Plants Always Win

In this “versus” episode, Erin and Sean face off with two big holiday plants: Poinsettias and Amaryllis. Erin comes in swinging with the fraught history of settler (Poinsettia) and Indigenous (cuetlaxochitl) names for her plant, but Sean pushes back with the romantic (or is it?) mythology behind amaryllis. Both contenders shatter misconceptions (Poinsettias are not toxic! Some amaryllis are imposters!) and share care tips for keeping these festive flora in good shape during the holidays and year round. A few tangents slip in about specialist insects that thrive on toxic plants and the way plants interpret light and darkness. And of course we get a plant rant about florists and nurseries using spray paint and glitter. The episode wraps up with a listener question about how late she can plant an evergreen tree. Who won the Plant Face-Off? Was it Erin with poinsettias or Sean with amaryllis? You decide! Send your vote by email or on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook with the hashtag #PAWFaceOff. Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Instagram: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Facebook: plantsalwayswinpodcast TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast Website: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHCitationsCultural history of poinsettiasKohfeld, M. (2024, November 30). Cuetlaxochitl: A cultural history of the Poinsettia. Swansons Nursery. https://www.swansonsnursery.com/blog/history-of-poinsettias Chart of specialist insects who sequester the toxins (glycocides) in milkweed sap Holdrege, C. (n.d.). The Story of an Organism: Common Milkweed — The Nature Institute. The Nature Institute. https://www.natureinstitute.org/article/craig-holdrege/the-story-of-an-organism-common-milkweedCommercial production of poinsettiasEnvironmental Horticulture Department - UF/IFAS. (n.d.). Production Guidelines - Poinsettia Cultivation. Commercial Floriculture. https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/floriculture/poinsettia/production_guidelines.shtml Dr. Ing-Ming Lee’s research into phytoplasmasIng-Ming Lee. (n.d.). The American Phytopathological Society (APS). https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Fellows/Pages/Ing-MingLee.aspxCare and reblooming of poinsettiasSchnelle, M. (2017, April 1). Poinsettia Care. Oklahoma State University Extension. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/poinsettia-care.htmlWeisenhorn, J. (2024). Growing and caring for poinsettia. UMN Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/poinsettia Plants in the amaryllis familyPetruzzello, M. (2016, March 8). List of plants in the family Amaryllidaceae | Amaryllis, Narcissus, Hyacinth. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-plants-in-the-family-Amaryllidaceae-2058006Facts about AmaryllisDeJohn, S. (2024, October 17). Amaryllis Legends and Fun Facts. Gardeners Supply Company.https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/amaryllis-facts/8660.html  Amaryllis and hippeastrum Mahr, S. (n.d.). Amaryllis, Hippeastrum. Wisconsin Horticulture. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/amaryllis-hippeastrum/ 0:51 What’s Growing On?0:56 Winter Prep (and lack thereof)1:57 Sean Got a Puppy!2:51 The Plant Face-Off3:30 Poinsettias and Pronunciation4:22 Cottoneaster Tangent4:42 Pointsettia Etymology5:40 Poinsettia Sap: Not Toxic!8:25 The Euphorbia Plant Family10:16 Turning Shrubs into House Plants12:12 Tricking Plants with Light14:17 Spray-Painted Poinsettias17:31 Poinsettia Care21:50 How (not) to Research Plants Online23:45 What is—and isn’t—an Amaryllis?25:01 Amaryllis Relatives26:26 The Amaryllis Identity Crisis28:48 Naturalized vs. Invasive Plants29:58 600+ Amaryllis Cultivars30:50 Romantic(?) Amaryllis Mythology31:43 How Amaryllis Grows38:14 Amaryllis Care44:47 Q&A: Can You Plant a Tree in Late Fall?47:28 Contact Us & Outro

In this pilot episode of Plants Always Win, Erin and Sean give the Plant Face-Off a trial run…with a twist. Instead of competing for viewers’ votes with the most interesting information about a plant or gardening concept, they go head to head with competing interviews of each other. Find out what theft has to do with Erin’s early forays into gardening, why she makes content about gardening with chronic illness and disability, and how talking about plants every week complements her literary life. Then learn how Sean’s mom got him into a horticulture career, explore the pros and cons of the profession, and get excited about Sean’s dreams for a botanical garden in Muskoka, Ontario. We wrap up with some impromptu (and impassioned) tangents on invasive plants in garden centres, cities that plant only male trees, cultivars vs. nativars, and permaculture. Find Sean online at @GardenGuyMuskoka on TikTok and Instagram.Find Erin online at @EarthUndaunted on TikTok, @ErinAlladin on Instagram, and at https://earthundaunted.com/. Comments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Instagram: @plantsalwayswinpodcastFacebook: plantsalwayswinpodcastTikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia Alladin Intro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PH 00:52 What's Growing On?1:00: Erin vs. Quack Grass2:17 Sean's Zone 4 Fruit Trees3:27 Raccoons 1 | Chickens 04:50 First Frosts6:24 Plant Face-Off7:00 Sean's topic: Erin7:52 Stealing Gardens from Parents8:50 Gardening with Chronic Illness12:40 Why Erin Agreed to Do This Podcast13:52 Our Wives Think We’re Big Nerds15:37 Erin's Least Favourite Thing About Gardening19:15 Erin's Topic: Sean19:20 Blame it on Sean's Mom21:16 The Garden Labour Trap22:57 The Master Gardeners of Ontario24:00 Running a Landscaping Business26:09 The Muskoka Botanical Garden Dream27:26: Why Sean Started This Podcast28:53: Sean's Rant: Stop Selling Invasive Plants33:51 Erin's Rant: Male-Only City Trees33:22 Nativars and Cultivars38:17 Selfish Gardening vs. Permaculture41:26 Contact Us & Outro