PlantStories: The Modern, the old, and the crazy in between!

When you think of garden plants, one of the first plants that probably comes to mind is the Garden Pansy, a three toned flower that often adorns outdoor landscaping spaces and Lowes stores.  And you'd be right to think that, because this flower has been bred for years as a beautiful addition to many home gardens and the subject of many myths.  Come listen to us talk today about the Pansy.

Pansies have been a part of E...

Allium is one of the more under rated garden flowers.  Great for yards with lots of grass and greenery, Allium can add a pop of color into any garden.  It's related to a plant that I personally love, Garlic!  Come join us today as we discuss Allium.

Allium is a super cute flower that often gets pushed to the side in favor of more typical plants.  All different and sizes and colors, this plant produces a round ball of ...

Dahlias are often revered for their great beauty.  With their tall stocks and shockingly beautiful flowers, they are well known for being a very popular wedding and garden flower.  Finding their exact history proves to be a little bit more of a challenge.

Initially hailing from Central America, the Dahlia was a popular flower for native populations of the area for many years.  Although it is difficult to decern it's e...

Most people know about the Sea Anemone (how could you not if you've watched Finding Nemo), but they've gotten their name from the beautiful terrestrial Anemone.  Also known as the WindFlower, this is a flower that can open and close it's "petals".  Join us as we take a look at the beautiful bright anemone!

Anemones are known for their varied and amazing color variety.  Used in gardens and sold in f...

Welcome to our latest season of PlantStories, Garden Flowers!  In an effort to reconnect with Spring, we're looking at some of the world's most famous garden flowers and what they mean to us.  Up first is the Rose.  The most classic of all flowers, it's been with us longer than most people can remember and has stood the test of time when it comes to representing flowers everywhere.

So just how old is the ros...

You might think that you know everything about wine.  But if our alcohol season has taught me anything, it's that nothing is like I remember it.  Made from a plant who's beginnings are much older than you might imagine, wine is a beverage we've been indulging in for thousands of years.  Join us this week as we talk about wine in our season finale!

Wine is well known for it's associating with beautiful g...

Maybe you've had some of that strong sake at your local Japanese restaurant.  Maybe you weren't a huge fan.  But like many other alcohols we've covered, there's so much more to sake than that.  It's been around for almost as long as rice and has a pretty intriuiging path to creation.  Come have a drink with us as we talk about sake.

Sake is primarily made from rice, which is one of the most prevela...

Ah, vodka.  Clearly the most malable and, I might argue, widely used distilled liquor.  Born in Eastern Europe, it has spread the world to become one of the most desirable drinks around.  But really, at what cost?  Join us today as we figure out just what vodka's been doing in it's international travels.

Vodka is world renouned for it's ability to make a fabulous cocktail, be made cheaply and inexpensively, ...

Gin is an especially botanical beverage, it's major selling point boasting the use of Juniper to make for a tasty beverage.  So where did it come from, and how did the famous Gin and Tonic come about?  Join us today as we talk about Gin, a European beverage infused with the taste of a strange conifer.

Juniper berries aren't really berries.  Shocking I know.  So what are they, and why do we use them in a beverage?...

Ever had questions about the beverage referred to as "The Green Fairy"?  The truth is absinthe has quite an exciting history, tied up in war, culture, and murder.  So join us this week as we take a dive into absinthe.

For many people, the idea of Absinthe is probably only a distant memory still shrouded with myth.  Banned in the US until 2007, this green beverage made from the ever popular garden plant wormwood h...

Oh ho, oh ho, a pirate's life for me!  Take a seat and swig a drink as we talk about the history of the sugarcane and how it pertains to the creation of Rum, one of the finest (and darkest) beverages around.

*It now occurs to me that it's supposed to be Yo Ho... Don't judge me!!*

When sugarcane turned out to produce those beautiful refined sugar crystals, who knew there could be other successful com...

Most people who've sampled Tequila or Mezcal probably has an inkling that it comes from the Agave plant.  But just what is the agave plant, and how did we get from a large succulent to a clear strong alcohol?  Come party with us this week, as we talk about Tequila and Mezcal!

For thousands of years, people have been using the Agave plant as a raw ingredient in it's native areas of Central America.  In fact, a dri...

Brrrrrrandy, you're a fine drink!  What a good time you will be!  A spirit made in many different parts of the world, brandy is another distilled form of alcohol that was popularized in Europe but has probably been around almost as long as distilling.  Join us as we dig into this episode on what constitues as a Brandy and the different kinds you might find throughout the world.

Brandy made from wine?  Brandy made from...

For this weeks riveting episode of our Alcohol series, we explore just a little bit of the expansive world of Whiskey.  It's been around for a long time, and one of the more popular beverages from the birth of America (among many other things).   Come listen to me say the word whiskey in a bunch of ridiculous ways on today's episode of PlantStories!


Whiskey is a distilled beverage that is made in many parts ...

Even if you're not an alcohol drinker, you've probably encountered beer because of its permeating presence in many cultures.  It's another one of the top drinks that we consume and there are a ton of different varieties around the world.  Join us as we explore some of the history of beer and the plants involved with it. 

Beer is one of the oldest human made concoctions, and has gone through quite a few tran...

On our second Holiday Special of this winter season, join us me as I butcher a bunch of French words trying to educate everyone about Champagne, one of the fanciest wines.

Okay, I'm pretty sure most of us know that Champagne comes from the province of Champagne in France.  But do you know anything about Champagne?  Is it famous for anything other than wine?  And what makes Champagne so special anyway?  Today we are go...

We're getting our cozy winter on, while we talk about the popular winter holiday drink Eggnog.  Turns out it has nothing to do with Yule and is pretty darn American (even if there are some European origins in there).  Join us as we discuss some of the wild history of Eggnog and the alcohol and plants associated with it!

Eggnog... it's eggs.... and alcohol?  One of those love it or hate it beverages, Eggnog's...

Another season finale is upon us.  Echinacea has a pretty short history, and is an herb that grows exclusively in North America.  Most of it's history of use resides with Native Americans and so today we are going to talk about that history and some of the ways this plant was used as a multipurpose medicinal herb!

Echinacea has a crazy amount of useful medicinal properties, and you've probably heard of it as a re...

Maybe the name Calendula sounds familiar to you, but you can't quite place it?  It's a common herb used to help soothe the skin, but we've been using it for quite a long time!  Join us as we talk about the history of Calendula, a plant that's sunny disposition is sure to brighten your day!

Known for it's uncanny sense of time, the Calendula flower is a plant that produces many bright and cheerful f...