Show Notes

We share a lot of information and ideas on Gardening Simplified – here, you’ll find a digest of each show where you can explore the topics we discuss further.

Several pink sail-shaped sterile florets of Rose Sensation Japanese hydrangea vine.

Episode 29 – March 25, 2023

It’s finally, officially spring, and the weather’s vine! We dedicate much of today’s show to climbers and twiners, and spotlight a woody vine in the midst of an identity crisis. Stay to the end for a fascinating interview with birdman Bill Stovall, where we talk loons, cranes, bluebirds, and orioles.

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Five large specimens of Spring Grove Western arborvitae, a pyramidal evergreen, against a blue sky.

Episode 28 – March 18, 2023

Let’s talk hedges! Whether they’re evergreen or deciduous, used to screen off an ugly view or to add structure to your landscape, they’re incredibly useful. Plus, learn about a fast-growing arborvitae for hedges, growing ferns indoors, and an interview from a professional composter.

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Estrellita Little Star bouvardia has pink orange flowers with four petals, resembling little stars.

Episode 27 – March 11, 2023

Hummingbird season will soon be returning to many us in the US – learn how to welcome them with plants and feeders. We talk a hot-climate shrub that brings in hummingbirds by the score, answer questions about eco-friendly lawns. Plus, snowdrop theft and a weasel that made its way indoors.

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Shrub Madness logo in yellow and pink

Episode 26 – March 4, 2023

Spring is in the air and in the studio! Today we talk all about tomatoes, including best practices for selecting and growing. Instead of putting just one plant on trial today, we’re putting 64 plants on trial in our Shrub Madness competition. Learn what Shrub Madness is all about, how you can participate, and hear about the awesome plant prizes. We’ve talked about eating in bed, but today we talk about what people are eating in their showers.

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Yellow, red, pink and green spring foliage on Mr. Mustard sorbaria.

Episode 25 – February 25, 2023

Specimen plants are those that transform your landscape from one that merely exists to one that grabs everyone’s attention. We discuss our favorites, those that have been little more than fads, and those that have truly stood the test of time, like the oak tree that Olympic champion Cornelius Johnson planted outside his Los Angeles home. Plus, we talk spring emergence of bulbs and Mr. Mustard Ural false-spirea, answer listener questions on lilacs, and the latest on Central Park’s escaped owl, Flaco.

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A full, lush inflorescence of Scentara Double Blue lilac.

Episode 24 – February 18, 2023

It’s the fragrance show! Join us as we discuss the phenomenon of fragrance, our favorite fragrant plants (including today’s plant on trial, Scentara Double Blue lilac). Finally, we start “planning for canning” with The Canning Diva, Diane Devereaux.

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A five petalled pink flower of Happy Face Hearts potentilla, surrounded by green foliage.

Episode 23 – February 11, 2023

Whether you call them indoor plants or house plants, we’ve got the tips to keep them looking their best – although that may involve mayonnaise (seriously!). We also talk about a super cold tolerant native shrub that blooms all summer, gardening with your partner, and a California woodpecker who has been very, very busy.

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A monarch butterfly feeds on a deep red-pink flower of Miss Molly butterfly bush.

Episode 22 – February 4, 2023

Butterflies visiting your backyard is one of the true joys of gardening – learn what to plant and how to maintain your garden to make it a true haven. Plus, bees eating mushrooms to heal themselves? Yes! Hear all about it in this episode of Gardening Simplified.

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Four narrow Purple Pillar hibiscus bloom in a garden surrounded by green lawn and evergreen shrubs.

Episode 21 – January 28, 2023

It’s the bee show! Today, Rick and Stacey talk bees: honeybees, bumblebees, native bees, through the show and with special guest, beekeeper Don Snoeyink. Find out what bees eat through the season and what to plant to make your yard bee-friendly.

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Sonic Blooom Pink weigela covered in bright pink flowers in a landscape with a grey house in the distant background.

Episode 20 – January 21, 2023

Learn why plants go dormant yet animals hibernate, meet a flowering shrub that likes to sleep late on spring, plus succulent rescue after a freeze, and a harrowing video showing a man rescuing a deer with a paint can stuck on its head.

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The bright orange trumpet-shaped flowers of Chicklet Orange tecoma.

Episode 19 – January 14, 2023

Meet the 2023 Plants of the Year, learn about a new colorful new option for attracting hummingbirds, why you needn’t panic if your bulbs are emerging in January, and the antics of Elvis, the crocodile who stole a lawnmower.

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Puffer Fish panicle hydrangea covered in white flowers in a summer landscape.

Episode 18 – January 7, 2023

Moon gardens, small spaces, growing your own cut flowers: these are 2023’s garden trends! Plus, learn about Puffer Fish panicle hydrangea, whether you can really grow a mini-forest of pine trees from a pine cone, and a yellow cardinal sighting in Tennessee.

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