Back to the Garden in the New Year
Season 7, Episode 6, January 8, 2025
We are back from our holiday hiatus, and this week, we’re chatting about caladiums, comfrey, a new book—there’s always a new book—Plant Words, and more.
First things first, here is your early listen link!
Did you know it’s the Year of the Caladium, according to the National Garden Bureau? Yes, it is, so we chose caladiums as our flower this week. We think plants with beautiful leaves are as pretty as flowers in the right place. We like caladiums for their easy-growing ways in the shade.
For our veggie topic, we’re still exploring unique herbs. This week, it’s comfrey, a perennial, from The Spruce, an herb, from Wellness Mama, and an ingredient for compost tea, from Gardening Know How.
Question for listeners: Is anyone growing comfrey? Do you find it aggressive or even invasive? Inquiring minds want to know.
On our Bookshelf this week is Plant Words: A book of 250 curious words for plant lovers by Joe Richomme & Emma Wayland (Amazon.) This would make an amazing gift for the gardener in your life. Yes, we know we just finished Christmas, but birthdays and anniversaries count too.
For dirt, we chose a different color of the year than Pantone’s. It’s Lime Cream which Etsy chose this year, and we’re down for it.
Our question of the week was about winter sowing. We are interested in Winter Sowing in Ziplock Bags, as this Instagramer has shown us. What do you think?
Now, here’s all the other stuff we talked about!
Squishmallows! and Squishmallow Rose Bud which I now want. Thanks Carol!
Rebecca McMackin and her Ted talk about what she did to transform Brooklyn Bridge Park and her message about letting your garden grow a little wild, which reminded Carol that she listened to The Secret Garden, and wrote a blog post about her motto for 2025.
I bought another made in the USA watering can. Seriously, my house is the longest so I need watering cans for each end.
We’re also reading and discussing more books, including:
Women of the Catholic Imagination: Twelve Inspired Novelists You Should Know, edited by Haley Stewart.
One Poor Scruple, by Josephine Ward.
The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, which is actually a novella.
The Father’s Tale, by Michael D. O’Brien, which is super long.
Four Quartets, by T. S. Eliot.
Quartet in Autumn, by Barbara Pym.
And we are watching movies and TV series, like: A Man on the Inside, Thelma, Christmas in Connecticut, and Innocent Sinners.
And I did a Mystery Jigsaw Puzzle (Amazon.) So fun!
Carol told us about the Secret Museum at All Hallows by The Tower Church near the Tower of London (Instagram Post.) Fascinating.
We both love Ben Maton, The Salsbury Organist on YouTube.
And that’s another episode!
We are happy to return to our weekly schedule and hope you enjoy this episode!
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For more info on Carol visit her website. Visit her blog, May Dreams Gardens and check out her new weekly newsletter, In the Garden With Carol.
For more info on Dee, visit her blog, Red Dirt Ramblings.
On Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings.
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