Podcasts about african violets

Mary Stone discusses the challenges of caring for African violets in heated homes. She reflects on the emotional significance of the plants inherited from her mother and humorously recalls her rescue dog Jolee's antics, which led to the loss of her mom's ‘Frozen in Time' African Violets.With one violet remaining in poor health, Mary seeks advice from the African Violet Society of America on reviving it.She shares her morning routine of morning pages and meditation and how recent events, such as the California wildfires, have affected her. Mary then encourages listeners to find joy in memories frozen in time and nature's resilience.Thanks for tuning in!Related Posts and Podcasts you'll enjoy:Fixing African Violets with Long Stems - Blog PostCaring for African Violets – Frozen in Time - Blog PostEp 188. Dragonflies - Trust the Perfect UnfoldingBenefits of Watering with Rainwater – Blog PostEp 04. Sweet Autumn Clematis, Rainwater RejuvenationThe video link shared by the African Violet Society of America-How to Re-pot a Long Neck and Also Cure Root Rot The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition By Julia Cameron8888I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast PageThank you for sharing the Garden of Life,Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer                                        AskMaryStone.comMore about the Podcast and Column: Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about. Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.comDirect Link to Podcast Page

A question about why an African violet is changing colors. Plus, Grumpy shares a tip on buying garden tools. You can find us online at southernliving.com/askgrumpy Ask Grumpy Credits: Steve Bender aka The Grumpy Gardener - Host Nellah McGough - Co-Host Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Isaac Nunn - Recording Tech Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Ethan Kauffman, director of Stoneleigh, a new-ish public garden near Philadelphia, PA. The plant profile is on African Violets and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Thankfulness by Christy Page of Green Prints. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 101: Sustainable Lawn Care https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-101.html ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 167: Flinging with the Garden Tourist https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-167-flinging.html SHOW NOTES are posted at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-180-stoneleigh.html. This episode is archived at: BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support. We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode. And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too! Episode Credits: Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado Recorded on 2-2-2023. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support

Carol and Dee discussed African Violets, a couple of seed catalogs, a new book of garden projects and more on this week's episode.For more information and more links, check out our Substack newsletter!Links!Flowers:National Garden Bureau's Year of the African VioletDee's blog post about African VioletsVeggies:Select SeedsJohnny's Selected SeedsOn the Bookshelf:Verdura:Living a Garden Life: 30 Projecs to Nurture Your Passion for Plants & find your Bliss by Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago (Amazon link)Rabbit Holes:Documentary on Netflix: You Are What You Eat. Wild Alaskan Seafood Vegan at Times, by Jessica Seinfeld What We Sow by Jennifer Jewell (Amazon Link)Carol's starter list of month-by-month booksOur Affiliates (Linking to them to make a purchase earns us a small commission):Botanical InterestsFarmers DefenseEtsyTerritorial SeedsTrue Leaf Market Eden BrosNature Hills Nursery  Book and Amazon links are also affiliate links.Email us anytime at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol  visit her website.  Visit her blog May Dreams Gardens. For more info on Dee, visit her website.  Visit her blog Red Dirt Ramblings.SupSupport the showOn Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.On YouTube.

On today's show:17:48  How to give your African Violets the best bloomin' chance.19:50  Does pineapple ward off fruit flies? 36:02  What to do for onions that aren't onion-ing as they should. Listen to the program live on Saturdays at 10:00AM on ABC Radio Perth and ask your questions by calling in on 1300 222 720 or text 0437 922 720Subscribe to the podcast through the ABC Listen App, Apple Podcasts or wherever you like to listen.

Better Lawns and Gardens Hour 2 – Coming to you from Summit Responsible Solutions Studios, Merry Christmas!  Teresa shares care of indoor holiday plants. December 21st is Winter Solstice. Dirty Word of the Day is Vernalization. Garden questions include beetle identification, cherry tomatoes wilting, when does St. Augustinegrass need 1” of water, where to get large amounts of pepper to get rid of armadillos, grow light distance for African Violets, how can lemon tree recover, Giant Pusley in pastures, Lilac not doing well in Melbourne, growing Basil indoors, Cobrahead Cultivator is a great Christmas gift, and more.  https://bit.ly3c1f5x7 Graphic: Teresa Watkins,  Listen every Saturdays from 7am - 9am EST on WFLA- Orlando. Call in with your garden questions and text messages on 1-888.455.2867 and 23680, Miss the live broadcast? Listen on Audioboom podcast 24/7. https://bit.ly/3c1f5x7   #WFLF #WFLA #FNN #WNDB #BetterLawns #gardening #Florida #planting #gardeninglife #radio #southflorida #northflorida #centralflorida #Deland #SHE #Orlando #Sarasota #Miami #FortLauderdale #BLGradio #WRLN #WiOD #gardening #SummitResponsibleSolutions #QualityGreenSpecialists #BlackKow #Christmas #holiday #holidays

Apple had an announcement for iPad users last week. Michael Babcock has the details in our Tech Talk (7:09). Gardener Susan Kerney joins us to discuss indoor plants (22:07). We chat about everything from the African Violets to Spider Plants. Season 2 of Fashion Dis airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. We tee-up the newest season with Host Arda Shephard (36:46).

Optimara Group grows beautiful African Violets in the hear tof Downtown Nashville. The three generation company was originally founded in Germany in the early 1900's, but relocated to Nashville in the 70's. Owner Reinhold HoltKamp talks about why his family chose Nashville, and what's kept their company going on these years.

Welcome to The KSL Greenhouse Show! Hosts Maria Shilaos and Taun Beddes tackle your gardening questions, talk plants, and offer tips for an amazing yard. Listen Saturdays 8am to 11am at 1160 AM & 102.7 FM, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL Newsradio App. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @kslgreenhouse. #KSLGreenhouse  The plant of the week is the African Violets. They reliably bloom several times a year when cared for properly. If you love fiddling with plants this could be the plant for you. Robert has deer eating the needles off his blue spruce and pine tree. He wants to know if the trees can be saved. Darren lives in Logan where it is bitter cold and now is the time to start pruning. He wants to know how long he should wait to prune. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this segment, Lisa and Ken of Watters Garden Center in Prescott tells us the best Valentine gifts to get any gardener. Learn which plant would be best for your favorite gardener such as Anthurium, Bromeliads, African Violets, Roses, and more.Follow Cast11 on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network/Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://mountaingardener.buzzsprout.com or wherever you stream podcasts.Follow Cast11 on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network/Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://mountaingardener.buzzsprout.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

What do you think makes African violets so popular?

Roses are red, and African Violets can be many different colors. Listen for advice on taking great care of them.

Potatoes sprouting early indoors, Viburnum shrubs with beetles next spring, roses that need transplanting and African Violets that are refusing to flower. This week we are all over the map on the Garden Show! Listen live every Saturday at 9am on Zoomer Radio

Being Dutch has a few advantages: getting free plants is important! My mum was known for taking cuttings all over Europe when the Kleinpaste Family was on Holiday in their foldable campervan/tent. We returned to the Netherlands with heaps of propagation material in the car – there was barely room for us, kids, to sit on the back seat!  Mum was the gardener and she took cuttings – constantly experimenting.  This time of the year (before deciduous shrubs and trees start to roll out the leaves for next season) is a good time for taking hardwood and semi-hardwood cuttings.  Your archetypal stem cuttings (or shoot cuttings) are planted in some nice mixture of potting mix, pumice/sand which becomes a well-drained habitat for the roots to form;  There are many books and articles that can tell you and show you how to do that, but what strikes me as a minor miracle is the way plants literally change the function of their cells to create rootlets!  Plants are made of myriads of cells – each has a distinct function in the plant:  Executing photosynthesis, transporting fluids, transporting gases, turning into flowers, becoming fruits, or seeds… some become roots, others become shoots; Of course, a nice flat cluster of adjoining cells is known by gardeners as a LEAF .  But when you put a stem cutting into the mix, the cells suddenly create areas where they form roots  Yet a root cutting has cells that form brand-new shoots  And leaf cuttings (think Begonias, African Violets and Cacti!) have to produce ROOTS and STEMS!  So, all these cells can literally change their jobs and adapt to the new function, by simply creating new shapes.  Taking cuttings and the success there-of depends enormously on what species you are trying to propagate, so: experiment!  Take some hardwood cuttings and some semi-hardwood cuttings in one batch  Some species will work best with softwood cuttings – others are best propagated by Layering.  Rooting Hormones are often helpful (they come in softwood – medium hardwood – hardwood). There is evidence that Home-made “WillowWater” hormones are not as useful as some people think  (A story for another day, I expect)  Generalistics:  Take cuttings from HEALTHY Plants  Cuttings from young plants tend to root quicker  DORMANT hardwood cuttings best taken after autumn and before spring-warmth  Cuttings from FLOWERING twigs are often really HARD to strike; so: no flowering wood!!  Keep cuttings in a tunnelhouse/glasshouse or… create a miniature cloche with a plastic bag  Don't over-water the cuttings – just a little moisture is enough!  Leave some Leaves on the top of the cutting; trim the leaves from the bottom of the cutting  Difficult plants to propagate often need some “bottom heat” (25 degrees C)  And keep experimenting!!! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's conversation I talk with Frances Edmonds, Inspirational Speaker and author of “Repotting Your Life: Sense When You're Stuck. Explore What's Possible. Claim Room to Grow.” When I first read this book, my thoughts jumped to the colourful collection of red, purple and blue African Violets on my sun-drenched mantelpiece. I recalled how I transferred the tiny plants that grew from leaf cuttings, first to small individual containers, then to larger pots and ultimately, I repotted them in the large pots that will remain their permanent home.Frances conceived the idea of  repotting, the ideal metaphor for self reinvention in deep middle age, when she uprooted herself, swapping the comfort and security of her London life for a year in California. As a fellow at Stanford's Distinguished Careers Institute, she researched longevity and related issues at the Center on Longevity.She suggests that when you find yourself stuck in life, whatever the cause, remember that what ails a root bound plant is not the plant, it's the pot. We discuss how to bring that same wisdom to any life changing decision, large or small, career or relationships, to reframe your thinking, reset your purpose and rejuvenate yourself.Following her degree in Modern Languages from Cambridge, Frances became an independent freelance interpreter, traveling all over the world, providing simultaneous interpreting for major institutions, organizations and summits. Great for the brain, she points out that it's a really tough skill because not only do you have to be great at languages, you also have to be able to listen through your headphones to a person speaking in one language, and simultaneously interpret in a second language. We discuss how, when she became “stuck”, she pivoted and “repotted her life.”  Here are links to learn more about Frances Edmonds and Repotting Your Life https://www.francesedmonds.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/frances.edmonds.9 https://twitter.com/francesedmonds1 https://twitter.com/experimentbooks https://www.facebook.com/experimentbooks https://www.instagram.com/theexperiment/  Contact Dr. Gillian Lockitch to learn how to live younger as you grow older: Order a copy of Growing Older Living Younger: The Science of Aging Gracefully and The Art of Retiring Comfortably  Schedule a Discovery Call with Dr. Lockitch Join the Growing Older Living Younger Community  to exchange experiences, and engage with others on a similar journey to age well.

Make sure you're ready for July in the garden with Dig It's round-up of garden news, events as well as a look at those essential tasks to be getting on with, with top advice from Peter Brown and Chris Day.What's On4th - 9th July RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. The world's largest flower show.Wednesday 6th July at 4pm at Buckingham Garden Centre - FREE talk Tom Gadsby's Garden Design Masterclass.16th - 17th July The Belvoir Castle Flower and Garden Show20th – 24th July RHS Tatton Park Flower ShowIn the NewsA national scheme to encourage homeowners to rent out their spare land is being organised by www.allotme.co.ukGoing abroad this summer? Learn about plant health and helping protect our biosecurity, including a great activity download for children at www.planthealthaction.orgEden Project's Pollinator Pathmaker design websiteNigel Dunnett's Tower of London ‘Superbloom' project.The Chelsea Flower Show 2022 Plant of the Year is Semponium 'Destiny' from Surreal SucculentsRosarian and top rose breeder Colin Dickson is awarded an MBE in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee honours.This month's Dig It Top Five: Our best-selling plant liquid fertilisers from Doff. Best seller is Liquid Seaweed, 2nd place Rose fertiliser; 3rd slot Tomato feed, 4th Ericaceous and Container and Basket Feed in 5th place. Available at the Garden Centre.On the traditional boxed / straight fertilisers top spot belongs to Blood, Fish & Bone, followed by Vitax Organic Rose feed, Vitax Q4, Bonemeal and Sulphate of Potash. Available at the Garden Centre and onlinePlants mentioned: Citrus plants, sow seeds of French and Runner beans, Peas, Brussels Sprouts ‘Evesham Special' (open pollinated) or the F1 hybrid variety ‘Green Marble' and winter brassicas. Lavender ‘Hidcote' and ‘Munstead'.Laurels showing symptoms of bacterial shothole and aphids attacking the growing tips.Take leaf cuttings from houseplants including Begonia rex, Streptocarpus and African Violets. Stem cuttings from Penstemon, Dianthus, Star Pelargoniums, Scented pelargoniums cola, lemon, 'Attar of Roses' and orange varieties. Hardwood cuttings of Salix (Willow).Products mentioned: Pizza oven, The Kindling Cracker, a clever wood kindling splitter device designed by a 13-year-old school girl from New Zealand.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We recorded our conversation today on location at the Frederick County Extension Office to chat with several NSV Master Gardeners. Joanne Royaltey, a Program Associate in the Consumer Horticulture & Invasive Species department of Virginia Cooperative Extension led the conversation. Joining us to chat about gardening issues and the Master Gardener class itself was: Lucy Carlson, Master Gardener Linda Bartlett, MG Class of 2022 Evelyn Garland, MG Class of 2022 Lisa Robertson, MG Class of 2022 The group talked about their experiences in the class, why they joined and what they've learned from their participation. We also got answers to several questions that they are asked through their "Ask a Master Gardener" help line (aka GreenHelpLine.) If you have any type of gardening question, volunteers at the Extension Master Gardener Help Desks will research your problem and provide unbiased, research-based solutions AT NO CHARGE. They can answer questions about trees, shrubs, house plants, perennials, annuals, and more! You can simply e-mail a description (ideally with photos) of your gardening problems to the GreenHelpLine in your county, or stop by during office hours (see below) in Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties. Page and Clarke Help Desks operate virtually, and do not hold in-person office hours. During the growing season visit their booths at area plant clinics and farmers markets as well. Today we talked about they types of questions they get and how they find answers and solutions for them. We talked about mulching, tree-topping (DON'T DO IT!!), growing tomatoes, propagating African Violets, the importance of soil testing and learned about choosing the right space for the right plant. Contact your local office below, visit their website: nsvmga.org and follow them on Facebook. Frederick County Location: VCE Office, 107 North Kent Street, Winchester, VA Help Desk Hours: Every Wednesday, 10 a.m.–Noon E-mail: GreenHelpLine.FrederickCo@gmail.com Phone: 540-665-5699 Southern States Farmers Market: Third Saturday of each month, April–October, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Clarke County Drop-off location and hours: VCE Office, 524 Westwood Rd., Berryville, VA; Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. E-mail: NSVMGA.info@gmail.com (include “Clarke County Gardening Question” in the subject line) Phone: 540-955-5164 Clarke County Farmers Market: Second Saturday of each month, May–October, 8 a.m.–Noon, Page County Drop-off location and hours: VCE Office, 215 W. Main St., Suite C, Stanley, VA; Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. E-mail: NSVMGA.info@gmail.com (include “Page County Gardening Question” in the subject line) Phone: 540-778-5794 Plant Clinic at Massanutten Country Corner: Second and Fourth Saturdays of each month, April–October, 9 a.m.–Noon Shenandoah County Location: VCE Office and Classroom, Shenandoah County Government Center, 600 N. Main St., Suite 100, Woodstock, VA Help Desk Hours: First and third Fridays of each month, April through October, 9 a.m. –Noon; First Fridays in November and December, 9 a.m.–Noon E-mail: greenhelpline@gmail.com Phone: 540-459-6140 South Street Barn Farmers Market: Last Saturday of each month, May–September, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Strasburg Farmers Market: Alternating Saturdays, April–October, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Warren Location: VCE Office, Warren County Government Center, 220 N. Commerce Ave., Suite 500, Front Royal, VA Help Desk Hours: First Monday of the month, April through October, 10 a.m. –1 p.m. E-mail: GreenHelpLine.WarrenCo@gmail.com Phone: 540-635-4549

Wayne Goodman in conversation with J.P. Jackson, health-care IT analyst and breeder of African Violets by day, summoner of demons, witches, and shapeshifters by night

In today's episode we dive into the world of African Violets and how to be successful with them.  I answer the following questions; What is an African Violet? What do they symbolize? What is their history? Where to place them in your home? How to water them? How to fertilize an African Violet? How to repot them? How to propagate them? How to deal with pests? Extra care tips Thanks for listening! Remember, share this podcast with someone and message me on Instagram @tenneyplants to be entered into the free merch giveaway! Plant School Merch - https://tenney-plants.creator-spring.com/ Follow me; Instagram - @tenneyplants YouTube - Tenney Plants Channel Blog - www.tenneyplants.com Pinterest - Tenney Plants Email me! - tenneyplants@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/plant-school/support

Better Lawns and Gardens Hour 1 – Coming to you from Summit Responsible Solutions Studios, Host and garden expert, Teresa Watkins discusses how growing and propagating African violets with Glenna Hancock, daughter of Walter “Buster” Hancock of the historic five-generation agricultural Hancock citrus groves. Glenna tells the simple method of propagating African violets. Garden questions and texts covered asking where to buy African violets, soil for growing vegetables in containers, cutting back hibiscus, using oak leaves for compost, identifying a shrub at Sea World, what is the best soil test kit, and more.  https://bit.ly/3c1f5x7 Graphic credit: Teresa Watkins Must have on your garden bookshelf!  Buffalo Style Gardens and Citrus. Listen to Better Lawns and Gardens every Saturday 7 am - 9 am EST.  Call in with your garden questions 1.888.455.2867, or text 23680.    #WFLF #WFLA #FNN #BetterLawns #gardening #Florida #planting #gardeninglife #southflorida #northflorida #centralflorida #tropical #floridalife #SHE #fertilizer #turf #grass #landscaping #fruits #vegetables #Orlando #Sarasota #Miami #FortLauderdale #winter #WRLN #WiOD #WBOB #radio #podcast #UF #IFAS #GardenWalkBuffalo #citrus #winter #SummitResponsibleSolutions 

Dee and Carol talk about African Violets, the Dwarf Tomato Project, Old Growth Forests, Funeral Flowers, and more on this week's episode.A few links:Dee's Blog Post - Snow days, a funeral, and food.African Violet Society of America How to Repot African violets Violets 101 - African Violet Society of America Check out the OPTIMARA website to see different colors and types of African Violets  OPTIMARAA blog post on African Violets: How to Achieve Constant Bloom by Kevin Lee Jacobs.Dress Like Your Plant Contest PageVeggie:   Dwarf Tomato Project  Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time, by Craig LeHoullierOpen Source Seeds – Dwarf Tomato Project   Open Source Seed Initiative  On the Bookshelf:  The Hidden Histories of Houseplants: Fascinating Stories of Our Most-Loved Houseplants, by Maddie and Alice Bailey More Links: GardenCommWild Geese Bookshop in Franklin, IndianaOld, Primeval Forests May Be a Powerful Tool to Fight Climate Change | Science | Smithsonian Magazine Post Oaks and the Keystone Ancient Forest. The History of Funeral Flowers | Petal Talk. The Fascinating History of Funeral Wreaths: Scent And VioletAffiliate link to Botanical Interest Seeds. (If you buy something from them after using this link, we earn a small commission at no cost to you. This helps us continue to bring this podcast to you ad-free!)  Book links are also affiliate links.Email us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol and her books, visit her website.  Visit her blog May Dreams Gardens.For more info on Dee and her book, visit her website.  Visit her blog Red Dirt Ramblings.

Fred says to make sure your African violets get enough light.

Today's episode all started with a call on the Bloomers in the Garden Hotline from our listener Chris about African Violets.  So, we bring onto the show Vice President of the Garden State African Violet Club, April Van Hess.  April is here to tell us all about these popular potted houseplants as well as the number of African Violet Clubs that exist throughout the region and the country! 

2022's first freeze for Taylor & our part of Central Texas--Julie's attempts at winterizing kind of okay, kind of a fail. But the indoor plants are happy including the African violets. Plus more info on starting seeds! We need to get seeds ordered and trays started so we can transplant ASAP.

From darkest Africa these plants will brighten your winter.

Celebrating Houseplants with Jane PerroneIn this Dig It podcast we celebrate indoor gardening as we chat with top gardening journalist Jane Perrone about her lifelong passion for growing houseplants and how this has developed into one of the most popular gardening podcasts - On the Ledge.Jane provides great advice on growing indoor plants from keeping them healthy, selecting plants for the home, stories from Jane's On the Ledge podcast, trends on what we are purchasing at the Garden Centre and the best ways of displaying your potted favourites, plus we get a sneak peek into Jane's forthcoming new book, Legends of the Leaf which profiles 25 iconic houseplants, charting their history and provides tips to help them thrive in your home.Dig It hosts Peter Brown and Chris Day talk about their houseplant favourites, a look at which houseplants are good for air purification, plus we discuss David Domoney's latest book, My House Plant Changed My Life There's also a competition to win one of two signed copies of David's book too - click herePlants mentioned: Adiantum (maidenhair fern), Ananas (Pineapple), Tillandsia (Air plants), Cacti, Ficus robusta, Crassula argentea (Money Plant), African Violets, Poinsettia, Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose), Draceana (Dragon tree), Calathea, Maranta, Cocos nucifera (Coconut palm), Chlorophytum (Spider plant), Stephanotis, Monstera ‘Thai Constellation', (Jane's desert island plant, Variegated Swiss Cheese), Jasminium polyanthum, Gardenia (Cape Gardenia), Cissus antarctica (Kangaroo vine), Ficus robusta (Rubber plant), Sansevieria (Mother-in-laws Tongue), Medinilla magnifica (Rose Grape), Venus Fly Trap, Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid), Philodendron ‘Pink Princess', Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Saxifraga), Hedera (English Ivy). Herbs: Basil, Chives, Mint and Rosemary for cooler, well-lit windowsill.Products mentioned: Baby Bio houseplant feed (available in store), Abbeybrook Cacti, Houseplant Compost, watering cans foliar houseplant feeds such as SB Plant Invigorator and Bug Killer (available in store), leaf shine wipes, specific plant feeds such as Streptocarpus, Citrus, Cacti and Orchids, mist sprayers, self-watering pots, expanded clay granules and obelisks.Books: Legends of the Leaf by Jane Perrone, Tom's Weeds by Mea Allan (Faber), The Houseplant Expert by Dr David Hessayon (Transworld), Success with Houseplants (Readers Digest), Potted History by Catherine Horwood (Pimpernel Press) and My House Plant Changed My Life by David Domoney (Dorling Kindersley).Jane's Perrone's podcast On the LedgeOur thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to my Sunroom Welcome to my Sunroom, you guys!!!  Fall is definitely here in Chicagoland! I would like to thank those of you who have found the podcast important enough to you that you have supported it monetarily. I […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 4.05 – More Grooming! appeared first on All About African Violets.

Doris Meilak speaks with Joe Axiaq about growing and taking care of African violets, which are becoming more popular as indoor plants. She also talks about the macadamia tree, which has a special place in the heart of many Australian people. - Doris Meilak titkellem ma' Joe Axiaq dwar kif inkabbru u nieħdu ħsieb il-vjoletti Afrikani (African violets) li qed jerġgħu jsiru popolari bħala pjanti ta' ġewwa. Titkellem ukoll dwar is-siġra tal-makademja li hija għal qalb ħafna nies fl-Awstralja.

Welcome to my Sunroom Welcome to my Sunroom, you guys!!!  I’m going to quickly today because I have a lot to share with you! Tips and Treasures I’m trying an experiment this week. I filmed myself grooming my plants on […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 4.04 – It’s All About Grooming appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Welcome to my Sunroom, you guys!!!  What a summer it's been.  I've been wanting to be back with you now since I tried to come back in May, but time was not on my side.  And […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 4.03 – Stands, Sports, September . . . appeared first on All About African Violets.

Hydrangea leaf-tier, lupin aphids, and bindweed are some of the pests addressed this week. Clematis wilt, goutweed (called Bishop's Weed in the USA), and when and how to transplant African Violets, Tri-colour willow, Hydrangeas and Barberries. A wide-ranging very full show!

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Welcome to my Sunroom!! We’re going to talk about sports today. Not that kind of sports. :-D Tips and Treasures Today you get to see the possible chimera bloom that was on my Geyser […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 4.02 – This, That, and Sports appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Welcome back to my Sunroom!! I am really happy to be back with you here on the podcast! Tips and Treasures I have a lot to share with you today! I took my four […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 4.01 – It’s About Grooming appeared first on All About African Violets.

Chris Day and Peter Brown discuss some things to do in your Garden in April.Plant/Product mentionsTree, Shrub and Tree Planting CompostRosesRose feeds - Top RoseVitax Q4Cosmos SonataAntirrhinum (Snapdragons)SunflowersCamellias, Pieris, Rhododendrons Ericaceous FeedSequestrene TonicPlant stakes - Poppy ForgeGarden CanesWillow / Hazel sticks can be grown from bare-root plants established from November-MarchBird Feeders / Bird foodSowing Cucumbers, Marrow, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spring Onions and RadishRunner Bean 'Enorma'Multi-cell Modular Trays / Propagation traysSoil thermometer (in store only)Greenhouse cleaning - Citrox Greenhouse Cleaner and Jeyes Fluid (in store only)Feeding spring bulbs with Sulphate of PotashOrganic Lawn Feed - RHS Mo Bacter (in store only)Moss Control products (In store only)Lawn Seed for new lawns and overseedingHouseplant repotting: Houseplant Compost or a Peat Free Compost. Perlite. Ericaceous compost for Gardenia, Stephanotis and indoor Azaleas. Use specialist composts for Citrus, African Violets and Cacti. Houseplant feeds including Baby Bio and specialistsUseful LinksChiltern Music Therapy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When I first got into houseplants, people always talked about how hard African Violets were.  To my surprise, it wasn't that hard for me at all! Maybe it was luck? Either way I want to share what I did and what I learned from my research! In this podcast, I discuss sunlight and water requirements, propagation, flowers, questions from Instagram followers and much more! If you have a plant question, follow Houseplant Homebody on Instagram or Facebook for more information or check out https://www.houseplant-homebody.com/ for info and the corresponding blog post!

Houseplants are as popular as ever right now, with many people spending a lot more time at home and craving the warmth and natural touches plants bring. Sometimes, us houseplant enthusiasts can even go a little overboard, bringing too many plants home and sometimes giving those plants a little too much TLC.In this episode of Granite State Gardening, Lake Street Garden Center greenhouse manager Nichole Keyes joins UNH Extension's Emma Erler and Nate Bernitz to exchange tips for choosing the right houseplants for your home and helping your indoor garden thrive. They also get into their personal favorites, houseplant shopping tips and predictions for popular houseplants in 2021. Featured question: fertilizing houseplants Featured plant: ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) Closing tip: Cleaning houseplant leaves IPM tip: Controlling aphids Connect with us at @askunhextension on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to the monthly Granite State Gardening newsletter. Email us questions, suggestions and feedback at gsg.pod@unh.eduBackground reading:UNH Extension's houseplant resources: https://extension.unh.edu/tags/house-plantsLake Street Garden Center: https://www.lakestreet.com/TRANSCRIPTNate B  0:00  Welcome to the Granite State gardening podcast from UNH Cooperative Extension. On today's show, Emma and I speak with Nicole Keyes, the greenhouse manager at Lake St. garden center in Salem, New Hampshire. Our conversation is wide ranging, including assessing your home's growing conditions, best growing practices, how to be a smart shopper, personal favorites and predictions for hot foliage houseplants and 2021. By the end of this episode, I guarantee you'll be inspired to grow some new plants because Emma and Nicole's enthusiasm and knowledge just rubs off. And y'all have a few new tips and tricks for your next house plant shopping outing to your favorite local garden center.Greetings, Granite State gardeners. I'm Nate bernitz joined as always by horticulturist and UNH extension field specialist, Emma Erler. And today by Nichole keyes.Nicole, I'm excited to hear some industry insider knowledge from you today. But I'd love to start by getting to know you. Tell us a little bit about yourself.Nicole K  1:14  I work at Lake Street garden center in Salem, New Hampshire. It's a small family owned business. It's been open since the 70s. I'm born and raised from Salem. So I used to go there with my grandfather, like as a child walking through the greenhouses. And when I was old enough to work he he knew the owner pretty well and kind of like gave me a little push and was like go ask for a job. Because I knew I was interested in plants and I love the outdoors. And I'm definitely a nature girl. So I started as a cashier there and just I didn't even know the difference between a Petunia and a philodendron. Back then just being there and and starting to learn I really my passion kind of developed. I've been there 18 years on and off through my life. So it's been a pretty cool journey. It's it's pretty unique that to be a part of still like family run business. Nate B  2:10  Well, I know Emma shares your passion for scientific names for for the Latin. So let's start there. Why is that important?Emma E  2:20  Well, I guess I'll say it's, it's really important because common names can be misleading. It can be misguiding there. In many cases, there are multiple different common names that can be applied to the same plant. And in some cases, two different plants will have the same common name. So if you're using the Latin name, you're being as precise as you can possibly be. And any gardener, any botanist that you're talking to, is going to know exactly which plant you're speaking of and use that Latin name versus a common name. Because to a certain extent that can really be regional as well with what people will call a certain plant. Nate B  3:01  Nicole, do you find that customers sometimes come in and they're asking about one plant, but maybe thinking of another? Or like really kind of actually practical examples where this really comes into play? Nicole K  3:15  Absolutely. I think it's something I deal with on a regular basis and echo everything that Emma said, it's a lot easier for me, when a customer comes in knowing what plant plant they they're, that they're referring to. And like I've noticed, too, that with the trends online today, and like there's a lot of online sales going on all over the internet, and a lot of people are making up common names or coming up with cooler more funky names for plants and customers will come in like, do you have devils IV, and I'm like, what's a devil's IV and it's 1000 I've never heard it called Devil's IV in my life. And so like Google's my best friend today, when it comes to that, I have to do a lot of research online to kind of keep up with the trends and also to be able to educate the customer when we do figure out what they're referring to, you know that the scientific name of the plant and and I've noticed to a lot of the clientele that we have come in, they really do want to know you know, they they want to learn they want to learn the actual names of the plants and and there's this just this huge interest in foliage and houseplants in general. That's up and coming. It's just it's I'm excited to see it happen because it's you know, it's what I love.Nate B  4:48  So when someone is asking about something like Devil's Ivy, is it that that's just a pure rebranding of something that's otherwise actually a pretty common plant or Might that sometimes be referring to a new cultivars? Or is it some of both depending on the situation, Nicole K  5:07  it can definitely be both. There's, there's a lot of new varieties, you know, plants are getting hybridized. And, and all the time. And so I'm find myself like I have to keep up with the different varieties of plants that are being sold and marketed and, and branding to is, is a huge thing. Because a plant that might be called like there's, there's a brand there like Angel plants and it's a trademark and customer will come in looking for that Angel plants, when really it could be a host of all different types of terrarium plants and indoor foliage that are sold in these little cube pots by one company. And they call them a certain thing like exotic angels and, and so I have to kind of differentiate too. And it happens not just with houseplants either like in the spring, it when we buy things in, there's tags in these plants from all different sources and companies. And if they're not read note that they don't know how to read the plant tag properly, they can think that they're calling the plant what it is when actually it's it's a trademark or a brand of the plant.Nate B  6:32  Is there any standardization to what's on those labels?Nicole K  6:37  Usually, they all look different. But most of the time the Latin name of the plant is down at the bottom of the tag. And of course, the brand or company will be in big, beautiful, bold letters across the top of it above the picture. So a lot of the times you have to and sometimes even on the back, you have to flip it over. And then when the lettering at the bottom, it says you know the the true Latin name of the plant. So yes,Nate B  7:06  so we've got these really specific plants science, scientific name, genus species. But if we take a step back Emma, what do you see as the broad categories within foliage house plants?Emma E  7:20  Gosh, you know what? A good question. I mean, broad categories, I'd say First off, I mean, you have vining plants. So perhaps somebody who's looking for something that's trailing, that has, you know, long stems, not necessarily twining, but something that that would have more of a drooping characteristic. Then you also have, you know, a whole broad variety of different foliage types, and different plants within those categories. So for example, I would probably include ferns in foliage plants and ferns are a class their own, then you've got a whole variety of different tropicals that have different needs. So there's a whole bunch of different really cool house plants that are in this foliage plant group that are in the Aram family arrowheads. So that's one group. And then you've got poms, like I mentioned, or actually, I didn't mention palms before, but you got palms and you've got all sorts of other interesting tropicals. Outside of that, too, I mean, you could probably be considering some of the other flowering plants in this foliage plant group as well. Some orchids have really beautiful foliage, and they're grown expressly for their foliage. And some of the bromeliads too, are grown just for their foliage. We're unlikely oftentimes to actually get blooms on them indoors in our homes, but they can be really lovely. So foliage house plants, that's really an artificial distinction that we're making. Right? Maybe it's an industry distinction. It's certainly not an academic distinction. It's, I think, referring to plants that are sold primarily for their foliage, as opposed to some other characteristic. Is that how you see it, Nicole? Nicole K  9:07  Yeah, I mean, it. My greenhouse at this point in time is kind of split between two we have foliage plants, which are mostly, I mean, nowadays, they're not just green. foliage plants come in a host of beautiful colors, which is really cool. But blooming and non blooming or foliage. plants is kind of like how I would generalize it. Emma E  9:36  Yeah, and I guess what I would probably separate out there to are the succulents because it's, they're different. Totally different needs in many cases. And I think in some regards, succulents are maybe waning slightly in popularity, just because a lot of people don't have the growing conditions they need in their homes in order to be able to grow them successful.Nicole K  10:00  Fully, I agree with that. I separate them entirely from everything else in the greenhouse because they, they do need full direct beating sunlight and to be run really dry. And a lot of the times customers will see pictures on Pinterest or in magazines with these beautiful succulent dish gardens like sitting in the corner of a bathroom or in the middle of a living room on a coffee table in these really impractical situations thinking that they can do that too. And I have to be the bearer of bad news. But I can make other suggestions. But um, but yeah, I I've seen a spike in popularity in low light foliage plants and a little bit of a decline when it comes to cactus and succulents. Nate B  10:53  Well, you can't necessarily blame people because if you go into a store, maybe it's a big box store or something else. And they have succulents that are out for display and for sale in growing conditions that wouldn't support them long term, you might think, okay, like you can grow them anywhere there with all these other plants. I mean, you would have a better insight or perspective on this. But I suppose you can have any plant in sub optimal growing conditions for some period of time, but eventually they need to be put into more optimal growing conditions.Nicole K  11:31  Yes, yeah. And and yeah, I don't I don't blame the masses. Certainly not. There's so much false advertising out there. I consider myself somewhat of a plant advocate. I would say that, in regards to placing plants in areas where it might not be optimal for them, plants are super resilient. And a lot of the times they'll struggle for a long time before you can actually kill a plant. So there will be signs and symptoms that come up. But for a good while when you get a plant home, it's not going to really tell you yet if it if it needs to be somewhere else. Emma E  12:25  I think what the you know why people are so interested in say succulents and cacti is just because they're so different from anything you'd see growing in the wild in New Hampshire. And they're really unique, interesting forms. When I first got really interested in plants as a little kid, that's exactly what I wanted to grow. I had a whole bunch of cacti, I had some Jade plants, one of which I still have. And yeah, I was lucky in that my parents, at least at their house had a really bright south facing picture window that I was able to keep my plants in and actually a little greenhouse where things could be in the summertime as well. So I feel like it's almost more of a refinement, I guess, for me to be branching out and looking at some more of these some different plants and focusing more on foliage instead of just really interesting forms that succulents have.Nate B  13:22  So you've both talked about how there's this trend towards, quote unquote, low light plants. Let's talk about low light. Are there any plants that actually thrive in low light? Or is it more of a tolerance and what is meant by low light is low light, just meaning that it's not direct sun? Does low light mean that it can be in a dark corner of a room? What is the distinction between these plants that tolerate or thrive in low light, whatever you say there, versus a plant that has higher light requirements.Nicole K  13:59  I described this all the time at my job because it's a really it's a, there's a lot of confusion around low light, bright, light, direct light, indirect light. And and so the way I usually describe it is plants that thrive in lower light don't necessarily need to be up against a window or in necessarily a brightly lit room. There aren't really any plants that are going to thrive in no light at all, but certain plants like Sansa various snake plant, some philodendrons poffo there's there's quite a few foliage type plants that will do well in the corner of a room or set into the middle of a room that may only have one or two windows and not get sun beating in bright light, in my opinion would be still indirect so not where the sun beets in in warms the area, but a room that's lit up throughout the day from natural light. So there are other types of plants that sometimes get confused with lower light plants but do need more indirect bright light, especially flowering houseplants like begonias or orchids, bromeliads, some types of older plants, like ponytail, palms and shift flera. And sometimes some of those plants can tolerate a broad scale of of that without really showing you, you know that it's too unhappy. SoNate B  15:43  how do you help people evaluate their growing spaces and understand where something fits in like, someone is looking at a north facing window, and they just don't know like, is this good for low light, am I getting more than what I need here, or a corner of the room that sometimes they just kind of walk by, and notice that it's lit up, but it's not like they're standing there with a timer, kind of keeping track of exactly how much light it's getting? Is, are there some other pointers that you might have for evaluating the amount of light a particular space gets?Nicole K  16:22  Yeah, so I'm, I'm kind of a quirky person. So I have these little phrases that I use sometimes. Because a customer will often think that they have full sun in their house, when really, it's just a lot of bright, indirect light. So in differentiating that, I will usually use this phrase of where the kitty would lay, like, where the sun actually beats in that little spot on the floor where it heats up. And I'll say that directly, because people understand that, you know, they can picture that one spot where like the kitty would snuggle. So, I use that oftentimes, and it works pretty well. Or I try to stray away from the directional usage is far as evaluating I mean, it is a good rule of thumb. But most of the time, people don't really know which side of their house is north and south. And unless you sit with a compass and figure it all out, I'm more of a visual learner myself. And so I'll I'll prompt them with questions, you know, between 10 and two is really the most intense part of the day in regards to sunshine. So if they have a window that's lit up until only about, say, 10 or 11 o'clock, in my opinion, that's morning sun that's bright, indirect light. So I kind of use time references with them. And and what it looks like in that room around that time to try and make suggestions of what plants might do well there.Emma E  17:57  I'll say to that, very few plants in my collection, would actually show signs of stress or injury from being closer to a window than I have them. I mean, certainly cold in the wintertime can be an issue with having if you have a drafty window, but in terms of light exposure itself, even my plants that will tolerate low light, are usually happier if I can have them closer to the window as opposed to further away. Probably the only real exception I'd say here is for things that that really like a lower light situation. I'm thinking of say like ferns, I probably wouldn't put my ferns in a really dark place or sorry, in a really bright place like a southern facing window, where it would get really warm. But other than that, oftentimes when I moved my other house plants outdoors in the summer, yeah, like today on their summer vacations.Nicole K  18:55  Windows Sun is lower in the winter than it is in the summer. So if you if you get all these foliage plants in the winter, or you're you know, you're exploring houseplants for the first time, say now and you have these plants in an area just like you said, the sun's actually going to change as to where the intensity is in your house. And so your plants might need to move around in the in the summer and take a little vacation. I like how you put that. My I have a big window in the kitchen, where I have all my little succulents and then they have to go over into the living room in the summer because the sun is totally different. And those two spots,Nate B  19:39  do different house plants have different temperature requirements, or are pretty much all that plants sold and advertised as house plants going to tolerate general and typical household temperatures.Nicole K  19:53  I find that temperature really only is an issue below. See 55 degrees, most plants 55 and up unless it's a you have woodstove, really hot, dry house. If there's a vent, a heat vent blowing in a certain area, those are types of temperatures that are more extreme that could negatively affect the plants that you have there. And then they're also on the other end, there are certain plants that through fall in winter, do like a cooler period, like flowering cyclamen is a big popular flowering plants for Christmas time. And they actually prefer cool temperatures are like a drafty window. And especially at night, they they like to be about 10 degrees cooler, and they do a lot better in that kind of setting. And then there are plants that like a lot of people are into growing fruiting things, edible fig. And what they don't realize is figs go dormant. So they lose all their leaves in September, and they're just these sticks and people think their figs have died. And they really want a cool dormancy period. So they want to be put in, you know, a garage or a basement, they don't need much light, a little bit of water here and there and they instinctually when the day start lengthening, they'll actually push their leaves out and start growing and then you can eventually after frost get them outside. But so there are specific things for certain niches of plants, but for the most part, I will say that, like is benjamina weeping Ficus. They're finicky when it comes to anything drafty or too hot or too, they just like shed all their leaves if they're unhappy. But what most people don't realize is the plants not actually dead. And those guys can completely defoliate and then push new growth in a pretty short amount of time, if you're watering it properly.Nate B  22:01  So you talked about a few examples. Most of them were non foliage plants, like fig or flat flowering cyclamen, you did give the one example of the Ficus but generally it sounds like foliage, house plants are pretty accommodating of normal household temperatures. I think sometimes people ask about temperature because they might be confusing temperature with humidity. In New England, warmer temperatures mean higher humidity, so people may be associating the two. I was speaking with someone a couple days ago, who I think was making that exact assumption. They were thinking that because I was recommending higher humidity for their ferns, they thought the solution was just to increase the temperature.Emma E  22:51  Yeah, not the same thing there. Although you're right, the air can hold more moisture when it is warmer, versus when it's cooler. So if your home is warmer and you have some source of humidity, whether that means a pebble tray near your plants or whether that means actually having a humidifier, you are able to going to be able to keep that that humidity up a little bit more humidity is is really important when it comes to growing houseplants there are certain things that I frankly can't grow in my house because I don't have a humidifier and I don't go out of my way to increase the humidity around plants. I have tried many times to be able to grow prayer plant and they just really don't like my home and I I'm not helping them out because the humidity is too low. Like you mentioned with the the trailing Ficus though a lot of times they will my prayer pylint will come back it'll look terrible winner and then when it gets warmer in the summer it will start to look a little bit better. But it's not the most attractive plant to have in my home in the winter months.Nicole K  24:07  I was laughing to myself over here when he talked about prayer plant because anything in the Columbia family and Miranda family in general they just I'm the same way I'm not gonna I mean a pebble tree is pretty easy. I noticed you mentioned that and just for people listening that don't know what that is, you can actually take a saucer and put a layer of rock or gravel in the saucer and fill it up with water just to the rock and and set the plant there so the plants not actually setting in the water. The water is evaporating up around the general area of the plant and it will raise the relative humidity for the plants itself. And I'm I have so many plants and I just if I if I if I put it where it needs to go and it's not going to do its thing I just grab a new plant because I have the leisure to do That was a profession but I have one coap in my bathroom that's a little brown around the edges but it's it's doing okay and it's pushed new leaves and it's not super happy but that's the most human place I have in my house. And to match the lighting in that room with the humidity is I had to find the correct plant for it, but it's a it's a calafia mosaica which is has this really cool patterning that almost looks like pixelated it's it's a really neat plant but so I was attached to having it no matter what. So that is the one. But other than that I I can't keep them alive for the life of me. It's what I do for a living.Nate B  25:54  house plant pests don't stand a chance when Rachel Maccini spots them. And as UNH extensions pesticide safety education coordinator, she knows you can't control what you don't scout. Now for Rachel's Integrated Pest Management IPM for short featured tip.Rachel Maccini  26:10  One of the most prevalent pests of houseplants are the aphids. These are small, soft bodied pear shaped insects that seem to come from nowhere. They prefer to feed on the new growth of the plants by inserting their mouth parts into the plant and extracting the plant juices. This feeding often results in yellowing and misshapen In addition, the growth of the plant may be stunted and new developing plant buds are often to form also as a phosphine. They excrete a sugary substance we call honeydew. This makes the plant's leaves shiny and sticky. This honeydew becomes a medium for fungus constantly mold to grow, which creates unsightly dark splotches on the plant surfaces. with minor infestations of aphids, you can handpick you can spray with water, or you can wipe the insects with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. If there is a major infestation a pesticide maybe warranted.Nate B  27:16  what are some other techniques for increasing the humidity in your home or at least in a particular area of your home to support plants? And can you give some more examples of house plants kind of across the spectrum from plants that don't have humidity requirements and will tolerate pretty much anything even the driest conditions in your house in the winter time to the plants that are maybe the most finicky. And really only for houseplant enthusiasts that are planning on taking significant steps to support their humidity requirements.Nicole K  27:51  I yeah, so I'm I can speak, right there's there's certain plants that you know, we sell pretty regularly. And I and I have tried to broaden our inventory. As I've as I've been in charge of the greenhouse department at Lake Street. So I'm more keen to know about certain plants and there may be some that I'm I'm just not as familiar with. But I'm definitely a driver dry and arid, obviously cactus and succulents. We we mentioned do okay. Shift Lera, I've found it's also called umbrella tree, they tend to be pretty tolerant of drier house settings, there's quite a few it seems like there, there's there's less that that need that that higher humidity than then others. So air plants is a is another one of those categories we were talking about to lancea that is really popular now. And they're they're cute little plants that don't need soil and you can tuck them in all kinds of things and put them in glass and put them in phases and put them in your bathroom and hang them everywhere. But the only way that they absorb the water that they need is through a very fine mist or humidity. in the air. They have these tiny, tiny little hairs all over them. And that's how they absorb you can actually soak them underwater and submerge them which is what I usually recommend people do when they buy them from me because of the fact that they they're not necessarily in the human requirements that they need. So you're kind of giving them what they need in a dose of bath for an hour once once or twice a week. Another thing that I try to decipher with customers if they're just using a regular squirt bottle, oftentimes the droplets are not a fine enough Miss for the plant to actually absorb So there's a lot of recommendations that I'm seeing online in forums and websites and things of missing, missing, missing missing. And you're not really doing too much because those those big droplets are going to evaporate faster than your plant is going to absorb them. We do sell, there's there's certain mysteries you can get that are floral grade and are more of a fine mist. And missing can definitely help with certain things. Like calafia, we were talking about prayer plant, air plants, bromeliads, I think or another one that like that really humid environment. And was there anything else you can think of and add to,Emma E  30:48  I'd say outside of the misting, because I think a lot of times missing for most people probably isn't going to be adequate for really increasing humidity around plants. Because unless you're home all day, and getting up and missing the plant, let's say every 15 minutes, they're still going to be pretty darn dry. And most of us aren't going to do that. Right? I know, I won't, I'll maybe think of it once a day. And that's not nearly enough. So if you're really trying to grow a lot of things that that do like higher humidity, I think it's probably worthwhile to actually get a humidifier. And to set that up in the room where you have those plants nearby, you don't want necessarily moisture to be collecting on the leaves of the plants. And if it's a humidifier, that's that's sending out hot steam, you also don't want that to be hitting foliage, but you do just you want that air to have more of a humid feel. And then there are certain things that just really appreciate more of a greenhouse environment for a lot of tropicals that do really need that humid environment, because they're there from, you know, a really wet rain forest environment, probably looking at 70 80%, humidity, you know, maybe even 90%. Whereas in our home, so probably the best we're gonna get is maybe 50%.Nate B  32:14  So that's in a bathroom.Emma E  32:18  Yeah, probably in a bathroom with a humidifier setup nearby in the winter months, it's probably going to be more likely closer to 30. If you are in a home with, you know, the furnace running wood stove going. But I think that's, you know, like we've already touched on, I think it just helps to, to recognize what the conditions are in your home and pick things that aren't going to be real fussy. And I think that's where it's helpful to talk to the staff. At the garden center, you're going to where you're going to pick up a plant and, and just be frank about what the conditions are like in your home.Nate B  32:55  I see there being somewhat of a spectrum where maybe on the lowest and we're talking about a place in your home, that not only is not humid, but also maybe next to a radiator, just getting pounded with hot dry air. And then you go to just a normal spot in your home. It's not humid in a special way. But it's also not getting hit with hot dry heat. And then maybe your kitchen right above your sink, there might be a little bit more humidity in your bathroom, there might be a little bit more humidity depending on how often people are showering and stuff like that in the house. And then for the enthusiasts, you might be adding a humidifier into the mix or even some sort of more managed growing chamber. Do you see a lot of houseplant enthusiasts actually going to that level and going beyond just conditions that they can create in their house and really introducing managed conditions with terrarium and other enclosures?Nicole K  33:58  Yes, and more so I think in the past six or seven months than ever before. I i there are a lot of people coming in talking about you know, indoor greenhouses and plant shelves and people are home now. You know, a lot of people are in their house and and they want plants because I think it's actually like an instinctual thing that we're coming into this trend because us as a society we're spending so much more time in the house and there's like this craving for nature right? And, and so people just want that atmosphere in their home. I can't tell you how many times I've had customers come in and say I'm making a home office now and I want plants for it. It's a it's a pretty common thing. Recently and and a lot of plant enthusiasts that that we do have a lot of regular customers and really cool plant people that come in and and they have this whole setup in their house with the humidifier and the grow lights and the whole nine yards and and so yeah, I do see a lot of that we don't sell that level of equipment at Lake Street so on there just to help help them you know, pick out what what they've gotten and decipher what they're doing. But a lot of people are pretty self informed. And when it comes to this stuff and, and, and very, very enthusiastic about their houseplants and taking care of them perfectly, I wanted to touch on something that Emma had said about her goldfish plant, it just made me think and this is kind of relative to what we're talking about. She she had described how in the winter, her goldfish plant loses some of its leaves, it doesn't look necessarily the most beautiful. And then in the summer, it's lush, it's full, it pushes new growth, and that's the case kind of with a lot of different plants is it's okay sometimes to lose a leaf or two here and there. Sometimes things defoliate and then regrow plants are just like us, you know, and they're definitely not perfect. And sometimes I get I get a lot of people who like one brown leaf and they come in like my plant is dying and like it's okay, I can help you. I have customers take pictures, email me, you know, describe what's going on bring in a leaf in a bag if they think that there's some type of disease or insect. But a lot of the times it's pretty regular to have some level of I don't want to call it ugliness because plants are awesome. But that defoliation or browning leaves or a little bit of brown tips on the end, especially when it comes to not having the perfect conditions because most of these plants are tropical. And they are from rain forests. And we live in New England. And, and we're trying to keep them in a tiny little pot in our house to admire so it's definitely something to consider that it's okay. And and a lot of the times still they'll survive even though they're they're not thriving at the moment. And there may be certain times in the year where they they do better than others.Nate B  37:26  I appreciate the house plant positivity I guess it's like if you find a gray hair or have something or have a headache or something, it's not the end of the world. It's It's okay.Emma E  37:40  All note too that anybody who's been keeping houseplants for a long time is probably killed a lot of house plants as well. I have certainly killed enough house plants. In the years I've been keeping them and through a lot of that I've learned not only just from the mistakes I've made with those certain plants, I have learned more about what they actually need. And I've you know, frankly learn which things are going to be able to survive and the conditions I can give them in my home and what plants are going to tolerate the care that I can provide. I'm one of these more negligent waters so I will often water less than my plants would probably prefer. And so I've figured out you know exactly what's gonna tolerate my schedule.Nicole K  38:30  I'm the exact same way with my house plants, they they just barely survive sometimes. Also, during the busy season, my houseplants take a hit because I'm I'm at the greenhouse most of the time. But it's actually especially in the winter it's almost a benefit to be light handed water. The number one killer of houseplants from what I've seen in this industry is over watering it's just too much love and and and oftentimes customers will think the plant is drying out to the level it needs to because it looks that way from the top. Um, but really those last few inches of soil in that pot make a huge difference and and being an underwater is more beneficial to your plants than than an overwater for sure a plant is going to come back a lot quicker from from being a little too dry than it ever will be from from over watering and rotting.Nate B  39:34  Emma from a scientific academic perspective, can you explain and demystify why overwatering leads to plant suffering. From a common sense perspective, it almost doesn't make sense but we see it time and time again that plants do suffer from over watering what is actually happening there.Emma E  39:55  So we know that plants are taking water up through their roots, right so it would seem Yeah, more would be better. But really what's also happening with plant roots is that they're also taking in oxygen, the top part of a plant is doing photosynthesis, all those green parts, and you probably know that plants take in carbon dioxide, and then release oxygen. So the top part of the plant is using limited oxygen only when it switches over to that burning energy phase of respiration. But that's solely what's happening in roots respiration. So oxygen needs to be able to get into the root system of the plant. When we water too much. Basically, what we're doing is drowning the roots, the plant is not getting the oxygen it needs. And in many cases, you kill the plant, just by doing that alone by drowning it. There's also the potential when you're creating this overly wet environment, that you're going to have issues with actual fungal pathogens, and experience rot and decay in those roots. So too much is not a good thing. You know, same same for anything else, I guess whether it's with people, animals, I mean, there's a limit. So getting the watering, right is what you need to do. Now, all this being said, there are plants that are adapted, obviously, to live in the water. Usually, we're not growing those indoors, these would be things that you'd be putting more into like a pond situation or maybe even growing in a fish tank or something similar. Not that you couldn't grow them indoors, we just don't usually do it. But most of the the terrestrial plants that you're going to be growing things that you're going to be picking up at the greenhouse, are not going to appreciate too much water, being lighter with the water is important.Nate B  41:52  What are the other factors besides actually how often you're watering on whether plants are going to suffer from over watering? I'm thinking possibilities might include the potting mix that you're using, how much water it's retaining how well it's draining, and maybe the container you're using, too. What do you think about that, Nicole?Nicole K  42:12  Yeah, all of those things you listed are definitely factors. As far as the potting medium, or potting soil that you're using, you definitely want to look for something that's nice and light and fluffy. Like Emma said roots need gas exchange, we don't usually wouldn't necessarily think that. But when I first learned that when I was being trained as a water, it finally made sense to me. You know, when you open that bag of potting soil, you want to be able to dive your fingers right in there. If it takes two hands for you to pick up that bag of potting soil, you might want to reconsider the brand that you're paying per light. If those little white specks in your potting soil, it's actually pumicestone it creates those little spaces, those air pockets that roots need. And then you know there's other plants that don't that might need more specific soil medium like orchids, want to be in a bark mixture. They're epiphytes, they grow on trees naturally. So when we stuffed them in a pot, we need to accommodate them and in some way and the size of the container is huge. I see a lot of people they see a plant they really like and they come in looking for it. And they already have a pot picked out because they love the pot the pot is pretty and it matches their house and but that pot might not necessarily be the correct size for the plant that we have that you want or that you're buying. So a plants there, especially in the winter, they they they like to be a little more rootbound a little tighter in the pot. If you're buying a plant, say a four inch or six inch plant, those are common sizes that are sold all over. You don't want to bump it up into anything bigger than say a six or an eight inch two inches bigger. I i've if you if you the more soil you have, the more moisture you have, the more chance you have of killing that plant. That's kind of how I put it in layman's terms to customers. The type of container to I I keep all my plants in my house and the plastic grower pots. I want a pretty pot, I'll find one that I can set that plastic pot into. I water a lot of my plants at the sink and then put them back where they are just for the sake of not having saucers everywhere and just the setup that I have. It's not really necessary but that's kind of how I do things but I I find the plastic it's air rated at the Bottom it allows the plants to dry out that how they need to. Next Level Up would be terracotta, like non glazed clay. And then glazed pottery dry, it's it takes a plant a plant a lot longer to dry out, say in a clay pot that's glazed because it's not porous, especially if it's ways on the inside or all the way up the rim. And so you, you want to take that into consideration.Nate B  45:33  And it goes without saying that you need drainage holes on the bottom there are a lot of pots that are sold that don't have drainage holes. So I guess that might be useful if you're tucking that plastic pot into it. But I recently learned how to drill holes into pots using a hollow drill bit it worked really well said buying cheap pots, and they're partially cheap, I think because they didn't have holes in the bottom and putting holes in myself that worked really well.Nicole K  46:00  I i've never yet we don't have one of those bits, but I sort of wish we did because the sales manager oftentimes will buy lots of pottery and and they're really cool pots, but sometimes they do come without drainage. And I take advantage sometimes of of what I know, in in just general knowledge as far as plant care, but yes, holes in the bottom of your pot is definitely necessary. You want that water to drain out the bottom. And there are if if if you're a little more comfortable, you have had plants before and you know that you're you're pretty good water, you can manipulate any pot to accommodate your plant, you can put gravel in the bottom of your pot where the water will catch, you can learn how much to put in your plant. So it just goes to the bottom and doesn't necessarily spill out. There's there's tricks to you know, if you're really attached to a pot and you consider yourself a little more experienced water.Nate B  47:07  I'm glad you brought up the gravel at the bottom because that's a question I think that a lot of people have is can you create that drainage layer at the bottom? My concern would be that the potting mix might end up just clogging at the bottom, sort of getting into that gravel and potentially stopping water from draining is my concern founded? might that be true for sand or something else? I mean, there's all sorts of things that you could potentially put at the bottom but is that going to work or what's your take on that Emma?Emma E  47:41  I'd be more concerned about just overflowing that reservoir so you have those stones at the bottom or the sand at the bottom and you have no way of knowing exactly how much water is down there at that level. So I I would be more concerned that I that that space all those pore spaces between the stones it's already full. But the potting mix at the top is looking like it's it's kind of dry so I put more water in there. I i've never personally had a whole lot of luck with with pots that don't have drainage I I have a few actually really nice glaze pots that don't have drainage that I've had for years and I've tried a number of different plants in them and I've found it's just it's really hard to get it quite right. For me anyways, I don't think I ever quite figured it out.Please excuse the interruption. It's time for this episode's featured question. How to fertilize houseplants. fertilizing house plants is something that is often overlooked. Many foliage plants are relatively slow growing and have fairly low nutrient requirements, but they still need a fertilizer boost periodically for healthy growth. Most potting mixes contain few if any nutrients. So if your plants are looking pale or developing smaller than average leaves, then it's probably time to fertilize. Which fertilizer works best depends on what you're growing. Different fertilizers contain various percentages of the three essential macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In general, foliage house plants grow best with fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, whereas flowering house plants grow better with a higher phosphorus source. There are many specialty house plant fertilizers that work quite well for specific plants. However, a balanced fertilizer such as 10 1010, or 20 2020 is usually suitable for the majority of common plants. One thing I would avoid is organic fertilizers for houseplants. Not only can these products be smelly, but they require a soil microbial committee To make their nutrients available to plants, something that potting mix simply doesn't have. Finally, I'll close by saying that it is important to carefully read the fertilizer label and apply only as directed. Too much fertilizer can actually damage plants. Also, you should only fertilize when your plants are actively growing. Usually the spring through the fall, giving it a rest over the winterNate B  50:29  interruption Excused emma. So Nicole, what shopping tips do you have for our listeners for the next time they go to their local garden center and want to pick up healthy plants that will thrive in their homes?Nicole K  50:42  So educating yourself on the most common pests of houseplants I think would be the first step. spider mite is a very very common one. And webbing any type of webbing between the nodes which would be where the leaf meets the stem or over the the leaf itself is is definitely a no no it's a it's a sign that there's there might be some insect damage going on. Looking for mealybug is another one, it's a little and white and fluffy and it kind of looks like mold and sometimes these guys can just be little tiny, white fluffy specks and you don't really know what you're looking at. But googling images of these things I think because coming from I sell a lot of different types of plants in one small one area, you know, and these these pests are gonna happen and we do the best that we can to practice integrated pest management program and be on the ball when when we get things in scouring over making sure that there's there's no little bad guys on there and treating them as well. But it's going to happen you know it to some extent and so I think we pride ourselves at Lake Street on on keeping our plants pretty clean. But insects are definitely something you want to look for fungus gnat is another one that's really popular if plants are getting over watered, consistently, fungus not can get his soil borne. And then they if you Brussel the plant or go to pick it up and these little flies come out, you know that those guys can spread pretty quickly and you can have a problem on your hands in the house looking for a nice lush green foliage, anything chartreuse or if you can see kind of veining and leaves of foliage plants, they're usually lacking nitrogen or you know deficient in some way which can be rectified. But they might not be in the in the in tip top condition. And looking for new growth, I think is a big one to it checking that plant and seeing you know, wherever then the new leaves are pushing out is is there nice healthy new growth on on the plant that you're buying. If there's a whole table of plants and you're you don't know which one to pick, shape, branching, nice full plants and especially the the new growth looking to see that that new growth is pushing is is something you you want to check for as well.Emma E  53:46  I'll often try to take a peek at the roots too. Sometimes that might mean just looking at the underside of that pot through the drain atolls. And I would ideally like to see routes that look white or more of a cream color that are nice and healthy. If I'm seeing just kind of shriveled looking brown roots on the bottom, it's probably a sign there's been some root decay from overwatering and that that plant is going to struggle along for a while if it if it does survive.Nate B  54:12  What exactly do you do with a plant that has at some point suffered from over watering and potentially some root rot? Is that something that plants can come back from and how can you help them or are you having to actually prune roots at that point trying to cut out decaying roots are well those roots potentially heal on their own.Emma E  54:35  So the damaged roots aren't going to heal, but you could potentially get new healthy roots if there's still existing healthy roots on that plant. You could get healthy new growth expanding from those roots. First thing I would do is just totally cut back on watering. And if you're using a pot that doesn't have a drainage hole, or if it's something that's been in the same pot for you Let's say five or more years, it's possible that drainage hole has gotten clogged up. So repotting, it can be helpful. But I have a porthos right now that was given to me that decidedly had some root rot going on when I got it, but it is starting to push some new growth because it is on my watering schedule now. So watering is is very light and those healthy roots that were still on the plant, I think of there, they're still there. And I've gotten some new growth, expanding from those roots too.Nicole K  55:33  Another thing too, is downsizing the pot sometimes, when customers come in and show me pictures, I can usually decipher that it's an over watering issue. And if you if you take that, if you go to report it or just to even see what the roots are, and most of the soil falls away and you have this tiny little root ball in this pot, spit into downsizing the pot into some fresh soil and getting it on a new watering schedule will will help push healthy root growth as well.Nate B  56:08  When you talk about a watering schedule, how do you think about that and plan for a watering schedule for your plants? Is that something where you're watering? When you know that the plants need water? Or are you potentially able to at some point figure out that a plant needs water every week, or every 10 days or whatever it is, how do you really lock that in?Nicole K  56:32  I think using my five senses are some of the senses anyways, maybe not taste. But smell sometimes, you know, you can smell some dank soil. But a I would say that that's the best way to do it with your plants individually. Because most of the time people want things that are convenient. And so they want to water on Wednesday when they're home or one day a week. And oftentimes you have plants in different sized pots that need different watering requirements. So I'll actually take the customers plant that they want to buy. And I'll show them how you can brace the plant with your hand and tip it over and pull that pot off the bottom. And you can actually see that the top might look dry. But further down, you still have moisture. So they bring the plant home and they water it and they put it where it wants to go. Every few days or so with this new plant, they can check and they can see you know how how far it's gone. How much that soil has dried out. Obviously different plants want to dry out to different levels, which you would want to educate yourself on when you buy the plant. But visually when I teach girls how to water in the greenhouse to it, that's another another thing that I do is I have them pull off that pot and see because usually, most often it will look dry on top and it's not ready yet. To checking out the soil would be a big one.Emma E  58:11  Yeah, I would say I don't really have a true schedule. When it comes to watering, I would say I pull out the watering can a couple of times a week that first pass through I'm not watering everybody might be just half of my plants actually need water. So those will get watered and everybody else gets left alone for the time being. And then if I you know come through again, before I disappear for the weekend, I might be watering some of those same plants again, and maybe some of the ones that got left out before so it's, it's really just based on plant need. Rather than saying, I need to do this once a week, every Tuesday my plant gets water. It's really you just need to work on your observational skills, feeling the soil, taking a look at it, maybe at some point letting that plant get almost to the point of wilting so that you know what that looks like. And what the potting mix feels like when it's that dry.Nate B  59:12  I want to get your predictions. Um, I'm not sure if you have predictions or not. But if you do go for it, but Nicole, I know you have predictions. What are the plants that you think are going to be especially popular this year? The plants that you've noticed have been growing in popularity or you think are going to be growing in popularity very soon.Nicole K  59:35  Yeah, there I mean, there's a lot I've I've worked at Lake Street a long time and I will say I used to never be able to sell snake plant and now I cannot keep snake plant on my table. There's so many cool varieties. There's cylindrical snake plant which is rounded there's, you know, different variations of snake plant and and Since avaria, is 10 times more popular than it ever has been. So that's definitely one philodendron in any species, especially anything variegated philodendron Birkin is one that's really hot right now. monstera deliciosa monstera ad and Sonia I which is sometimes called Swiss cheese vine that has that kind of serrated leaf to it but more binding and smaller than the delicious dosa. People are just becoming philodendron collectors it's it's kind of a thing now. And every I get calls every week of Do you have this type that type and, and I wish that I had more of a source but I do the best I can to get in but we have had Birkin in. We do have Adam Sonia and zyliss yosa. And so those also another type of porthos is Cebu blue is one that's become more popular. It has this really beautiful silvery blue foliage and it's not your typical heartshaped leaf. It's one of those plants that Emma was talking about that kind of spills over and it's I'm a big fan of the Cebu I have one and I love it. People are also I would say, orchid cactus I've noticed an upcoming trend and especially Fishbone orchid cactus, which has sometimes called Ric RAC is an old common name for it rickrack cactus it has, it looks like a bone, it's really cool. It has these big lobes and it flowers. And I've I've had more people at cult like we've had people calling and asking and we've propagated more of that, because of the prediction that that's going to be more popular string of hearts is another one that I can only I it's a it's not the most vigorous grower so we can only put out as much as we can and propagate and then it's gone. And I'm bringing in like a tray at a time and it disappears. And so that's one that I can't even keep in there. Another one that we've had the mother plant for a while and we just never really propagated it because it i don't know i i noticed it a few months ago down there for the first time but we've we've had it for a while it's in the sixes family and it's called Partha gnosis is amazonica or jungle vine. It has these really almost similar to an angel wing begonia. It has these elongated wing shaped leaves with like a reddish Maroon underside and a silvery foliage and it is a little different in the sense that it doesn't need direct sunlight, but it's actually a climber. So it does send out runners that will cling on unlike patos and most philodendron that just our bridal veil, there's other ones that just kind of spill over the pot this one will actually climb if it has something to cling on to and so we've started propagating those and that's another one that is just flying off the shelves. it's it's a it's a really cool plant try to scan Sha two I also known as wandering Jew there's some really neat hybrids that have come out like Nanak which is has this like light pink and green variegation and the underside of the leaf is like purple like a color shade that you wouldn't think would be natural to a plant it's I have one I love it My room's purple purple girl so I and then try to sketch a rainbow is another one it has this cream and purple and greenish variegation really funky and awesome. But any of the tracks I have like nine different species of try to sketch I have a whole try to sketch a table which is a first for me in Lake Street garden center history. So that one's really cool too. What about you, Emma?Emma E  1:04:24  Oh, gosh, I mean, I I feel like I've been seeing a lot of Hoyas around as well as being pretty popular and a good choice if you don't mind waiting a long time or don't mind a plant that will just kind of sit around and not do a whole lot which I think can be fine. That's kind of how the the snake plants are to where they're, they're not gonna grow you know very quickly, but you're going to have something that's that's pretty hard, too hard to kill. One of my favorite plants that I have right now is my cast iron plant aspa distro. It's really attractive, really more of kind of an old fashioned vibe but it's it tolerates the low light condition I have it in doesn't mind the soil being on the drier side so I'm hoping to see more of that plant around because I do think it's it's worthy of being a part of this this new foliage plant craze.Nicole K  1:05:23  I actually had a hard time getting those in this year which has never been the case for me we we order a lot of foliage from Florida at the end of our you know, spring growing season when when summer is fading into fall we we try to vamp up the greenhouse for winter sales and it wasn't on the availability at all and usually I'll get six in and they can't tell them all winter. And we actually had customers calling this year asking for her cast iron and it's called that for a reason for sure who that plant is pretty I won't say indestructible but it can it can tolerate a wide range of conditions that yeah, it is that is a cool plant. I think one of my favorites. I'm a begonia girl anyways I love all but don't me and my boss to the owner of Lake Street we when it when spring hits between angel wings and dragon wings and tuberous but don't we just we do too much. He's like more and I'm like yes. Or I'm always trying to look for different colors. I just we have an affinity for begonias, both of us so we share that but dragon I'm sorry, angel wing begonias. Right now the macula Ladas are, are hot. They're they're definitely we have a mother plant that we've had for almost 30 years. It's a begonia Ksenia, an orange blooming variety and it has that angel wing type leaf with the silver spotting on it and this bright orange clusters of flowers. And we usually sell it as a shade hanger in the spring. And I kind of saw this trend up and coming and I asked our grower to propagate some of it. And it I it's it was a good prediction is they're they're going like crazy and angel wings. And I would say abutilon I think is an underrated winter flowering house plant. I mean, it will actually flower most of the year if it's happy and has proper fertilizer conditions. But it's it they call it flowering Maple because the shape the leaf, it has nothing to do with the APL family. But it has this really cute like pendulous flower that hangs almost looks like a little like fairy skirt. And they come in yellows and paint. And I'm a big fan of training standards. So like I like to take a plant that would normally be a bush and try and turn it into a tree. It's like a nerdy fun thing that I like to do and it along are really easy to actually do that you can pick away all the foliage and just leave this little ball at top. And if you keep picking away all that foliage on that main stock, and get rid of all the others, you'll get this nice little round head and this cute little tree. So I think that's why I love them so much.Nate B  1:08:30  But would you say for houseplant customers, there's a particular time of year where you're going to have access to the best variety and selection at your local garden centers are there for Lake Street and for other garden centers, I assume that the trends and timing are relatively similar, like is winter a really good time to buy or some other time here.Nicole K  1:08:55  So usually, after the we start slowing down with our annuals and vegetable sales, spring flowering items and stuff, basically, when there's space in the greenhouse, which is usually around August, that's when I'll start looking at bringing in some foliage plants. Even it can still be a little hot and the sun can be really intense in there. So I have to be careful at the end of the summer. But I'm usually bringing in three or four shipments from Florida anywhere between August and October. So fall and throughout and I'm calling and checking and asking is something that you can definitely do to you know, inquiring when if and when you're getting new shipments of houseplants is something you know it's a question we get oftenEmma E  1:09:47  I would imagine to having customers tell you what they're looking for giving you a call talking to you, you know at your business is helpful for you as well in terms of planning.Nicole K  1:09:58  It does. I will Say, though, that the trends come and go so quickly that what's popular now in three weeks like might not necessarily be, and especially next season, I don't, I can't even predict what I mean, we were deemed essential through the, you know, the whole COVID shut down in New Hampshire garden centers and nurseries were able to stay open. So we had three times the amount of volume that we usually do there, you know, and we did the best that we could to keep up with the inventory. But it was near impossible, even our suppliers sold out faster than they ever would have. And that's, that's continuing on now through fallen winter, and I've had more customers in my greenhouse in January than I've ever seen. Walking through there at four o'clock on a Wednesday, you know, I can have 10 people in there shopping for houseplants, and that's unheard of for us in January. So yeah, to answer your question, yes. I people call and ask and then I hunt is kind of what what usually happens.Emma E  1:11:09  I'd say I, I would say grow what you're excited about, you know, visit your local garden center. Do a little bit of research in advance or take advantage of the staff that are working there, use them as a resource. But uh, you know, don't don't pigeonhole yourself either. With just growing, you know, one specific thing that you think might be perfect for your, your location, you know, be willing to try a bunch of different things. And yeah, if you're really excited about the plant, chances are that you're going to do the research you need to keep that plant really healthy.Nicole K  1:11:48  Yeah, we covered so much. And this has been a really awesome opportunity. I'm, I'm really grateful for it. And thank you guys for reaching out to me to do this. And I'll say to you know, I've seen a lot of customers who really want to be plant people, but don't think they are, you know, in any can be a plant person. And Emma said it earlier. And it was the same for me I had to kill a lot of plants before I could keep plants alive. I can't tell you how many times I tried to grow an African violet. And now in however long it's been my African Violets are doing great. But just just keep trying, you know, and and and don't hesitate to ask questions. So a lot of people will come in the greenhouse and and, you know, feel like they're bothering me or whatever. But that's what we're here for. You know, I'm I love the QA and, and to be able to help customers out and and learn how to, you know, take care of their plants and broaden their experience and stuff. So don't don't hesitate to to utilize us as a resource.Nate B  1:12:55  And I would echo that for unh extension. That's why we're here too. So, yeah, everyone out there. Don't be afraid to kill plants. Don't be afraid to try new things. And don't be afraid to ask questions either to your cooperative extension to your favorite garden center. We're all here to help. So yeah, thanks again for coming on. Nicole. This has been really fun. We'll have to talk some more at some other point about some other aspects of house plant maintenance. We didn't even get things like fertilizing pruning, cleaning sanitation, we didn't talk about propagation as far as the How to and that could be its own episode, frankly, lots of opportunities for for future topics of discussion.Emma E  1:13:48  This episode's featured plant is zz plant seameo caucus ximea folia. It's one of the best indoor foliage plants I know of for low light environments. zz plant is native to dry grasslands and forests in eastern and southern tropical Africa, making it pretty solidly a house plant for New Hampshire. It's a member of the arrowhead family, which means it's related to other popular house plants like philodendron monstera and peace Lily. It's distinctive looking, and that is stemless with compound leaves that arise from rhizomes beneath the soil. The leaflets are glossy green, and they're attached to fleshy leaf stems that grow to about two to three feet tall. zz plant grows really well and bright indirect light, though will tolerate low light so it's a it's a decent plant to have a good ways from a window in your home. You should when you're caring for it water regularly, but avoid keeping the soil consistently wet. Soils should really be allowed to drive fully between water applications. plant will also do best if you keep it in a room where the temperature is at least 60 degrees. The last thing I'll note is that zz plant does grow slowly. But it's easy to keep looking good as long as you're being careful with your watering, occasionally fertilizing it and giving it a good source of bright indirect light.I'd like to close this episode with a tip on how to clean the leaves of

In this episode of Plantrama we talk about essential herbs to grow or forage for, pinching plants to make them bushy, African violets and a Zoom houseplant event in February. :28  What’s for dinner: Essential herbs to grow or forage for. 7:40     Insider Information: “Pinching” tips off of plants to make them bushier.   12:33   Eat/Drink/Grow:  African violets – Saintpaulia 21:02   Connections:  Zoom with us the Plantrama Team!

Today's episode all started with a call on the Bloomers in the Garden Hotline from our listener Chris about African Violets.  So, we bring onto the show Vice President of the Garden State African Violet Club, April Van Hess.  April is here to tell us all about these popular potted houseplants as well as the number of African Violet Clubs that exist throughout the region and the country!

The 2021 Vegetable of the Year is the pea ... but even though they go in early, it's a little bit yet before you can start planting. However ... you can get started on your own mini-African violet farm right away.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. Now that the time change has happened, it really gets dark early! Tips and Treasures I have some treasure for you today! This is the final […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.061 – Meet Bob Kurzynski appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. One of the things that came up over and over when I asked for what you might like to see on the podcast, was the other […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.060 – The Other Gesneriads appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. I’m still collecting ideas for specific African violet-related things that you are interested in seeing on the podcast. I continue to ponder how the podcast might […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.059 – Remembering Richard Nicholas appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. Fall is definitely here in Chicagoland! This episode is shorter than usual, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – sometimes you just want a short […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.058 – Short and Sweet appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. Fall is definitely here in Chicagoland! The days are getting shorted and the plants seem to know it. Tips and Treasures I’m very excited to share […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.057 – It’s all about the Minis and Semis, with Anne Nicholas appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit. It’s been a lovely few days in Chicagoland, but those days are getting shorter. On my walk yesterday morning I saw a couple of trees already […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.056 – Remembering Barbara Elkin appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax for a bit :-) COVID-19 numbers around the country are still rising – so please stay home/stay safe, wear a mask when you go out, and keep washing your […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.055 – A Good Look appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and sit down! COVID-19 numbers around the country are still rising – so please stay home/stay safe, wear a mask when you go out, and keep washing your hands!! Tips and […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.054 – Kurt Jablonski appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Come on in to the Sunroom! While Illinois has progressed to Phase 4 of its reopening plan, we have seen a recent uptick in cases of COVID-19.  Many other states are now facing what Illinois was […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.053 – Changing it Up appeared first on All About African Violets.

Bill O’Hanlon is a Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist, author, and speaker. He co-developed Solution-Oriented Therapy, has authored or co-authored over 39 books (ranging from brief therapy for various clinical topics to those about publishing and now song writing). He is also a musician who plays guitar and writes country music. And yes, he was also on Oprah with his book, Do One Thing Different. In this episode, Bill talks about meeting Dr. Milton Erickson for the first time and why a story about African Violets completely shifted how Bill viewed problems, how he disrupted the psychotherapy field with his approach to talk therapy, how he got onto Oprah, and his love for writing country music. And stay till the end because he sings us a song. I get a little teary at times throughout this interview. Bill doesn't mean to make me cry but his passion and energy remind me why I decided to become a therapist in the first place...to live in the land of possibilities and solutions and to help others do the same.  I’m so grateful for the time he gave me and I really enjoyed this chat. We hope you do as well! More about Bill: https://billohanlon.com/ Do One Thing Different, 20th Anniversary Edition: Ten Simple Ways to Change Your Life (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2MMmzXK  Bill’s Course on Solution Oriented Psychotherapy: https://psychmaven.teachable.com/p/solution-oriented This episode is brought to you by my favorite activewear line, Zyia Active.  Want to be more comfortable while sitting on the couch? I sure did and I went looking for pants and tops that were soft, wrinkle resistant and would match just about anything I already had in my closet. And now Zyia Active makes up about 80% of my wardrobe. Want to learn more? Head to lisamustard.com/active-wear. Don’t think this is just for women, they have mens’ and kids’ clothes too. Our family is loving the quality and I love the price tags! So head over to my site to check it out. I want to tell you about a group I created on Facebook, it’s called the Talk therapist lounge and it’s a place where talk therapists can find podcast guest opportunities! That’s right! If you are a licensed talk therapist and you are looking to grow your reach and visibility, this group may be a place for you to start. I’m working to bring in podcast hosts who are looking to interview licensed clinicians that can share their expertise and knowledge with their audiences.  Why should you be a podcast guest? People are crawling all over the internet, listening to podcasts and watching videos on mental health issues. My mission is to help spread the word about mental health treatment and help lower the stigma around mental health and to do that we need to get you guys out there sharing your knowledge and wisdom and how you help people live their best lives. And it will help you grow your brand and visibility and possibly help you gain new clients. I also share how to create a podcast guest one sheet and tips and ideas for getting yourself booked on shows. So will you come join us? Look for the talk therapist lounge on facebook! Hope to see you there!

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! Come on in to the Sunroom and relax for a bit! Tips and Treasures Today most of our time will be spent checkout out the stands, but in other years, right about now would […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.05 – After Convention appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Come on in! I apologize for the delay in getting this episode out to you. Tips and Treasures A different type of podcast today! It’s actually a rerun of the presentation I did years ago about […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.051 – Planting by the Phases of the Moon appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! Come on in to the Sunroom! Tips and Treasures We are now on Week 4 of the pre-show schedule – but there’s nothing to be done now until about 1 week before show.  Today […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.050 – Patience is a Virtue appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! Come on in to the Sunroom! Tips and Treasures We are now on Week 6 of the pre-show schedule.  I’m so glad so many of you enjoyed meeting Stephen Covolo-Hudson last week!  Today’s topic […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.049 – Tools appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone!  Happy Easter!  Happy Pesach!  Come on in to the Sunroom! As before, my sincere thanks to all our first responders and all those on the front lines as we fight against the novel coronavirus […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.048 – Meet Stephen Covolo-Hudson! appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone!  Come on in to the Sunroom! Thank you for joining me today as we remain at home. And for those of you not hunkered down because you’re in an essential industry or business, you […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.047 – What the Heck is an Immature Leaf?! appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! I know you’re surprised to see me today – it’s not a first or third Sunday of a month. These are extraordinary times we are living in, and since pretty much everyone, everywhere is […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.046 – Staying Home appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to My Sunroom! It’s been quite a couple of weeks . . . I retired early! The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has gained a strong foothold in the United States. Illinois is taking things very seriously, and many residents, […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.045 – Meet Ken Muzalewski appeared first on All About African Violets.

African Violets are having a comeback, plant friends! You heard it here first. I know a lot of people feel like African Violets are their "grandma's houseplants", but this flowering gesneriad brings cute fuzzy leaves and bright, multi-colored blooms to the tropical landscape of our urban jungles. What's not to love! They can sometimes be thought of as finicky, so Lisa the "Houseplant Guru" joins me to walk me through every step to African Violet success! Lisa is the author of Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants and Houseplants: The Complete Guide. I love her books (and the episode we did previously on Low Light Plants) and I love her! Have you checked out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Youtube Channel? If you like this content, you’ll love the fun videos I’m making- this week I released a moss pole tutorial video that pairs with episode 42 of the podcast with Tylor from Arium Botanicals. You can also find planty home makeovers, behind the scenes tours of cannabis growers, Airplant 101, my hacks for traveling with plants  and more. Click here to watch and subscribe! In this episode we learn: Where African Violets Originate How they grow outdoors What is a gesneriad Care: watering, light, soil Best watering practices for African Violets When to repot How to Fertilize Bloom Cycles- how to have your violet stay in bloom Troubleshooting listeners from our Patreon Supporters! Links mentioned in the episode: AVSA or African Violet Society of America. http://www.avsa.org/ The national convention is in Little Rock, Arkansas this year, Sunday May 24-Sunday May 31. It moves every year so if it isn’t close to you this year, next year, it may be. It is a huge event including a judged show (where you will see African violets like you’ve never seen) as well as a marketplace to buy all things violets, and educational presentations, too. Self-watering pots: Oyama pots- the wicking material is perlite. Here is an article about how to use them. There were only sites I’m not sure about to order them from. On the AVSA website there is a supplies button and it takes you to all the vendors for plants and supplies. That includes the Oyama and Dandy pot. https://www.oyamaplanters.net/how-to-use-oyama-planters Plants: Two very reputable companies. https://www.violetbarn.com/ http://lyndonlyon.com/   Thank you Plants by Post for sponsoring today's episode! Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy  indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Spring is here, Plant Friends! Time to stock up! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off your order!   Follow Lisa, The Houseplant Guru Website: thehouseplantguru.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseplantguru/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HouseplantGuru/ Recent Blog Posts: Acclimating Plants to Your Enviornment: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2019/07/10/help-your-houseplant-adapt-to-the-light-it-is-receiving/ What to Do with Burned Leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/ Cleaning your leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/   Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone!  I’m happy to be back with you this week!  February was a very interesting month for me.  Two weeks ago, I quit my job.  My last day will be Tuesday and I’m very excited […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.044 – Getting Ready for Show appeared first on All About African Violets.

Today we celebrate the man who wrote the Flora of North America from across the pond in London much to the chagrin of American botanists. We’ll learn about the Dutch botanist who discovered the phalaenopsis orchid and the coleus on the island of Java. Today’s Unearthed Words review some sayings about the month of February in the garden. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that helps us grow African violets. I’ll talk about a decorative item for your garden, deck, or porch, and then we’ll wrap things up with National Carrot Cake Day and the history and recipes of this favorite dessert. But first, let’s catch up on a few recent events.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Curated Articles Hello Yellow Milkweed/Butterfly Flower, View All Flowers: Botanical Interests @botanicalseeds "Bring sunny color into the pollinator garden with ‘Hello Yellow’ milkweed! Asclepias tuberosa (ah-SKLEE-pee-iss TOO-burr-OH-sah) is usually orange, but this yellow beauty was found in Colorado."   Columbus’Carnivorous Collectibles from The Lantern @TheLanterns “A single organism of Sarracenia purpurea, collected by botanist/bryologist William Sullivant - 1840 - one of the few documented pitcher plants that grew in central Ohio.”   Now, if you’d like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you’re in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There’s no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you’re on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I’d love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1814  The English botanist Aylmer Lambert wrote to his peer, and the President of the Linnean Society, Sir James Edward Smith. Lambert was giving Smith a heads up that Frederick Pursh’s Flora Americana was published. Five years earlier, Frederick had been working for Benjamin Smith Barton in America. Barton was supposed to process the plants from the Lewis & Clark expedition and prepare a catalog for publishing. For some unknown reason, Barton never got around to doing the work. When Meriwether Lewis realized that Barton hadn’t started much of anything, he hired his employee Frederick to do the work. By May of 1808, we know that Frederick had completed all of the tasks that Meriwether Lewis had assigned him. He was eager to get paid the $60 he been promised by Lewis, and the $80 Barton owed him for helping with his herbarium. He was also excited to keep going with the Lewis & Clark project. It seems the mission of sharing the botanical discoveries of the expedition with the public had captured his heart. This is where Frederick’s story gets a little murky. It’s not clear if he was ever fully paid by Lewis or by Barton. It’s not entirely clear why Lewis & Barton couldn’t seem to keep the project moving forward. But records do show, that over the next 18 months, two key things happened that caused Frederick to leave America with the Lewis and Clark specimens in tow: Meriwether Lewis died and Frederick Pursh began to despise his boss, Benjamin Smith Barton. For his part, Barton may have grown tired of Pursh’s drinking. He wrote of Pursh, “Drinking is his greatest failing.” When Frederick Pursh arrived in England at the end of 1811, he reached out to both Sir James Edward Smith and Alymer Lambert about putting together the Flora of North America. Lambert became his botanical fairy godfather; he had a huge personal botanical library, herbarium, and funding. That said, Lambert also provided something Pursh desperately needed: discipline. Pursh was kind of a rough and tough guy with a swarthy complexion and reputed alcohol addiction. Historians say that Lambert made arrangements in the attic of his house, creating a workspace for Frederick. Once he got Frederick up there, Lambert would lock him in for stretches at a time to keep Frederick focused on the project. It was an extreme way to deal with Frederick’s demons, but it worked. Now, Smith and Lambert didn’t do all of this out of the goodness of their heart. They were enormously interested and what Pursh had brought with him from America: portions of the specimens from the Lewis and Clark expedition. Even with Lambert’s resources and lock-ins, it took Frederick two years to complete the Flora of North America. The whole time he was racing to get it published before Thomas Nuttall, who was working on the exact same project back in America. American botanists felt Pursh had pulled the rug out from under them when he took the expedition specimens to England. On December 21st, 1813, Pursh won the race when his 2-volume masterpiece describing all of the plants of North America was presented to the Linnaean Society. In the introduction, Frederick was forthright about his time in America and how he had come to possess the expedition specimens. Giving credit to the work of Lewis and Clark, Frederick created two new genera - Lewisia (loo-WIS-ee-ah) and Clarkia (CLAR-key-ah) for Lewis and Clark. In all, Frederick had received 132 plants from Meriwether Lewis, 70% were brand-new species that were named by Frederick. Today roughly 30% of the Pursh-named plants named in his Flora Americana are still recognized as valid. Lewisia is a little evergreen Alpine plant with a beautiful bloom. They like well-drained soil and are native to the northwest. Lewisia is a perfect pick for a rock garden. Clarkia is a little wildflower primrose that can be grown from seed after the last spring frost. Clarkia prefers to be direct-sowed, and they are perfect for use in mixed borders and Rock Gardens. Today Clarkia hybrids are grown for cut flowers. Link to 1814 Flora Americae Septentrionalis Volume One Link to 1814 Flora Americae Septentrionalis Volume Two   1862  Today is the Anniversary of the death of the German-Dutch botanist with the perfect last name - Carl Ludwig Blume. Born in Germany and orphaned by the age of five, Blume proved to be a bright little boy and a successful student. He studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands - a place that would become his Northstar. When he died in Leiden, on this day in 1862, he had become a naturalized Dutch citizen. Scholastically, Blume went the path of most botanists. He first became a physician and he ran an apothecary. In short order, he started botanizing in the Dutch East Indies, specifically on the island of Java, where he was the director of the Botanic Garden. Blume wrote a spectacular book on the collection of orchids that were available on the island. The title page is stunning and it features three native women from Java performing a ceremonial dance. The mountains of Java in the village are in the background, and a garland of orchids frames the stunning portrait. This publication is considered one of the finest works of scientific literature during the early 1800s. In 1825, Blume established the Dendrobium genus of orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek; "dendron" for tree and "bios" meaning life. The name refers to the epiphytic habit of orchids to grow in trees. Thus, the combination of those two words, dendron and bios, meaning tree-life. And, here's a great story about Blume. During his time in Java, Blume saw what he thought was a group of moths flying in a motionless fashion by a tree. It was an odd vision. But, when he got closer, Blume realized what he thought were moths, were actually orchid flowers. Blume named the species Phalaenopsis amabilis (fayl-eh-NOP-sis ah-MA-bo-lis). In nature, the stems of the phalaenopsis orchid are not clipped to a bamboo pole like they are in when we buy them in the supermarket. Instead, they arch away from the tree they are attached to and sway easily with the Wind. It was the motion of the Orchid flowers swaying in the wind together, that lead Blume to believe he saw an insect and not a blossom. The etymology of the word phalaenopsis comes from the Latin word "phal", which means moth - which is why this Orchid is commonly referred to as the Moth Orchid. Phalaenopsis orchids are native to Southeast Asia. Their popularity has steadily grown because they are so easy to grow and because they bloom indoors all year round. This makes them one of the most popular house plants in the world. Now, should you be tempted this summer to move your phalaenopsis orchid outside; think twice. Just because they are a tropical plant, doesn’t mean they want full sun. Phalaenopsis orchids grow in the shade of trees under the tree canopy. They like indirect light, and if you put them in full sun, they will get sunburned. If you are going to move them outside, make sure to put them in a place where they will not get direct sunlight. Sometimes I’ll put mine onto my north-facing covered porch. In 1853, Carl Ludwig Blume discovered another popular plant in the mountains of Java: coleus. Coleus bluemei was named in his honor until it was changed in 2006 to Coleux x Hybridus in recognition of all the new hybrid variations. As of 2012, the botanical name for coleus is Plectranthus scutellarioides (Plek-TRAN-thus SKOO-til-air-ee-OY-deez). And, coleus are in the mint or Lamiaceae family. They have that signature square stem and opposite leaves - along with other popular members of the mint family: basil, peppermint, oregano, Salvia, Swedish ivy, and thyme. An early nickname for coleus was painted nettle or flame nettle. Coleus is easy to propagate from cuttings. You can simply pop them in a glass of water, and in a few days, roots will start to form. To encourage your coleus to grow in a more compact fashion, keep pruning them before they bloom. You might remember that the National Garden Bureau made 2015 the year of the coleus.   Unearthed Words Here are some sayings about our new month - February: February brings the rain, Thaws the frozen lake again. ― Sarah Coleridge, English author, and translator   Why, what’s the matter, That you have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness? — William Shakespeare, English author, poet & playwright, Much Ado About Nothing   The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February. — Joseph Wood Krutch, American writer, and naturalist   February is the border between winter and spring. ― Terri Guillemets (gee-ya-MAY), quotation anthologist, Years   February is a suitable month for dying. Everything around is dead, the trees black and frozen so that the appearance of green shoots two months hence seems preposterous, the ground hard and cold, the snow dirty, the winter hateful, hanging on too long. ― Anna Quindlen, American author, and journalist, One True Thing   Grow That Garden Library YOU CAN Grow African Violets by Joyce Stark The subtitle of this book is: The Official Guide Authorized by the African Violet Society of America, Inc. Kent and Joyce Stork have grown violets for over 30 years. From 1991 to 2004, they wrote a column in the African Violet Magazine, which became the foundation for this book. Kent and Joyce are married and live in Fremont, Nebraska, where they own a business specializing in African violets. Kent and Joyce Stork killed their first violet too! They soon mastered the skills for growing the plant and eventually wrote for the African Violet Magazine, the official publication of the African Violet Society of America, Inc. for over ten years. Their column For Beginners explained the basic elements of growing violets in an entertaining and straightforward way that anyone could understand. Now, these columns have been adapted and edited to provide even the most novice grower with a step-by-step guide, whether the goal is simply to keep violets alive or to exhibit the plants in competitive shows. You can get a used copy of YOU CAN Grow African Violets by Joyce Stark and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today’s Show Notes for under $5.   Great Gifts for Gardeners WiHoo 8” Indoor Outdoor Thermometer/Hygrometer for Patio, Wall or Decorative (Bronze) $19.99  Easy to read - The outdoor thermometer decorative easily keep track of the temperature from a distance with bold black dial graphics. Celsius and Fahrenheit - This garden hygrometer digital simultaneous Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature display. Real glass lens - This room indoor thermometer real glass lens, accurate between -40 and 120℉/-40, and 50 °C to accommodate all climates. Amazon’s Choice & Amazon Prime   Today’s Botanic Spark Today is National Carrot Cake Day. Every February 3rd, National carrot cake day is observed. And, you might say it’s a great excuse to have our cake and our carrots, too.  Akin to banana bread, carrot cake is similar in preparation and texture. It's made, like many quick breads, by separately preparing the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients and then mixing those together. And, carrot cakes generally include ingredients like cinnamon or nutmeg, raisins, or nuts. Carrots are, of course, a root vegetable. They are made up of 88% water, 7% sugar, and a percent each of protein, fiber, and ash. The Greeks and Romans ate carrots, but their carrots were different colors like purple or white. It wasn’t until the 17th century that carrots started appearing predominantly as orange. Why? Because the Dutch initially bred the carrot to be orange in order to honor the Dutch royal family - also known as the “House of Orange” in the Netherlands. The orange carrot became so popular that the color became synonymous with the carrot. As for carrot cake, the earliest mentions of it in the newspaper appear in the early 1900s - around 1910. These early carrot cakes were more like little crab cakes - only they were made with carrots, flour, and butter, sweet milk, and so on. By 1912, the San Francisco newspaper, The Call, featured a carrot cake recipe and it advised that only very young, tender carrots be used - along with 2 cups of sugar, a cup of butter, 2 cups of flour, a cup of carrots that were boiled and mashed very finely, a cup of grated chocolate, a cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 a cup of sweet milk, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. By the end of November, in 1913, a newspapers were running an article called “Carrots and Cakes.” It said: “The little carrot, of the plebian vegetable family, moved high last week in the social scale and was in such demand on the grocery orders of so many families that stores ran out entirely, says the Minneapolis Journal. Miss Lilla Frich, supervisor of domestic economy in the public schools, has been telling how carrots may be used for what they are or as substitutes for other things, notably, that carrot pulp makes a good egg substitute in making cakes and hundreds of women who formerly have scorned common truck farm products have been buying them.” In the early 1980s, when Pillsbury launched its “Carrot and Spice Cake Mix,” they held a contest to discover the earliest published carrot cake recipe, and they were also looking for the best Heritage recipe. Joyce Allen of Wichita Kansas won $100 for sharing her recipe from the 1929 Wichita Women’s Club cookbook, and Ethel Amsler of Waco Texas also won $100 for creating a new recipe with Pillsbury’s new carrot cake mix. She was riffing off an old family recipe. That old family recipe had been handed down through four generations. She said they didn’t have it but twice a year. Ethel’s old family recipe for carrot cake calls for white raisins soaked in brandy in addition to adding a cup of black walnuts. If you’d like to get a copy of Ethel Amsler’s Heritage Carrot Cake recipe, along with her modern version, I’ve added them to today’s Show Notes, which are available on the website for the show over at thedailygardener.org.   ETHEL AMSLER’S HERITAGE CARROT CAKE 1 cup brandy  1 cup of water  1 ½ cups sugar  2 tablespoons butter  1 cups grated carrots  1 teaspoon nutmeg  1 teaspoon cloves  1 cup chopped black walnuts 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour  2 teaspoons baking powder  1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon soda  1 teaspoon salt At least two days before serving, in a medium saucepan, soak raisins in brandy overnight at room temperature. The next day, add water, sugar, butter, carrots, and spices. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; pour into a large mixing bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature 12 hours or overnight. The next day, heat oven to 275 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch angel food tube pan or 12-cup fluted tube pan. Add walnuts, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt to carrot mixture; mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 1 ¾ hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving. ETHEL AMSLER’S HERITAGE CARROT CAKE (Modern Version)  1 package Pillsbury Plus Carrot N Spice Cake Mix  ¾ cup of water  ½ cup dairy sour cream  ⅓ cup oil  2 teaspoons brandy extract  3 eggs  1 cup golden raisins  1 cup finely chopped walnuts  Powdered sugar Heat oven to 390 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, blend cake mix, water, sour cream, oil, brandy extract, and eggs until moistened; beat 2 minutes at highest speed. Stir in raisins and walnuts. Pour into a pre-prepared pan. Back at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan 25 minutes; Invert onto a serving plate. Cool completely. Sift or sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. 16 servings.   Finally, during the 1970s, the Los Angeles Times featured a popular recipe for their 14 Carat Cake. That recipe incorporates crushed pineapple and walnuts. I’ve included it in today's Show Notes, as well. 14 CARAT CAKE  2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder  1 ½ tsp. soda  1 tsp. salt  2 tsp. cinnamon  2 cups of sugar  1 ½ cups oil  4 eggs  2 cups grated raw carrot  1 (8 12-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained  12 cup chopped nuts  Add Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) Sift together flour, baking powder, powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add sugar, oil, and eggs and mix well. Stir in carrots, drained pineapple, and nuts. Turn into three greased and floured 9-inch layer-cake pans or a 13x9-inch pan and bake at 350 deg. 35 to 40 minutes until the top springs back when touched lightly with a finger. Cool a few minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool. (Or loaf cake, may be frosted in the pan, especially handy if the cake is for a potluck or picnic.) For layers, spread tops and sides with frosting and stack. Cream Cheese Frosting  ½ cup butter or margarine  1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened  1 tsp. vanilla  1 lb. Confectioners’ sugar, sifted Combine’ butter, cream cheese, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add sugar gradually, beating vigorously, if too thick, add a small amount of milk to thin to spreading consistency.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! It’s a slightly different episode today – at the time you are seeing this, I am just returning from a great vacation!  So things are going to look a little different this week.  There […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.043 – The Design Division appeared first on All About African Violets.

Today we celebrate the botanical illustrator who was wrongfully fired from his first job and the French botanist who spent a month in California with a boatful of Russians. We'll learn about the botanical name of the city where people leave their hearts, and we’ll fall in love with a classic garden writer from Bronxville, New York. Today’s Unearthed Words feature an English poet who loved gardens and wrote many poems about them. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that talks about the revolution that will save our food. I'll talk about a garden item that I have WAY too many of - but, then again, can you really have too many? I digress. And, then we’ll wrap things up with the story of the woman who wrote a flora dictionary anonymously - signing her work very  mysteriously with the words “by a Lady.” But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Curated Articles Good Decisions by @papaver Good Decisions in the garden -Alison Levey ("Lee-Vee") - The Blackberry Garden  " I planted them and whispered to the nearby ants 'when you wake up, take the seeds and spread them throughout the garden.'”   The Plight of the African Violets — In Defense of Plants The Plight of the African Violets — In Defense of Plants — "their numbers in captivity overshadow a bleak future for this genus in the wild. Many African violets are teetering on the brink of extinction."   Now, if you'd like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There’s no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1708 Today is the birthday of the botanist and the incomparable botanical illustrator Georg Dionysius Ehret. Georg was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to Ferdinand Christian Ehret, who was a gardener and also had a talent for drawing. He taught his son both skills- gardening and drawing - before he died. Georg made his way to Regensburg. There, he met an apothecary who hired him to draw of specimens from his herbarium and garden. Georg earnestly took on the job, creating over 500 pieces in one year. Taking advantage of his young employee, the apothecary fired Georg and told him he should have completed 1,000 drawings. It was basically the apothecary's way of avoiding paying Georg. After this dreadful experience, Georg made his way to England and worked at the significant botanical gardens - Including Chelsea Physic. Isaac Rand, the first director of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, told Georg to paint the rare plants in the garden. The uniqueness of the specimens added to the demand for Georg's work. As a result, Georg was on friendly terms with the plant collectors and naturalists of his time. Chelsea was formative professionally and personally for Georg; He married the head gardener's sister-in-law, Susanna Kennet. In The Art of Botanical Illustration, Wilfrid Blunt noted that, “By the middle of the century he had become a popular figure in London society: the highest nobility in England clamored to receive instruction from him,” Indeed, the wealthiest woman in England, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (the Duchess of Portland), gladly retained Georg as a drawing instructor. Struck by the luminescence of his work, and ultimately she would buy over 300 of his paintings. In 1737, Georg was hired to draw by Sir Charles Wager, First Lord of the Admiralty. In August of that year, Wagner's personal garden is where Georg first observed the Magnolia grandiflora flowering. The bloom was so inspiring that Georg walked for an hour each way, from Chelsea to Wagner's house (in Fulham), to see and sketch every stage of the Magnolia grandiflora; from bud to full flower. Georg's work provided the world with the first Magnolia to be illustrated in England. Beyond his work in England, Georg traveled throughout Europe in pursuit of his craft. He met Linnaeus in Holland when he was visiting the botanical garden in Leiden. Linnaeus taught Georg exactly how he wanted plants to be dissected and drawn. By this time, Georg felt that his drawings were already aligned with Linnaeus, but the calibration didn't hurt; Georg's work made it possible for Linnaeus to show the differences between plants for his books. When Linnaeus released his catalog of rare plants, "Hortus Cliffortianus," in 1737, it featured 20 meticulous plates made by Georg. As a result of partnering with Linnaeus, Georg understood plant structure on a level that rivaled most botanists. Georg's style of drawing is referred to as the Linnaean style. Ehret's father could have never predicted the impact of teaching his son both gardening and drawing, but the two skills had come together in Georg in an extraordinary way. One expert wrote that, "[Ehret] was the greatest artist-illustrator that Linnaeus had." Today, Georg's work is difficult to source. Given the rarity of an Ehret drawing, they are expensive to acquire; pieces generally start around $1k (if you can find one.) Just this past year, the NYBG organized an exhibit called "Georg Ehret: The Greatest Botanical Artist of the 1700s.” They featured 48 Ehret watercolors and engravings.   1781 Today is the birthday of French-German poet, naturalist, and botanist Adelbert von Chamisso ("Sha-ME-So"). Born into a French Noble family, Chamisso’s family fled to Germany after the French Revolution. Chamisso is remembered for a number of different accomplishments. His creativity was captured in a novella called Peter Schlemihl’s Wonderful History, published in 1814. The story is about a naturalist who travels around the world thanks to a pair of seven-league boots and who sells his shadow to the devil in exchange for a bottomless wallet. Seven-league boots were a common part of European folklore and allowed the wearer to walk seven times further than an average stride, making the wearer possess super-human speed. Chamisso established himself as a Romantic poet with his poem Frauenliebe und leben, The poem’s English translation is A Woman's Love and Life and is actually a series of poems describing a woman’s love for a man from their first meeting, through their married life together and ultimately to the time after his death. Robert Schumann later set Chamisso's poem to music in his Opus 42. It takes a soprano opera singer 30 minutes to sing all the poems in the Opus from start to finish.  After surviving the french revolution and the war between France and Prussia, Chamisso eagerly joined a round-the-world voyage aboard a Russian ship called the Rurik. It would be the greatest adventure of his life. The trip was financed by a Russian Count named Nikolay ("NEE-co-LIE") Rumyantsev ("Roo-myan-sev"), who was eager to find a route around North America by water - which would later be called the Northwest Passage. Chamisso was the ship’s naturalist, and Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz was the ship’s doctor and botanist. When the Rurik ended up in the San Francisco Bay area in 1816, Chamisso and Eschscholtz ended up exploring in California for about a month. One of his discoveries was the California poppy, which he named Eschscholzia California after his friend, the botanist Johann Friedrich Von Eschscholz. In return, Eschscholz named a bunch of plants after Chamisso - a little quid pro quo. The California Wild Rose (Rosa californica Chamisso and the California Blackberry (Rubus vitifolius Chamisso) are named for Chamisso. In 1903, the botanist Sarah Plummer Lemmon put forth a successful piece of legislation that nominated the golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) as the state flower of California. During his three year Journey on the Rurik, Chamisso collected over 12,000 species of plants. Today his collection is preserved at the Russian Academy of Sciences in St Petersburg. It was Chamisso who said, “In pain, a new time is born.”   1847Today the city of Yerba Buena ("YAIR-Bah Byoo-Nah") is renamed San Francisco. San Francisco was originally known as Yerba Buena - Spanish for "good herb" - a small mint-like plant early explorers found. Over the years, people have left their hearts in San Francisco. The author Rudyard Kipling said, "San Francisco has only one drawback – ’tis hard to leave." Paul Kanter of Jefferson Airplane said, "San Francisco is 49 square miles, surrounded by reality." Ashleigh Brilliant, author and cartoonist, said, "There may not be a Heaven, but there is San Francisco." The writer William Saroyan said, "If you’re not alive, San Francisco will bring you to life."   1878 Today is the birthday of one of America's greatest Garden writers and one of the 20th Century's most famous horticulturists, Louise Beebe Wilder. Louise was born into a wealthy family in Baltimore. After marrying an architect named Walter Wilder, they bought a country place - a 200-acre estate in Pomona New York; they called BalderBrae. Louise set about adding fountains, terraces, arbors, walled gardens, and pathways. Her book called "My Garden" shared Louise's experiences learning how to garden at BalderBrae, where one of her first flower beds was bordered with clothespins. At BalderBrae, Louise and Walter created a garden and a stone garden house that was made famous in Louise's book "Color in My Garden" - which came out in 1918 and is generally regarded as her best work. In the book, Louise was the first garden writer to write about gray as a garden color. Louise was also the first person to write about Moonlight Gardens, and she wrote about looking at plants under the light of the Moon. After World War I, Walter and Louise settled in suburban Bronxville, New York. Louise created a personal Eden on a single acre of land complete with stone pillars and a long grape arbor. It was here that Louise began rock gardening. After 1920, most of her garden writing focused on rock gardening. Louise inspired both women and men to rock garden. By 1925, Louise founded a local Working Gardeners Club in Bronxville, and she also had steady work as a garden designer and as a garden writer. Her experiences gave her material for her writing. Louise included so many people from Bronxville in her writing that her columns were referred to by locals as "a Bronxville Family Affair." In all, Louise wrote eleven books about gardening. Her voice is pragmatic and pointed, which is why they were popular; gardeners appreciated her no-nonsense advice. For instance, Louise was not a fan of double flowers. In her book, "The Fragrant Path" from 1932, she wrote: “Some flowers are, I am sure, intended by a wise God to remain single. The hyacinth doubled, for instance, is a fat abomination.” Louise wrote for a number of publications, and her writing was published in many prominent periodicals like the Journal of The Royal Horticultural Society of England and the New York Times. House and Garden alone published close to a hundred and fifty articles by Louise. Many of Louise's columns were collected and published as books. A year before she died, Louise was honored with the Gold Medal for Horticultural Achievement from the Garden Club of America. It was the pinnacle moment in her career, and it came as Louise and her children were still grieving the loss of her husband. In the Spring of 1934, Walter had committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness. Louise wrote prolifically about gardening and plants. Her experiences resulted in increasing the awareness of different plant species, gardening practices, and she helped shape the gardens of her time. Louise gave us many wonderful garden quotes. On Snowdrops: “Theirs is a fragile but hardy celebration…in the very teeth of winter.” On Rosemary, “It makes a charming pot plant, neat, svelte, with its dark, felt-lined leaves held sleek against its sides. The smell… is keen and heady, resinous, yet sweet, with a hint of nutmeg.” On Roses: “Over and over again, I have experienced the quieting influence of rose scent upon a disturbed state of mind.” On gardening: “In the garden, every person may be their own artist without apology or explanation. Each within their green enclosure is a creator, and no two shall reach the same conclusion.” Louise is buried with her parents in lot 41 in Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield, Massachusetts. It was a shock to read that her grave is unmarked and to see that it is completely unadorned - without any flowers - nor does it rest under the shade of a tree.   Unearthed Words 1782Today is the birthday of the English poet and literary critic Ann Taylor. Her sister Jane was a poet as well. Ann famously said, “The most important thing is to wear a smile.” Here's a collection of poems about the garden by Ann Taylor.   Come And Play In The Garden Little sister, come away, And let us in the garden play, For it is a pleasant day. On the grass-plat let us sit, Or, if you please, we'll play a bit, And run about all over it. But the fruit we will not pick, For that would be a naughty trick, And very likely make us sick. Nor will we pluck the pretty flowers That grow about the beds and bowers, Because you know they are not ours. We'll take the daisies, white and red, Because mamma has often said That we may gather then instead. And much I hope we always may Our very dear mamma obey, And mind whatever she may say.   The Gaudy Flower Poem Why does my Anna toss her head, And look so scornfully around, As if she scarcely deigned to tread Upon the daisy-dappled ground? Does fancied beauty fire thine eye, The brilliant tint, the satin skin? Does the loved glass, in passing by, Reflect a graceful form and thin? Alas! that form, and brilliant fire, Will never win beholder's love; It may, indeed, make fools admire, But ne'er the wise and good can move. So grows the tulip, gay and bold, The broadest sunshine its delight; Like rubies, or like burnished gold, It shows its petals, glossy bright. But who the gaudy floweret crops, As if to court a sweet perfume! Admired it blows, neglected drops, And sinks unheeded to its doom. The virtues of the heart may move Affections of a genial kind; While beauty fails to stir our love, And wins the eye, but not the mind.   The Field Daisy I'm a pretty little thing, Always coming with the spring; In the meadows green, I'm found, Peeping just above the ground, And my stalk is covered flat With a white and yellow hat. Little Mary, when you pass Lightly o'er the tender grass, Skip about, but do not tread On my bright but lowly head, For I always seem to say, "Surely winter's gone away."   Grow That Garden Library The Seed Underground: by Janisse Ray The subtitle of this book is: A Growing Revolution to Save Food. Ray writes: “There is no despair in a seed. There's only life, waiting for the right conditions-sun and water, warmth and soil-to be set free. Every day, millions upon millions of seeds lift their two green wings.” Ray's book takes us to the frontier of seed-saving. She shares beautiful stories from gardeners around the country who are working to preserve our food by growing old varieties, heirlooms, and eating them. Gardeners will love this book because, as a gardener, Ray is relatable, and her stories feature ordinary gardeners who are trying to save open-pollinated varieties of old-time seeds - the true treasures in our Gardens. Ray's book is not just about gardening, but also about preserving our food by saving seeds before they disappear. Ray helps us understand why seeds are under threat and why a lack of seed diversity is something that should concern all of us. Ray is a writer, naturalist, and poet. This is one of my favorite books on this topic, so I hope you'll check it out. You can get a used copy of The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for under $4.   Great Gifts for Gardeners Stonebriar 9 Inch Clear Glass Dome Cloche with Rustic Wooden Base, Antique Bell Jar Display Dome, For Plants, Succulents, Fairy Lights, Photos, Medals, Decorative Fill, and More, Medium $31.99 Add a rustic touch to your home decor with Stonebriar's clear glass bell-shape cloche with a wooden base. This cloche features a clear glass dome with the decorative knob so you can easily remove it. The rustic wooden base measures 6.1 inches in diameter and is the perfect size to display your favorite pillar candles, flowers, succulents, medals, photos, and fairy lights. This glass cloche is small enough to use in any room in your home but big enough to make a statement. Add your favorite filler and create a unique centerpiece for your kitchen or dining room or place filled cloche on your mantel for a little added decoration. This cloche is also the perfect party decoration. Buy multiple cloches for rustic tabletop display. This decorative cloche is the perfect size for any tabletop measuring 9" in height, and the wood base with metal trim measures 6.1" in diameter Glass dome inner measurements are 4.7" in diameter and 6" in height. It can easily fit your favorite pillar candles, flowers, succulents & more Rustic wooden base cloche is available in 2 separate sizes. Buy one size or buy both sizes and create your own unique display set.   Today’s Botanic Spark 1784Today is the birthday of the American Floral Dictionary writer, Elizabeth Wirt. Elizabeth was the second wife of William Wirt, who served as an attorney general of the United States. They had ten children. In 1829, Elizabeth wrote her floral dictionary.  She published it anonymously, using the very mysterious name ‘by a Lady.’ Wirt featured lovely tidbits in her dictionary - quotes and prose by poets and writers accompanied the information for each plant. Her dictionary also included extraneous information that would be of interest to gardeners in the early to mid-1800s: the Structure of Plants, the Structure of Flowers, and a sketch on the Life of Linnaeus. Elizabeth shared all she knew about the history of each flower she featured in her dictionary. Gardeners adored her book. It was republished every two years. In the 1835 edition, Elizabeth finally felt confident enough to publish the book using her name "Mrs. E. W. Wirt of Virginia.”The final edition of her book was published in in 1855 it was the first book of its kind in the United States to feature colored plates. You can see a copy of Wirt's dictionary online for free.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone – it’s chilly here in Chicagoland (really chilly), but it’s nice and warm in the sunroom. Come on in because I have a great episode for you today! Tips and Treasures Today we are […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.042 – Meet Paul Sorano appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone!  Consistent care is the topic for today! The last time we sat down together was on December 1st . . .  As many of you known I had a respiratory infection, and the cough […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.041 – Consistent Care appeared first on All About African Violets.

Flowers: African Violets - Not your granny's flower!  More info on the UGA Extension website These are not your grandma's houseplants, by Ary Bruno. There's a yellow one!African Violet Society of America.Veggie: The Herb Lover's Spa Book: Create a Luxury Spa Experience at Home with Fragrant Herbs from Your Garden, by Sue Goetz.Dirt:  GrowIt App  to connect with other gardeners via your smart phoneEmail us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com and look for us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and now Pinterest.Remove All Politics from Facebook which is a Chrome extension so you need to be running Chrome to make it workFor more info on Carol, visit her website.For more info on Dee, visit her website.We also invite you to join The Gardenangelists Garden Club on Facebook.(Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link, we may receive a tiny commission. It does not affect the price you pay!) 

Welcome to My Sunroom! Come on in to my sunroom!  If you’re here in the U.S. I hope you had a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving.  The podcast is going to be structured a little differently today, but first, I have […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.040 – Meet Wayne Geeslin appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom! Hi Everyone! I apologize for the delay in getting this episode out today. I had some technical difficulties that have since been resolved! Tips and Treasures After the last episode I got a message from Margaret […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.039 – Once More, With Feeling appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in, sit, down, and relax for a bit :-) Tips and Treasures Today, I am taking you back to National for an interview with my friend, Nancy Hayes. She is wonderful and […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.038 – Meet Nancy Hayes appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to the podcast gardening souls! From my forest green heart, thank you for joining me. Today we travel to Tanzania, metaphorically, to chat about a forest groundcover that we in Australia grow inside –a plant you’ll see at Nanna’s house –the African Violet. My friend Beverley Donsworth has been growing African Violets for forty years and is the President of the African Violet Association and joins me with all you need to know to reflower these frilly indoor beauties. They are one of the only indoor plants to actually flower.Today Bev shares her insider secrets on feeding, pruning, propagation, watering wicks and pest and diseases. With this knowledge I hope your African Violet thrives on your kitchen bench and that impulse buy you grab on the way to the nursery cash register flowers again for you. Connect with Beverley and the African Violet Association at their annual Flower Show. Facebook @African Violet Association of AustraliaConnect with Lindaon socials:@gardenclinicclub @linnie__rossNovember 2: The African Violet Association of Australia One-Day Show The Show will consist of over 60 classes of African Violets, the other Gesneriads, and some Artistic classes.There are generally about 200 entries so it will be a colourful display. Some of the show entries will be for sale as well as potting mix, pots and fertiliser. To be held at Burwood RSL Club, 96 Shaftesbury Road, Burwood, 10am to 4pm. Entry fee is $5 per person. More info at africanviolet.org.au/diary For more info on growing African Violets go to gardenclinic.com.au/blog/how-to-grow-african-violets

Welcome to the podcast gardening souls! From my forest green heart, thank you for joining me. Today we travel to Tanzania, metaphorically, to chat about a forest groundcover that we in Australia grow inside –a plant you’ll see at Nanna’s house –the African Violet. My friend Beverley Donsworth has been growing African Violets for forty years and is the President of the African Violet Association and joins me with all you need to know to reflower these frilly indoor beauties. They are one of the only indoor plants to actually flower.Today Bev shares her insider secrets on feeding, pruning, propagation, watering wicks and pest and diseases. With this knowledge I hope your African Violet thrives on your kitchen bench and that impulse buy you grab on the way to the nursery cash register flowers again for you. Connect with Beverley and the African Violet Association at their annual Flower Show. Facebook @African Violet Association of AustraliaConnect with Lindaon socials:@gardenclinicclub @linnie__rossNovember 2: The African Violet Association of Australia One-Day Show The Show will consist of over 60 classes of African Violets, the other Gesneriads, and some Artistic classes.There are generally about 200 entries so it will be a colourful display. Some of the show entries will be for sale as well as potting mix, pots and fertiliser. To be held at Burwood RSL Club, 96 Shaftesbury Road, Burwood, 10am to 4pm. Entry fee is $5 per person. More info at africanviolet.org.au/diary For more info on growing African Violets go to gardenclinic.com.au/blog/how-to-grow-african-violets

Welcome to my Sunroom Come on in to my sunroom!  Fall is here in Chicagoland! Before we jump in to this week’s episode, I want to touch on a couple of things: I would like to say thank you to […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.037 – On the Soapbox appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax! Fall is definitely in the air here in Chicagoland. I had to put the furnaces on on Saturday! Let’s jump right in to Tips and Treasures! Tips and Treasures […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.036 – The End of an Era appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax! I’m sorry to have missed a week earlier this month, but am happy to back online with you now! Tips and Treasures More treasure for you today! Back to […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.035 – Meet Dolores Gibbs appeared first on All About African Violets.

Welcome to my Sunroom Hi Everyone! Come on in and relax! I’ve had a super-busy couple of weeks, complete with a trip to the Michigan Fiber Festival and construction in the house! Tips and Treasures I have some wonderful treasure […] The post All About African Violets – Episode 3.034: “Don’t Sow an Entire Seed Pod!!” appeared first on All About African Violets.

African violets have been loved and nurtured by generations of houseplant growers, but they’ve got a reputation as plants that our grandparents love to grow: cute, maybe, but not cool. That’s changing, though. Many of us are (re)discovering that African violets make wonderful houseplants! And now there’s more choice than ever before, as breeding programmes have created a rainbow of flower colours and styles, variegated leaves, tiny teacup plants and huge dinnerplate-sized ones. I talked to African violet grower and show judge Annie Rieck about why she loves these plants, and how to grow them successfully. Annie has her own podcast called All About African Violets and has been growing them since the 1990s.

As we welcome in 2017, we hear the latest news about redevelopments at RHS Garden Wisley from curator Matthew Pottage, plus the RHS Advisory Team are on hand to tackle some tricky new year gardening questions - including composting fallen fruit, caring for African violets and a sticky problem with a star jasmine. Plus all the latest on events across our four gardens.

African violets are native to eastern Africa and were collected in the wild during the late 19th century by Baron von Saint-Paul.

From The Garden Show, Charlie and Frank help a listener to bring her African Violets back to life

From The Garden Show, Charlie and Frank help a listener to bring her African Violets back to life

From The Garden Show, Charlie Dobbin and Frank help a caller with her African Violets, and another with Periwinkle problems. Later, they try to help solve a listener's flower mystery: It comes up the at the start of the season in clumps, it looks like an onion...and when you dig 'em out, they just keep coming back! What could it be?!

From The Garden Show, Charlie Dobbin and Frank help a caller with her African Violets, and another with Periwinkle problems. Later, they try to help solve a listener's flower mystery: It comes up the at the start of the season in clumps, it looks like an onion...and when you dig 'em out, they just keep coming back! What could it be?!

A sermon given by Amy Jacks Dean at Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC.

A sermon given by Amy Jacks Dean at Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC.

This week on We Dig Plants, Alice Marcus Krieg and Carmen Devito are talking gesneriads with artist and Gesneriad Society member Bruce Boyd! Tune into this program to hear Bruce give some tips on growing gesneriads at home. What watering methods work best for plants like African Violets, and what lighting conditions cause gesneriads to thrive? Hear what types of fertilizers Bruce uses for his indoor gesneriad garden. What are some of Bruce’s ideal gesneriads that he finds hard to grow? Hear how you can implement episcias in terrariums, and learn why many gesneriads do not need much soil. Today’s program has been sponsored by Fairway Market. Music by Pamela Royal. “Episcias are tricky to grow. I find they do better enclosed. I will grow them inside of deli containers. They thrive on humidity… I recommend them for terrariums.” [30:00] — Bruce Boyd on We Dig Plants

Pianist/composer Cecil Taylor is today recognized as one of the world foremost artists and has received many accolades and honours for his work. His music has always been on the cutting edge and sometimes a great challenge for the casual Jazz listener. Taylor, like that other Jazz iconoclast, Thelonious Monk suffered at the hands of the so-called "Jazz police". He was fired from gigs and booted off more than a few bandstands until he found a group of sympathetic players to work with. This early recording gives the average Jazz listener a clearer picture of Cecil Taylor's musical aims as he was still using the bass (Buell Neidlinger) and the drums (Dennis Charles) in a traditional manner and using 4/4 swing as the basis for his improvisations. He later abandoned that concept and played one on one rhythms and his music became more dense and challenging to the listener. This recording called "Looking Ahead" features Mr. Taylor with his two regular rhythm players plus the only appearance in record by the obscure vibist, Earl Griffith. Their interplay is unique and wonderful but sadly Griffith died not long after this session was completed in June of 1958. Five of the compositions are Taylor's and the ballad is Earl Griffith's composition called "African Violets". Among Taylor's tunes, a mention should go to the title of the last opus called "Excursion On A Wobbly Rail". If you've never heard Cecil Taylor's music before or shied away from it, this is a good place to start. Looking Ahead indeed!