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Focus on Flowers

Indiana Public Media

Focus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.

2023

Focus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.

2023
540hr 55min
Thumbnail for "Bevan".
All of May, cranesbill geranium 'Bevan' is covered in pink flowers, and the rest of the year, he has lovely fresh-looking green leaves.
Thumbnail for "Campanula Bells".
Thumbnail for "Stalwart Salvias".
Thumbnail for "A Reformed Snob".
Thumbnail for "Nasturtiums".
Thumbnail for "Balloon Flowers".
Thumbnail for "Mature Gardens".
Thumbnail for "Lilac Breeding".
Thumbnail for "Groundcover Phlox".
Thumbnail for "Container Preparations: New, Rich Soil and Good Drainage Holes".
Thumbnail for "Mother's Day".
Thumbnail for "Death of a Flower".
Thumbnail for "Deadheading Spent Blooms".
Thumbnail for "Native Sidalcea".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Sidalcea".
Thumbnail for "Globe Amaranth".
Thumbnail for "Cimicifuga racemosa".
Thumbnail for "Soapwort".
Thumbnail for "Flowers Across Time".
Thumbnail for "Flower Anchors".
Thumbnail for "Microwave Drying".
Thumbnail for "Drying Flowers".
Thumbnail for "Beatrix's Higgledy-Piggledy Hill Top".
Thumbnail for "Pretty But Useful".
Thumbnail for "Glory of the Garden".
Thumbnail for "Poisonous Plants".
Thumbnail for "Amusing Quotations".
Thumbnail for "Nicholas Culpeper".
Thumbnail for "Beth Chatto".
Thumbnail for "Evergreen Holly".
Thumbnail for "The Winter Garden".
Thumbnail for "Perfumed Gifts".
Thumbnail for "Gifts for Gardeners".
Thumbnail for "Hellebore Flowers".
Thumbnail for "Zealous Spreaders".
Thumbnail for "Dividing Plants".
Thumbnail for "Potpourri".
Thumbnail for "American Marigolds".
Thumbnail for "Magical Powers".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Rudbeckia".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Lilies".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Physostegia".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Solidago".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Lobelia".
Thumbnail for "Wild Petunia".
Thumbnail for "Our Native Liatris".
Thumbnail for "Heuchera sanguinea".
Thumbnail for "Eupatorium purpureum".
Thumbnail for "Groundcovers".
Thumbnail for "Helenium".
Thumbnail for "Gaura".
Thumbnail for "Tickseed".
Thumbnail for "Queen Anne's Lace".
Thumbnail for "Native Coneflower".
Thumbnail for "Vita's White Garden".
Thumbnail for "Butterflies in the Garden".
Thumbnail for "Chrysanthemum parthenium".
Thumbnail for "Patents".
Thumbnail for "Purple Plantings".
Thumbnail for "Looking Ahead".
Thumbnail for "Making Bouquets".
Thumbnail for "Flower Sex".
Thumbnail for "Carpeting".
A quote by Vita Sackville West about ground covers.
Thumbnail for "Spring Dandelions".
Dandelions light up our lawns each spring with bright yellow flowers.
Thumbnail for "Early Botanical Artists".
Before the invention of photography, illustrations of uncommon plants were crucial. Women were thought to be especially well suited for drawing specimens accurately. They were seen as patient, careful, and willing to work for little pay.
Thumbnail for "The Middle Ages".
During the Middle Ages in Britain, the monasteries were the places with the space and the knowledge to garden.
Thumbnail for "Touch-Me-Nots".
Most gardeners I know find it convenient to buy this easy-care annual for their pots and shade beds each spring, and delight in growing such undemanding annuals.
Thumbnail for "Cherry Blossoms".
The Cherry tree that Houseman wrote about in his poem is commonly known as bird cherry, which alas do not grow well for us in zone 6. A white tree that is a lovely substitute, however, is the white dogwood.
Thumbnail for "Planting Easter Lilies".
At this time of the year many flower lovers buy pots of Easter lilies at the grocery store to have in their homes during the Easter season
Thumbnail for "The Benefits of Clay".
Clay soil is heavy and hard to dig compared to sandy soil, but it is also more moisture and nutrient retentive.
Thumbnail for "Usually Deer Proof".
No plant, it seems to those of us plagued with deer, can be called really deer proof.
Thumbnail for "Pruning Flowering Shrubs".
Regular pruning benefits all woody plants, such as shrubs, trees, and vines. Pruning keeps them vigorous and healthy, as well as improving their shape.
Thumbnail for "Cutting Back".
Cutting back plants, even small ones, helps to stimulate growth. But don't cut off all of the leaves!
Thumbnail for "Climbing Clematis".
There are so many lovely varieties of clematis available today. Even a single bloom floating is a bowl looks perfect.
Thumbnail for "Forcing".
In late winter, after months without garden flowers, we are eager to see flowers in our homes. However, there is a wonderful feeling we get when we force branches of early spring-blooming trees and shrubs.
Thumbnail for "Roses From the Past".
All of the poems I will read today are about roses and all are from times long past.
Thumbnail for "February Saints".
The flowers associated with St. Valentine were, in Roman times, the yellow crocus and the tricolor viola that both bloom in the early spring in our gardens today. But there are also other saints associated with February...
Thumbnail for "Christo's Final Years".
In 1993, Christopher Lloyd hired Fergus Garrett as his head gardener and together they turned the traditional 80-year-old rose garden into an exotic tropical area. Christo was amused by the consequent criticism from traditionalists.
Thumbnail for "The Long Border".
Great Dixter's Christopher Lloyd created his famous term "succession planting" to describe continuous bloom month after month, beginning in March and ending in October.
Thumbnail for "The Great Dixter".
One of Britain's most celebrated gardens, Great Dixter is a magnificent place where one can learn and be inspired. A trip there should be on every gardener's bucket list.
Thumbnail for "Medieval Gardens".
In AD 830, St. Benedict said that gardening was appropriate manual labor for monks and that all monasteries should have a psychic garden, kitchen garden, cellar garden, an orchard, and a private garden for monks of high office.
Thumbnail for "1st Century Gardens".
The Romans were the first to create pleasure gardens in Britain.
Thumbnail for "The Winter Solstice".
The winter solstice marks the day with the fewest hours of sunshine in the year, which means that it is described as the shortest day.
Thumbnail for "Bioengineering".
Bees, butterflies, moths, and other insects used to be the only creatures who transferred pollen from flower to flower. Nowadays, it is often a person with a fine brush.
Thumbnail for "Eleanor of Aquitaine".
The idea of private pleasure gardens during the Middle Ages in England was espoused by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Thumbnail for "Gnats: Pesky Little Devils".
Most of us occasionally get little black flies that look a bit like fruit flies around our houseplants. They're fungus gnats and essentially harmless, mostly...
Thumbnail for "Wild William Robinson".
One of the most influential horticulturalists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was William Robinson, the first to promote the idea of a wild garden.
Thumbnail for "Garden Cleanup".
Fall is a great time to collect the seed pods from shrubs like baptisia and hardy hibiscus and store them in paper envelopes indoors until next spring.
Thumbnail for "Houseplants That Bloom".
Houseplants that bloom help us to get through winter while awaiting next year's flowers in the garden. But often houseplants suffer from problems that we must address promptly to save a plant's life.
Thumbnail for "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".
Betty Smith is the author of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn about a young girl who is inspired by a tree. Unfortunately, the tree happens to be an invasive species.
Thumbnail for "The Mimosa Tree".
You do not want this junk tree anywhere near your garden, as it self-seeds aggressively and many people are highly allergic to its pollen.
Thumbnail for "Cutting Down Plants".
Continually cut back plants that have done their stuff to allow more room for those whose bloom period is yet to come.
Thumbnail for "Continuous Color".
If you need something in bloom all through the growing seasons in your garden, check that you have these plants.
Thumbnail for "Naked Ladies".
There are many common names for the pink lilies, Amaryllis belladonna, that pop up in our gardens during the hot days of August/September: naked ladies, magic lily, autumn lily, surprise lily, and resurrection lily.
Thumbnail for "Carefree Crepe Myrtle".
Native to the Far East, crepe myrtles can be trees or but in my zone 6 garden, they usually die back to the ground each winter.
Thumbnail for "Clivia miniata".
The winter-blooming clivia plant is one of the very few house plants that will produce flowers indoors in the dead of winter.
Thumbnail for "Shrubs for All Seasons".
If you are looking for deer resistant shrubs to plant in your unfenced yard, the safest evergreens are spruce, juniper, and boxwood.
Thumbnail for "Recognizing Reality".
Early on, I longed for all the more pretentious perennials, but now I prefer the tried and true.
Thumbnail for "Angelonia".
Angelonia produces stalks of little flowers, similar to stock flowers, that last a long time on the plant, flowering steadily all through till late summer.
Thumbnail for "Always Cheerful ".
The plant has the unfortunate common name of "tickseed," derived from the Greek word "Koris," meaning bed bug.
Thumbnail for "Rudbeckia ‘American Goldrush’".
This black-eyed Susan is a plant that we can all grow and that will be with us for as long as we garden.
Thumbnail for "Hibiscus moscheutos".
Our Midwest Hibiscus moscheutos, (a.k.a. swamp mallow), is an herbaceous plant that has flowers that look so exotic that it seems tropical, but it is hardy zones 5-9.
Thumbnail for "Liatris spicata".
Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) is a lovely native plant that attracts butterflies, bumble bees, and other insects.
Thumbnail for "Minimal Watering".
Xeroscaping is the term for gardening while conserving water.
Thumbnail for "Excellent Echinaceas".
The original perennial coneflowers were pink, but many new cultivars have been developed.
Thumbnail for "Cutting Garden".
A mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs ensures that your cutting garden always has something in bloom.
Thumbnail for "Deterring Peter".
Peter Rabbit is cute, but he can be a problem for gardeners, especially when seedlings and small plants are available, and he wants them for his dinner!
Thumbnail for "Tough Native Plants".
Native perennials are an essential part of our ecosystem and support wildlife. Some are more likely to thrive in our region than others.
Thumbnail for "Milkweed and the Monarchs".
Monarch butterflies like to eat various species of milkweed, which have a bitter juice, that makes their caterpillars unappealing to predators.
Thumbnail for "Cuttings".
If you want to get more plants from your existing flowering plants, a good way is to take cuttings.
Thumbnail for "Degrees of Shade".
The degree of shade is an important factor in gardening, and usually for flowering plants, partial shade is the best.
Thumbnail for "Bougainvillea Vines".
In warm climates, the showy, brightly colored bougainvillea vines romp over walls, fences, and even buildings, brightening landscapes with their vivid colors.
Thumbnail for "Sweet Candytuft".
Both perennial and annual candytufts make excellent rock garden and edging plants.
Thumbnail for "Star of Bethlehem".
The Star of Bethlehem name probably dates from the Crusades. The bulbs were brought home as souvenirs when ancient people made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. So, this sweet little flower has an impressive history.
Thumbnail for "Tired Daffodils".
Always deadhead spring bulbs after they finish blooming or they will put their energy into setting seed, which limits their rejuvenation.
Thumbnail for "Evening Primrose".
There are about 125 species in the genus Oenothera, and they are commonly called sundrops, evening primroses, or golden eggs, and they are native to North and South America.
Thumbnail for "Basket of Gold Dust".
In olden times, if one wore a sprig of alyssum, no one would be angry with you.
Thumbnail for "Allelopathic Items".
Allelopathic plants release chemicals through their leaves and roots that prevent the germination and/or growth of nearby plants.
Thumbnail for "Attacking Invasives".
It's important to remove invasive, non-native plants to make more space available for plants that nourish our own native wildlife.
Thumbnail for "Smaller Shrubs".
If you are planting a garden this spring around a condominium or in some other small garden space, you may want to consider some of the shrubs that have been developed to grow into a compact shape and size at maturity.
Thumbnail for "My Own Garden".
There is magic associated with flowers. How can it be, I wonder, that there are so many different shapes, colors, and sizes to delight the senses?
Thumbnail for "18th-Century Gardens".
By the 18th century, it was fashionable in the colonies of North America where a garden was essential to feed a family.
Thumbnail for "Not Just Ornaments".
In ancient times, roses were not grown for ornamental reasons but for their medicinal and mystical properties.
Thumbnail for "Disguising Bulb Foliage".
After the spring bloomers' flowers faded, I used to have day lily plants that grew up in my beds to disguise the decaying and unsightly bulb foliage. All that changed once the deer in my neighborhood came by in droves and ate all of the day lily foliage.
Thumbnail for "Controlling Growth".
During the 20th century, growers learned to grow flowers with taller, straighter stems, less blemishes, and, also, to force blooms out of season.
Thumbnail for "Romantic Gardens".
Beginning in the early 18th century in England, many quaint new cottages were built surrounded by plantings of fruit trees, honey suckle, ivy, and all kinds of flowers to create intentionally romantic gardens.
Thumbnail for "Josephine’s Roses".
Empress Josephine Bonaparte had the first European ever-blooming roses from China, and her eclectic collection allowed French hybridizers to create many new varieties.
Thumbnail for "There's a Fragrance to This Message".
Way back when there were no cell phones, lovers used flowers as coded messages to keep their communications unknown to chaperones.
Thumbnail for "Frangipani".
In North America, frangipani is often associated with Hawaii because of the lovely leis that are made from their blossoms.
Thumbnail for "Spring Bouquets".
Starting in February we can pick garden flowers for indoors.
Thumbnail for "Sanguinaria canadensis".
These plants enjoy rich, moist soil that drains well, and if they're happy in their spot, they will form colonies under deciduous trees but will disappear once the trees leaf out.
Thumbnail for "The Pleasure Gardens of Versailles".
King Louis XIV's pleasure gardens were places to entertain and impress, and to glorify himself and his achievements.
Thumbnail for "Gardens Preserved".
In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, and huge amounts of volcanic ash covered the city of Pompeii. The ash preserved the homes and gardens that otherwise would have decayed or been destroyed over time.
Thumbnail for "Pounding Flowers".
Pounding can create emotional release and satisfaction for some, and the resulting images can be quite beautiful.
Thumbnail for "Musings about Flowers".
“Hope is like a harebell, trembling from its birth / Love is like a rose, the joy of all the earth... / Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth / But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.”
Thumbnail for "Holiday Remembrances".
If you are looking for a sweet gift for a loved one or friend, check out antique stores and thrift shops for miniature vases or cute tiny bottles.
Thumbnail for "God's Garden".
Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote, "As long as one has a garden, one has a future and as long as one has a future, one lives."
Thumbnail for "Gifts From the Garden".
"Love your garden and work in it, and let it give you what it surely will and let no one feel that the benefit is all on the side of the garden, for truly you will receive more than you give."
Thumbnail for "How Flowers Teach".
Flowering plants are forgiving, and they usually give much more than they receive.
Thumbnail for "Rural Paintings".
During the 1860s, watercolor paintings by English artists depicted rural scenes with thatched cottages surrounded by profuse cottage gardens. It was an idealized version of English country life.
Thumbnail for ""Capability" Brown".
Lancelot "Capability" Brown, landscaper to the rich and famous in 18th-century England, died in 1783. He advocated vistas that were "simple, uncluttered and restrained."
Thumbnail for "The Dark Ages".
What gardens existed around the world in In the 6th-13th centuries?
Thumbnail for "Bed & Border Designs".
A mixed border is usually a defined space with a mix of perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs, and/or grasses with a walk, or path, in front and a wall or a fence behind as a backdrop. A mix of plants of different varieties ensures an extended period of interest.
Thumbnail for "Good Investments".
Shrubs are long-lived garden residents and help create the architecture of a garden.
Thumbnail for "Cape Primrose Care".
Streptocarpus are pretty plants to grow once one gets used to their habits.
Thumbnail for "Caryopteris for Fall".
Caryopteris (Bluebeard) has a winning combination of foliage color and pretty flowers that provide focal points in the fall garden.
Thumbnail for "Fall Garden Color (Season Extenders)".
As the growing season winds down, there are some plants, known in the trade as season extenders, that bridge the gap between fall and winter in gardens.
Thumbnail for "Edible and Inedible".
Many different flowers have been used as food garnishes. However, there are also many toxic plants in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Edible and Inedible".
We love flowers, but we should always look at them in the garden, not eat them, as many have also been exposed to chemicals before we purchase them.
Thumbnail for "Bring Them In".
It's time to move the houseplants indoors…
Thumbnail for "Long Bloom".
Perennial garden plants should bloom sequentially. Plants have bloom times that overlap, hopefully, so there can be a series of different plants in bloom across an entire season.
Thumbnail for "English Country Gardens".
In the late 18th century, William Morris, a prominent advocate of the Arts and Crafts movement, wanted all of England to become a garden where nothing was wasted.
Thumbnail for "A Dwarf Peach".
Late in the summer, Prunus persica produces hard little peaches that I have never have the chance to taste, as they are always knocked off the branches by wild animals.
Thumbnail for "Azaleas and Rhododendrons".
All azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.
Thumbnail for "The Thistle".
Some may not consider the flower pretty, so perhaps "striking” is a better adjective.
Thumbnail for "Big and Showy Hibiscus".
There are over 200 species of hibiscus, and they are beloved because of their big showy flowers and green, clean-looking foliage. They fall into three different major categories: tropical, perennial and hardy.
Thumbnail for "Cottage Gardens".
Cottage gardens are the product of the homeowner's own work and vision, and William Robinson advised, "Let the flowers tell their story to the heart."
Thumbnail for "Fillers".
Later in the summer when garden flowers are less abundant, I look for foliage and other things to use as filler in my vases of cut flowers.
Thumbnail for "Mexican Transplants".
English Lord Holland wrote a poem about his wife who got dahlia seeds from Madrid (via the New World): “The dahlias you brought to our isle, your praises forever shall speak; mid gardens as sweet as your smile, and color as bright as your cheek."
Thumbnail for "Nurture the Birds".
Some types of birds prefer ground level water sources also, so even a plant pot saucer can serve during hot days. You don't need feeders during the summer, but water is crucial in times of drought.
Thumbnail for "Cranes, Herons & Storks".
Each of these three types of geraniums is associated with long-billed wading birds.
Thumbnail for "Bold and Showy Cannas".
Canna comes from the Greek word spelled kanna, which means reed, though the canna plant does not have narrow reed-like leaves.
Thumbnail for "Blanket Flowers".
These flowers grow wild, creating deep velvet-red carpets in Nebraskan pastures.
Thumbnail for "Oenothera".
Oenothera fruticosa's common name is sundrops, and its nectar attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Thumbnail for "A Birder’s Garden".
A suitable habitat for birds includes predictable water sources, an open area of lawn, some dense shrubs for cover, some tall trees, plants with berries, and nesting places for ground birds.
Thumbnail for "Billy Goat Weed".
Ageratum pairs well with plants of any color.
Thumbnail for "Powdery Mildew".
This fungus appears white on leaves. Some plants are more susceptible than others and some varieties have more resistance to this disease than others.
Thumbnail for "Baptisia australis".
Blue false indigo's flowering period is short, but the foliage always looks cool even on the hottest day of summer.
Thumbnail for "Campanulas, a.k.a. Bellflowers".
There are about 250 species of these showy herbaceous plants and nearly all are perennial and native to temperate parts of the northern hemisphere.
Thumbnail for "Dahlias".
Native to Mexico, dahlias probably grew in Aztec gardens as they were already in cultivation when the Spaniards arrived.
Thumbnail for "Lilium Genus".
So many varieties of these gorgeous flowers have travelled here from far-away lands to sweeten the air in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Torch Lilies".
Red Hot Pokers belong to the genus Kniphofia (Kniphofia uvaria) and are also known as tritoma or torch lilies.
Thumbnail for "Rain in the Garden".
A poem about rain in the garden by J. Redwood Anderson.
Thumbnail for "Sweet Dianthus".
The common name "pinks” does not refer to the color but to the fringed edging of the petals that makes them look as if they had been cut with pinking shears.
Thumbnail for "Ticks".
When working outdoors we should tuck our pant legs into our socks, wear long sleeves, and use tick repellent often and liberally.
Thumbnail for "Lavender Means Devotion".
Many of us had grandmothers who used lavender as their signature fragrance.
Thumbnail for "No Red Needed".
Research shows that despite the commonly held idea that hummingbirds love red, that is not the case.
Thumbnail for "Plant Them Now".
Spring is a time to plant perennial chrysanthemums. They'll mature during the summer and produce breathtaking fall color in your garden.
Thumbnail for "Larkspur".
I would not be without my annual larkspur, which I have enjoyed year after year and some often self-seed and return, but in order to be sure, I always buy some seeds. I don't want to risk a year without it!
Thumbnail for "Growing Roses".
While roses take care, trial and error over time will help a gardener learn which varieties thrive best in their climate.
Thumbnail for "Magnolia x soulangiana   ".
There is a large number of more modern hybrid cultivars now available, and some produce flowers in other shades such as white, rose, magenta, burgundy, and purple.
Thumbnail for "No Dividing Dicentra".
If you want to minimize work in the garden, you can try to plant perennials that do not like to be disturbed and so never need to be divided.
Thumbnail for "Sequencing Iris Blooms".
I read of a grower in lower New York who has iris in bloom continuously from February until the end of July.
Thumbnail for "Hepatica acutiloba".
A walk in the woods in early April, when the air is cool and crisp, allows us the delight of discovering sweet little flowers such as the sharp-lobed Hepatica.
Thumbnail for "Seductive Descriptions".
“I have grown wise, after many years of gardening, and no longer order recklessly from wildly alluring descriptions, which make every annual sound easy to grow and as brilliant as a film star.” -Vita Sackville-West
Thumbnail for "Jeffersonia Diphylla".
Twinleaf's botanical name celebrates a U.S. president who loved gardens, Thomas Jefferson.
Thumbnail for "Winning in Winter".
As winter winds down, witch hazel is the shrub to watch.
Thumbnail for "Long-Lived Lilacs".
Many of our best lilacs resulted from the work of Isabella Preston, who spent her career hybridizing plants.
Thumbnail for "Sheila Macqueen".
I have been reading a book on flower arranging by Sheila Macqueen published in 1972 in England.
Thumbnail for "Women's Words".
I have been reading a book about women gardeners in times past and find that they have wonderful wisdom to share.
Thumbnail for "Versatile Crocuses".
Crocus sativus' stamens are the source of saffron. Henry I of England was so fond of saffron as a spice in food that he forebade ladies in his court from using it as a hair lightener.
Thumbnail for "Carefree Annuals".
Many people want a low-maintenance garden, yet no garden is truly low maintenance, but one possibility is an informal garden of easy-care flowering annuals.
Thumbnail for "Celia Thaxter's Words".
Celia Thaxter gardened on an island off the New England coast.
Thumbnail for "Groundhogs, Whistle Pigs, Woodchucks, Oh My!".
Groundhogs, whistle pigs, woodchucks--whatever you call them, they hibernate all winter and wake up in the spring feeling ravenous, ready to eat your flowers.
Thumbnail for "Beatrix & Willie".
When Beatrix died, she left over 4000 acres to The National Trust to be preserved forever in its natural state. Many visitors come from all over the world to England’s Lake District, looking for Peter Rabbit and his creator.
Thumbnail for "Potter's Pinks".
“She is pleased with her Pinks."
Thumbnail for "Houseplants".
Plants add vitality to our indoor living spaces.
Thumbnail for "Foundation Plantings".
Select the largest herbaceous specimens that you can afford to plant. Otherwise, you may have a large house with tiny little blobs of green lined up in front of the structure for a long time.
Thumbnail for "Hardy Hellebores".
Cold-season bloomers are rare in the flower world.
Thumbnail for "Squirrels".
Squirrels are such fun to watch!
Thumbnail for "An Ancient Poem".
James I of Scotland wrote a poem in 1413 describing his view of a densely screened pleasure garden set in a corner of the castle wall.
Thumbnail for "Wardian Boxes".
Dr. Nathanial Ward, a naturalist and physician living in London, discovered a way to transport and protect plants from the sea air and adverse temperatures during long sea voyages.
Thumbnail for "More on Deer".
In the fall deer start on the woody plants and most often go after evergreens in the winter.
Thumbnail for "Flower Arrangers Speak".
Quotes from Violet Stevenson and Gertrude Jekyll.
Thumbnail for "Cutting Flowers".
When cutting flowers from your home garden, it is important to remember that you are subjecting the plant to surgery.
Thumbnail for "Shrubs for Shady Gardens".
It is hard to find shrubs for deep shade, as few will persist at all...but here a few ideas.
Thumbnail for "Filtered Shade".
Shade gardens are usually at their best in the spring, but filtered shade gardens can provide summer color, too.
Thumbnail for "Something Wicked This Way Comes".
"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." This hour on Harmonia, we’ll catch a fright listening to scary sounds for Halloween.
Thumbnail for "Fall Planting".
Conifer shrubs and trees need warmer soil to get their roots growing, so plant them as early as possible in the fall.
Thumbnail for "Slippery, Slimy, and Slithering Things".
This hour on Harmonia, we’re listening to the sounds of frogs, snakes, and serpents, both real and mythological.
Thumbnail for "Divide to Multiply".
There are only a few perennials that thrive for many years without being divided and replanted.
Thumbnail for "Tender Geraniums".
Fall is the time to bring indoors all of those houseplants that have been spending the summer outside. I usually also dig up a few annual geraniums that I have had in my beds all summer.
Thumbnail for "New World Mums".
By the end of the 1800s, most types of chrysanthemums had arrived in America.
Thumbnail for "Mums".
The name chrysanthemum is from the Greek word for gold “chrysos” and “anthos,” which means flower.
Thumbnail for "Wet Feet".
Plants that can tolerate boggy, wet soil exist!
Thumbnail for "Autumn Checklist".
It is easy to get a renewed sense of enthusiasm for gardening when the hottest weather has passed.
Thumbnail for "Always Cheerful Coreopsis".
Our native perennial coreopsis is a stalwart in many American gardens.
Thumbnail for "Rebuilding Amaryllis".
Amaryllis bulbs can be rebuilt so that they can bloom well the following winter indoors.
Thumbnail for "What's Left?".
My current garden is a shadow of its former self...thanks to the urban deer population. However, a few stalwart plants persist.
Thumbnail for "Amaranthus".
Globe amaranth dries beautifully for winter bouquets.
Thumbnail for "The Plant Named for Achilles".
Yarrow, “soldier’s woundwart,” “milfoil”—Achillea has many names and many uses.
Thumbnail for "Dry Gardens".
During our hot Midwestern summers, it is good for pots to get some afternoon shade. Also, pots dry out more quickly, so it is best to plant annuals in the ground.
Thumbnail for "Surviving Heat".
In very hot weather, remember to water your potted plants twice a day as the soil in pots dries out quickly.
Thumbnail for "A Mailbox Garden".
Choose just a few plants that will need minimum attention, and plant something vigorous around the base of the post to soften it.
Thumbnail for "Types of Gardens".
If I were to start over, and knowing what I now know, I would start with a plan and a clearer idea of the type of garden I wanted.
Thumbnail for "White Snakeroot".
It was not until the 1920s that it was recognized that cattle that grazed on white snakeroot caused humans to die if they drank the cow’s milk.
Thumbnail for "Harmful Plants".
The garden is full of plants that are poisonous. Most are not lethal, but a few are, so it is wise to err on the side of caution.
Thumbnail for "Beautiful But Noxious: Purple Loosestrife".
Purple Loosestrife clogs wetlands and waterways, choking out other plants and eliminating food sources for native wildlife. The plant is classified as a federal noxious weed.
Thumbnail for "Native Perennials".
Native plants are important to preserve native wildlife and the ecology of our landscape, but some natives will suit our particular climate and garden space better than others.
Thumbnail for "Pass-Along Plants".
Some of the best plants in my garden were given to me by other gardeners or came from plant swaps held by garden clubs.
Thumbnail for "Lesser Calamint".
Dainty and durable and deer resistant—just my kind of plant!
Thumbnail for "Cut Flower Favorite: Alstroemeria".
There are bound to be some times of the year when there are no flowers in our gardens, and that is when we just have to buy some! A good reliable flower to buy is the South American native alstroemeria.
Thumbnail for "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow".
Brunfelsia is a long-blooming shrub from subtropical Australia, and it triggers lots of memories for me.
Thumbnail for "Angel's Trumpets".
The spectacular blooms known as Angel’s Trumpets grow on plants that are vase-shaped shrubs or small trees.
Thumbnail for "Flowering Tobacco".
Flowering Tobacco--for minimum effort, a gardener gets maximum results!
Thumbnail for "Thinking About Color".
It's is a good idea to think about color before you buy a bunch of news plants in springtime.
Thumbnail for "Righting Wrongs".
Springtime = Transplant, delete, cut back.
Thumbnail for "Lily-of-the-Valley Bush".
All Pieris shrubs are evergreen and are related to rhododendrons and mountain laurels.
Thumbnail for "Calycanthus floridus".
Calycanthus is a fine sweet shrub that also goes by the name of Carolina allspice.
Thumbnail for "Native Aronia".
Our native red and black chokeberry shrubs provide four seasons of interest and are drought tolerant once they are established in gardens
Thumbnail for "Native Spicebush".
Lindera is a host plant for the promethean moth and the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
Thumbnail for "Siting Shrubs".
Shrubs are easy-care and long-lived stalwarts in our landscapes in all seasons of the year.
Thumbnail for "Avoiding Chaos".
How do we avoid a messy medley of too many plants creating chaos in the garden? I can tell you from personal experience that it isn’t easy!
Thumbnail for "Imports".
Now, only about 20% of our cut flowers are grown in California, Washington State, and Oregon, where most used to be grown for domestic sale.
Thumbnail for "Harvesting Flowers".
Where do our cut flowers come from? Often, South America. Workers in greenhouses cut each stem individually and immediately place each flower in a bucket of water...
Thumbnail for "Flower Longevity".
Refrigerated trucks and unheated holds of planes are cold, helping cut flowers from abroad to stay fresh during their journey to the U.S.
Thumbnail for "Valentines Flowers".
Over one-hundred million roses are purchased in the United States for Valentine’s Day each year, and nearly all are red and long stemmed.
Thumbnail for "Winter Landscapes".
What we see from our windows all through the cold days of winter is our garden’s architectural structure formed by the trees and shrubs that are the long-term residents of our gardens year round.
Thumbnail for "Henry Mitchell Says...".
For twenty years Henry Mitchell’s column “Earthman” was a weekly feature in The Washington Post.
Thumbnail for "African Violet Propagation".
African violets are quite happy growing in pots in many of our homes and are easily propagated.
Thumbnail for "The Duke Gardens".
Visitors are not charged to see the 55 acres of gorgeous organic plantings in the heart of this major research university.
Thumbnail for "Emily's Garden".
Emily Dickinson was a renowned poet, but during her lifetime she was known more for her gardening skills.
Thumbnail for "Flowers in Verse".
Here are few poems written, most of them, very long ago.
Thumbnail for "Holiday Cactus".
There has been so much hybridizing, that the differences between a Thanksgiving and a Christmas cactus have become blurred, so it seems reasonable to refer to them all as Holiday Cactuses nowadays.
Thumbnail for "Holiday Decorations Reinvented".
This may be the perfect year to simplify our holiday decorations. Rather than buying new items, dig around in your closets and see what you can reinvent.
Thumbnail for "Gifts for Gardeners".
If you have gardeners on your holiday gift list, you can easily accommodate them from the comfort of your own home. Gift certificates to nurseries in the hometown of your recipients, or from catalogues, are always well received.
Thumbnail for "Clivia Care".
Most clivia plants produce orange flowers, but you can impress a gardener by ordering a clivia for them as a holiday gift that produces yellow blooms, as yellow is quite rare and treasured by knowledgeable gardeners.
Thumbnail for "Assessing & Planning".
As we look back on the gardening season, we can assess what worked and what didn’t – our successes and challenges in the garden.
Thumbnail for "Fall Clean-Up".
In the fall, I leave a few cone flowers and sunflowers for the birds, otherwise I cut spent flowers right to the ground and clean up the debris. I want the beds clear before the spring daffodils and other bulbs bloom.
Thumbnail for "Planting Bulbs".
My garden is very crowded, and so in the fall, I am always wondering where I can plant more spring bulbs without cutting into the existing ones.
Thumbnail for "Collecting Seeds".
It is easy and fun to save seeds from this year’s annuals.
Thumbnail for "Less Appetizing".
I used to believe that some plants—like peonies, for example—were immune to deer. Not anymore. I have seen deer eat just about every plant...
Thumbnail for "Black Bugbane".
Not a pretty name for such an attractive plant.
Thumbnail for "Pincushion Flower".
A plant that attracts butterflies to our garden is the pincushion flower. The botanical name is Scabiosa, and these plants usually have blue, white, or pink flowers. As their common name suggests, the shape of the flower resembles a pincushion as the central florets form a rounded shape.
Thumbnail for "A Surprising Uninvited Guest in Gardens".
One often sees Veronia, a.k.a. ironweed, on roadsides and in fields and ditches. The wind disperses the seeds, which explains why it is a surprise when it appears in our gardens like an uninvited guest.
Thumbnail for "Cut Them Back".
We should cut back most perennials in the fall. They don’t look good once it gets cold, so it is best to cut them to the ground and they will come back well next spring.
Thumbnail for "Tall Natives".
Joe-Pye weed looks great next to a splash of sunshine yellow from goldenrod or helianthus.
Thumbnail for "Late Summer Color".
As summer transitions into fall, we usually rely on mums and asters to give us color as the growing season wanes. But here are some other reliable bloomers.
Thumbnail for "Lycoris Does, Indeed, Surprise Us!".
Surprise lilies bloom from late summer into early September, and their cool pink flowers do indeed surprise us when their pale lily-type blooms suddenly appear on their long bare stalks.
Thumbnail for "Goldenrod".
CORRECTION (May 2022): Goldenrod is native to North America but has naturalized and become invasive in parts of Eurasia.
Thumbnail for "Helianthus annuus".
“Heli” means sun and “anthus” means flower.
Thumbnail for "No Deadheading".
No Deadheading
Thumbnail for "Shakespeare's Plants".
William Shakespeare included so many botanical references in his plays that there are about 175 mentions of flowers, fruits, grains, grasses, seeds, weeds, trees, spices, herbs, and vegetables in his works.
Thumbnail for "Hot & Dry".
Hot & Dry
Thumbnail for "Writer-Director Paul Shoulberg".
Janae Cummings speaks with Paul Shoulberg, the writer and director of The Good Catholic and Ms. White Light.
Thumbnail for "Artist Ana Teresa Fernández".
IU Assistant Professor of Photography Elizabeth Claffey speaks with artist Ana Teresa Fernández about the ideas of immigration and gender she explores in her work, and what inspires her to create.
Thumbnail for "Laurie Kilmartin".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with author and comic Laurie Kilmartin about the anatomy of a good joke, and about how the truth isn’t always funny.
Thumbnail for "Kevin Locke".
Shayne Laughter speaks with musician, dancer, teacher, and cultural ambassador Kevin Locke.
Thumbnail for "Graphic Novelist Nate Powell".
Payton Knobeloch speaks with New York Times best-selling graphic novelist Nate Powell about how graphic novels and comic books have earned a place in literary culture, and in the classroom.
Thumbnail for "Writer And Documentarian Sam Stephenson".
David Brent Johnson speaks with writer and documentarian Sam Stephenson, about what’s inspired him to create his unique, prize-winning brand of cultural research.
Thumbnail for "Paul Wranitzky (Who?)".
Join us for music by a Czech violinist and composer who was sought after by Haydn and Beethoven, in the same freemasons’ lodge as Mozart, and very much a star of the Vienna musical scene.
Thumbnail for "Barthold Kuijken".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with Barthold Kuijken, groundbreaking baroque musician, teacher, conductor, and artistic director of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra.
Thumbnail for "Calendula officinalis".
All types of marigolds last well as cut flowers, and they are excellent plants for children to grow when they begin gardening.
Thumbnail for "The Warbling Chalumeau".
The chalumeau was a single-reed ancestor of the clarinet, whose brief popularity left a lasting impression. We’ll explore music for the chalumeau--plus, torchsongs on historical instruments, on our featured release Songs Without Words on this week’s edition of Harmonia.
Thumbnail for "Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley, about what economics, healthcare management, and art history have taught her about how to be an effective leader.
Thumbnail for "White In May".
White blooms combine so well with other flowers and help make their companions pop!
Thumbnail for "Documentary Filmmaker Gordon Quinn".
Janae Cummings speaks with documentary filmmaker Gordon Quinn, about finding a way to tell stories that investigate society and inspire change.
Thumbnail for "Hollow Stems: Preparing Them For Arrangement".
Flowers from bulbs are easy to arrange informally in a vase.
Thumbnail for "Gardening Trends".
More and more gardeners are seeking information about sustainability.
Thumbnail for "Perennial Challenges".
A novice gardener once told me that she was only going to plant perennials, as they did not need any care. If only that was true!
Thumbnail for "Easter Lily".
These trumpet lilies are fragrant, and the pure white blooms are lovely in flower arrangements.
Thumbnail for "Planning Ahead for Summer Alliums".
Allium ‘Millennium’ can be planted in the spring and reliably bloom in the heat of summer.
Thumbnail for "Frost".
Remember the danger of sudden spring frosts and wait to set out your tender annuals.
Thumbnail for "Air Temps".
Do not take risks by setting out your annual plants too soon.
Thumbnail for "Outwitting the Weather".
Frost dates are very important.
Thumbnail for "Clay is Okay".
Many of us with clay soil complain loudly about it, and it’s true that gardens with clay soil can be hard to dig. Nonetheless, it has its virtues.
Thumbnail for "Purim Party".
Explore the Jewish spring holiday of Purim, a commemoration of the Book of Esther. Purim celebrations are best known today for their gift-giving, wild costume parties, and delicious hamentashen. The story of Esther was also the inspiration for a number of musical works, as we will see.
Thumbnail for "Deadheading: It Keeps the Color Coming".
The whole garden looks better if plants are deadheaded, so it is a good thing.
Thumbnail for "Mount Olympus".
Musical tales from the gods of Mount Olympus
Thumbnail for "Roses in Words".
In February, it is appropriate to think about roses.
Thumbnail for "Tiny but Tough".
The earliest iris to bloom is the petite Iris reticulata.
Thumbnail for "David Hosack".
Hosack realized the need for a public garden as a research facility for medical scientists and their students.
Thumbnail for "Easy Does It".
Quite a number of flowering annuals can be started by sowing their seeds directly into the garden.
Thumbnail for "Spring Ephemerals".
Before long, some of the earliest flowers to bloom will be stirring in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Round Three".
This week, the third in a series of four programs that explore canons and fugues from the earliest written music to J.S. Bach. Join us for “round three,” with catches, canzonas, and a certain infamous canon.
Thumbnail for "Interesting Quotes".
Here are some interesting things said by some interesting people. Plus, my personal advice to you in January.
Thumbnail for "Norah Lindsay".
Lindsay was the Grande Dame of gardening in a time when ladies did not have professional careers.
Thumbnail for "Thomas Church in California".
Thomas Church (1902-78) was a garden designer whose style was a response to California's specific type of lifestyle and climate.
Thumbnail for "The Harps in the Trees".
Our guest this hour is harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton, one of the foremost practitioners of historical harp, who joins me for a program featuring the soundtrack to her short documentary film The Harps in the Trees, which tells the story of a musical pilgrimage to Scotland by her ensemble Angelorum.
Thumbnail for "Winter Words of Wisdom".
This winter I have been reading some garden writers’ words of wisdom, which now I will share with you.
Thumbnail for "Sweet & Simple".
Just one rose floating in a small bowl, presented with a heartfelt message, written or verbal, will be treasured.
Thumbnail for "A Medieval Christmas".
Tired of jingle bells yet? This week on Harmonia, join us for something a little different.
Thumbnail for "Smooth Hydrangeas".
Most of us are familiar with the old-fashioned, white mop-head blossoms of the popular hydrangea variety ‘Annabelle.’
Thumbnail for "Changing Color".
Sometimes soil can be just slightly acid or neutral with a PH of 6 or 7 and you will get a mix of both pink and blue flowers on the same plant.
Thumbnail for "Old Wood, New Wood".
Hydrangeas are some of the most beautiful as well as durable shrubs in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Thanks And Praise".
Gratitude is a theme often explored in early music, and we’ll hear expressions of thanks from a variety of sources on this edition of Harmonia.
Thumbnail for "Living Art".
In 2019, The New York Botanical Garden mounted an exhibit honoring Brazil’s greatest landscape designer 25 years after his death: “Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx.”
Thumbnail for "Hummingbirds".
Male hummers are extremely aggressive. They even stab each other!
Thumbnail for "David Austin (1926-2018)".
David Austin was fond of saying that a rose without a fragrance is only half a rose.
Thumbnail for "Iris Facts".
I grow more iris than I used to because deer leave them alone, and I’ve discovered that there are many things I did not know about these flowers.
Thumbnail for "White Flowers".
I have been planting more white flowers recently because I already have so many other colored flowers that bloom in my yard across the growing seasons.
Thumbnail for "Native Foamflowers".
If you are looking for more natives to plant in your shady spots this fall, consider our native North American foamflower.
Thumbnail for "Overwintering".
It is important for gardeners to know their hardiness zone.
Thumbnail for "Many Happy Returns".
Perennials are plants that, hopefully, return in our gardens each spring after being dormant during the winter.
Thumbnail for "Nasturtium Nostalgia".
Nasturtiums can make pretty cut flowers.
Thumbnail for "Grow Your Own".
Even just one flower stuck in a bottle makes me feel happy!
Thumbnail for "I Don’t Know How To Use Sundials".
Sully reads “We Always Ate the Kraut Pierogi First” and “I Don’t Know How to Use Sundials, but I Appreciate That Shadows Have Things to Tell Us.”
Thumbnail for "Compost Is Gold".
Plants benefit from growing in good soil, and the addition of compost is an effective way to condition it.
Thumbnail for "Robert Parsons, Gentleman of the Chapel Royal".
Robert Parsons, Gentleman of the Chapel Royal
Thumbnail for "Nomenclature".
Common names of plants vary greatly, but officially, each plant has two Latin names.
Thumbnail for "Happy With Blues".
Blue is such a calming shade and happily combines with any other color.
Thumbnail for "Prolonged Color".
Thanks to many years of dedicated plant hybridizing, it is now possible to have four seasons of color in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Waterside Wonders".
Water features are commonplace in formal gardens.
Thumbnail for "April Is National Celery Month".
Sully reads “April Is National Celery Month” and “Five Ways of Looking at My Own Body.”
Thumbnail for ""Carpeters"".
What we call groundcovers today, Vita Sackville West called “carpeters."
Thumbnail for "The Musical World of Johannes Ciconia".
The Musical World of Johannes Ciconia
Thumbnail for "Foliage Effects".
When I began gardening, my aim was to have as many flowers as possible, but the longer I garden the more I appreciate the impact of colorful foliage.
Thumbnail for "The Songs of Salamone Rossi".
The Songs of Salamone Rossi
Thumbnail for "Naturalizing".
Experienced gardeners know that benign neglect results in an unkempt garden.
Thumbnail for "Prayer to the Saint of Loss".
WLS reads "Funeral for Now," "On the last day there was snow," "Prayer to the Saint of Loss," and "Poem in the Form of Anger."
Thumbnail for "Scent".
Some people love specific plants just because of their scent.
Thumbnail for "The Knackers At Work".
WLS reads "The Knackers at Work," "The Knackers in Their Apartment," and "The Knackers Visit the Reservoir."
Thumbnail for "Waves In The Shade".
I love plant names that rhyme!
Thumbnail for "Lovely Leaves".
Foliage colors are especially good for creating interesting beds and borders.
Thumbnail for "House Built In The Form Of Prayer".
Dan Sullivan reads “House Built in the Form of Prayer” and “And I Can Find a Home There Too.”
Thumbnail for "Coleus Enhances Everything!".
I love coleus for their showy colorful leaves...
Thumbnail for "Sujey Vega".
Dr. Sylvia Martinez of IU Bloomington's Latino Studies Program discusses cultural citizenship with Dr. Sujey Vega, author of "Latino Heartland: Of Borders and Belonging in the Midwest."
Thumbnail for "Laurence of Florence".
Laurence of Florence
Thumbnail for "Rachel Plotnick".
Host Aaron Cain discusses several "pressing" matters with IU Media Studies Professor Rachel Plotnick, author of "Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing."
Thumbnail for "Northeast Kingdom".
Anni Liu reads "Northeast Kingdom," "Night Swim at Shadow Lake," and "And I Look Away."
Thumbnail for "Honeysuckle".
Honeysuckle's common name is woodbine because its woody stems twine clockwise around anything in its path.
Thumbnail for "London 31390".
London 31390
Thumbnail for "Sunshiny Yellow Sunflowers".
It is interesting to watch sunflowers turn their heads to follow the sun.
Thumbnail for "An End To All Things".
WLS reads "Elegy for Hiding with a Line by Roethke" and "An End To All Things."
Thumbnail for "The Wacky World of Weelkes".
The Wacky World of Weelkes
Thumbnail for "Former Senator Richard Lugar".
On this episode of Profiles we feature two encore interviews with Richard Luger, former United States Senator from Indiana. He died this week at the age of 87.
Thumbnail for "Moisture-Loving Natives".
Filipendula rubra produces airy rose-pink flower clusters that can be between 4-10 inches wide and rise above the plant’s deeply divided leaves presenting a regal appearance befitting its common name, Queen of the Prairie.
Thumbnail for "Planting And Division".
Digging up the root ball of an established plant completely and cutting it into sections actually benefits the plant.
Thumbnail for "Filmmaker Avi Nesher".
IU Cinema director Jon Vickers speaks with filmmaker Avi Nesher about his approach to moviemaking, and how an upbringing in both Israel and America has influenced his work.
Thumbnail for "Stem Cuttings".
Starting plants from existing ones is fun as well as economical.
Thumbnail for "Perennial Gardens".
A perennial is a flowering plant that lives for three or more years.
Thumbnail for "Long-Term Residents".
Perennial beds need to be well dug initially to loosen the soil and then amended with compost or other organic material.
Thumbnail for "Gennadiy Druzenko".
IU Geography Professor Elizabeth Cullen Dunn speaks with constitutional lawyer, politician, and activist Gennadiy Druzenko about his years of civil service, and what the future holds for the people of Ukraine.
Thumbnail for "True Love, Forget Me Not".
There is a legend about a knight in armor who is walking along the bank of a river...
Thumbnail for "Robert Abbott and John Dahl".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with sports journalists and filmmakers Robert Abbott and John Dahl, the director and producer of the ESPN Thirty for Thirty documentary: The Last Days of Knight.
Thumbnail for "Wordsworth's Garden".
“True taste has an eye for both weeds and garden flowers.”
Thumbnail for "Former Senator Birch Bayh".
Perry Metz interviews former Senator Birch Bayh in his Washington, D.C. office, where he discusses his political career, the influence of his late wife Marvella, and the allies he sought on both sides of the aisle.
Thumbnail for "Not By Design".
Sometimes plants have minds of their own.
Thumbnail for "The Topping Tooters of the Town".
These are the topping tooters of the town, and have gowns, silver chains, and salaries, for playing “Lilliburlero” to my Lord Mayor’s horse through the city.
Thumbnail for "A Granddaughter's Memories".
Vita Sackville-West's granddaughter Juliet Nicolson says that her grandmother's "presence still fills the garden."
Thumbnail for "Conductor Gary Thor Wedow".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with conductor Gary Thor Wedow about his own musical education, his career in opera, and his passion for helping students learn their craft.
Thumbnail for "Masquerade".
What do the Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans, the famous Carnival of Venice, and the Jewish holiday Purim all have in common? Why, costumes, of course!
Thumbnail for "Vita And Harold’s Garden".
Vita Sackville-West's planting philosophy : "Cram, cram, cram, every chink and cranny.”
Thumbnail for "Beguiling Begonias".
Begonias are beloved because of their textured, colorful foliage, as well as their pretty flowers.
Thumbnail for "Tyron Cooper".
WFIU's Mark Chilla speaks with Tyron Cooper, musician, composer, scholar, and director of Indiana University’s Archives of African American Music.
Thumbnail for "In My Dreams".
During the winter when I can’t actually garden outdoors, I plan many garden improvements and most of them include buying new plants.
Thumbnail for "Jazz Saxophonist Rob Dixon".
WFIU's David Brent Johnson speaks with saxophonist, educator, and "Jazz Mayor of Indianapolis" Rob Dixon.
Thumbnail for "Georgia O'Keeffe".
O’Keeffe is an art world star and her paintings of larger-than-life flowers are unique.
Thumbnail for "Azalias & Mums Indoors".
Azalea mollis is sometimes successful as a houseplant.
Thumbnail for "D.J. Kyle Long".
Indianapolis writer and D.J. Kyle Long speaks with WFIU's David Brent Johnson about building musical bridges across cultural divides, and about what happens when your passion becomes your day job.
Thumbnail for "Bulb Glasses".
Hyacinth are some of the most popular bulbs to force in bulb glasses.
Thumbnail for "Lady Clive".
Clivias have attractive thick, strap-like dark green leaves.
Thumbnail for "Filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe".
IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers speaks with Swiss American filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe about his documentaries, that examine the importance of popular culture and explore the influential works of master filmmakers.
Thumbnail for "Streptocarpus' Blooms Are Cheerful".
Cape primrose is a wonderful houseplant because it blooms for a long period of time.
Thumbnail for "Frank Diaz".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with Frank Diaz about intersections between mindfulness meditation practices, music-making, and education.
Thumbnail for "The Sprightly Companion".
The Sprightly Companion
Thumbnail for "Lush And Velvety Gloxinia".
Gloxinia plants look lush and there are many varieties.
Thumbnail for "Cyclamen: It's All About The Buds".
Buy cyclamens that have a number of unopened buds to prolong their flowering.
Thumbnail for "Boots Riley".
Jane Cummings speaks with filmmaker and musician Boots Riley, about his film, “Sorry to Bother You,” and about blurring the lines between activism and the arts.
Thumbnail for "Clean Air".
Plants add freshness to the air in our homes during winter and help cleanse the air and remove pollutants.
Thumbnail for "Dawn Biehler".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with author and professor of geography Dawn Biehler about economics, social justice, racism, and other things we can learn from our household pests.
Thumbnail for "In Italia: A Renaissance Christmas".
A Renaissance Christmas from Venice, Naples, Milan and Beyond
Thumbnail for "Orchids Indoors".
Orchids make great holiday gifts, as they keep on giving-possibly blooming for up to three months.
Thumbnail for "Tropical Hibiscus".
It is possible to keep a tropical hibiscus plant alive in a pot all through the winter...The plant will probably not look great, but it will survive.
Thumbnail for "Saintpaulia".
African violets flower exuberantly but need some attention to achieve their best efforts.
Thumbnail for "November Musings".
Though we miss the flowers of spring, summer, and fall there are still wonders to behold in the landscape.
Thumbnail for "Visual Artists Maria Whiteman and Rebecca Allan".
Conversations with Maria Whiteman and Rebecca Allan, two visual artists trying to find news ways to depict the natural world in the hopes of saving it.
Thumbnail for "Preparing For Winter".
I make my potpourri using the rose petals and flower heads that I cut off while deadheading all summer.
Thumbnail for "Andrea Neal".
Steve Sanders speaks with teacher, writer, and historian Andrea Neal, about her new biography of U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence.
Thumbnail for "Calla Lilies".
Calla lilies can put a "twist" on your existing landscape.
Thumbnail for "Crystal Fleming".
Janae Cummings speaks with sociologist Crystal Fleming, the author of "How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide."
Thumbnail for "Mood Elevators".
As we tend our indoor plants, it often seems to soothe and calm our spirits. Some health experts have even suggested that our plants may help lower blood pressure.
Thumbnail for "Sportswriter Stan Sutton".
David Brent Johnson speaks with veteran sports writer Stan Sutton, about his career covering several of Indiana’s sports legends, and how sports have evolved over the years.
Thumbnail for "Living and Dead".
Music has played an important role for centuries in the celebration of the Feast of All Saints.
Thumbnail for "Intermingling For A Softer Effect".
Intermingling is similar to creating a prairie planting where the plants grow together without any defined edges or structure.
Thumbnail for "A Mighty Fortress".
Martin Luther was a great fan of music, and on Harmonia this week, in honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we’re exploring Lutheran composers.
Thumbnail for "Dead Nettles".
Plants with common names that are not so pretty should not deter us from using them in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Erin Predmore".
Gena Asher speaks with Erin Predmore, the new president and CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.
Thumbnail for "Late Bloomers: Sedums, Autumn Sage, Heleniums".
Sedums with dark-colored leaves look striking in the fall garden and contrast with the colorful autumn leaves.
Thumbnail for "Bioethicist Peter Singer and Paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman".
Will Murphy speaks with philosopher and bioethicist Peter Singer, and with paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman, about ethical living, ecological responsibility, and the relationship between human and non-human animals.
Thumbnail for "Gerardo González and Charlie Nelms".
Gerárdo Gonzalez and Charlie Nelms, who share their stories about family, mentors, their decades-long academic careers, and how education transformed their lives.
Thumbnail for "Not Appetizing".
These are few of my favorite deer-resistant plants.
Thumbnail for "Photojournalist Steve Raymer".
Elaine Monaghan speaks with author, educator, and photojournalist Steve Raymer about his life in pictures.
Thumbnail for "A Tour of the Tudors".
The Tudor period was marked by the flourishing of sacred music in the chapels and cathedrals of England.
Thumbnail for "Strike Up the Band".
Wind bands have been tickling our ears for centuries, in war, on the athletic field, and in the concert hall.
Thumbnail for "Christopher Raphael".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with musician and IU Professor of Informatics Christopher Raphael, about teaching computers to recognize, understand, and perform music.
Thumbnail for "Biogeochemist Jeffrey White".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with biogeochemist Jeffrey White about his search for climate change clues at the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Thumbnail for "When in Rome".
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This proverb, attributed to Saint Ambrose, encourages us to keep with the traditions of the places we visit and inhabit.
Thumbnail for "WIRED Editor Peter Rubin".
Janae Cummings speaks with WIRED editor Peter Rubin about how virtual reality is changing human connection, intimacy, and the limits of ordinary life.
Thumbnail for "Why I Don't Like Spiderwort".
There’s one plant that self-seeds all over my yard that I pull up whenever I see it, even when it is in flower.
Thumbnail for "Documentarian And Journalist Ruth O'Reilly".
Elaine Monaghan speaks with journalist and filmmaker Ruth O’Reilly, about the possibilities in Ireland’s future, and the personal sacrifices of its past.
Thumbnail for "Photographer Richard Ross".
Yaël Ksander speaks with photographer Richard Ross, about his Juvenile-In-Justice project, and about creating images that are catalysts for change.
Thumbnail for "Filmmaker Mira Nair And Artist Bharti Kher".
Filmmaker Mira Nair and artist Bharti Kher talk about the social and cross-cultural inspirations behind their work.
Thumbnail for "My Country 'Tis Of Thee".
David Watters reads "Make America Great Again," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," "Dear Mumia," and "My Country 'Tis of Thee (2)."
Thumbnail for "Sociologist Michael Burawoy".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with sociologist Michael Burawoy about working in communist steel mills and saving public universities in crisis.
Thumbnail for "Poem In Which The World Does Not End, But...".
Patrick Kindig reads "At the Farmers' Market," "Some Say the World," "Accident," and "Poem in Which the World Does Not End, But..."
Thumbnail for "Yascha Mounk".
Janae Cummings speaks with lecturer and author Yascha Mounk about the battle to save liberal democracies in the U.S., and around the world.
Thumbnail for "Messy Blessing".
Tony Brewer reads "¿Dónde está el baño?" "Cross," "messy blessing," and "The Things that Stick."
Thumbnail for "Everybody Hates a Prodigy".
Everybody Hates a Prodigy
Thumbnail for "Cleve Wilhoit And David Weaver".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with David Weaver and Cleve Wilhoit about their decades of award-winning research into journalism in the United States.
Thumbnail for "J. Terry Clapacs And Anthony Joslin".
Moya Andrews, host of WFIU’s Focus on Flowers, who brings us two conversations with some important stewards of the land in South Central Indiana: J. Terry Clapacs and Anthony Joslin
Thumbnail for "There's Something About Mary".
There’s something about Mary – the Virgin Mary, that is! She’s been the subject of countless sacred works throughout the history of western art music.
Thumbnail for "Say Who? Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel".
Fortepianist Els Biesemans and violinist Meret Lüthi play music by the neglected but commendable Classical composer, Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel.
Thumbnail for "Speaking With My Mouth Full".
Willy Palomo reads "A hincarse means to kneel before your Maker," "Canción de Cuna," "Forgotten Commandments," and "Speaking with My Mouth Full."
Thumbnail for "Direct Sowing".
There are some seeds that I direct sow onto my garden once the soil has warmed up.
Thumbnail for "Geneticist Mary-Claire King".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with Dr. Mary-Claire King about her pioneering work in the field of genetics.
Thumbnail for "Rowing Across The Lake".
David Watters reads "Rowing Across the Lake" and "Aubade for my Son."
Thumbnail for "The Raimondi Manuscript".
The Raimondi Manuscript is an important source for 16th and 17th century lute music.
Thumbnail for "Mass Mounds".
Mass can be created by a few large plants placed together, or a grouping of many similar medium-sized plants.
Thumbnail for "ISU President Deborah Curtis".
Mark Edwards speaks with Dr. Deborah Curtis, the newly-appointed president of Indiana State University.
Thumbnail for "Mother's Rules".
Yalie Kamara reads "Resurrection" and "Mother's Rules."
Thumbnail for "A Color Theme".
I have been thinking about color-themed beds.
Thumbnail for "Satire And Politics: Sophia McClennen and Srđa Popović".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with Sophia McClennen and Srđa Popović about the power of humor and satire in the media, in political discourse, and in social change.
Thumbnail for "Boys Are Always Trying".
Patrick Kindig reads "Birthday Poem," "Boys are Always Trying," and "Derek Tells Me."
Thumbnail for "Pergolesi Rediscovered".
Despite his short life, Pergolesi left an impressive body of work behind.
Thumbnail for "Mothers Gifts".
Cut flowers are lovely, but there are alternative gifts for mothers who garden.
Thumbnail for "Roberto Salinas-León".
Patrick O'Meara speaks with Roberto Salinas-León, president of the Mexico Business Forum.
Thumbnail for "Apparition".
Emily Corwin reads "hex," "tincture," "apparition," and "tenderling."
Thumbnail for "Planting Newbies".
My garden is so full of plants already that I'm wondering where I'll put all of the new plants that I'll buy this year...
Thumbnail for "Hey Baby".
Tony Brewer reads "calling the quartet" and "Hey Baby."
Thumbnail for "Bethlehem Sage".
Pulmonaria, a.k.a., Bethlehem sage, is a perennial with especially interesting foliage.
Thumbnail for "Self Portrait As Self Healing For The Artist As A Child".
David Watters reads "After, for Netty Mae," "Postscript," and "Self Portrait as Self Healing for the Artist as a Child."
Thumbnail for "Heucheras".
Coral bells' foliage and texture present many benefits beyond blooms.
Thumbnail for "State Of Play".
Host Aaron Cain speaks with experts in the fields of games and game design about the role that different kinds of games are playing in our lives.
Thumbnail for "Autobiography Vol. 6".
Eric Rensberger reads "Autobiography Vol. 6," "Flowers on the Graves of the Overdosed," and "Late January."
Thumbnail for "Edging Plants".
A garden looks neat if it has well-defined edges.
Thumbnail for "Red Fox".
Patsy Rahn reads "Red Fox," "Take Your Power," "I Saw You on Television," and "A Child at Easter."
Thumbnail for "Garden Favorites".
What popular flowers do you have planted in your garden?
Thumbnail for "Izote".
Willy Palomo reads "Izote" and "Mark 6:41-42."
Thumbnail for "Top Sellers".
Retailers in the Midwest attend trials in Michigan, where the new plant introductions are grown outdoors en masse.
Thumbnail for "Carolina Reaper".
Patrick Kindig reads "Carolina Reaper," "Saint Joan," and "Ode, after Ross Gay."
Thumbnail for "Ranked By Popularity".
And fourth place goes to... Alstroemeria!
Thumbnail for "Poet Yalie Kamara".
Publisher Dave Torneo speaks with poet Yalie Kamara, who also reads samples of her work.
Thumbnail for "Time Sensitive Materials".
Eric Rensberger reads a series of short poems.
Thumbnail for "Easter Flowers".
The Madonna lily, Lilium candidum, is potted up and sold all over the United States every spring.
Thumbnail for "Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley".
Aaron Cain asks Noah Bendix-Balgley about his musical upbringing, his klezmer concerto, and what it's like to be concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Thumbnail for "Eating Malombo Fruit in Freetown".
Yalie Kamara reads "Eating Malombo Fruit in Freetown, 1989," "Trim," "A Haiku Love Poem for Gabby Douglas," and two more haikus.
Thumbnail for "Wildflower Center".
While the weather remains cold outdoors, we can look online for a flower fix. One site that I enjoy is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Thumbnail for "Author Frank Bill".
WFIU's Will Murphy speaks with author Frank Bill and bookstore owner Brian Hawkins.
Thumbnail for "Oakland As Home, Home As Myth".
Yalie Kamara reads her poem "Oakland As Home, Home As Myth."
Thumbnail for "Shrubs For Shade".
The catalogs have arrived in the mail, so we are all thinking about what to order...
Thumbnail for "Journalist Jamie Kalven".
Steve Sanders speaks with Jamie Kalven about issues of press freedom, police accountability, and civil and human rights.
Thumbnail for "Eric Rensberger's Wintery Mix".
Eric reads his poems "Note to Self," "The Blizzard," "Of the Flakes," and "Snow in Three Parts."
Thumbnail for "Millions Of Roses".
About 120 million roses are purchased in the U.S. for Valentine’s Day each year.
Thumbnail for "A StoryCorps Valentine's Day".
A collection of short conversations about love from members of the community who were recorded by StoryCorps, during their visit to Bloomington last summer.
Thumbnail for "Global Flowers".
For Valentine’s Day, most of us will buy flowers, and those flowers are already enroute to us from abroad.
Thumbnail for "Conductor Patrick Summers".
Aaron Cain speaks with conductor Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera.
Thumbnail for "Indestructible Natives".
Native plants are well adapted to our growing conditions, and so most of them are easy to grow and need only minimal care once established.
Thumbnail for "Collections of Art, Architecture, and Music".
Meet The Art Collector Next Door, visit architectural marvel Columbus, Indiana, and more.
Thumbnail for "Sounds So Nice, Feels So Good".
The cornetto is a woodwind instrument with a brass-style cup mouth piece which flourished in the mid 1600’s, in the early to middle-baroque period.
Thumbnail for "Pollinator Plants".
This year, I’m going to buy more plants that provide food and shelter for pollinators.
Thumbnail for "Cornetto Master Bruce Dickey".
Dana Marsh speaks with Bruce Dickey, one of a few musicians who have dedicated themselves to reviving the cornetto, which fell into disuse in the 19th century.
Thumbnail for "Liatris Is A Monarch Magnet".
Liatris attracts lots of those lovely Monarch butterflies into our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Constitution Expert William Araiza".
Steve Sanders speaks with Brooklyn Law School Professor William Araiza about giving new life to the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.
Thumbnail for "Native Prairies".
Since the 1830s, about 99 percent of American tall grass prairies have been destroyed.
Thumbnail for "Composer Renee Baker".
Janae Cummings speaks with composer, conductor, violinist, and violist Renee Baker.
Thumbnail for "Vienna Vocal Consort".
Machaut's 'Messe de Nostre Dame' is inordinately famous, and is often cited as the first complete polyphonic setting of a Mass ordinary by a single composer.
Thumbnail for "Ruined And Forsaken Gardens".
Poetry by Algernon Charles Swinburne and Oscar Wilde.
Thumbnail for "Cardinal Stage Company Artistic Director Kate Galvin".
speaks with Kate Galvin is the new artistic director of Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington.
Thumbnail for "A Thousand Flowers, Each Seeming One".
Excerpts from" A Flower in a Letter" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Thumbnail for "Composer Jake Heggie".
WFIU's Aaron Cain speaks with contemporary classical composer Jake Heggie.
Thumbnail for "Musica Fiorita plays Molter".
The young Johann Melchior Molter likely learned the basics of music before attending Gymnasium in Eisenach where J.S. Bach had been a pupil a few years earlier.
Thumbnail for "Co-Existence".
Plants, like people, often seem better because of the virtues of others.
Thumbnail for "NOVA Producers Paula Apsell and Doug Hamilton".
Gena Asher speaks with NOVA senior executive producer Paula Apsell, and NOVA writer-producer Doug Hamilton.
Thumbnail for "Namesake Gifts For The Holidays".
Namesake plant gifts are easy to send and are usually well received.
Thumbnail for "Geoff Wilson of the Ploughshares Fund".
Aaron Cain speaks with Geoff Wilson of the Ploughshares Fund, which works to eliminate nuclear weapons around the world.
Thumbnail for "Un Jardin à l'Italienne".
With the thunderous applause at the end of this CD, you can almost imagine yourself on tour with the Académie in Australia at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Thumbnail for "Flowering Onions".
The Allium genus is a large one...
Thumbnail for "LGBT Activist Cleve Jones".
Steve Sanders speaks with West Lafayette, Indiana native Cleve Jones
Thumbnail for "Scented & Double Daffodils".
As I look for late season bargains, I look for daffodils that bloom late and are scented as well as double.
Thumbnail for "Philidor Paris Quartets".
Ars Antiqua transports listeners back in time to the gilded 18th century Rococo music rooms of Paris.
Thumbnail for "Irish Poet Paul Muldoon".
Will Murphy interviews Irish poet, editor, critic, and translator Paul Muldoon.
Thumbnail for "Successes & Failures".
November is a good time to evaluate our successes and failures during the past growing season.
Thumbnail for "Yo-Yo Ma and Maria Pomianowska".
One of the world's great cellists and a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer who has given new life to old instruments.
Thumbnail for "Gifts For Thanksgiving Hosts".
If you are invited for Thanksgiving dinner and wish to present the host with a horticulturally orented gift, here are a few suggestions.
Thumbnail for "Author and Essayist George Saunders".
This week on Profiles, a conversation with author George Saunders, who offers his insights into writing, teaching, and how to keep stories under control.
Thumbnail for "Centerpieces For Thanksgiving".
Low is always better than high when you are arranging flowers for a dinner party.
Thumbnail for "Artist Jim Walker and the Big Car Collaborative".
http://wfiu.indiana.edu/podcasts/audio/profiles/17/171104-profiles-jim-walker.mp3
Thumbnail for "Tender Plants".
All plants that winter indoors at my house are hosed off to rid them of pests and given a dose of fertilizer.
Thumbnail for "Emmet Gowin, Photographer of Lyrical Realism".
Yaël Ksander interviews photographer Emmet Gowin, who calls his style of photography "lyrical realism."
Thumbnail for "Autumn Tricks".
If you have time, perhaps you will share some of your tricks in the comments below.
Thumbnail for "Best of Profiles: Fall Fund Drive 2017 Edition".
On this special Fall Fund Drive edition, we present a roundup of choice excerpts of Profiles programs that aired since our Spring Fund Drive.
Thumbnail for "Screening With Shrubs".
Shrubs are useful for many functions and an important one is screening.
Thumbnail for "Alondra Nelson/Stardust & Moonbeams".
Meet movie and theater people who talk about their craft.
Thumbnail for "Cardinals".
Plant lots of nasturtiums, coneflowers, and sunflowers to provide seeds for these year-round garden residents.
Thumbnail for "Musician and Instrument Maker Richard Seraphinoff".
On this program we meet two musicians who recreate themusic and instruments from past eras.
Thumbnail for "St. Paul's Swallow's Nest".
Prominent in Medieval and Renaissance churches, swallow’s nest organs perched high above their congregations suspended from platforms built in the church wall.
Thumbnail for "Getting Advice".
Ask a variety of friends, neighbors, and experts about what you already have on your new property before digging it all up.
Thumbnail for "Jane Henegar and Christie Gillespie".
WFIU's Will Murphy speaks with Jane Henegar of the Indiana American Civil Liberties Union, and Christie Gillespie of Planned Parenthood in Indiana and Kentucky.
Thumbnail for "Going Solo".
“I was never less alone than when by myself,” wrote English historian Edward Gibbon.
Thumbnail for "Longer Autumns".
It seems that our longer falls are giving us more time to enjoy our plantings and bask in all the colors in our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Journalist, Newscaster, and Author Steve Inskeep".
___________ interviews Carmel, Indiana native Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition and NPR’s morning news podcast Up First.
Thumbnail for "Sun Sparklers".
These low-maintenance groundcovers keep butterflies happy but seems not to interest deer or rabbits.
Thumbnail for "Malala Yousafzai, Naciye Akgun, and Rebeccah Seda".
Hear excerpts by one of today's most extraordinary young women: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Thumbnail for "Secret Consolations".
Many know Tinctoris only by way of his famous theoretical treatises, but he also composed a great deal of fine vocal and instrumental works.
Thumbnail for "Low Maintenance".
Astilbes with varying bloom times can be used to create a lovely, low-maintenance shaded bed.
Thumbnail for "StoryCorps in Bloomington: Conversations About Working".
On this Labor Day weekend, join us for this compilation of Bloomington StoryCorps conversations about work and its meaning in our lives.
Thumbnail for "A Mint Relative".
All of the Agastache species are related to mint.
Thumbnail for "The Importance Of Shells".
Nancy Chen Long reads "Meditation: Home as an Extension of Body," "Place You Would Have Called Home," and "The Importance of Shells."
Thumbnail for "All Who Wander".
This week on Harmonia, we’ll hit the road, exploring medieval and renaissance songs of travel, mostly from Spain and Portugal.
Thumbnail for "IU Diving Coach Hobie Billingsley".
Peter Andersen interviews acclaimed Indiana University diving coach Hobie Billingsley.
Thumbnail for "Intermingling Plants".
I read recently about a new gardening craze that is called “Intermingling Plants.”
Thumbnail for "I Describe My Selves".
Su Cho reads "I Describe My Cells."
Thumbnail for "Early Modern History Scholar Lyndal Roper".
Mark Roseman interviews Australian historian and academic Lyndal Roper.
Thumbnail for "Cranesbills for Cover".
I plant cranesbill almost everywhere in my garden and have many different varieties...
Thumbnail for "Comedian Joe Wong".
Born into a Korean-Chinese family, Joe Wong came to the United States to study biochemistry. After getting his PhD, he found standup comedy. Will Murphy hosts.
Thumbnail for "Bent Between Earth And Sky".
Susan Amis reads "Bent Between Earth and Sky," "Trapper's Daughter Waltzes with Ice and Galls in Love with the World," and "Dispatch No. 3."
Thumbnail for "Curbside Color".
Purple and chartreuse always look good together in a garden.
Thumbnail for "George Pinney, Scott Russell Sanders, Jeff Wolin".
Yaël Ksander speaks with author Scott Russell Sanders and photographer Jeff Wolin on the occasion of a new edition of their book Stone Country: Then and Now.
Thumbnail for "Million Dollar Idea".
Joshua Johnston reads "Poem" and "Million Dollar Idea."
Thumbnail for "The Humble Hurdy-Gurdy".
This week on Harmonia we explore one of the most fascinating and complex instruments that was ever misunderstood: the hurdy-gurdy.
Thumbnail for "Dedicated Beds".
I am lucky to have a large garden space and so I have the luxury of being able to dedicate some of my beds to a single perennial species.
Thumbnail for "Artist and Baker Sean Starowitz and Shipwreck Survivor Andy Hanson".
Will Murphy interviews Sean Starowitz, the Assistant Director of Economic Development for the Arts for the City of Bloomington.
Thumbnail for "The Giant Learns To Float".
Su Cho reads "The Giant Learns to Float," "After the Ocean," "Dear Giant," and "The Giant Trains for Lightning."
Thumbnail for "Bloom Sequences".
Most flower gardeners enjoy sequences of bloom in their beds.
Thumbnail for "New Yorker Staff Writer Jiayang Fan and the Waters Triplets".
John K. Yasuda interviews New Yorker staff writer Jiayang Fan.
Thumbnail for "On Seeing The Embroiderer".
Nancy Chen Long reads "On Seeing the Embroiderer, or Mette Gauguin," "Orion," and "Free."
Thumbnail for "Show Me the Money!".
The English poet Robert Graves once said, “There’s no money in poetry, but there’s no poetry in money.”
Thumbnail for "Moonlight Garden".
White gardens are tranquil and calming and reward their owners with their soothing ambience.
Thumbnail for "Authors from the IU Writers Conference".
WFIU’s Shayne Laughter talks with writers who visited Bloomington to teach at the 2017 Indiana University Writers Conference.
Thumbnail for "The Gemini Trainer".
Cate Whetzel reads "Green is a Fugative Color" and "The Gemini Trainer."
Thumbnail for "Colorful Foliage".
Foliage color can light up the landscape in all seasons of the year, not only in the fall...
Thumbnail for "Boy Finds Foot".
Susan Amis reads "Boy Finds Foot," "Before We Had the Word Race," "Another," and "Dispatch No. 2."
Thumbnail for "Leon Parker Taylor".
This hour, we consider people's stories, and how we're constantly updating them.
Thumbnail for "Nachtmusique".
Go back in time for a musical soirée in an 18th century Viennese drawing room.
Thumbnail for "Columnar Beauties".
Gardeners with small plots can enjoy growing modern trees that have been especially bred to be small and narrow.
Thumbnail for "The State of America".
Join us for interviews with local historians, government leaders, and general citizens about the state of America in 2017.
Thumbnail for "History".
Joshua Johnston reads "Four Noteable Presidential Events in Photographic History" and "History."
Thumbnail for "Yankee Doodle".
"Whilst snug in their Club-Room, they jovially twine / The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus’s Vine.” Those are some of the original words to our national anthem.
Thumbnail for "Reading Tags".
Before we purchase new plants for our gardens, we should always read the plant tags carefully.
Thumbnail for "Perry T. Hammock and Lee Hamilton".
Perry Hammock and Lee Hamilton discuss the Indiana Bicentennial Commission’s final report. Aubrey Seader hosts.
Thumbnail for "Tangerine Trees & Little Bags Of Sugar".
Su Cho reads "She Rose," "Tangerine Trees and Little Bags of Sugar," "After the Burial The Dead Take Everything That Burns," and "Gratitude for His Hands."
Thumbnail for "Soundtrack to the Middle Ages".
Knights, peasants, crusades, chants, and saints—this week on Harmonia, we’ll explore aspects of medieval European history.
Thumbnail for "Good Investments".
Shrubs are long-lived inhabitants that help create the architecture of our gardens.
Thumbnail for "Rural Noir Author Bonnie Jo Campbell".
Yaël Ksander interviews novelist and short story writer Bonnie Jo Campbell.
Thumbnail for "Saving My Mother".
Nancy Chen Long reads "Lessons," "Saving My Mother," and "Hold On Lightly."
Thumbnail for "A Tale of Telemann".
This week on Harmonia we celebrate Telemann’s legacy.
Thumbnail for "Say Who? Joseph-Hector Fiocco".
Scherzi Musicali is helping to bring the Fiocco name and his music back to modern ears.
Thumbnail for "Blue Caryopteris".
Caryopteris can be grown singly, in multiples, or as a long hedge for maximum impact.
Thumbnail for "Restaurateur and Author Alice Waters".
Hannah Boomershine interviews chef, author, and activist Alice Waters .
Thumbnail for "The Festival Of Destruction".
Joshua Johnston reads "The Festival of Destruction" and "Universal Themes."
Thumbnail for "Versatile Verbenas".
I would not be without Verbena bonariensis in my garden. It’s an annual, but it attracts birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds...and bees.
Thumbnail for "The Trapper's Daughter Sings Of Debt In Springtime".
Susan Amis reads "Aubade with Charles Darwin," "Pastoral with Sir Isaac Newton," "Epithalamium with Albert Einstein," "Dispatch No. 1," and more.
Thumbnail for "Costume Scholar Pravina Shukla".
Gena Asher interviews Pravina Shukla, professor of folklore at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Thumbnail for "Stalwart Salvias".
“How shall a man die that has sage in his garden?”
Thumbnail for "Comic Book Writer and Illustrator Gene Yang".
Professor Andrei Molotiu interviews cartoonist, writer, and teacher Gene Yang.
Thumbnail for "Ruby's Diary".
Lisa Low reads "Ruby's Diary," "Ruby Envies White Girls," "At 13, Ruby Worries...," "Dear Ruby," and "Dear Lisa."
Thumbnail for "Il Cembalo di Partenope".
The 500 year old instrument is one of the earliest harpsichords that has survived the trials of travel and time.
Thumbnail for "Iris Parade".
Generally, all the shorter iris types bloom earliest, starting the parade of iris flowers that continues throughout the summer.
Thumbnail for "Benefits Of Mulch".
Mulch helps plants remain healthier and hardier by insulating and reducing weeds.
Thumbnail for "Israeli Author David Grossman".
Will Murphy interviews David Grossman, author of numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature.
Thumbnail for "Hanging Baskets".
When buying plants for hanging baskets remind yourself of the old saying: one should include “a thriller, a filler, and a spiller.”
Thumbnail for "Remembering Dick Bishop".
We remember longtime WFIU jazz host-producer Dick Bishop one year after his death. Steve Steve Sanders conducted this interview with Dick in April of 2006.
Thumbnail for "How To Live Inside A Storm".
Lisa Low reads "Girl I want to be in Chinatown," "Still," "How To Live Inside a Storm," and "One Day."
Thumbnail for "Hardiness Zones".
Although we sometimes ignore hardiness maps, they really do provide information that is crucial to the success of our plants.
Thumbnail for "Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society".
Will Murphy interviews Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.
Thumbnail for "New To Me".
So many options for displaying annuals, and I usually just stick them in a pot!
Thumbnail for "Impossible Map Out Of The Basement".
Yael Massen reads "View From the Clock Tower, Piazza del Campo," "Impossible Map Out Of The Basement," "Immobility Response," and "Acrostics (5): Speculum."
Thumbnail for "Poet, Performer, and Filmmaker Kelly Tsai".
Janae Cummings hosts an interview with performance artist Kelly Tsai.
Thumbnail for "Johann Wilhelm Hässler".
Keyboard music by Johann Wilhelm Hässler, played on harpsichord, clavichord, and fortepiano.
Thumbnail for "Bumblebee Brains".
Bees have brains that demonstrate social learning...
Thumbnail for "Composer, Consultant, and Music Critic Greg Sandow".
Mark Chilla speaks with longtime Village Voice classical music critic Greg Sandow.
Thumbnail for "Abecedarian on Basketball Court...".
Yael Massen reads "Abecedarian on Basketball Court After Day Spent at Courthouse as Legal Advocate," "Acrostics (4): Outrage," and "Bedbugs."
Thumbnail for "Lavenders & Blues".
Today we're focusing on blossoms with blue and lavender colors.
Thumbnail for "Marco Dall'Aquila: Music For Lute".
Marco Dall’Aquila bridged the gap between two very different periods in the life of the lute, its music, and its playing techniques.
Thumbnail for "ER 11".
Yael Massen reads "ER 11," "Acrostics (3): Emergency," "Acrostics (2): Survivor," "The Palio Returns" and "Sabra."
Thumbnail for "Dormancy".
Early spring warmth causes some plants to break dormancy too soon with the result that they are damaged if it turns cold again.
Thumbnail for "To Chauvet Cave".
Cate Whetzel reads "Help Me In My Unnatural State" and "To Chauvet Cave."
Thumbnail for "Toby Strout, Former Director of Middle Way House".
Bob Willard hosts this 1998 Profiles interview with Strout, who died in February of 2017.
Thumbnail for "Native Shrubs".
We need native plants in our gardens, since natives are a vital part of a healthy eco-system.
Thumbnail for "Mendelssohn Sonatas From Childhood, Adolescence And Adulthood".
Mendelssohn's three sonatas for violin and fortepiano played on 19th century period instruments.
Thumbnail for "Indiana Bicentennial Special".
WFIU’s Will Murphy anchors this hour-long special . . .
Thumbnail for "Outside Voices".
Lisa Low reads "Outside Voices," "After Chemotherapy," "Under the Powerlines," "Girl I Want to Be at the Grocery Store," and "Gold."
Thumbnail for "Music of Mondonville".
Although famous in his day, the music of French baroque composer Jean-Joseph de Mondonville has, nowadays, mostly been forgotten.
Thumbnail for "Joseph Dalton Hooker".
Hooker had an enduring passion for plants and discovered many of the ones that grow in our gardens today.
Thumbnail for "Comic, Actor, and Podcast Host Hari Kondabolu".
Janae Cummings speaks with Hari Kondabolu, is a standup comic, actor, and podcast host known for comedy on subjects such as race, identity, and inequity.
Thumbnail for "Wardian Cases".
These mini-greenhouses transformed the work of plant collectors world-wide!
Thumbnail for "Pop and Rock Drummer Kenny Aronoff".
John Bailey interviews IU alumnus Kenny Aronoff who has spent more than three decades as one of the most visible drummers in rock and pop music.
Thumbnail for "Everything Sings".
Cate Whetzel reads "Everything Sings" and "The First Woman."
Thumbnail for "Hybrids".
At this time of the year, as we peruse our spring catalogs, we will run across plants described as new hybrids.
Thumbnail for "Madrigali Diminuiti".
Verdelot’s madrigals (“à la Ganassi”) from the ensemble, Doulce Mémoire.
Thumbnail for "Archaeologist Bernard Frischer".
Andy Findley speaks with virtual archaeologist and IU professor of Informatics Bernard Frischer.
Thumbnail for "Plant Descriptors".
Just like the names of people, plant names are quite diverse.
Thumbnail for "Documentary Filmmaker John J. Valadez".
Trish Kerlé speaks with Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker John J. Valadez.
Thumbnail for "Buck Roses".
I’ve never seen a Buck rose that I didn’t like!
Thumbnail for "Media Executives Todd R. Wagner and James Fielding".
Patrick O'Meara interviews Broadcast.com co-founder Todd Wagner; Jon Vickers speaks with Jim Fielding, head of consumer products for DreamWorks Animation.
Thumbnail for "Rose Aroma".
What will you do with that Valentines bouquet after the 14th? Here's some ideas for rosewater, dried bouquets and potpourri.
Thumbnail for "New York Times Supreme Court Reporter Linda Greenhouse".
Steve Sanders interviews Linda Greenhouse, who has reported on the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years.
Thumbnail for "February".
In February the garden’s energy is in its roots...
Thumbnail for "Liberian Poet P. J. Wesley".
Shayne Laughter interviews poet and professor P. J. Wesley, survivor of the Liberian wars of the 1990s and author of four books of poetry.
Thumbnail for "Magnolia Genus".
The genus name honors Pierre Magnol, French botanist (1638-1715).
Thumbnail for "Astronomy Professor Joshua Winn, Expert on Exoplanets".
Josh Brewer speaks with Joshua N. Winn, professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University.
Thumbnail for "Acacias And Australia's Golden Wattle".
January 26 is Australia Day, and the floral emblem of Australia is the golden wattle.
Thumbnail for "Historian of the English Language Michael Adams".
Will Murphy interviews Professor Michael Adams, author of In Praise of Profanity.
Thumbnail for "This And That In January".
Flowering quince and forsythia branches will soon be available to force.
Thumbnail for "Economist Narendra Jadhav".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Indian economist, bureaucrat, and writer Narendra Jadhav.
Thumbnail for "Carnations".
They may be small or large, but their most striking characteristic is that they are always available...
Thumbnail for "Documentary Filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper".
Yaël Ksander speaks with advertising agency executive and documentary filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper.
Thumbnail for "Twelfth Night".
Do you wait until Twelfth Night to take down the Christmas tree and holiday decorations?
Thumbnail for "Photographers Vik Muniz and Rosamund Purcell".
Andy Findley speaks with Brazilian artist and photographer Vik Muniz, and Will Murphy speaks with Rosamond Purcell, who finds beauty in decaying objects.
Thumbnail for "Year's End".
Here's a poem about the garden at the end of the year.
Thumbnail for "Historical Novelist James Alexander Thom".
Yaël Ksander speaks with Indiana author James Alexander Thom.
Thumbnail for "Just A Rose".
Holiday celebrations are always enhanced by fresh flowers, but with limited space on the table, one flower can be enough.
Thumbnail for "Director and Screenwriter John Boorman".
David Carter speaks with director John Boorman, whose films include Deliverance and Hope and Glory.
Thumbnail for "African Violets".
African violets are native to eastern Africa and were collected in the wild during the late 19th century by Baron von Saint-Paul.
Thumbnail for "The Indiana Bicentennial Gala".
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime event as Hoosiers gather at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis to celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday.
Thumbnail for "Holiday Cactus".
Depending on when they bloom, members of the Schlumbergera genus are called either Thanksgiving or Christmas cactuses.
Thumbnail for "U. S. Supreme Court Expert Eric Segall".
Steve Sanders speaks with law professor Eric Segall, an expert on constitutional law.
Thumbnail for "Les Filles de Sainte Colombe".
Angela Mariani is exploring the history and music of the all-female viol ensemble Les Filles de Sainte Colombe, with founding member Wendy Gillespie.
Thumbnail for "Self-Seeders".
There is something very satisfying about seeing second-generation plants from self-sown seeds!
Thumbnail for "Jazz Host and Attorney "Brother" William Morris".
Will Murphy speaks with "Brother" William Morris, Friday-afternoon host of WFIU’s jazz program Just You and Me.
Thumbnail for "Solidago".
For bouquets, cut the goldenrod before the buds open, when they last well and no pollen is released.
Thumbnail for "Music Director Jim Manion and Publisher Peter LoPilato".
Yaël Ksander interviews Jim Manion, music director for WFHB community radio, and Peter LoPilato, publisher of The Ryder and curator of The Ryder film series.
Thumbnail for "With Lute and Harp".
This week on Harmonia, we’re celebrating the feast day of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of – you guessed it – music.
Thumbnail for "Vita & Harold".
Vita Sackville-West and her husband Nigel Nicolson bought their home, Sissinghurst, in 1930 and gradually created one of the most famous gardens of all time.
Thumbnail for ""Ephemeral Films" Collector Rick Prelinger and the Alloy Orchestra".
Andy Findley speaks with film archivist Rick Prelinger, founder of The Prelinger Archives.
Thumbnail for "Beds & Borders".
Most flower gardeners have either beds or borders or both.
Thumbnail for "Foreign Correspondent Roger Cohen".
Elaine Monaghan speaks with journalist, author, and columnist Roger Cohen.
Thumbnail for "Joyful and Content: Dances from Spain".
This hour on Harmonia, we’ll explore the diverse musical influences in medieval and baroque Spain through the lens of some innovative performers.
Thumbnail for "Digging".
Recently, I’ve been digging quite a lot of holes for bulbs, and as I plant them I fantasize about how beautifully they will bloom next spring.
Thumbnail for "The Organ at European Courts".
Organist Francesco Cera plays an original positive organ built in 1772, now kept at the Franciscan Convent of Lustra Cilento in Italy.
Thumbnail for "Film Director Eric Zala and Multi-instrumentalist Dennis James".
J. D. Gray speaks with Eric Zala, director of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation and George Walker interviews organist Dennis James.
Thumbnail for "Autumn Poetry".
George Eliot wrote, “Delicious autumn! …And if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
Thumbnail for "Avant-garde Film Scholar Joan Hawkins".
Betsy Shepherd speaks with Joan Hawkins, associate professor in Cinema and Media Studies at IU’s Media School.
Thumbnail for "October".
“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”
Thumbnail for "Best of Profiles 2016".
Join host-producer Josh Brewer for a selection of the most engrossing Profiles interviews from 2016.
Thumbnail for "Tricks!".
A hard frost will kill off our annuals for good, but there are tricks we can try to get more treats from our annual purchases.
Thumbnail for "World War II Photographer Malcolm Fleming".
Andy Findley interviews Mac Fleming, a professional photographer for more than 80 years.
Thumbnail for "American Beautyberry".
Callicarpa americana makes a good hedge on the outskirts of a garden, as well as excellent ornamental focal points in borders.
Thumbnail for "Jessica Gall Myrick and Mike Bridavsky".
John Bailey speaks with Mike Bridavsky, caretaker of the celebrity cat Lil Bub; Gena Asher interviews Jessica Myrick, assistant professor at IU's Media School.
Thumbnail for "Planting Camassia".
Camassia's bloom spikes bear hundreds of starry, blue flowers that appear in succession over several weeks in the early summer garden.
Thumbnail for "Lobbyist Michael Leppert".
Will Murphy interviews Michael Leppert, Director of Public Affairs for Krieg DeVault in their Governmental Affairs and Public Advocacy Practice Group.
Thumbnail for "Fragrant Shrubs".
If you yearn for more fragrance in your garden, here are some suggestions for ornamental sweetshrubs that you could plant this fall.
Thumbnail for "Director of the IU Eskenazi Museum of Art David Brenneman".
Andy Findley interviews David Brenneman, director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University.
Thumbnail for "Hydrangea Heaven".
Some of their names are almost as lovely as the flowers themselves!
Thumbnail for "Fall Planting".
The cool fall weather causes plants that are new to your garden to transition more comfortably...
Thumbnail for "Comedian, Actor, and Writer Hasan Minhaj".
Janae Cummings speaks with Comedian, actor, and writer Hasan Minhaj is a correspondent for The Daily Show and a featured storyteller for The Moth.
Thumbnail for "1616".
This week on Harmonia, we’re firing up our time machine and setting the dial back four hundred years to 1616 – what will we hear?
Thumbnail for "Taking Stock".
September is an excellent time to walk around your garden and take stock.
Thumbnail for "Fine Art Photographer Osamu James Nakagawa".
Yaël Ksander speaks with Osamu James Nakagawa, professor of photography in IU’s Department of Studio Art.
Thumbnail for "The Wife's Lament".
Ben Debus reads "The Wife's Lament" and "The Domina in Her Garden."
Thumbnail for "Into the Lion's Den".
This week on Harmonia, we’re headed into the lion’s den, as we go on safari with ensembles ranging from the New York Pro Musica to the Dufay Collective.
Thumbnail for "Contributing Partners For Flower Arrangements".
A well-appointed garden needs not only flowers but also decorative foliage that is concurrently available to combine with the garden flowers in a vase.
Thumbnail for "Icarus Bounced".
Jill Koran reads "Icarus Bounced," "Apostles Creed," and the Reflections: X, Q, and N.
Thumbnail for "Remembering Nikolaus Harnoncourt".
The early music world lost one of its most important figures when Nikolaus Harnoncourt passed away on March 5th, 2016.
Thumbnail for "Diamond Frost".
This annual Euphorbia cultivar has so much to offer!
Thumbnail for "Writer Amanda Hess and Filmmaker Robin Hauser Reynolds".
Janae Cummings speaks with documentary filmmaker Robin Hauser Reynolds, and Gena Asher interviews journalist Amanda Hess.
Thumbnail for "A Chorus Of Static".
Paul Asta reads "Where You Left Her," "Timeline In Which I Do Not Exist," "A Chorus of Static," and more.
Thumbnail for "Clivias: Easy-Care House Plants".
These herbaceous evergreen plants flower best if pot bound.
Thumbnail for "Biographer Michael Shelden".
Will Murphy interviews journalist and author Michael Shelden, professor of English at Indiana State University.
Thumbnail for "The Ice Cutters".
Daniel Minty reads "The Ice Cutters," "We All Have a Very Fast Sled," and "Summer Pastoral Before I Call Home."
Thumbnail for "American Hornbeam".
The unusual "muscular" bark of this native tree adds visual interest to the winter landscape.
Thumbnail for "South African Actor Graham Hopkins".
IU theater professor Murray McGibbon hosts interviews the accomplished South African actor Graham Hopkins.
Thumbnail for "Superstition In Girl Years".
Jessica Franck reads "Superstition in Girl Years," "Reverse Miracle Baby," and "Lake Marion."
Thumbnail for "Keeping up with the Joneses".
For all the Joneses of the world, how many know the 18th century contemporary of Handel, John Jones?
Thumbnail for "More Conditioning".
Stems with multiple flower heads or flat flower umbels always need the boiling water treatment .
Thumbnail for "Cultural Critic Kevin Dettmar and Pop Music Scholar Eric Weisbard".
Mark Chilla interviews pop music writer Eric Weisbard and John Bailey speaks with literary, music, and cultural critic Kevin Dettmar.
Thumbnail for "Python".
Danni Quintos reads "IU Auditorium, Fools Day, for Nick Offerman, the biggest fool of them all," "Somewhere in Tennessee," "Dad," and "Python."
Thumbnail for "Tips For Cut Flowers".
Always keep cut flowers away from hot air vents and drafts.
Thumbnail for "Tempesting Through Time".
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Thumbnail for "Writer and Actress Kris Swanberg".
Betsy Shepherd speaks with filmmaker, actress, and businesswoman Kris Swanberg.
Thumbnail for "The Clarke School At Enfield, 1805".
Ben Debus reads "The Clarke School at Enfield, 1805."
Thumbnail for "Reicha And The Wind Quintet".
“No description, no imagination can do justice to these compositions...the admiration of the musical world."
Thumbnail for "Special Needs".
Remember: split or crush woody stems and sear milky stems.
Thumbnail for "Indiana Representative Lee H. Hamilton".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Lee Hamilton, a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council and director of IU's Center on Congress.
Thumbnail for "Self-Study And Anthropomorphism, Kitchen Pot".
Michelle Gottschlich reads "Self-Study and Anthropomorphism, Kitchen Pot" and "Letter to Steven Ambrosini."
Thumbnail for "Anthology Special: Celebrating Indiana's Bicentennial".
Join us for this special edition of Profiles for the premiere of our new program of literary exploration, Anthology.
Thumbnail for "Rudbeckia Hirta".
Black-eyed Susans multiply quickly, which can be a blessing, or a curse.
Thumbnail for "Sighs".
We’re sighing, in love, loss, or some combination of the two, as we hear recordings featuring the Consort of Musicke.
Thumbnail for "Elegy With My Father Walking Towards Me".
Brianna Low reads "Elegy with My Father Walking Towards Me...," "Trying to Contact the Version of Myself...," and "Laura Describes the Long Winter."
Thumbnail for "Conditioning".
Conditioning really does extend the life of cut flowers so it's worth the effort.
Thumbnail for "Hollywood Director and Film Professor Jeremy Kagan".
Betsy Shepherd speaks with longtime Hollywood director and screenwriter Jeremy Kagan.
Thumbnail for "Lullaby For The Wandering Child".
Paul Asta reads "Lullaby for the Wandering Child" and "The Great American Road Trip."
Thumbnail for "Maintenance".
Keeping a garden presentable across all seasons of the year requires an eagle eye, and considerable commitment of time and energy.
Thumbnail for "Harmonia Top 40".
We’re spinning some of early music’s “hit #1 singles,” alongside some listener requests.
Thumbnail for "Political Scientist and Anthropologist James Scott".
Will Murphy speaks with Professor James Scott, whose research centers on peasants of Southeast Asia and their strategies to resist various forms of domination.
Thumbnail for "Sometimes I Wish My Dad Was A Lobster".
Harlan reads "It Is Possible to Be Many Different Things" and "Sometimes I Wish My Dad Was a Lobster."
Thumbnail for "Western Wind".
Taverner’s Western Wind Mass is considered the first mass of its kind in England to use a secular tune rather than plainchant as its cantus firmus.
Thumbnail for "Vertical Accents: Create Exclamation Points In A Border".
There are many mounding plants, but they need to be interspersed in a garden with some vertical accents.
Thumbnail for "TV Personality Marc Summers".
John Bailey speaks with TV personality Marc Summers.
Thumbnail for "Nose".
Jill Koran reads "Death on Turnagain Arm" and "Nose."
Thumbnail for "F Words".
If you are designing a new garden, think about the following words: form, foliage, flowers, fruit, fragrance and focal points.
Thumbnail for "Comedians Mat Alano-Martin and Andy Kindler".
In the first half-hour, Annie Corrigan interviews standup comic Mat Alano-Martin. Then, Addison Rogers speaks with comedian, actor, and writer Andy Kindler.
Thumbnail for "The Graveyard And Back".
Daniel Minty reads "The Graveyard and Back" and "Wyoming Pastoral with a Litany of Sometimes."
Thumbnail for "Voices of Eternity".
"The repetition of a...harmonic motif evoked a sense of time stretching far beyond the limits of our physical world, thus creating an illusion of eternity!"
Thumbnail for "Louisiana Iris".
Part of my fascination with this iris is that the deer leave them alone.
Thumbnail for "Filmmakers Tony Buba and Joseph Bernard".
Josh Brewer speaks with documentary filmmaker Tony Buba, and Yaël Ksander hosts an interview with mixed-media artist Joseph Bernard.
Thumbnail for "As The Stars".
Ben Debus reads "Elegy from a Second Story Window" and "As the Stars."
Thumbnail for "A Grave Mistake".
...Realization dawned that I had, in my haste, picked up the wrong spray bottle!
Thumbnail for "New Yorker Staff Writer and Historian Jill Lepore".
Brent Johnson hosts speaks Jill Lepore, a staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of American history at Harvard University.
Thumbnail for "White Beauty".
Danni Quintos reads "White Beauty," "Brown Girls," and "Cousins."
Thumbnail for "Picturesque Corydalis".
In my zone 5 garden, Corydalis has self-sown in a rock wall and down cracks in the side of a set of cement stairs...
Thumbnail for "Agriculturalist Cary Fowler".
Trish Kerlé hosts speaks with the former executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
Thumbnail for "The Running Back Is Born Again".
Brianna Low reads "The Running Back is Born Again," "Watching Little House on the Prairie," and "Laura Describes the Glass."
Thumbnail for "Creeping Jenny".
Update (May 2022): CREEPING JENNY IS CONSIDERED INVASIVE IN PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA! Never plant it where it borders a lawn, as it will escape into the grass and be impossible to get rid of!
Thumbnail for "The Mother Line Story Project".
For Mother's Day, WFIU presents stories from the Mother Line Story Project.
Thumbnail for "Mother, Hunting".
Jessica Franck reads "Mother, Hunting," "Home Visit," and "It's a Girl."
Thumbnail for "Meditations At 20 MPH".
On this podcast-only edition of The Poets Weave, Harlan Kelly reads "Really Quick Can I Tell You the Story of Everything Ever?" and "Meditations at 20 MPH."
Thumbnail for "Flower Pattern".
The process of spiraling is more obvious in some flowers than in others...
Thumbnail for "Civility in American Politics".
This special edition of Profiles looks at the role of civility in U.S. politics.
Thumbnail for "Ode To Alternatives".
Keith Leonard reads "Odes to Alternatives," "Utter," and "Ode to the Grotesque."
Thumbnail for "Dragon Arum".
Some species of arums have flowers with an unpleasant odor.
Thumbnail for "Michael Barone, host of Pipedreams".
Michael Barone, host and senior executive producer of Pipedreams, speaks with IU School of Music Dean Emeritus Charles Webb.
Thumbnail for "Luminescence".
Paul Asta reads "Luminescence" and "The Unraveling of Dreams."
Thumbnail for "Mandevilla Species".
Mandevilla flowers are interesting to observe from varied perspectives.
Thumbnail for "Stormy Weather".
We’ll sample storms on sea and land, plus a featured release by the stormily named American baroque orchestra Tempesta di Mare.
Thumbnail for "Remembering David Baker".
We remember David Baker, founder of IU's Jazz Studies program, with this Profiles interview conducted by Bob Willard in 1998.
Thumbnail for "The Poet At The Bear Waltz".
Daniel Minty reads "The Poet and the Bear Waltz," "Wildness," and "Hyannis, Fifth of July."
Thumbnail for "Table Scape".
The sun shining through the windows lights up the colors beautifully!
Thumbnail for "NPR Founding Father Bill Siemering".
Adam Ragusea of Georgia Public Broadcasting interviews Bill Siemering, a key innovator in the development of public radio.
Thumbnail for "The House Is A Wheel".
Michelle reads "The House is a Wheel" and "Hammer."
Thumbnail for "Missa Corona Spinea".
The Tallis Scholars' most recent release of music by John Taverner.
Thumbnail for "Garden Hyacinth".
One of the many pleasures of springtime is smelling the perfume of hyacinths...
Thumbnail for "Retired Chicago Tribune Editor Gerould Kern".
Perry Metz hosts an interview with Gerould Kern, retired senior vice president and editor of the Chicago Tribune.
Thumbnail for "Thestrals".
Harlan reads "If I Get Hit by a Car on the Way to Work Today...," "Thestrals," and "Even If We Were Able to Sit Down at the Same Table..."
Thumbnail for "Dwarf Iris".
You can plant these little beauties liberally in beds and rock gardens and naturalize them in other undisturbed spaces.
Thumbnail for "Indiana’s Changing Culture: Celebrating 200 Years".
This special edition of Profiles is the first in a four-part celebration on WFIU of the Indiana Bicentennial.
Thumbnail for "All Filipino Women Are Beautiful".
Danni Quintos reads "1991 and We Flew for Days," "All Filipino Women are Beautiful," and "On Being Asked to Represent Your Country."
Thumbnail for "Late Tulips".
Let's look at some different kinds of late-blooming tulips.
Thumbnail for "Sue Carter and Justin Garcia of the Kinsey Institute".
Janae Cummings speaks with Kinsey Institute Director Sue Carter and to Kinsey sexuality researcher Justin Garcia.
Thumbnail for "Evoking Eve".
Jessica Franck reads "Annunciation," "Eve as Girl with Snake Duty in 7th Grad Science," "Evoking Eve," and "Eve as Birthday Girl."
Thumbnail for "Triumphs & Darwins".
These hybridized tulips would look great in your garden!
Thumbnail for "PBS Correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro".
Sumit Ganguly speaks with Fred de Sam Lazaro, special correspondent for PBS NewsHour.
Thumbnail for "Tooth Fairy".
Jill Koran reads "In the Moment Before the Teacup Hits the Floor, I Think of Lao Tzu" and "Tooth Fairy."
Thumbnail for "Musica Boscareccia".
The United Continuo Ensemble performs the "little woodland songs" of Johann Hermann Schein.
Thumbnail for "Early Tulips".
In the early 1900s, tulip growers realized the need for a classification system...
Thumbnail for "Laura Ingalls Describes The Fire".
Brianna Low reads "Laura Ingalls Describes the Fire," "Laura Tries to Describe the World to Mary," and "We Are Hungry."
Thumbnail for "Daffodil Classification".
Let's review Divisions 1 through 8 of the daffodil classification system.
Thumbnail for "Paleolithic Diet Researcher Loren Cordain".
Annie Corrigan interviews nutrition scientist Loren Cordain, an advocate for a diet based on the eating habits of our Stone Age ancestors.
Thumbnail for "Film and Television Director David Anspaugh".
WFIU's John Bailey speaks with Hollywood film director and IU alumnus David Anspaugh, director of Hoosiers and Rudy.
Thumbnail for "Monarch On Milkweed".
Keith Leonard reads "Osiris Ode," "Monarch on Milkweed," and "Strawberries for Dinner."
Thumbnail for "I Have Set My Hert So Hy".
The Dufay Collective: capturing the essence of medieval poetry in song.
Thumbnail for "Arum Italicum".
This hard-to-find arum really adds an exotic touch to my garden!
Thumbnail for "NPR International Correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson".
Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is a 30-plus-year career journalist who's earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody Award for her groundbreaking news coverage.
Thumbnail for "Origins".
Michelle Gottschlich reads "Harvest Fair" and "Origins."
Thumbnail for "Indiana's Poet: James Whitcomb Riley".
We'll hears one of this James Whitcomb Riley's most charming poems, as well as his poetic nod to flowers on a sunshiny day.
Thumbnail for "IU Historian James H. Madison".
Tom Roznowski interviews James H. Madison, emeritus professor of history at IU-Bloomington.
Thumbnail for "The Doubling".
Love poems by Keith Leonard.
Thumbnail for "Liar, Liar".
We're ferreting out lies and liars in early music. From fibs to falsification, cover-ups to conspiracies, plus the music of Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Thumbnail for "A Tribute To Handel".
A 2015 release from cellist Kristin von der Goltz showcases the music of two little known 18th century composers-Francis Caporale and Johann Galliard.
Thumbnail for "Love Poems: Gather Ye Rosebuds".
Here are two lovely poems for a lover's day...
Thumbnail for "Winter Musings".
As we await winter's end, here are some thoughtful quotes to help get us through the cold, dark season.
Thumbnail for "NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans".
Janae Cummings hosts an interview with Eric Deggans, NPR’s first full-time TV critic.
Thumbnail for "It's An Honor To Be Nominated".
Music from the 2015 GRAMMY nominees for Best Opera, Best Classical, Classical Producer of the Year, and more. And it's not about who wins or loses...
Thumbnail for "John Tradescant The Younger".
An plantsman like his father, this younger Tradescant collected many plants from North America and introduced them into English gardens.
Thumbnail for "Novelist, Journalist, and Screenwriter Dan Wakefield".
Yaël Ksander speaks with author Dan Wakefield, whose novels Going All the Way and Starting Over were made into feature films.
Thumbnail for "John Tradescant The Elder".
This English plantsman is regarded as one of the first significant and probably the most influential of early English garden designers.
Thumbnail for "Economist Nancy Folbre".
Gena Asher speaks with Nancy Folbre, professor emerita of economics at the University of Massachusetts.
Thumbnail for "Praetorius, Praetorius, Praetorius.".
Pablo Heras-Casado and the Balthasar-Neumann Choir and Ensemble present a new recording of music by Praetorius, Praetorius, and Praetorius!
Thumbnail for "Compact Catmint".
I have quite a bit of catmint in my garden, but sadly I don’t have a cat...
Thumbnail for "Security and Military Scholar Steven E. Miller".
Sumit Ganguly speaks with Steven Miller, director of the International Security Program at Harvard University.
Thumbnail for "Luscious Foliage".
Coral bells have gorgeous foliage that present endless possibilities.
Thumbnail for "PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger".
James Shanahan, dean of IU's Media School, speaks with Paula Kerger, president and chief executive officer of PBS.
Thumbnail for "Giverny".
During Monet’s lifetime, his two chief priorities were his painting and his flower gardening, but they were actually inseparable.
Thumbnail for "Secrets".
We’re donning our detective hats as we winkle out musical secrets large and small—from secret codes to secret scandals, plus a featured release by Sabrina Frey.
Thumbnail for "Best of the Arts Desk 2015".
In this special edition of Profiles, reporters retrace their footsteps across Indiana to bring you the year’s highlights of arts reporting. Yaël Ksander hosts.
Thumbnail for "Holiday Red".
A single bloom cut from a poinsettia plant, with a short stem in a low vase, is also a space saving and inexpensive decoration for the holiday dinner table.
Thumbnail for "Journalists Joe Angotti and Myrna Oliver".
Meet a veteran broadcast news executive and a pioneering newspaper journalist.
Thumbnail for "The Power Of Love".
Love is one theme that never grows old. Soprano Amanda Forsythe and Apollo’s Fire delve into Handel’s take on the subject with arias from several of his operas.
Thumbnail for "Latin & Greek Terms".
Botanical Latin has a large number of words for the colors yellow and white...
Thumbnail for "Musical Theater Choreographer Liza Gennaro".
Murray McGibbon interviews Liza Gennaro, asst. professor of musical theater and choreographer at the IU Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance.
Thumbnail for "Accidental Unification".
I have a number of plants that, when in bloom, are repeated throughout the garden...
Thumbnail for "Music Writers Jessica Hopper and Eric Weisbard".
In this double edition of Profiles, we speak with two influential pop music critics.
Thumbnail for "Kingo's Song Books".
A new recording from the Phemius Consort situates Thomas Kingo and Danish hymnody in the wider context of the baroque sound world.
Thumbnail for "Combinations".
Color combinations can make plant neighbors “pop” and show us that more of the one thing is not always better.
Thumbnail for "Lew Wallace Biographer Ray Boomhower".
Scott Witzke interviews the author of The Sword & the Pen: A Life of Lew Wallace.
Thumbnail for "Plant Origins".
Sometimes plants are given names that identify them with their geographical origin.
Thumbnail for "Migration Scholar Loren Landau".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Loren Landau, the Henry J. Leir Chair in Migration Studies at Tufts University.
Thumbnail for "Eupatorium Species".
Many gardens don’t have room for such big plants! But in those that do, Joe Pye weed is sure to please both humans...and butterflies.
Thumbnail for "In Memoriam Thomas Binkley".
We're marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of Thomas Binkley, a pioneer in the field of medieval music and founder of IU’s Early Music Institute.
Thumbnail for "Painter Robert Barnes and Law Journalist Dahlia Lithwick".
In this two-part Profiles, we interview a popular legal correspondent and the man called the “most famous unknown painter in America.”
Thumbnail for "Penstemons".
Their flowers have two lips, a bit like snapdragon blooms, and there are approximately 250 species in the genus.
Thumbnail for "Filmmakers Ja’Tovia Gary, Stefani Saintonge, and Penelope Spheeris".
Ja’Tovia Gary, Stefani Saintonge, and Penelope Spheeris took part in Directed by Women, a two-week festival at the IU Cinema.
Thumbnail for "Carpeting Plants".
The denser the "plant carpet," the better suppression of weeds it will provide.
Thumbnail for "LeStrange Viols".
LeStrange Viols dedicates an entire disc to Cranford’s consort music for 4, 5, and 6 viols.
Thumbnail for "Thugs Of The Garden".
These so-called thugs are plants that cover the ground so fast that if left to their own devices they eventually crowd out every other plant in a bed.
Thumbnail for "A Tribute To Scott Reiss".
We’re remembering Scott Reiss, an early music pioneer and phenomenal recorder player who passed away ten years ago this year on December 15th, 2005.
Thumbnail for "Historian Joanna Bourke".
IU Professor of History Mark Roseman hosts an interview with English historian Joanna Bourke.
Thumbnail for "Robert Barnes Paints Outside the Lines".
Blending representational and abstract art, symbolism and formalism, Robert Barnes paints outside the party lines.
Thumbnail for "Flowers For Shade".
It’s possible to have colorful shade gardens that have a continual sequence of bloom.
Thumbnail for "Say Who? Franciszek Lessel".
When asked to name a famous Polish pianist-composer before Chopin but after Haydn, how many would come up with the name Franciszek Lessel?
Thumbnail for "Thalictrum Species Do Well In Shade".
All meadow rues offer height in a shade garden.
Thumbnail for "Kiss Me!".
This hour, we bring you kisses in all times and tempos. Plus a
Thumbnail for "Unusual Bulbs That Draw The Eye".
Fall is the time to be thinking about next spring and especially which new spring-blooming bulbs to plant.
Thumbnail for "Journalist Dahlia Lithwick Demystifies the Supreme Court".
Jurisprudence writer Dahlia Lithwick talks about the Supreme Court without pomp and circumstance to reveal how their decisions affect people's everyday lives.
Thumbnail for "Botanical Heirlooms: Peonies".
You may think that you have little that is valuable to bequeath to family and friends...
Thumbnail for ""King of Bad Taste" John Waters".
"Divine wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor [and] I wanted to make exploitation movies for art theaters."
Thumbnail for "Food Writer Claudia Roden".
Profiles presents two guests who participated in IU’s Themester “Eat, Drink, Think: Food from Art to Science.”
Thumbnail for "Psychologist Larry Barsalou".
Professor Rob Goldstone interviews psychologist and cognitive scientist Lawrence W. Barsalou.
Thumbnail for "Director Penelope Spheeris: Thriving in Chaos".
"I feel prouder of the "Decline" series than any of my other work because they did what I wanted to do in life—to study human behavior."
Thumbnail for "Speedwells".
Some speedwells are low growing but most are upright with flower spires of blues, violets, pinks and whites.
Thumbnail for "Immigration Rights Activist Jose Antonio Vargas".
Will Murphy interviews journalist and filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas.
Thumbnail for "Capitalism".
Alex reads his poems "Capitalism," "For the Trees," "Apples, a Prayer," and "No Wonder."
Thumbnail for "Haydn 2032".
Il Giardino Armonico's Haydn 2032 project looks forward to the 300th anniversary of the composers' birth.
Thumbnail for "September Planting".
Now is the perfect time to walk around your yard and find spaces that need more color or interest at this time of the year.
Thumbnail for "Minicomics Creator John Porcellino".
Betsy Shepherd hosts a discussion with minicomics creator John Porcellino.
Thumbnail for "Leaning Song".
Alex reads his poems "Leaning Song" and "Bindings."
Thumbnail for "False Economy".
Late last fall I bought a lot of perennials at the end of October, and not one of them came back this past spring.
Thumbnail for "Law Professor David Williams".
Trish Kerlé interviews IU law professor David C. Williams, an expert on constitutional and Native American law.
Thumbnail for "Aubaude Again".
Alex Chambers reads "Aubade Again" and "Western Industrial Agriculture."
Thumbnail for "Purcell's Revenge".
Concerto Caledonia’s recording colors outside the lines of what we’ve come to expect from performances of Purcell's music.
Thumbnail for "Plant Partners".
Bright accents will make any blue/grey background plantings pop!
Thumbnail for "IU Press Director Gary Dunham".
Moya Andrews hosts an interview with Gary Dunham, director of Indiana University Press and Digital Publishing.
Thumbnail for "They Called Him "Le Romain"".
Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Sir James Galway…three famous names in the flute world. But here’s another name to consider: Jacques Martin Hotteterre.
Thumbnail for "Drainage".
It's also a good idea to amend heavy clay soil by mixing in sand and vegetative matter.
Thumbnail for "Radicals And Firestarters In Early Music".
We're bringing you some of the most radical musical diversions from the norm, courtesy of bold, maverick, or legitimately insane composers.
Thumbnail for "The Kuhnau Project".
Opella Musica and the Camerata Lipsiensis release the first installment of an ongoing series devoted to Johann Kuhnau’s complete sacred works.
Thumbnail for "Durable Plants".
Silver-leaved plants like Artemisia and sage are heat and drought tolerant as well as being unappetizing to deer and rabbits.
Thumbnail for "Monica Monikers".
We’re investigating the moniker Monica! We’ll trace a tune dubbed “Monica” that was popular throughout Europe for two centuries, and so much more...
Thumbnail for "Military Historian Hew Strachan".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Sir Hew Strachan, one of the world’s leading authorities on World War I.
Thumbnail for "Tall, Skinny, Sun-Loving Verbena Bonariensis".
This plant looks a bit like a stick figure with arms and a small mop of lavender blooms on top, mimicking hair.
Thumbnail for "Jazz Pianist Luke Gillespie".
David Brent Johnson speaks with pianist Luke Gillespie, professor of music in jazz studies at the IU Jacobs School of Music.
Thumbnail for "Réserve 1111: Gambabüchlein".
Good things come in small packages, like a manuscript of viol music held at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Thumbnail for "Mexican Sunflowers".
These easy-to-grow plants are sometimes used as a flowering screen or hedge for privacy in small yards.
Thumbnail for "Indiana Novelist Ian Woollen".
Yaël Ksander interviews Bloomington author and Indiana native Ian Woollen.
Thumbnail for "Novelist and Journalist Amitav Ghosh".
Sumit Ganguly interviews Indian author and essayist Amitav Ghosh.
Thumbnail for "Now And Then".
Music from an ensemble who hopes to pass “seamlessly between different eras and musical styles, between now and then."
Thumbnail for "Everlasting Flowers".
Strawflowers, sometimes called “everlasting flowers,” can be used in fresh arrangements, as well as dried for winter bouquets.
Thumbnail for "My Tunes: Shira Kammen On "Shuffle"".
Occasionally we like to ask people in the field of early music: "What are you listening to?" This hour, we’re focusing on multi-instrumentalist Shira Kammen!
Thumbnail for "Investigative Journalist Walt Bogdanich".
Claire McInerny speaks with Walt Bogdanich, assistant editor at The New York Times Investigations Desk.
Thumbnail for "Marenzio's Madrigals".
Jealousy, murder, crimes of passion, hired assassins, and Marenzio's music for a pacifatory marriage.
Thumbnail for "Serendipity".
A lot of the best plant combinations in my yard have occurred without my conscious intervention.
Thumbnail for "Plectrums, Pizzicato, And Plucks".
Plucked instruments—lutes, guitars, harps and harpsichords will pick and pizz us through the hour. Plus, a special tribute to lute player Pat O’Brien.
Thumbnail for "Maturation Theory".
Kien Lam reads "Prayer," "Maturation Theory," and "God Theory."
Thumbnail for "Making Mistakes".
In the garden, it seems easier to remember that perfection is not the goal.
Thumbnail for "Australian Politician and Author Gareth Evans".
Moya Andrews interviews Gareth Evans, an Australian policymaker who represented the Australian Labor Party in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Thumbnail for "Name-Dropping".
It's the art of musical name-dropping—paying respect to the masters that came before. This week, we bring you music that gives credit where credit is due!
Thumbnail for "You'll See A Tree".
Scott Miles reads "You'll See a Tree."
Thumbnail for "Lovers, Beware!".
Udite, Amanti: Lovers, Beware! Music from the seventeenth-century Barberini courts.
Thumbnail for "Empress Josephine".
Josephine’s name will always be synonymous with roses.
Thumbnail for "A Tribute To Margriet".
We’re paying tribute to “Margriet” Tindemans, an early music pioneer and “ferociously talented” medieval fiddle player who passed away December 31, 2014.
Thumbnail for "Science Historian Naomi Oreskes".
James Gray interviews Naomi Oreskes, professor of the History of Science and affiliated professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University.
Thumbnail for "Mulch".
Mulch that has already been paid for is like money in the bank.
Thumbnail for "Smell The Roses!".
We bring you a program of early music with texts inspired by both romantic and symbolic associations with flowers.
Thumbnail for "Arts and Disabilities Special".
The WFIU Arts Desk presents stories that were broadcast over the last year about people in Indiana living with disabilities.
Thumbnail for "A Kindness".
Leslie Aguilar reads "In Crisis," "Torch," and "A Kindness."
Thumbnail for "O Rose So Fair And Sweet!".
This is the time of year to enjoy roses in our gardens. Here are some poems about these lovely flowers.
Thumbnail for "Does Your Voice Hang Low?".
We've got the lowdown on music written for guys with supremely subterranean vocal ranges...
Thumbnail for "Foreign Correspondent Joe Coleman".
Gena Asher interviews longtime journalist and IU professor Joe Coleman.
Thumbnail for "The Flight Of The Field Mouse".
David Watters reads "Little Carpenter," "The Flight of the Field Mouse," "Here in This Place," "Between the Sound," and "To the Quick-Footed Fawn..."
Thumbnail for "Música Celestial: From The Convent Of The Encarnación".
Music of manuscripts from the Convento de la Encarnación in Mexico City, now held at the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois.
Thumbnail for "Film Director Peter Weir".
IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers interviews Oscar-nominated movie director Peter Weir.
Thumbnail for "Garden Town".
Miles reads "Garden Town" and "Car Fire: Storm of the Century."
Thumbnail for "Trio Settecento Plays Veracini".
A new ambitious project from Trio Settecento: the complete Op. 2 Sonate Accademiche by Francesco Maria Veracini.
Thumbnail for "Perpetual Motion".
Kien Lam reads "Ego," "Perpetual Motion," and "Factory Dialect."
Thumbnail for "NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans".
Trish Kerlé interviews NPR’s first full-time television critic Eric Deggans.
Thumbnail for "Pop Music Critic and Scholar Eric Weisbard".
Mark Chilla speaks with Eric Weisbard, the founder and longtime organizer of the Experience Music Project Pop Conference.
Thumbnail for "This Is The Truth".
David Watters reads "The Difference," "This Is the Truth," "Not Yet," "The Blush," and "End of the Night Sonnet."
Thumbnail for "Fairies' Gloves".
The botanical name Digitalis is from the Latin for finger, and “folk” refers to fairies, hence the common name of folks' gloves or fairies' gloves.
Thumbnail for "Il Redentore".
Shayla Lawson reads "Il Redentore" and "Santa Maria della Pietà."
Thumbnail for "Nature Photographer James Balog".
Betsy Shepherd speaks with photographer James Balog, who for more than 30 years has documented human modification of Earth's natural systems.
Thumbnail for "Renaissance Pop".
Ring Around Quartet and Consort sing Frottole: Popular songs of Renaissance Italy.
Thumbnail for "Lilac Breeding".
Although non-native, lilacs are a much-loved and well-behaved import to North America.
Thumbnail for "Traveling Home".
Evelyn Reynolds reads "Saucer Magnolias" and "Traveling Home: Sangre de Cristo Mountains."
Thumbnail for "Queen Of Heaven".
Agave Baroque and countertenor Reginald Mobley perform music by the Italian nun, Isabella Leonarda.
Thumbnail for "Deer-Proof Hellebores".
Common names for these wonderful plants are Christmas rose or Lenten rose, depending on the species and time of bloom.
Thumbnail for "Orson Welles and the Truth".
James Gray and Joshua Brewer present this special WFIU production on the life and career of Orson Welles.
Thumbnail for "Cascabel".
Leslie Aguilar reads her poems "Invocation," "Cascabel," and "Sueño de Retorno."
Thumbnail for "Mother's Day".
Mother’s Day is a truly floral holiday.
Thumbnail for "Margaret Atwood and Katherine Boo".
This two-part Profiles features interviews with novelist Margaret Atwood and New Yorker staff writer Katherine Boo.
Thumbnail for "Misleading Myths".
As well as wonderful quotations, C. L. Fornari's handy book contains a lot of useful advice.
Thumbnail for "One Man Show".
Bud Roach performs music of Giovanni Felice Sances.
Thumbnail for "Bulb Flowers".
For flower lovers, the ability to step out into the garden and pick a fistful of blooms for a vase, is one of spring’s great pleasures.
Thumbnail for "Psalm 127 by Evelyn Reynolds".
Reynolds reads her poems "
Thumbnail for "Shahzeen Attari and Jonathan Bloom".
e psychology of resource use. Her work identifies factors that promote resource conservation and sustainabili
Thumbnail for "Earth Day".
We should ask questions before we purchase our plants this spring. It's important to know whether pesticides that put our bees at risk have been used.
Thumbnail for "Missa Brevis".
We're showcasing early religious music in some of its shortest forms.
Thumbnail for "Il Medico Della Peste".
Lawson reads her poems "Il Medico Della Peste: The Bearer of Bad News," "Santa Margherita" and "Palazzo Grassi."
Thumbnail for "NPR National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson".
WFIU Senior News Editor Gretchen Frazee interviews veteran NPR news reporter and analyst Mara Liasson.
Thumbnail for "New Music for Ancient Instruments".
Bernard Foccroulle plays his own compositions for historical organs.
Thumbnail for "The Passion Of Alice Waters".
Because Earth Day is coming up, let’s pay homage to Alice Waters.
Thumbnail for "American Gospel".
Indiana poet David Watters reads "Little Forget-You-Not," "Stillborn," "American Gospel," "Don't Ask," and "The Great Distances."
Thumbnail for "Foreign Correspondent Elaine Monaghan".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Elaine Monaghan—reporter, writer, and professor of practice at IU’s Media School.
Thumbnail for "Fragrance In Our Gardens".
Scientists have found odor receptors in nearly every organ in the human body!
Thumbnail for "Documentary Filmmaker Steve James".
Steve James is a film producer and director of documentaries, including the award-winning Hoop Dreams and Stevie.
Thumbnail for "Music For Christian Holy Week".
We’re exploring music for the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services leading up to Easter.
Thumbnail for "Winston Churchill's Love Of Nature".
I love the informality of Churchill’s flower paintings, with simple vases containing bunches of garden blooms.
Thumbnail for "Cognitive Philosopher John Searle".
Will Murphy speaks with John Searle, who is known for his contributions to the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and social philosophy.
Thumbnail for "Japanese Tree Lilac".
Japanese Tree Lilac is a useful, adaptable ornamental tree.
Thumbnail for "Carolina Silverbell Tree".
Carolina Silverbells used to be hard to find and were rarely seen in home gardens, but now I'm determined to find one!
Thumbnail for "Pianist and Composer Jean-Louis Haguenauer".
Joe Goetz interviews pianist Jean-Louis Haguenaure, renowned interpreter of the French repertoire who is currently recording Debussy's complete piano music.
Thumbnail for "Hidden Treasures Of Italy".
The violin in Italy: an exploration through the music of Vivaldi and other lesser known composers from the Italian violin school.
Thumbnail for "Japanese Snowbell Tree".
This tree has multi-seasonal interest with attractive branching and lovely pink blooms in the spring.
Thumbnail for "Stephanie Coontz and Amy Bentley".
Yaël Ksander speaks with family studies historian Stephanie Coontz, and Annie Corrigan speaks with food historian Amy Bentley.
Thumbnail for "Say Who? Mikolaj Zielenski".
Miko?aj Ziele?ski was a minor composer, but nonetheless a good one whose music deserves to be heard more often.
Thumbnail for "Race and Class in Indiana".
This special edition of Profiles explores the intersections of race and class, specifically as they pertain to life in south-central Indiana.
Thumbnail for "The Iron Mask".
Ensemble La Ninfea finds a structure for both creative musical expression and a platform for a real world cause.
Thumbnail for "My Dear Magnolia Virginiana".
Sweetbay Magnolia flowers have a citrusy fragrance that makes me want to sniff them whenever I am nearby.
Thumbnail for "A Royal Trio".
Music from a trio of composers-Handel, Ariosti, and Bononcini-who worked together at the Royal Academy in 18th century London.
Thumbnail for "American Yellowwood".
This is an adaptable native tree with no serious disease or pest problems and a lovely branching pattern.
Thumbnail for "Actor Jonathan Banks".
Betsy Shepherd interviews Jonathan Banks, who attended Indiana University as an undergraduate and has since made a 40-year career acting in film and television.
Thumbnail for "Photographer and filmmaker Carolyn Jones".
Trish Kerle interviews photographer and filmmaker Carolyn Jones, whose projects point attention towards issues of global concern.
Thumbnail for "Early Women Garden Photographers".
Early women garden photographers created a new art form in the 20th century.
Thumbnail for "Franklyn Cater and Alexandros Washburn".
NPR senior producer Franklyn Cater and former New York City chief urban designer Alexandros Washburn discuss cities in the 21st century. Will Murphy moderates.
Thumbnail for "The Spirit Of Gambo".
The Netherlands-based viol consort play music of Christopher Tye and John Jenkins.
Thumbnail for "Tall And Thin".
I am dreaming this winter of tall, thin trees, ...and these need no trimming.
Thumbnail for "Diplomat David M. Malone".
Sumit Ganguly speaks with David M. Malone, diplomat and author on international security and development.
Thumbnail for "Dropping And Curling Of Broad-Leaved Evergreens".
“My ‘rhodos’ are doing a good job of protecting themselves from photoinhibition.”
Thumbnail for "John Ward Fantasies And Verse Anthems".
Phantasm plays John Ward's four part viol fantasies. Plus, Ward's verse anthems with the Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford.
Thumbnail for "Remembering Christopher Hogwood".
We’re devoting the hour to the life and accomplishments of a true early music luminary.
Thumbnail for "Rooftop Gardens".
Rooftop gardens are becoming more and more popular in big cities where space for ground-level gardens is not available.
Thumbnail for "Jordi And Arianna Savall".
Two new recordings from father and daughter, Jordi and Arianna Savall.
Thumbnail for "WFIU Jazz Host Joe Bourne".
David Brent Johnson speaks with jazz host Joe Bourne, who retired at the end of 2014 after thirty years with the station.
Thumbnail for "Wood Ash".
At this time of the year when we are using our fireplaces frequently, we generate a lot of wood ash.
Thumbnail for "Arts Desk Special".
Yaël Ksander hosts this special edition of Profiles that looks back at an eventful year in the arts.
Thumbnail for "Gifts To Give".
A friend gave me a gardening magazine that she purchased in Britain. It's a gift that goes on giving!
Thumbnail for "Actor Kevin Kline".
Jon Vickers, director of the IU Cinema, hosts this conversation with actor and IU alumnus Kevin Kline.
Thumbnail for "Remembering Frans Brüggen".
Let's celebrate the life of early-music pioneer Frans Brüggen, who passed away in 2014. We'll also mark the 250th anniversary of Rameau's death.
Thumbnail for "Holiday Greens".
Here are some tips for quick and easy and green holiday decor.
Thumbnail for "The Spy's Choirbook".
Petrus Alamire, in addition to his musical endeavors, may have acted as a political spy for Henry the VIII.
Thumbnail for "Dean Lee A. Feinstein".
Patrick O’Meara speaks with Lee Feinstein, founding dean of the School of Global and International Studies in IU's College of Arts and Sciences.
Thumbnail for "Gas Plant: Tough Little Babies".
Lovely pink or white spikes of bloom and handsome foliage (that is unappetizing to deer) more than compensate for the initial anxiety this plant creates.
Thumbnail for "The Versatility Of Euphorbia".
Euphorbias are becoming more popular with gardeners recently, as they are versatile, easy- to-grow and deer resistant.
Thumbnail for "Merula, Opus 11".
A world premiere recording of Tarquinio Merula’s complete op. 11, collected in one recording.
Thumbnail for "Achillea Cultivars".
Achillea is the botanical name for yarrow and was named after Homer’s hero of the Trojan wars-Achilles.
Thumbnail for "Curator Judith Barter".
Yaël Ksander interviews Judith Barter, Field-McCormick Chair and Curator of American Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Thumbnail for "Masses For 1453".
Cantica Symphonia performs two of Dufay’s arguably most influential polyphonic works: 'Missa Se la face ay pale and Missa L’homme arme.
Thumbnail for "Thanksgiving Flowers and Leaves".
For flower lovers, a Thanksgiving table is not complete without some blooms.
Thumbnail for "Journalist Thomas French".
Perry Metz interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and IU Professor of Practice Thomas French.
Thumbnail for "Classic Plants".
Like a little black dress, some plants are classics and never go out of style.
Thumbnail for "Annuals For Pots".
Now that we have had our first frosts in the Midwest, I am thinking about what to plant next year.
Thumbnail for "Sportscaster Don Fischer".
Gena Asher interviews Don Fischer, who has been the radio voice of Indiana University football and basketball games for forty years.
Thumbnail for "Agastache".
This genus of plants are commonly called anise hyssops and are in the mint family.
Thumbnail for "Cello And Viola Da Gamba: Schenck, Berteau And Bach".
Lixsania Fernandez and Johannes Schenck, Christophe Coin and Martin Berteau, Shirley Hunt and J.S. Bach.
Thumbnail for "Dark Hues".
I just can’t seem to get enough of these dark-colored plants in my garden.
Thumbnail for "Music Of The Sephardim".
Sephardic Music performed by Yaniv d'Or, Ensemble Naya, and the Apollo Ensemble.
Thumbnail for "Smaller And Better".
If you have grown the big Joe Pye weeds that are tall and spread a lot, you will love this smaller one.
Thumbnail for "Cartoonist Dave Coverly".
Daniel Grundmann interviews IU alumnus Dave Coverly, creator of the award-winning comic Speed Bump.
Thumbnail for "Stories from the Transom Workshop".
A sample of short-form radio pieces that were produced in this summer's Transom radio workshop.
Thumbnail for "Smith's Seasons".
Toss your flip-flops in the back of the closet and dig out your favorite fuzzy sweater...summer has passed, autumn is here and winter is on the way.
Thumbnail for "Summersweet Surprises".
Like good friends, good shrubs have the capacity to keep surprising us with their many virtues!
Thumbnail for "Lamento".
"Ah, let me die! I shall shed blood from neck, but not tears from my eyes."
Thumbnail for "Laughter And Tears".
Laughter and tears: two of the most human forms of expression. This week on Harmonia, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll sample a recording by John Holloway.
Thumbnail for "Dogbane".
In my Midwestern garden amsonia's yellow foliage is a welcome accent in the late autumn landscape.
Thumbnail for "Photograph: Father And Grandfather Fishing The Pier...".
O'Neill reads "Anniversary Poem for Ann," "Tectonic of Love," "Photograph: Father and Grandfather Fishing the Pier at Michigan City, and "One Month After."
Thumbnail for "Joseph Martin Kraus".
Kraus’s writing is incredibly lyrical and singable….earworms are guaranteed!
Thumbnail for "Musica".
We're listening to music about music on this edition of Harmonia!
Thumbnail for "Sneezeweed".
Sneezeweed has not only an unfortunate but also an inaccurate common name, as it actually does not cause sneezing.
Thumbnail for "Team Berlin".
Father and son together on one recording from the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra: music by Johan Daniel and Johan Heinrich Berlin.
Thumbnail for "The Stock Girl".
Brian O'Neill reads his poems "Late March," "The Stock Girl," and "Revise, Revise."
Thumbnail for "Bog Plants".
Very few plants can tolerate standing water. Here are some that can.
Thumbnail for "Double Bassist and Professor Emeritus Murray Grodner".
George Walker speaks with Murray Grodner’s first orchestral position was
Thumbnail for ""After A Long Drought" By Brian O'Neill".
Bloomington-based poet Brian O'Neill reads "After a Long Drought (for Polymer)" and "Sodbusters."
Thumbnail for "Rameau For Two".
What’s better than one harpsichord? Two of course!
Thumbnail for "Shady But Dry".
Some of us enjoy the serenity of gardens under large shade trees, but trees suck up a lot of moisture...
Thumbnail for "Angel Instruments".
The Cosmopolitan: Ensemble Leones performs music of minnesinger, Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Thumbnail for "Native Wildflowers".
It's best to purchase wildflower seeds and plants from nurseries that specialize in natives.
Thumbnail for "Microbiologist Rachel Dutton and Food Advocate Marcia Veldman".
This two-part Profiles features a conversation with microbiologist Rachel Dutton and highlights of an archived interview with farmer Marcia Veldman.
Thumbnail for "Munich Baroque Soloists".
Munich Baroque Soloists play familiar and not-so-familiar music: revisit Vivaldi favorites, and get to know Johann Zach.
Thumbnail for "Sunny Rain Gardens".
Deep-rooted native plants can absorb many inches of rain per day, dramatically reducing run-off into streets.
Thumbnail for "The Triumph Of Time And Truth".
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
Thumbnail for "Xeriscaping".
The word derives from the Greek word xeros, which means dry.
Thumbnail for "Journalist and CEO Paul Tash".
Owen Johnson speaks with South Bend native and IU alumnus Paul C. Tash, chairman and CEO of the Times Publishing Company, which owns The Tampa Bay Times.
Thumbnail for "The Cosmopolitan: Oswald Von Wolkenstein".
In the arts, an appreciation of a creation is fed by a knowledge of its creator. Get to know Oswald von Wolkenstein with a new recording from Ensemble Leones.
Thumbnail for "Strong Colors".
Some flowers have intense sounding names to match their hues.
Thumbnail for "Occitan Nights".
A 2014 Ricercar release from Ensemble Céladon, led by Paulin Bündgen, presents music of the Troubadours.
Thumbnail for "A Lacy, Graceful Shrub: Bush Clover".
Use this shrub as a focal point or in a shrub border to create fall interest.
Thumbnail for "Poet Adrian Matejka".
Dave Torneo interviews poet Adrian Matejka, a graduate of Indiana University who teaches in the MFA program at IU-Bloomington.
Thumbnail for "Spanish Baroque Meets Flamenco!".
Las Idas Y Las Vueltas: Spanish Baroque Meets Flamenco!
Thumbnail for "Snappy Little Turtleheads".
An interesting native wildflower that grows naturally in wet meadows is chelone lyonii.
Thumbnail for "Bad For Bees".
Some of the plants we buy for our gardens are pretreated with neonicotinoid pesticides that are harmful to bees.
Thumbnail for "Author Shauna Singh Baldwin".
IU professor of political science Sumit Ganguly interviews Shauna Singh Baldwin, a Canadian-American novelist who writes about the Indian experience.
Thumbnail for "World Association Of Flower Arrangers".
Ireland concluded its tenure as the WAFA host country after the June 2014 flower show, and Barbados has begun its three year term.
Thumbnail for "Disney Topiary".
In the 1960s, at Walt Disney’s request, Bill Evans and the Disney horticultural team began to experiment with topiary.
Thumbnail for "Author and Professor Larry Lockridge".
David Brent Johnson interviews Larry Lockridge, author of an award-winning biography of his father Ross Lockridge, Jr., author of Raintree County.
Thumbnail for "Disney Horticulture".
Roughly 80% of the Walt Disney World resort flowers are irrigated using reclaimed water.
Thumbnail for "One Is The Loveliest Number".
We're exploring paeans to solitude, songs of unrequited love—even a sumptuous soundscape sprung from a single note.
Thumbnail for "Astrophysicist David Morrison".
Will Murphy speaks with David Morrison, director of the Carl Sagan Center for Study of Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute.
Thumbnail for "Disney World's Liberty Tree".
The official Disney Horticulture logo is the Liberty Tree, and there is a story about how that choice was made.
Thumbnail for "Flower Festival At Disney World".
The Epcot International Flower Show and Garden Festival is held each spring for 75 days.
Thumbnail for "Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Sonia Nazario".
Gena Asher interviews journalist Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique's Journey
Thumbnail for "All In A Life's Work: Arcangelo Corelli".
Arcangelo Corelli’s complete published chamber music performed by the Avison Ensemble.
Thumbnail for "Bill Evans: Disney Landscaping Legend".
The landscaping at Disney Theme Parks is an integral part of the Disney experience.
Thumbnail for "Academy Award-Winning Actress Meryl Streep".
IU President Michael McRobbie interviews Meryl Streep, one of the greatest actresses of our time.
Thumbnail for "Living Columns".
Narrow shrubs are referred to as columnar in shape, and they are ideal for a small garden.
Thumbnail for "Tainted Love".
Love’s gone bad this hour on Harmonia, as we explore music by—and for—the brokenhearted.
Thumbnail for "Photomontagist Jerry Uelsmann".
Yaël Ksander interviews photographer Jerry Uelsmann, a pioneer of 20th-century photomontage.
Thumbnail for "A Visit To Constance".
We're dropping in on the historic Council of Konstanz with a recording from Capella de la Torre, and music that might have been heard there in the 15th c.
Thumbnail for "English Ivy".
Many people think that English ivy (Hedera helix) is romantic.
Thumbnail for "Hummel And The Fortepiano".
We’re headed into the 19th century with Hummel piano concertos, recorded for the first time on period instruments by Solamente Naturali.
Thumbnail for "Swallowtails".
Adult butterflies linger in our gardens longer when we have the types of plants on which they can lay their eggs.
Thumbnail for "Psychologist and Author Gerd Gigerenzer".
Peter Todd interviews German psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, who studies the use of bounded rationality and heuristics in decision making.
Thumbnail for "Onward And Upward".
Kudos to Jean Lamon for over three decades with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra!
Thumbnail for "Baby Mums".
The best time to plant chrysanthemums is now...in the spring!
Thumbnail for "And One Was A Soldier".
We’re heading into battle this hour, for a sampling of music by, for, or about soldiers.
Thumbnail for "Poetry And Conversation With Mark Wunderlich".
Mark Wunderlich reads poems from his new collection and sits down for a chat with us!
Thumbnail for "The Mozart-Bach Connection".
Christophe Rousset plays Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin plays related works by Mozart and his contemporaries.
Thumbnail for "Milkweed For Monarchs!".
Pretty and striped, Monarch caterpillars eat various species of milkweed, so plant lots of it to entice this butterfly to your garden.