Plant Connection: A Plant Podcast to Reconnect You With Nature, One Plant At A Time

Black cherry ( Prunus serotina ) looks unremarkable at first glance. Most people don’t plant it on purpose, and yet it's fed the hungry, medicated the sick, furnished the homes of presidents, and once cost the American horse industry $225 million in a matter of weeks. In this episode, we trace the long, fruitful relationship between people and this tree, from 4,500-year-old cave deposits to a 21st...

Honey locusts combine menacingly long thorns with sweet fruit and medicinal bark, a wise example of offering our gifts to the world while maintaining healthy boundaries to protect ourselves. People have been enjoying the wisdom of this relationship in myriad ways for centuries. In This Episode George Washington’s honey locust hedge The sweet pulp of the seed pods Thorns have their uses The thornle...

Beech trees have been recording human history for centuries, from Daniel Boone's famous "bar tree" carving in 1760 to family names etched above a mountain cemetery. In this episode, we explore the American beech ( Fagus grandifolia ) and its European cousin ( Fagus sylvatica ), tracing the tree's ties to storytelling, food, medicine, and craftsmanship. In This Episode Daniel Boone’s bear tree A fa...

Do you have a friend who is there for you when you are in pain? I’d argue that jewelweed symbolizes that relationship. In this episode, we look at jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), a plant you embodies the old maxim that the cure is found near the problem. In This Episode A cure for skin irritations like poison ivy and insect bites The childhood joy of touch me not seeds What jewelweed has to teach...

From liquid courage on the battlefield to cemetery meditation spots, this episode traces the many lives of one small, tenacious tree. In This Episode We start with a story from the Thirty Years' War, where Dutch soldiers reportedly sipped genever, a juniper flavored liqueur, before battle, possibly giving rise to the phrase "Dutch courage." From there, the episode follows juniper across centuries...

What if the cure for a paralyzed arm was... more pain? In this episode, we dig into the strange 1821 case of a young woman treated for paralysis with urtification (deliberate flogging with stinging nettle) and use it as a doorway into everything nettle has meant to humans across history: medicine, food, fiber, folklore, and a surprising lesson about boundaries and reciprocity with nature. In This...

Episode Description Ever wondered why greenhouses exist? Blame Tiberius. In this episode, Lisa traces the cucumber's remarkable journey from a Roman emperor's daily obsession that sparked an ancient horticultural invention, to its 5,000-year history across continents, to the pickle jar in your fridge today. Along the way: mysterious translucent stone, Egyptian cucumber wine, pound-a-piece cucumber...

What do you say when a plant with a reputation for ancient healing magic turns out to be just what the old folks always said it was? In this episode, we explore the Elder (or elderberry, as I’ve always known it). From its role in warning the people of the Netherlands of the Nazi invasion to thousands of years of healing tradition. In this episode: The midwinterhoorn and its role in warning neighbo...

What do a Civil War-era schoolteacher, ancient Druids, and Gothic cathedrals all have in common? The mighty oak tree. In this episode, we explore the story of Mary Smith Peake, a free Black businesswoman in Hampton, Virginia, who in September 1861 began teaching formerly enslaved people to read and write beneath the branches of a southern live oak at a time when doing so had been illegal in Virgin...

Eleven hundred years ago, Anglo-Saxon doctors in what is now England had a reference book to help them treat ailments, and blackberry played a key role in healing a potentially deadly illness that was all too common. And the recipe is something that modern healers might even use! In this episode, we dig into how blackberry has been used for medicine over the years, how we can grow it in our own ga...

Episode Description What do the Hunger Winter, a 17th century financial bubble, and a children’s cartoon have in common? Tulips. In this episode, we dig into the surprising history of one of spring’s most beloved flowers, from its role in a financial crisis to its part in helping a people survive a very difficult winter. Covered in this episode: The life-saving role of the tulip in the Hunger Wint...

Three hundred years ago, an entire English village rose up to save an ash tree. Listen to see how the authorities worked to find a solution. Ash trees are a common sight across much of the temperate world, so it’s no surprise that many cultures have developed deep lore and cultural affection for them. In this episode, we explore how ash trees have shaped mythology, craft, and aviation. Covered in...

Episode Description Redbud offers both beauty and healing, and it does it all with style. In this episode, we explore how controversy rocked one state as it debated whether to make red bud the official state tree. Covered in this episode: The story of Governor E. Marland’s quandary over whether to sign the bill. The healing properties of redbud. How to grow redbud in your garden. If you enjoy this...

Rhubarb has been a shockingly important plant throughout history. In this episode, we explore how rhubarbs’ medicinal qualities made it one of the most valuable plants in Europe for hundreds of years, leading to one doctor risking his life to bring some back to his home in Scotland. Covered in this episode: The story of Dr. James Mounsey smuggling rhubarb from Russia to Scotland. The mythical root...

Episode Description The flowering cherry tree is an icon of spring beauty. In this episode, we explore how one woman worked for decades to bring that beauty to a little corner of her city, to the delight of generations of visitors. From the mountains and gardens of Japan to the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, join me as we explore the unlikely journey to a cherry tree garden along the Potomac. Cove...

The rhododendron is a beautiful and celebrated flower, but people and animals also need to be careful around them. In this episode, we explore the fascinating story of rhododendrons. There are over 1,000 species of rhododendrons worldwide, and festivals are held to celebrate them. Rhododendrons are also the source of “mad honey”, which was said to have been left deliberately in the mountains to we...

Every day, around five billion cups of tea are drunk around the world. But few people know about the flower that their tea comes from. In this episode, we explore Camellia sinensis - the flowering plant behind so many varieties of tea, from green to black to oolong. We take a look back more than 4000 years ago to uncover the story of Emperor Shennong, the Chinese ruler said to have discovered tea...

Witch hazel is an individualist. It blooms in winter when almost nothing else will. And that’s not the only surprise it’s hiding up its sleeve. In this episode, we explore the fascinating story of witch hazel - a distinctive woodland shrub with flame-colored flowers that appear in late autumn and winter, earning it the nickname “winter bloom.” But beyond its striking characteristics, witch hazel a...

Long before borders were drawn in North America, one tree carried a message of peace and solidarity. That tree was the white pine. In this episode, we explore the story of the white pine and its deep cultural significance across North America, from the Great Peacemaker’s journey between tribes with a message of friendship, to the white pine tree that may have been sitting in your home at Christmas...

In 1969, one Brooklyn woman was fighting to protect a single magnolia tree. And her determination reshaped an entire neighbourhood. In this episode, we explore the magnolia tree, its 100-million-year+ history, and the  story of Hattie Carthan, who protected the Lafayette Avenue Magnolia of Bedford-Stuyvesant through grassroots action.  Being one of the oldest flowering trees on Earth, th...

Norway Spruce trees are a common sight in the festive season as Christmas trees. But this tall, conical tree isn’t just for Christmas. It’s a tree that has shaped music history. In this episode, we explore the extraordinary journey of the Norway spruce, back to the 1600s, including its role in crafting the world’s most valuable violins, which can sell for over $20 million. Master luthier Antonio S...

There is a tree in Massachusetts that has outlasted generations. Walking past it, it might seem like any other tree. But the Endicott Pear Tree has faced a trip half way around the world and centuries of harsh weather, and still produces fruit. In this episode, we uncover the remarkable tale of John Endicott, one of the first European settlers, and the pear tree he brought to the New World. We exp...

It’s hard to imagine a fruit more familiar than the apple. It’s been with us for centuries, and many of us have memories centred around the apple tree. But we rarely hear about where the apple came from and why it became such an icon. In this episode, we trace the apple’s journey from the wild crabapple to the thousands of domesticated varieties that fill our shops today. You’ll discover how explo...

In 2007, a 170-year-old horse chestnut tree in Amsterdam became the centre of a global campaign. The local government saw it as a risk to surrounding buildings and condemned it. But the public stood in their way. Because this wasn’t just any tree. It was the symbol of hope that Anne Frank wrote about in her diary. In this episode of Plant Connection, we explore how the horse chestnut tree (Aesculu...

No thanksgiving feast would be complete without pumpkin pie. No Halloween would be complete without a front yard decked with jack-o'-lanterns. But the pumpkin had a rocky start to its popularity. In this episode of Plant Connection, we follow the fascinating journey of the pumpkin, from overlooked and unfashionable to a beloved cultural icon of both Halloween and Thanksgiving. We’ll trace its rise...