Native Plants, Healthy Planet

4.9 (266)
NATURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick interview some of the top minds in ecology, restoration, conservation, and of course, native plants. Join them on their journey towards knowledge and understanding of some of the larger problems that our ecosystems face.

2 DAYS AGO

The Buzz - Leaf It! No, Take It!

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. “That’s Hot” is festive for the season. “This or That” talks about urban meadows and host plants. “Take it of Leaf it” takes Tom and Fran on a long journey. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Listen to the end of the episode for a secret.

1h 29m
DEC 13

Meet Izel Native Plants

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Claudio Vazquez and Amanda McClean from Izel Native Plants to discuss supplying native plants to the retail market. Topics include the history of Izel Native Plants, how the market and their company has changed since their inception, challenges in making wholesale native plant material available to the public and what the next ten years look like.

1h 28m
DEC 6

The Buzz - Don't Blow Me Off!

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. We have two winners!!! Are you one of them? It is the most leaf blower time of the year. Let's talk about two stroke engine bans. “That’s Hot” survives the cold. “This or That” talks soil and radiation. “Take it of Leaf it” has a lot of stipulations. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Listen to the end of the episode for a secret. Intro music by RJ Comer, Outro music by Dave Bennett.

1h 26m
NOV 29

What is a Native Plant with Uli Lorimer and Michael Piantedosi

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Uli Lorimer and Michael Piantedosi of Native Plant Trust to tackle all of the hard questions that we encounter in the environmental realm. Topics include What is a native plant, should we be planting for climate change, is it possible to over produce a rare native plant, and are our views of restoration flawed.

1h 17m
NOV 22

The Buzz - Hey Baby, Let's Shagbark!

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. There is a lot of follow up this week! “That’s Hot” leads to a tasty treat. “This or That” sows seeds and keeps the leaves. “Take it of Leaf it” has Tom and Fran on the same page...we think. Did we give you a shoutout this week?

1h 35m
NOV 15

Meet Perfect Earth Project

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Toshi Yano of Perfect Earth Project to talk about promoting nature-based, toxic-free land care practices for the health of people, their pets, and the planet. Topics include a brief history of Perfect Earth Project, How awareness has changed over the last ten years, key strategies for education, and what the next ten years may look like.

1h 21m
NOV 8

The Buzz - We Are All Going Nuts!

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. Tom and his wife had a baby!!! A little birdy told me that there was a new book giveaway! “That’s Hot” gets a little nutty. “This or That” restores and connects. Tom gets Petty this week. “Take it of Leaf it” leaves us ankle deep and "Grow Read a Book" makes a triumphant return.

1h 1m
NOV 1

Replaying the Hits with Sam Droege of the Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick share one of their favorite episodes of The Native Plants Healthy Planet Podcast. Tune in to find out about the special occasion. Tom and Fran spoke with Sam Droege (Wildlife Biologist, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center) from The Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab back in episode 7 to discuss the decline of native bees, the importance of native flora and fauna, recognizing the significance of specialist bees, if dandelions have merit, and unpopular opinions on honey bees.

1h 38m

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4.9

out of 5

266 Ratings

My fave podcast

3 days ago

high_desert_gardener

This show gives me hope as well as practical & positive ways forward to keep tending the native plants and how it helps wildlife. It also instills hope for nature despite a changing climate. Each guest is an expert in their field who expands on the various contexts influencing the health of wild flora and fauna. Thank you! Thank you!
Great shows

Dec 8

Lookitsme99999

Love listening to all your shows driving to and from work while sitting in traffic!
Breath of Fresh Air

Nov 27

Himhim12345

I love this podcast. Tom and Fran are amazing spokespersons for native plants and their benefits. They are so knowledgeable but still humble and open minded. They are so respectful of their amazing guests, all of whom are doing important, even heroic, things. I have learned so much from this podcast about plants and ecology. But more importantly it has given me hope that the fight to restore ecological loss can be won bit by bit. Thank you, Tom and Fran.
Andrea Varga

Nov 22

Prof Varga

Love this podcast - just the right amount of fun and science. I think that’s what we all need these days. Fran and Tom remind me, as a teacher, that being approachable, curious and joyful is the best way to bring folks on board to help create a healthier planet and have a good time along the way!

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick interview some of the top minds in ecology, restoration, conservation, and of course, native plants. Join them on their journey towards knowledge and understanding of some of the larger problems that our ecosystems face.