Native Plants, Healthy Planet

Mar 07 2025 252 ep. 85 mins 122

Native Plants, Healthy Planet Podcast artwork

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick interview some of the top minds in ecology, restoration, conservation, and of course, native plants. Join them on their journey towards knowledge and understanding of some of the larger problems that our ecosystems face.

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The Buzz - Keep Your Cats Indoor

Mar 07 2025 85 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. “That’s Hot” picks a number and takes and interesting turn. “This or That” has Tom and Fran trying not to press the panic button and find some good and make some sense. “Take it of Leaf it” asks what kind of steward you are. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Grow Read a Book takes to

How to Love a Forest with Ethan Tapper

Feb 28 2025 81 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Ethan Tapper (Owner - Bear Island Consulting and Author of How to Love a Forest) to talk about his book How to Love a Forest. Topics include Ethan's journey into forestry, the challenges of stewardship, signs of a healthy forest, being a steward of wildlife, and learning to write a book.

Celebrating Five Years and 250 Episodes

Feb 21 2025 114 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back to celebrate five years, 250 episodes, and over a half a million downloads of The Native Plants Healthy Planet Podcast. That celebration does not come without technical difficulties. Thank you to all of our listeners who have made the journey with us and took the time to call in to our show. “That’s Hot” asks, "What is your favorite

The Philadelphia Flower Show with Andrew Bunting

Feb 14 2025 103 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Andrew Bunting (Vice President of Horticulture) from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Topics include how gardening has changed over the years as well as the view on native plants, PHS and the wonderful work and programs they offer, how they incorporate native plants into urban gardens as well as the internationally renowned Phi

The Buzz - Split on the Split

Feb 07 2025 79 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. “That’s Hot” is an oldie but a goodie. “This or That” leads to some difficult discussions. “Take it of Leaf it” has Tom and Fran on opposite ends. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Grow Read a Book is a surprise! Listen to the end of the episode for a secret.

Mt. Cuba Center Vernonia Trials with Sam Hoadley

Jan 31 2025 85 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick welcome back Sam Hoadley (Horticultural Research Manager) from the Mt. Cuba Center about the results of their newly published Vernonia trials. It's time to get excited about Vernonia! They discuss which Vernonia performed well and which ones performed better, surprise value of many of the Vernonia species, How species rated in the trials as well a

The Buzz - The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Jan 24 2025 85 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. We've been exhibiting and speaking. Find out how it's been going. “That’s Hot” takes to the trees. “This or That” deals with fire and rain. “Take it of Leaf it” leaves Tom and Fran collecting their thoughts. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Listen to the end of the episode for a fol

Ecological Ramblings with Mike McGraw

Jan 17 2025 99 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Mike McGraw from Princeton Hydro to discuss all things ecology speaking. Topics include the journey from a big city to wildlife biologist, the impact of deer, the documentary "Roots so Deep" and regenerative farming, and making your own ecological impact.

The Buzz - Top 10 Episodes of All-Time

Jan 10 2025 70 mins

Happy New Year! Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick are back with a brand new episode of The Buzz. “That’s Hot” ironically, looks good in the snow. “This or That” talks about raking and preserving. “Take it of Leaf it” is a little general. Tom and Fran break down our Top 10 of All-Time and our Top Ten of 2024. Did we give you a shoutout this week? Listen to the end of

Replaying the Hits with Oliver Milman and The Insect Crisis

Jan 03 2025 61 mins

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick share one of their favorite episodes of The Native Plants Healthy Planet Podcast. Tom and Fran spoke with Oliver Milman (Environment Correspondent at the Guardian) to talk about his new book The Insect Crisis. Topics include the state of our insect friends, the factors contributing to their decline, the obstacles we face in reversing the trend, an