Focus on Flowers
2,230 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsFocus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Touch-Me-Nots
April 11, 2024 19:55 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBMost gardeners I know find it convenient to buy this easy-care annual for their pots and shade beds each spring, and delight in growing such undemanding annuals.
Cherry Blossoms
April 04, 2024 19:55 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBThe Cherry tree that Houseman wrote about in his poem is commonly known as bird cherry, which alas do not grow well for us in zone 6. A white tree that is a lovely substitute, however, is the white dogwood.
Planting Easter Lilies
March 28, 2024 19:50 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBAt this time of the year many flower lovers buy pots of Easter lilies at the grocery store to have in their homes during the Easter season
The Benefits of Clay
March 21, 2024 19:19 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBClay soil is heavy and hard to dig compared to sandy soil, but it is also more moisture and nutrient retentive.
Usually Deer Proof
March 14, 2024 19:09 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBNo plant, it seems to those of us plagued with deer, can be called really deer proof.
Pruning Flowering Shrubs
March 07, 2024 20:07 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBRegular pruning benefits all woody plants, such as shrubs, trees, and vines. Pruning keeps them vigorous and healthy, as well as improving their shape.
Climbing Clematis
February 22, 2024 20:12 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBThere are so many lovely varieties of clematis available today. Even a single bloom floating is a bowl looks perfect.
Forcing
February 15, 2024 20:54 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBIn late winter, after months without garden flowers, we are eager to see flowers in our homes. However, there is a wonderful feeling we get when we force branches of early spring-blooming trees and shrubs.
Roses From the Past
February 08, 2024 20:57 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBAll of the poems I will read today are about roses and all are from times long past.
February Saints
February 01, 2024 20:51 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBThe flowers associated with St. Valentine were, in Roman times, the yellow crocus and the tricolor viola that both bloom in the early spring in our gardens today. But there are also other saints associated with February...
Christo's Final Years
January 25, 2024 20:47 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBIn 1993, Christopher Lloyd hired Fergus Garrett as his head gardener and together they turned the traditional 80-year-old rose garden into an exotic tropical area. Christo was amused by the consequent criticism from traditionalists.
The Long Border
January 18, 2024 13:33 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBGreat Dixter's Christopher Lloyd created his famous term "succession planting" to describe continuous bloom month after month, beginning in March and ending in October.
The Great Dixter
January 11, 2024 17:22 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBOne of Britain's most celebrated gardens, Great Dixter is a magnificent place where one can learn and be inspired. A trip there should be on every gardener's bucket list.
Medieval Gardens
January 04, 2024 15:09 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBIn AD 830, St. Benedict said that gardening was appropriate manual labor for monks and that all monasteries should have a psychic garden, kitchen garden, cellar garden, an orchard, and a private garden for monks of high office.
1st Century Gardens
December 28, 2023 20:27 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe Romans were the first to create pleasure gardens in Britain.
The Winter Solstice
December 21, 2023 20:26 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe winter solstice marks the day with the fewest hours of sunshine in the year, which means that it is described as the shortest day.
Bioengineering
December 14, 2023 20:55 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBBees, butterflies, moths, and other insects used to be the only creatures who transferred pollen from flower to flower. Nowadays, it is often a person with a fine brush.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
December 07, 2023 20:47 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe idea of private pleasure gardens during the Middle Ages in England was espoused by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Gnats: Pesky Little Devils
November 30, 2023 20:36 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBMost of us occasionally get little black flies that look a bit like fruit flies around our houseplants. They're fungus gnats and essentially harmless, mostly...
Wild William Robinson
November 23, 2023 20:35 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBOne of the most influential horticulturalists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was William Robinson, the first to promote the idea of a wild garden.
Garden Cleanup
November 16, 2023 20:33 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBFall is a great time to collect the seed pods from shrubs like baptisia and hardy hibiscus and store them in paper envelopes indoors until next spring.
Houseplants That Bloom
November 09, 2023 20:54 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBHouseplants that bloom help us to get through winter while awaiting next year's flowers in the garden. But often houseplants suffer from problems that we must address promptly to save a plant's life.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
November 02, 2023 19:55 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBBetty Smith is the author of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn about a young girl who is inspired by a tree. Unfortunately, the tree happens to be an invasive species.
The Mimosa Tree
October 26, 2023 19:55 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBYou do not want this junk tree anywhere near your garden, as it self-seeds aggressively and many people are highly allergic to its pollen.
Cutting Down Plants
October 19, 2023 19:45 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBContinually cut back plants that have done their stuff to allow more room for those whose bloom period is yet to come.
Continuous Color
October 12, 2023 19:48 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBIf you need something in bloom all through the growing seasons in your garden, check that you have these plants.
Naked Ladies
October 05, 2023 19:08 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThere are many common names for the pink lilies, Amaryllis belladonna, that pop up in our gardens during the hot days of August/September: naked ladies, magic lily, autumn lily, surprise lily, and resurrection lily.
Carefree Crepe Myrtle
September 28, 2023 19:53 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBNative to the Far East, crepe myrtles can be trees or but in my zone 6 garden, they usually die back to the ground each winter.
Clivia miniata
September 21, 2023 19:22 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe winter-blooming clivia plant is one of the very few house plants that will produce flowers indoors in the dead of winter.
Shrubs for All Seasons
September 14, 2023 19:20 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBIf you are looking for deer resistant shrubs to plant in your unfenced yard, the safest evergreens are spruce, juniper, and boxwood.
Recognizing Reality
September 07, 2023 16:00 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBEarly on, I longed for all the more pretentious perennials, but now I prefer the tried and true.
Angelonia
August 31, 2023 19:05 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBAngelonia produces stalks of little flowers, similar to stock flowers, that last a long time on the plant, flowering steadily all through till late summer.
Always Cheerful
August 24, 2023 19:03 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe plant has the unfortunate common name of "tickseed," derived from the Greek word "Koris," meaning bed bug.
Rudbeckia ‘American Goldrush’
August 17, 2023 19:01 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThis black-eyed Susan is a plant that we can all grow and that will be with us for as long as we garden.
Hibiscus moscheutos
August 10, 2023 20:00 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBOur Midwest Hibiscus moscheutos, (a.k.a. swamp mallow), is an herbaceous plant that has flowers that look so exotic that it seems tropical, but it is hardy zones 5-9.
Liatris spicata
August 04, 2023 14:38 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBGayfeather (Liatris spicata) is a lovely native plant that attracts butterflies, bumble bees, and other insects.
Minimal Watering
July 27, 2023 14:35 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBXeroscaping is the term for gardening while conserving water.
Excellent Echinaceas
July 20, 2023 16:42 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe original perennial coneflowers were pink, but many new cultivars have been developed.
Cutting Garden
July 13, 2023 16:31 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBA mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs ensures that your cutting garden always has something in bloom.
Deterring Peter
July 06, 2023 13:26 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBPeter Rabbit is cute, but he can be a problem for gardeners, especially when seedlings and small plants are available, and he wants them for his dinner!
Tough Native Plants
June 29, 2023 19:52 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBNative perennials are an essential part of our ecosystem and support wildlife. Some are more likely to thrive in our region than others.
Milkweed and the Monarchs
June 22, 2023 19:52 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBMonarch butterflies like to eat various species of milkweed, which have a bitter juice, that makes their caterpillars unappealing to predators.
Cuttings
June 15, 2023 16:06 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBIf you want to get more plants from your existing flowering plants, a good way is to take cuttings.
Degrees of Shade
June 08, 2023 13:59 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe degree of shade is an important factor in gardening, and usually for flowering plants, partial shade is the best.
Bougainvillea Vines
June 01, 2023 20:32 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBIn warm climates, the showy, brightly colored bougainvillea vines romp over walls, fences, and even buildings, brightening landscapes with their vivid colors.
Sweet Candytuft
May 24, 2023 13:17 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBBoth perennial and annual candytufts make excellent rock garden and edging plants.
Star of Bethlehem
May 18, 2023 13:11 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBThe Star of Bethlehem name probably dates from the Crusades. The bulbs were brought home as souvenirs when ancient people made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. So, this sweet little flower has an impressive history.
Tired Daffodils
May 11, 2023 20:04 - 2 minutes - 2.09 MBAlways deadhead spring bulbs after they finish blooming or they will put their energy into setting seed, which limits their rejuvenation.
Evening Primrose
May 04, 2023 13:42 - 2 minutes - 2.08 MBThere are about 125 species in the genus Oenothera, and they are commonly called sundrops, evening primroses, or golden eggs, and they are native to North and South America.
Basket of Gold Dust
April 27, 2023 17:48 - 1 minute - 2.08 MBIn olden times, if one wore a sprig of alyssum, no one would be angry with you.