The Garden Question

Growing food on your balcony, patio, or in small yards is fun and simple. Follow a few easy steps and many healthy good eats are in your future. This is episode 051 – Growing Vegetables and Herbs in Containers with Amanda Bennett . Amanda is the Vice President of Horticulture & Collections at the Atlanta Botanical Garden . She oversees the development and enhancement of the Garden’s prestigiou...

Minimizing diseases, reducing pest, improving soil fertility and pollinator support are all determined by the plant combinations you choose. In this episode 050 – Companion Planting That Works with Jessica Walliser we talk about the science back methods that will reward your decisions. For 15 years horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosted The Organic Gardeners, an award-winning program on KDKA Ra...

Do you ever get frustrated with your Turf Grass? In this episode 049 Proper Agronomics for Healthy Turf Grass, we talk with Dr. Clint Waltz about solutions to your frustrations. The current research into practices and efforts to lowing the inputs into successful turf grass. How turf grass ecoservices brings good things to our environment. We also talk about the benefits and hurdles to auto mowing....

This is Episode 48 and we are introducing a new series that I believe you will find interesting and beneficial. The series will be a collection of Garden Case Studies from my experiences as a garden designer and creator. I’ll drop a Case Study in from time to time when I’m inspired to do so. Don’t worry I’ll continue to interview inspiring designers, builders and growers of smarter gardens that wo...

Susan Mulvihill is passionate about growing vegetables! Her organic growing methods and pest control have yielded some mighty good eating. She and her husband, Bill, live and garden on 5 acres in Spokane, Washington. Their large raised-bed garden where they grow all sorts of edible crops has been featured on the popular public television program, “ Growing a Greener World” (episode 809 and 1202 ),...

Craig LeHoullier is known for many things in the tomato world. Some know him as the NC Tomatoman. Some know him as the fellow who named the very popular heirloom tomato Cherokee Purple. To others, he is the author of two books Epic Tomatoes and Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales . Craig is the co-host of Tomatopalooza and a co-leader of the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project . Around town in Henderson o...

Today we talk with Joe Lamp’l about Preparing for Your Spring Garden. We find out how an energetic young boy snaps the branch off his dad’s shrubs. In his hast to cover up his accidental deed he hurriedly shoves the branch into the ground. To his amazement a few weeks later the branch had taken root and begun to flourish. This incident ignited Joe Lamp’l gardening passion onto a path leading to on...

The seed planted in Tom Cox as a little boy have matured into the largest species collection of conifers in North America. In this episode we talk about his over 4,000 plant collection and how you may bring interest to your garden year-round. Tom is a pioneer in the evaluation of conifers for adaptability in the Southeast and is recognized as one of the leading authorities on growing conifers in t...

Terry Beasley has seen his fair share of flower emergencies at Oelschig Nursery . When the unforeseen happens and blooms are needed in a hurry Terry and the team jump into action. The next time you see multiple blooms of color from an event within 100 miles of Savannah Georgia you know Terry was probably involved. The Oelschig name has been associate with growing plants in Savannah since 1882.  Ho...

Josh Fuder ’s search to identify the old apple trees growing at his newly purchase home ignited a path to discovering and recovering lost apple varieties of Georgia. In this episode 042 Saving Heritage Apples we look into why lost apple varieties are important. How they are being discovered and saved to benefit future generations. Josh is a University of Georgia Extension agent in Cherokee County...

Pearce Butcher has always known that she is an artist who loves nature and science. In this episode 041 Creating Beautiful Spaces for Functional Outdoor Living, we dissect Landscape Design as a unique combination of art, science, and problem-solving. Pearce loves the challenge of looking at a space, listening to the concerns and dreams of the homeowner, and coming up with beautiful solutions.  She...

Have you ever thought about how you could make your landscape beds more interesting and productive?    Well maybe harvesting tomatoes among your hydrangeas or picking broccoli from around the Azaleas. How about growing squash and zucchini with your Zinnias. These are all foods, plus many more, you can grow in your landscape beds this next season.   Our conversation today is with Brie Arthur a well...

Staci L. Catron has one of the coolest jobs ever. She gets to live gardening in the past, in the present, and influence gardens of the future. As the Director of the Cherokee Garden Library within the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center she manages the development, preservation, and interpretations of a 33,000-item growing collection. Everything from garden and landscape relate rar...

Russell Camp knows what healthy garden plants love in a mulch. In our 38th episode “Mulch Mulch Baby” we discuss the benefits and detriments of some of the most common and exotic mulches available. He talks about time saving techniques that will give your garden a quick easy year-round visual pop along with providing a lot of good stuff for the soil. Russel oversees the horticultural assets for ov...

Jim Frederick is passionate about adding new garden drama and engagement through outdoor lighting every season. In our discussion we discover his outdoor lighting techniques that add new visual dimensions and security to your garden space. We also explore how to avoid the most common and frustrating installation mistakes. Jim shares his 25 years of experience in designing, building, and distributi...

Fresh squeezed orange juice off his own tree is Charles Daniel’s dream come true.   In this episode 036 Charles shares his successful backyard and greenhouse citrus growing experience.   As a bonus he also reveals his secrets for growing and harvesting olives, avocados, and pomegranates.   You will probably remember Charles from episode 029 - Why Camellias Work in Your Garden.   This lawyer, banke...

In this episode we talk with Jordan Daneker about the little things that bring your outdoor spaces to life. He walks us through the process on how he discovers and builds the perfect outdoor space for you and your family. We explore the artful details used to put together plants, pools, pavilions, hardscapes, lighting and more to yield a unique and quality environment. Jordan’s obsession and passi...

In this episode we will talk with Landscape Architect Bruce Holliday about his landscape design philosophy and how you can enhance your property’s value. Bruce has seen just about everything in his many years as a Landscape Architect where he has designed and installed landscape plant material, hardscapes, lighting, and irrigation for residential and commercial projects. At Pike Family Nurseries h...

We are at the beginning of Christmas season and it is time to display the Christmas Tree. Dr. Mel Koelling knows Christmas Trees. He and his wife Laurie have grown thousands of trees every year at Tannenbaum Farms in central Michigan. A nationally recognized expert in the Christmas Tree industry, Dr. Koelling taught and served in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University for over 35...

It’s the details that matter when design, building, or maintaining your hardscape outdoor living spaces. Our guest for this episode, Aaron Phifer entered the hardscape industry in 2012. He is now the director of US Sales for Techniseal an industry leader and innovator for hardscape accessories. He talks about why properly built hardscapes should last multiple generations. We also discuss innovatio...

Doug Scott ’s path to his own landscape design firm is anything but typical. After earning a BA degree from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Emory University he worked with several consulting firms. In his spare time Doug feed his true passions for family, the outdoors, and all things regarding landscape design. He began creating outdoor living spaces for friends that reflected how they wish...

You will often find David Brown studying plants in the gardens at Hills and Dales Estate. He seeks to acquire the perfect cutting for his amazing indoor arrangements. In our conversation he tells us how you may accomplish the same with your garden plants. Before coming to Hills & Dales Estate, David taught high school horticulture for 30 years and then was an adjunct instructor at Southern Cre...

So much of Charles Daniel’s garden world revolves around camellias. In this episode he talks about how to be successful with Camellias and their surprising history. He shares why Camellias are a key plant for year-round blooms. We also talk about how to overcome garden challenges. This lawyer, banker, and successful business owner “retired” to his new passion for gardening. He reveals his journey...

Dewayne Gallatin earned his nickname “King of Containers” while overseeing The Sibley Horticultural Center at Callaway Gardens . His primary horticultural focus today is managing and developing future projects for private gardens and estates. A close friend once suggested he enter a container gardening contest that ended up attracting over 1,000 entries. Little did he know a whole TV episode of PB...

For decades Eric King has been designing award-winning landscapes. By working with nature his designs encourage people to be outside. He is a landscape architect and co-owner of the residential design + build firm King Landscaping , which serves the Atlanta area. Eric often appears on local and national garden shows. He is a noted contributor for a variety of online and print media. King earned a...