• Perpetual Spring and Autumn Topics
    2026/10/21
    Send us Fan MailFor more info, check out our Substack newsletter.To watch this episode on YouTube, click here. Question of the Week:How do you grow figs in the Midwest, Carol? Old Blog post: My Midwest Figs and How I Grow Them.From a listener: a question for Dee and Carol. Is there any way to kill Canadian thistle without wiping out all my landscaping? My landscaper says pre-emergent chemicals won’t work on it.Thank you for your help. Linda GranatHe’s right, pre-emergents don’t work well. Carol has used carbolic acid spray (Captain Jack’s Deadweed Brew) on hers and it knocks it back, but she still just pulls them when she sees them. Plus that is nasty stuff the kills any plant in touches so be careful!Insect of the Week:Insects that like to come inside when it gets colder: lady bugs, squash bugs, spiders, etc. What do you do about them? (Carol kills them.)“There is magic in the night when pumpkins glow by moonlight.” AnonymousFlowers:Let’s revisit the concept of Perpetual Spring as Dee plans more of her gardens.Something blooming in every season.Popularized by: Elizabeth Lawrence, Canon Henry Ellacombe, Sir Francis BaconThe basic idea is to always have something in bloom.Keep a list of what’s blooming and when.Note when you don’t have much bloomSeek out flowers that will bloom during those timesPlant those flowersFavorite winter flowers:Snowdrops (not for Dee, however)Christmas rose - Helleborus nigerReticulated irisesJapanese anemonesFall-blooming crocuses, and really early spring-flowering crocusesEarly blooming witch-hazels - often blooming in February for Carol“All plants are edible. Some only once.” — Gothic / Dark Botanical SayingVegetables:Spooky Vegetable Decor and Snacks“A pumpkin in pies we all of us prize; And surely no pumpkin a boy would affright. But a jack-lantern light is a terrible sight. And scares all the children that walk out at night. ~L. Frank Baum, Father Goose, His Book, 1899 On the Bookshelf:The Cozy Commonplace Book by Miranda Mills (Amazon, Bookshop)“When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling; When wild, ugly faces we carved on its skin, Glaring out through the dark, with a candle within...” — John Greenleaf Whittier (”The Pumpkin”)Dirt:Cutting up butternut squash. Be careful! If we looked hard enough, we could probably find statistics about how many people go to the ER after injuring themselves trying to cut a butternut squash open.“Earth knows no desolation. She smells regeneration in the moist breath of decay.” — George MeredithRabbit Holes:Dee:Carol: Latest Lost Lady of Garden Writing is Sister Rose Agnes Greenwell.Our Diaries, Ourselves: How Diarists Chronicle Their Lives and Document the World by Betsy Rubiner (Amazon, Bookshop)Purdue’s expedition to find Amelia Earhart’s plane! I won’t tell the ending, you can look online for the info.A Garden to Visit:Continuing with our cemetery theme: The Secret Life of a Cemetery by Benoît Gallot (Author), Daniel Casanave (Illustrator), Arielle Aaronson (Translator) (Amazon, Bookshop)Support the showOn Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.On YouTube.
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    45 分
  • Fall is for Refreshed Containers, Pumpkins and More
    2026/10/14

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    Dee and Carol talk about plants for fall containers, pumpkin care, a new book on houseplants, and more.

    For more info, check out our Substack newsletter

    If you’d prefer to watch us on YouTube, click here.

    Insect of the Week:

    We decided to feature milkweed bugs, and other insects you’ll find on your milkweed especially this time of year. Find out more from the Univ. of Illinois extension.

    Flowers:

    What would we put in a fall container? We have quite the list, or rather Dee does. I offered. few plants she forgot. Do you have a special fall combo for your containers? Tell us about it in the comments!

    Vegetables:

    We talked about how to care for pumpkins on the porch so they won’t rot out before Halloween. What do you do to keep your pumpkins from rotting out too early or becoming a critter’s dinner?

    Also, check out the new world record for a giant pumpkin, on Instagram

    On the Bookshelf:

    More Than Just a Plant: How to Care for Your Plants as They Care For You by Krystal Duran, Creator of PlantswithKrystal (Amazon, Bookshop). The author is on Instagram with 1.1 million followers! Thank you to Quarto for review copies.

    Dirt:

    Uranium glassware for watering? On Instagram

    Rabbit Holes:

    Dee is watching Widow’s Bay on Apple TV,

    Carol has been reading books including some that take place after World War II, including Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson and The Dancing Bear by Frances Faviell (1954).

    A Garden to Visit:

    Visit an arboretum that people are dying to get into… cemeteries! Many of them are listed as arboretums because of their beautiful trees, including Cave Hill in Louisville, Spring Grove in Cincinnati, Crown Hill in Indianapolis, etc. Is there a cemetery arboretum around you?

    Thank You!

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Hit the like button to let us know you were here!

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    46 分
  • Dig Now to Be Delighted in the Spring
    2026/10/07

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    Carol and Dee talk about what you can plant in the fall, winter squash (again) and a commonplace book.

    For more info and links, check out our Substack newsletter.

    To watch us on YouTube, click here.

    Flowers:

    What can you plant in the fall?

    Vegetables:

    We got another opinion on Winter Squash from Autumn Prairie Pumpkins, LLC

    On the Bookshelf:

    The Country Commonplace Book by Miranda Mills (Bookshop, Amazon) and The Cozy Commonplace Book (Bookshop, Amazon).

    Dirt:

    Have you ever heard of Birth Month Herbs. W

    Rabbit Holes:

    An Instagram post with one of the best readings of Wendell Berry’s poem The Peace of Wild Things

    Lost Lady of Garden Writing, Violet Stevenson. .

    A Garden to Visit:

    Scott Arboretum,

    Thank You!

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    39 分
  • Garden Talk With Lots of Beatrix Potter
    2026/09/30

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    This week, we talked about theme gardens, assessing your vegetable garden at the end of the season, a new book featuring Beatrix Potter’s plants and drawings, and more.

    For more info, check out our Substack newsletter.

    To watch this episode on YouTube, click here.

    Playing Favorites:

    Dee’s greenhouse is finished! Of course that would be her favorite this week. For me it’s the combination of Verbena bonariensis and Signet marigolds around my mailbox.

    Question of the Week:

    Where did you go, Dee, and what did you see?

    Insect of the Week:

    Junk bugs info from University of Arkansas.

    Flowers:

    Would a theme garden help you out as you decide what to plant in your garden? It might. Also, check out Theme Gardens by Barbara Damrosch. (Amazon)

    Vegetables:

    It’s fall, so time to assess what went well and what didn’t go well in your vegetable garden this season. What will you change for next year? Tell us about it in the comments.

    On the Bookshelf:

    We were delighted to get review copies of Beatrix Potter’s Botanical: The Art of Flowers and Fungi by Marta McDowell ( Bookshop, Amazon), which is coming out October 13th.

    We also think you might enjoy Marta’s other book from 2013: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children’s Tales (Amazon, Bookshop)

    The video Dee talked about is this one: Beatrix Potter video Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit.

    Dirt:

    “I spent a week living like Beatrix Potter” on YouTube

    Rabbit Holes:

    Dee’s rabbit hole was doing a bit of research for her trip to Montreal.

    My rabbit hole was for the next Lost Lady of Garden Writing coming up on Wednesday.

    A Garden to Visit:

    Dee tells us all about her visit to the Montreal Botanic Garden.

    Thank You!

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    41 分
  • Garden Obsessions in Moderation
    2026/09/23

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    Dee and Carol talk about garden obsessions and more.

    Links:

    For more info, check out our Substack newsletter

    To watch us on YouTube, click here

    Insect of the Week:

    Ambush Bugs (Univ of Wisconsin info)

    Flowers:

    Have you ever been obsessed with a flower?

    Vegetables:

    Vegetable garden obsessions

    On the Bookshelf:

    The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy Stewart (Amazon, Bookshop))

    Dirt:

    Monty Don is leaving Gardener’s World!

    Rabbit Holes:

    Dee: Jujube fruits, aka Chinese dates.

    Carol: Mary Mason Campbell, a new Lost Lady of Garden Writing

    Also mysteries written by Anna Katherine Green. First one is The Leavenworth Case (1878).

    A Garden to Visit:

    Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo, NC

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.


    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    52 分
  • Gardening to Keep You Happy, Healthy, and Wise
    2026/09/09

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    Dee and Carol talk about the health benefits of gardening

    Question of the Week:

    What’s wrong with Carol’s clematis? Clematis Wilt, most likely. More info on Epic Gardening

    Insect of the Week:

    Back to wasps… cicada-killing wasps are here!

    Flowers:

    Gardening for wellness. How gardens make us healthier.

    Vegetables:

    Why growing vegetables makes us healthier.

    On the Bookshelf:

    The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature by Sue Stuart-Smith (Bookshop, Amazon)

    Dirt:

    Green Colour Psychology: What it actually does to your brain and body

    Rabbit Holes:

    Dee: Crape Myrtle ‘Tightwad Red’

    Carol: Rachel Peden, the latest Lost Lady of Garden Writing, (check out her books on Amazon, Bookshop) plus Wendell Berry. Check out the Berry Center website, where you can buy the 50th anniversary edition of The Unsettling of America. And What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman (Amazon, Bookshop)

    A Garden to Visit:

    Yew Dell BotanicalGardens, Crestwood, KY

    Thank you:

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    47 分
  • Butterflies, Bulbs, and More
    2026/09/02

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    Dee and Carol talk about buying and planting bulbs, garlic, and butterflies this week.

    For more info, check out our Substack newsletter.

    To watch us on YouTube, click here.

    Question of the Week:

    What’s really wrong with Carol’s Black-eyed Susans?

    Septoria leaf spot, most likely. And particularly susceptible is ‘Goldsturm.’ Listen to Hans Hansen talk about it on Instagram.

    Insect of the Week

    Butterflies, and how now is a great time to see them in your garden. The adults are flitting and mating and moving on.

    Flowers:

    Bulbs.

    Vegetables:

    Garlic

    On the Bookshelf:

    The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World’s Favorite Insect by Wendy Williams (Amazon, Bookshop)

    Dirt:

    State Animals

    Rabbit Holes

    Carol: I listened to The Book of Margery Kempe, by Margery Kempe, and is working on the next Lost Lady of Garden Writing.

    A Garden to Visit:

    Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, in Richmond, Virginia

    Thank you:

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast and for reading this newsletter! If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

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    46 分
  • Waning Summer Days and Winter Squash
    2026/08/26

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    Dee and Carol talk about flowers that shine in the waning days of summer, winter squash and more.

    For more info and links, check out our Substack newsletter

    To watch this episode on YouTube, click here

    Insect of the Week:

    Thread Waisted Wasp

    Flowers:

    Flowers and plants that peak or look great waning at the end of summer

    Winning Zinnias from All-America Selections

    Vegetables:

    Winter squashes and why we don’t grow them

    On the Bookshelf:

    A Green and Pleasant Land: How England’s Gardeners Fought the Second World War by Ursula Buchan (Bookshop, Amazon)

    Dirt:

    People who read live longer: Instagram

    Rabbit Holes

    Another Lost Lady of Garden Writing, Alice Lounsberry.

    A Garden to Visit:

    Biltmore House and Garden, Asheville, NC

    Thank you!

    As always, we appreciate all of you for listening to our podcast If you’d like to support us, check out our affiliate links here. Book links are also affiliate links.

    And, if you have suggestions for topics for us to discuss, send us an email or leave a comment.

    Support the show

    On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.
    On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.
    On YouTube.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    47 分