{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Horticulturati: Designing for Maintenance & "The Soul of a Farmer"","description":"Happy New Year! We\u2019re back from vacation with a discussion of a book that is very much in the Horticulturati wheelhouse, The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden. Author Roy Diblik, a Wisconsin-based designer and plantsman, argues that anyone can build a \u201cdesign-magazine-worthy garden at home\u201d by thoughtfully combining perennials to form functional plant communities that need little more than an annual mow \u2013 almost no irrigation, mulch, or hand-pruning required. This low-maintenance method could be a revelation for residential and commercial landscapes alike, but can it work in Texas, with our balmy winters and scorching summers? Is there a way to implement the mowing-for-maintenance concept using electric, rather than gas, machines? Colleen is inspired to experiment as she redesigns her front yard. Next, we review a documentary short, The Soul of a Farmer, by filmmaker Roger Sherman. Chef-turned-grower Patty Gentry of Early Girl Farm rents three acres in Long Island from Isabella Rosselini (!!!), who calls Patty \u201cthe Picasso of Vegetables.\u201d Sidestepping many of the tropes of farm-to-table docs (Gentry admits she\u2019d probably be living out of her truck if it weren\u2019t for her spouse\u2019s financial support) this film paints an honest portrait of the struggles and small victories of one artisanal vegetable grower as she transitions from wholesale growing for restaurants to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. Food porn ahead!  If you\u2019re SERIOUS about gardening, join our Patreon at $5\/month and get bonus \u201cin the weeds\u201d content from this episode, video classes, and early access to the show! In this edition of the bonus, Colleen shares her plant list for the front yard, and the mulch conundrum continues. We\u2019re talkin\u2019 hydrophobic crustiness, the virtues of leaf mold versus pine straw, and so much more!  Email info@horticulturati.com or leave us a message on the Horticulturati Hotline at 347-WAP-HORT. Photo credit Patrice Casanova\/First Run Features  ","author_name":"Hothouse","author_url":"http:\/\/hothousepodcast.com","html":"