Plants Always Win Podcast Por Sean Patchett and Erin Alladin arte de portada

Plants Always Win

Plants Always Win

De: Sean Patchett and Erin Alladin
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A podcast where two Ontario gardeners dive down plant-fact rabbit-holes, answer audience questions, interview intriguing guests, and compete to bring you the most interesting stories and information. We care about ecologically sound gardening, strong human communities, and up-to-date science.Copyright 2025 Plants Always Win Ciencia Ciencias Biológicas
Episodios
  • Hydrangea Happiness with C.L. Fornari

    Hydrangea Happiness with C.L. Fornari
    Mar 27 2026
    For some of us, happiness is a hydrangea in full, glorious bloom. And if you’re not yet well acquainted with these flowering shrubs, who better to learn from than The Garden Lady herself? C.L. Fornari is the author of the upcoming 2026 book Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning and Blooming, among many others. She’s also a well-known gardening radio host and podcaster, appearing over the years as a contributor on NPR’s The Cultivated Gardener, as host of GardenLine on WXTK, as co-host of the podcast Plantrama, and today as the eponymous host of The Garden Lady on several NPR stations. We get the scoop on her broadcasting career, on her founding of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, and on how she planned a modern-day guide to hydrangeas that’s “more Instagram and less coffee table book.” Dive into this interview to learn about choosing the right hydrangea for a northern garden, about the truth of acidifying your soil for those beautiful blue mophead blooms, and about finding joy in your garden and your life. Find C.L. Online at: GardenLady.com Mentioned in This Episode Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning & Blooming: https://brandeisuniversitypress.com/title/hydrangea-happiness-planting-pruning-and-blooming/ The Cope Cod Hydrangea Festival: https://www.capecodchamber.org/events/cape-cod-hydrangea-fest/ Hydrangeas on the Azores: https://www.treehugger.com/hydrangeas-azores-4869708 Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4JaBluesky: @plantsalwayswin.comTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastYouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Timestamps: 00:14 Introduction00:56 C.L. Fornari’s Garden Radio Host Career05:52 Founding the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival08:33 Why (and How!) C.L. Wrote About Hydrangeas11:21 Postcards from Plants14:43 How Many Hydrangeas? Breeding and Selection16:43 A Paniculata Hydrangea for Erin’s Cold, Clay Conditions18:47 Finding the Right Spot for Your Shrub21:16 Are Hydrangeas Invasive?23:00 Hydrangea paniculata, a.k.a. Panicled Hydrangea23:25 Hydrangea arborescens, aka Smooth Hydrangea24:15 Hydrangea macrophylla, a.k.a. Bigleaf Hydrangea, a.k.a. Mophead Hydrangea25:09 Hydrangea serrata, a.k.a. Mountain Hydrangea27:10 C.L.’s Hydrangea Poetry28:25 Hydrangea quercifolia, a.k.a. Oakleaf Hydrangea28:35 Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris., a.k.a. Climbing Hydrangea28:55 Acidifying Soil for Blue Hydrangeas31:05 The Stubborn Myth that Pine Needles Acidify Soil33:20 Moss Lawn Plant Rant34:27 Macrophylla Hydrangeas with Inconsistent Colours37:56 Poison Ivy Acres and Embracing All of Gardening39:40 Find C.L. Fornari Online40:45 Outro and Contact Us
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    42 m
  • Ep 44 Internet Plant Science with Dr. Vikram Baliga

    Ep 44 Internet Plant Science with Dr. Vikram Baliga
    Mar 16 2026

    The internet is a minefield of questionable plant hacks, rage bait, and—sigh—banana water. Good thing The Plant Prof is here to shed some science on the matter.

    Vikram Baliga, a.k.a. The Plant Prof, is a professor of horticulture and the host of the podcasts Planthropology and Deep Roots. He is that rare being in the world of science: an academic who has also honed the skill of communicating with non-academic audiences. As he says, public taxes pay for science research. The public deserves good, true scientific information.

    Today’s conversation ranges across education and misinformation in the digital age, the evolution of science, and the importance of experimentation. Then we get practical with tips on compost tea, a nuanced discussion on using synthetic or organic fertilization methods, and garden hacks that actually work. Of course, we also have to take a few minutes to get excited about Vikram’s information–packed children’s book, Plants to the Rescue: The Plants, Trees, and Fungi that are Solving Some of the World’s Biggest Problems. Have a listen; class is in session!

    Find Vikram Online at:
    • The Planthropology Podcast
    • Deep Roots Podcast
    • Texas Tech Davis College of Ag Natural Resources website
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • X
    Vikram’s Book:

    Plants to the Rescue , published by Neon Squid Books

    Timestamps

    00:14 Intro
    00:30 Meet Vikram Baliga, The Plant Prof
    02:33 Vikram’s Podcasts: The Planthropology Podcast and Deep
    Roots
    03:37 The Challenge of Public Science Communication
    10:42 Plants don’t read our textbooks.
    12:20 Plants Always Win Stole its Name from Planthropology Merch
    13:04 The Evolution of Science and the Freedom to Experiment
    15:56 Vikram’s Home Fertilizer Hack Experiments: Rice Water, Banana Water, Oatmeal, Cinnamon, etc.
    18:36 How to Make Compost Tea
    21:22 Synthetic Commercial Fertilizers vs. Organic Fertilizers for Containers, Planters, and Gardens
    30:48 Vikram’s New Kids’ Book: Plants to the Rescue
    36:50 Gardening Hacks that Actually Work
    40:04 Things That Make Your Gardening Life Easier
    40:41 That Time Sean Hacked his Leg Open
    42:32 The Best Way to Grow a Garden is In Community
    44:52 Find Vikram Online
    45:43 Outro and Contact Us
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    47 m
  • Ep. 43. Rosemary vs. Lavender

    Ep. 43. Rosemary vs. Lavender
    Feb 10 2026
    In this versus episode, we bring you two of the nicest-smelling and slowest-growing plants in the garden. Sean gets us started with rosemary, which is known to science as Salvia rosemarinus (though some botanists may be surprised to hear that!). We learn how to grow this Mediterranean plant and how to help it handle a northern winter, even if that means bringing it indoors. One option, of course, is to take softwood or hardwood cuttings and root them for next year, and Sean gives us a crash course in doing that before moving on to the fascinating research being done on rosemary and cognition. In the second half, Erin narrows down the many species and cultivars of lavender to just two: Lavandula angustifolia, often called English Lavender or “true lavender,” and Lavandula X Intermedia, a hybrid you may see marketed as “lavandin.” One is good to eat, and the other is great for toiletries. How do you know which is which? Erin has the intel. Just don’t ask her to talk about French lavender. You might be in for a plant rant. You’re also in for some fun facts about growing lavender at home, becoming a commercial lavender grower in Ontario, and what historical humans and modern scientists think it’s good for. We wrap up with a busted myth: what does lavender have to do with King Tut? It’s not what you think! Who won the plant face-off? You decide! Email us, tag us on social media, or pipe up in our friendly Discord server to let us know who you thought made their plant the most interesting. Will YOU be growing lavender or rosemary this year? The Ontario Garden Events Calendar It’s live! Check it out at https://plantsalwayswin.com/events/ Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/K6wF9dY4JaBluesky: @plantsalwayswin.comTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastYouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-plays License code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH Citations Rosemary Plant ProfileRosmarinus officinalis L. (n.d.). USDA Plants Database. https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ROOF Rosemary. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary Rosemary and cognitionKamdar, D. (2025). Rosemary has been linked to better memory, lower anxiety and even protection from Alzheimer’s. The Conversation. https://doi.org/10.64628/ab.fu4jyy3mx Banerjee, P., Wang, Y., Carnevale, L. N., Patel, P., Raspur, C. K., Tran, N., Zhang, X., Natarajan, R., Roberts, A. J., Baran, P. S., & Lipton, S. A. (2025). DIACCA, a Pro-Drug for carnosic acid that activates the NRF2 transcriptional pathway, shows efficacy in the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants, 14(3), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14030293 Herbs that can boost your mood and memory. (2026, June 2). Northumbria University. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/2016/04/herbs-that-can-boost-your-mood-and-memory/ Studying Hinoki cypress oil and relaxationIkei, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015). Physiological effect of olfactory stimulation by Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) leaf oil. Journal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 34(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-015-0082-2 Etymology of lavenderLavender – Etymology, Origin & Meaning. (n.d.). Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavender Growing lavender in OntarioGrowing lavender in Ontario: an introduction for prospective growers. (2023, February 22). ontario.ca. https://www.ontario.ca/page/growing-lavender-ontario-introduction-prospective-growers What people historically thought lavender was good for, and what scientists think todayCivilyte, A., Karanikola, K., & Kramer, A. (2025). From antiquity to modern hygiene: the archaeological and medicinal legacy of lavender as a promising antimicrobial agent. PubMed, 20, Doc21. https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000550 Medicinal uses and side effects of lavenderLavender: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews. (n.d.). https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender#dosing Lavender: Usefulness and safety. (n.d.). National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender The Ontario Lavender AssociationOntario Lavender Association. (n.d.). Lavender Ontario. Lavender Ontario. https://lavenderontario.org/ History, taxonomy, and production of lavenderMcCoy, J.-A., PhD. (2022). Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production (J. Davis, Ed.). NC State Extension. https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/ Timestamps 00:17 Introduction01:00 What’s Growing On? Erin at the Landscape Ontario ...
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    1 h y 11 m
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