The Plantastic Podcast with Dr Jared Barnes
Episode #26 Julie Witmer on Designing Gardens and Inspiring Minds
“I have learned so much. And I’m always learning from other people’s gardens. And the lesson I have learned most early is to never say, ‘I know’. There is so infinitely much to learn and the conditions of different gardens vary so greatly, even when soil and situation appear to be alike, and they are in the same district. Nature is such a subtle chemist that one never knows what she’s about and what surprises she may have in store for us.”
Gertrude Jekyll, Wood & Garden
What a joy to talk with Dr. Jared Barnes about training the next generation of gardeners, and what has inspired and taught me along the way.
We talk about:
Training in nursery work, design, and horticulture
Humility and observation as essential for gardeners and designers
What Gertrude Jekyll has to say about that (quote above)
Christopher Lloyd’s and Beth Chatto’s influence on my gardening and designs
Teaching nature study and Charlotte Mason (quote below!)
How I keep track of what to do next in the garden over our decade of building Havenwood
How I deal with Japanese beetles on roses
Making a garden as a balance between the people and their place
Garden myths, successes, and the most important things I wish more gardeners knew
And much more… Hope you enjoy it!
Full show notes can be found at Meristem: 26. JULIE WITMER ON DESIGNING GARDENS AND INSPIRING MINDS
Find Jared and his newsletter on his website, Meristem Horticulture, and on Instagram as Plant_Props.
“Let them once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed, which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree. And it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plants and animal life and to care for none of these things.”
Charlotte Mason