Carol Collins

Assistant Editor at Fine Gardening Magazine

Featured in: Favicon

finegardening.com Favicon

chromatographyonline.com Favicon

valleyreporter.com Favicon

mchnews.com Favicon

azdailysun.com

Articles

Planting Plans and Ideas from 3 Contemporary Backyards

1 month ago | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander

Choosing great-looking plants that are well-adapted to a garden’s unique light and soil conditions will always be a challenge, and the variables presented by San Francisco’s diverse microclimates and topography make the task even trickier. However, the Bay Area gardens designed by Dani Coulter of Friday Gardens exude a casual elegance that belies the diligent research and effort that have gone into finding the perfect plants for each site.
Episode 179: Most Beautiful Flowers - Fine Gardening

1 month ago | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander

If your pulse quickens at the sight of a dogwood or peony in full bloom, this is the episode for you. Although a restrained, foliage-focused design is always a safe bet, fabulous floral textures and colors offer a level of excitement that leaves alone can’t provide. For many of us, a love of flowers was the gateway that brought us to gardening. Follow along as Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Wambui Ippolito discuss some of the beautiful blooms that make their hearts sing.
Planting Plan for Outdoor Rooms That Feel Open, Inviting, and Perfectly Secluded - Fine Gardening

2 months ago | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander

Providing privacy without compromising curb appeal can be a delicate balance, especially when gardening on a corner lot. Kristin Caldwell’s solutions for her Morega, California property deftly maximize connections between home and garden and minimize distractions from her bustling neighborhood. Most of the plants were chosen for their low water needs, though supplemental water is provided for a few favorites.
Moore leaving SNAP-Ed program, next coordinator ready to take lead

2 months ago | mchnews.com | Carol Collins

(February 2025 OSU Extension monthly report for Morgan County Commissioners) Sophia Whisman – 4-H Extension Educator In late January, Whisman started working on a management of volunteer training course to help guide her in the management of our volunteers. This is a course open to educators in the U.S. promoted by our state 4-H leaders to help in our role […]
Episode 176: Plants with Personality with Amanda Thomsen

Feb 7, 2025 | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander

Amanda Thomsen is a landscape designer, project manager, and garden writer. Recently, she opened Aster Gardens in Lemont, Illinois. This neighborhood boutique offers plants, home décor, classes, and events. Amanda brings an irreverent, punk-rock spirit to her horticultural work, so she is the perfect person to help adventurous gardeners to explore some plants with personality.
Gardening Etcetera: Staying firewise in a dry season in Flagstaff

Feb 6, 2025 | azdailysun.com | Carol Collins

Many of us watched with horror the pictures of raging wildfires in Los Angeles County, fires that resulted in multiple deaths, destroyed whole neighborhoods and caused billions of dollars in damages. Here in northern Arizona, as you well know, we can also suffer the ravages of wildfire. In Flagstaff, we live adjacent to or in the midst of dense ponderosa forests. At the same time, we had a dry fall and have thus far had a very dry winter season.
Episode 175: Great Houseplants - Fine Gardening

Jan 24, 2025 | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander

Potted plants will bring life and positive energy into any room, and studies have shown that having them nearby can relieve stress, boost creativity, and improve focus. In winter, when the weather is not good for outdoor gardening, it is particularly satisfying when we can help the living gems on our windowsills to thrive and look their best.
Episode 174: Plant Evaluation with Sam Hoadley and Richard Hawke - Fine Gardening

Jan 10, 2025 | finegardening.com | Carol Collins |Christine Alexander |Richard Hawke |Sam Hoadley

Catalogue descriptions for new plants may grab our attention, but usually provide little useful information about how these up-and-coming cultivars will perform in your garden. Fortunately, comparative trials like those conducted at Chicago Botanic Garden and Mt. Cuba Center put plants to the test, side-by-side, under typical garden conditions. In this episode, Richard Hawke and Sam Hoadley delve into a few of the similarities and differences between their trial programs.
Episode 173: Beneficial Host Plants for Pollinators

Dec 27, 2024 | finegardening.com | Carol Collins

This week we might rename the show Pollinator Haven, the podcast where we dig into the vibrant world of pollinators and the plants that sustain them! Well, probably not, but we will be diving into the essential role host plants play in supporting bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. These are species that are critical in providing places for insects to lay their eggs and food for hungry larvae.
Extension Office in end-of-year mode; making plans for next year’s programs

Nov 26, 2024 | mchnews.com | Carol Collins

Sophia Whisman – 4-H Extension Educator October 22, Whisman, Pam Montgomery, Amy Kirkbride, Kristina Moore, and Jordan Penrose all had a staff meeting directly followed by a meeting to put together the 4-H calendar for 2025. October 24, Whisman attended a Camp Director In-service. October 28, Whisman and Montgomery held a youth award ceremony. This was fully paid for and […]