In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners

Send us Fan MailSo you don’t have a big garden footprint.  No space to build and plant a box big enough to be worthwhile?  Well, think vertically!  This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, our Master Gardener hosts Katrina Kirkeby and Teena Spindler discuss all the possibilities to get plantings to grow in a very small space.  Get strawberries off the ground away from those slugs! Cover your fence with pots secured with zip ties! Flowers, herbs, edibles, succulents … just about anything short of trees, of course, can work.  Do’s and don’ts and how-to’s galore!  Tune in and grow up! 

Send us Fan Mail A showcase garden is designed to be both beautiful and purposeful — a space that draws people in, highlights plants at their best, and creates year-round interest. Whether your garden is large or small, learn how to transform it into a standout landscape. On this episode of “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, our topic is How to Make a Showcase Garden!  Two University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Teena Spindler and Kay Havens discuss how to get your garden show ready! Teena and Kay are two of the premier Master Gardeners who design outdoor spaces.  Learn about some easy steps to get your beautiful garden ready to show as gardens are never truly finished.  A showcase garden develops character over time and becomes a reflection of the gardener’s creativity and care. 

Send us Fan MailMaster Gardener Host Mark Oertel sat down with fellow Master Gardener Teena Spindler and discussed Heritage and Pass-Along Plants.  We call them that because these are plants that have been given or taken another person, and that person is often someone close to us.  This is a plant or a descendant of a plant that has been lovingly cared for or admired from afar.  You know what I’m talking about.  That blue iris that blooms “out of the blue” telling you that someone is looking down and smiling upon you today!  You may have inherited your family home and would never, ever consider digging up any of the beautiful plants your parents or even your grandparents tended for years.  You know the feeling, right? On the other hand, think about what you have in your garden that you cherish and would like to share with someone! They will remember you forever! But also remember this. Be aware of the regulations and common sense around sharing plants that may be either invasive or simply unclean in terms of pests and diseases. Share with love!  Listen in and smile! 

Send us Fan MailOn this edition of “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we bring you a show on the topic of “Indoor House Plants”.  Master Gardener Dece Morgan interviews Julie Bawden-Davis who is a fellow Master Gardener and a resident expert on indoor house plants. Bawden-Davis is a bestselling author, journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber.  She’s authored over 45 books in a variety of genres that includes page-turning suspense novels with a little romance, spiritual books meant to inspire and enlighten, and of course gardening books.   Dece met Julie at her home for a relaxed tour and conversation discussing Julie’s vast home collection of different houseplants. You’ll pick up tips on potting, lighting/exposure, watering needs, fertilizer suggestions, and growth patterns. Don’t think you have a green thumb? Learn about ‘hard to kill' plants for your home.  

Send us Fan Mail Master Gardener Katrina Kirkeby brings in Master Gardeners of Orange County Program Coordinator Randy Musser and fellow MG Teena Spindler to discuss the joys of participating in as well as visiting garden tours. The spring tour season is about to begin in late April in Southern California and goes all the way to the end of June in places like the Pacific Northwest. Spend a day caravaning around your local area to take in the ambiance supplied by home gardeners just like you! Get inspired by the different styles and tastes along the way.  Our guests give you insights on preparing for a garden tour as well as the easy steps to make your garden a showcase.  Who knows, you might even want to offer your jewel of a garden and become a host, too! 

Send us Fan MailPlantCon is a convention for plant enthusiasts that features a massive market with plant vendors from all over the world, educational seminars from experts, and specialized workshops.  It acts as a community gathering to connect plant lovers, creators, and professionals.  Since PlantCon was in Los Angeles this year,  our own KUCI reporter and host John Kim was there to interview several of the experts in attendance.  Meet his guests – “MK” from Florida talking about Hoyas, Braulio and his Carnivorous plants, and April explaining all about her entrepreneurial accomplishments. Not only do these guests have keen fascination with plants themselves, but they have also devoted their time, sweat, assets, and heart to the worldwide plant community. If you love plants, you’ll love this episode as John brings you the best of PlantCon. If you’ve ever developed an interest in a type of plant, but you have no clue where to start, who to talk to, and wondered what on earth are you doing you’ll learn about talking to people who speak your language of plants!

Send us Fan Mail What one vegetable plant gets the most discussion every spring. It’s everyone’s favorite! The Tomato!  This week on “In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we bring you a show we’ll call “Tomatoes 101” featuring our foremost tomato expert Master Gardener Brian Hale! Brian will let you know the secrets of starting tomatoes from seed as well as growing tips. If summer is coming and your soil is above 55 degrees F or 13 degrees C, it’s time to plant.  Whether or not you’re a novice tomato grower or an expert, we'll cover everything from planting, fertilizing, watering, growth patterns, storing, and harvesting.  Tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but in the United States they’re legally a vegetable.  You’ll find out why.  The topic is vast! Listen for a jam-packed show. Oooh! Tomato Jam! 

Send us Fan Mail Today on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, Master Gardener and KUCI Staff host Bill Brooks talks with an expert on one of the most ubiquitous features of Southern California landscapes. The topic this week is TURF! We’re talkin’ Lawn, Grass, Turf, Turfgrass, and Sod which all mean the same! Bill talks with Mike Henry, former Turf Advisor in Orange County and one of the originators of the Master Gardener program in this county. Mike’s vast research over the last 40 plus years has made him an expert in all things turf-related. Just about every aspect is covered in this short one-hour show such as decisions: seasonal (cool/warm), seed/sod, meadow/manicured; what fertilizers to use and when; maintenance (mowing, weeding, watering). How about Artificial ? Join us to find out the ins and outs, and pluses and minuses of growing turf. 

Send us Fan MailJoin us for another episode of “In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners”.   Master Gardeners Teena Spindler and Katrina Kirkeby expound on the meaning of lazy gardening! Or, as we call today’s show, Low Effort Flower Gardens. These two Master Gardeners often talk about leaving on vacation and coming back to see PRESENTS all over their gardens! Well, eventually, after some diligence and maybe hard work initially, everyone can aim for a relatively easy flower garden that basically grows itself. Eventually! You may even want to take notes as you listen. Teena lists all of the possibilities and closes the show with her favorites when it comes to perennial, annual, shady, and sunny garden options. Teena tells about her design for a small plot if you don’t have a vast amount of space. You CAN do it! 

Send us Fan Mail Discover the beauty and anticipation of spring gardening in the new podcast episode, Fall Planted Bulbs for a Spring Bloom, hosted by UC Master Gardeners Marilyn Johnson and Teena Spindler. This delightful episode explores how bulbs produce some of the garden’s most beautiful blooms and why planting times vary across different parts of the world. Listeners will learn that in California, fall is the ideal time to plant bulbs for a vibrant and joyous spring display. Tune in for expert gardening tips and inspiration to bring color and life to your garden. 

Send us Fan Mail Once again, it is time for another This Month In The Garden – our regular In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners show for what to do in the garden for a given month. It’s April so there is so much to focus on this month. It’s the “bloomiest time of the year”! Perennials from last year are taking off again! Vegetable gardening is always the big consideration right now so we’ll open the show with lots about everyone’s favorite veggie/fruit/veggie ... what have you – the Tomatoes! We’ll say tomatoes, plural, because you won’t believe the variety that is available. You’ll have a lot to decide in terms of color and size of fruit, ultimate size of plant, how you will support each plant. And of course, is the plant Determinate (D) or Indeterminate (I)? Learn what that means. Enough for an entire show on Tomatoes? Stay tuned for that coming soon!The second half of the show is on Flowers! Our co-host Teena Spindler is the expert on that! She and Katrina Kirkeby have been doing these shows for around 12 years now and they play off each other wonderfully. Join us! 

Send us Fan Mail “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners” Explores “Landscapes as Nature” on KUCI 88.9 FM.  Reimagine your outdoor spaces with an inspiring new episode titled “Landscapes as Nature.” Host Teena Spindler welcomes special guest Ron Vanderhoff of Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach for an engaging conversation on the growing movement toward naturalistic landscape design.This episode highlights how landscapes can function as living ecosystems. Known as “landscapes as nature,” these designs mimic native environments by incorporating layered plantings, diverse species, and regionally appropriate vegetation. By prioritizing native plants, gardeners can create outdoor spaces that are not only beautiful, but also sustainable and supportive of local wildlife.Listeners will learn how to design with layers, variety, and texture—combining groundcovers, shrubs, and trees to reflect the structure of natural habitats.“Landscapes as nature blend human creativity with ecological function,” says Spindler. “This approach helps gardeners create spaces that are both resilient and deeply connected to the environment.”. 

Send us Fan Mail This week “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners” on 88.9 FM KUCI Irvine explores the captivating world of bromeliads.  In this episode, Master Gardener Bill Brooks sits down with Cristy Brenner, President of the Saddleback Valley Bromeliad Society, who shares her deep passion and decades of experience with these unique and eye-catching plants. Brenner, who has been “addicted” to bromeliads since 1995, offers listeners an engaging look at why these plants are gaining popularity—especially among California gardeners.Bromeliads are exceptionally well-suited for California’s climate. As waterwise plants, they thrive with minimal irrigation, making them an excellent choice for sustainable landscapes. Their long-lasting blooms provide extended color, but it is often their striking foliage—featuring bold patterns, textures, and colors—that truly steals the show.Listeners will learn about the remarkable epiphytic nature of many bromeliads, meaning they can grow without soil by attaching themselves to surfaces like trees, walls, or mounts. Whether displayed in pots, nestled in rock gardens, or artistically mounted, bromeliads offer versatile design possibilities for any garden space.Beyond their beauty, bromeliads are also incredibly easy to care for. They are low maintenance, have few pest problems, and require little to no fertilizer, as they absorb nutrients directly from the air. Even more appealing, bromeliads “keep on giving” by producing offsets, or “pups,” allowing gardeners to expand their collection over time.Discover how bromeliads can transform your garden into a low-water, high-impact oasis. 

Send us Fan Mail Part Two of Two of Master Gardener Mark Fierle’s interview with the founder of Square Foot Gardening - Mel Bartholomew.  An engineer by training, Mel researched and developed the Square Foot Gardening method and first published his ideas in 1981.  His book “Square Foot Gardening" went on to become the best selling gardening book in America.  Currently, most home gardeners grow fruits and vegetables in raised beds, and it was Mel ideas that got this method started.  The second part includes some of Mel’s seldom heard stories, tips, and wisdom.  Learn how Square Foot Gardening works so you can get your warm season and cool season gardens growing! 

Send us Fan Mail Sally Richards, Hydroponics Master Gardener expert, joins us today and gives us the story of the team she was instrumental in creating within our local county Master Gardener organization.Year-round venues featuring hydroponic systems to view by the public are few and far between, so listen and learn how easy it is to grow the hydroponic way.  Learn how to have year-round vegetables and fruit grown indoors or out. The Team has been active in updating the Great Park Farm and Food Lab’s system to a “wicking” system which you can duplicate at home.   Like the hungry roots of that lettuce plant, get your feet wet here with hydroponics for both the home or apartment gardener. 

Send us Fan Mail California is almost ten years into the legislation, planning, and implementation of one of the most significant environmental plans ever developed. Senate Bill 1383 was passed in 2016 with the goal of diverting methane-producing organic waste from California’s landfills. This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, our intrepid host and Master Gardener Bill Brooks met up with David Tieu, Central Region Deputy Director of OC Waste and Recycling recently to talk about what the regulations mean for residents of Orange County and beyond. This is a show we are calling Composting and Organic Waste in Orange County. Your city may have already started a waste bin system requiring the household to separate its waste three ways. The bottom line for the discussion of organic waste is this – It is illegal to put organic waste in the landfill bin. Waste management companies have been turning your household green waste into thousands of tons of certified disease and weed-free compost and mulch! And then, they provide the finished product back to residents for  pick up so we can replenish our gardens!  This mulch and compost is free of charge. You can leave the composting to your trash haulers if you don’t want to deal with composting yourself!  Regardless of the state you live in, many municipalities across the country are implementing programs like Orange County’s.  

Send us Fan Mail The hot and dry season can occur year round in California.   Our intrepid “In the Garden” host Master Gardener David Letourneau is bringing you a much-needed episode called “Creating A Defensible Space Against Wildfires”. David talked with OC Fire Authority representatives Teri Merritt, Fire Prevention Specialist / Wildland Pre-Fire Management and Captain Larry Kurtz to bring you new ideas plus all the recommendations to help keep your property safe from an oncoming wildfire. Beware of Mexican Feather Grass, a very popular landscape plant ,but it is now considered invasive and a fire hazard.   Those dead palm fronds up in the canopy easily catch fire. “Oily” plants like cypress are drought-tolerant but very flammable. Brush clearance 100 feet from structures is the rule of thumb. This may require cooperation from your neighbors so be a good neighbor and listen in on what to do to be safe from wildfires. For further information https://ocfa.org/ 

Send us Fan MailHave a small space and love to grow food? A reprise of a popular show on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners", our beloved former “In the Garden” host Mark Fierle spoke to an icon of the gardening world – Mel Bartholomew. In this show, first aired less than one year before Mel passed away - Mel talks about his visionary concept called Square Foot Gardening. From learning what went wrong in his community garden, Mel developed a space-defying, compact design to solve the weed problem in his community’s row garden.  Most people now have vegetable gardens in raised beds, and it was Mel’s engineering background and ability to solve problems that led him to engineer the Square Foot Gardening method.  It has enabled people around the world, including people with disabilities and the blind, to feed themselves as well as to enjoy the joys of gardening. 

Send us Fan Mail Plants that eat bugs? You read that right! You know gardeners need to control bad bugs eating our beautiful gardens, right? But believe it or not, there are certain types of plants that seek their nourishment from insects and others that become trapped in specialized plant parts like sticky leaves or deep pitcher-like appendages. We know them as Carnivorous plants. In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners, Master Gardener Bill Brooks meets with John Kim, Master Gardener and President of the Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts (SCCPE or “Skippy” for short). Your mind might go right away to a Venus Flytrap. But that only scratches the surface of carnivorous plants. This episode focuses on what carnivorous plants are, how to grow them, and just about everything you need to know about these most unusual plants! 

Send us Fan Mail The growing incidents of human/coyote conflicts such as the encounter on the sand in Huntington Beach in April 2022 exhibit a need to discuss ways of measuring and then managing for the coexistence of the urban homeowner/gardener and the now urban coyote populations. “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, explores the subject of Coyotes and a unique method of monitoring their population. Master Gardener Katrina Kirkeby talks with Dr. Niamh Quinn, the current UC Cooperative ExtensionHuman-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, for the about the subject. If you have concerns for your small children and pets in the presence of coyotes, you should know about a remarkable new interactive service that is available on the Master Gardener website. It’s called “Coyote Cacher”. You can find it here at https://ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher/. You can sign up for coyote encounter email alerts, report  sightings, and see on maps just where the reports have occurred and the level of encounter from simple sightings on up to dangerous/tragic results. 

Send us Fan MailIn the Garden presents a new episode titled “Garden Innovations at The Giving Farm,” hosted by Bill Brooks. In this episode, Brooks explores groundbreaking work happening at Westminster High School’s The Giving Farm.  Located on the campus of Westminster High School, the Giving Farm is home to a vibrant eight-acre farm and orchard that has become a model of innovation, education, and community service. This dedicated team of UC Master Gardeners in Orange County developed an orchard management program designed to streamline essential tasks such as fertilization, pruning, and pest control—ensuring long-term tree health and productivity.  A standout feature of the program is the use of QR-coded signs placed on each tree, linking visitors directly to easy-to-use care guides. Master Gardener Ronald Cheung led the thoughtful design of these signs, combining in-depth horticultural research with accessible information to help every tree thrive. The result: healthier trees, stronger harvests, and increased fresh food donations to support the Orange County Food Bank.  Our Master Gardeners refer to SCREC in the episode, and that means the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, California.  Beyond orchard management, the Giving Farm initiative has expanded to include nutrition education, culinary connections, and even the rich history of the fruit grown there, helping students and the community understand not just how food is grown, but why it matters.“Garden Innovations” highlights how collaboration, technology, and passion for service can transform a school farm into a powerful resource for education and hunger relief.  

Send us Fan MailYou might be anxious to revamp your garden layout. You might want to try a method that will put issues like pest control, soil quality, and accessibility all in YOUR hands! The subject of this edition of “In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners” is Raised Bed Gardening. Master Gardener Bill Brooks got together for a long-distance interview with a fellow Master Gardener from Colorado who is an author, media creator, educator and innovator. His name is Scott Wilson (AKA Gardener Scott). Bill and Scott will compare and contrast what it is like to garden in Orange County, California, compared to the 7000-foot-high environment where Scott lives and grows. The concept is the same, but challenges may be quite different. But the similarities win out! With the soil management from season to season, there is no need to worry about replanting the same crops in a bed year to year. There are ways to control underground pests and rodents. 'Intensive planting’, ‘Succession planting’– key phrases discussed here to help you incorporate beautiful, raised planting boxes in your regular garden too! Remember, you are in control! With help from Mother Nature of course!

Send us Fan MailThe topic this week on “In the Garden” with UC Master Gardeners is Bird-Friendly Gardens. We join Melissa Rapp, a current UC Master Gardener AND Executive Committee President at the Sea and Sage Audubon Society on bird friendly gardens.. Melissa will bring us up to current times at Society based in the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary across the road from UCI off Michelson (Riparian View Road). They maintain a 6600 sq. ft. demonstration Pollinator’s Garden which benefits hummingbirds and native bees. The focus of today’s conversation will be how you, the home gardener, can maintain a safe environment for birds as they feed and nest, and what are the best varieties of plants (mostly natives) that attract local birds to eat and create their homes in your garden! Find out more about the Society and their resources by visiting their website.

Send us Fan MailIt’s time for This Month In The Garden for the month of March.  The key emphasis at this time of year are three words: Plant, Feed, and Control. But don’t jump the gun.  Remember to think about what plant you want where.  By knowing what you want to plant, you’ll know the type of fertilizer you will need.  Think about TOMATOES! How are you going to keep them off the ground? Teena and Katrina have wonderful suggestions and techniques for trellising or caging your plants. More than just tomatoes need support so what they describe can be used year-round.  Annual and perennial flowers! Yarrow, Coreopsis, Globe Amaranth, Rudbeckia. Look up how big they get so you can avoid overcrowding or planting tall varieties in front of short. Plumbago! There is a reason they are used as freeway plantings! 6' to 15' tall x 6' to 8' wide! Beautiful blue flowers that bloom for most of the year.  Just as your plants are hungry now, so are the pests that bother your plants. Feed the plants and you are, in turn, feeding those bugs that eat the fresh new growth. Now we talk about CONTROL. Stay on top of them the moment you spot them. Look up what you find on our UC IPM (Integrated Pest Management) website for specific pest notes.  Just put UC IPM in your search engine. 

Send us Fan Mail26 Miles Across the Sea!  This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, we head that way with Master Gardener Bill Brooks. Bill spent the day talking to various plant propagators at the Catalina Conservancy’s Ackerman Native Plant Nursery about starting native plants from seed to repopulate the natural landscape of Santa Catalina Island. Over 85 species of container stock and over 2000 seed collections that represent 243 species are grown/housed at the nursery. All the projects conducted at the nursery are controlled under protocols that are strict enough to avoid negative impact to the special and unique environment of the island. There is more to Catalina than Avalon! Join us and learn techniques valuable to the rest of us on the mainland and to understand what there is to love, garden-wise, about a local environment just “right over there”!

Send us Fan MailCitrus is a $3.3 billion industry in California, and it is currently under threat from one of the tiniest insects and the disease it carries. In this episode of In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, we will detail the threat of the ACP (Asian Citrus Psyllid) and HLB (Huanglongbing or Citrus Greening). If infected, the tree will die. The threat started by the simple practice of sharing and moving plant material between gardens (and even countries). Doing so can unknowingly spread the disease. Since the introduction, there are currently quarantine zones covering from the coast of LA and OC to the mountains and out into the Inland Empire. Pockets of agricultural land in San Diego County and Ventura Counties are impacted. The boundaries are expanding. ACP is known to infest CA trees from Kern County on east and south to the border. Hear from Jennifer Pelham, (former) Horticulture Advisor of UCANR (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources) on this subject.

Send us Fan MailAquatic plants are those that can be found in any salt or freshwater environment - a small fish tank, home aquarium, lake, pond, water feature - you get the idea. Whether they live above the water, are fully submerged in water or somewhere in between doesn't make too much of a difference. The main concept is that aquatic plants are any species that naturally prosper in a wet environment. Our own Master Gardener and Podcast Host Bill met with fellow Master Gardener John, an enthusiast turned expert turned entrepreneur, to talk all about the subject! If this topic suits your passion, get your feet wet today and don’t worry about your plant! They LOVE wet feet!