Focus on Flowers

Black Bugbane

October 15, 2020 20:45 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

Not a pretty name for such an attractive plant.

Pincushion Flower

October 15, 2020 13:13 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

A plant that attracts butterflies to our garden is the pincushion flower. The botanical name is Scabiosa, and these plants usually have blue, white, or pink flowers. As their common name suggests, the shape of the flower resembles a pincushion as the central florets form a rounded shape.

A Surprising Uninvited Guest in Gardens

October 08, 2020 15:22 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

One often sees Veronia, a.k.a. ironweed, on roadsides and in fields and ditches. The wind disperses the seeds, which explains why it is a surprise when it appears in our gardens like an uninvited guest.

Cut Them Back

October 01, 2020 15:02 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

We should cut back most perennials in the fall. They don’t look good once it gets cold, so it is best to cut them to the ground and they will come back well next spring.

Tall Natives

September 24, 2020 19:48 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

Joe-Pye weed looks great next to a splash of sunshine yellow from goldenrod or helianthus.

Late Summer Color

September 17, 2020 14:24 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

As summer transitions into fall, we usually rely on mums and asters to give us color as the growing season wanes. But here are some other reliable bloomers.

Lycoris Does, Indeed, Surprise Us!

September 10, 2020 19:52 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

Surprise lilies bloom from late summer into early September, and their cool pink flowers do indeed surprise us when their pale lily-type blooms suddenly appear on their long bare stalks.

Goldenrod

September 03, 2020 18:17 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

CORRECTION (May 2022): Goldenrod is native to North America but has naturalized and become invasive in parts of Eurasia.

Helianthus annuus

August 27, 2020 18:08 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

“Heli” means sun and “anthus” means flower.

No Deadheading

August 20, 2020 15:44 - 2 minutes - 939 KB

Many annuals need to be deadheaded to keep blooming all season. While snipping off the spent blossoms can hardly be described as hard work, it is easier not to have to remember to do this chore. For that reason, many of us try to buy annuals that do not need deadheading in order to re-bloom all season long and right into fall.

Shakespeare's Plants

August 13, 2020 15:37 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

William Shakespeare included so many botanical references in his plays that there are about 175 mentions of flowers, fruits, grains, grasses, seeds, weeds, trees, spices, herbs, and vegetables in his works.

Hot & Dry

August 06, 2020 14:50 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

I don’t have a watering system, so I get tired of watering when there are long periods of hot, dry summer weather. Here in the Midwest when it is over 90F, potted plants need watering twice a day and beds on slopes do too. It is a chore that makes me wish I had more drought tolerant plantings.

Writer-Director Paul Shoulberg

July 26, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.5 MB

Janae Cummings speaks with Paul Shoulberg, the writer and director of The Good Catholic and Ms. White Light.

Artist Ana Teresa Fernández

July 19, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.7 MB

IU Assistant Professor of Photography Elizabeth Claffey speaks with artist Ana Teresa Fernández about the ideas of immigration and gender she explores in her work, and what inspires her to create.

Laurie Kilmartin

June 14, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.6 MB

Host Aaron Cain speaks with author and comic Laurie Kilmartin about the anatomy of a good joke, and about how the truth isn’t always funny.

Kevin Locke

June 07, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.5 MB

Shayne Laughter speaks with musician, dancer, teacher, and cultural ambassador Kevin Locke.

Graphic Novelist Nate Powell

May 31, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.7 MB

Payton Knobeloch speaks with New York Times best-selling graphic novelist Nate Powell about how graphic novels and comic books have earned a place in literary culture, and in the classroom.

Writer And Documentarian Sam Stephenson

May 24, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.9 MB

David Brent Johnson speaks with writer and documentarian Sam Stephenson, about what’s inspired him to create his unique, prize-winning brand of cultural research.

Paul Wranitzky (Who?)

May 18, 2020 15:47 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB

Join us for music by a Czech violinist and composer who was sought after by Haydn and Beethoven, in the same freemasons’ lodge as Mozart, and very much a star of the Vienna musical scene.

Barthold Kuijken

May 17, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.8 MB

Host Aaron Cain speaks with Barthold Kuijken, groundbreaking baroque musician, teacher, conductor, and artistic director of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra.

Calendula officinalis

May 14, 2020 09:28 - 1 minute - 2.07 MB

All types of marigolds last well as cut flowers, and they are excellent plants for children to grow when they begin gardening.

The Warbling Chalumeau

May 11, 2020 14:21 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB

The chalumeau was a single-reed ancestor of the clarinet, whose brief popularity left a lasting impression. We’ll explore music for the chalumeau--plus, torchsongs on historical instruments, on our featured release Songs Without Words on this week’s edition of Harmonia.

Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley

May 10, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.7 MB

Host Aaron Cain speaks with Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley, about what economics, healthcare management, and art history have taught her about how to be an effective leader.

White In May

May 07, 2020 19:55 - 2 minutes - 944 KB

White blooms combine so well with other flowers and help make their companions pop!

Documentary Filmmaker Gordon Quinn

May 03, 2020 22:59 - 58 minutes - 54.6 MB

Janae Cummings speaks with documentary filmmaker Gordon Quinn, about finding a way to tell stories that investigate society and inspire change.

Hollow Stems: Preparing Them For Arrangement

April 30, 2020 18:43 - 2 minutes - 942 KB

Flowers from bulbs are easy to arrange informally in a vase.

Gardening Trends

April 23, 2020 14:48 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

More and more gardeners are seeking information about sustainability.

Perennial Challenges

April 16, 2020 19:56 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

A novice gardener once told me that she was only going to plant perennials, as they did not need any care. If only that was true!

Easter Lily

April 09, 2020 20:30 - 1 minute - 1.12 MB

These trumpet lilies are fragrant, and the pure white blooms are lovely in flower arrangements.

Planning Ahead for Summer Alliums

April 02, 2020 14:15 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Allium ‘Millennium’ can be planted in the spring and reliably bloom in the heat of summer.

Frost

March 26, 2020 20:08 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Remember the danger of sudden spring frosts and wait to set out your tender annuals.

Air Temps

March 19, 2020 20:02 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Do not take risks by setting out your annual plants too soon.

Outwitting the Weather

March 12, 2020 18:27 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Frost dates are very important.

Clay is Okay

March 05, 2020 18:50 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Many of us with clay soil complain loudly about it, and it’s true that gardens with clay soil can be hard to dig. Nonetheless, it has its virtues.

Purim Party

March 02, 2020 13:50 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB

Explore the Jewish spring holiday of Purim, a commemoration of the Book of Esther. Purim celebrations are best known today for their gift-giving, wild costume parties, and delicious hamentashen. The story of Esther was also the inspiration for a number of musical works, as we will see.

Deadheading: It Keeps the Color Coming

February 20, 2020 20:41 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

The whole garden looks better if plants are deadheaded, so it is a good thing.

Mount Olympus

February 17, 2020 13:35 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB

Musical tales from the gods of Mount Olympus

Roses in Words

February 13, 2020 16:44 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

In February, it is appropriate to think about roses.

Tiny but Tough

February 06, 2020 16:18 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

The earliest iris to bloom is the petite Iris reticulata.

David Hosack

January 30, 2020 14:16 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Hosack realized the need for a public garden as a research facility for medical scientists and their students.

Easy Does It

January 23, 2020 20:05 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Quite a number of flowering annuals can be started by sowing their seeds directly into the garden.

Spring Ephemerals

January 16, 2020 20:05 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Before long, some of the earliest flowers to bloom will be stirring in our gardens.

Round Three

January 13, 2020 17:48 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB

This week, the third in a series of four programs that explore canons and fugues from the earliest written music to J.S. Bach. Join us for “round three,” with catches, canzonas, and a certain infamous canon.

Interesting Quotes

January 09, 2020 16:37 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Here are some interesting things said by some interesting people. Plus, my personal advice to you in January.

Norah Lindsay

January 02, 2020 20:29 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Lindsay was the Grande Dame of gardening in a time when ladies did not have professional careers.

Thomas Church in California

December 26, 2019 13:46 - 2 minutes - 940 KB

Thomas Church (1902-78) was a garden designer whose style was a response to California's specific type of lifestyle and climate.

The Harps in the Trees

December 23, 2019 13:18 - 58 minutes - 54 MB

Our guest this hour is harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton, one of the foremost practitioners of historical harp, who joins me for a program featuring the soundtrack to her short documentary film The Harps in the Trees, which tells the story of a musical pilgrimage to Scotland by her ensemble Angelorum.

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