Cutting Flowers
When cutting flowers from your home garden, it is important to remember that you are subjecting the plant to surgery.
Nov 18, 2021•2 min
Focus on Flowers
Focus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.
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Episodes
Shrubs for Shady Gardens
It is hard to find shrubs for deep shade, as few will persist at all...but here a few ideas.
Nov 11, 2021•2 min
Filtered Shade
Shade gardens are usually at their best in the spring, but filtered shade gardens can provide summer color, too.
Nov 04, 2021•2 min
Something Wicked This Way Comes
"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." This hour on Harmonia, we’ll catch a fright listening to scary sounds for Halloween.
Oct 29, 2021•59 min
Fall Planting
Conifer shrubs and trees need warmer soil to get their roots growing, so plant them as early as possible in the fall.
Oct 28, 2021•2 min
Slippery, Slimy, and Slithering Things
This hour on Harmonia, we’re listening to the sounds of frogs, snakes, and serpents, both real and mythological.
Oct 24, 2021•59 min
Divide to Multiply
There are only a few perennials that thrive for many years without being divided and replanted.
Oct 21, 2021•2 min
Tender Geraniums
Fall is the time to bring indoors all of those houseplants that have been spending the summer outside. I usually also dig up a few annual geraniums that I have had in my beds all summer.
Oct 14, 2021•2 min
New World Mums
By the end of the 1800s, most types of chrysanthemums had arrived in America.
Oct 07, 2021•2 min
Mums
The name chrysanthemum is from the Greek word for gold “chrysos” and “anthos,” which means flower.
Sep 30, 2021•2 min
Wet Feet
Plants that can tolerate boggy, wet soil exist!
Sep 23, 2021•2 min
Autumn Checklist
It is easy to get a renewed sense of enthusiasm for gardening when the hottest weather has passed.
Sep 16, 2021•2 min
Always Cheerful Coreopsis
Our native perennial coreopsis is a stalwart in many American gardens.
Sep 09, 2021•2 min
Rebuilding Amaryllis
Amaryllis bulbs can be rebuilt so that they can bloom well the following winter indoors.
Sep 02, 2021•2 min
What's Left?
My current garden is a shadow of its former self...thanks to the urban deer population. However, a few stalwart plants persist.
Aug 26, 2021•2 min
Amaranthus
Globe amaranth dries beautifully for winter bouquets.
Aug 19, 2021•2 min
The Plant Named for Achilles
Yarrow, “soldier’s woundwart,” “milfoil”—Achillea has many names and many uses.
Aug 12, 2021•2 min
Dry Gardens
During our hot Midwestern summers, it is good for pots to get some afternoon shade. Also, pots dry out more quickly, so it is best to plant annuals in the ground.
Aug 05, 2021•2 min
Surviving Heat
In very hot weather, remember to water your potted plants twice a day as the soil in pots dries out quickly.
Jul 29, 2021•2 min
A Mailbox Garden
Choose just a few plants that will need minimum attention, and plant something vigorous around the base of the post to soften it.
Jul 21, 2021•2 min
Types of Gardens
If I were to start over, and knowing what I now know, I would start with a plan and a clearer idea of the type of garden I wanted.
Jul 15, 2021•2 min
White Snakeroot
It was not until the 1920s that it was recognized that cattle that grazed on white snakeroot caused humans to die if they drank the cow’s milk.
Jul 08, 2021•2 min
Harmful Plants
The garden is full of plants that are poisonous. Most are not lethal, but a few are, so it is wise to err on the side of caution.
Jul 01, 2021•2 min
Beautiful But Noxious: Purple Loosestrife
Purple Loosestrife clogs wetlands and waterways, choking out other plants and eliminating food sources for native wildlife. The plant is classified as a federal noxious weed.
Jun 24, 2021•2 min
Native Perennials
Native plants are important to preserve native wildlife and the ecology of our landscape, but some natives will suit our particular climate and garden space better than others.
Jun 17, 2021•2 min
Pass-Along Plants
Some of the best plants in my garden were given to me by other gardeners or came from plant swaps held by garden clubs.
Jun 10, 2021•2 min
Lesser Calamint
Dainty and durable and deer resistant—just my kind of plant!
Jun 03, 2021•2 min
Cut Flower Favorite: Alstroemeria
There are bound to be some times of the year when there are no flowers in our gardens, and that is when we just have to buy some! A good reliable flower to buy is the South American native alstroemeria.
May 27, 2021•2 min
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Brunfelsia is a long-blooming shrub from subtropical Australia, and it triggers lots of memories for me.
May 20, 2021•2 min
Angel's Trumpets
The spectacular blooms known as Angel’s Trumpets grow on plants that are vase-shaped shrubs or small trees.
May 13, 2021•2 min
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