Carol Collins

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 179: Most Beautiful Flowers  

    If your pulse quickens at the sight of a dogwood or peony in full bloom, this is the episode for you. Although a restrained, foliage-focused design is always a safe…

  • Design

    Planting Plan for Outdoor Rooms That Feel Open, Inviting, and Perfectly Secluded 

    Providing privacy without compromising curb appeal can be a delicate balance, especially when gardening on a corner lot. Kristin Caldwell’s solutions for her Morega, California property deftly maximize connections between…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 176: Plants with Personality with Amanda Thomsen

    Amanda Thomsen is a landscape designer, project manager, and garden writer. Recently, she opened Aster Gardens in Lemont, Illinois. This neighborhood boutique offers plants, home décor, classes, and events. Amanda…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 175: Great Houseplants 

    Potted plants will bring life and positive energy into any room, and studies have shown that having them nearby can relieve stress, boost creativity, and improve focus. In winter, when…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 174: Plant Evaluation with Sam Hoadley and Richard Hawke  

    Catalogue descriptions for new plants may grab our attention, but usually provide little useful information about how these up-and-coming cultivars will perform in your garden. Fortunately, comparative trials like those…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 173: Beneficial Host Plants for Pollinators

    This week we might rename the show Pollinator Haven, the podcast where we dig into the vibrant world of pollinators and the plants that sustain them! Well, probably not, but…

  • Episode 172: Focal Points with Susan Morrison
    Design

    Episode 172: Focal Points with Susan Morrison

    Susan Morrison, owner and principal designer at Creative Exteriors Landscape Design, has created hundreds of gardens in California’s East Bay area. Her designs incorporate comfortable outdoor rooms into landscapes of all…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 171: Deer-Resistant Plants  

    One deer can do major landscape damage overnight, and if a herd regularly visits your garden you may feel like giving up. Although almost no plant is completely safe if…

  • Podcast: Let's Argue About Plants

    Episode 164: The Joys of Plant Exploration with Mark Weathington

    Mark Weathington is the director of the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina and author of Gardening in the South: The Complete Homeowner’s Guide. Mark…

  • Design

    8 Inspired Drought-Tolerant Plant Combinations for a Water-Wise Landscape

    Drought-tolerant plant combinations don’t need to be dry and boring. Xeriscaping, or designing a landscape to use as little water as possible, can be done while still maintaining a beautiful…