Podcast

HouseplantsPerennialsPodcast

How To Grow : Clean Air Houseplants

Learn how to grow common houseplants indoors as a way to clean your air. Listen to podcast: I recently heard a story about NASA sending basil and turnip seeds to the moon in grow chambers to see how they will germinate in that gravity-less, high radiation environment. It prompted me to remember the now famous research NASA also did on house plants. When looking at long term stays on the space station, one of the challenges was to produce clean air for astronauts to breathe. We all know plants are the reason we're alive today for their...

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AnnualsPodcastVegetable

How to Grow: Amaranth

Listen to this podcast on how to grow for food and beauty. It's been called the Food of the Gods, superfood of the Aztecs and the next “quinoa”. But we known amaranth as mostly an ornamental plant with colorful weeping flower heads. However, more recently amaranth has gained interest as a leafy green in the garden. While farmers continue to experiment with growing amaranth commercially as a grain crop, another way to enjoy this native American vegetable is as a leafy green. Amaranth is related to the common weed, red rooted pigweed. But...

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BulbsPodcast

How To Grow: Amaryllis

Learn how to force amaryllis bulbs indoors for winter blooms. Listen to podcast: This flower is named after a shepherdess who had unrequited love for a gardener. Each day she would walk to his door to impress him by piercing her own heart with a golden arrow. The blood that would drop to the ground would turn into scarlet flowers that would line his path. I don't know if that shepherdess ever got her gardener, but I do know her name was amaryllis. This South American tropical bulb is easy to grow and rewarding with its large, 10 inch...

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blogPodcastVegetable

How to Grow: Asian Greens

Listen to this podcast and read more about growing and caring for Asian Greens in the vegetable garden.   podcast transcript Asian greens (Brassica rapa, B. juncea) used to be thought of as just bok choi. However, with the advent of interest in Asian cuisine, people are growing a wide variety of Asian greens with flavors from mild to spicy. Leaf colors range from purple leaved mustards to the white-ribbed Komatsuna. The leaf shapes can be flat and spoon-shaped, long and round, or thin and serrated. I like mixing young or baby Asian...

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InsectsPodcast

How to Grow: Asian Ladybugs

Listen to this podcast about Asian ladybugs that overwinter in our homes. It includes information on why they do it and how to stop them. With colder weather upon us, everyone is looking for a warm place to spend the winter, including some insects. Asian ladybugs have been in Connecticut since 1994. This species of ladybug hitchhiked a ride on cargo ships to enter the U.S. and has spread around the country. The Asian ladybug is beneficial, eating aphids on a multitude of crops. It looks like the native ladybug, but has a different...

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PerennialsPodcast

How to Grow: Asters

Learn how to grow asters, including how to plant and grow them. Listen to podcast: podcast transcript How to Grow: Asters Aster spp and hybrids Other Name Michaelmas daisy   Sun Requirements full sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color late summer to fall in colors such as blue, purple, red, pink and white   Mature Height x Spread 1 to 6 feet x 2 to 4 feet   Added Benefits Native, attracts beneficials   This native wildflower is a sure sign of late summer and early fall in New England. You can see it blooming next to goldenrod...

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PerennialsPodcast

How to Grow: Astilbe

Listen to this podcast and read about growing and caring for astilbe perennial flowers.   podcast transcript Astilbe spp and hybrids   Other Name false spirea   Sun Requirements Part sun, part shade   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late spring into summer in colors such as cream, white, pink, lilac, and red   Mature Height x Spread 1 to 5 feet x 2 to 3 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, deer resistant   Astilbe is a part shade-loving perennial with airy white, pink, red, or lilac flowers. I grow it to provide color...

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PerennialsPodcast

How to Grow: Balloon Flowers

Listen to this podcast on how to grow balloon flowers or platycodons. This common perennial flower is called the Chinese bell flower. It originally hails from Asia but is now grown around the world. It's a fun flower to grow with kids because of the shape of the flower buds. You probably know it as balloon flowers. Balloon flowers are hardy perennial in the campanula family. Their namesake is the white, pink or blue flower bud that slowly puff sup like a hot air balloon. Eventually the flowers open into a star-shaped blossoms. Kids love to...

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PerennialsPodcast

How to Grow: Baptisia

Learn all about growing this spring blooming, nitrogen fixing perennial in your garden. Listen to Podcast: podcast transcript How To Grow: Baptisia Baptisia australis   Other Name blue wild indigo   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Late spring to summer in colors of blue, white, red and yellow   Mature Height x Spread 3 to 4 feet x 3 to 4 feet   Added Benefits Native, attracts beneficials, drought tolerant, deer resistant   This native perennial has a shrub-like appearance even though it...

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PerennialsPodcast

How to Grow: Bee Balm

Learn how to plant and grow bee balm in your garden. Listen to Podcast: podcast transcript How to Grow: Bee Balm Monarda didyma  Other Name Bergamont   Sun Requirements Full sun, part sun   Bloom Period and Seasonal Color Mid summer to late summer in colors such as red, pink, and white   Mature Height x Spread 2 to 4 feet x 2 to 4 feet   Added Benefits attracts beneficials, attracts hummingbirds, edible, native, deer resistant   Bee balm is a native, spreading perennial that is a delight not only for us, but also for butterflies,...

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