Gary Lewis on Ground Covers for Every Garden (#30)
In this episode of The Plantastic Podcast, Gary Lewis, the owner of Phoenix Perennials and author of The Complete Book of Ground Covers. Gary takes us on a journey through his lifelong passion for plants, highlighted by his hands-on experience at a wholesale nursery, his self-taught mastery within the horticultural field, and buying a nursery when he was working on his master's degree at 28. Gary's love for ground covers comes alive as he illuminates their aesthetic, functional, and environmental benefits while offering advice on their effective use in garden designs. Additionally, Gary shares about the challenges and strategies behind running a diverse nursery, the importance of fostering curiosity and diversity in horticulture, the complex choices involved in writing a book featuring 4,000 ground covers, and his travels around the world. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to deepen their gardening insights and creativity. Enjoy the show!
The Plantastic Podcast · Gary Lewis, Jared Barnes
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Show Notes
GARY LEWIS BIO
Gary Lewis has had a life-long interest in plants and gardening. His retail and mail order nursery, Phoenix Perennials, located in Richmond, BC, offers more than 5000 different plants. Gary authored The Complete Book of Ground Covers: 4000 Plants that Reduce Maintenance, Control Erosion, and Beautify the Landscape and has written for various garden magazines including Fine Gardening and has been a frequent guest on local and regional radio and television stations in British Columbia. He speaks regularly to garden clubs around BC and the Pacific Northwest and has presented at conferences across North America. In 2013 he was selected as Communicator of the Year by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association and in 2014 as one of Canada’s Top 10 Horticultural Professionals under 40 by Greenhouse Canada magazine. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Perennial Plant Association and is a committee member of Great Plant Picks.
THE PLANTASTIC PODCAST
The Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes. He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.
You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com. He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe. Until next time, #keepgrowing!