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!

Live from Greenville, South Carolina... it's the 14th episode of Garden Gab!! Molly and Tessa enjoyed a weekend together in Tessa's homeland of South Carolina speaking at the Greenville Master Gardeners Annual Symposium with over 500 enthusiastic gardeners from across 10 states! If you were not in attendance, never fear! Molly and Tessa give the run down of all the best takeaways including (but not limited to) bring personality in a garden, making lemonade out of lemons (or fallen pecan trees), and practical ways to increase biodiversity in a home garden. If you were in attendance and didn't have a pen handy when Tessa walked through her 20 tips for increasing biodiversity, don't fret because our Substack page has you covered! Although the girls are quite giggly this episode at being in the same room together.... and Molly maybe had the flu but didn't know it yet at the time of recording.... this episode will make you feel as if maybe you too spent all day in the Greenville Conference Center with a room full of jolly master gardeners!

Thank you for joining the Gab! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave us a (5 star :) review, and share Garden Gab with friends who you think need a little green in their lives! Also be sure to subscribe to the show Substack page HERE to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab!

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...

What's up Garden Gabbers?? Were you expecting the normal Out and About update?? Well, in today's episode you will learn that Molly and Tessa are leaning hard into hibernation this January, so Out and About is getting the ole boot! But never fear, there is lots of gab about what you can be doing Down Home in your garden this winter! Does pruning feel like a daunting task?! Think again! Dreaming of the warmer brighter months?? Channel that into a seed order!! Want to really become one with this colder weather?? Then by golly you have some mulching to do!! The girls also chat through what is inspiring them... who knew reading goals and wellness challenges could instigate so many pensive thoughts! Tessa and Molly also bring back Garden Brag (Tessa is well on her way to being a willow wizard) and Garden Busts (Molly is well on her way to consistently making you feel better about being behind on garden to do's!).

Sit back, relax, and hibernate with us this January... perhaps with some new house shoes like Molly?! Thanks for joining the gab! To stay in the know with all things Garden Gab, be sure to subscribe to our Substack HERE!

Show Notes:

+ Tessa's seed resources, get your horticultural hormones ready to shop!

Select Seeds, Johnny's Seeds, Rare Seeds, High Mowing Seeds, 3 Porch Farm

+ Tessa purchased her willow whips from Living Willow Farm if you want to join in the coppiced fun!

+ Molly is currently deep in thought after reading Fredrik Backman's My Friends

+ If you are a lover of Floret like Tessa and Molly, you will love this recap of their year on the farm! Be sure to catch Erin's cork board wall that has us green with envy!

+ Today's closing quote comes from a book Tessa recommended called A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander and Mike Fraser, and it is currently on Molly's to buy list!

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!

Deck the halls with Tessa and Mollyyyy, fa la la la laaaa la la la laaaaa!!! Our gift to you this holiday season is gabbing some Christmas decorating gab in a special breakout session! While earlier this fall we divulged that we both aren't huge seasonal decorators, all bets are off when it's holly jolly season!!! Now there are some very deep questions the girls are asking... are you a real tree or fake tree person? Do you do color lights or white lights? Outdoor lights, yay or nay? Do you stay traditional or change things up each year? What are we foraging for to bring some of that outside magic in? While these aren't life's biggest questions, we feel they are still rather important. Listen till the end to hear about a potato wreath... That's right!! Could a potato be the answer to all your wreath needs this holiday season?

This episode wraps up our gabbing for the 2025 year, and we want to thank each of you who have listened, downloaded, left a review, and subscribed to the Garden Gab Club Substack! This has been one of our most fun endeavors of the year, and we are looking forward to another year full of garden gabbing!! Wishing each of you the warmest of wishes this holiday season! Thanks for joining the gab!

Show Notes:

+ Molly's ribbon garland inspiration from Aesme Studio, one of the dreamiest follows one can find on instagram!

+ Potato wreath tutorial from @Anya_thegarden_fairy!

Check out the show Substack page HERE to see more of the Christmas decorating pics from the garden gab girls!

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!

Gird your loins, it is pecan whacking and turkey season Garden Gabbers!! Today on the pod Tessa and Molly *finally* announce the giveaway winners (congrats Kim and Bailee!) They also announce that the Garden Gab Gift Guide is now LIVE on the show substack, which you can subscribe to below to get inspired for all your garden gifting needs! The ladies also unpack their time down home... For Tessa it included wrangling children while Brian was away, pecan whacking (perhaps the show's new favorite activity?), and herding chickens. For Molly it included the stomach bug, which really derailed any other plans she had. However! Tessa rallied for a (rather tragic) Shakespeare Play with her niece, and Molly rallied to make it to her friend's annual Dipsgiving in which her tiramisu dip triumphantly won!!

To round out the show Tessa and Molly deep dive all things gratefulness. What does it mean to give and to receive? What is the difference between entertaining and hospitality? How does actually speaking the things we are thankful for change us? And what does all of this deep question asking have to do with your garden?! The girls also introduce a live DM report bringing you a taste of the garden shenanigans they have been up to behind the curtain on instagram! And of course, they never miss a good ole fashioned door prize, aka... Things they bought themselves!

Have a Pecan Whacking Good Thanksgiving, from the Garden Gab Girls!!

Show Notes:

+ Molly's AWARD WINNING Tiramisu Dip Recipe!!

+ The girls marveled at the "The Farm is the Table" post on instagram and also perhaps ask... have we taken it too far??

+ Tessa's limoncello recipe and cute floral Band Aids!!

To catch pics of pecan whacking, Molly's family pecan orchard, limoncello, rogue chickens, and every color mum you can imagine head over to our show substack page HERE!!