Garden Gab Podcast

The girls popped a cold one today because the pod is officially 21 people! They are settling into summer with a proper catch-up episode, or should we say… just a good ole fashioned gab! This week, Tessa shares what she's learned from opening her own garden for workshops. They discuss why waiting for the "perfect" space might be keeping us from doing the things we dream of right now. What if people were invited into imperfect and personal gardens?? Down home is filled with the surprising questions visitors ask, meadow updates, goldfinches, and the simple joy of homemade cake shared under a garden pavilion. Then the girls head out and about as Tessa recounts a whirlwind trip to New York City, from wandering Central Park with a stroller to dining at the legendary Blue Hill at Stone Barns and exploring the ever-evolving plantings of the High Line. Along the way, they reflect on Frederick Law Olmsted's vision for public green spaces, the restorative power of landscapes, and why travel is almost always money well spent! Pour yourself something cold, pull up a chair on the porch, and join us for a midsummer Garden Gab!! Don't forget to subscribe to stay in the know on our show Substack, leave a review, and share the show with your favorite garden friend! Show Notes: + Tessa might call this Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake a peasant cake after her illustrious career as a wedding cake designer, but you will feel rich the second it hits your tongue!! + Molly's life (and the lives of those who she has shared these with) has been deeply altered by this Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! And they really are that easy. + If the girls were emphatic enough about watching Chef's Table on the episode, take this as another nudge to do yourself a favor and at least watch Dan Barber's episode! + Check out Experiencing Olmsted: The Enduring Legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted's North American Landscapes, the book that started Tessa's Central Park curiousity!

The time has finally come! Tessa and Molly discuss the final three Main Avenue show gardens for the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show… and let’s just say this last batch has some big expectations on their shoulders! Can Tom Stuart Smith raise Best in Show once again? Will Kazuyuki Ishihara defend his 2025 sweep of Best in Show AND People’s Choice Award? The girls also unpack what it takes to get a gold medal at Chelsea, and even more, what sets a Best in Show apart. But most importantly, Tessa and Molly make their picks for top honors as well as possible dark horses in other categories. What are you most excited to watch at this year’s Chelsea? We would love to hear! Thanks for joining us for this special Chelsea Flower Show hype!! Stay tuned for our follow up with Don and Janice (Molly’s parents) who will be at the show on opening day!! Thanks for joining the Gab!!

Welcome back Garden Gabbers for Episode 19, our final episode in our teenage years! And let’s just say in the words of Tessa Pinner, mama’s hot! The girls jump straight into the woes of a hot and dry spring, which has Tessa pinning for… a plunge pool baby! You know it's officially the kick off are gardening season with talk about drought, strawberry picking, and the ever-present feeling of being just a little behind in the garden. Speaking of plunging, the girls dive straight into what makes something art versus craft, and how that question shows up in both creative work and garden design. The two introduce a new concept—the “Shagginess Metric”—to explore where gardens fall on the spectrum between wild and perfectly buttoned-up, and how client preferences shape that balance. Are you more of the ballerina bun type, or do you let your hair down a bit?? Do let us know! Buckle up for some bonus stories this episode include a strawberry freezer disaster, a memorial Japanese maple, and why April might just be the best month in the garden. Thanks for Joining the Gab! Show Notes: If you like Tessa are pinning after a cool down, may we direct you here to long after these beautiful Plunge Pools We have mentioned the Pastoral Gardens book a few times because, I mean… can you even with these pictures... not to mention the beautiful words! Out of an abundance of caution, we highly recommend Kindle readers (especially those who read at night while drifting into sweet slumber… like Molly) invest in a Kindle Case with a handle! Protect your face!

Hello there Garden Gabbers! On this episode of the pod, Tessa and Molly spare no speck of enthusiasm whilst introducing what some might declare as the Super Bowl of the gardening world... The Chelsea Flower Show! On the episodes leading up to the best week of the year, Tessa and Molly are discussing this year's main show gardens, what we are expecting, and (since Molly is involved...) there is chatter about a Chelsea Flower Show bracket contest?! Who doesn't love a game! And prizes!! Let us know your thoughts... While we have no idea what is happening with March Madness or, quite frankly, the Super Bowl... the girls are laser focused on this year's show! And they want to bring you to also delight in the theater of the whole production! Tessa and Molly also chat in the newly introduced committee, Curiosity Corner, about what they have been digging into in order to cultivate curiosity in their own lives. Tessa unpacks what she gleaned on a Create Academy course from the dynamic duo of Julian and Isabel Bannerman. Molly discusses Milli Proust's new best selling book, How Does Your Garden Grow! We also get a quick wildlife report featuring bees and a tiny tiny turtle, a bloom report featuring cherries and Lady Banks roses, and of course... Door Prizes! Thanks for joining the Gab! Be sure to subscribe to the show Substack HERE and leave us a review!! So thankful for everyone who is joining the club! Show Notes: + To learn more about the Chelsea Flower Show and Project Giving Back be sure to explore those thinks! + If you are interested in taking the Create Academy class for yourself, explore the Bannerman's Class... or see if there are other classes that might scratch your own curiosity itch! + If you missed it in last weeks show notes, we cannot recommend Milli Proust's book, How Does Your Garden Grow, with any more unbridled enthusiasm than what we have expressed on the show!!!! + If you are as enamored with Milli as much as we are, be sure to check out her interview with Alice Vincent on building a garden. + If you, like Tessa and Molly, find seed packets tucked into random spots and think to yourself, I really need one place to keep those... look no further than this here tackle box. + On a delightful yet non-garden related note... Molly has restocked her spring Pura scents and her life (and home) is better for it!

Welcome to Episode 15, which is 1/4 of the way to 60 episodes as Molly points out on today's show! They kick off new business with Tessa's trip to an arboretum + seed sowing endeavors, as well as Molly's British besties visiting Bham + her very delayed seed order! As motions from the floor come to order, pull up a chair Garden Gabbers... because it's time for a front porch chat with Tessa and Molly. Spring has sprung and the girls are feeling pensive. They wax poetical about how a garden is a process (if it feels like we have been here before, we have...) but they have a new question... what are YOUR needs in your garden as you are learning to interact and engage with the process of gardening? We sense a need, but how do we respond to it? Shout it from the rooftops (or on our Substack) if you have an idea, we would love to hear from you! To round out the show, Tessa and Molly do a fly through of their wild and wonderful DM's. Think dreamy spring wedding flowers, a chicken purse, an electric blue billiards room, a gingko chair, and a tear jerking wedding of a carpenter at Notre Dame. Be sure to tune in to hear Tessa's dream which includes but is not limited to her playing a viola in a bathtub on a hillside with Martha Stewart before endeavoring to save a piece of property from the clutches of developers... our DM's are the only wild and wonderful place around here!!! Thank you for joining the Gab this week! If you would like to stay in the know on the show, be sure to subscribe to the show Substack HERE and give us a 5 star review :) Show Notes! + Tessa chats about her seed starting set up and has pulled together all the supplies you need as well as a helpful video to walk you through her process! GOLD MINE. + DM Round up! Fleuropean flower heaven, Chicken Purse, Gingko Chair, Notre Dame Carpenter Wedding, and an Electric Blue Billiard Room + On today's Door Prizes... Molly does a run down of some of her Bday presents which included this adorable Emma Bridgewater sheep mug and a toaster from her sister... because sometimes it is just the little things in life like toasted bread that make life worth living :) Tessa treated herself to the book Bird Haven Farm for a dash of flower inspo!

Well hey there Garden Gabbers! Love is in the air in this episode. With all the ice and emotionally distressing temperatures Molly and Tessa hath been enduring in the South, they pretty much jump straight into the reason we are all here... GAMES! *Botanical* dating games to be exact. Molly the *Botanical* Game Master has conjured up some horticultural love exercises starting with Plant Matchmaking. Each host pitches a plant and the other marinates on the best match. Will it be a power couple, a toxic relationship, all the above?? You'll have to listen to find out. Next up... SPEED DATING!!! Molly and Tessa come to the speed dating table both completely taking on the persona of their chosen mystery plant, forcing the other to ask the right things to uncover their identity. Naturally they are asking questions like, how tall are you after 10 years? Do you have any notable features in spring? Do you like things boggy (you’ll have to listen for context here)... There might also be a little unpacking of plant childhood trauma as well and preferred pruning methods. Butttt are we a match? You will have to listen! The girls also dive into their deepest most philosophical thoughts on pink and red, in honor of Valentines. Did you know who the pink girls were in your elementary classes growing up? How do we thoughtfully wield deep bold colors like pink and red in the garden?? They finish out the episode discussing the glory of stick on nails, bathtub caulk, and a magical shower lamp. Thanks for joining the Gab! Subscribe to the show Substack HERE and drop us a comment. What are you in love with in your garden this Valentines season?? Show Notes: + Here is a link to Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. And remember folks, COOKING IS GARDENING! + Here is a link to where you can sign up to receive the video on Floret's potting mix experiment as well as her recipe! + If you want to be twinsies with Tessa and Molly, here is the link to the Olive and June press on nails! + And if you want to shower in style like Molly, she highly recommends this waterproof shower lamp for ambiance...

The Garden Gab girlies are back in action baby! In this episode Tessa kicks us off with a porch chicken update (murder mystery style) and lessons are learned about *protection.* Then it is time to swing straight into Out and About because Molly is back from her Kiwi Christmas adventure with stars in her eyes and tales of magical mossy hikes, Fjordland tromps, and anecdotes from two weeks driving on the wrong side of the road. Let’s just say, New Zealand doesn’t really care for railings on sheer cliff faces. Before launching into their New Year gab, Tessa and Molly decide to pop the confetti on things they are proud of from the year before. They also discuss things that are better left on the compost pile heading into the new year. The girls turn the corner into 2026 with some *intentions* rather than concrete resolutions, because while we have a rule breaker and a rule follower on our hands, it’s all about PROCESS people!! Here's to a new year with all the messiness of things in motion! You will leave this episode ready to pop the confetti on your own accomplishments in 2025 with a gentle embrace for what 2026 can hold. Thanks for joining in on another year of the gab! Show Notes: + Visit the show substack HERE to see pictures of Molly's Kiwi Christmas Adventure, Tessa's family outing to the Carl Sandburg House, and other holiday musings! + Molly hath inspired Tessa to murder board her New Year, and you should do the same with this sticky chart paper! And while you are at it, indulge in some fun markers (like these!) + If you, like Molly, foster a deep love for sheep... you might be interested in this book she discovered in her Shepherds Hut airbnb in NZ!

Alright Garden Gabbers, the pod has officially entered the double digits... aka... the dawn of Garden Gab's pre-teen years!! In today's episode Tessa and Molly review their family Thanksgiving festivities which included pecan whacking research, Pauline the porch chicken update, and dahlia dividing and storage insights. Molly makes a motion from the floor to celebrate their 10 favorite things about winter gardening to celebrate 10 episodes of Garden Gab! Do you know the joy of cold air in your lungs or a well layered gardening outfit? Have you savored the stillness and quiet of a winter day? Have you felt the ferocity of horticultural hormones that make you want to sow your seeds entirely too early? Well, Molly and Tessa have. They also discuss the importance of using winter to look back on the gardening year that passed and plan for the one ahead... tasks that are best completed curled up next to the fire with your wool socks and hot tea in hand. The girls then review their Black Friday shenanigans, which perhaps included some sexy elemental sulphur purchasing?! Stay tuned for a special breakout session on Tessa and Molly's Christmas decorating thoughts and feelings! Goeth forth and warmeth thy heart in your garden! Thanks for joining the Gab! Show Notes: + Molly and Tessa declared that one must find local flower farmers to learn from, because nothing can substitute niche local knowledge! For Greenville listeners, Tessa mentions Fraylick Farm. For Birmingham listeners, check out Stonehollow Farm! + Tessa's show closer quote is from "A Growing Gardener" by Abbie Zabar! Check out our show Substack and subscribe HERE for more pictures from Tessa and Molly's gabbing!

Calling the eighth Garden Gab Club meeting to order! Today, Tessa and Molly step up on their arboricultural soapbox to proclaim the virtues of all things trees! If you have found yourself swooning over the burst of this year's fall color or have pondered "how would I even go about planting a tree..." then today's meeting is for you!! Tessa was recently a part of a fundraiser for Trees Upstate, an organization that advocates for the planting, promotion, and protecting of trees in the Upstate region of South Carolina. She also planted two new black gum friends to keep her sad black gum company, and it has the girls deeply pensive about the importance of trees in our lives. What would our childhoods be without trees?! Are you actually planting a tree for yourself? And in the words of Taylor Swift... why do the leaves change in the fall?! Speaking of questions, in a sad Wildlife Committee update Molly was left asking where one of her bee colonies went. Never ones to end on a downer, be sure to stick around for a round up of inspiring tree quotes to send you out on your own tree soap box! WE MUST HAVE TREES!! This is the last week to sign up for our give away by subscribing the show substack HERE and leaving a comment! Show Notes: + This winter Molly is sowing THIS seed to repair her hard compacted clay soil over the winter months. + Check out Trees Upstate and their amazing mission with Tessa is a part of! + Check out Molly's guest appearance on the Plantastic Podcast with Dr. Jared Barnes where they (surprise!) talk a lot about TREES! + If this convo sparked your interest in all things trees, might we recommend you grab a copy of Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes which Tessa has been devouring! + Check out Tessa's video on TREE PLANTING, and while you are at it subscribe to her channel for more incredible gardening tips! + Molly has been diving in The Modern Professional Planting Designer by Andrew Fisher Tomlin and it is a wealth of inspo. + To see more pics from the episode, check them out on this episode's Substack page!

Welcome back to the Garden Gab Club! Today Tessa and Molly are discussing everything from apple picking to our **funky fall feelings** As our girl Bridget Jones once said, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.” We couldn't agree more Bridget. Everyone needs an existential crisis every once in a while, right? Tessa's **feelings** were triggered by a recent birthday and has left her staring wistfully out her kitchen window at her languishing Black Gum tree asking some life's deepest questions while researching Japanese mending techniques (it all connects, we promise). Molly's **feelings** were drudged up from a gloriously inspiring summer at various conferences and has left her asking some cute little existential questions like... is she doing work that even matters, is she even good at this planty/garden thing, and how do you pluralize words that end in "s"?? Thankfully, Molly and Tessa are not left in the deep dark cavern of their feelings and are brought back into the light with a game of "I thank you for these truths," a game that has served Molly well now for over a decade (please listen to episode for playing instructions...) Tessa and Molly do make it out of the quagmire of feels into some plant chat, basking in the glow of their favorite fall plants of the moment. This episode is a reminder that sometimes all those funky feelings need is a friend that grabs you by your shoulders, looks you in the eye, and tells you what is true! Now go forth and find someone to play I thank you for these truths with, and let Tessa and Molly know how it goes :) Thanks for joining the gab! Don't forget to subscribe to the show HERE to stay in the loop on all things Garden Gab! If you want to enter the giveaway, be sure to subscribe and leave a review! SHOW NOTES! + For a crazy episode 003 and 006 crossover, read about the making of the Practical Magic House by our Big Rock Muse! + Tessa's *magical* Fire Cider recipe, let whip those immune systems into shape people! + Tessa introduces Molly to Tatarian Asters and we think you should know about them too!

Ciao bella! In this fifth meeting of the Garden Gab Club, the girls dive straight into the deep end of Molly's recent trip to Bergamo, Italy for the International Landscape Festival. Although Molly is still slurring her words a bit from jet lag, they manage to have intelligent conversation about a number of big topics. And dear listener, while they might not have all the answers, there sure is a lot of food for thought! First they gab all about trees and how we engage with the successional motion of the environment when choosing trees. If that feels like a big word, don't worry Tessa consistently makes Molly pause to explain :) They also discuss how we can design layered and dynamic gardens that rely on thoughtful and skilled gardeners when everything seems to be dominated by static maintenance. In a culture that values the quick, the convenient, and the cheap... how do we cultivate a renewed zeal towards crafting gardens?? If that feels like a lot to chew on, perhaps grab yourself a cup of Tessa's roasted herbal tea. Speaking of tea, Molly spills the "tea" on the love of her life, who was precisely an hour train ride from her whilst she was in Italy. But alas, she came home alone, but inspired to continue her tour de tiramisu. Don't forget to subscribe to our show substack page HERE and leave a review to be entered in our giveway! Thanks for joining the gab!! Show Notes: + This is Tessa's Roasted Herbal Tea. Whilst it might be strange to see the word roasted in front of a beverage instead of a veg or protein, dare I say we are all intrigued? + Molly did indeed get to meet Sarah Price, and she was just as lovely as she had always imagined. What was also lovely was her design in the Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo!! + This was the 15th year of the International Landscape Festival, basically summer camp for garden nerds! + For the uninitiated in the pro-tennis world, here are some curated photos of Jannik Sinner, one of the most thrilling people to watch in pro tennis and easy on the eyes (in Molly's humble opinion). Please do note the hair.

Welcome back to the third meeting of the Garden Gab Club! While Tessa and Molly do not claim to be geologists, they do spend a good portion of today's episode discussing the merits of a good 10 ton boulder. If you are less mineral and more interested in the herbaceous... there is also a heavy dose of tulip talk, weed battles, and admiration of a good multi-trunk serviceberry tree. But maybe you are more of a creature lover? They have you covered too! Tune in to the Wildlife Committee to learn who has been stealing Tessa's hips (which also don't lie) and what large flying creature attacked Molly. Pardon the pun, but this conversation rocks. Don't forget to subscribe to the show HERE and leave a review to enter our door prize giveaway! Thanks for joining the Gab! SHOW NOTES! - Robin Standefer of Roman & Williams with her hand selected 10 ton Boulder. A girl after our own heart. - Speaking of rocks, HERE is the Charlie Marder article. Basically, he rocks too. - Burt's Bees tinted lip balm (mainly to show our moms we are good Southern women) - Sound of a cicada chorus, the background noise of a summer night in the South! Lovely when they aren't ambushing you. Thanks for joining the Gab!