Today, Caroline and Tayrn are thrilled to welcome Katie Tamony to the podcast! Katie spent a decade (2001 to 2011) as the Editor-in-Chief of Sunset Magazine, celebrating the seamless indoor-outdoor living of the West Coast. Today, she heads up marketing and trend forecasting for Monrovia, one of the country's premier plant nurseries.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Monrovia grows over 4,000 varieties of plants—from trees and shrubs to perennials and exquisite edibles—across thousands of acres in the US. Katie joins us to discuss the fascinating world of plant breeding, the top landscape trends shaping our backyards, and why you shouldn't be afraid to aggressively prune your plants!
Quick Gardening Trends & Takeaways:
Patio Culture: More people are focusing their gardening efforts on patios and balconies. Instead of just the traditional "thriller, filler, spiller" container combinations, homeowners are embracing wellness and luxury by potting single, stunning statement plants with lush, broad leaves.
The "Easy Sunday" Garden: Think of a Nancy Meyers movie landscape. This highly tailored look relies on the luxurious, year-round structure of traditional boxwoods paired with classic flowering shrubs like hydrangeas, roses, and camellias. This trend limits color palettes (like all white or white-and-blue) and utilizes mass plantings of a few varieties rather than a chaotic mix.
The Modern Meadow: A blend of wild and refined, this trend is incredibly popular with younger homeowners. It focuses on biodiversity by mixing native grasses with pollinator-friendly perennials like salvia, lavender, and agastache to invite bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds into the yard.
Exquisite Edibles: Gardeners are looking beyond basic tomatoes and berries. Thanks to clever plant breeding, people are now growing exotic fruits like kiwis and figs in colder hardiness zones, or even planting compact apple trees in patio containers.
Look closely at the branching: When shopping for shrubs, check if the plant is evenly branched on all sides. Good branching indicates the plant was pruned frequently and properly cared for at the nursery, meaning it will hold its shape much better in your yard.
Buy plants with tight buds: We are often dazzled by fully blooming plants at the garden center, but you will get a much longer bloom time at home if you purchase a plant that is still tightly budded (like peonies, which should be bought when the "eye" is just coming up).
Don't be afraid to prune: Many gardeners are too timid, but aggressive pruning is incredibly healthy for your plants. Cutting back perennials, hydrangeas, and trees at the right time helps them return fuller and with more blooms.
Dig a wider hole, not a deeper one: When planting, dig a hole that is at least twice as wide as the plant's root ball. Ensure you aren't burying the plant too deep; the soil should just cover the root ball. Mix your native dirt with soil amendments, add a slow-release fertilizer into the hole, and always finish with a top layer of mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
00:00 Welcome & Introduction
03:00 Katie’s background at Sunset Magazine and joining Monrovia
06:00 Monrovia’s 100-year history and the only annual plant they grow
09:00 The top four landscaping trends: Patio Culture, Easy Sunday Garden, Modern Meadow, and Exquisite Edibles
15:00 The history of founder Harry Rosedale and the iconic green Monrovia pots
20:00 Why branching matters and why you shouldn't be afraid to prune
25:00 The science of plant breeding, plant hunters like Dan Hinkley, and bringing fragrance back to roses
32:00 The debate between native plants, invasives, and cultivars
43:00 Nursery shopping tips and why fall is the best time to plant large shrubs
54:00 The Nitty Gritty White Rose and using unique shrubs for your indoor cutting garden
Also Mentioned in This Episode:
SunBelievable Sunflower: The only annual Monrovia grows! It stays compact and bushy, making it a perfect pot filler that produces up to 1,000 blooms from spring until the first frost.
Centennial Ruby Hydrangea: Monrovia's special 100th-anniversary release. It boasts a never-before-seen ruby color that ages to deep charcoal, with sturdy stems and thick leaves that hold blooms for 130 days.
Nitty Gritty White Rose: A compact rose popularized by designer James Farmer, who planted masses of them in containers around his pool for a stunning, bouquet-like effect.
Fatsia 'Camouflage': A beautiful statement plant with variegated foliage discovered by plant hunter Dan Hinkley.
Cutting Garden Shrubs: Step outside the box for your floral arrangements by clipping from shrubs like Leucadendron, compact Crape Myrtles, or Loropetalum.
Explore the Plant Finder Tool at Monrovia.com to find the perfect plants for your zip code.
Follow Monrovia on social media: @monroviaplants.
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