Before you get started on this blog post, I would love for you to consider buying me a cup of coffee on Ko-fi! I love doing my Blog and Pod, but am finding the remunerative benefits to be, shall we say, scant.
This is my FIFTIETH episode of Into the Garden with Leslie and I appreciate it every time you have a listen or take a look. THANKS!
Plant of the Week
If you have a 50th podcast episode, then you must find a plant with the word GOLDEN in it, and happily, this week’s POW is a cheerful spring flowering native. We could all use a dash of sunshine and spring right about now.
Zizea aurea, or Golden Alexander, photo from Prairie Moon
Zizia aurea is fairly new to me, but I am excited to have it spread around my woodland semi-shade, and I am looking for my 3 new plants to emerge from dormancy in a few short weeks. Fingers crossed. Here’s Prairie Moon Nursery’s scoop on Golden Alexander.
What is on this girl’s hands? Only the best carefully created and curated compost!
On the podcast this week I mention the data base that I constantly used to increase my knowledge of plants and it is the Missouri Botanical Garden’s data base, or MOBOT. It’s a very useful source for all gardeners, particularly ones like me who maybe should know more than she actually remembers.
Guest
Amanda the Ever Hopeful Gardener got my attention on her Instagram account sometime late last summer, and I have been chortling ever since. She really knows how to make gardening fun, and takes us on many of her adventures in the form of very informative and amusing reels.
We talk about FOUR types of composting in the pod.
Cold— that is my thing! Add the stuff, wait a long time, remove humus.
Hot— get out your thinking cap and an awesome long thermometer.
Worm composting— get the red wrigglers and they’ll eat your kitchen scraps, plus leave you some excellent castings (poop).
Bokashi— kit with special bin and accelerant needed, but it seems temptingly rapid, especially since you can put ALL the stuff in it.
Don’t you want to go watch each of these? And if I had staff, they would have linked each image individually, but since it’s just little me, go here, Amanda’s reels on Instagram, and watch them all.
The Play List
Here’s the scoop on pruning Hydrangea paniculata, which is next up on the Hydrangea pruning hit parade.
Looking good, Les.
You don’t have to.
You can’t mess it up— they will bloom anyway.
Watch this video on YouTube about it and then be the 2nd person to like it. I was the first.
What else to do in the garden?
Tune into the Weather Channel and squirt a few tears.
Learn more about seed starting— I attended a Joe Gardener seed webinar and picked up a few tidbits.
Keep watering (but not too much!) your indoor plants. Our guest for next week, Serome Hamlin, had a good little helpful ditty about that:
Poke before you soak!
Serome is going to talk to us about the Enchanted Gardens he creates, Here’s a sneak preview:
No fairies— just enchantment. Episode 51! And the popsicle stick? Don’t ask, cuz I have no idea.