Plant of the Week:
The Galanthus
How I wish I had drifts of Galanthus like this in my garden— every spring I want more and every fall, I fall for later, splashier bulbs. Of course, it might help to let my tiny patches settle in and expand instead of dividing them almost to their peril every spring.
Gardening = patience (or many dollars).
At least I have not succumbed to the temptations of being a Galanthophile (a collector). It is possible that Mr. Brownlee published this book to help support his habit.
Artist Karen Blair
You heard me mention my friend Karen Blair on the pod. Karen is a local Charlottesville artist who sponsors Into the Garden with Leslie
Have a look at what Karen can do— she worked with one of my listeners, Anne Brooks Rudzki, of Capital Roots Containers, and created this beautiful commission of Anne Brook’s garden.
Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener and Compost Tea (etc)
She is not only ever hopeful; she is enthusiastic.
If you don’t follow Amanda @TheEverHopefulGardener on Instagram, you should. One of the many reasons I like to is her humor, but she also makes me think— with her ideas, strategies, hacks, experimentation and the science that she employs.
She is a good and active gardener, and she shares what she does in an honest way that also occasionally happens to be hilarious.
She also has a very useful blog where she talks the talk AND walks the walk, showing in more detail some of the fabulous gardening ideas she has.
I had heard her talk about compost tea, and some articles that I had bumped into didn’t support using it in a way that aligned with her enthusiasm for it, so I thought we should chat about it so I could find out more.
It was great to hear what she had to say. Some articles I had found didn’t advocate compost tea for preventing disease. But apparently there is good evidence for it helping to build microbial activity in your soil, and quickly!
Here’s her YouTube describing how to make compost tea, which I clearly should have watched before I did my silly dabbling.
Other topics in our fun convo included composting in general, starting semi-hardy flower in fall for robust flowers in spring, the Monarch Messengers (an Instagram group of Monarch enthusiasts), how to attract monarchs to your garden, peat free products, soil blocking, and… I bet there was more, but you will just have to listen to the podcast.
Coffee Time!
Please consider supporting Into the Garden with Leslie by buying me a cup of coffee.
OR! Becoming a member of I’m into the Garden too!
I will send you some LH Gardens gear if you become a member!
The Play List
I spent a lot of time talking about the above 4 speakers in this week’s episode. They gave fabulous talks at the Piedmont Landscape Association’s Seminar at the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville. I hung out with all the great gardeners from Abigail Gardens that day at the seminar, and an added bonus was that they made me feel much cooler an younger for the entire day.
Here are some links to find out more about the speakers…
Writer, lecturer, designer Cole Burrell
Mirabilis longiflora (sweet marvel of Peru) on the Monticello site.
Thomas Rainer (and I am so sorry that at recording time I thought his last name was Rainier, oops) and Planting in a Post Wild World, co-authored with Claudia West.
Some of the design’s from Phyto Studios, Thomas Rainer’s design firm. See how the spaces mimic the best of nature.
Next Episode:
Is it possible to have your landscaping crew use electric gear?
YES says Dos Amigos
I talk with owner Matt Berry about the big change and all the benefits and challenges of bringing clean, quiet gear into the fold.
