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


        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.
      

Cherry Blossoms


        A quote by Vita Sackville West about ground covers.
      

Carpeting


        Dandelions light up our lawns each spring with bright yellow flowers. 
      

Spring Dandelions


        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.
      

Early Botanical Artists


        During the Middle Ages in Britain, the monasteries were the places with the space and the knowledge to garden. 
      

The Middle Ages


        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.
      

Touch-Me-Nots


        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
      

Planting Easter Lilies


        Clay soil is heavy and hard to dig compared to sandy soil, but it is also more moisture and nutrient retentive. 
      

The Benefits of Clay


        No plant, it seems to those of us plagued with deer, can be called really deer proof. 
      

Usually Deer Proof


        Regular pruning benefits all woody plants, such as shrubs, trees, and vines. Pruning keeps them vigorous and healthy, as well as improving their shape.
      

Pruning Flowering Shrubs


        Cutting back plants, even small ones, helps to stimulate growth. But don't cut off all of the leaves!
      

Cutting Back


        There are so many lovely varieties of clematis available today. Even a single bloom floating is a bowl looks perfect. 
      

Climbing Clematis


        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. 
      

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. 

Forcing


        All of the poems I will read today are about roses and all are from times long past. 
      

Roses From the Past


        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...
      

February Saints


        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.
      

Christo's Final Years


        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. 
      

The Long Border


        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. 
      

The Great Dixter


        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. 
      

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. 

Medieval Gardens


        The Romans were the first to create pleasure gardens in Britain. 
      

1st Century Gardens


        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. 
      

The Winter Solstice


        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. 
      

Bioengineering


        The idea of private pleasure gardens during the Middle Ages in England was espoused by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
      

Eleanor of Aquitaine


        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... 
      

Gnats: Pesky Little Devils


        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.
      

Wild William Robinson


        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. 
      

Garden Cleanup


        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.
      

Houseplants That Bloom


        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. 
      

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


        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. 
      

The Mimosa Tree


        Continually cut back plants that have done their stuff to allow more room for those whose bloom period is yet to come. 
      

Cutting Down Plants


        If you need something in bloom all through the growing seasons in your garden, check that you have these plants.
      

Continuous Color


        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.
      

Naked Ladies


        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. 
      

Carefree Crepe Myrtle


        The winter-blooming clivia plant is one of the very few house plants that will produce flowers indoors in the dead of winter. 
      

Clivia miniata


        If you are looking for deer resistant shrubs to plant in your unfenced yard, the safest evergreens are spruce, juniper, and boxwood. 
      

Shrubs for All Seasons


        Early on, I longed for all the more pretentious perennials, but now I prefer the tried and true. 
      

Recognizing Reality


        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. 
      

Angelonia


        The plant has the unfortunate common name of "tickseed," derived from the Greek word "Koris," meaning bed bug.
      

Always Cheerful 


        This black-eyed Susan is a plant that we can all grow and that will be with us for as long as we garden.
      

Rudbeckia ‘American Goldrush’


        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.
      

Hibiscus moscheutos


        Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) is a lovely native plant that attracts butterflies, bumble bees, and other insects.
      

Liatris spicata

Xeroscaping is the term for gardening while conserving water.

Xeroscaping is the term for gardening while conserving water.

Minimal Watering

The original perennial coneflowers were pink, but many new cultivars have been developed.

The original perennial coneflowers were pink, but many new cultivars have been developed.

Excellent Echinaceas

A mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs ensures that your cutting garden always has something in bloom.

A mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, and shrubs ensures that your cutting garden always has something in bloom.

Cutting Garden

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!

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!

Deterring Peter

Native perennials are an essential part of our ecosystem and support wildlife. Some are more likely to thrive in our region than others.

Native perennials are an essential part of our ecosystem and support wildlife. Some are more likely to thrive in our region than others.

Tough Native Plants

Monarch butterflies like to eat various species of milkweed, which have a bitter juice, that makes their caterpillars unappealing to predators.

Monarch butterflies like to eat various species of milkweed, which have a bitter juice, that makes their caterpillars unappealing to predators.

Milkweed and the Monarchs

If you want to get more plants from your existing flowering plants, a good way is to take cuttings.

If you want to get more plants from your existing flowering plants, a good way is to take cuttings.

Cuttings

The degree of shade is an important factor in gardening, and usually for flowering plants, partial shade is the best.

The degree of shade is an important factor in gardening, and usually for flowering plants, partial shade is the best.

Degrees of Shade

In warm climates, the showy, brightly colored bougainvillea vines romp over walls, fences, and even buildings, brightening landscapes with their vivid colors.

In warm climates, the showy, brightly colored bougainvillea vines romp over walls, fences, and even buildings, brightening landscapes with their vivid colors.

Bougainvillea Vines

Both perennial and annual candytufts make excellent rock garden and edging plants.

Both perennial and annual candytufts make excellent rock garden and edging plants.

Sweet Candytuft

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.

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.

Star of Bethlehem

Always deadhead spring bulbs after they finish blooming or they will put their energy into setting seed, which limits their rejuvenation.

Always deadhead spring bulbs after they finish blooming or they will put their energy into setting seed, which limits their rejuvenation.

Tired Daffodils

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.

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.

Evening Primrose

In olden times, if one wore a sprig of alyssum, no one would be angry with you.

In olden times, if one wore a sprig of alyssum, no one would be angry with you.

Basket of Gold Dust

Allelopathic plants release chemicals through their leaves and roots that prevent the germination and/or growth of nearby plants.

Allelopathic plants release chemicals through their leaves and roots that prevent the germination and/or growth of nearby plants.

Allelopathic Items

It's important to remove invasive, non-native plants to make more space available for plants that nourish our own native wildlife.

It's important to remove invasive, non-native plants to make more space available for plants that nourish our own native wildlife.

Attacking Invasives

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.

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.

Smaller Shrubs

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?

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?