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 prestigious indoor and outdoor collections managed by 33 professional horticulturists.Since 2005 she has participated in many of the Garden’s design and construction projects.The Garden’s recurring art installations and special exhibits are horticulturally enhanced and as her team develops many of the Garden’s special projects.Amanda oversees the landscape design and continued execution of the master plan for the 30-acre garden as well as the displays in the Fuqua Conservatory and Orchid Center. Amanda is often cited in local and national publications. Featured on local and national radio & television. She also has written for publications such as The Cactus & Succulent Journal, and cited in Mother Earth News.Amanda earned a University of Georgia bachelor’s degree in horticulture and completed an internship at Chicago Botanic Garden before joining the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

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 Radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, She is the Editorial Director for The Quarto Publishing Group's garden imprint, Cool Springs Press, and a former contributing editor for Organic Gardening magazine. Jessica is the author of seven gardening books, including the Amazon best-seller · Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who’s Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically · Plant Partners: Science-based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden, which earned a prestigious 2021 American Horticultural Society Book Award · Attracting Beneficial Bugs to the Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control, which was awarded the American Horticultural Society's 2014 Book Award. It has recently been released as an updated 2nd edition. For over twelve years Jessica wrote two weekly gardening columns for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She is also co-founder of the popular gardening website SavvyGardening.com. Jessica received her degree in ornamental horticulture from The Pennsylvania State University and is the former owner of a 25-acre organic market farm. She’s taught a diverse array of gardening topics for over 25 years. Jessica lives and gardens northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and son, two cats, two hermit crabs, and billions and billions of very good bugs.

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. Dr. Waltz has state-wide responsibilities in all areas of turfgrass management, including turfgrass water use and conservation. Clint is published in scientific journals and makes regular contributions to the newsletters of the State’s trade associations. Furthermore, he makes numerous presentations from a range of turfgrass professionals, county extension agents and homeowner groups.Our conversation with Dr. Clint Waltz after this.UGA Turfgrass Field DayThe University of Georgia Turfgrass Research Field Day is set for Thursday, Aug. 3, on the UGA campus in Griffin, Georgia. Georgia Turf

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 work. I couldn’t stop doing that. I’m addicted to learning and applying the many new things I learn from the guest I interview each week. So here we going. This is episode 48 Moving and Editing Your Plants: A Case Study with Craig McManus

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), hosted by Joe Lamp’l.In the last year Susan’s book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, has proven to be very popular nationwide. She is also the co-author of the Northwest Gardener’s Handbook.Helping other gardeners be successful has driven Susan to produce and host over 400 hundred YouTube videos on her channel, Susan’s in the Garden. She is the longtime garden columnist for the Sunday edition of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington.Been a Spokane County Master Gardener for 20 years.Her website can be found at SusansintheGarden.com and contains resources for organic pest control along with many other guides designed for gardening success.

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 or Raleigh North, Carolina, you may know him as just the odd person with a garden where the driveway used to be. Craig proclaims to be a tomato nut with a website, a blog, a newsletter, and a huge collection of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. In reality Craig LeHoullier pursues with a passion heirloom tomatoes to help keep them relevant. Growing Epic Tomatoes Course You will learn and may ask any tomato question you can think of in a weekly live session with Craig LeHoullier and Joe Lamp’l. They’ll be growing their own tomatoes right along with you. Celebrating your successes and discovering solutions to this season’s challenges. The early significantly discounted course sign up period is now open for a very short time. Go to here check it out. That’s Growing Epic Tomatoes in your garden.

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 one of the country’s most recognized and trusted gardening and green-living personalities.The passion for living a greener life is evident to a nationwide audience who watches Joe in his current role as Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series, Growing a Greener World® and previously as host of Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network.Joe also shares his know-how on NBC’s TODAY SHOW, ABC’s Good Morning America, The Weather Channel, through his popular books, and his podcast series (The joe gardener Show).Join Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier and learn how to plant, grow, care for, and harvest your own epic tomatoes. In this practical hands-on course with Joe and Craig as your guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to have your best tomato growing season yet. Learn more here. Registration will only be open for a short time beginning 2/23/22. Lifetime access!You will want to take advantage of this limited time significantly discounted early enrollment pricing so go now to www.joegardener.com/tomatosuccess.

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 the region. Cox Arboretum and garden in Canton, Georgia is now a site for the preservation of rare and endangered plants from around the world.He is a frequent lecturer on the subject of conifers and other woody plants. He co-authored a book titled "Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southern Landscape” and has been published numerous times in both British and U.S. conifer journals. I’m honored to have captured this amazing story and plant wisdom of Tom Cox in this episode 044 - Year-Round Garden Interest from Cox Arboretum – Tom Cox

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. How does a nursery survive and thrive for 140 years becoming the oldest nursery in the southeastern United States? Terry tells the story. It’s a story of keeping the faith and tenacity through numerous world events and natural disasters.He talks about the skills and techniques resulting in very special beautiful plants

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 Georgia. He is part of a team that has preserved nearly 140 different apple varieties at the newly planted Heritage Apple Orchard located at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center.YouTube: “Farm Monitor” Site of a New Apple Orchard YouTube: History of Apple Industry in GA UGA Research News Article Georgia Magazine Article: Preserving Georgia’s Heritage Apples for Future Generations

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 composes absolutely stunning landscape designs for her clients at Pearce B Designs. Be inspired by her extraordinary designs on Instagram @ Pearce B Designs.Pearce is a double major in Earth and Environmental Science and Art from Furman University. At George Washington University she earned a Landscape Certificate while studying at the U.S. National Arboretum.

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-known leader in the national Foodscape movement. Brie is a bestselling author and a celebrated speaker that is well known for her lively information packed presentations. With more than a decade of experience as a grower and propagator she now shares her expertise as a correspondent on the Emmy award winning PBS Television show “Growing a Greener World”. You can follow Brie’s exciting garden journey through her website, BrieGrows.com and on her YouTube channel, Brie the Plant Lady. This is episode 040 Foodscaping Revolution with Brie Arthur on The Garden Question Podcast.

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 rare books, contemporary volumes, manuscripts, photographs, landscape architectural drawings, periodicals, seed catalogs, and ephemera.She curates numerous exhibitions, lectures regularly regarding rare garden books and historic landscapes, and is published in many newsletters, journals, and books.Her latest award-winning book co-authored with Mary Ann Eaddy is titled: Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens with photographs by James R. Lockhart. Catron holds a B.A. in History and Latin, as well as a Master of Heritage Preservation from Agnes Scott College; a Master of Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University; and a Primary Teacher Certification.

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 over 54 different school campuses on 1,501 acres of land, including 88 acres of natural grass athletic fields, 23 acres of synthetic turf, and numerous irrigation systems for The State of Georgia’s Henry County Schools. They install over 10,000 bales of pine straw mulch each year.He also shares his successful landscape knowledge as an Adjunct Horticulture Instructor at Southern Crescent Technical College.Russell holds a Horticulture degree from ABAC Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and a Business Management degree from Bellevue University .He is a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional holding certification number one.He is also a passionate home gardener enjoying landscape gardening, container gardening, vegetable gardening, and house plants.Instagram: @gardencoach

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 distributing in the outdoor living arena. He holds a bachelor degree from Penn State University in Landscape Contracting. As the National Sales Manager for Tru-Scapes Landscape Lighting he finds great joy helping the hardscape contractor succeed in his business and installations.Tru-Scapes provides key products such as accent and path lights for your outdoor space. Developing unique groundbreaking products for your outdoor experience is always at the top of their mind. You can find them at your local Belgard distributor.

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, banker, and successful business owner “retired” to his new passion for gardening. In addition to his own garden, he oversees some of the most unique and interesting gardens in Savannah, Georgia area. In these gardens you will often find many unique fruit bearing plants. Charles is a University of Georgia Certified Plant Professional and a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional.

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 passion started as a part time job in 2008 and now he is on a mission “To Get North Carolina Outside”. He is a partner in a landscape company Evolve Design + Build located in Currituck, North Carolina. You can find him on both Facebook and Instagram.He is a licensed North Carolina landscape and general contractor. He holds designations from Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) for concrete pavers and The National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) for segmented retaining walls.

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 he supervised 12 landscape designers that produced more than 2,500 landscape plans annually as Director of the Pike Design Group.You will probably remember Bruce’s distinct voice from his appearances on “The Lawn and Garden Show with Walter Reeves” Saturday mornings on Atlanta’s WSB radio.Bruce earned his landscape architecture degree from the University of Georgia. I’m excited for you to hear his can’t miss strategies that add value every time they’re applied.

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 years.Tannenbaum Farms was purchased in 1977 as an extension of Dr. Koelling's professional interests and as a way to establish a college fund for his children. The first planting in 1978 covered three acres. Today, plantings cover approximately 100 acres of the 180-acre farm.I was introduced to Dr. Koelling through the fine folks at The National Christmas Tree Promotion Board. Their campaign It’s Christmas Keep It Real touch me.Christmas trees what a wonderful idea for an episode.It can take over 8 years to grow your tree so there is not really an off season on a Christmas Tree farm. We will hear right from the grower himself how to select and care for your live tree.We will also discover the story behind the first Christmas Tree and how the tradition grew.

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 innovations that will stimulate your creative juices and make your next hardscape project easier to install. Arron reveals the focal point of his family’s future hardscape outdoor living space project. The story begins with a newly acquired championship size Japanese Maple.

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 to live.The positive family impacts encouraged him in his leap of faith in starting an exterior design studio Redeem Your Ground.Doug completed Emory University’s Landscape Design Program to complement his personal experience along with his natural abilities in design and client engagement.The “Why” behind Doug’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Redeem Your Ground and his family's story have been featured in both Southern Living magazine & on a TV episode of Growing a Greener World. The Scott's family home & garden blog was also voted Best New Blog at the 2015 Garden Bloggers Conference.

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 Crescent Technical College for 8 years. On top of all that he and his wife also owned and operated their own floral shop. David has a BS degree in Horticulture and Agriculture Education from Purdue University. Now he is the Greenhouse Manager and Floral Designer for Hills & Dales Estate where he is always applying his wealth of knowledge and creative expertise.

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 that led him to the ongoing development and caring for some of the most unique gardens in Savannah, Georgia area.Charles is a University of Georgia Certified Plant Professional and a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional.This is episode 029 - Why Camellias Work in Your Garden with Charles Daniel on The Garden Question Podcast.

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 PBS’s “The Southern Gardener” would be produced around his winning entry.He earned Horticulture Associates Degrees in Landscape Design, Ornamental Production, and Commercial Turf Management from ABAC Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.He followed up those studies with internships at Chicago Botanic Garden and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. 

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 master’s degree in landscape architecture from The University of Georgia and a MBA from Georgia State University.He is the founder of The Landscape Design Program at Emory Continuing Education Center.

Jutt Howard loves what he does. Every day is a new adventure when growing hundreds of acres of grass for your home and athletic venues.In this episode he talks about how you can be successful also. How years of constant research pursues the perfect sod. Also an amazing bald eagle story that happened right on his family’s farm. Jutt grew up in the landscape business and is now the VP of business operations for NG Turf. Since 2010 he has grown with the company and learned the values of producing high quality turf grasses.He serves as Chairmen of the Advisory Board for AGL. Advancing Georgia Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry which is a 2-year leadership program.He also serves as a board member of the (GCIA) Georgia Crop Improvement Association . They are responsible for Certification Programs involving crop seeds and turf grasses along with  Organic Certification Program.Jutt is a University of Georgia Certified Turf Grass Professional  and a 2010 University of West Georgia Marketing Degree Graduate.

Dr. Bethany Harris is the Director of Education at Callaway Gardens, where she oversees the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center and the Callaway Gardens Discovery Center. She leads the horticultural educational programs and workshops for guests and visiting school children. She is also the Director of the Callaway Gardens Volunteer Program. Dr. Harris is passionate about teaching horticulture and pollinator roles in our environment along with the use of floral resources for insects. She has earned BS, MS, and PHD degrees in Horticulture and Entomology from the University of Georgia which makes her a “triple UGA dawg”.

Today we are having a conversation with Dr. Richard La Fleur about the importance of healing gardens. We will discover how they promote physical, mental, and spiritual healing as well as encourage self-care.Dr. La Fleur is an author, international speaker, researcher and educator in the discipline of Psychology at the University of West Georgia. He currently teaches various courses in Psychology and Integrative Healthcare.

This is episode 023 Lisa’s Garden Revealed on The Garden Question Podcast. A follow up to episode 22 Communicating Your Garden Ideas on Paper with Lisa Nunamaker. Lisa reveals her strategy in designing her new garden under the shade of massive white oak trees. She is an Award-winning designer, artist and educator. In this episode we will explore her garden and design effluences.Lisa is a master at teaching others how to communicate garden design and landscape graphic ideas on paper.Her website Paper Garden Workshop.com is a fun and spirited place to begin learning new amazing drawing and design technique. Lisa teaches her beautiful illustration skills and landscape design on her website and in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. Lisa also holds degrees in landscape architecture, is registered in the state of Iowa and formally served on the Association of Professional Landscape Designers National Board of Directors.

 Award-winning designer, artist and educator, Lisa Nunamaker is a master at teaching others how to communicate garden design and landscape graphic ideas on paper.Her website Paper Garden Workshop.com is a fun and spirited place to begin learning new amazing drawing and design technique. Lisa teaches her beautiful illustration skills on her website and in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. To top it off, Lisa also holds degrees in landscape architecture, is registered in the state of Iowa and formally served on the Association of Professional Landscape Designers National Board of Directors. 

Connie Cottingham and Mike Sikes’ garden is every plant collector’s fantasy. Each of their lifetime garden adventures are intertwined in their eclectic Athens Georgia garden. Connie is a landscape architect and a garden travel writer. She has gardened in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Georgia. Her weekly garden plants and advice email ‘Love Notes From the Garden’ are short, humorous, and informative. Mike is a horticulturist who is Georgia through and through. His garden world has included owning and operating retail garden centers, hosting a garden radio talk show, assisting with new plant introductions, and serving as President of the Georgia Master Gardeners. Together Connie and Mike offer talks and landscape consultations between discovering a new public garden. Facebook: Love Notes From The Garden

Mary Kay Woodworth talks about how to hire your next professional for your garden or landscape needs. In this episode she reveals some of the best questions to ask when qualifying your potential garden and landscape professional. Mary Kay serves as the Executive director of the Georgia Urban Ag Council. The UAC organization is composed of Landscape, Garden and Turf professionals that advocate, educate, and promote the green industry in the state of Georgia. UAC represents one of the largest and most successful industries in Georgia. With more than $9 billion in sales, 8,000 companies, and more than 100,000 employees She is almost a native Georgian, living here since she was 8 years old. An avid gardener, she has Georgia soil, temperature and plant varieties (mostly) figured out, but learning to landscape and garden with husband Mark at their second home in New Hampshire planting zone 4b is a new challenge! This is Episode 22 Hiring a Professional for Your Next Garden Project of The Garden Question Podcast.

0019 - The Great Georgia Pollinator Census - Becky Griffin Becky Griffin knows pollinators count. Now she wants you to count the pollinators in the The Great Georgia Pollinator Census Being a self-confessed “Geeky Kid” with a great love for insects she wore out the bee book in her local library. Now Becky is the coordinator of The Great Georgia Pollinator Census taking place this year on August 20th and 21st, 2021. Putting good food on your table is no accident. In this episode we will find out how good insects and their supporting habitat make a difference. Becky tells us the simple method for collecting important data to be used by the University of Georgia researchers. This valuable data reveals pollinator trends and is needed to conduct economic valuation studies of pollination. Becky is a Georgia Certified Beekeeper and works with community and school gardeners to increase beneficial insect habitat. She is also part of UGA's Native Plants and Beneficial Insect Working Group and hosts “The Great Georgia Pollinator Podcast” This is a back-to-back episode featuring our guest Becky Griffin the Community and School Garden Coordinator for The University of Georgia Extension. You will want to hear episode 18 “Gardening with Children” when you finish this episode 19 of The Garden Question Podcast. Connect with Becky: Becky Griffin is the Community and School Garden Coordinator for University of Georgia Extension. Website: The Great Georgia Pollinator Census Facebook Group: The Great Georgia Pollinator Census Certify your pollinator habitat: Connect To Protect Program

 Becky Griffin knows gardening connects future generations to agriculture and how they will benefit from that experience. Our children today need food and agriculture knowledge in order to yield wise policy decisions for their future.She talks about how a child’s nutrition, wellness and economic benefits increases along with test scores by being exposed to gardening.Becky has found that a child’s natural curiosity of the outdoor world often leads to developing patients, curiosity and creativity when being involved in school gardening.Becky Griffin is the Community and School Garden Coordinator for University of Georgia Extension. She knows what it takes to have a successful school garden.  We will explore the keys to starting a sustainable children’s garden in this 018 episode of The Garden Question Podcast “Gardening with Children”. 

Mike and Judy Cunningham are harvesting the last summer crops at Country Gardens Farm. Fall gardening is just around the corner and Mike takes a break to talk about his favorite time of the year in the garden. Some of the things you will discover in this episode are the best practices Mike implements for soils, plant selections, and timing. All important for a successful fall harvest. Mike and Judy Cunningham have been teaching people how to grow, cook, and preserve good organic food for over 10 years. Country Gardens Farm is a third-generation family farm growing a wide assortment of organic year-round vegetables they sale to the community from their 3 acres. Mike with lots of input from Judy authored his successful "Seven Steps to an Organic Vegetable Garden" You will remember Mike's openness in sharing his successful methods for growing good food in our inaugural episode 001 of "The Garden Question" Podcast.

Jo Phillips is the Horticultural Manager for the best-preserved 19th century garden in the United States. The first planting at Hills and Dales Estate occurred in 1841 with the still growing original boxwoods. The garden estate is a horticultural testament to the three women with their families that have called it home. Today’s garden stays true to the original design and each woman’s contribution. Jo tells stories about how much Alice Callaway loved Hills and Dales and was ahead of her time in so many ways. The horticultural staff reflects Mrs. Callaway love every day in their care for the original garden design. You will want to listen all the way to the end to appreciate how important historical gardens are to our future garden success. Jo earned her BSA Horticulture Degree from The University of Georgia. This is Episode 016 “Hills and Dales Garden Wisdom” of The Garden Question Podcast.

Paul Chappell grows trees headed to a landscape garden near you. He talks about the fascinating journey your tree might take before finding a home in your garden. Once your tree finds its home, Paul lays out what it takes for you to be a successful tree grower for multiple generations. Paul fell in love with plants and their care over 36 successful years ago. He tells some very interesting stories about his time at Callaway Gardens. The challenges of growing native trees in the nursery. Also, some plant design practices and choices you will want to avoid. Paul is a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional, an ISA Certified Arborist, and a 20 plus years nursery grower of fine trees. This is episode 015 “Where Trees Come From” of The Garden Question Podcast. Our conversation with Paul Chappell of Diversified Trees coming up.

You’ll never want to leave a Susanne Hudson designed garden. Each garden room is an invitation to relax and enjoy again and again. Susanne has been designing homes and gardens for over 40 years. She believes your home is for living and enjoying every day. Her personal garden has been featured in Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, HGTV, This Old House, New Zealand’s Lifestyle Book and more. She shares her garden with guest each year during the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival Garden tour. Designing amazing twist with antique and vintage objects is one of her design signatures.

Gail Woody knows native plants and why they are important for our gardens. She has been gardening for over 30 years. Creating the perfect eco system with native plants for butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Her passion for gardening is contagious! After listening to this episode, you will search out every opportunity to use natives in your garden. Gail Woody is an ISA Certified Arborist and a seasoned advanced Master Gardener. She speaks and writes on Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and native plants among other garden subjects. You probably remember listening to Gail in episode 002 Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden and episode 005 Attracting Hummingbirds to your Garden.

Lanie Riner knows pollinator gardens and why thy are so important to our lives. In this episode Lanie explains how to be pollinator successful. She teams with her husband Gray to grow hundreds of thousands of pollinator plants every year at their nursery Thunderwood Farms. Thunderwood Farms specializes in producing custom-grown perennial plants. Growing using clean methods supports plant health for an outstanding garden near you. Lanie’s moving story about how friends and neighbors saved the day right before an approaching hard freeze brought me to tears. Always an advocate for the horticulture green industry Lanie has taken the next step by becoming the Executive Director for the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA). Lanie was recognized as the GGIA Young Professional of the Year in 2013 and the GGIA Communicator of the Year in January 2020. She is a 2005 graduate from The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture. She has served in leadership roles with Georgia Farm Bureau, Center for Applied Nursery Research, Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry and Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA). If the legislature is in session, Lanie is at the state capitol watching legislation and gathering an audience advocating Georgia’s horticulture story.

Brooks Garcia is fulfilling his dream in the Northeast Georgia Mountains. The sun awakens him every day to his new adventure at Villa del Sole. A Tuscan style home and garden complete with long vistas to far mountain ridges. He designed and built his Georgia version of a Tuscan style home complete with a clay tile roof and wood burning fireplace. When the sun slips behind the ridge Brooks celebrates another fulfilling day building his garden with a swimming pool soak. In our conversation Brooks reveals the key to unlocking Georgia’s red clay soils and growing flourishing healthy plants in your garden. Designing and building his “last great garden”. He talks about his favorite plants and how to use them in garden design. Some you won’t believe. He shares his hands in the dirt experiences building award winning gardens at the Chelsey Flower Show, Southeastern Flower Show, and Foxhall Flower Show. Brooks worked for Ryan Gainey as his personal assistant where he helped create many outstanding gardens in Atlanta, Long Island and abroad in France. For 25 years Brooks created gardens for his fellow Atlantans through his company Fine Gardens. Brooks attended the Lovett School and upon graduation went on to the University of Georgia earning his BLA in Landscape Architecture. Brooks has given his time restoring historical Old Clarkesville Cemetery, Hills and Dales in LaGrange and Historic Oakland Cemetery.

Carol Hight is a native plant and wild flower advocate. She is a prolific writer for local publications and is a very in demand speaker for wildflowers. Her blog is BloomingBeautiful.comShe is a 30-year retired 5th grade science teacher. Carol is currently active with the West Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society where she has served as chairman of the Buffalo Creek Trail restoration committee, and as an active native plant rescue facilitator.

Greg Huber is a public service and outreach faculty member of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and a Georgia registered landscape architect. He earned a Bachelor and Master’s degree from the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design. His 26-year career includes a dynamic range of field experience as a green industry professional and teacher. Prior to joining Extension in 2016, he was the coordinator and lead instructor for the Horticulture program at Southern Crescent Technical College, specializing in workforce training (2005-2015). Huber has field experience in a dynamic range of industry sectors including landscape design, site planning and construction documents, landscape contracting, landscape management, retail nursery, carpentry, and Christmas tree production. Huber now leads UGA’s Georgia Certified Landscape Professional and Georgia Certified Plant Professional Programs through the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture. Georgia’s landscape and turf industries count on Huber’s communication of critical timely information and announcements through the Landscape Alerts & Updates newsletter, Georgia Certified Landscape Professional and Georgia Certified Plant Professional newsletters. He is the past recipient of the Southern Crescent Technical College Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Education and the Georgia Green Industry Association Educator and Communicator of the Year Awards.

Joe Raboine started his career as a landscape contractor over 25 years ago. His garden hardscape expertise and innovation led him to Director of Residential Hardscapes at Belgard. Known as the best in class Belgard is a trend setter with their landscape pavers, retaining walls, fire pits and more creative hardscape products. Joe created a line of modular outdoor kitchen and living room components called Harmony Outdoor Living which is now Belgard Elements™. He also developed a method for converting simple sketches into 3D designs and animations so people can envision the hardscapes in their gardens before they are built. Belgard Design Studio is the fruit of his work. Joe is an avid gardener, outdoor photographer and hiker. In this episode we will talk with Joe about what’s good to know when choosing and building your next hardscape project.

Christie Bryant speaks for trees every day. She loves to be in a person’s yard meeting their dogs and talking about what is best for their trees. Climbing to the highest heights and exploring soil depths is important to her for a complete understanding of each tree’s optimum health needs. Thirteen years as a consulting arborist Christie stays up to date on the latest tree research and what trees love and desire. Her tree consulting company is called Speaking for The Trees. She believes it is important to know a tree’s potential by performing a tree risk assessment and a real estate due diligence inspection. As President of the Georgia Arborist Association, she advocates for trees and the professional that take care of them. She earned a Bachelor degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Georgia. Is a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional, ISA Certified Arborist, and a trained Horticultural Therapist . Christie has appeared as a tree expert on The Weather Channel, various local news outlets, and WSB radio Saturday morning show Green & Growing with Ashley Frasca.

Dr. Bodie Pennisi is an Extension Horticulture Specialist at the University of Georgia. She has statewide responsibilities for the Georgia landscape industry and conducts applied research with emphasis on sustainable outdoor and indoor landscapes which includes plant, water, nutrient, and soil interactions. Dr. Pennisi also teaches online university level courses titled: Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants; along with a Plant Physiology course. She also teaches Master Gardener training classes on landscape installation and maintenance, WaterSmart landscapes, interiorscapes, herbaceous and woody ornamental plant selection, plant propagation and plant physiology. Dr. Pennisi serves as educational advisor to the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA), the Urban Agriculture Council (UAC), and the national organization Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB). She serves on the environmental committee of the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH). Dr. Pennisi is a Co-Editor-in-Chief of Scientia Horticulturae.

Gail Woody knows Hummingbirds and how to attracts them by the hundreds each day. Her garden is a must stop for thousands of hummers on their migration journey from and to Central America. She talks about her feeding strategies and nectar producing plants. Successful water attracting tactics. Growing proven reproduction habitat . Why insects are important to Hummingbird health. You are probably familiar with Gail Woody from our first interview on The Garden Question episode 002 How to Attract Butterflies. Gail has been gardening for over 30 years. She creates the perfect eco system that includes butterflies, hummingbirds, native plants, water features and more. Her passion for gardening is contagious! After listening to this episode her excitement will inspire you! Gail Woody is an ISA Certified Arborist and a seasoned advanced Master Gardener. She speaks and writes on Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and native plants among other garden subjects If you want to learn how to attracting Hummingbirds to your garden large or small this episode is perfect for you!

Tara Dillard is a nationally recognized garden designer, author, and speaker. She has hosted her own CBS television program, The Better Gardening Show. After earning degrees in engineering and horticulture she began designing and installing low-maintenance organic landscapes. Her designs emphasis the balance between home, garden, and life. An award-winning author of 5 books, including Garden Paths and Stepping Stones, Beautiful by Design, and The Garden View. Tara writes a newspaper column; magazine articles and maintains a popular blog on her website: Tara Dillard.com Based in Atlanta, GA, she lectures nationally, spreading the message that creating a beautiful landscape will create a beautiful life. Host: Craig McManus

Rick Smith is the pruning guru. In today episode your deepest pruning fears are comforted with Rick’s interesting and high impact stories. He explains why Smart landscape design matters and how to avoid the not so smart design mistakes. After listening you will appreciate how he protects his client’s garden investment for the long run and why they trust him with their extraordinary gardens. In this episode of “The Garden Question” you will know why garden plants do better when they stay closer to their natural size, form, and texture. Avoiding any signs of over-pruning or under-pruning. Rick reveals healthy plant management practice along with how his proven knowledge and experience helps prevent common pest and disease problems. He lectures throughout the southeastern United States to horticulture college students, garden clubs, landscape companies and horticultural trade associations. He is featured in the University of Georgia green industry Super Crew training video and has appeared on PBS’s Growing a Greener World with Joe Lamp’l. Rick is the chairperson of the Georgia Certified Landscape Professional advisory board and also served on the Board of Directors and as President of Metro Atlanta Landscape & Turf Association His company The Pruning Guru was founded in 2002 after 15 years of developing his knowledge and skills with the landscape trail blazing company Post Properties.

Gail Woody is an expert at enticing a Butterfly kaleidoscope to her garden. She knows what they like and how to keep them happy year-round. She has been studying these fly jewels for many years and regularly attracts up to 38 different species of butterflies to her garden. Monarch butterflies are regular visitors twice a year on their migration treks between Mexico and Canada. In this episode Gail will also tell us how to attract and keep all the local butterflies coming to you place. Some with 6” to 8” wing spans and stories about giant 6” to 8” caterpillars. Gail has been gardening for over 30 years. She creates the perfect eco system that includes butterflies, hummingbirds, native plants, water features and more. Her passion for gardening is contagious! After listening to this episode there will be no excuses not to start building your own butterfly paradise! Gail Woody is an ISA Certified Arborist and a seasoned advanced Master Gardener. She speaks and writes on Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and native plants among other garden subjects If you want to learn how to attract your personal Butterfly kaleidoscope then today’s podcast is perfect for you!