Plants Always Win

• Ep. 16 Q&A Special: Cedars, Compost, and Cardboard Mulch

  We’re cultivating a safe space to ask gardening questions!We have been plotting for some thyme to add some dedicated Q&A episodes to the recording schedule. While we love seeding quick questions into the end of a show, and while many of our most popular episodes have sprouted from a particularly juicy inquiry, there are plenty of other questions that merit ten minutes of discussion rather than sixty or two. In this inaugural Q&A special, we tackle a bushel of cedar and shrub questions and spend some time in the vegetable garden as well:Do you need to mitigate any environmental impacts when removing cedars near your home?Are the rumours true? Is using cardboard mulch in your veggie garden unsafe?Why do some people call Rose of Sharon a “dirty” tree?When an old cedar hedge develops gaps, how can they be filled?Can you shorten an established cedar hedge that’s giving too much shade?What’s the best soil-to-compost ratio to help a struggling vegetable garden?If you have questions of your own or if you want to weigh in on these topics (we love learning new things through respectful discussion!), email us or reach out over social media.Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com Remember that you can get Q&A priority and other perks by supporting us on Patreon. CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHCitationsUnderstanding PFASOur current understanding of the human health and environmental risks of PFAS | US EPA. (2024, November 26). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfasFigure out if your cardboard mulch has (significant amounts of) PFASOlson, T., & Olson, T. (2024, May 23). Is cardboard mulch toxic? – Mother Earth News. Mother Earth News – the Original Guide to Living Wisely. https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/is-cardboard-mulch-toxic-zm0z24jjzols/Debunking the anti-cardboard crusadeHoag, M. (2024, April 2). Addressing the 2024 cardboard Sheet-Mulching myth madness. Transformative Adventures. https://transformativeadventures.org/2024/04/01/debunking-the-2024-cardboard-sheet-mulching-myth-madness/ Timestamps00:11 Introduction00:53 What's Growing On? Erin's False Spring04:36 What's Growing On? Sean's Pupdate and Seedling Roulette17:10 Water Break17:26 Removing Cedars Near a House: Environmental Impacts?12:35 Is Cardboard Mulch Really Unsafe?24:48 What Gives Rose of Sharon a "Dirty Tree" Reputation?31:18 How Can You Fill in Gaps in a Sparse, Old Cedar Hedge?37:10 Can You Shorten an Established Cedar Hedge?48:55 What's the Best Soil-to-Compost Ratio for Veggie Gardens?57:37 Invitation to Conversation58:39 Conclusion and Contact Us

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• Ep. 15 Lost Ladies of Garden Writing with Carol Michel

  Carol Michel is a garden author and co-host of The Gardenangelists podcast. She boasts of having the world’s largest hoe collection…which is overshadowed only by her library-worthy collection of gardening books. Among the hundreds of volumes on her shelves are hard-to-find copies of books by a number of American women who were horticultural experts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but who have been all but forgotten by history. To honour them, Carol started a Substack called the Lost Ladies of Garden Writing. On this week’s episode of Plants Always Win, she invites us into some of their stories. Publishing styles and garden trends change over time, but some things stay the same. People want to know how to make their poinsettia re-bloom, how to get rid of pests, how to find the hottest new cultivar. Carol uses genealogical records, newspaper archives, and Google Books to piece together the lives of the women who were answering those questions in decades past, then shares them with her subscribers. It’s a project of passion and dedication, and it has given her some extraordinary stories to tell!Lost Ladies featured in this episode include:Cynthia Westcott, who saved the Azaleas of the southern United States Grace (G.A.) Woolson who was, as America’s foremost fern expert, often assumed to be a manViola Brainerd Baird, whose 1940s Wild Violets of North America is still unmatchedKate Brewster, whose book The Little Garden for Little Money was somewhat hampered by her own wealthAlma C. Guillet moved from Toronto to New York City and catalogued all the trees and shrubs in Central ParkMrs. L.L. Huffman, who wrote under her husband’s initials and was actually called Minnie EnolaSome better-known ladies of garden writing are also mentioned:Cassandra Danz, A.K.A. Mrs. GreenthumbsElizabeth Lawrence, whose Charlotte, North Carolina garden was so beloved it’s now part of a bird sanctuaryJean Hersey, whose book The Shape of the Year is still read and enjoyedTo enjoy more garden gab with Carol, find her in the following places:The Lost Ladies of Garden Writing Substack, which is updated weekly with new lost ladiesHer helpful weekly gardening newsletter, In the Garden with Carol J MichelThe Gardenangelists Podcast, which she co-hosts with Dee NashHer website, caroljmichel.com, where you will also find her books of humorous and helpful gardening essays:Potted and Pruned: Living a Gardening LifeHomegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening LifeSeeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening LifeCreatures and Critters: Who’s in my GardenDigging and Delighted: Live your Best Gardening LifeComments? 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. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHTimestamps00:30 Introducing Carol Michel01:30 The World's Largest Hoe Collection04:45 Carol's Gardening Book Library07:40 The Lost Ladies of Garden Writing Project10:30 Garden Writing Then and Now11:34 Cynthia Westcott, PhD: The Gardener's Bug Book13:48 Can We Trust Old Gardening Books?15:18 Buckner Hollingsworth, Gardening on Main Street16:51 Carol convinces Sean to Become a Collector19:57 G.A. (Grace) Woolson, Ferns24:39 Elizabeth Lawrence, A Southern Garden26:29 How Carol Does her Research27:38 Writing Under their Husbands' Names29:33 Kate Brewster, The Little Garden for Little Money30:41 Jean Hersey, The Shape of the Year34:36 Alma C. Guillet, Make Friends of the Trees and Shrubs 35:20 Cassandra Danz, Mrs. Greenthumbs38:54 Carol's "Humorous but Helpful" Gardening Books39:07 Find Carol Online40:53 Contact us and Outro

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• Ep. 14 Living Soil with Michelle Bruhn

  Soil is the foundation of a healthy garden…or homestead…or farm. For sustainable gardening that gives us nutritious food without depleting the land, we need to know how to feed and maintain living soil. After all, it’s the community of living things in the soil that feeds the plants we eat ourselves. That’s where Michelle Bruhn comes in. Michelle is a suburban homesteading author, speaker, and educator who manages the online information hub Forks in the Dirt. This week, she joins Erin (who’s always excited about home-scale regenerative agriculture) to talk about how she has turned a sandy suburban lot into a tiny paradise that produced almost seven hundred pounds of food in 2024.Through the course of this conversation, Michelle gives us the dirt on a range of organic practices that build soil, feed it, and maximize its effectiveness, even in a short growing season. We’re talking composting in place with sheet mulching, lasagna gardening, and hügelkultur; supporting healthy soil food webs with companion planting, mulch, and cover crops; and extending the growing season with cold frames, hoop houses, and even plastic bins. If you think you’re already a master of all these things, so did Erin—and this interview got her out gardening in the early-March snow to try something she’s never done before.If you want to keep learning from Michelle Bruhn, check out…Her online hub, Forks in the Dirt: (Here you’ll find courses, resources, and recipes for homesteading and gardening).Her book, Small-Scale Homesteading, co-authored by Stephanie ThurowStephanie’s fermentation books which Michelle shouted out during the episode: Michelle’s Substack newsletterYou can also find her on social media:Instagram: @forksinthedirtFacebook: @forksinthedirtmnCitations:Jeff Lowenfels’ book Teeming with Microbes, which discusses how adding Nitrogen fertilizer to soil decreases the Nitrogen produced by bacteria:Lowenfels, J., & Lewis, W. (2010). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web. Timber Press (OR).Michelle’s recommended source on nutrients and wood decomposition (correction: from USDA, not US Forest Service): Marcot, B. G. (2023, February 10). Ecosystem processes related to wood decay. DecAID. https://apps.fs.usda.gov/r6_decaid/views/ecosystem_processes.htmlThe study on nitrogen immobilization with wood decomposition that Erin referenced:van der Wal, A., de Boer, W., Smant, W. et al. Initial decay of woody fragments in soil is influenced by size, vertical position, nitrogen availability and soil origin. Plant Soil 301, 189–201 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9437-8Sepp Holtzer, Hügelkultur expertHolzer, S. (n.d.). Huegel Culture Design. Sepp Holzer Permaculture. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.seppholzer.info/huegel-culture-design/Michigan State Extension Services study on the pest suppression abilities of mustard as a cover cropSnapp, S., Date, K., Cichy, K., O’Neil, K., & Michigan State University, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. (2006). Michigan farmers rely on a wide range of cover crops as vital management tools. In Michigan Farmers Rely on a Wide Range of Cover Crops as Vital Management Tools. https://midwestcovercrops.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MI_2006_Mustards-A-Brassica-Cover-Crop-for-Michigan.pdfUtah State Extension publication on squash beetles and blue Hubbard squashUSU Extension IPM program. (2021). Blue hubbard squash as a trap crop to suppress squash bugs. In USU Extension IPM Program. https://extension.usu.edu/planthealth/ipm/veg/Trap-Crops-Squash-Bugs.pdfComments? 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. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHTimestamps00:11 Introduction01:00 Michelle Bruhn and Forks in the Dirt03:10 Michelle’s Suburban Homestead03:26 Lawns for Bees and for Kids06:03 Growing Neighbours through Gardening08:28 Sheet Mulching for No-Dig Garden Beds11:39 Urban and Suburban Pollinator Habitat17:22 Why Compost Instead of Chemicals?23:10 Water Break25:00 Leaf Mulch and the Law of Return28:55 Lasagna Gardening30:25 Hügelkultur: Turn Wood Debris into Soil37:58 Fungal Decomposition Beats Bacterial Decomposition38:48 Permaculture and Indigenous Knowledge40:47 Companion Planting: Optimize the Plant Community43:15 Using Trap Crops for Aphids46:01 Yellow Mustard and Cover Crops48:23 Growing Zones and Frost Dates53:42 Season Extension in Cold Climates1:02:36 Find Michelle Online1:03:44 Outro and Contact Us

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• Ep. 13 Beneficial Non-Natives? Borage vs. Cosmos

  It’s a concern being voiced by conscientious gardeners everywhere: is it okay to plant a non-native flower that feeds pollinators but also self-sows freely? One suspect that is being discussed in many online gardening groups in borage. It shows up in pollinator-garden seed mixes that the purchasers expected to be 100% native. It features at seed swaps and in seed libraries because its seeds are easy to collect, and established gardeners know it always brings the bees in. But it also sows itself aggressively, and it didn’t evolve alongside North American pollinators. The people want to know: is it problematic to grow it? Is an aggressive plant necessarily invasive? That’s the question that sets the stage for this week’s versus episode. Sean takes on the borage question while Erin examines her own potentially-problematic fave, cosmos. They look into each plant’s origins, its spread around the world, and how manageable it is once it’s in your garden. They examine studies about wildlife use and raise questions about nectar and pollen quality. Along the way, they uncover a treasure trove of interesting science…and a wealth of questions still to be answered. Who brought the most fascinating facts about their plant this week? Vote for borage or cosmos by tagging us on social media and using the hashtag #PAWFaceOff. 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. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHCitationsWhat is Borage? borage. (2025). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borage A broad overview of Borage Hageman, B. (2024, December 10). Borage: a beautiful herb with many benefits. Grow Organic. https://www.groworganic.com/blogs/articles/borage-a-beautiful-herb-with-many-benefits?srsltid=AfmBOorlAOi28B_PjvoYMORhIqEzDctHk2McssEbhsKe870WpYnYA8yn Use of borage for gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. (n.d.). Specialty cropportunitites - borage. Specialty Cropportunities. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/CropOp/en/indus_misc/oil_crops/borage.htmlBorage’s medical potential BORAGE: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing and reviews. (n.d.). Web MD. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-596/borage The origin of the word cosmos for the well-arranged flower and the well-ordered universe Liddell, H. G., & Scott, R. (n.d.). κόσμος. Henry George Liddell, a Greek-English Lexicon. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=ko/smos Kosmos Meaning - Greek Lexicon | New Testament (NAS). (n.d.). Bible Study Tools. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/kosmos.htmlGrowing and keeping cosmos as cut flowers Boeckmann, C. (2025, February 7). Cosmos Flowers: Planting, growing, and caring for Cosmos. Almanac.com. https://www.almanac.com/plant/cosmosCare and wildlife use Iannotti, M. (2024, July 19). How to grow and care for cosmos. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-cosmos-4125538An account of leafcutter bees using cosmos Burlew, R. (2017, March 31). Cosmos: a multipurpose bee flower. Honey Bee Suite. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/cosmos-a-multipurpose-bee-flower/The food value of cosmos pollen and nectar Hicks, D. M., Ouvrard, P., Baldock, K. C. R., Baude, M., Goddard, M. A., Kunin, W. E., Mitschunas, N., Memmott, J., Morse, H., Nikolitsi, M., Osgathorpe, L. M., Potts, S. G., Robertson, K. M., Scott, A. V., Sinclair, F., Westbury, D. B., & Stone, G. N. (2016). Food for Pollinators: Quantifying the nectar and pollen resources of urban flower meadows. PLoS ONE, 11(6), e0158117. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158117Use of quercetin in cosmos rhizomes for treating malaria Ali, A. H., Sudi, S., Shi-Jing, N., Hassan, W. R. M., Basir, R., Agustar, H. K., Embi, N., Sidek, H. M., & Latip, J. (2021). Dual Anti-Malarial and GSK3Β-Mediated Cytokine-Modulating activities of quercetin are requisite of its potential as a Plant-Derived therapeutic in malaria. Pharmaceuticals, 14(3), 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14030248One of many personal accounts of using Sulphureus for dye Keegan, G. (n.d.). Cosmos. Graham Keegan. Retrieved September 5, 2023, from https://www.grahamkeegan.com/cosmos?srsltid=AfmBOooSp8-OAkqSDU6XCI6pd0VP-Ny6aGKZvqfDgCfORtTfFTHmEuRuCommentary on the potential invasiveness of cosmos Ask Mr. Smarty Plants. (2013, April 26). Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - the University of Texas at Austin. https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=9284 Timestamps 00:37 Should We Grow Non-Native "Beneficial" Flowers?01:41 Erin’s Sentimental Attachment to Cosmos03:53 The Plant Face-Off04:14 Sean’s Plant: Borage04:25 The Boraginaceae Family05:19 Borage Etymology05:58 True Annuals, and How They Die12:12 What Makes a Flower Perfect?14:15 Borage’s Native Range15:11 Gamma-Linolenic Acid17:20 Eating Borage18:44 Borage Benefits and Warnings21:35 Are Hairy Plants Pest Assassins?25:05 Do Naturalized Plants Stay Non-Invasive? 30:56 Water Break32:33 Erin’s Plant: Cosmos34:01 Cosmos Name Origins36:19 What’s a Half-Hardy Annual?37:31 Uses for Cosmos38:25 Seeking High-Quality Nectar and Pollen42:22 Growing Cosmos43:09 Can You Eat Cosmos? No One Agrees.47:43 Medicinal Uses of Cosmos49:25 Cosmos Range and Invasiveness53:38 Do All Flowers Benefit Pollinators?56:17 Deciding Whether to Plant Non-Native Flowers57:46 The Things That Get You Gardening58:56 Contact Us and Outro

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• Ep. 12 Groundcovers with Kathy Jentz

  This week we cover a lot of ground on the subject of groundcovers with Kathy Jentz. Kathy is the editor and publisher of Washington Gardener, the host of the Garden DC podcast, and the author of Groundcover Revolution, a book written to give inspiration and examples for turf grass substitutes that gardeners everywhere can use to find the best plants for their region. They can also use its attractive and accessible photographs to get their spouses and their HOA on board.We start our conversation by establishing some ground rules: what is a groundcover? Kathy says it’s any plant that covers the ground thickly enough to suppress weeds, which kicks off a conversation about turf substitutes, plant height, maintenance, and moss lawns. We reflect on the history of lawns, the aggressive nature of many groundcovers, and how to manage them through plant choice or through physical intervention. What about avoiding invasive species of groundcovers altogether? Kathy shares some favourites and some species she would never recommend in her region, Washington DC. Erin and Sean offer their own top and bottom choices for Central Ontario and discover, in spite of distance and very different growing seasons, some common ground.For more of Kathy, you can find her in the following places:Upcoming speaking engagementsThe 2025 Northwest Flower Garden Festival in Seattle The 2025 Philadelphia Flower ShowKathy’s Online Platforms• Washington Gardener Plant Store: https://shop.kathyjentz.com/• Washington Gardener Blog:www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com• Washington Gardener Archives:http://issuu.com/washingtongardener• Washington Gardener Discussion Group: https://groups.google.com/g/washingtongardener/To join, send an email to - [email protected]• Washington Gardener Twitter Feed:www.twitter.com/WDCGardener• Washington Gardener Bluesky Feed:https://bsky.app/profile/wdcgardener.bsky.social• Washington Gardener Instagram Account:https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/• Washington Gardener Pinterest Account:https://www.pinterest.com/wdcgardener/boards/• Washington Gardener TikTok Account:https://www.tiktok.com/@wdcgardener• Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine/• Washington Gardener Youtube: www.youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine• Washington Gardener Amazon Affiliate Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener• Washington Gardener Podcast: GardenDChttps://anchor.fm/gardendc/Kathy’s BooksGroundcover Revolution: How to use sustainable, low-maintenance, low-water groundcovers to replace your turfThe Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the CityBooks and Experts Referenced in this Episode:The Magical World of Moss Gardening by Annie Martin, a.k.a. Mossin’ AnnieComments? 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. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHTimestamps00:45 Intro01:10 Welcoming Kathy Jentz1:53 What is a Groundcover, Anyway?03:39 Moss Lawn Appreciation06:03 Mossin' Annie, Moss Lawn Expert08:07 Kathy’s New Book, Groundcover Revolution09:25 Writing Gardening Books for an International Audience11:52 Lawns, Landowners, and Historic Showing Off14:55 Managing Aggressive and Invasive Groundcovers20:39 A Native Lily of the Valley24:45 Growing Conditions in Washington, DC28:49 Growing Conditions in Central Ontario31:50 Very Different Growing Seasons34:50 Kathy’s Favourite Groundcovers40:35 Erin’s Favourite Groundcovers43:40 Sean’s Favourite Groundcovers48:28 Gardening with Deer50:47 Groundcovers Kathy Never Recommends53:22 Groundcovers that Sean Never Recommends 54:54 Managing the Mint Family57:47 Don’t Shame Your Neighbours1:02:30 Erin’s Least Favourite Groundcover1:04 Where to Find Kathy1:05:53 Contact Us and Outro

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