Your Greenhouse Home - the Podcast Jessie and the Crew at Tonkadale Greenhouse

This week on the Podcast, Jessie talks with Colleen and Bre from Minnesota Native Landscapes (https://mnlcorp.com/), a full-service ecological restoration company providing services ranging from backyard seeding to large-scale restoration, bioengineering and everything in between. The discussion starts by overviewing the benefits of using native plants in the landscape, and that's just the begining. MNL offers a wealth of knowledge and resources on their website.Spring Maintenance for your Native Planting (https://mnlcorp.com/spring-maintenance-2/)Why Choose Native Plants (https://mnlcorp.com/why-choose-native-plants/)Topics Covered:* A definition of native plants* Reasons to plant native plants* The benefits of native plants* Considerations when choosing native plants* A brief discussion about rain gardens, site selection, and plant selection

This week on the Podcast, Jessie talks Aaron, pernnials department team lead and media team contributor. Together, they present garden plans for 4 specific spaces - pollinator gardens, full-sun, part-shade, , and shade, This along with several other resource including care cards and perenial blogs will set you up for success in the garden this year. Make sure to take some time to get to know the LEARN (https://tonkadale.com/learn) page on our website, specifically the Perennial of the Week (https://tonkadale.com/perennial-of-the-week) section.Download and print garden plans here (https://tonkadale.com/perennialgardenplans)!Topic Covered:* An overview of our perennial department and how we source plants* Considerations when planning and planting a perennial garden - soil, light, etc.* Trends in perennial gardening* Perennial specific learning resources* Garden plans* Native Plant Selections* New perennials for 2023

This week on the Podcast, Jessie talks with Travis and John, founders of Sol Soils, a premium potting mix company selling hard to find soil components, soil toppers, and soil mixes for all types of plants. They hand-mix their soils with the best ingredients to produce fast-draining, gritty mixes.We love that their focus on "gritty" mixes which are coarse growing mediums made up largely of inorganic materials that more closely mimic the natural environment that many popular plants like aroids, tropicals, cacti, succulents, or orchids come from.There are a number of benefits to a chunky mix that make it superior to any standard "specialty" tropical, cactus, or succulent soil you'll find in big-box, or even high-end plant shops.The extra aeration allows the roots ample room to breathe (Oxygen in + CO2 out) and avoid shrinking, caking, and compaction.Quick draining means water is able to freely penetrate the soil to get to the plant's roots and drain excess right out the bottom of the container, avoiding the dreaded "wet feet" that leads to root rot.The mix still stores water well, but allows for the substrate to breathe and dry in a more consistent manner and the moisture it does hold is in the components around the roots instead of trapping and suffocating the roots themselves like a peat base often does.These types of soil options do not need more frequent watering since they capture moisture and hang onto it for the plant to draw from over time.Shop Sol Soils here (https://tonkadale.com/search.php?section=product&search_query=sol+soils)! 

This week on the Podcast, Jessie talks with James Wolfin, an entomologist and conservation specialist with Twin Cities Seed Company. He and a team of educators created a seed mixture specifically for the benefit of bees. He is on a mission to replace traditional turfgrass with more sustainable options including native blends and water-wise turf-grass options.In this episode, Jessie and James discuss the benefits of bee lawns, planting for pollinators, and waterwise lawns. They also highlight a new seed mix specifically selected to provide food and habitat for our at-risk native bees and pollinators. Towards the end of the episode, learn how you can BEE the change by participating in the Lawns to Legumes program - pilot program offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding (individual support grants) for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns.About Our Guest:James Wolfin is a Conservation Specialist with Twin Cities Seed Company where he aims to bring more visibility to bee lawns and other eco-friendly options for the lawn and garden to residents and land managers. Before his time with Twin City Seed, James was the Director of Education with Metro Blooms, a Minneapolis based nonprofit that aims to bring green infrastructure and native plants to our landscapes. James completed his MS in Entomology at the University of Minnesota where he was advised by Dr. Marla Spivak (UMN Bee Lab) and Dr. Eric Watkins (UMN turfgrass science lab) where he studied bee lawns – turfgrass lawns enhanced with pollinator-friendly flowers. 

This week on the Podcast, Jessie talks with Ryan McEnaney, authour of Field Guied to Outside Style: Design and Plant Your Perfect Outdoor Space.Ryan McEnaney is a fifth-generation family member leading Marketing at Bailey Nurseries (https://www.baileynurseries.com/), and is a garden designer and author as well. He also serves as spokesperson for Bailey’s consumer brands: Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, First Editions® Shrubs & Trees, and Easy Elegance® Roses. Ryan is passionate about connecting people to nature and encouraging home gardeners to enjoy digging in the dirt. He travels the country educating homeowners on how to be successful in the garden and has been featured in publications such as Better Homes & Gardens, HGTV Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and more. Ryan's approach revolves around making gardening fun, breaking down barriers, and creating a welcoming space to collaborate. His first book, “Field Guide to Outside Style,” helps home gardeners discover their own style for designing their outdoor space.In this episode, Jessie and Ryan talk about designing an outdoor space that fits your style. Ryan walks us through a "day in the life" to create your garden space. Next we talk about Nativars, a trending category or plants which combine favorable traits of both Native Plants and Cultivars for high performance and visual appeal. After that is a discusion of Ryan's three garden archetypes. The episode concludes with a discussion of new perennial plants for the 2023 season and pop-quiz garden design fun!

This week on the podcast, we talk with Aaron, our social media manager and photographer.In this episode, Aaron and Jessie reminisce about the early days of social media, the beauty of telling a story through photos, and our extensive collection of educational resources. Make sure to check out our LEARN (https://tonkadale.com/learn) page. It's really got it goin' on!