company.  Crafting hand-made, small-batch botanical products for the face and body, Jenn shares their best selling products and why Garden Apothecary excels in bringing wholesome organic products into homes all over the world.

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Continuing with the beauty and botanical series, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito welcome beauty expert Trae Bodge to detail her favorite plant based productions on this week’s _ We Dig Plants _.  Sharing a great detail of fascinating facts about ingredients like blueberries, chocolate, and even coffee for skin care, Trae even comments on the use of cannabis in beauty products.  Which are the best ingredients to look for on beauty labels? If you only use makeup sparingly, which are the integral products? For answers and much more, check out this episode!

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Continuing the series on the intersection between plants and beauty regimes, solo host Carmen Devito welcomes Mandi Vance from the Dr. Hauschka team to this week’s We Dig Plants. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care preparations and treatment methods are based on the founder’s mission “to support the healing of humanity and the earth,” a mission reflected in everything from the sustainable agriculture behind our ingredients to their holistic approach to business.  Talking the fascinating background of the late Dr. Hauschka, the importance of biodynamic farming to the business, natural skin care, plus what the company has on the horizon.

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This week hosts Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are in studio talking about botanical beauty, a first installment of a four part series, previewing plants’ deep roots in beauty regimes.  From the Egyptians and Cleopatra to Ancient Rome to Indian cosmetic practices, plants (and other interesting ingredients!) have been used around the world throughout the ages to dye hair, cover scars, enhance eyebrows, tint skin, and more.  Tune in for a fascinating show and hear what the next few episodes have in store!

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Why do some gardens make us feel so wonderful, relaxed and refreshed? Using ideas based on ancient and modern practices, today’s guest on We Dig Plants, landscape designer Jan Johnsen, explains how you can uplift yourself and others in a serene setting designed for “unplugging” and relaxing. Whether you are intending to create a lovely garden or just thinking about a future outdoor haven, her new book “Heaven is a Garden” helps you see your backyard in a whole new light and reawaken an awareness of the wonders of nature. Drawing on her 40 years in the profession, she relays what it was like as a woman coming up in the business throughout the years and also shares why a gate facing East is considered auspicious and suggests which trees you can use to impart a special atmosphere. Tune in for a great show!

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