Here at Gardenista, we love a good podcast, but niche-topic shows are often hard to find. With no designated categories for “home” or “design”—let alone “gardening”—on the major podcast platforms, it can be tricky to discover garden voices. So, we searched the streaming platforms and queried our community to find out what plant-obsessed podcasts we should be listening to. Below you’ll find eight garden podcasts that either the Gardenista team loves or are recommended by trusted friends and colleagues. But this is by no means a definitive list: As new shows launch (and we hope they will!) and as we discover others, we’ll plan to add them to our faves. Leave a comment below if we left out your favorite garden podcast.
A Way to Garden
Perhaps the original garden podcast, Margaret Roach’s “A Way to Garden With Margaret Roach” is a 25-minute public-radio program that airs weekly on Connecticut’s Robin Hood Radio and as a podcast on all the major platforms. Each week Margaret hosts a garden expert to discuss a seasonally-relevant topic. Over the 14 years it has been on the air, the show has won three silver medals from the Garden Writers Association of America.
Cultivating Place
Another public radio co-production (this one with North State Public radio), garden writer Jennifer Jewell’s “Cultivating Place” is less concerned with the daily activities of the garden, but rather “how and why we garden—what we mean when we garden.” Jennifer goes deep with her guests in every episode, and always leaves us with new ideas to consider. (For a review of her latest book, see Required Reading: ‘What We Sow’ by Jennifer Jewell.)
The Garden Futurist
Jewell recommends this podcast from the Pacific Horticulture Society about “innovative thinkers contributing to a climate-resilient future through the power of gardens.” Jewell says, “I like how hard this podcast leans, with heart, into the academic “hard” sciences.” The podcast focuses on how gardens and gardeners can foster climate resilience and become leaders in the effort to slow climate change.
Growing Greener
This show aims to show home gardeners how they can make their yards and gardens healthier and more sustainable. Produced in collaboration with the Berkshire Botanic Garden, the “Growing Greener” host Tom Christopher, a garden designer and writer, interviews gardening experts who are also leaders in working in harmony with nature.
The Native Plant Podcast
Growing Greener’s Christopher confessed that he is not much of a podcast listener himself, but he does enjoy episodes of “The Native Plant Podcast,” a multi-host effort that publishes episodes sporadically. The hosts, who originally connected at the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, liken themselves to a “garage band,” but Christopher says the relaxed, conversational tone is exactly what he likes about the show. The Native Plant Podvast had some of the leading native plant experts on the show, so there’s lots in the archive between new posts.
Talking Gardens
The podcast from Gardens Illustrated magazine asks its guests, “If you could create your dream garden from pieces of all of your favorite places, and if you could grow any plants in the world, what would you choose?” Despite the predictable format, garden designer Susan Nock told us that “it elicits super varying answers, and the host follows the guest’s lead and has really lovely conversations about their work and ideas.” Because this show is idea-based, it’s a fun listen for gardeners in different growing areas–not just the U.K.
Let’s Argue About Plants
Another podcast from a magazine, “Let’s Argue About Plants” is hosted by editors Danielle Sherry and Carol Collins of Fine Gardening. Plant nerds, this one’s for you: Sherry and Collins talk exclusively about plants and host horticultural pros, who “offer their wisdom and opinions about what you might want to grow in your garden.”
Inside Hilton’s Head
A promising newcomer, this podcast is hosted by author and houseplant expert Hilton Carter and his colleague Mollie Lee. After dabbling in podcasts in 2020, Carter has leaned into the medium with this new, weekly show. In addition to the conversations between Carter and Lee, they plan to sprinkle in guest features with plant community personalities, designers, and creatives, in general.
See also:
- Plant Studio: The New York Botanical Garden’ New Online Classes for the ‘Plant-Curious’
- 10 Favorites: The Best Plant ID Apps
- A Garden from Scratch: How to Start Designing Your Outdoor Space
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