It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not because it’s the holidays, because it’s the annual Q & A episode here on Let’s Argue About Plants. When we put a call out each year asking you, our faithful listeners, to send us your most pressing questions about plants and gardening, we never know what to expect. But boy did you deliver this time! We had so many questions roll in that we had to create a spreadsheet just to keep track. In today’s episode we’ll answer as many of those queries as possible, and in some cases, reach out to our colleagues in horticulture to respond (because let’s face it, we don’t know everything). Tune in to see if your question—or a question similar to yours—is answered and what we had to say about cottage gardens and whether or not you may need therapy because of a plant addiction.
Expert guest: Award-winning landscape designer Jay Sifford is the owner of a design firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is an author for Fine Gardening magazine with a new feature out in December 2022, Designing a Stylized Meadow.
Good Vibrations® Gold juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Hegedus’, Zones 3-9)
Good Vibrations® Gold juniper winter color
A sloped front yard garden, designed by Jay Sifford. (photo 1)
Another angle of Jay Sifford’s sloped front yard. (photo 2)
‘Taylor’ Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’, Zones 2-9)
Conical white fir (Abies concolor ‘Conica’, Zones 3-7) Credit: Mark Dwyer
Carol’s gardening style: North American native plants with a side of annuals
Bluestone patio in Carol’s garden
Danielle’s gardening style: Mixed border with a concentration on woodies
Fall in Danielle’s garden
Additional links:
A Cottage Garden That’s Not Chaotic
Defining the New American Cottage Garden
How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants
How to Get Rid of Voles in the Garden
Master the Art of Transplanting