Alina Harris of the Xerces Society discusses the ecological importance of invertebrates, and how you can use your mower more strategically to convert a field to a thriving pollinator meadow without herbicides
Bill Melvin of Ecoscape Environmental Design in Boulder, Colorado discusses appropriate management of the human landscape in a region where wildfire is endemic. What were the lessons for gardeners in the recent Marshall Fire, and how can they adapt their craft to better suit the dynamics of their local environment?
What is a naturalistic garden and how does it differ from a natural landscape? Duncan Brine is a principal with his wife Julia Brine of Garden Large , a garden design firm based in Pawling, New York. In our conversation, he discusses his concept of naturalistic gardening, the way it informs his design work, and how it has shaped the remarkable 6-acre garden he and Julia have created around their home.
Struggling with a wet spot in your yard? Join John Courtney of Kind Earth Growers to learn how to turn this difficulty into an asset. John has more than 20 years of experience in growing native plants adapted to wet soils. From collecting seed in the wild to mixing special soil blends, he understands wetland natives special cultural needs, and savors their special beauty. Let John help you transform that wet spot into an ecological opportunity and beauty spot.
The flowers in your garden are not, as gardeners often think, aesthetic statements, they are invitations for sex. Ranging from plant incest to the brutality of dragonfly sex, Carol Reese, distinguished horticultural educator at the University of Tennessee, shares insights on the curious aspects of sexual relations between plants and the role that wildlife plays in promoting it.
Sam Hoadley, Mount Cuba Center’s Director of Horticultural Research deliberately neglects his plants. His responsibility is to conduct the trials by which this renowned botanical garden in Hockessin, Delaware tests native plants to see which are garden stars – and attractive to pollinators – and which are garden and pollination duds. After selecting a popular genus, Sam and his crew collect all the types they find available in nurseries, establish them side-by-side in the test plots, and leaves ...
Dr. Philip Kauth, Director of Preservation, describes the history and activities of the Seed Savers Exchange, and how this remarkable organization is preserving tens of thousands of vegetable and fruit varieties that otherwise would have been lost.
Native plants enthusiasts Kristen Nicholson, Britt Drews, and Jasmin Callahan were frustrated by the lack of nearby sources on biodiverse, locally adapted plants. So they started their own nursery, growing the plants from locally collected seeds. Today Blue Stem Natives is a horticultural phenomenon and a haven for ecological gardeners in southeastern Massachusetts.
Dr. Jared Westbrook of the American Chestnut Foundation explores a controversial subject: the use of genetic engineering by his foundation to create blight-resistant American chestnut trees and return this once iconic species to the eastern woodlands
How to introduce Sefra Alexandra, “the Seed Huntress”? She’s an agroecological educator with a masters degree from Cornell University and she’s worked as an ethnobotanist all around the world, including in her home town of Southport, Connecticut. Sefra’s a “BOATanist” who plants seed-grown natives along riparian corridors by canoe, and she’s a member of The Explorers Club. Currently Sefra is also the coordinator of the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s program to restore pollinator habitat...
Eric Fleisher of F2 Environmental Design has been breaking new ground – literally – ever since he first began converting New York public landscapes to organic management 30 years ago. By building up and managing the soil, and treating the landscape as a holistic system, he eliminates the needs for chemical inputs and turns garden wastes into an environmental resource. In this way he has transformed landscapes all over the country, from the Harvard University campus to the Museum of Modern Art S...
Being in the moment is a challenge in our busy, too-connected age, yet it is essential for appreciating and understanding the garden. Poet Susan Brearley shares her practice for mindfulness: the on-the-spot composition of garden haiku. Brearley, who has been teaching haiku workshops at the great Innisfree garden in Millbrook, New York, shares the basics of this classic Japanese poetic form, along with a look at the sensibility that traditionally informs it.
Do you hate the noise and stink of gasoline-powered blowers and mowers rampaging through your neighborhood? Matthew Benzie of Indigenous Ingenuities in Doylestown, Pennsylvania is doing something about that. He’s switched his maintenance crew to zero-emission, quiet, battery-powered equipment transported on a bicycle-powered cart. He’s designing his landscapes for greener, sustainable maintenance too. Learn about this revolutionary rethinking of the landscape business on this week’s episode....
Brooklyn’s famous cemetery builds on its heritage, becoming a community green space, an arboretum, and a center for environmental research
Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society details ways to get the garden ready for winter without harming over-wintering insects and other foundational wildlife
“Food Forests” are a central concept of Permaculture – in our discussion of his must-have new book, Sustainable Food Gardens , Robert Kourik details where Permaculture goes wrong, and explains how his book corrects the food forest for the North American landscape.
Looking to reconnect with nature? Try Brooklyn Bridge Park, six concrete shipping piers on New York’s East River transformed into a series of vibrant ecosystems rich with native wildlife. Director of Horticulture Rebecca McMackin describes how salvaged materials make this 85-acre, organically maintained landscape sustainable as well as beautiful.
Dr. Josef Gorres of the University of Vermont discusses the environmental threat posed by invasive Asian Jumping Worms and the methods he is exploring for their control in our forests and gardens
Forest steward Adrian Ayres Fisher describes the profound impact that uncontrolled deer populations have on native woodlands and their ecology
Carol Bouska describes the process she and her three sisters have followed in transforming the family farm in northeastern Iowa into a model of regenerative agriculture. They are sequestering carbon in the soil, reducing water pollution, and nurturing wildlife while also building community and reinforcing family ties.
Dr. Eric Watkins of the University of Minnesota discusses the university's program to create more sustainable lawns that support native bees and other pollinators
Gardener and writer Ginny Stibolt discusses “ Climate-Wise Landscaping ,” the book she co-authored with landscape architect Sue Reed, and how it can make your personal landscape more resilient and a force for positive environmental change
Innovative farmer Jesse Frost describes his focus on stewardship of the earth in his outstanding and useful new book, “ The Living Soil Handbook ”
Los Angeles landscape Architect Greg Kochanowski discusses his study of landscape management in fire-adapted landscapes
Internationally renowned rosarian Stephen Scanniello teaches gardeners how to grow roses without all the chemical pesticides
Ecological landscape designer and consultant Marie Chieppo discusses the report on plastic nursery pots she compiled for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, and the greener alternatives that she is promoting
Artist Robert Adzema talks about his unique sun sculptures and how sundials can fix us in time while serving as a bridge to connect the garden with the heavens
Ecologist Tom Wessels details how he reads the history of forested landscapes from visual clues – "Forest Forensics" – and describes his new book, New England's Roadside Ecology
Paul Tukey, author of the classic guide, The Organic Lawn Care Manual , shares his prescription for listening to, and learning from, the weeds in your lawn
Award-winning environmental journalist Fred Pearce discusses his book, The New Wild , and the positive role he believes that invasive species can play in our changing ecosystems
