Growing Greener
249 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 64 ratingsYour weekly half-hour program about environmentally informed gardening. Each week we bring you a different expert, a leading voice on gardening in partnership with Nature. Our goal is to make your landscape healthier, more beautiful, more sustainable, and more fun.
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Episodes
An Organic Control for Japanese Knotweed
June 02, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBConservationist and gardener Suzanne Thompson goes viral with her organic approach to controlling invasive threat Japanese knotweed
The Hidden Half of the Garden
May 26, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBHorticulturist and author Robert Kourik shares his research on understanding and enhancing plant roots in this program originally posted in June of 2019
Benefits From The Ecological Landscape Alliance
May 19, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MB“Because land doesn’t come with a manual,” you need the Ecological Landscape Alliance! Board member Dan Jaffe Wilder takes us on a virtual tour of this organization’s programs, many of them free to the general public, with others available to dues-paying members from all over the country.
Native Replacements for Popular Exotic Shrubs
May 12, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBEcological landscape designer Sarah Middeleer shares her experience in identifying natives that can replace popular, but ecologically less beneficial and often invasive introduced shrubs
Pollinator Pathways - Birth of a Movement
May 05, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBJackie Algon, one of the founders in 2017 of Pollinator Pathways in Wilton, Connecticut describes the ways in which her organization is fostering pollinators and other wildlife, and how it has set off a burgeoning national movement
Wasps – Unloved Garden Heroes
April 28, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAuthor Heather Holm discusses her new book, "Wasps," and the fascination of these maligned creatures and the many beneficial roles they play in our gardens
Water Harvesting at The Urban Farm
April 21, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 22.8 MBGreg Peterson, creator of The Urban Farm, a residential "food forest" in Phoenix, Arizona, details the techniques he uses to capture and utilize storm water and gray water on his landscape
The Pollinator Victory Garden
April 14, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBEcological garden consultant Kim Eierman discusses her book, The Pollinator Victory Garden, and easy ways you can turn your yard into a beautiful and hospitable habitat for these essential and threatened creatures.
A Healthy Program for Greening Your Lawn
April 07, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBOrganic lawn expert Shay Lunseth details the green-up program she applies to 1,500 lawns every spring
Michael Phillips and the Holistic Orchard
March 31, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBFruit grower and author Michael Phillips discusses an approach to maintaining an orchard that involves enhancing the ecology rather than a reliance on synthetic pesticides
Creating a Native Lawn
March 24, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBHorticulturist Krissy Boys describes her project to create a biodiverse "native lawn" at the Cornell University Botanic Gardens
A Guide to Deer-Resistant Native Plants
March 17, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBNative plants expert Gregg Tepper discusses the new book he has co-authored with Ruth Rogers, Deer-Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast, and lays out strategies for co-existing with these voracious herbivores
New York City's First Growth Forest
March 10, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBTodd Forrest, vice president of horticulture and living collections at the New York Botanical Garden describes the 50-acre first growth forest flourishing in the Bronx and the lessons it can teach us about gardening and ecological restoration
Inventing the Wild Garden
March 03, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBTom Coward, head gardener at Gravetye Manor, details the legacy of the garden's founder, William Robinson, the Irishman who revolutionized English gardening in the 19th century.
Homegrown National Park
February 24, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Douglas Tallamy, author of best-selling Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Hope, discusses a new on-line initiative, Homegrown National Park
Exploring the Mountain Top Arboretum
February 17, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBMarc Wolf, executive director of the Mountain Top Arboretum, escorts us through its stunning native habitats, homegrown education center, and ecological gardens
Ellen Ecker Ogden and The New Heirloom Garden
February 10, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAuthor and garden designer Ellen Ecker Ogden shares her book, The New Heirloom Garden, and details the environmental and culinary advantages of heirloom vegetables and fruits
The Italian Garden Project
February 03, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBMary Menniti describes her program to recognize and document the wonderful, resource-efficient and eco-friendly gardens of the Italian-American immigrant community.
The Bulb Hunter
January 27, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBChris Wiesinger of The Southern Bulb Company describes his adventures in exploring the back roads and rural homesteads of Texas in pursuit of regionally adapted, heirloom flower bulbs.
Kelly D. Norris Explains His New Naturalism
January 20, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAuthor and horticulturist Kelly D. Norris discusses his brand new book, New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden
Imagining in Stone
January 13, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBSculptor Dan Snow shares the process by which he creates structures both practical and fantastic with stone, building without the use of mortar and commonly with materials collected from the landscape.
Landscaping Without Herbicides
January 06, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBKathleen Groll Connolly of, noted creator of native landscapes, details natural, herbicide-free techniques she uses to clear a site of invasive species and prepare it for replanting
Invasives in a Time of Climate Change
December 30, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBCarrie Brown-Lima, Director of the New York Invasive Species Research Institute, discusses the evolving threat from invasive plant and animal species, and how they are reacting to a changing climate
Regenerative Landscaping
December 23, 2020 12:52 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MB"Sustainable" gardening is not enough, according to landscape designer Trevor Smith, past president of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Trevor's goal is to restore the landscape to full health with his "regenerative landscaping."
The Immigrant Impact on the American Landscape
December 16, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDistinguished horticulturist and in-demand speaker Wambui Ippolito discusses her experience as an East African immigrant in American gardening, and the special gifts that immigrants can and have brought to the re-invention of the American landscape
Robert Kourik Analyzes the American Love Affair With Mulch
December 09, 2020 11:45 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDistinguished horticulturist and author Robert Kourik shares his research on the benefits – and potential liabilities – of garden mulches, with tips on how to use this garden stand-by most effectively.
Global Warming Causes Flowers to Change their Colors – And Their Relationship to Pollinators
December 02, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Matthew Koski of Clemson University describes his research into the colors of common wildflowers and their response over the last 75 years to changes in the climate and resulting changes to levels of ultraviolet light. These color changes threaten to affect relationships with pollinators and the flowers' reproductive success.
Abra Lee Highlights the History of African-American Horticulturists
November 25, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDistinguished horticulturist Abra Lee shares her research into the stories of her African-American predecessors and how their contributions helped shape the American landscape
Forager Extraordinaire Ellen Zachos Finds Cordials and Cocktails in the Wild
November 18, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBHorticulturist and forager Ellen Zachos discusses her book, The Wildcrafted Cocktail, about incorporating the flavors of wild-collected plants into a unique and delicious mixology
Archaeobotanist Chantel White Helps Reconstruct A Lost Garden in Philadelphia
November 11, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Chantel White of the University of Pennsylvania uses archaeological techniques to identify plants that grew in the garden of pioneering plant collectors John and William Bartram. Thanks to her work, a long-gone garden is re-emerging into the light.
Steppe Gardens and Selecting Adapted Plants
November 04, 2020 11:12 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBPanayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator and Director of Outreach at the Denver Botanic Gardens, discusses his love affair with the rock garden plants of Colorado and how he has traveled the world seeking adapted plants from climatically similar "steppe" regions
Environmental Justice and the Urban Forest
October 28, 2020 11:48 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBNicholas Geron of Clark University describes his research into the effects of tree cover on urban landscapes, and how economically disadvantaged communities are, due to lack of trees, already experiencing the heat predicted elsewhere for the next generation of global warming.
Native Songbirds Need Native Plants
October 21, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Desirée Narango of the University of Massachusetts Amherst describes her research that reveals the essential connection of songbird breeding success with the percentage of native plants in the surrounding landscape.
Iwigara: The Kinship of Plants and People
October 14, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Enrique Salmon, a native American of the Raramuri people and professor of ethnic studies at California State University East Bay, discusses his new book, Iwigara about the ethnobotanical traditions and science of American Indians
Green Roofs – Meadows in the Sky
October 07, 2020 11:36 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBLaura Hansplant, Director of Design at RoofMeadow describes her firm's pioneering work with "elevated landscapes" and the habitat for wildlife and people it creates on roof tops
In Defense of Bats
September 30, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBMerlin Tuttle, founder of Bat Conservation International and Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation, details the important roles of bats in the garden and the environment, and addresses the charge that they are the source of the Covid-19 virus.
Composting For A Healthier Garden and Environment
September 23, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBRick Carr, Master Composter and Farm Director of the Rodale Institute, share tips for easy, more effective composting
Willie Crosby – Growing Mushrooms
September 16, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBWillie Crosby of Fungi Ally discusses the wonders of fungi and the cultivation of mushrooms for the home gardener
Success of the Pesticide Ban in Ontario, Canada
September 09, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAward-winning garden blogger, Helen Battersby of Toronto, Canada details the success of the cosmetic pesticide ban in her province – with potential lessons for U.S. gardeners
Daniel Hinkley – A Plant Explorer's Garden
September 02, 2020 11:38 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBPlant Explorer Daniel Hinkley discusses his new book, Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants, and Gardens, and the ecology that underpins his collection of exotic plants
Ethan Dropkin – Native Annuals
August 26, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBEthan Dropkin of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates describes the invaluable role our native annuals can play in the ecological landscape
Dr. Carole Cheah – Preserving Native Hemlocks
August 19, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBDr. Carole Cheah of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station describes her institution's successful program to protect eastern hemlocks, a foundational species of woodland habitats, from the hemlock woolly adelgid, an introduced pest that has too often proved fatal in other regions.
Urban Water Group – harvesting rain water for garden sustainability
August 12, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAward-winning landscape designers Marilee Kuhlman and Tom Rau explain the techniques they use to harvest rain water and make their gardens more climate adapted and sustainable
Ben Pfeiffer – Firefly Conservation
August 05, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBMaster Naturalist Ben Pfeiffer, founder of Firefly Conservation and Research, discusses the wonders of fireflies, the challenges they face, and how gardeners can foster these intriguing insects
Sam Van Aken – Living Sculpture With Heirloom Fruit Trees
July 29, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBArtist Sam Van Aken explains how he uses grafting to create living sculptures from heirloom fruit trees while preserving our historic fruit heritage
Paul Jenkins & Miriam Goldberger – Wildflower Farm
July 22, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBThe co-founders of Wildflower Farm discuss this pioneering nursery's 3-decade history of innovation and its impact on environmentally based gardening.
Maggie Redfern – Planting Native Street Trees
July 15, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBMaggie Redfern of the Connecticut College Arboretum discusses planting native species as street trees and restoring urban habitat
Lawn to Wildflowers
July 08, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBNash Turley of the University of Central Florida discusses the program he and colleague Barbara Sharanowski have developed to help homeowners nationwide convert areas of lawn to pollinator habitat painlessly and quickly with the help of their mobile phones.
Michael Gaige – Historical Ecology
July 01, 2020 11:54 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBHistorical ecologist Michael Gaige details how he reads clues in the landscape to reveal its past and understand its present
Jennifer Jewell – The Earth in Her Hands
June 24, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAward-winning broadcaster Jennifer Jewell discusses her new book, The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants