In episode 6, NYBG’s VP of Urban Conservation, Dr. Eric Sanderson, takes us on a quick trip around the landscape of New York City—both today and in the distant past. He’ll get into the sudden rise of catastrophic floods worldwide, and how our relationship with plants centuries ago is impacting our situation right now. Then we talk solutions, ecosystem restoration, and the ways that the future of fighting floods will rely on the well-being of plant life.

In episode 5, we cover the surge in home horticulture spurred by the pandemic, with apartment dwellers and homeowners all over the country—and indeed the world—filling their homes with greenery at a time when almost everyone was stuck indoors. NYBG’s Marc Hachadourian, Senior Curator of Orchids and Director of Glasshouse Horticulture, joins us for a chat on the ways conservatory and botanical garden horticulture have influenced our day-to-day lives with plants, from popularizing certain species of houseplants to their impact on cultivation and care. We’ll also discuss the other side of this sudden leap in everyone’s passion for houseplants, including wild plant poaching and the conservation efforts being made to stop it.

Guest: Marc Hachadourian

Dr. Evelyn Beaury joins us for a look at the state of invasive plant species in the United States, which threats are greatest to the well-being of our native ecosystems, and how changing climates and land-use patterns can expedite the spread of invasive species. From knotweed in the northeast U.S. to kudzu in the south and cheatgrass in the west, hear how these species can overwhelm native plants and habitats—and discover ways that each of us can make a difference to stop them.

Guest: Dr. Evelyn Beaury