Tired Daffodils
Always deadhead spring bulbs after they finish blooming or they will put their energy into setting seed, which limits their rejuvenation.
May 11, 2023•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
Evening Primrose
There are about 125 species in the genus Oenothera, and they are commonly called sundrops, evening primroses, or golden eggs, and they are native to North and South America.
May 04, 2023•2 min
Basket of Gold Dust
In olden times, if one wore a sprig of alyssum, no one would be angry with you.
Apr 27, 2023•2 min
Allelopathic Items
Allelopathic plants release chemicals through their leaves and roots that prevent the germination and/or growth of nearby plants.
Apr 20, 2023•2 min
Attacking Invasives
It's important to remove invasive, non-native plants to make more space available for plants that nourish our own native wildlife.
Apr 13, 2023•2 min
Smaller Shrubs
If you are planting a garden this spring around a condominium or in some other small garden space, you may want to consider some of the shrubs that have been developed to grow into a compact shape and size at maturity.
Apr 06, 2023•2 min
My Own Garden
There is magic associated with flowers. How can it be, I wonder, that there are so many different shapes, colors, and sizes to delight the senses?
Mar 30, 2023•2 min
18th-Century Gardens
By the 18th century, it was fashionable in the colonies of North America where a garden was essential to feed a family.
Mar 23, 2023•2 min
Not Just Ornaments
In ancient times, roses were not grown for ornamental reasons but for their medicinal and mystical properties.
Mar 16, 2023•2 min
Disguising Bulb Foliage
After the spring bloomers' flowers faded, I used to have day lily plants that grew up in my beds to disguise the decaying and unsightly bulb foliage. All that changed once the deer in my neighborhood came by in droves and ate all of the day lily foliage.
Mar 09, 2023•2 min
Controlling Growth
During the 20th century, growers learned to grow flowers with taller, straighter stems, less blemishes, and, also, to force blooms out of season.
Mar 02, 2023•2 min
Romantic Gardens
Beginning in the early 18th century in England, many quaint new cottages were built surrounded by plantings of fruit trees, honey suckle, ivy, and all kinds of flowers to create intentionally romantic gardens.
Feb 23, 2023•2 min
Josephine’s Roses
Empress Josephine Bonaparte had the first European ever-blooming roses from China, and her eclectic collection allowed French hybridizers to create many new varieties.
Feb 16, 2023•2 min
There's a Fragrance to This Message
Way back when there were no cell phones, lovers used flowers as coded messages to keep their communications unknown to chaperones.
Feb 09, 2023•2 min
Frangipani
In North America, frangipani is often associated with Hawaii because of the lovely leis that are made from their blossoms.
Feb 02, 2023•2 min
Spring Bouquets
Starting in February we can pick garden flowers for indoors.
Jan 26, 2023•2 min
Sanguinaria canadensis
These plants enjoy rich, moist soil that drains well, and if they're happy in their spot, they will form colonies under deciduous trees but will disappear once the trees leaf out.
Jan 19, 2023•2 min
The Pleasure Gardens of Versailles
King Louis XIV's pleasure gardens were places to entertain and impress, and to glorify himself and his achievements.
Jan 12, 2023•2 min
Gardens Preserved
In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, and huge amounts of volcanic ash covered the city of Pompeii. The ash preserved the homes and gardens that otherwise would have decayed or been destroyed over time.
Jan 05, 2023•2 min
Pounding Flowers
Pounding can create emotional release and satisfaction for some, and the resulting images can be quite beautiful.
Dec 29, 2022•2 min
Musings about Flowers
“Hope is like a harebell, trembling from its birth / Love is like a rose, the joy of all the earth... / Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth / But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.”
Dec 22, 2022•2 min
Holiday Remembrances
If you are looking for a sweet gift for a loved one or friend, check out antique stores and thrift shops for miniature vases or cute tiny bottles.
Dec 15, 2022•2 min
God's Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote, "As long as one has a garden, one has a future and as long as one has a future, one lives."
Dec 08, 2022•2 min
Gifts From the Garden
"Love your garden and work in it, and let it give you what it surely will and let no one feel that the benefit is all on the side of the garden, for truly you will receive more than you give."
Dec 01, 2022•2 min
How Flowers Teach
Flowering plants are forgiving, and they usually give much more than they receive.
Nov 22, 2022•2 min
Rural Paintings
During the 1860s, watercolor paintings by English artists depicted rural scenes with thatched cottages surrounded by profuse cottage gardens. It was an idealized version of English country life.
Nov 17, 2022•2 min
"Capability" Brown
Lancelot "Capability" Brown, landscaper to the rich and famous in 18th-century England, died in 1783. He advocated vistas that were "simple, uncluttered and restrained."
Nov 10, 2022•2 min
The Dark Ages
What gardens existed around the world in In the 6th-13th centuries?
Nov 03, 2022•2 min
Bed & Border Designs
A mixed border is usually a defined space with a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs, and/or grasses with a walk, or path, in front and a wall or a fence behind as a backdrop. A mix of plants of different varieties ensures an extended period of interest.
Oct 27, 2022•2 min
Good Investments
Shrubs are long-lived garden residents and help create the architecture of a garden.
Oct 20, 2022•2 min
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