It’s our great pleasure to announce the first episode of Nest in Style on Horticulture Radio. These special monthly reports for Horticulture Magazine feature plants, products and tools that make your time in the garden more enjoyable.

Join Jayme Jenkins and Teresa O’Connor as they discuss smart plant and product solutions for small-space gardens. Whether your garden is ten acres or ten feet, you’ll find lots of ideas to apply to your outdoor spaces.

Be sure to enter our Greenbo Railing Planter giveaway too!

Create Impact with Small Space Plants

'Heirloom Pepperbox' Poppy. Photo: Renee's Seeds

Elderberry Sambucus nigra. Photo: Teresa O'Connor

Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Little Honey'. Photo: GardenImport.com

• ‘Black Mondo’ grasses and ‘Lime Rickey’ heuchera
• ‘Peewee’ or ‘Little Honey’ oakleaf hydrangea
• ‘Golden Fleece’ dwarf goldenrod
• ‘Bloomerang’ reblooming lilacs
• ‘Madelene Hill’ rosemary (overwinters in Zone 6), plus other herbs
• ‘Summer Ice’ daphne
• Sweet Box or Sarcoccoca
• Elder trees and Elder fritters from Seasonal Wisdom
• ‘Heirloom Pepperbox’ poppies from Renee’s Garden Seeds
• ‘Edible Red Leaf’ amaranth from Botanical Interest
• ‘Scarlet Sentinel’ columnar apple tree (disease resistant)
• ‘Tom Thumb’ peas from Seed Savers Exchange

Great Products for Small Space Gardens

Woolly Pockets	Feeney Cable Trellis	EarthBox
Alessi Kiwi Watering Can	H Potter Dome Trellis	OXO Pour and Store

Enter to Win a GreenBo Railing Planter!

Simply tell us your favorite tips for using plants, products or tools in small spaces within your garden, and you’ll be automatically entered into this giveaway contest.  The winner will be announced during our next episode of Nest In Style on Horticulture Radio in March. Good Luck!

Win a Greenbo Railing Planter — and start growing all types of plants from railings, fences and other difficult places. This planter stays sturdy in small spaces everywhere … and features hip colors, making it ideal for urban environments.

Coming Next: Join us in March for another episode of Nest in Style on Horticulture Radio. We’re talking seeds, and we’ll tell you about great products and tools that make growing plants from seeds more enjoyable.

Until next time, Go Grow Something!

Photo by e_calamar on Flickr

Twelve months. 365 days. 52 weeks. However you look at it, we’re pleased to announce that Nest In Style is celebrating its one-year anniversary.  And it’s been a very good year.

That’s why co-hosts Teresa O’Connor and Jayme Jenkins are celebrating the Nest in Style one-year anniversary with big news. Listen as we remember all the great guests and informative interviews aired over the year.  And then … be among the first to hear our exciting news for 2011.

Nest In Style’s BIG News

• Hear us speak at Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, Feb. 25 – 26, 2011, 1:30 p.m.  Also, watch Teresa in The Garden Show’s Incredible Edibles panel at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.
• Hear us speak at Boston Flower & Garden, March 20, 2011, 11:30 a.m.
• New! Starting in February, tune in to Nest In Style on Horticulture Radio, our special monthly reports for Horticulture Magazine.
• Find Jayme’s new book Garden Rules: The Snappy Synopsis for the Modern Gardener at bookstores soon.

More Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

• How to Get the Most from a Garden Show from San Francisco Flower & Garden Show’s Laura Schaub. Listen to Teresa’s NIS interview with Laura about how garden shows have become leading sources of horticultural seminars, gardening ideas and exciting new products.
• Check out Ivette Soler’s new book, The Edible Front Yard and Chris McLaughlin’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables.
• Find all the podcasts mentioned in this episode on iTunes or in our Podcast category.

Coming Next

Jayme and Teresa have lots planned for 2011 Nest In Style episodes with Horticulture Radio and our regular podcasts on iTunes. Don’t miss great gardening tips from Susan Morrison, California-based landscape designer and co-author of the upcoming book Garden Up! book, and Austin-based landscape designer Jenny Peterson.

Copyright Kevin J. O'Connor

You may be well organized. But we bet you still have a few last-minute holiday errands left to do. And who doesn’t?  That’s why this last-minute Nest in Style podcast is just for you. Did you forget a gift for someone special? No problem. Teresa O’Connor and Jayme Jenkins share great last-minute gift ideas from gardeners, foodies and others. Throwing a last-minute party? Nest in Style can help there too. You’ll hear fast and easy entertaining ideas. Plus, there are expert tips about wine, including suggestions that won’t break the bank.

More Holiday Resources

• 

  Wrap wine or champagne bottles in stylish tea towels. $22 aHa! Modern Living.

  Ideas for Hosting a Holiday Dessert Party on Jayme’s aHa! Modern Living blog.

• Seasonal Wisdom’s Fun Facts about Christmas.
• Seasonal Wisdom’s Four Facts about Christmas You Probably Didn’t Know.
• Container Gardens Make Great Gifts by Kerry Michaels from About.com.
• Steve from The Rainforest Garden blog, recommends books for tropical plant lovers.
• Sunset Magazine’s Best Wines of the West offer gift suggestions for any budget.
• Cool garden shoes for mucky days and more from Teresa at GardenShoesOnline.com.
• Book ideas from Horticulture Magazine’s book editor Kylee Baumle.
• Mary Shipman, a NIS Facebook Fan, has great ideas for home baked goodies as gifts.

Wine Labels Jayme Butchers on the Podcast

• Washington Blends – Guardian Chalkline or Hestia Meritage
• Tilia wines from Argentina
• Portugese dry wines like Espiga
• Segura Viudas Cava from Spain
• Roederer Estate from California
• A. Margaine Champagne

Coming Soon: Stay tuned! Jayme and Teresa are planning exciting giveaways and great guest interviews in the new year. We’re hitting the road in 2011 and speaking about gardening at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, as well as the Boston Flower & Garden in New England.  Drop by and say hi!

Listen as this landscaping legend explains why she first started mixing vegetables, fruit and herbs in her Northern California front yard nearly 30 years ago … and why it’s the perfect time to release this revised edition of her renowned The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping, published in 1982.

Nest In Style Guest

Rosalind Creasy is a highly respected garden writer, who coined the phrase “edible landscaping” back in the early-1980s.  She is the author of 18 books, including the award-winning bestsellers The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping and Cooking from the Garden. Her home garden in Los Altos, California has become a edible landscaping showroom and creative laboratory for global food and garden leaders alike, including famed restaurateur and cookbook author Alice Waters.

On the Internet: www.RosalindCreasy.com. Photographs copyright © by Rosalind Creasy

Edible Landscaping Book Giveaway

We’re so excited to give away a free copy of the hot-off-the-press book Edible Landscaping… and there are many easy ways to enter.

Photographs copyright © by Rosalind Creasy

1. Submit a review of the Nest In Style Podcast on iTunes. Just click the view in iTunes button to open your iTunes program. Worth 7 entries, one time only.
2. Leave a comment on this podcast page. Sample topics: Share your stylish edible and ornamental combinations; name the edibles that give you the greatest joys and biggest headaches; list your favorite edibles to cook with on a week night, or here’s a big one … do you think city ordinances should be allowed to ban front yard gardens? Worth 3 entries, unlimited.
3. Retweet this blog post. Just click the green retweet button located in the upper right corner of this post. Worth 1 entry, unlimited.
4. Make a comment on Nest In Style Facebook Fan Page about how many times Jayme says, “like Teresa said.” Worth 2 entries, unlimited.

One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, November 19. Stay tuned and good luck!

More on Edible Landscaping

• Read Teresa O’Connor’s book review on her Seasonal Wisdom blog.
• Read Jayme Jenkins’s book review on the aHa! Home & Garden blog.
• Buy Edible Landscaping from Sierra Club Books online.

What’s Coming Next? The holidays will be here before we know it. That’s why we are already planning podcasts to help you enjoy the holidays in style. Stay tuned for more details.

behind-the-scenes: interview with Rosalind Creasy at the Garden Writers Association conference in Dallas.

Interested in winning some of Robin’s favorite tools?  Click on the Nest In Style Fall Giveaway page to learn how to enter and win!

One of Robin’s Favorites: Mico-Tip Pruning Snip $12.99

Robin’s Top 5 Pruning Tips

1. Right Plant: Right Place: Make sure you select a plant that is going to fit into the space where you plant it. Don’t pick something that you know is going to get too tall or wide for your location and think hacking it into shape is a good idea. You wouldn’t cut off your kids head if he grew too tall for his bed would you?
2. Right tool for the job: Be sure to use the right tool for the job. It’ll keep you safe and keep the plant healthy. Make sure those tools are sharp, clean and sterile. Clean cuts with sharp tools will help the plant do a good job building the systems it uses to protect its healthy parts from the results of your cutting. Sterilizing your tools will help ensure you don’t pass disease from one plant (or part of a plant) to another. Plants don’t have immune systems and don’t need us playing vector to their diseases.
3. Minimize Fall Pruning: Fall is when plants slow in growth, harden off and prepare themselves for winters ahead. When we cut woody plants, we run the risk of stimulating new growth. If we initialize a lot of fresh, tender growth during a time when growth should be hardening for winter, we run the risk of damaging that new growth (and thereby the entire plant) in a freeze. And, many plants that bloom in winter and spring have already set up their flower buds. If you prune them in fall, odds are you’ll cut off most of the flowering buds. As well, if we do a lot of pruning in fall, we may have to look at our cut up plant until Spring, when plants naturally resurge growth. So, why not just hold off on big pruning jobs until late winter? Deciduous trees will be showing off their structure on bare wood. Plus, new growth is just around the corner from winter!
4. When you do Prune: Avoid shearing. Plants don’t naturally occur in squares, triangles and circles, so why cut them that way? Instead, thin out dead, crossing, rubbing, broken and suckering branches first. Generally, remove no more than 1/3 of living material from a woody plant in any one growing season. And, remove entire branches to where they join with another branch rather than randomly cutting on a stem to “shape” the shrub. Random cutting isn’t healthy for the plant, and it can end up causing more growth you’ll have to deal with shortly.
5. If unsure or uncomfortable pruning: Garden Mentors® and other garden consulting businesses exist to help you get over the hump with your gardening projects. We help by empowering you to do the work yourself or to help you understand who to hire for those jobs you’re not quite comfortable doing on your own. Have a big tree that needs work? Look for a certified arborist to come to the rescue. Always, be safe. I may love my flame weeder, but I won’t go near a chainsaw.

Fiskars Community Garden in Portland, Oregon

From left: Robin Haglund, Joe Lamp’l, Jayme Jenkins

What are some of your favorite tools to use in the garden? Is there a gadget you wished you never wasted your money on?

On the other hand, some people take their creative pruning skills to a whole new level. Later in the episode, Jayme interviews Billy Goodnick about the environmental and ugly dont’s of pruning. You better watch out, or your front yard masterpiece may end up on Billy’s Crimes Against Horticulture list.

Scroll down to see the pruning specimens Billy and Jayme discuss during the interview.  Scroll a bit further to catch Nest In Style’s fall giveaway details!  And if you get a chance, send my lovely podcast co-host a Buon divertimento tweet at @SeasonalWisdom. Grazie!

Nest In Style Guests

Billy Goodnick, a landscape architect, educator and writer, shares the wisdom he has gathered from thirty-five years of retail nursery sales, landscaping, designing and teaching. He’ll challenge your assumptions while putting a smile on your face with his off-the-wall humor.

Find Billy on Twitter at @GardenWiseGuy or on Fine Gardening Magazine’s blog Cool Green Gardens.

Robin Haglund is a professional garden coach and award-winning garden designer with a passion for cultivating beautiful, functional, sustainable outdoor spaces. She’s gardened, ranched, and farmed all over California, in Virginia and most recently put down her roots in Seattle.

Find Robin on Twitter at @GardenMentor or on her website GardenHelp.org.

A Case Study: Crimes Against Horticulture

Disks in Spaaaaacccceee. Indian Laurel Fig (Ficus retusa nitida)

The beginnings of a new alphabet.Pyracantha

No, just plain NO. This is an olive tree!

Someday this ground cover will be 6′ tall. Lantana montevidensis ‘White’

NEST IN STYLE FALL GIVEAWAY

Hopefully you feel a bit more confident about pruning and understand that Edward Scissorshands should not be a source of inspiration. Don’t miss our Nest In Style fall giveaway contest. There’s still time to plant spring flowering bulbs and trim back summer’s fading beauty. Click to see the details and enter to win a $50 gift certificate from Brent & Becky’s Bulbs and a Fiskars pruning kit!

What’s coming: Stay tuned for Robin Haglund’s Top 5 Pruning Tips and Favorite Fiskars Tools, holiday entertaining and decorating ideas. Meanwhile, click on over to our NIS Fall Giveaway for details on how to win and listen to Robin’s favorite Fiskars pruning tools … go grow something!

Listen to our special guests Christa Hanson and Laura Mathews provide different perspectives on photography in their interview with Nest in Style co-host Teresa O’Connor.

Nest In Style Guests

Christa Hanson is the social media director for the national PBS television program Growing a Greener World, a groundbreaking new show that mixes eco-friendly lifestyles with traditional gardening methods.  She’s an avid photographer, who recommends you always have a camera close by … even it’s just on your phone.

Find Christa on Twitter at @tinkhanson or at her blog The Tink Tank.

Laura Mathews is a garden writer and photographer from Pennsylvania. For years, she worked as a photojournalist at a number of newspapers, learning to shoot a wide variety of scenes under deadline. Today, she celebrates the outdoors at her blog Punk Rock Gardens. A fan of gardening, sustainable agriculture and local foods, she can often be found with a camera in hand. Find Punk Rock Gardens on Twitter at @PunkRockGardens and Facebook.

Look at the Outdoors in Different Ways

You can always photograph plants and objects as they appear before you. Or, you can interpret them in fresh new ways by shooting them from different angles or perspectives. Let your creativity go wild!

Clockwise from top left: A Japanese maple is reinterpreted as a contemporary print (Laura Mathews); ordinary outdoor pipes look whimsical from the right angle (Christa Hanson); roses and salvia ‘Black and Blue’ are photographed under water to provide a dreamy look, and rudbeckia ‘hirta’ under water (Laura Mathews); autumn mums shot from overhead create a tapestry of color (Christa Hanson); a solitary branch struggles to keep warm (Christa Hanson).

What’s Coming: Just in time, we’re hosting a fall gardening giveaway package with lots of practical and fun prizes. Tune in to our next podcast for all the details. Plus, Jayme Jenkins asks Santa Barbara landscape designer and garden writer Billy Goodnick to tell some shocking crimes of horticulture.
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Our special guest is the charming and funny Ivette Soler, a well-known landscape designer in Los Angeles. Don’t miss her interview with Teresa as she describes how she transformed her front yard into a botanical oasis that uses less water and chemicals. You’ll love why she believes Americans should rethink their front yards.  Plus, Jayme and Teresa discuss their new love affair with eggplants and share their favorites.

Nest In Style Guest

Ivette Soler is a well-known landscape designer and garden writer based in Los Angeles. The author of an upcoming Timber Press book on incredible, edible front yard gardens (Title TBD; Spring 2011), Ivette’s stunning landscape designs and articles have been featured in Sunset, Cottage Living, Metropolitan Home, Garden Design, The LA Weekly, Domino, among others.

A self-proclaimed “plant fiend,” Ivette is also known as “The Germinatrix” on Twitter and her blog www.TheGerminatrix.com, where she charms gardeners of all levels with her plant knowledge and humor.

Ivette’s Fabulous Front Yard

The garden photo (above left) is Ivette’s front yard. The first month after she and her husband moved into the house 15 years ago, she ripped out her lawn and it has been a lush, drought tolerant oasis ever since!

Above right is a detailed photo from Ivette’s raised edible planters in what she calls her “hellstrip.” What was once a long band of weedy sod in the front of the house is now three large raised beds full of tomatoes, herbs and corn. In the foreground is a small Aeonium ‘Zwartkopf’. Spilling from the beds are an unnamed tomato seedling (passed along by a friend), golden oregano, Ipomea batatas ‘Ace of Spades’, chamomile flowers, and the stems of ruby chard.

In this Austin garden (pictured above), corten steel is used as a small retaining feature. Rosemary, thyme, sages, opuntia cactus and a sotol shrub create a tough, monochromatic moment.  Note how the hardscape allows precious rainwater to percolate through the pebbles and stone to satisfy the occasional thirst of this beautiful garden.

Eggplants are Sexy, because Ivette Says So!

From left: Jayme’s eggplant ‘Fairy Tale’, Teresa’s eggplant collection (from left to right) ‘Calliope,’ ‘Rosa Bianca,’ ‘Little Fingers’ and ‘Fairy Tale.’

Resources:

• Ivette’s San Francisco Flower & Garden Show interview about texture in the garden (NIS episode)
• Find the lawn alternative Ivette mentions (EcoLawn) at aHa! Modern Living
• Lawn Reform Coalition has drought-tolerant plant ideas and design suggestions for removing lawns
• Eggplant salad toast recipe from Smitten Kitchens
• Eggplant growing advice from Ohio State University Extension

What’s coming: Stay tuned for more special giveaways and expert interviews on fall/winter gardening, holiday entertaining and decorating ideas. Meanwhile, don’t forget that you can still grow many vegetables, fruits and herbs in the fall too. So don’t put away your gardening equipment yet and … go grow something!

Don’t miss Teresa’s interview with Bikeloc’s founders. The two energetic and enterprising cyclists are about to finish a rather grueling, cross-country ride across the USA. They’re biking from potluck to potluck, meeting with farmers, food providers and ordinary citizens to record their experiences with local foods.

Nest In Style Guests

Bikeloc is the brain child of Robert DuBois and Aaron Zueck.  Pronounced “bikeluck” – the initiative is one part bike, one part local, and one part potluck. The duo’s long bike journey across the United States, began on April 21 in Hardwick, Vermont (often called the “epicenter of the local foods movement”) and will end in Portland, Oregon in early August.  Averaging close to 70 miles a day, the cyclists share their cross-country bike experiences with Teresa … all in support of local foods. Find Bikeloc on the Internet at bikeloc.org, on Twitter as @bikeloc and on Facebook as bikeloc.

Images copyright Bikeloc – Robert Dubois and Aaron Zueck

Resources:

• Seasonal Wisdom’s Farming Facts, Eat Local Tips and Resources
• Grocery Gardening: Planning, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Food
• The Locavore Way: Discover and Enjoy the Pleasures of Locally Grown Food by Amy Cotler
• Amy Cotler’s Tomatoes Provencale [ Proh-vuhn-sahl ] recipe with multi-colored heirloom tomatoes and basil from the garden
• Find an Edible Community in your area or start your own
• Spicy Ketchup recipe from Edible Portland that caught Jayme’s eye

What’s coming: Oh, we know you don’t believe us… But our next guest really is the delightful Ivette Soler (otherwise known as The Germinatrix) who will show Teresa how it’s possible to have a gorgeous edible and ornamental garden without wasting a lot of water.  A perfect topic for hot August weather. Meanwhile, go hug a local farmer and definitely go grow something!

This podcast interview will convince you that canning and food preserving skills aren’t as scary as they look. With the right recipes and accurate safety information, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to preserve your favorite fruits and vegetables properly for the colder months. In fact, if you’re like us, you may just find this talk about food preservation makes you hungry, very hungry… Consider yourselves warned.

Nest In Style Guest

Theresa Loe is the Associate Producer of Growing a Greener World, a nationally distributed PBS television series. Although she lives minutes from Los Angeles, this book author and garden writer has created a delightful urban homestead with many different fruits, vegetables and herbs used in her canning and preserving recipes. Theresa is also an expert in educational school gardens, as well as living locally, organically and sustainably. She is dedicated to educating the public about canning and preserving foods, without the fear and worry. Find Theresa on the Internet at www.gardenfreshliving.com as well as on Twitter at @TheresaLoe.

Theresa Loe’s Top 5 Canning Recommendations

1. Follow USDA recommendations for recipes and canning safety.
2. Use modern recipes, as older ones may not reflect the latest safety standards.
3. Use standard glass canning jars with two-part lids.
4. Start with water bath canning if you are a beginner.
5. DO NOT use wax on the lids.

Nest In Style Canning Book Giveaway

Now that we’ve enticed you to learn more about canning and preserving, we’re going to make it easier for you to get started. Don’t miss our first Nest in Style book giveaway contest. Just in time for harvest season, we’re giving away three copies of “Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest.” Click to see the details and enter to win!

Helpful Canning Resources

• USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009
• National Center for Home Food Preservation
• BPA-Free Canning Lids
• BPA Risks
• 17th Century Pickle Recipe from Seasonal Wisdom

Growing A Greener World TV Program

• On Nest in Style: Growing a Greener World Podcast Interview
• On Web Site: www.growingagreenerworld.com
• On Facebook: www.facebook.com/GGWTV
• On Twitter: @GGWTV

What’s coming: We’ve said it before, but we mean it this time. Our next guest is the delightful Ivette Soler (otherwise known as The Germinatrix) who will show Teresa how it’s possible to have a gorgeous edible and ornamental garden without wasting a lot of water.  Meanwhile, go grow something!

In Part-Two of our “saving water” series, Mary Ann Newcomer tells Teresa how the Idaho Botanical Garden built an exquisite English-style garden that withstands an arid high desert environment. Hear how they did it…

Nest in Style Guest

Mary Ann Newcomer is Idaho’s Dirt Diva. Trained as an advanced master gardener, Mary Ann is a writer, speaker and radio personality (appearing weekly on The River, 94.5-FM in Boise). Her blog Gardens of the Wild Wild West was named among Horticulture Magazine’s Top 20 Favorite Garden Blogs. For many years, she has shared her talents at the Idaho Botanical Garden, where she was particularly involved with the creation of Muriel and Diana Kirk English Garden. On Twitter, you’ll find her at @WildWestGardens.

Some Plants Used

• Blue Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’)
• Catmint (Nepeta cataria)
• Clematis: ‘General Sikorski,’ Etoile Violette’
• Crane’s Bill (Geranium x ‘Rozanne’)
• Lavender (Lavandula intermedia: ‘Grosso’ and ‘Provence’)
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Pee Wee’)
• Purple Giant Filbert Tree (Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’)
• Roses: ‘New Dawn’
• Wisteria floribunda

More Resources

Pets and Cocoa Mulch: We weren’t kidding about cocoa mulch being dangerous for pets. Here’s what the ASPCA says about the issue.

What’s Coming: Stay tuned as Teresa learns more about saving water in the garden. Next, she talks with The Germinatrix — otherwise known as the charming and funny Ivette Soler. The prominent Los Angeles-based landscape designer has lots to say about how you can grow a gorgeous, edible garden without wasting water.

Until then, go grow something!

Don’t miss Jayme’s interview with book author Debra Lee Baldwin, who shares plenty of great tips about growing succulents … even in rainy climates like Oregon. This interview kicks off a multi-part series on saving water in the garden.

Nest In Style Guest

Debra Lee Baldwin is a garden photojournalist and writer, who is particularly passionate about succulents.Her first book Designing with Succulents was wildly successful, leading to her most recent book Succulent Container Book, which is already in its second edition.Hear this delightful gardener describe how to grow succulents that thrive. And get ideas you can apply to your own home right now. Find Debra on the Internet at DebraLeeBaldwin.com and SucculentChic, as well as on Twitter as @DebraLBaldwin.

More Resources

• Cactus and succulent plant societies
• Can’t get enough succulents? More sensational succulents for containers.
• Container garden must-have tools: Bamboo Garden Gloves, Soil Scoop, Japanese Hori Hori Garden Knife

What’s Coming: Stay tuned as co-host Teresa O’Connor talks with garden writer Mary Ann Newcomer about creating an English-style garden in a high country desert environment. Meanwhile, have fun and go grow something!

Don’t miss Jayme’s interview, with Seattle-based garden coach Christina Salwitz, where she explains exactly what a garden coach is … and how to use one effectively.

Nest In Style Guest

Based in Renton, Washington, Christina Salwitz is a home garden training specialist, horticultural guidance counselor and cheerleader. But her friends and clients know her as the PERSONAL GARDEN COACH. Christina is an expert at translating “garden speak” into a language people of all ages can appreciate. Over the years, she has led numerous Technical College courses and seminars for garden clubs; appeared on radio shows; and written articles for gardening publications. Today, Christina draws from more than 20 years as a buyer and merchandiser for world-class nurseries to provide ideas that help people save money, time and labor in the garden.

Look for Christina on Twitter @Arcadia1 or on her Personal Garden Coach blog.

More Resources:

• Twitter’s #gardenchat – Mondays, 9 p.m. EST – Co-hosted by @TeeRiddle and @GetInTheGarden
• Seasonal Wisdom’s post on Christina Salwitz’s favorite winter plants
• Seasonal Wisdom’s post on edible flowers
• aHa! Modern Living’s blog post Easy Flower Arranging for Outdoor Entertaining

Big announcement, we mean HUGE! We are now on iTunes. Takes us everywhere you go: the garden, in the car, the plant nursery or doing chores. The possibilities are endless. Go grow something!

Nest In Style Guest

Susan Cohan, a New Jersey based landscape designer, is our special guest for this podcast episode. After a successful run as a fashion designer, Susan decided to merge her designer knowledge and a life-long passion for gardening to become an award-winning landscape designer. Among her many talents, attention to detail, sustainable practices and fine craftsmanship are just a few hallmarks of her work. In her own garden, Susan fashions her landscape with completely recycled, found or re-purposed mementos. My kind of lady!

Follow Susan on Twitter: @SusanCohan or check out her website Susan Cohan Gardens.

Other Resources

• Seasonal Wisdom’s Heirloom Tomatoes to Try
• Seasonal Wisdom’s Six Tomatoes for Cooking & Preserving
• Seasonal Wisdom’s 10 Tips for Trouble-Free Tomatoes
• Clemson Research on Red Mulch and Tomatoes (pdf file)
• Radish Leaf Pesto Recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini
• Radish Pesto Potato Salad Recipe from Coconut & Lime
• Teresa’s Nest In Style Podcast interview with Rebecca Sweet
• Learn the truths about gardening in your area – Locate your local extension service

What’s Coming: Stay tuned as co-host Jayme Jenkins talks with Christina Salwitz, a Seattle-based gardening coach, about how garden coaches are the perfect match for do-it-yourselfers. Meanwhile, have fun and go grow something!

Do you think using Red Plastic Mulch for growing warm season crops, like tomatoes, is worth the effort? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Hear how people are using Feng Shui in their outdoor spaces to coax positive energy (or Chi) inside their homes. Learn how a few changes to your garden can bring improvements to other areas of your life as well. Plus, get expert Feng Shui tips, using simple items like bird feeders, fountains, firepits, shrubs, trees and more.

Nest in Style Guest

Linda Binns is a Feng Shui consultant and owner of  Harmony Inside and Out.  She has appeared internationally on TV, radio and print interviews — and is the author of the book, “Feng Shui for your Relationships: Changing Your Environment to Create Better Relationships.”

Based in Boise, Linda specializes in long-distance Feng Shui consultations. A big supporter of empowering women, she is the publisher of Idaho Women’s Journal.

Follow Linda on Twitter: @LindaBinns or check out her website Harmony Inside and Out.

Natural Elements Used in Feng Shui Gardens

Other Resources

• Read more of Linda’s advice on Feng Shui gardens – part one and part two
• Attract birds and wildlife for positive Chi - aHa! Modern Living bird feeders.
• Get local gardening tips free - Locate your local extension service

What’s Coming: Stay tuned as co-host Jayme Jenkins talks with two more experts in the garden. Don’t miss our next two podcasts with hot tips from award-winning landscape designer Susan Cohan and talented Northwest garden coach Christina Salwitz.

Meanwhile, have fun and go grow something! We love hearing your feedback. Thanks for listening in…

Now on to part 2 of the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show Highlights.  In case you missed it,  listen to Part 1 to hear even more garden and design tips to use in your garden.  Take a scroll through the photos while each expert talks about different aspects of the San Francisco Garden Show exhibits.

Smart Tips from a Garden Editor

Kathy Brenzel, garden editor of Sunset Magazine and Sunset’s Western Garden Book (a must-have for any gardener).  I’ve heard many people credit Kathy with changing the way we garden in the west.  Listen as Kathy points out some smart design tips, affordable DIY ideas and ways to reuse materials in your garden.

Garden Exhibits:  Re-Generation “The World Without Us” created by The Garden Route Company and Pulling Up Daisies created by Tyler Rinehart and Kat Lewis

Sunset Magazine’s Western Garden Living Winner

Listen as Kathy explains why Sunset Magazine chose this garden as their winner.  Smart tips include living walls,  attracting wildlife and re-purposing materials to add borders and textures in the landscape.

Garden Exhibit: The Papillon Pad created by Mariposa Gardening and Design and Thomas Pedemonte Fine Woodworking

Rethinking the California Lawn

Tyler Rinehart and Kat Lewis, recent graduates of Cal Poly’s landscape architecture program, joined forces to construct a living model of Tyler’s senior project at the garden show, called Pulling UpDaisies (see photos above).  What’s the big idea?  Pull up your thirsty turf and replace it with native California meadow grasses.  You may be thinking a wild and flowery meadow is not your style, but check out Cal Poly’s C. praegracili lawn (pictured here) when it’s mowed. Would you have known the difference?

Don’t Look, Jump in with Color!

Keeyla Meadows, a California-based garden designer, was trained as a sculpture artist.  Can you tell?  She definitely has a method to her color madness. Take a listen as she walks us through her “living” canvas.

Garden Exhibit: Habitat Dance with a Red Snake created by Keeyla Meadows.

Have you ever been enchanted by a garden landscape but didn’t exactly know why?  Understanding basic design principles can help you make common plants come alive and create your own garden masterpieces from scratch.  With so many plants and materials to choose from, the possibilities are endless, not to mention overwhelming.  I traveled to San Francisco, this time as a lone podcast host, to find the answers to some common design dilemmas, discover emerging trends, and to soak up some vitamin D-rich California rays.

The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show is a fabulous springtime destination. Especially after a long, dreary winter hibernation involving garden planning, seed collecting, and homemade soups to warm the soul.  While my lovely Nest In Style co-host Teresa O’Connor was holding down her fort in Idaho, I spoke with a number of garden designers, magazine editors and garden geeks about their interpretation of the various garden exhibits and vendors at the show.  The Highlights Podcast Show is separated into a two-part series, to avoid bombarding your brain with too many “nuggets” at one time.  Part I features: Ivette Soler, Jenny Peterson, Sean Stout, Shirley Bovshow, Elayne Takemoto & Claire Woods of Annie’s Annuals (see Part II below).

Combining textures “tickles” the senses in the garden

Ivette Soler, a Los Angeles based garden designer, whose work has been featured in Garden Design, Metropolitan Home, and Sunset Magazine, talks about one of her favorite obsessions, texture.  Many people are drawn to the color of flowers, but Ivette makes a convincing argument about using texture to take your garden experience to a whole new level.

Garden Exhibit: Gold Medal Winner, Re-Generation “The World Without Us” created by The Garden Route Company

Where is Ivette Soler?

• Twitter: @theGerminatrix
• Website: The Germinatrix (you may remember her from Domino’s garden blog)

Simple color schemes for small space gardens

Jenny Peterson, an Austin-based landscape designer, has a soft spot for jazzy, New Orleans style gardens.  The secret to creating a relaxing retreat is in the details.  Jenny shares some designer tips to help you avoid creating a “visual assault” when using color and textures in small space gardens.

Garden Exhibit: Salvaged Creole Jazz Courtyard created by The Artist’s Garden, Diefenbach Landscape, Durascape

Where is Jenny Peterson?

• Twitter: @MulchMaven
• Website: J Peterson Garden Design

Are living walls the “living room” of the future?

The creation is grand, but the idea is simple.  Sean Stout, of Organic Mechanics, shares his inspiration for their Living Room garden exhibit and how homeowners can apply his design to their own “living” spaces.  Most of us don’t have the time or the talent to create such a living masterpiece, however, Sunset Magazine has a great slide-show on how to Make your own living succulent art.

Garden Exhibit: The Living Room created by Organic Mechanics

Garden products that enhance the outdoor experience

Shirley Bovshow, a well-known garden TV personality, garden designer and creator of Garden World Report, highlights some her favorite products at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show.  Shirley prefers products that are “functional and help us enjoy outdoor living.”

Garden Products: Essence of the Tree, The Ledge, Parasoleil Panels

Where is Shirley Bovshow?

• Twitter: @EdenMaker
• Facebook: Shirley Bovshow
• Websites: Garden World Report, Eden Maker’s Blog AND Shirley Bovshow

Two funny women behind Annie’s Annuals

Looking for rare and unusual?  Of course you’ll find interesting plants at Annie’s Annuals nursery in Richmond, CA, but finding fun, knowledgeable and witty staff gardeners is a rarity in my experience. Claire Woods and Elayne Takemoto talk about the trends they are seeing at the nursery, dealing with plant killers, a super cool annual called ‘Cerinthe’ (the new blooms look like shrimps!) and Annie’s philosophy behind selling small, green 4″ plants for your garden.

Where is Annie’s Annuals?

• Twitter: @AnniesAnnuals (tweets mostly by Elayne…or her impostor, Claire)
• Facebook: Annie’s Annuals
• Website: Annie’s Annuals

Thanks for tuning into Nest In Style’s San Francisco Garden Show Highlights.  Stay tuned for Part II, featuring Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor, Kathy Brenzel, garden designer Keeyla Meadows, the garden creators of Pulling Up Daisies Tyler Reinhart and Kat Lewis, and an unexpected trip to Sunset magazine’s Menlo Park Campus with Associate Garden Editor, Julie Chai.

In the meantime, go GROW SOMETHING!

Photo Credits:  Laura Schaub and Jenny Peterson

If so, put your feet up and listen up. In this episode of Nest in Style, Teresa O’Connor and Jayme Jenkins turn to the experts to give you the dirt on these garden topics and more.

Nest in Style Guests

Nan Sterman provides expert tips to Jayme for starting plants from seeds. A leading authority on growing organic produce, Nan authored California Gardener’s Guide and currently writes for Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Sunset Magazine and Pacific Horticulture. Follow Nan on Twitter @NanGrowsGardens or check out her website Plant Soup. Listen to Nan Sterman’s interview.

Christine McLaughlin sheds light on heirloom and hybrid seeds with Teresa. Listen to fun histories about several heirlooms, and learn why heirlooms are so important for protecting our food heritage. Christine authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting (Alpha/Penguin; May 2010) and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables (Alpha/Penguin; December 2010). Find her on Twitter @Suburban_Farmer or at her blog A Suburban Farmer. Listen to Christine McLaughlin’s interview.

Rebecca Sweet shares expert garden design secrets with Teresa from her San Francisco-area landscape design company, Harmony in the Garden. Those lucky enough to attend the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show 2010 Tweetup will see Rebecca’s lovely garden for themselves. Or, perhaps you have already seen her garden or her clients’ landscapes on the pages of Fine Gardening Magazine. Find Rebecca on Twitter @SweetRebecca or at her blog Gossip in the Garden. Listen to Rebecca Sweet’s interview.

Other Resources Mentioned in this Podcast

• Nan Sterman’s How to Start Seed Video
• Seasonal Wisdom’s Heirloom Seed Suggestions
• Seasonal Wisdom’s Crop Rotation Advice
• Grow Your Own Food Made Easy Handbook
• Botanical Interests Seeds at aHa! Modern Living
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Renee’s Garden Seeds
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Life On the Balcony’s Seed Swap

Listen to Steve Aitken, editor of Fine Gardening Magazine, explain how social media is allowing their editors to interact with gardeners nationwide for real-time feedback, among other things.  Hear Joe Lamp’l and Theresa Loe of the upcoming PBS series, “Growing A Greener World.” They describe how social media is providing new ways to reach viewers and deliver content that extends far beyond the actual television program.

And, as always, there’s seasonal folklore from Teresa O’Connor (aka Seasonal Wisdom).  This time, we look at Valentine’s Day and ponder whether this day really is connected with some little-known saints.  Jayme shares a simple Valentine’s Day themed appetizer that’s sure to keep vampires at bay.

Listen to the Interviews

No time to listen to the whole podcast? We won’t take it personally.  Click on the orange buttons below to listen to Jayme Jenkins’s interviews with Steve Aitken and Joe Lamp’l.

[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/nestinstyle/steve-aitken-interview"]Steve Aitken by NestInStyle
[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/nestinstyle/joe-lampl-theresa-loe"]Joe Lamp’l and Theresa Loe by NestInStyle

Resources Mentioned

• Valentine’s Day Themed Appetizer: Beet, Chickpea, and Almond Dip with Pita Chips
  

  Valentines Day Hummus Dip

• Growing a Greener World Facebook Fan Page
• Starting From Seed, a Fine Gardening Special Publication
• Valentine folklore from Seasonal Wisdom

Hear about hot 2010 garden trends released by Suzi McCoy of Garden Media Group/IMPACT Marketing & PR, as well as Jenny Peterson of J Peterson Garden Design, an Austin-based landscape designer. Plus, we kick off a two-part look at social media gardening trends with some of the hottest names in garden books, television, magazines and garden shows, all talking about what to expect in 2010.

In Part One of “The Gardening World and Social Media:”

Don’t miss our interview with Jean Ann Van Krevelen of Cool Springs Press. She’s the first social media director in the garden book publishing world. Hear how Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are effecting garden books, and why that’s not a bad thing.

Nest in Style also talks with Laura Schaub of the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. She tells listeners how garden shows have become leading sources of horticultural seminars, gardening ideas and exciting new products. And she gives the “inside scoop” on what to expect at the San Mateo Event Center, March 24-28, 2010.

Listen to the Interviews

Short on time?  Click on the links to listen to Teresa O’Connor’s interviews with Jean Ann Van Krevelen and Laura Schaub.

Resources Mentioned

• Suzi McCoy’s Garden Trend Report and on Twitter @TheGardenPlot
• Jenny Peterson’s Top 5 Garden Trends of 2010 and on Twitter @MulchMaven
• San Francisco Flower & Garden Show; become a Facebook fan; and on Twitter @Interleafer (Laura Schaub)
• Laura Schaub’s guest post on aHa! Modern Living How to Get the Most From a Garden Show
• More on Flower and Gardens Shows around the nation
• Cool Springs Press; Grocery Gardening book; and on Twitter @JeanAnnVK (Jean Ann Van Krevelen)
• More history on how Grocery Gardening used social media
• The Green Gardener’s Guide book review (video)

Start of Spring – Select Sources

• The Oxford Book of Days
• The Stations of The Sun
• Japan Guide

More on Equinox: The Spring Equinox occurs each year around March 21. (As Teresa meant to say, of course. Not May 21.) In 2010, the equinox occurs March 20 at 1:32 p.m. EDT. Here’s more information.

In this episode, you’ll find lots of strange facts about the holidays.  For example, did you know that Christmas was once outlawed?  You’ll also receive great gift giving tips from folks around the nation. We also share special holiday traditions from others that help add magic to this time of year.

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

• Teresa O’Connor’s aHa! Modern Living guest blog, Earth-Friendly Ways to Recycle Christmas Tree.
• Grocery Gardening Book
• Good Enough Gardening Podcast

Select Podcast Resources

• The Oxford Book of Days
• The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain
• The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore
• More Christmas History at TripAtlas.com
• History of Hanukkah

Garden Gift Ideas

Mike @CanarsieBK – heirloom seeds of local veggies
Fern @LifeOnTheBlcy – good Clippers, gloves, pot pods
Jodi @WesternGardener – small electric chipper to mulch garden waste
Annie @AnniesAnnuals – electric nail brush cleaner
Shawna @ShawnaCoronado – recycled teapot wind chime, Kombi Shovel, Cobra Head Tool
Kylee @OurLittleAcre – weather station (UV monitor, attach to PC, remote, weather alert capabilities)
Christina @Arcadia1 – Soil Scoop, foldable hand truck like the one in Sweet Rebecca’s blog.
Laura @InterLeafer – a simple leaf-shredder
Jenny @MulchMaven tool I can’t afford (like felcos), something decorative, really cool handmade pottery, a better designed watering can
Susan @SusanLMorrison – a living succulent wreath, a milder climate so I could grow more succulents!
Miriam @miriamwildflr – obsessed with terrariums, any shape and size
Alice @BayAreaTendrils – emollient or hand cream scented with lavender, natural herbal insect repellent
Billy @CoolGreenGardens – A solar powered, non-polluting hedge trimmer with a blade that randomly transforms its shape into natural curves, thereby overriding the lack of imagination of the operator.

More People Mentioned in the Podcast

Jean Ann Van Krevelen, @JeanAnnVK on Twitter (Oregon)
Amanda Thomsen, @kissmyaster on Twitter (Illinois)
Susan Morrison, @susanlmorrison on Twitter (California)
Marie Iannotti Gardening on About.com
Kerry Michaels Container Gardening on About.com
Carol Hackney (Idaho)
Hilary Bruffell, @Hilary_b on Twitter (England)
Hanne Calcina (Rhode Island)
Ellen Sousa, @THBFarm on Twitter (Massachusetts)
Poppy Davis, @PoppyDavis on Twitter (California; Washington, D.C.)
Rose Hayden-Smith, @VictoryGrower on Twitter (California)
Helen Yoest, @HelenYoest on Twitter (North Carolina)

By the way, you will notice that Nest In Style will transform over the next couple of months.  Obviously, the first change you will notice is that the blog will be the home of many, many informative and entertaining podcasts.  From time to time, I will post various garden related articles and highlight products too cool to pass up.  The blog will also get a face-lift, and then ultimately be moved to a new website.