Mountain Gardener with Ken Lain

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares the best autumn flowers of the year. Autumn is an ideal season for planting in northern Arizona due to cooler temperatures and ample rain, which encourage significant root growth. This a great foundation for perennials, plants that return annual and offer years of enjoyment. Some of the best autumn perennials include hibiscus, crocosmia, and...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares how to stop leaf spot on purple leaf plums. Excessive rain often leads to leaf spot diseases on trees, causing blemishes, holes, or tearing on foliage - signs of plant stress. While typically not fatal for mature trees, these bacterial infections thrive in humid, warm conditions and are spread by birds and insects. How do you stop leaf spot...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares how to javelina-proof your garden. Known for digging up soil and eating easy food sources, javelina can cause major damage to your garden. What can you do to prevent them from hurting your plants? Listen in to find out! Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://cast11.com/mountain-gardener-with-ken-lain-gardening-podcast/ Follow Cast11...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center share the brightest perennial flowers of autumn. This is the ideal time for planting perennials in the garden. Check out the unique selections like white bleeding heart, the versatile heuchera, vibrant coneflower, and more! What other autumn perennials should you plant, and what are the unique qualities they can bring to your garden? Listen in...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener of Prescott, shares the brightest flowers of the year in the Autumn Garden. Beautiful Autumn Joy Sedums, Crocosmia, mums, and other fiery plants take over the garden this time of year. What is the full list of these vibrant, blooming beauties? Listen in to find out. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://cast11.com/mountain-gardener-with-ken...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center in Prescott answer the question, "When do I plant fall vegetables?" Getting a great fall veggie harvest is a great reward for lots of work, but timing is important to ensure the growing conditions are right. Listen in to find out when you should be planting those veggies. Ken and Lisa also take a moment to address a burnt lawn, deali...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares a gardener's guide to quenching your garden's summer thirst. He gives practical advice emphasizing plant maintenance and common summer plant issues. He also addresses two major summer problems: heat stress and chlorosis. What can you do to help quench summer thirst in the garden? Listen in to find out. Listen to Mountain Gardener o...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, discusses preventing green tomato worms in the gardens. Learn the lifecycle of the tomato hornworm and the sphinx moth, while a beneficial pollinator, lays eggs that hatch into these destructive green caterpillars. These caterpillars are notorious for rapidly stripping garden plants, especially tomatoes and peppers, often going unnoticed due to the...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, discusses gardening with javelina and other backyard animals. Javelina can bring a challenge to caring for a healthy garden. They root around seeking out roots, grubs, and other subterranean food sources, wreaking havoc on your garden's health.  What steps can you take to protect your garden from wildlife? Listen in to find out. Listen to Moun...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center share the best fall plants for Autumn long flowers, color, and blooms. Fall is fast approaching, and the gardens are getting ready to sleep away the winter! But take heart, there are plenty of plants and flowers that will create a colorful show all the way through the fall. Master Gardeners Ken and Lisa Lain share what varieties of plants and...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, chats about how to save money at a garden center. Garden centers offer significant discounts on plants during seasonal transitions, specifically in late summer and early fall, as they clear out existing inventory to make room for new fall and winter varieties. Watters' monster monsoon sale is an excellent opportunity for gardeners to save mone...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center discuss whether the Arizona Cypress or Deodar Cedar makes a better privacy screen. A green and healthy living screen can add beauty and privacy to your landscape. Master gardeners Ken and Lisa help you to pick the best screens for your landscape, and this segment will discuss the benefits of Arizona Cypress and Deodar Cedar for your living pri...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares info on late summer pruning for winter-long beauty. Late summer garden maintenance is important for your garden's health. Not just for now, but also going into the next season. Late summer pruning done right will bring beautiful autumn blooms and prepare your garden for a healthy winter. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://ca...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares how to go from newbie to garden pro in Arizona. Watters Garden Center offers some wonderful classes all summer long, and in August, those classes continue, where you can learn all the best information to garden with confidence in Prescott, Arizona. Learn all you need to know about planting in the summer and start planning for fall. Plus, get...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares four garden blunders to avoid at all costs. There are four common mistakes that gardeners often make, including overwatering and incorrect composting practices. What are the other common garden blunders, and what can you do to avoid them? Listen in to find out. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://cast11.com/mountain-gardener-with-...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center share the biggest perennial flowers of summer. Hear all about some beautiful bloomers, including the fragrant Saffron Echinacea, the hummingbird-attracting Salvia, and the vibrant Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, along with a mention of Echibeccia. What other great plants and timely gardening advice with you get in this episode? Listen in to find out. L...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, discusses the cost of travel to your gardens. After returning from a business trip, Ken recounts that some of the costs of travel are the inevitable stress or loss of plants at home, despite pre-trip preparations. He illustrates this point by sharing the unfortunate demise of a cherished flower basket due to overwatering by a house-sitter focused o...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center in Prescott answer the question: Which is the better tree, Aspen or Birch? They also chat about common plant issues, emphasizing the importance of consistent care and targeted treatments. They address how to prevent tomatoes from cracking, rose care, and aphid control. Then they dive into a comparison of aspen and birch trees. Which is better?...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, discusses hot weather blooms for vibrant Prescott gardens. He shares timely advice for maintaining vibrant gardens, emphasizing the importance of removing heat-stressed plants that are no longer blooming to encourage new growth and improve garden aesthetics, even suggesting using a lawnmower for large patches of wildflowers. What else can you do to...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, reflects on the significant shift in marketing from traditional methods like magazines and large corporate events to the influence of social media. He reflects on how the rise of social media management has influenced new company roles and methods to engage viewers and potential customers. He takes a look at the upcoming "Grapes for Good"...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, chats about euphorbia in the garden. Euphorbia is a remarkably robust and easy-to-grow perennial plant that is ideal for various garden settings. It brings its own natural defense that is pest-resistant, loves intense sunlight, and is low-maintenance. Listen in to learn more about Euphorbia. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://cast11.com...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center discuss pretty blooming trees best planted in summer. From ornamental pears to crabapple and redbud, there are so many trees that bring beautiful blooms and love to be planted in the summertime. Listen in to hear the list of trees that you can put in your garden right now. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://cast11.com/mountain-gard...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, chats about the top plants with really big flowers. Rose of Sharon, crepe myrtle, smoke bush, and other great plants bring huge blooms to the garden. They offer different benefits and colors, bringing visual interest and meeting just about any gardening type. Listen in to hear the full list and all about the plants. Listen to Mountain Gardener on C...

In this episode, Ken and Lisa of Watters Garden Center in Prescott discuss monsoon weeds and erosion control. So far this year, the monsoon hasn't been very active, but there is still the possibility of monsoon rains and with the extra moisture comes weeds and erosion. Using weed control strategies like timely pulling, weed prevention, and targeted spraying can help. What about erosion contro...

In this episode, Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, shares why grubs attract death into the gardens. Grubs can pose a significant problem for the garden as they eat plant roots, which can severely stress or kill plants by inhibiting their ability to absorb water and nutrients. Listen in to find out what to do about those grubs and to save your garden. Listen to Mountain Gardener on Cast11: https://c...