Focus on Flowers
Focus on Flowers is a weekly podcast and public radio program about flower gardening hosted by master gardener Moya Andews.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 1784
- Years Active
- 2009 - 2025
The Fairy Rose
Greek frescoes from the second millennium B.C. show what is believed to be the earliest known representation of a rose. The name, according to legend, is because a woman of exquisite beauty, Rhodanth…
00:02:00 |
Fri 05 Sep 2025
Gladiolus
The name "gladiolus," is from a Latin word meaning "little sword" because of the shape of the plant's leaves. They grow from corms, which are planted flat side down, two inches apart and at least 4 i…
00:01:57 |
Thu 28 Aug 2025
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.
Dianthus, alone in a small bed, can be pretty as the foliage…
00:02:00 |
Thu 21 Aug 2025
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
In her book The Once and Future Gardener, Virginia Clayton provides examples of articles that were published in popular American gardens magazines between 1900 and 1940. One article by Helen Wilson f…
00:02:00 |
Thu 14 Aug 2025
Curbside Color
I recently admired a beautifully planted curbside garden in full sun with a lovely color palette. Right in front were lavender creeping phlox, and behind those was the low-growing cranesbill geranium…
00:02:00 |
Thu 07 Aug 2025
Euphorbia
Moya Andrews talks about euphorbias.
The genus Euphorbia is large—about 2000 species—and there is great variation between forms.
Some plants look a bit like cacti, and many of the species have flo…
00:02:00 |
Thu 31 Jul 2025
Ferny Corydalis
Moya Andrews talks about Corydalis.
Many of us have seen a ferny plant with tiny yellow flowers growing on walls and in cottage gardens in England, where it self-sows enthusiastically. This plant is…
00:01:59 |
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Bugle Fairy
Moya Andrews reads a poem about ajuga, a.k.a., bugle weeds.
Ajugas are perennials that are commonly known as bugles or bugle weeds, and there are about 40 species in the genus.
Ajuga reptans (rept…
00:02:00 |
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Campanula Bells
Moya Andrews talks about bellflowers.
Campanulas, or bellflowers to use their common name, are plants with bell-shaped blue or white blooms, and they range in height from ground-hugging dwarfs to pl…
00:02:00 |
Thu 10 Jul 2025
Stalwart Salvias
There are roughly 900 species of salvia, which is the largest genus in the mint family. The common name is sage, and the genus includes annuals, perennials, and sub-shrubs. Remember that sub-shrubs h…
00:02:00 |
Thu 03 Jul 2025
A Reformed Snob
Moya Andrews talks about marigolds.
I used to be quite a snob about flowers that grow so easily that they seem to be growing everywhere. For instance, I used to be quite dismissive about marigolds, …
00:02:00 |
Thu 26 Jun 2025
Nasturtiums
Moya Andrews talks about nasturtiums.
Nasturtiums are annuals that grow well from seed. The genus is Tropaeolum (trop EYE oh lum), which is from a Greek word meaning “to twine,” as some nasturtiums …
00:02:11 |
Thu 19 Jun 2025
Balloon Flowers
Moya Andrews talks about balloon flowers.
Balloon flowers have unique buds that look round and full of air just like a balloon and so their common name is descriptive.
The genus name comes from 2 …
00:02:00 |
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Mature Gardens
If you want to see a well-behaved garden, visit one that is about 3 years old.
Three years is about the time it takes for plants to settle in and grow a bit. But it’s not long enough for most plant…
00:02:00 |
Thu 05 Jun 2025
Lilac Breeding
Although non-native, lilacs are a much-loved and well-behaved import to North America.
00:02:00 |
Thu 29 May 2025
Groundcover Phlox
There are about 70 different types of phlox, both short and tall. The short ones are used as groundcovers, and their palette is made up of the cool colors.
00:02:00 |
Thu 22 May 2025
Container Preparations: New, Rich Soil and Good Drainage Holes
Most of us, including those who are not space challenged, like to experiment with plants in containers. It is like playing at micro gardening.
The drawback of containers, though, is that as we water…
00:02:00 |
Thu 15 May 2025
Mother's Day
Amy Stewart, in her book Flower Confidential, says that florists practically invented Mother’s Day.
It was actually invented in 1908 by a woman named Anna Jarvis who wanted the celebration to be on…
00:02:00 |
Thu 08 May 2025
Death of a Flower
Many of us who love to grow tulips in our gardens have visiting deer who love to eat them. It seems to be such a violent death for a bud or flower.
The poet E. J. Scovell, when she wrote the follo…
00:02:00 |
Thu 01 May 2025
Deadheading Spent Blooms
Deadheading spent booms on plants is important, especially with perennials.
Many modern annuals have been bred so that the plant will keep blooming without deadheading. Wave petunia was the first …
00:02:00 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
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