Another podcast is in the books, as I chatted with Amanda Thomsen, author of the ever popular blog “Kiss My Aster”. This one was absolutely one of my favorites to date as we talked underrated plants, a love for the classic rose, her wonderfully unique book “Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You” and the origin behind it and why we shouldn’t judge any garden or gardener. Amanda oozes personality as I’m sure many of you already know and I wouldn’t want to challenge her in “Plant Jeopardy” any time soon.    

To listen to the podcast, click here

To purchase her book and read the endless positive reviews, click here

To check out her blog, click here

To follow her always entertaining Facebook Page, click here

Do you remember “A Gardener’s Diary” on HGTV? I sure as hell do. It was and is my favorite gardening show of all time.

Nothing comes close.

A show that focuses mostly on the plants (including their botanical names) and the unique story behind the owner of the garden is a recipe for perfection. I also loved the casual pacing of the show. It was like a peak in at a gentle stroll between visitor and garden owner. All we get today on TV is 22 minutes of a hyper makeover aimed at the coveted younger demographic.

Color me not interested.

Take a look at an old episode of the show here:

Ahhh, the good old days of HGTV.

Anyway, I was incredibly fortunate to interview the show’s host, Erica Glasener, on a recent podcast. She gave a ton of background on how she became the host of “A Gardener’s Diary”, the behind the scenes workings of the show, her path to becoming an esteemed horitculturalist and what she is up to now.

Awesome stuff.

To listen to our conversation, click here.

Enjoy.

My second podcast with Shannon Currey, head of sales and marketing at Hoffman Nursery in North Carolina, is in the books and it is loaded with incredible information on all aspects of ornamental grasses. I personally guarantee you will purchase at least one of these grasses within 24 hours of listening to the podcast.  

Don’t hesitate and listen to it here.

Shannon provides her thoughts on the very best grasses out in the market today. After listening to this “OG Aficionado”, come back here and reference the listing below which include all of the grasses she recommends.

Each of the grasses listed below link out to photos and a detailed description on the Hoffman Nursery website.

Enjoy and “Go Grasses”!       

Best cool season grasses:

Nassella tenuissima – Mexican Feather Grass

Deschampia cespitosa – Tufted Hair Grass

Helichtotrichon sempervirens ‘Sapphire’ – Blue Oat Grass

Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. ‘Varieagatum’ – Striped Tuber Oat Grass

Best warm season grasses:

Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ – Red Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ – Upright Switchgrass

Sporobolus heterolepis – Prairie Dropseed

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ – Variegated Maiden Grass

Best partial shade/full shade grasses:

Deschampia cespitosa – Tufted Hair Grass

Hakonechloa macra – Hakone Grass

Calamagrostis brachytricha – Korean Feather Reed Grass

Sesleria autumnalis – Autumn Moor Grass

Best newly introduced grasses:

Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’ – Big Bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium ‘ Standing Ovation’ – Upright Little Bluestem

Sporobulus heterolepis ‘Tara’ – Dwarf Prairie Dropseed

Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ – Everillo Sedge

Put it in the books …

Tonight, we talked about the origins of Savvy Gardening, a near lawsuit with Viagara, a potential Spice Girls reunion, future “savvy” plans and some fantastic gardening tips.

If you want to listen to my discussion with the Savvy Gardening crew, click here: Podcast

To access their newly launched blog, click here: Savvy Gardening

To follow them on Twitter, click here: @savvygardening

To “Like” them on Facebook, click here: Savvy Gardening 

To follow them on Pinterest, click here: Savvy Gardening 

Another podcast is in the books …

Tonight I chatted with Helen Yoest, author of the recently released book “Plants with Benefits – An Uninhibited Guide to the Aphrodisiac Flowers, Herbs, Fruits and Veggies in Your Garden”. 

If you want to know why men should up their licorice intake and some great factoids about guacamole for your next cocktail party, you’ll want to listen to our discussion here.

To buy Helen’s book, click here.

To follow her on Twitter, click here.

To access her Facebook page, click here.        

As promised earlier, here is the link to my talk with Joe Lamp’l:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ongardener/2014/01/31/chatting-with-joe-lampl-host-of-growing-a-greener-world

And as referenced at the end of the podcast, here are some related links you will definitely want to check out:

Growing a Greener World

Growing a Greener World Facebook page

Growing a Greener World Pinterest page   

“Growing a Greener World” Twitter handle – @GGWTV 

Joe Lamp’l Twitter handle – @joegardener

Podcast # 6 is in the books, as tonight I chatted with Annie Haven, owner of the Authentic Haven Brand and maker of the manure tea affectionately known as “moo poo tea”.

She has a wealth of knowledge and provided a ton of great information on treating your soil naturally and without chemicals. She also shared some compelling personal stories on how she achieved success with her company solely through the use of social media.  

You can listen to our chat by clicking here.

Here are a few links that came out of our conversation:

To read about the story of Joe Lamp’l’s struggle with “killer compost”, click here.  

To learn more about the toxic manure issue in Washington state, click here.  

And here is contact info for Annie:

Her Twitter handle is @GreenSoil
Her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/ManureTea
Her company website where you can order the magical manure tea is http://www.manuretea.com/

If you mention this podcast at the time of purchase, Annie will throw in a free tea bag with each order.

I want to personally thank Annie for a fun and inspirational conversation. I wish you continued success in the future.

John