I just read a book that filled me with wonder and awe. Now, would it startle you to hear that it was a book about wasps? Don’t cringe and turn away; listen as I talk to entomologist Eric Eaton,… Read More ›
Archives
A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – Uli Lorimer on Trilliums – May 3, 2021
It’s Trillium Week the first week of May at Garden In The Woods, the headquarters of Native Plant Trust in Framingham, Massachusetts, the nation’s oldest plant conservation organization with more than a century of history. Well, with a little help… Read More ›
Rebecca McMackin Ecological Landscaping – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – April 26, 2021
I watched a Zoom lecture the other day that really put into words a lot of the ways my own deepening understanding of ecology is shaking up the way I practice horticulture—from spring cleanup, right on to the last… Read More ›
Carol Gracie on Florapedia – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – April 19, 2021
There’s the so-called language of flowers, as in the symbolism or sentiment attributed to a rose versus a pansy or a daisy. And then there’s the actual language of flowers in botany, as in what’s a sepal or a tepal… Read More ›
Steve Bellavia on Brassicas – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – April 12, 2021
They’re among the most popular and good-for-you vegetables, but brassicas—broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and the like—can also be a little tricky to grow unless you start with the right variety, get the timing right, and have a preemptive action… Read More ›
Doug Tallamy on Oaks – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – April 5, 2021
Every time over the years that I’ve spoken to today’s guest, one word comes up: oak. If entomologist and University of Delaware Professor Doug Tallamy sounds a little fixated on native oaks, it’s because they are the most powerful plant… Read More ›
Peter Kukielski on Roses – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – March 29, 2021
Roses are ancient plants with a 35-million-year history on planet earth, so maybe it’s no surprise then that they have been a fixture in nearly every culture and many religions, too. In his recent book, “Rosa: The Story of… Read More ›
Helen O’Donnell on Flower Garden Favorites – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – March 22, 2021
I met today’s guest, Helen O’Donnell, at a plant sale a couple of springs ago, before the pandemic scuttled most such big public events. Spring sales like that, where multiple small growers of unusual specialty plants gather, are my favorite… Read More ›
Ken Druse on Classic Garden Books – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – March 15, 2021
Do you remember your very earliest gardening books—the ones that transported you into the world of plants, whether that was last year or years ago? Or other books that have earned a permanent spot on your bookshelf as old trusted… Read More ›
Jessica Walliser on Smarter Companion Planting – A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach – March 8, 2021
You’ve heard the expression “companion planting,” as in: What plants supposedly “love” growing alongside what other plants? But how many such pairings are folklore, and how many stand up to research? In her new book, “Plant Partners,” Jessica Walliser looks… Read More ›