For many gardeners, sharing a love of plants with family and friends adds another layer of enjoyment to a very fulfilling pastime. In this episode, Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Catharine Cooke explore plants that have special meaning or associations with their loved ones. Whether it is a dogwood that provides seedlings to share with others, a native orchid that is worth a long hike to see growing in the wild, a buttery colored rose, or “that gangly plant by the stone wall” that Danielle’s husband especially likes, these plants will surely get you thinking about the memories, stories, and connections that make some of the plants in your garden meaningful to you.

Expert guest: Catharine Cooke is a landscape designer and co-owner of Spring Lake Garden Design in Sherman, Connecticut. You can read some of Catharine’s past articles here: finegardening.com/author/catharine-cooke 

Danielle’s Plants

Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa, Zones 5-8)

Siberian iris (Iris sibirica, Zones 4–9)

Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii, Zones 4–8)

‘Horstmann’s Recurved’ larch (Larix decidua ‘Horstmann’s Recurved’, Zones 2–7)

Carol’s Plants

Lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium reginae, Zones 2a–7)

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

Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens, Zones 3–7)

Strawberry rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum, Zones 3–8)

Expert’s Plants

Julia Child™ rose (Rosa ‘Wekvossutono’, Zones 4–9)

‘Constance Spry’ rose (Rosa ‘Constance Spry’, Zones 5–10)

‘New Dawn’ rose (Rosa ‘New Dawn’, Zones 5–10)