Podcast appearances and mentions of matt mattus

This week we decided to come clean and admit that, based on some of the amazingly detailed emails we've received since starting The Garden Mixer, our listeners are very much smarter than we are.We're dipping into a few of these [surprisingly polite] messages to bring their plant picks, techniques, and general wisdom to everyone.Featured: Garden writer Kathy Purdy from Upstate New York, Paul Westervelt, Head Grower at Saunders Bros. in Virginia, Tim Calkins, plantsman & galanthophile also from Virginia.Matt Mattus, Senior Director of Horticulture for AHSAre our listeners smarter than us? Oh hell yes.(That should help to earn our explicit rating.)_______________________________________Be sure to hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there.⁠The Garden Mixer |Podcast on Spotify⁠Full Show Notes at ⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast's Substack⁠________________________________Socials – Pick Your Platform:Follow us on Instagram ⁠@thegardenmixer⁠Indulge us on TikTok ⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠ Spar with us on X ⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠“French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

#gardening  #podcast #gardentalk #vegetablegarden  #radio #influencer #gardentip #gardentalkradio #backyardgarden Email your questions to Gardentalkradio@gmail.com Or call 1-800-927-SHOW Segment 3: Matt Mattus of https://growingwithplants.com/ Sponsors of the show for 2025 Phyllom BioProducts of http://www.phyllombioproducts.comPomona pectin of https://pomonapectin.com/Dripworks of https://www.dripworks.com/Walton's Inc of https://www.waltonsinc.com/  Us code grow50 and save 10% off your order of $50 or more Natural green products of https://www.natgreenproducts.com/ use promo code freeship4meany size No More Bugs!Rescue of https://rescue.com/Jung Seeds of https://www.jungseed.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersWind River Chimes of https://windriverchimes.com/Wisconsin Greenhouse Company of https://wisconsingreenhousecompany.com/Mantis of https://mantis.com/Summit Chemical of https://summitchemical.com/Iv organics of https://ivorganics.com/  Use radio10 to save 10% off your orderSoilmoist.com of https://www.soilmoist.com/products/soil-moist.phpDavid J Frank of https://davidjfrank.com/ Timber Pro Coatings of https://timberprocoatingsusa.com/products/internal-wood-stabilizer/Totally tomatos of totallytomato.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersr.h.shumway https://www.rhshumway.com/category/talk-gardening  use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersVermont Bean https://www.vermontbean.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersEdmunds Roses use code https://www.edmundsroses.com/category/talk-gardening 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersRoot and Rhizomes https://www.rootsrhizomes.com/category/talk-gardeninguse code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersKarrikaid https://karrikaid.com/ Use Code Radio10 at checkout and get 10% your order  Tarps https://tarps.com/Sunwarrior https://sunwarrior.com/ Use code JOEYHOLLY25” that will get you 25% off all productsat checkout Grow Smart https://www.grosmart.com/  use code “radio” at check out and save 10% on your order Lawn symergy https://lawnsynergy.com/Durable green bed https://durablegreenbed.com/Tree IV https://treeiv.com/Brome Bird Care https://bromebirdcare.com/en/Chip Drop https://getchipdrop.com/For Jars https://forjars.co/Azure https://www.azurestandard.com/ Use Promo Code: JOEYANDHOLLY15 applied at checkout to get 15% off for new customers who open an account for the first time and place a minimum order of $100 or more, shipped to a drop location of their choice.Corba head hand tools https://www.cobrahead.com/ use code soil for 10% your order at checkout valid once per customer Soil Savvy https://www.mysoilsavvy.com/Phyllom Bioproducts http://www.phyllombioproducts.com/home.htmlShore and Chore https://shoreandchore.com/Dig Defence of https://digdefence.com/Weed Wrench  https://www.weed-wrench.com/home us code weed at check out to save $10.00 on your order Milk weed balm of https://milkweedbalm.com/ Use code: gardening for 20% off your orderAmazon #Influencer page with products we use and trust from gardening to camping, household goods and even cat stuff. Over 500 items list  https://www.amazon.com/shop/thewisconsinvegetablegardener?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp

#gardening  #podcast #gardentalk #vegetablegarden  #radio #influencer #gardentip #gardentalkradio #backyardgarden Email your questions to Gardentalkradio@gmail.com Or call 1-800-927-SHOW Segment 1: common plant diseases in your garden Segment 2: how important is companion plantingSegment 3: Matt Mattus of https://growingwithplants.com/  Segment 4: Garden questions answered Sponsors of the show for 2025 Phyllom BioProducts of http://www.phyllombioproducts.comPomona pectin of https://pomonapectin.com/Dripworks of https://www.dripworks.com/Walton's Inc of https://www.waltonsinc.com/  Us code grow50 and save 10% off your order of $50 or more Natural green products of https://www.natgreenproducts.com/ use promo code freeship4meany size No More Bugs!Rescue of https://rescue.com/Jung Seeds of https://www.jungseed.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersWind River Chimes of https://windriverchimes.com/Wisconsin Greenhouse Company of https://wisconsingreenhousecompany.com/Mantis of https://mantis.com/Summit Chemical of https://summitchemical.com/Iv organics of https://ivorganics.com/  Use radio10 to save 10% off your orderSoilmoist.com of https://www.soilmoist.com/products/soil-moist.phpDavid J Frank of https://davidjfrank.com/ Timber Pro Coatings of https://timberprocoatingsusa.com/products/internal-wood-stabilizer/Totally tomatos of totallytomato.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersr.h.shumway https://www.rhshumway.com/category/talk-gardening  use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersVermont Bean https://www.vermontbean.com/category/talk-gardening use code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersEdmunds Roses use code https://www.edmundsroses.com/category/talk-gardening 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersRoot and Rhizomes https://www.rootsrhizomes.com/category/talk-gardeninguse code 15GT25 to save 15% off ordersKarrikaid https://karrikaid.com/ Use Code Radio10 at checkout and get 10% your order  Tarps https://tarps.com/Sunwarrior https://sunwarrior.com/ Use code JOEYHOLLY25” that will get you 25% off all productsat checkout Grow Smart https://www.grosmart.com/  use code “radio” at check out and save 10% on your order Lawn symergy https://lawnsynergy.com/Durable green bed https://durablegreenbed.com/Tree IV https://treeiv.com/Brome Bird Care https://bromebirdcare.com/en/Chip Drop https://getchipdrop.com/For Jars https://forjars.co/Azure https://www.azurestandard.com/ Use Promo Code: JOEYANDHOLLY15 applied at checkout to get 15% off for new customers who open an account for the first time and place a minimum order of $100 or more, shipped to a drop location of their choice.Corba head hand tools https://www.cobrahead.com/ use code soil for 10% your order at checkout valid once per customer Soil Savvy https://www.mysoilsavvy.com/Phyllom Bioproducts http://www.phyllombioproducts.com/home.htmlShore and Chore https://shoreandchore.com/Dig Defence of https://digdefence.com/Weed Wrench  https://www.weed-wrench.com/home us code weed at check out to save $10.00 on your order Milk weed balm of https://milkweedbalm.com/ Use code: gardening for 20% off your orderAmazon #Influencer page with products we use and trust from gardening to camping, household goods and even cat stuff. Over 500 items list  https://www.amazon.com/shop/thewisconsinvegetablegardener?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp

Have you ever replied, “I don't know; that's just the way I've always done it” when someone asked why you performed a certain garden task in a particular way? Sometimes we stay stuck even when there's evidence there's a newer,... Read More ›

Have you ever replied, “I don't know; that's just the way I've always done it” when someone asked why you performed a certain garden task in a particular way? Sometimes we stay stuck even when there's evidence there's a newer,... Read More ›

Have you ever replied, “I don't know; that's just the way I've always done it” when someone asked why you performed a certain garden task in a particular way? Sometimes we stay stuck even when there's evidence there's a newer,... Read More ›

Join us for an inspiring interview with Matt Mattus, Senior Director of Horticulture for the American Horticultural Society and author of "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening" and "Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening". Matt shares expert tips on cyclamen care, from choosing the right plants to ensuring they thrive in your home or garden. He also gives us a sneak peek at his upcoming book, "Greenhouse Gardening", set to release in 2026. Outside of his horticultural expertise, Matt works as a Principal Designer at Hasbro, Inc., and enjoys life in his four-generation family garden in snowy Worcester, MA. Perfect for plant enthusiasts and anyone looking to up their cyclamen game!Resource Links:Matt Mattus Blog: https://growingwithplants.com/Matt Mattus Instagram:   / matt_mattus  https://www.fertilome.com/Join our gardening podcast and radio show Garden America LIVE every Saturday from 8-10 AM Pacific Time on Facebook. Tune in to ask questions, converse with fellow gardeners, or just enjoy the show.Listen to all of our gardening podcasts here: https://www.gardenamerica.com/garden-...WEBSITE: https://www.gardenamerica.com/FACEBOOK:   / gardenamericashow  INSTAGRAM:   / gardenamericaradioshow  TWITTER:   / gardenliferadio  TIKTOK:   / gardenamerica  Transcending surface-level tips, Garden America explores the science and culture that yield true growing experiences. Gardening questions on your mind? Drop us a line or tune in daily for hands-on advice, biological breakthroughs, and trusted product info from our gardening gurus.Garden America is truly your current trends gardening experience. Look no further for garden knowledge, garden tools, garden accessories, unique garden plants never seen before & more.

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day – yes, sometimes I just cannot help myself – when I saw a post by Matt Mattus about Christmas cactus. Even though it was still high summer, it made me long for... Read More ›

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day – yes, sometimes I just cannot help myself – when I saw a post by Matt Mattus about Christmas cactus. Even though it was still high summer, it made me long for... Read More ›

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day – yes, sometimes I just cannot help myself – when I saw a post by Matt Mattus about Christmas cactus. Even though it was still high summer, it made me long for... Read More ›

Every year when I get to the sweet pea listings in the seed catalogs, I think this is the year, the year I'll organize some supports in the garden for them, and indulge in their unmatched extravagance of color and fragrance. Today's guest doesn't hesitate one second or have to think twice about sweet peas ever, which are always on the list in his Massachusetts garden, grown both as cut flowers and elements of beds and borders. Matt Mattus, author of “Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening,” and also of “Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening,” gardens at his Worcester, Mass., home. Matt is the third generation of his family to live and garden there, in the same house with its two-acre landscape. He's had a career as a graphic artist and toy designer at Hasbro for many years, but for at least as long he's been passionately designing garden scenes and experimenting with one genus or another in his garden and greenhouse, where he can't resist the impulse to try every last species or variety of something that he can get his hands on.

Every year when I get to the sweet pea listings in the seed catalogs, I think this is the year, the year I’ll organize some supports in the garden for them, and indulge in their unmatched extravagance of color and... Read More ›

Every year when I get to the sweet pea listings in the seed catalogs, I think this is the year, the year I’ll organize some supports in the garden for them, and indulge in their unmatched extravagance of color and... Read More ›

To gardeners, spring is the signal of something big to come. It kicks off our season. For the next several months we will primp and preen our beds to maximize their beauty and relish in their good looks. But as all our plants start waking up in April and early May, it can be hard to really focus on the “design” elements. Many of us are often just happy to see any signs of life, never mind if those newly emerging plants look good together. That's why today we're focusing on plant combinations (of two, three, or perhaps even four) that look incredible in spring when grouped together. There's a mix of annuals, perennials, and even a few shrubs in this array. But, when massed in close proximity, the effect is just as stunning as your peak season pairings. Many of you listeners asked us to broach planting design in an episode, so here we are, answering your call! Expert guest: Matt Mattus is a regional reporter for FineGardening.com. The author of two gardening books, he gardens in Worcester, Massachusetts. Danielle's Combos Combo 1: ‘Mango Charm' tulip (Tulipa 'Mango Charm', Zones 3-7) 'Peach Flambe' heuchera (Heuchera 'Peach Flambe', Zones 4-9) ‘Peach Melba' horned violet (Viola cornuta ‘Peach Melba', Zones 6-9)   Combo 2: Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis, Zones 3-8) Fingerleaf rodgersia (Rodgersia aesculifolia, Zones 5-7) 'Halcyon' hosta (Hosta 'Halcyon', Zones 5-9) ‘Nelly Moser' clematis (Clematis ‘Nelly Moser', Zones 4-9)   Carol's Combos Combo 1: Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia, Zones 3–8) Interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana, Zones 3–8) ‘Toffee Tart' heuchera (Heuchera 'Toffee Tart', Zones 4–9) ‘Palace Purple' heuchera (Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Zones 4–9) Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum, Zones 5–8) ‘October Moon' Japanese shrub mint (Leucosceptrum stellipilum ‘October Moon', Zones 5–8)   Combo 2 ‘May breeze' woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata ‘May Breeze', Zones 4–8) ‘Wanda' primrose (Primula ‘Wanda', Zones 3–9) Creeping mazus (Mazus reptans, Zones 5–8) ‘Ogon' grassy-leaved sweet flag (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon', Zones 5–9) Siberian cranesbill (Geranium wlassovianum, Zones 5–8)   Expert's Combos Melancholy toadflax or fairy lights (Linaria tristis, Zones 4-8) ‘Café au lait'painted tongue (Salpiglossis ‘Café au lait', annual) Poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii, annual) ‘Penny Black' baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii  ‘Penny Black', annual) ‘Jelly Bean Fiesta Marigold' monkey flower (Mimulus ‘Jelly Bean Fiesta Marigold', annual) Assorted pansies in browns, reds, rusts (Viola × wittrockiana and cvs., Zones 5-9) Desert bells (Phacelia campanularia, Zones 5-10) Belarina® Series primroses (Primula cv., Zones 4-8)  

What gardener doesn't like something a bit out-of-the ordinary, right? Especially when it's a plant that puts on a serious show as the final curtain call is happening. Today we highlight some of our favorite unusual fall perennials, options that are interesting cultivars of a genus you may know, and weird oddballs you've likely never heard of. Just a heads up that we may have cheated a teeny, tiny bit and thrown in a shrub or even a tender perennial to keep you on your toes. Regardless the plants you'll hear about on this episode are all exceptional autumnal stars that will stop garden visitors in the tracks to ask, “What on earth is that?” Expert testimony: Matt Mattus is the author of two books: Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening and Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening. He gardens in Worcester, Massachusetts.   Danielle's Plants ‘Snow Fairy' blue mist shrub (Caryopteris divaricata 'Snow Fairy', Zones 6-9) ‘Lady in Black' calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Lady in Black', Zones 3-8) ‘Golden Angel' Japanese shrub mint (Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel', 5-8) Sapphire berry (Symplocos paniculata, Zones 4-8)   Carol's Plants ‘Chocolate' Joe Pye weed (Eupatoriam rugosum ‘Chocolate', Zones 4-8) October daphne sedum (Sedum sieboldii, Zones 3-8) 'Black Negligee' bugbane (Actaea simplex 'Black Negligee', Zones 5-8) ‘Goldtau' tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau', Zones 4-9)   Expert's Plants  ‘True Blue' gentian (Gentiana makinoi x scabra ‘True Blue', Zones 4-8) ‘Milk Bottles' bottle gentian  (G. andrewsii ‘Milk Bottles', Zones 4-8) Summer gentian (G. septemfida syn. G. septemfida var. lagodechian, Zones 4-7) Tuberose (Agave amica syn. Poloanthes tuberosa, Zones 7-11) The Pearl', ‘Single' (notable cultivars) Weeping golden toad lily (Tricyrtis macrantha subsp. macranthopsis, Zones 4-9) Ohsumi toad lily (T. ohsumensis, Zones 4-9) Asian toad lily (T. formosana, Zones 4-9) ‘Samuri', ‘Autumn Glow', ‘Gilt Edge' (notable cultivars) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, Zones 3-9) Sonora', Prairie Sun', ‘Goldrush', ‘Goldilocks', ‘Cherokee Sunset', ‘Autumn Colors', ‘Chim Chiminee' (notable cultivars) Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba, Zones 4-8)

Have you ever wondered why during the holidays we bring mistletoe inside?  What were some of the plants brought inside during Victorian times?  In this episode, I talk to horticulturist Matt Mattus about the history of holiday plants and how to care for them.  Matt has been gardening since the age of 9 on his family's historic 1910 Worchester, MA home.  An expert in most aspects of gardening, he specializes in South African bulbs and alpine plants.  Matt has been featured in Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes & Gardens, and is currently a contributor to Fine Gardening.     Mat can be found at: Instagram: @matt_mattus Facebook: Growing with Plants Blog: Growing with Plants Check out Matt's highly educational books – links to where they can be found are attached: Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening   To ask questions for future shows, submit them at: Facebook Instagram email Marlene at marlenetheplantlady@gmail.com Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

Today we celebrate a British garden designer, prolific Edwardian Landscape Architect, and town planner. We'll also remember a British garden designer and architect known for his innovative gardens in Tuscany. We hear an excerpt about a fantastical garden. We Grow That Garden Library™ with one of the top books on Flower Gardening by a modern garden master. And then we’ll wrap things up with the story of the Iowa State Flower.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Two Secrets to Great Garden Design | Fine Gardening | Ann Stratton   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events May 5, 1861 Today is the birthday of British garden designer, prolific Edwardian Landscape Architect, and town planner Thomas Hayton Mawson who was born in Lancashire. When Thomas was a teenager, his dad started a nursery and fruit farm in Yorkshire. Thomas loved the orchard, but his happiness came to an abrupt end when his father died, and his mother was forced to sell the property. But the nursery experience had left an impression on Thomas and his siblings, and at one point, they all pursued work in horticulture. After the family moved to London, Thomas and his two brothers set up a nursery called Lakeland Nurseries. The business was a success, and it allowed Thomas to begin to focus on designing gardens - his zone of genius. In 1900, Thomas wrote his classic work, The Art and Craft of Garden Making, which is now considered foundational to modern Landscape Architecture. The book brought Thomas influence and authority - and to give an idea of its popularity, consider that it was reprinted five times. In short order, Thomas’s firm Thomas H. Mawson & Sons became THE firm for Landscape Architecture in England. Thomas's most famous client was William Hesketh Lever, an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Thomas eventually designed many of William’s properties: Thornton Manor, Lever’s Cheshire home, Rivington Pike, and Lever’s London home, The Hill, Hampstead. Thomas is also remembered for designing England's first purpose-built mosque, The Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth. As his reputation grew, Thomas’s work on public spaces expanded. He was even commissioned to develop the Smokey Mountains National Park in the United States. Thomas's most notable public work was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie: the gardens of the Peace Palace in The Hague in 1908.   May 5, 1884  Today is the birthday of the British garden designer and architect known for his innovative gardens in Tuscany, Cecil Ross Pinsent. Cecil worked with the American art historian Bernard Berenson on his iconic estate known as the Villa I Tatti. This relationship opened doors for Cecil, and soon he was soon designing gardens for the wealthy in Tuscany. In the 1930s, Cecil designed his masterpiece: the gardens at La Foce (“FOE-che”) in Italy, midway between Florence and Rome. Tucked in 3,500 acres of farmland with scenes of the Tuscan landscape as a backdrop, La Foce was commissioned by the writer Marchesa Iris Origo (“O-ree-go”). In 1924, Iris and her husband, Antonio, purchased the villa, an old, rundown place. Iris reached out to Cecil, a family friend, and tasked him with creating a glorious garden. Knowing how Iris adored the gardens of Florence, Cecil set about creating the iconic structure of the garden - a series of intimate spaces lined with double box hedging, cypress, lawns, and meadows. The lush green garden is even more striking against the background of the barren Tuscan topography.   Unearthed Words When spring came, I dug up the garden and planted it, and weeded it, and prayed over it, and fidgeted; and almost three years of lying fallow had agreed with it because it produced radishes the size of onions, potatoes the size of melons, and melons the size of small sheep. The herb border ran wild, and the air smelled wonderful. ― Robin McKinley, American author of fantasy and children's books, Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast   Grow That Garden Library Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening by Matt Mattus  This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is A Gardener's guide to growing flowers from today's favorites to unusual varieties.  Well, I remember when this book came out because I already had a copy. And of course, at the time it was published (on March 10th), many of us were in the middle of beginning our lockdowns for the pandemic. I remember thinking what a shame it was because this book is not only beautiful - and man, I mean, it is absolutely gorgeous - but it's also so helpful. It's really a wonderful reference. Another reason I knew this book would be so good is that Matt is such a true professional. He has decades of experience with his own garden and his greenhouse, and you can read all about both of them over on his blog called Gardening With Plants. It really is a wonderful online resource. So, if you haven't checked that out, make sure that you devote a little bit of time to that. Now, if you are someone who starts annuals from seed, you will really enjoy Matt’s book. He talks about how to start over a hundred different annuals from seed. He also talks about things like summer bulbs and vines, which is a favorite topic of mine. I not only love to use vines as a vertical element in the garden, but also I think they're wonderful just ambling through the garden as a horizontal element, almost like a ground cover. So that's fantastic. And then Matt talks about things like blooming shrubs - one of my favorite topics.  You get so much bang for your buck with blooming shrubs. They give your garden structure, and they're just so low maintenance. They're wonderful. So blooming shrubs are one of my go-to’s in the garden. Now here's a little bit about what the publisher says about this book. You will learn little details and cultural facts about these flowers that will help you grow them. You'll find helpful tips for things like growing annual poppies and biennials, which can be a little bit challenging. You'll learn about forcing flowers for winter blooms, which is an enjoyable activity. In fact, one of the things that Matt talks about is how to force Lily of the Valley. That is a fantastic topic. And I'm sure now that I've mentioned it, it's making you very curious. If that doesn't do the trick, just trust me; this is a book that you're going to want to have in your botanical library. This book is 240 pages of a master class on flower gardening from a true master: Matt Mattus. I love the name and really loved the book. You can get a copy of Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening by Matt Mattus  and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $17   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart   May 5, 1897  Today the Iowa State Flower was officially selected, and the winner was the wild rose. In the early days of the state, Iowa pioneers often came across the wild rose as they settled on the Iowa prairie. Although the Iowa legislature designated the wild rose as their flower, they failed to specify which wild rose was official. In Iowa, there are three native wild roses: Rosa arkansana, Rosa blanda, and Rosa Carolina. Of the three, Rosa blanda (meadow rose) is most often regarded as the State Flower. In 2006, a fifth-grade student Maranda Olson drew the wild rose with oil pastels and won Maranda a trip to Washington, D.C., where her artwork was displayed at the new National Garden when it opened in the fall. The Des Moines Register reported that, “More than 5,000 students nationwide submitted artwork for the state flower contest. One student from each state was selected by a panel of art specialists and botanists. Art teacher Karen Skophammer… had a gut feeling Maranda might win and took a photo of the drawing before sending it to the contest. "In my heart, I knew that it was outstanding," Skophammer said. "Maranda is quite talented." Maranda guessed why she won and acknowledged that she barely looked at the technical photo of the wild rose. "I off-centered the flowers. Most other people put it right in the middle," she said. "I looked at a picture in the beginning, but not while I was drawing or coloring it." Scotts Miracle-Gro sponsored the contest, and company officials said they were pleased with the turnout.” And there's just one more story that I wanted to share with you. About the Iowa state flower, the wild rose. In 1897, Major Samuel H. M. Byers from Oskaloosa, Iowa, had worked behind the scenes with Senator Mitchell to make sure the legislation for the Wild Rose was passed. Major Byers was remembered for his Civil War service. While he was held prisoner in Columbia, South Carolina, he wrote the words to the famous song Sherman’s March to the Sea. But in better times, Byers also wrote a poem called “Song of Iowa” that became the lyrics to the Iowa State Song, The Rose of Iowa. Hast thou seen the wild rose of the West,  Thou sweetest child of morn?  Its feet the dewy fields have pressed,  Its breath is on the corn. The gladsome prairie rolls and sweeps,  Like billows to the sea,  While on its breast, the red rose keeps  The white rose company. The wild, wild rose, whose fragrance dear  To every breeze is hung,  Tho same wild rose that blossomed here  When Iowa was young. Oh, sons of heroes, ever wear  The wild rose on your shield;  No other flower is half so fair  In love's immortal field. Let others sing of mountain snows,  Or palms beside the sea, The State whose emblem is the rose  Is the fairest far to me.   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

I suspect that you each have several mail-order bulb catalogs on hand, and also that each catalog devotes page after page to gorgeous photos of Narcissus and tulips, often right up front. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of... Read More ›

I suspect that you each have several mail-order bulb catalogs on hand, and also that each catalog devotes page after page to gorgeous photos of Narcissus and tulips, often right up front. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of... Read More ›

Welcome to another edition of the Garden Basics podcast, once again with the subtitle, "I didn’t know that!" College Horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower tackles the question, is it better to fertilize your plants in the morning or the evening? Or does it matter? Debbie points out…it depends on the temperature. It’s not celery, it’s not a lettuce you'd recognize, it’s Celtuce! Also called stem lettuce, asparagus lettuce or Chinese lettuce, Celtuce is popular in upscale restaurants for its crispy, flavorful stems and leaves. And now is the time to be growing it. We get all the basics about growing Celtuce on today’s show, from Matt Mattus, author of the book, "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening: Rare Varieties, Unusual Options, Plant Lore and Guidance"It’s harvest season for many popular backyard garden fruits and vegetables. But do you know the ideal time for harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, eggplants and more? And, once you take them in the house, do you know where to store them? It’s probably not the refrigerator. Also, here's a link on how to store your backyard fruits as well as more vegetables.We learn something new, every time, on Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. And we will do it again today in Episode 36, and we will do it in under 30 minutes! Let’s go.More episodes and info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004629.Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. It's available wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe and leave a comment or rating at Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.Got a garden question? Call and leave a question, or text us the question: 916-292-8964. E-mail: fred@farmerfred.com or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local.All About Farmer Fred:Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.comDaily Garden tips and snark on TwitterThe Farmer Fred Rant! BlogFacebook: "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"Instagram: farmerfredhoffmanFarmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

Bees are one of the best pollinators to have flying around your food garden. It’s been said that bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food you eat. Today, we take attracting bees to your garden one step further: how about raising your own hive of honeybees? We talk with one of the world’s foremost bee authorities, Dr. Norman Gary, on how you can become a successful backyard beekeeper. He is the author of the book, "The Honeybee Hobbyist."Maybe you just want to attract bees to your yard to help pollinate your food garden. Here's a list of plants for California that attracts bees. And for the entire country, check out this very informative bee website for even more plants.Are you familiar with parsnips? This tasty, nutritious root crop matures in cold weather but needs to get planted soon for harvest after the frost season begins. We talk parsnips with a big fan of this carrot relative, Matt Mattus, author of the book, “Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening”.Matt mentions his favorite parsnip variety, Gladiator. Find it at Renee's Garden seed company.Gardening takes patience. Lots of patience. Years of patience. That’s the crux of a popular saying among nursery employees about growing plants…sleep, creep, leap. College Horticulture professor (retired) Debbie Flower will explain.We’re buzzing with great garden information on this, episode 30 of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004629.Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. It's available wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe and leave a comment or rating at Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.Got a garden question? Call and leave a question, or text us the question: 916-292-8964. E-mail: fred@farmerfred.com or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local.All About Farmer Fred:Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.comDaily Garden tips and snark on TwitterThe Farmer Fred Rant! BlogFacebook: "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"Instagram: farmerfredhoffmanFarmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener Radio Show from March – Oct weekly Heard on Joy 1340 AM & 98.7 FM Milwaukee, WI Saturday mornings 7-8 AM CST http://player.listenlive.co/41841 Heard on WAAM 1600 AM & 92.7 FM Ann Arbor, MI Sundays 7-8 AM EST https://tinyurl.com/p68cvft Heard on KDIZ 1570 AM Minneapolis, MN Saturdays 4-5 PM and replay Sundays 2-3 PM CST http://player.listenlive.co/57071 Heard on KFEQ 680 AM at 107.9 FM St. Joseph/Kansas City, MO Sundays 10-11 AM CST http://www.680kfeq.com/live-stream/ Heard on WRMN 1410 AM & 96.7 FM Elgin/Chicago, IL Sundays Noon-1 PM CST https://www.wrmn1410.com/ Heard on KYAH 540 AM Delta/Salt Lake City, UT Saturdays 1-2 PM MST Reply Sundays 9-10 PM MST https://www.yahradio540.com/listen-live/ Heard on KMET 1490 AM & 98.1 FM Banning, CA Tuesdays 9 - 10 AM PST April – Oct https://www.kmet1490am.com/ Heard on WCRN 830 AM Westborough/Boston, MA Saturdays 10-11 AM EST https://tunein.com/radio/WCRN-AM-830-Full-Service-Radio-s1112/ Heard on WOGO 680 AM & 103.1 FM Chippewa Falls, WI Sundays 9-10 AM CST https://www.christiannetcast.com/listen/player.asp?station=wogo-am Check out https://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/ Email your questions to Gardentalkradio@gmail.com Or call 24/7 leave your question at 1-800 927-SHOW Matt Mattus is a gardener, blogger, and author with a lifelong passion for horticulture. http://www.growingwithplants.com/ 1. where did your love of gardening come from? 2. In your new book - Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening - what is one of the biggest mistakes a new flower gardener makes? 3. In your book - Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening - you cover a lot of the common vegetables that many gardeners grow, in your opinion, what would you say is the most foolproof ? what is the most challenging? 4. was there a commonly grown vegetable you had trouble growing, but was able to after learning more or trying different techniques - what is it and what helped you? 5. where can we find out more about you? Check out the companies that make the show possible Power Planter of www.powerplanter.com Proplugger of www.proplugger.com World's coolest rain gauge www.worldscoolestraingauge.com Rootmaker of www.rootmaker.com Us coupon code TWVG at checkout and save 10% of your order Tomato snaps of www.tomatosnaps.com Chapin Manufacturing Inc. of www.chapinmfg.com Pomona pectin of www.pomonapectin.com Iv organics of www.ivorganics.com Dr. JimZ of www.drjimz.com Seed Savers Exchange of www.seedsavers.org Waterhoop of www.waterhoop.com Green Gobbler of www.greengobbler.com Nessalla koombucha of www.nessalla.com MI Green House LLC of www.migreenhouse.com Spartan mosquito of www.spartanmosquito.com Phyllom BioProducts of www.phyllombioproducts.com Happy leaf led of www.happyleafled.com Neptunes harvest of www.neptunesharvest.com Dripworks of www.dripworks.com We Grow Indoors of www.wegrowindoors.com Harvestmore of www.harvest-more.com Deer defeat www.deerdefeat.com Blue ribbon organics www.blueribbonorganics.com Bluemel's garden & landscape center www.bluemels.com Milwaukee,WI official garden center of the show Wisconsin Greenhouse company of https://wisconsingreenhousecompany.com/ Chip Drop of https://getchipdrop.com/?ref=wisconsinvegetable Tree-Ripe Fruit Co of https://www.tree-ripe.com/

The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener Radio Show from March – Oct weekly Heard on Joy 1340 AM & 98.7 FM Milwaukee, WI Saturday mornings 7-8 AM CST http://player.listenlive.co/41841 Heard on WAAM 1600 AM & 92.7 FM Ann Arbor, MI Sundays 7-8 AM EST https://tinyurl.com/p68cvft Heard on KDIZ 1570 AM Minneapolis, MN Saturdays 4-5 PM and replay Sundays 2-3 PM CST http://player.listenlive.co/57071 Heard on KFEQ 680 AM at 107.9 FM St. Joseph/Kansas City, MO Sundays 10-11 AM CST http://www.680kfeq.com/live-stream/ Heard on WRMN 1410 AM & 96.7 FM Elgin/Chicago, IL Sundays Noon-1 PM CST https://www.wrmn1410.com/ Heard on KYAH 540 AM Delta/Salt Lake City, UT Saturdays 1-2 PM MST Reply Sundays 9-10 PM MST https://www.yahradio540.com/listen-live/ Heard on KMET 1490 AM & 98.1 FM Banning, CA Tuesdays 9 - 10 AM PST April – Oct https://www.kmet1490am.com/ Heard on WCRN 830 AM Westborough/Boston, MA Saturdays 10-11 AM EST https://tunein.com/radio/WCRN-AM-830-Full-Service-Radio-s1112/ Heard on WOGO 680 AM & 103.1 FM Chippewa Falls, WI Sundays 9-10 AM CST https://www.christiannetcast.com/listen/player.asp?station=wogo-am Check out https://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/ Email your questions to Gardentalkradio@gmail.com Or call 24/7 leave your question at 1-800 927-SHOW In segment one: Joey and Holly talk about Vegetables you can grow in partial shade Partial Shade: Partial shade or partial sun both refer to areas that obtain 3-6 hours of sun each day. Partial sun areas receive 3-6 hours of direct sunlight but are shaded the rest of the day. Partial shaded spaces are moderately shaded during part of the day or receive filtered or dappled sunlight all day. Dappled sunlight is where the light is filtered through the leaves of trees. And not as large as full sun in most cases Arugula Asparagus Beets Bok Choi Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chinese Cabbage Garlic Green beans bush are iffy Horseradish Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Mizuna Mustard Greens Parsnip Peas Potatoes Radish Rhubarb Scallions Spinach Swiss Chard Tatsoi Turnip Rutabaga In segment two Joey and Holly talk about What to know before buying plants from your garden center Things to be aware of when buying plants from your local garden center or nursery (we will reference Bluemel’s) 1. Not every plant they sell can be planted outside in your area year round – tropicals, other zones, citrus, etc 2. If it doesn’t look healthy doesn’t mean you can make it healthy – look for signs of disease 3. We recommend go to an independent garden center vs a garden department at a big box store 4. Don’t be afraid to talk to the staff and ask questions – they are there to help – google may not give you everything you need to know 5. Don’t buy vegetables in full bloom 6. Look at all your options – they may have a variety that will work better for you than what you went in for 7. garden center that values and promotes education 8. Determine what you will do with said plant before you buy it – don’t buy just because you might have a spot for it -Pay attention to the quality of employees you see as it reflects a lot about the business itself. If the employees seem to not care, neither does the management. -Do not be shocked if you see a plant or two with bugs or signs of a disease. ALL garden centers (even the good ones) have to battle these issues and it is hard to be perfect when you are maintaining thousands of plants! Shop with caution, but stay away from garden centers where majority of their inventory seems infected. -Don’t be afraid to offer your suggestions and input. Garden centers with solid management will appreciate hearing from their customers. Tell them what you like/dislike. Don’t forget to compliment as well! -If you purchase a plant and then experience issues- notify the garden center as soon as you see any signs of plant distress. 9 out of 10 times a good garden center will be able to address and solve the problem. Don’t let the problem persist as your issue may then progress to the point of being un-reversable. In segment three Joey and Holly welcome their guest author Matt Mattus from http://www.growingwithplants.com/p/content-creation.html Matt Mattus is a gardener, blogger, and author with a lifelong passion for horticulture. http://www.growingwithplants.com/ 1. where did your love of gardening come from? 2. In your new book - Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening - what is one of the biggest mistakes a new flower gardener makes? 3. In your book - Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening - you cover a lot of the common vegetables that many gardeners grow, in your opinion, what would you say is the most foolproof ? what is the most challenging? 4. was there a commonly grown vegetable you had trouble growing, but was able to after learning more or trying different techniques - what is it and what helped you? 5. where can we find out more about you? In segment four Joey and Holly answer Garden questions Note Giveaway: Open to listener 18 years and older and living the contagious united states this give away ends Thursday April 23rd 9 am cst winner will be notified via email on Thursday April 23rd and will have 7 days to reply to claim their price for detail got to the Wisconsin vegetable gardener .com and click on the giveaway tab at the top of the page question. The question is Is a green pepper technaily a ripe pepper? True or fales email you answer to Gardentalkradio@gmail.com with your name and the answer and the drawing will be later this week and you will be notified if you won via email. gallon of Neptunes Harvest fertilizer a $150 dollar value Filler in Fertilizer Q: what the inert material/filler use in npk fertilizer? A: Sand and granular limestone are popular fillers because they are inexpensive and make distribution of the fertilizer easier without adversely affecting your lawn or garden. Burlap Sacks Q:. I work at a roaster and I am planning to grow in the burlap sacks this year as you show in one of your videos. I’m wondering if you had any trouble with pests eating the bags? I’m also curious if the bags held up for the whole season ? Fantastic video, and super inspiring. A:We did not have any issues with pest for two main reason, one we kept the soil moist so no mice or rate problems and two we kept the grass cut around the bags to have less chance of bugs getting on the plant and hurting it. The bags we doubled them up 2 bags per plant they did last the season however the bottoms to rot out of them but it does not hurt the growth of the plants Bone Meal Blood Meal Q:What is the difference between bone meal and blood meal thank you A: Blood meal is dried and powdered animal blood; it increases soil nitrogen levels. Bone meal is ground animal bones; it increases soil calcium and phosphorus levels. How much to water Q:I had trouble figuring out how much to water my germinated baby lettuce, any input. A:the safe answer is keep the soil like a damp sponge if you poke your finger in the soil and it feels damps you are good. If it has not came up yes cover the soil with a sheet of paper towel to hold the moisture in the soil Acidic soil Q:Do blackberries need acidic soil? A:they do not they will grow in normal potting soil or compost native soil without any issue Weeds seeds in straw Q:Hi, I listened to you at the WI Garden Expo in Madison. Just downloaded your podcasts. You talked about mulching your raised beds. Do you use straw? What kind and where should I get the straw? How do I know that it is not full of weeds? A:When mulching our raised bed we will use several item. One will be leaves from that we have piled up in our garden from last year. The 2nd will be dry chemical free and seed from grass clippings. and yes straw we get our garden center. straw is the stalk of the wheat and his baled with little grass or weed seeds in them. we have never seen any major weed issues will the straw we have gotten. The other thing you can do is ask as the garden center if they have had anyone complain about weed seeds in the bales. What to feed Swiss Chard Q:what fertilizer would you add to Swiss chard once it starts growing big? A:Chicken Soup For The Soil® also known as “the perfect fertilizer” contains all the nutrients the plants need. It comes in a liquid concentrate and will make up to 128 gallons! https://drjimz.com/ Planting Garlic an onions from the Kitchen Q:I stuck some of my store bought garlic that grew out of hand in my raised bed a couple weeks ago figuring what’s the worst that could happen. Same with some onions that were growing in the back of the fridge! We will see if they produce anything by this fall. Would you have any experience with either of these scenarios? A:Yes the store bought garlic you may get small bulbs as it being store bought it is a generic variety and is unknown where it may have come from. Second you will get small bulbs because garlic needs cold hours to form and bulb correctly garlic is best planted in the fall we found our spring planted garlic was about 80% smaller than the fall planted. With the onions you will only get greens and seeds, now onions fall into 3 grouping long day in the north, mid day in the middle parts of the U.S and short day in the south. If the variety is unknown you can still eat the onions greens as the plant grows this year the bulb will get smaller as it is the 2nd year and it puts on seeds in the second year.With those seeds if the type is unknown then replanting seeds next year will not be worth the time as you do now know what you have as a short day onion will grow in the north but not bulb and save as a long day in the south. Early Blight Q: Can you recommend a “Yellow whole grain corn mill”. For using to control early blight on tomatoes. I have almost completely stopped growing tomatoes because of early blight. I have tried only early watering, trimming lower leaves and growing them 8 ft tall with guided fences and sucker pruning, but I have not been able to get any real strong fruiting. No more than 3-5 lb a plant. A: A yellow-corn-meal- any brand will work as long as it is whole grain and yellow. Apply one hand full at the time of planting around each tomato that has a good bacteria called trichoderma that fights the early blight that is in all soil. Now based on your description it sounds like you have great plants but little fruit, that is telling me you may have a surplus of Nitrogen in your soil causing the plants to grow large but not fruit much. to much Nitrogen will lock out other elements in the soil preventing the plant from growing fruit I would get a soil test and see where your level are at and start from there Check out the companies that make the show possible Power Planter of www.powerplanter.com Proplugger of www.proplugger.com World's coolest rain gauge www.worldscoolestraingauge.com Rootmaker of www.rootmaker.com Us coupon code TWVG at checkout and save 10% of your order Tomato snaps of www.tomatosnaps.com Chapin Manufacturing Inc. of www.chapinmfg.com Pomona pectin of www.pomonapectin.com Iv organics of www.ivorganics.com Dr. JimZ of www.drjimz.com Seed Savers Exchange of www.seedsavers.org Waterhoop of www.waterhoop.com Green Gobbler of www.greengobbler.com Nessalla koombucha of www.nessalla.com MI Green House LLC of www.migreenhouse.com Spartan mosquito of www.spartanmosquito.com Phyllom BioProducts of www.phyllombioproducts.com Happy leaf led of www.happyleafled.com Neptunes harvest of www.neptunesharvest.com Dripworks of www.dripworks.com We Grow Indoors of www.wegrowindoors.com Harvestmore of www.harvest-more.com Deer defeat www.deerdefeat.com Blue ribbon organics www.blueribbonorganics.com Bluemel's garden & landscape center www.bluemels.com Milwaukee,WI official garden center of the show Wisconsin Greenhouse company of https://wisconsingreenhousecompany.com/ Chip Drop of https://getchipdrop.com/?ref=wisconsinvegetable Tree-Ripe Fruit Co of https://www.tree-ripe.com/

Dee and Carol talk about growing Alyssum, how to care for your seedlings, and how to take care of your gardening tools.A few links!Proven Winners varieties of AlyssumLady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterA cooperative extension article on seedling care.On the Bookshelf: Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening by Matt Mattus.Email us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com and look for us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and now Pinterest.For 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!)

Links of interestsFlowers:Nasturtium ‘Baby Rose' from Park Seed Nasturtium 'Empress of India' from Renee's Garden Seeds.Other Nasturtiums from Botanical Interests Previous episode where we talk about violas and pansies. Veggies:  Upland Cress from  Johnny's Selected Seeds. Corn Salad or Mache  from Botanical Interests Seeds.  Arugula or rocket from Botanical Interests Seeds  Mesclun from Botanical Interests Seeds On the Bookshelf:  Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening, by Matt Mattus  Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening, by Matt Mattus Dirt: CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.  Volunteers register their location and then record daily rainfall totals on the CoCoRaHS website. Rain gauge from Weather Your Way Email us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com and look for us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and now Pinterest.For 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!)

From his "Growing with Plants” blog to his first book "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Growing”, which he researched, photographed and wrote – plantsman Matt Mattus is inspiring. He joins us this week on Cultivating Place to share more on the different twists, turns and fertile offshoots of his plant journey. We talk about his first book AND get some hints about his new book coming out soon on unusual selections for the flower garden too. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you so much for listening over the years and we hope you'll support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow even more of these types of conversations. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher. To read more and for many more photos please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

If, over the course of the summer, you found yourself driving down the road and spying a little electric blue blossom by the side of the road; chances are, you are looking at chicory. Listener Danny Perkins shared a post at the end of August sharing beautiful photos of chicory. A few years ago, I used to drive the boys into St. Paul for basketball camp and when I pulled off the free way, there it was. Chicory. Impossibly growing in between cracks in the cement along the sidewalk. I went straight to my Mac when I got home and order seeds on the spot.  The blue of chicory is positively luminescent. The plant is where chicory coffee and tea come from. Listener Diane Lydic posted this: "My father use to pick it on his way home from work. He made a map of all the patches so he could remember for next year. Delicious with olive oil and vinegar with hard boiled eggs. Always a treat!" Diane's father is a man after my own heart. Anyone who makes a map of roadside patches of precious plants is a friend in my book!     Brevities #OTD  Today is the anniversary of the death of Rudolph Jacob Camerarius the botanist who demonstrated the existence of sexes in plants. He died in 1721. Camerarius was born in Germany. He was a professor of natural philosophy. He identified and defined the male parts of the flower as the anther and he did the same for the female part; the pistol. And, he figured out that pollen made production possible. His work was recorded for the ages in a letter he wrote to a peer in 1694 called On the sex of plants.   #OTD  Today is the anniversary of the death of the Spanish priest, botanist, physician, and naturalist José Celestino Mutis who spent almost 50 years in Columbia where he is regarded as a national treasure for his scientific work. In the 18th century, Columbia and the area around it was known as New Granada. Given his lifetime spent in Granada, Mutis was able to leave a lasting legacy. He created an impressive library complete with thousands of books on botany and the natural world. He also built a herbarium with over 24,000 species. Only Joseph Banks had a herbarium that rivaled Mutis; and Banks had more resources and more support from the English government. Mutis approached the job of documenting the flora of Granada in a very unique way; he accomplished his mission by enlisting others. During his time in Granada, Mutis worked with over 40 local Creole artists. He recruited them and trained them. He brought them to a studio where they could work all day long in silence. In short, Mutis set up a botanical production machine that was unsurpassed in terms of the output and the level of excellence for the times. At one point, Mutis had up to twenty artisans working all at one time. One artist would work on the plant habit while another would work on specific aspects or features. The Mutis machine created over 6,500 pieces of art; botanical sketches and watercolors painted with pigments made from local dyes which heightened their realism. On the top of the Mutis bucket-list was the dream of a Flora of Bogata. Sadly it never happened. Mutis died in Granada in 1808. Eight years later, the King of Spain ordered all of the output from the Mutis expedition to be shipped back home. All the work created by the Creole artisans and the entire herbarium were packed into 105 shipping crates and sent to Spain where they sat and sat and sat and waited... until 1952 when a handful were used in a large folio series. Then the Mutis collection waited another 60 years until 2010 when they were finally  exhibited at Kew. Today, the thousands of pieces that make up the Mutis collection are housed at the Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain. The pieces are large - mostly folio size - and since they haven't really seen much daylight over the past two centuries, they are in immaculate condition.     #OTD   Today is the birthday of the Harvard and Smithsonian botanist, taxonomist and plant collector Lyman Bradford Smith who was born on this day in 1904. Smith was homeschooled by his mother, but it was his mother's Aunt Cora that nurtured his love of horticulture. He went to college and pursued botany at Harvard where he found another passion: wrestling. Smith continued wrestling into his 60's. When he started his Ph.D. he attempted to focus on grasses. But that work required the use of a microscope and Smith didn't have good eye sight. It was the botanist Ivan Murray Johnston who encouraged Smith to choose Bromeliaceae because they didn't require so much microscope time.   When he married his wife in 1929, their honeymoon was a tour of European herberia. When he returned home, Smith worked at the Asa Gray herbarium at Harvard. All through the Depression, Smith rode his bike to and from the Gray; 14 miles round trip.    Smith began focusing on four Brazilian plant families Bromeliaceae, Begoniaceae, Velloziaceae, and Xyridaceae early in his career. Despite discouragement from older academics who felt the topic of North American Bromeliaceae was too broad for a new taxonomist, Smith proceeded anyway. His work ethic surpassed most of his peers. He was known for saying, "Press it and I'll identify it." Smith was a publishing master. He wrote extensively on his signature genera. Much of what is known about bromelaids is thanks to Lyman Bradford Smith. It is his lasting legacy. Today, twenty-one bromelaids are named in Smith's honor.   1947 brought big changes to the Smith family after an offer from the Smithsonian to be the curator of South American Plants. It was an offer that was too good to refuse - better pay, the chance to travel, and more stability. Yet, Lyman brought the same work ethic and habits to the Smithsonian - riding his bike to the Smithsonian Castle every day until his seventies. When Lyman arrived the Smithsonian he hired Alice Tangerini to be an illustrator - it's a position she still holds.        Unearthed Words All week long The Daily Gardener is sharing quotes from the author Beverley Nichols. Today I'm sharing some excerpts from his fabulous book Merry Hall. Merry Hall was part of Nichol's later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956. It shares Nichols's highs and lows of renovating Merry Hall, a Georgian manor house in Surrey. Nichols lived here for ten years from 1946 to 1956. Here are two excerpts from Merry Hall: “...If you are picking a bunch of mixed flowers, and if you happen to see, over in a corner, a small, sad, neglected-looking pink or peony that is all by itself and has obviously never had a chance in life, you have not the heart to pass it by, to leave it to mourn alone, while the night comes on. You have to go back and pick it, very carefully, and put it in the centre of the bunch among its fair companions, in the place of honor.” “Long experience has taught me that people who do not like geraniums have something morally unsound about them. Sooner or later you will find them out; you will discover that they drink, or steal books, or speak sharply to cats. Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums.”       Today's book recommendation: Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening by Matt Mattus When I first saw the book Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening, I knew it would be amazing. Mattus is a conscious competent in the world of vegetables and his advice along with the images will make even an ornamental gardener want to grow these beautiful, common to unusual, great-tasting vegetables. Mattus will appeal to new gardeners who need a master to teach them the basics. But he'll also appeal to seasoned growers who are looking for more complex techniques or higher level insight. Mattus writes with a personable, helpful voice. He's funny and he shares great stories as well. This book could only come from someone like Matt who has grown each vegetable himself and truly loves gardening.         Today's Garden Chore Prepare your cold frames, shed, and greenhouse in preparation for fall if you haven't already. Autumn sowing and growing time for late autumn greens, radishes and other shoulder-season crops is right now.      Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart September's birthday flower is the aster.  Asters offer that happy yellow face encircled with rayed petals. Asters are part of the sunflower or daisy family. The Aster is named from the Greek word for star. In the 'Language of Flowers', reflecting the changing season, it signifies 'farewell'. Farewell to the lazy days of summer, to swimming pools and picnics, and farewell to the summer harvest. There was a little anonymous poem about September and asters printed in The Bluff CIty Newsout of Kansas in 1903. Here's what it said: "September's fields are golden. Her skies are azure fair. And In her beauty holden Are gifts beyond compare. Who longs for May-time blossoms? Who cares for roses sweet? When all September's asters Are flowering at our feet."   Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Growing celtuce, with garden author Matt Mattus. Dutchman's pipe vine to attract swallowtail butterflies. Growing blueberries. Squash Varieties. Garden Grappler

Growing celtuce, with garden author Matt Mattus. Dutchman’s pipe vine to attract swallowtail butterflies. Growing blueberries. Squash Varieties. Garden Grappler

I realize you are very excited to get going in your own garden. But don't forget to schedule some time this spring to visit other gardens. The gardens of friends, neighbors, or public gardens can provide you with inspiration and teach you something new - even when you didn't think you'd learn anything. #BTW This entire week, April 27-May 4, is Historic Garden Week at Monticello ("MontiCHELLo”) in Virginia . If you visit today, April 30, you can learn more about their flower and vegetable gardens.      Brevities   It's National Raisin Day.  California is the biggest supplier of the sun-dried grapes. The California Associated Raisin Company (later known as Sun-Maid) was created with the idea for an ingenious co-op and the credit for this novel approach went to vineyardist, oilman, and attorney Henry H. Welsh. Welsh came up with the idea for a three-year grower contract, subject to a two-year renewal, binding the raisin grower to deliver all of his crop for a guaranteed price.  Naturally low in fat, raisins contain healthy nutrients... unless you're eating the yogurt- or chocolate-covered raisins. In their natural state, they are good for humans, but not for dogs. Small quantities of grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs.     #OTD On this dayin 1789, Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States.   A gardening President, George Washington oversaw all aspects of the land at Mount Vernon.   Washington had a personal copy of Batty Langley'sNew Principles of Gardening. Inspired by the 18th century author, Washington adopted a less formal, more naturalistic style for his gardens and he supervised a complete and total redesign of his Mount Vernon.   On Mount Vernon's website, they review in detail the four gardens that make up Washington's landscape: the upper (formal) garden, the lower (kitchen) garden, the botanical (personal or experimental) garden, and the fruit garden and nursery.      #OTD On this day in 1873, bryologist William Starling Sullivant died. Sullivant was born to the founding family of Franklinton, Ohio. His father, Lucas, was a surveyor and had named the town in honor of the recently deceased Benjamin Franklin. The settlement would become Columbus.  In 1823, William Sullivant graduated from Yale College, his father would die in August of that same year.  Sullivant took over his father's surveying business, and at the age of thirty, he began to study and catalog the plant life in Central Ohio.  In 1840, he published his flora and then he started to hone in on his calling: mosses. Bryology is the study of mosses. The root, bryōs is a Greek verb meaning to swell. It's etymology of the word embryo. Bryology will be easier to remember if you think of the ability of moss to swell as it takes on water.  As a distinguished bryologist, Sullivant not only studied and cataloged various mosses from across the United States, but also from as far away as Central America, South America, and from various islands in the Pacific Ocean.  Mosses suited Sullivant's strengths; requiring patience and close observation, scrupulous accuracy, and discrimination. His first work, Musci Alleghanienses, was: "exquisitely prepared and mounted, and with letterpress of great perfection; ... It was not put on sale, but fifty copies were distributed with a free hand among bryologists and others who would appreciate it." In 1864, Sullivant published his magnum opus,Icones Muscorum. With 129 truly excellent illustrations and descriptions of the mosses indigenous to eastern North America, Icones Muscorumfixed Sulivant's reputation as the pre-eminent American bryologist of his time. In 1873, Sullivant contracted pneumonia - ironically, an illness where your lungs fill or swell with fluid - and he died on April 30, 1873.  During the last four decades of his life, Sullivant exchanged letters with Asa Gray. It's no wonder, then, that he left his herbarium of some 18,000 moss specimens to Gray's beloved Harvard University.  When Gray summoned his curator at Cambridge, Leo Lesquereux, to help Sullivant, he wrote to botanist John Torrey: "They will do up bryology at a great rate. Lesquereux says that the collection and library of Sullivant in muscology are magnifique, superbe,and the best he ever saw.'"   On December 6, 1857, Gray wrote to Hooker, "A noble fellow is [William Starling] Sullivant, and deserves all you say of him and his works. The more you get to know of him, the better you will like him."   In 1877, four years after Sullivant's death, Asa Gray wrote to Charles Darwin. Gray shared that Sullivant was his "dear old friend" and that, "[Sullivant] did for muscology in this country more than one man is likely ever to do again."   The Sullivant Moss Society, which became the American Bryological and Lichenological Society, was founded in 1898 and was named for William Starling Sullivant.     #OTD On this day in 1943, the noted botanist who became president of Huguenot College in South Africa and founded of the South African Association of University Women; Bertha Stoneman died. Born on a farm near Jamestown, New York, the Stoneman family had many notable achievements. Her aunt, Kate Stoneman, was the first woman admitted to the New York State bar, another aunt became the first policewoman in Buffalo, and her uncle George Stoneman, who was a general in the American Civil War, became the 15th governor of California. (Ronald Reagan being the 33rd, and Arnold Schwarzenegger being the 38th.)   Bertha Stoneman completed her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in botany at Cornell University in 1894 and 1896, respectively. She jumped at the chance to lead the botany department at Huguenot College, a women's college in Wellington, South Africa. More precisely, Huguenot College was the only woman's college on the African continent. Later she would recall,   "It was the courtesy, culture and hospitality of  certain Africans that held me... there."   The college called on Stoneman to not only teach botany; but also zoology, mathematics, logic, ethics and psychology.   Stoneman's textbook, Plants and their Ways in South Africa(1906), an instant classic, was widely assigned as a textbook in South African schools for several decades.   Surrounded by the new and exciting flora of South Africa, Stoneman set about building a herbarium for Huguenot. She either went out herself to collect specimens, or she sent others to add to the collection.   When talking to Americans during visits home, Stoneman praised South African plant life, saying: "South Africa provides 42 species of native asparagus. Why should it not be cultivated as a vegetable?  ...There are fine citrus fruits, avocado, pears, figs, mangoes, and paw-paws... You need not seek employment.  Employ yourself. Come soon, and you will be warmly and courteously welcomed." Stoneman was a wonderfully engaging teacher. As Carolize Jansen wrote in her blog, "If Bertha Stoneman were my biology teacher at school, maybe I would've considered choosing the subject for the final three years. In the opening chapter of Plants and their ways in South Africa, a 1906 textbook for school biology, her introduction ranges from the baking of bread to the Wonderboom in Pretoria, with a final encouragement regarding Latin names: ‘‘...the reader may skip any name in this book longer than Hermanuspetrusfontein.” Stoneman was good at many endeavors. Her Cornell Delta Gamma biography noted, "She entered with enthusiasm into all phases of [college] life, seeming equally at home on the hockey-field, as captain of a team, or in dramatics, writing, and coaching plays... We... are not surprised to learn that she has written many a song for Huguenot College, including its "Alma Mater."   Thanks to Google, I was able to track down the lyrics to the song - although one word had a transcription failure. I edited the text as best I could. [Tune—“ Sweet and Low."] Joyfully, joyfully, ever of thee we'll sing,  Loyally, loyally, honor to thee we’ll bring : “ Earnest for truth " shall our life’s effort be.  Time shall unite us still closer to thee, [Wisdom] from thee shall come. Lend thy beams afar. Shine, thou brilliant Star, Shine. Thou our Queen, pure, serene. Ever our hearts wilt cheer. While with thee never we  Danger or care shall fear. Knowing our sorrows, thou’lt help us to bear.  And widen rejoicing, our joys thou wilt share. Thou, our noble Queen. As we honor thee, we shall sing of thee. Praise.   Stoneman was tremendously proud of her scholars. Among her notable students was South African botanical illustrator, Olive Coates Palgrave (noted for her richly illustrated 1956 book Trees of Central Africa) and British born, South African mycologist and bacteriologist, Ethel Doidge.   Twenty-four years after arriving in South Africa, Stoneman became president of Huguenot University College. She retired twelve years later. She requested that her ashes be returned to the United States upon her death.     #OTD It's the birthday of botanist and USDA agronomistSamuel Mills Tracy, born in 1847. Born in Hartford, Vermont, Tracy's family eventually settled in Wisconsin. At the start of the Civil War , he enlisted with the Union Army, served with a branch of the Wisconsin Volunteers. After the war, he started farming; but then a year later, he decided to go to college. Tracy wound up getting a Master's from Michigan State Agricultural College.  By 1877, Tracy secured a Professor of Botany spot at the University of Missouri. A decade later, he was hired as first Director of the Mississippi Experiment Station.  Tracyis perhaps best known for his two works Flora of Missouri and The Flora of Southern United States.  Today, the Tracy Herbarium, at Texas A&M is a special part of the department of ecosystem science and management. A research plant collection with close to 325,000 specimens, it hosts the largest grass collection in Texas and across much of the southern U.S.     Unearthed Words #OTD On this day in 1827, Scottish botanist David Douglas (Sponsored by Sir William Hooker), took a break from collecting for the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow.   His was lagging behind the others in his party as he was making his way through the Athabasca Pass west of present day Jasper, Alberta, Canada. On a whim, he decided to abandon the trail and ascend the northern peak of Mount Brown in deep snow.    Here's what he recorded in his journal: After breakfast at one o’clock... I became desirous of ascending one of the peaks, and accordingly I set out alone on snowshoes ... The labour of ascending the lower part, which is covered with pines, is great beyond description, sinking on many occasions to the middle. Halfway up vegetation ceases entirely, not so much a vestige of moss or lichen on the stones. Here I found it less laborious as I walked on the hard crust. One-third from the summit it becomes a mountain of pure ice, sealed far over by Nature’s hand ... ...The ascent took me five hours; ... This peak, the highest yet known in the northern continent of America, I feel a sincere pleasure in naming Mount Brown, in honor of Robert Brown, the illustrious botanist... A little to the southward is one nearly the same height, rising into a sharper point. This I named Mount Hooker [after his sponsor, William Hooker] ..." Douglas' trip was a success; he collected over 200 new plants. Douglas was the first Englishman to bring back cones of the Sugar Pine, the Lodgepole Pine, the Ponderosa Pine, and, of course, the Douglas-fir. Within a year of his return in 1827, they would all would all be growing in English gardens and on Scottish estates. Special Note: The Douglas-fir is not a true fir, which is why it is spelled with a hyphen. Anytime you see a hyphen in the common name , you know it's not a true member of the genus.   Book Recommendation   Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening: Rare Varieties - Unusual Options - Plant Lore & Guidance – by Matt Mattus Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening is your "201" level course in cultivating produce. Expand your knowledge base and discover options that go beyond the ordinary! Prepare to encounter new varieties of common plant species, learn their history and benefits, and, most of all, identify fascinating new edibles to grow in your own gardens. Written by gardening expert Matt Mattus, Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening offers a wealth of new and exciting opportunities, alongside beautiful photography, lore, insight, and humor that can only come from someone who has grown each vegetable himself and truly loves gardening.       Today's Garden Chore Diversify your tulip plantings for next Spring: If you garden south of zone 7, try Tulip Turkestanica.   You'll find a sudden soft spot for the early blooming, sweet little-faced tulips. Not your typical tulip, this is a species tulip. Species tulips are the most perennial of all tulips. They are petite, long-lived beauties, ideal for rock gardens, or the front of borders. They are adorable in containers and must be protected from freezing north of zone 7. Like daffs, they look amazing planted right in the grass. Such pretty little blooms!       Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart   When I was researching Mount Vernon, I was struck by Washington's intentions and methods.   He was naturally curious and wanted to see what plants would be able to survive in the harsh climate of Virginia.   Of his four gardens, Washington referred often to his favorite of the four gardens, the botanical garden, during his lifetime. He called it "the little garden by the salt house," or rather fondly, his "little garden." Washington used the botanical garden as his trial garden; testing alfalfa and oats which, he happily surmised correctly, would increase the productivity of his fields.     Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Looking for spring blooming trees that won't overwhelm a small landscape? We talk with arborist Jeff Gravish of Boething Treeland Farms about good choices. Garden author Matt Mattus on planting unusual edibles, such as celtuce. Garden Grappler.

What are all those trees blossoms this time of year? Arborist Jeff Gravish of Boething Treeland Farms talks about the most common spring blooming trees, and which ones will fit best in small landscapes. Matt Mattus, author of "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening", talks about growing parsnips. Upcoming garden events.

Looking for spring blooming trees that won't overwhelm a small landscape? We talk with arborist Jeff Gravish of Boething Treeland Farms about good choices. Garden author Matt Mattus on planting unusual edibles, such as celtuce. Garden Grappler.

Consulting arborist Roger Snell has tips for trees with problems during winter. "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening" with garden author Matt Mattus. Garden Grappler.

Consulting arborist Roger Snell has tips for trees with problems during winter. "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening" with garden author Matt Mattus. Garden Grappler.

Fierce winter and soggy soils will see trees tumbling. Consulting aborist Roger Snell has tips for trees with problems during winter. "Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening" with garden author Matt Mattus. Upcoming garden events.