John Mini Podcast

Mark Mini
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to the John Mini Podcast where we explore all things urban horticulture, indoors and out, through the perspectives of those who made it a career. Join us for casual yet informative conversations about indoor horticulture and gardening, outdoor urban landscaping, shifts and trends in the industry, and project spotlights. This is an official podcast of John Mini Distinctive Landscapes (John Mini). At John Mini, our purpose is to make places beautiful by bringing nature to the places where people live, work and play.

  1. Native Plants in the Landscape Trade

    08/01/2025

    Native Plants in the Landscape Trade

    An educational conversation with the Chris Giovanni at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes.  Chris shares discusses the importance of native plants and their role in the landscape trade. Our conversations ranges from the importance of native plants, a framework for how to categorize native and non-native plants, and the direct and indirect impacts our plant selection has on the environment. We close out the episode with ideas to integrate natives into a client's vision and resources for your ongoing practice. Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    31 min
  2. Intro to Integrated Pest Management in Urban Horticulture

    04/18/2025

    Intro to Integrated Pest Management in Urban Horticulture

    An educational conversation with the Chief Horticulturalist at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, Andrew Engel.  Andrew introduces some misconceptions and misuses of Integrate Pest Management (IPM). He provides an overview of what is Integrated Pest Management - mostly from the lens of urban landscape horticulture. We close out the episode with some principles and considerations for an urban horticulturalist. Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    51 min
  3. The Winter Garden Palms Part 4: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    02/14/2025

    The Winter Garden Palms Part 4: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    Welcome back to our four-part project spotlight on the famous Winter Garden Palm trees. The Winter Garden is an iconic atrium in downtown New York City within Brookfield Place. The project centers on sixteen 37’ Washingtonia Robusta palm trees and their journey across the country, a project over 3 years in the making.    First and foremost, thank you to our client Brookfield Properties, and in this case, specifically Brookfield Place and their partner CBRE. Brookfield invests in what has become an iconic and beloved space, the Winter Garden. Their vision to nurture and cultivate a cultural hub around this one of kind atrium inspires. Without their vision and support, none of this is possible. Thank you.   In this episode, part four, we sit down with Andrew Engel, the Chief Horticulturalist at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. Andrew walks us through the maintenance and horticultural practices to keep these trees healthy and thriving. Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    48 min
  4. Highlights from NALP’s Elevate: The Outdoor Landscape and Horticulture Event of the Year

    01/03/2025

    Highlights from NALP’s Elevate: The Outdoor Landscape and Horticulture Event of the Year

    I’m joined by Matt Wessol, the Director of Outdoor at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. Matt oversees our outdoor urban landscape operations. His team is responsible for the care of some of New York’s most iconic landscapes.  Matt and I reflect on our recent trip to the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Elevate Conference and Expo. It is the premier event for the outdoor landscape and horticulture trade.   We share highlights and trends from the event, including shifts in the industry’s use of technology and the power of developing professional relationships. Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    37 min
  5. The Winter Garden Palms Part 3: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    12/16/2024

    The Winter Garden Palms Part 3: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    Welcome back to our four-part project spotlight on the famous Winter Garden Palm trees. The Winter Garden is an iconic atrium in downtown New York City within Brookfield Place. The project centers on sixteen 37’ Washingtonia Robusta palm trees and their journey across the country, a project over 3 years in the making. First and foremost, thank you to our client Brookfield Properties, and in this case, specifically Brookfield Place and their partner CBRE. Brookfield invests in what has become an iconic and beloved space, the Winter Garden. Their vision to nurture and cultivate a cultural hub around this one of kind atrium inspires. Without their vision and support, none of this is possible. Thank you.   In this episode, part three, we sit down with Alex Scherba at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. Alex was the project manager for the 2-week overnight installation. In our conversation, Alex walks us through the unique challenges and what it took to prepare.   We’ll release part four on January 15th. In this final part we discuss the horticultural care and maintenance required for long term success.  If you haven't already, give the first two parts of this project spotlight a listen. In part one we discuss the need to replant the trees periodically, the project’s history, and its importance to our industry. In part two, we take the listener through the daring 3 yearlong tree finding and acclimation period.  Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    1h 10m
  6. The Winter Garden Palms Part 2: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    11/15/2024

    The Winter Garden Palms Part 2: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    Welcome to this four-part project spotlight on the famous Winter Garden Palm trees. The Winter Garden is an iconic atrium in downtown New York City within Brookfield Place. The project centers on sixteen 37’ Washingtonia Robusta palm trees and their journey across the country, a project over 3 years in the making.   First and foremost, thank you to our client Brookfield Properties, and in this case, specifically Brookfield Place and their partner CBRE. Brookfield invests in what has become an iconic and beloved space, the Winter Garden. Their vision to nurture and cultivate a cultural hub around this one of kind atrium is inspiring. Without their vision and support, none of this is possible. Thank you.  In part two of this project spotlight, we sit down with two teammates at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes: Bob Pressner – Product & Project Consultant, and Andrew Engel – Chief Horticulturalist. In our conversation, we reflect on the challenging process of hunting for the Winter Garden trees and the acclimation process that prepares them for a transition to the indoors. In part three the team grapples with the complexities of installing sixteen massive trees in two weeks of overnight work in downtown Manhattan.  Finally, in part four we discuss the horticultural care and maintenance required for long term success. If you haven't already, give Part 1 a listen. We provide context on the project including why we replant the trees periodically, the project’s history, and its importance to our industry.   Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    1h 14m
  7. The Winter Garden Palms Part 1: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    11/01/2024

    The Winter Garden Palms Part 1: A Case Study on the Possibilities of Indoor Landscapes

    Welcome to this four-part project spotlight on the famous Winter Garden Palm trees. The Winter Garden is an iconic atrium in downtown New York City within Brookfield Place. The project centers on sixteen 37’ Washingtonia Robusta palm trees and their journey across the country, a project over 3 years in the making.   First and foremost, we thank our client Brookfield Properties, and in this case, specifically Brookfield Place and their partner CBRE. Brookfield invests in what has become an iconic and beloved space, the Winter Garden. And their vision to nurture and cultivate a cultural hub around this one of kind atrium is inspiring. Without their vision and support, none of this is possible. Thank you.  In part one of this project spotlight, we sit down with three teammates at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes: Jack Harris – VP of Sales & Design, Bob Pressner – Product & Project Consultant, and Andrew Engel – Chief Horticulturalist. We’ll provide context, share some of the project’s history, and discuss the project’s importance to our industry.  In part two, we’ll reveal the challenging process of tree finding and acclimatation.   In part three the team grapples with the complexities of installing sixteen massive trees in two weeks of overnight work.  And, in part four we'll discuss the horticultural care required for these trees in the Winter Garden.  Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    44 min
  8. The Role of Annual Plants in the Urban Landscape

    10/02/2024

    The Role of Annual Plants in the Urban Landscape

    We sit down with Scott Ahlborn, Sales & Design Representative, and Matt Wessol, Director of Outdoor. They are urban landscape professionals from the John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team in New York and together bring over 40 years of experience to the table.   Scott and Matt discuss the role of annual plants in the urban landscape.   In our conversation we cover;  How they think about annuals in landscape design When and how to use annual or seasonal plants The emotional connections annual plantings evoke How annuals need to be balanced with consideration for urban life and the environmentThank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any questions, ideas for future episodes, or feedback. Please email us at Podcast@JohnMini.com. Wherever you consume your podcasts, please give us a like, review or subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated! And a big thank you to all our clients at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes. You allow us to make our passion our profession. A special shout out to Keith Behringer, teammate at John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, for producing our podcast’s theme music. Till next episode, if you are looking for some urban landscape inspiration, be sure to explore our website and portfolio at www.johnmini.com.

    39 min
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About

Welcome to the John Mini Podcast where we explore all things urban horticulture, indoors and out, through the perspectives of those who made it a career. Join us for casual yet informative conversations about indoor horticulture and gardening, outdoor urban landscaping, shifts and trends in the industry, and project spotlights. This is an official podcast of John Mini Distinctive Landscapes (John Mini). At John Mini, our purpose is to make places beautiful by bringing nature to the places where people live, work and play.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Mini
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 John Mini Podcast
  • Show Website
    John Mini Podcast