#174 02 September 2023

Good day, gardeners! I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and well. Here’s some knowledge and inspiration I wanted to share with you.

1. This month for The Plantastic Podcast I interview my friend and mentor Bryce Lane. Bryce taught over 20,000 students in his 34 years at NC State as one of the top horticulture educators of our generation, and he hosted In the Garden with Bryce Lane, which won Three Midsouth Regional Emmys. We talk about the craft of teaching, his friendship with the late JC Raulston, and the power of story with plants. Even if you aren’t a teacher, there are skills and techniques from this episode that will help you share the love of plants with others.

2. I’m adding more grasses to my garden next year. Many of our warm season grasses don’t establish well in autumn, so I plan now for planting later. This report from Chicago Botanic Garden gives a good overview of some of the best cultivars on the market.

3. If you’re looking to improve the digital capture and knowledge management of your gardening team, check out Caleb Melchior’s latest in Land8.

4. NASA is offering tree seedlings that flew around the moon on the Artemis I flight in 2022 to help promote STEM in education and communities. Species offered include sycamores, sweetgums, Douglas firs, loblolly pines, and giant sequoias.

5. This week at Ephemera Farm, our Eragrostis spectabilis (love grass) is blooming. Though short lived, this native grass looks so lovely with its froth of panicles in autumn.

As always, thanks for welcoming me into your inbox each week to share what I’m learning about plants.

Cheers, and keep growing!

Dr. Jared