A Way To Garden

the hummingbird-red flower connection, with harvard’s patrick mckenzie

Margaret — Sat, 30 May 2026 10:17:25 +0000

IF YOU’VE EVER posted a photo on the massive community science project called iNaturalist and wondered how such contributions get used in research… well, today’s guest is here to tell us about one especially stunning example. It involves 1.6 million such crowd-sourced observations, and the timing of the migration of hummingbirds in Eastern North America. You’ve probably heard it said that hummingbirds love red flowers, and scientists in the Hopkins Lab at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University took a much closer look at that connection thanks to all that community data, and the use of artificial intelligence to sort through it all. One of the Harvard scientists, a post-doctoral researcher in the plant evolution lab named Patrick McKenzie, part of the team at Dr. Robin Hopkins’s lab, is here to explain what they learned and how. Patrick has written that, “Quiet hours in the sun, meditating with the bugs, plants, and birds, are my inspiration as an evolutionary biologist.” He is always on the lookout for patterns—and then asking himself why each pattern unfolds—like the why of red flowers and hummingbirds, for example. Besides his extensive training in plant evolution, Patrick is a keen birder, and I was glad for […]

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the magic of owls, with paul bannick

Margaret — Sat, 23 May 2026 14:01:32 +0000

OWLS: THEY ARE birds we more often hear than see, exceptionally well-camouflaged creatures, many of whom move about in the hours of low light for an extra layer of stealth, making them seem even more mysterious. So what do you know about owls—besides perhaps the eerie sound of their voices? For wildlife photographer and writer Paul Bannick, owls have been the subject of much study and also the topic of several of his books, and he’s here today to tell us about these incredible animals who have commanded his attention, and should command more of ours. (Above, a great gray owl and owlets.) Paul Bannick is an award-winning author and wildlife photographer based in Seattle whose work focuses on the natural history of North America, with a particular emphasis on the conservation of birds and their habitats. He has written several previous books about owls—including “Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls” (affiliate link) and another about the great gray and one about the snowy owl, too, plus a book about woodpeckers. Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page for a chance to win a copy of “Owl: A Year in the Lives […]

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gravel-garden possibilities, with jeff epping

Margaret — Fri, 15 May 2026 18:16:43 +0000

THE MORE THAT I SEE photographs of gravel gardens and the more that I learn about this gardening style, which besides its distinctive aesthetic appeal promises to be water-wise and weed-suppressing, the more I want to give it a try. So I was happy to get an early copy of “The Gravel Garden,” a book that’s due out in June, and be treated to virtual walks through 20 such landscapes in a range of sizes and styles. The book’s co-author, Jeff Epping, who has been making gravel gardens for clients since 2008 and converted his own Wisconsin front yard from lawn to gravel in 2017, joined me to talk about what kinds of plants work in these resilient gardens and provide us with some design inspiration, too. Jeff is a longtime horticulturist and garden designer who for 28 years was director of horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisc. Jeff’s upcoming book is called “The Gravel Garden: Visionary, Drought-Defying Naturalistic Designs” (affiliate link), written in collaboration with Teresa Woodard. It takes us around the country and to the UK and Germany, too, to look at how various garden makers have interpreted the technique of gravel gardening, and I’m so […]

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