Garden Gossip

Celebrate National Backyard Day (March 19)  and the Start of Spring with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Pet Connection" Show that focuses on ways to create a backyard that is pet-friendly. Hear about toxic plants, fencing tips, and basic needs like shade and water, and more.  Big Blend Radio's PET CONNECTION Show is hosted by veteran pet sitters Nancy J Reid & Lisa Smith, the mother-daught...

From gardens and historic sites to animal encounters and cultural hotspots, it's all about Portland, Oregon on this episode of Big Blend Radio's travel podcast "Journey Jukebox with Lisa." Hear about Lisa's experiences in The City of Roses including the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Pittock Mansion, The Grotto, Mississippi Studios, and Powell's Books, and the Oregon Zoo...

From the Biltmore Blooms and the Asheville Orchid Festival to Art Shows and Music Events, Hiking and Chasing Waterfalls, and the Southern Conference Basketball and Wrestling Championships, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Adventures in Asheville" Podcast covers Spring Adventures in Asheville, North Carolina. As always the show features Steve & Karen Wilson "Mr & Mrs Wild, who own and run...

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show, author Paula Whyman discusses her memoir, "BAD NATURALIST: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop," out now through Timber Press.  A few years ago, Paula Whyman decided to leave her Maryland / suburban DC empty nest to find a rural getaway -- maybe a small farmhouse where she could put her interest in conservat...

In observance of World Social Justice Day, this episode of Big Blend Radio features Leah Rothstein, a veteran community organizer, local housing program expert, and co-author of "Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law" (Liveright: June 2023), which will be released in paperback on March 4, 2025. In 2017 Richard Rothstein wrote "The Color of Law: A Forgotten Histor...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 2nd Wednesday "Books & Authors" Show with Books Forward features author and writer Barbara Boyle who discusses her new memoir, "Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse.”  From a high stress career in global advertising to a simple rural life in a barn in an Italian hill town, "Pinch Me" shares Barbara's journey of transformation through love, f...

It's all about Parks, Plantations, and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina, on this episode of Big Blend Radio's JO GOES EVERYWHERE! Podcast with travel writer and photographer Jo Clark.  Hear all about Jo's adventures at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, and Hampton Park, plus, where to eat, sip, and stay. Ch...

Thinking of moving to England or purchasing a second property or vacation spaces? This episode of Big Blend Radio's "English Connection" show with Glynn Burrows focuses on real estate opportunities in England. Check out his article: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/considering-a-move-to-england/   Glynn Burrows is the owner of Norfolk Tours in England. He appears on Big Blend Radio every fourth...

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, award-winning author and journalist Simon Parkin discusses his new book, "The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice."  The first book to chart the history of the world’s largest collection of seeds, "The Forbidden Garden" shares the story of the Siege of Leningrad and how from 1941 to 1944, the scientists in the seed b...

Happy World Urbanism Day, aka World City Planning Day! This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show features Sara C. Bronin who discusses her book, "KEY TO THE CITY: How Zoning Shapes Our World."  Zoning codes have become the most significant regulatory power of local government, determining how we experience our cities. Yet zoning remains invisible. In "Key to the City," Sara reveal...

This episode of Big Blend Radio features photographer Steve Piacente, a reporter turned speechwriter, university professor, author, and life coach. You'll rarely find him without a camera is always at his side.  Hear about his photography, what and who inspires him, his world travels, and more, plus, check out his editorial Q&A with us here: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/photographer-ins...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 3rd Monday “Food, Wine & Travel” Show with IFWTWA features travel blogger Feuza Reis who shares the ins-and-outs of purchasing property in Sicily, especially through unique 1 Euro Homes project in San Piero Patti.  A small village that's home to around 2,500 residents, San Piero Patti is located approximately 2 hours from each major airport in Sicily,  1 hour...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Tuesday "Adventures in Asheville" Show focuses on unique art, garden, and community experiences. Featured Guests: - Steve & Karen Wilson - Owners and innkeepers of The Lion & The Rose Bed & Breakfast, a stunning pink lady in the Montford Historic District. More: https://www.lion-rose.com/ - DeWayne Barton - Founder of Hood Huggers International and...

Jennifer McGuinness joins Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" and "Garden Gossip" podcasts to discuss her latest book, "Bird-Friendly Gardening." Releasing in April 2024 through Cool Springs Press, and available on pre-order, it's the ultimate and authoritative guide for cultivating a home landscape that embraces wildlife, specifically catering to a diverse array of native plants that nourish, s...

“Just remember, during the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, that there’s a seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes a rose.” Bette Midler, The Rose This episode of Big Blend Radio's BIG DAILY BLEND Podcast celebrates Rose Day (February 7) with two Big Blend Radio "From the Vault" Interviews that were recorded onsite at Gardens of the American Rose Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, an...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's BIG DAILY BLEND Podcast celebrates National Western Monarch Butterfly Day by focusing on habitat conservation for these beautiful migratory pollinators! Hear some interesting facts about the Monarch Migration, plus a Big Blend Radio "From the Vault" interview from Sara Dykman, author of “Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migr...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's GARDEN GOSSIP show features food gardening pro Christina Chung, who discusses her new book "The Layered Edible Garden: A Beginner's Guide to Creating a Productive Food Garden Layer by Layer," that comes out on Feb. 6, 2024 through Cool Springs Press. "The Layered Edible Garden" provides a modern approach to home food gardening that follows nature’s lead by growing...

In celebration of National Houseplant Appreciation Day (January 10, 2024), this episode of Big Blend Radio's BIG DAILY BLEND podcast features nature photographer Margot Carrera Margot Carrera Fine Art Photography & Design who talks with Nancy & Lisa about orchids, sacred geometry, the health and wellness benefits plants provide, and more. View Margot's photography and designer gifts at htt...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Garden Gossip" Show features Resh Gala, author of "Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever." WATCH THIS PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-vQLZcyJPFI Out now thorugh Cool Springs Press, "Vegetable Gardening Made Easy," is a smart garden know-how presented by a professional kitchen gardener who has “been there, done...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's NATURE CONNECTION Show features Jennifer Jewell who is a gardener, garden writer, and gardening educator and advocate. Hear about her new book “WHAT WE SOW: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds." WATCH THIS PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-uxFLZe3Fv8 In WHAT WE SOW, Jewell shares personal observations over the course of a year that...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's NATURE CONNECTION Show features ecologists Adrienne Edwards and Rachel Schleiger, authors of "FIRESCAPING YOUR HOME: A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country." A must have for homeowners living in wildfire country, FIRESCAPING YOUR HOME is a hardworking guide to mitigating the risk of wildfire spreading to homes and property through the use of native plants and...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's GARDEN GOSSIP Show features travel writer Linda Kissam "Food, Wine & Shopping Diva" and outreach co-ordinatr Jessica Conn who discuss the visitor experience at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. This destination features a unique garden, tea house, tea garden, a stone garden, and a courtyard garden, making it a true Arizona Find. Read Linda's...

Saving the planet starts at home, and kids can help! This episode of Big Blend Radio features Doug Tallamy, ecologist and professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, and author of New York Times bestseller, "Nature’s Best Hope." Hear about how he is working to inspire the next generation of conservationists through is latest book, NATURE’S BEST HOP...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Travel Tulare County" Show features Manuel and Olga Jimenez who share what visitors can experience at Woodlake Botanical Garden, located in California's Sequoia Country. Maintained by Manuel & Olga Jimenez and Woodlake Pride youth volunteers, Woodlake Botanical Garden showcases San Joaquin Valley’s agricultural bounty with fruit trees, row crops, and vegetabl...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's GARDEN GOSSIP Show features straw bale gardening pioneer features Joel Karsten. His book, "Straw Bale Gardens Complete, Updated Edition: Breakthrough Method for Growing Vegetables Anywhere, Earlier and with No Weeding," is out now through Cool Springs Press. WATCH THIS PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/lJDNhOC20zA Karsten’s method requires less maintenance and...