Good Growing
Talking all things horticulture, ecology, and design.

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As Americans prepare to celebrate the July 4th weekend, Good Growing takes a look at the Founding Fathers as gardeners. In this episode, we explore the lesser-known side of our nation’s founders.
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All Episodes

Ep. 121 Spooktacular: Dangerous and Deadly Plants | #GoodGrowing

What do an ant and a rubber tree have to say about toxic plants? Apparently, more than one would think! This week Ken and Chris dress up in celebration of Halloween and talk about plants that could make you sick or *gulp* kill you! Did somebody eat something they shouldn't? Contact the Poison...

Gardenbite: Three favorite native plants for Illinois | #GoodGrowing

This week for the Good Growing podcast we throw it back to 2021 when Visiting Outreach Associate Layne Knoche gives his three favorite native plants to include in a home landscape setting. Of course, Layne has many more natives he would like to include, but we were mean and only let him give his...

Ep. 120 - Some invasive plants in Illinois and their management | #GoodGrowing

On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we continue our discussion on problematic plants in the landscape by getting into some invasive plants we have in Illinois. We discuss invasive bush honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, teasel, and purple loosestrife. These plants are having negative impacts in...

KILL Your Callery Pear & Burning Bush and plant these instead | #GoodGrowing

Are they invasive? Not legally in the state of Illinois. (Yet!) But we are seeing Callery pear and burning bush escape from our yards into natural areas across the state. Today Ken and Chris talk about these two plants, give some background, and then what we can plant instead of these baddies!...

Ep. 118 - Good plant, bad plant part 1 | #GoodGrowing

On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we talk about some problematic plants in the landscape, wintercreeper and Japanese barberry, They have been widely planted, but in many places, they have escaped cultivation and are now causing problems in natural areas. Learn more about these troublesome plants...

Ep. 117 - Growing Fall Strawberries with Grant McCarty | #GoodGrowing

On this week's Good Growing podcast Ken and Chris chat with Illinois Extension small farms and local foods educator Grant McCarty. First, we dive into the odd crops we grew this year and then Grant talks about his latest research project on growing strawberries...for the FALL! In October, no...

Gardenbite: Growing mums | #GoodGrowing

As we approach fall, chrysanthemums, aka mums, start appearing in nurseries and garden centers. They are a staple in many landscapes and can provide some much-needed color to our landscapes when many other garden plants are starting to decline. However, many people struggle to get mums to survive...

Gardenbite: Landscape Fabric - Good or bad? | #GoodGrowing

This week on Good Growing we take an excerpt from our webinar on gardening myths to see if these are the best practices or not! In this video horticulture educator, Chris Enroth gives the scoop on the long-term effects on your garden when using landscape fabric. Watch the entire webinar on...

Ep. 116 - Tree planting and care with Emily Swihart | #goodgrowing

Trees are one of the biggest investments we have in our landscapes. On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we talk with University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Emily Swihart about tree planting and care. We discuss how to plant and care for trees, some good trees for fall color,...

Ep. 115 - Monarch Butterfly Status Update with Brodie Dunn

This week on the Good Growing podcast we chat with Brodie Dunn about the recent listing of the monarch butterfly as an endangered species by the IUCN. What does that mean for us in Illinois where monarchs spend their summers? We dive into the most recent scientific publications to determine how the...

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