It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not because it’s the holidays, but because it’s the annual Q&A episode here on Let’s Argue About Plants. When we put a call out each year asking you, our faithful listeners, to send us your most pressing questions about plants and gardening, we never know what to expect. But boy did you deliver this time! We had so many questions roll in that we had to create a spreadsheet just to keep track. In today’s episode we’ll answer as many of those queries as possible, and in some cases, reach out to our colleagues in horticulture to respond (because, let’s face it, we don’t know everything). Tune in to see if your question—or a question similar to yours—is answered and what we had to say about cottage gardens and whether or not you may need therapy because of a plant addiction.

Expert guest: Award-winning landscape designer Jay Sifford is the owner of a design firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is an author for Fine Gardening magazine with a new feature out in our January/February 2023 issue, “Designing a Stylized Meadow.”

Good Vibrations^® Gold juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Hegedus’, Zones 3–9)

Good Vibrations^® Gold juniper winter color

A sloped front yard garden, designed by Jay Sifford

Jay Sifford’s sloped front yard from another angle

‘Taylor’ Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’, Zones 2–9)

Conical white fir (Abies concolor ‘Conica’, Zones 3–7)

Carol’s gardening style: North American native plants with a side of annuals

Bluestone patio in Carol’s garden

Danielle’s gardening style: mixed border with a concentration on woodies

Fall in Danielle’s garden

Additional links:

A Cottage Garden That’s Not Chaotic

Defining the New American Cottage Garden

Cottage Garden with a Twist

Designing in Layers

How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants

How to Get Rid of Voles in the Garden

Master the Art of Transplanting