The Garden Mixer

Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Home & Garden
  • Updated Twice Monthly

The Garden Mixer is a bi-weekly gardening podcast hosted by Marianne Willburn, garden author and columnist, and Leslie Harris, host of Into the Garden with Leslie. Each episode blends practical gardening advice for beginners, thoughtful insight for experienced gardeners, and plenty of humor, as Marianne and Leslie mix opinions, strategies, listener questions, expert guests, and the occasional cocktail. If you’re looking for a gardening podcast that’s honest, informative, and genuinely fun — not preachy or perfect — this is your place. 🌱 Gardening shouldn’t be boring. 📺 Full video episode

  1. 3 hrs ago

    Hydrangeas Reconsidered: All You Need To Know

    America has a hydrangea problem. In the best possible way. They’re consistently among the best-selling flowering shrubs in the country, they colonize every garden center and big box supercenter from May to August, and, if you don’t have a deer problem, you’re likely to succumb to the latest plump, end-of-aisle offering every time you go out to buy some milk. Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener, and Founding Mixer, describes what has happened to us in one word: Hydrangification. Marianne did not want to do a hydrangea episode — Hydrangement is real, Leslie’s got a bad case, and how much more can possibly be said? But Leslie disagreed and drafted in Scott Beuerlein — radio host, horticulturist at the Cincinnati Botanical Zoo and Botanical Garden, and Marianne’s nemesis at GardenRant — to prove it. He had analogies. He had opinions. He had been thinking about hydrangeas all day. And Marianne was wrong. It turns out there is quite a lot left to say. Join them as they delve deep into the hydrangea addiction sweeping the country. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 13min

  2. 11 June

    All About Alliums

    Alliums are more than just big purple lollipops — though those are magnificent and need no apologies. This episode covers the full arc of the genus: from the early-season small species to the big June globes, through the alien-landed wonders of late spring and early summer, into the summer-blooming perennial types that changed how many gardeners think about late-season color. Whether or not Leslie and Marianne can do a 24/7 Allium channel based on the amount of species in this cool genus (970), they can certainly do a dive deep into the allium rabbit hole. The Allium Channel. 24/7…. hmm… bears thinking about. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 1min

  3. 29 May

    Container Gardening Hacks Beyond “Thriller, Spiller, Filler”

    HACK YOUR POTS: SMART PLANTS. PERFECT PLACEMENT It’s prime container gardening season, and everywhere gardeners are spending more than they should to achieve the dream of pots that stop people in their tracks and make their neighbors slightly jealous. But as anyone who has watched a lovingly assembled pot turn into a crispy disappointment knows — it’s not quite as simple as thriller, spiller, filler.   (Those words. So useful. So annoying.)   Today on The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne are getting into the real business of containers: placement, proportion, pairing, and the hacks that professional container gardeners actually use — the ones they learned the hard way, so you don’t have to. There will be opinions about sweet potato vine. There will be strong feelings about saucers. And somewhere in there, a 95-year-old gardener named Donna is going to redefine your potting vocabulary. If Leslie can remember what she said.   Grab your trowel. And maybe a dark and stormy. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 13min

  4. 22 May

    Hot Flashes in the Garden! (actually, microclimates)

    Before “microclimates” became a gardening buzzword, Leslie and Marianne were already having hot flashes in the garden. 🔥🌿 In this vintage One More Sip episode of The Garden Mixer, we talk about:• hot vs cool pockets in the garden• why some plants fry in summer and freeze in spring• raised beds, slopes, walls, and heat traps• tropicals, hostas, wisteria heartbreak, and elephant ears• Thomas Jefferson’s surprisingly clever vegetable garden design• and how understanding your own garden is the real gardening superpower Also included:🍸 Marianne’s legendary goddess dress🍸 Leslie comparing gardening to golf bunker shots🍸 Hot Girl Summer Gardening™🍸 More botanical pronunciation adventures than anyone asked for This episode originally aired for paid One More Sip subscribers and is now being released publicly one year later. #gardening #gardenpodcast #microclimates #gardeningtips #plants #thegardenmixer #horticulture #gardendesign

    25 min

  5. 15 May

    High Impact, Low Effort Flowers

    HIGH IMPACT, LOW EFFORT FLOWERS THAT DO THE WORK FOR YOU   When the growing season is moving at breakneck speed, an easy win in the form of copious, gorgeous, hey-I-forgot-about-THOSE! flowers is not only cherished, but longed for. Even gardeners who insist on making things more difficult for themselves (ahem…Marianne?) can enjoy the guilty pleasure of high impact, low effort blooms that do a disproportional amount of the work, and make you look like you know what you’re doing.   In this week’s episode of The Garden Mixer, Leslie and Marianne share some of their favorite flower-power plants, and confess that sometimes, their best laid plans are made better by plants who showed up, grabbed a drink, and quietly got on with the business of being beautiful. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 16min

  6. 1 May

    The Big Fat Peony Episode

    Flamboyant, sophisticated, blousy and beautiful - the peony tops the favorites chart of so many gardeners (and non-gardeners), that we had to devote a spring episode to them. They are delicate, but tough, and can live for up to a century -– so it makes sense to figure out what you want and where you want it before you plant one. Leslie & Marianne start that conversation with their favorites today, on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 13min

  7. 17 Apr

    Flowering Ground Covers: Beauty & Protection, or Future Regret?

    Leslie and Marianne have ground to cover today. And possibly, so do you. Spring hits, everything wakes up and suddenly your garden looks like it’s got a bad case of bedhead. Bare spots and awkward tendrils abound. What can pull everything together and literally connect the dots? Our suggestion is a strategic toupee in the form of a good ground cover that also protects the soil, cools the roots, & pampers the wildlife. But which ones? Some ground covers don’t just fill in, they take over. And what makes a ground cover anyway? It’s time to expand our definition beyond the ubiquitous three-inch mondo grass. Ground covers. The ones that behave, the ones that absolutely do not, and how to tell the difference before you plant yourself into a corner. And what do eighties big hair and cheesecake pans have to do with gardening anyway? Today on the Garden Mixer. ___________________ Please hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the beautiful mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 3min

  8. 3 Apr

    Spring Garden Panic with Erin The Impatient Gardener

    Just when you thought winter would never end, spring comes and clobbers you with seeds, weeds, and a list that just won’t quit. Cue the panic. There is a TON to do — so how do we prioritize what’s important, what’s inconvenient, and what’s seriously not getting touched for a couple months? Leslie and Marianne thought that the best person to tell them was friend and Founding Mixer Erin Schanen, The Impatient Gardener. With her down-to-earth Wisconsin wisdom and general smart-assery, she’ll get us all in good shape — or at least slap us around a little over a cocktail. Today on The Garden Mixer. ___________________ Hit the subscribe button so we can keep you smiling while you hit the mess [your garden] out there. Full Show Notes at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Garden Mixer Podcast’s Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____________________ Socials – Pick Your Platform: Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegardenmixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indulge us on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.garden.mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spar with us on X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gardenmixerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ “French Bistro” theme by Adieu Adieu. License D0LZBINY30GGTBBW

    1hr 23min
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Ratings & Reviews

About

The Garden Mixer is a bi-weekly gardening podcast hosted by Marianne Willburn, garden author and columnist, and Leslie Harris, host of Into the Garden with Leslie. Each episode blends practical gardening advice for beginners, thoughtful insight for experienced gardeners, and plenty of humor, as Marianne and Leslie mix opinions, strategies, listener questions, expert guests, and the occasional cocktail. If you’re looking for a gardening podcast that’s honest, informative, and genuinely fun — not preachy or perfect — this is your place. 🌱 Gardening shouldn’t be boring. 📺 Full video episode

Information

  • Creator
    Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    180
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Leslie Harris and Marianne Willburn
  • Show Website
    The Garden Mixer

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