Upside Down Tulips - A Garden Podcast

⚠️ Gentle Warning: This episode contains mild adult humor, gardening innuendo, repeated use of the word “moist,” and an emotionally intense relationship with mulch. Listener discretion advised.

Hi Friends! It’s hot. It snowed yesterday. The tomatoes are confused. So are we. It’s Spring 2026 and gardening has officially become a survival skill.

This spring on Upside Down Tulips, we dive headfirst into drought gardening during one of the weirdest weather years yet. Denver Water restrictions are here, mulch has become a personality trait, and apparently California uses giant floating shade balls to reduce evaporation? Neither did we. Gard...

The garden world can feel a little upside down these days — so this week we bring you a whole episode of Stranger Garden News!

First, we catch up on the strange happenings in our own gardens. What happened to winter? What are we growing inside? And why are some things still happily growing outside like the calendar means nothing?

Then we dig into some of the most hopeful — and occasionally bizarre — garden stories from around the world. Turns out there’s a lot of strange and wonderful news sprouting out there.

In this episode...

You asked for it and its back!  Two brand new Who Killed Rosemary pod plays.  Find out where Misty Contour is at with the mysterious death of Edith's Rosemary.  

In the garden, we are slowly sliding from fall to winter and now is the time for reflection on:

The Good

The Bad

And…

The Ugly!  Including a very ugly letter for the mailbag 

ENJOY!

Get a UDT Coffee Mug or other cool Merch!

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It's summer and the garden surprises & experiments keep coming—and we love (most of) them! Edith finds a black grasshopper and a mysterious scarlet beetle. Christy's cauliflower turns purple and she finds her reading glasses... in the compost pile.

We share what’s blooming in our gardens, how our zucchinis are doing, and updates on tomatoes, cabbage (Christy's pride and joy!), basil, arugula, tarragon, and more. Edith’s rosemary lives. Christy’s… not so much.

We’re also replanting for fall harvest—peas, beets, and maybe revenge. Plus:
• Edith’s leeks are now perennials
• Christy has...

Spring has officially sprung, and the garden is bursting with life! Flowers are blooming, veggies are growing, and—surprise!—some plants are totally taking over. Edith’s garden is overrun with greens, Christy’s garden is a dandelion jungle, and yes… some plants didn’t make it.
(insert moment of silence here)
Ah well! Onward we go.

This week, we dig into:

🌿 What’s New in the Garden?

Lessons learned:

Don’t plant orach (you’ll see why!)

Tomatoes remain a mystery

Ground cherries = delightful

Reminder: See...

Edith’s potatoes may have gone to the dark side, but we are forging ahead with the small and enjoyable garden tasks of winter and dreaming of our 2025 garden.  So, let us inspire your next garden with all the many benefits and joys of gardening!    We have gathered our top reasons why we garden:  From health to wealth.  From making friends to murdering carrots. From learning to lunging.  And filled with little tips and tricks and laughs along the way.    It’s seed catalog season so, we have stuffed this episode with THREE funny pod plays about our favorite reason to go to the...

Fallelujah!  A pretty darn good year in the garden. No hail, no frost, no covering – yet.

Edith grew ground cherries.  Christy grew zinnias.  We both grew a lot of tomatoes.  Edith might have killed her peach tree.  Christy mysteriously killed her cabbage.  We both killed our rosemary.  Aphids chewed, Japanese beetle chewed, mildew took up residence. 

So, it all resulted in a lot of learning, we hope you can learn, too! 

Our gardens are  doing great!  So far.  If you don’t count the heat, the Japanese beetles… and the murders!

Life is growing fast and furious in our gardens and we are applying water like we are applying for a job. Edith loves her loveage. Christy is at peace with her peace rose. Edith is plum crazy about her plum tree.  Christy is thinks Edith’s peach tree harvest is going to be… peachy keen.  :)

Our summer gardens are a potpourri of marvels, questions and fun tips.

Spring is back! We are back!  Edith is back!  Our sore backs are back!  And we have lots to share!

It's almost Spring!  And don't worry,  Upside Down Tulips will be back soon with an all new episode that celebrates our favorite mistakes of last year and our dreams for this year's garden.  PLUS:  Christy and Edith are gathering their best tips and tricks for your Spring Garden. 

Until then, here is a little something for all you gardeners out there: A little Pod Play about the adventures of the LIttle Seed Pot.  Enjoy!

Thanks so much to the Garden Party - we couldn't do Upside Down Tulips without you! Support UDT by joining our Garden P...

We have put down our hoes and, like our garden, are settling down for long winter’s nap.

BUT! Before we are carried off to a deep hibernation filled with dreams of next year’s garden, we wanted to spread some holiday cheer and share with you our favorite holiday pod plays just for the gardener, the wanna-be gardener and anyone who considers well-aged manure a thoughtful gift.  

The garden is wrapping up for the year, pumpkins have been turned to jack o’ lanterns, green tomatoes are in the attic and onions are a’ walkin. So, let’s celebrate all the garden good news stories of the year! Christy and Lindsey share good news about:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Kathryn and Christy get in costume to celebrate Halloween and the end of the garden season!  We dig into our herb book and get witchy with it! We share natural witchy herbal remedies from our gardens commonly used to offer some relief as we head into flu and cold season.  Learn how to make all kinds of soothing tea  from basil to echinacea to oregano to thyme!  Why is garlic so prized in the healing world? And why we putting stuffed turkeys in our bathtub? Pod Plays? Yup, we have stuffed this Ha...

Asters and marigolds are blooming, finches are enjoying sunflowers - and the harvest is finally coming in.  We welcome Fall!  And we scheme how to squeeze in a few extra weeks before Mother Nature decides to fully blanket us in snow.  So, Kathryn and Christy have curated some of our favorite tips and tricks to fool Mother Nature.  And not just in the Fall, but in ALL four seasons.

Hello pumpkin season!  Who has the guts to go there?  Karen and Christy do!  We pumpkin spice things up with an episode all about pumpkins: how to plant ‘em, how to take care of ‘em, how to use ‘em, how to cook ‘em, how to make your jack o’ lantern last longer… And how to get engaged?! 

Karen is harvesting tomatoes and cooking them with a pig jaw. Christy is enjoying her fall flowers and can’t find her cucumbers.  Karen can’t grow green beans and Christy can’t grow roma.

Johnny Hardscribble returns to share his love of su...

Hungry?  Great!  Karen joins us and we have a bunch of recipes perfect for the gardener!

It's everybody's favorite true crime garden podcaster, Misty Contour, and her quest to find out who killed Edith's rosemary plant.

For the first time ever, our excellent, yet enigmatic engineer has pulled together ALL the episodes of Who Killed Rosemary and assembled them for your listening enjoyment. Including some great great garden tips!

Journey back with us to the beginnings of the death of Rosemary and the ever growing list of suspects: The Squirrel?  The Yard Nazi?  The Hair Stylist?  Or what about June O’Hallorin, Master Gardener? 

Enjoy the talents of some of the...

In this Encore Episode, we discuss the things that can happen to your tomatoes, the ‘risks’ as it were:  blossom end rot, blossom drop, not setting fruit, not ripening, Septoria, early blight, late blight, middle aged blight (just kidding on that last one). We tell you how to fix what can be fixed and when to throw in the trowel and not beat yourself up about it. Cause it’s probably not your fault!  

Plus, we weave in some special, fun Pod Plays all about tomatoes.  Warming:  May involve squirrels.  Enjoy our gentle listeners and gardeners!

Support UD...

Our gardens are looking great for June.  Except it is August?!  Ah well. Christy and Edith are eating lettuce. Lettuce is bolting. We prevent bolting with a lawn chair. We are harvesting garlic. We are trying new ways to peel garlic. Edith is planting onions.  Christy forgot she planted onions. Plus, we celebrate what is reblooming and ponder where are all the Japanese beetles?

Then we jump in a fun topic:  Veggies and flowers with more than one use.

Hail Yeah - Edith is here! She is making tea from Linden trees, compost from coffee and mulch from grass.  Christy gets her delivery of bindweed mites and surprises some beetles enjoying Afternoon Delight.

Edith and Christy share our heart break and hope after a devestating hail storm. Find out what was stripped, shredded, pounded, vaporized, smashed and went splat. What got knocked out of the pod? Will we ever grow successful zucchini again? Will we get a ripe tomato before Labor Day?  

What should you do if your garden gets damaged from hail?  We wil...

This episode has all the feels:

INSPIRING:  Learn all about native plants.  What are they?  Why are they good for your garden?  How can you find some? Why does Lindsey only have one?

HORROR: Christy reveals what terrible thing happened in her garden this week. It’s bad, folks - like out of a scary movie. So, grab some popcorn and hold your veggies close.

LAUGHTER:  Of course, we have some fun, too!  And have prepared for you some brand new, hand-crafted pod plays that will make you smile.  And bad jokes to make you...

We are overly Pesto-mistic this episode! Lindsey returns with updates on her hydroponic garden.  Does she dare pot up her rosemary that she germinated from seed?  Christy finally got her veggie garden in.  Can it survive the morning glory invasion? 

Then we get into basil basics and IT'S EASY:  We share with you all about how to plant it, grow it, harvest and eat it!  Plus some fun trivia and witchy uses.  Why you should curse and yell when you plant basil.  How to keep your basil seeds from floating away. What is the number #1 you should never do...

Let’s talk tomatoes 2023! First, find out what’s new in tomato news: 

Then learn what varieties Karen and Christy are growing each year.  HINT:  One is Better, one is Bigger and one is Super Fantastic.  Karen shares a great recipe! And we have two tomato themed Pod Plays – hand crafted ju...

Greetings Bad-Ass Backyard Gardeners! The ever-witty and future pop-star Karen returns to UDT and we chat about what’s blooming our gardens, what’s died, and what is just being plain pokey. Plus, find out the unique way Karen aerates her lawn, how Christy made an unintended birdfeeder, and why bears are like cats.

Then, we take our grubby hands and dig into the beautiful bug everyone loves to hate.   Founder of Phyllom Bio Products and ever-wise, John Libs, comes back to continue our ever-growing series on organic Japanese Beetles mitigation. Learn all about this garden enemy and wh...

What Ho! This week Leslie and Christy try to class up the joint with their take on a Shakespearian Garden.  From Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet to A Midsummers Night’s Dream, we give you some beautiful verses from the Bard of Avon -  and some tips and tricks on some of the flora and fauna from his plays. We cover familiar plants like roses, pansies, daisies, lavender, mint, parsley, bachelor buttons, and marigolds.  And then we gift you with the knowledge of rue, crow flowers, woodbine, musk rose, oxlips, and eglantine.

Oh – and we have fun Shakesp...

Do you want to learn an easy method of starting seeds outside and getting a jump start on flowers, herbs and veggies?  Have you often wondered what is this thing we call “Winter Sowing” and think you might have missed the boat this year? Well, Leslie has the same questions and joins us for a fun demonstration on how to “Winter Sow” in the Spring. So, if you have an itch to start some tender annuals like zinnias, cosmos or marigolds.  Or herbs like basil, dill and cilantro, join us!

Plus, we celebrate World Naked Gardening Day, mourn the...

It’s National Garden Month and our gardens are busy!  So Edith joins us and gives us an update on the miracles and mysteries in her garden. Christy tells the tale of the Great Sewer Incident and we both give lima beans the respect they deserve. As usual, Edith finds Christy inspiring and Christy finds Edith hilarious.

Also:  Don’t know what to do with those pots of tulips you got at the grocery store?  We got you.  And a new pod play about cats digging in plants and a special appearance by Matt Damon, gardening in poo on M...

Spring is here!  And we celebrate our gardens springing back into life – bulbs, garlic, chives and budding lilacs. We continue to celebrate celery – Kathryn shares a great celery soup recipe. We even appreciate the weeds.  Well, some of them anyway.

We return to our old friend, the Alphabet, and bring you a potpourri of garden words that start with the letter “P”. 

Life is a garden and Kathryn and Christy dig it!  We dig into National Celery Month.  We dig into Spring Clean Up. We dig into updates on our no-dig gardens.  Ironically, we detest actual digging… Also: find out what is peeking up in our gardens, what Kathryn does with a bucket of sand and what tragedy is coming for Christy’s vegetable garden.

Learn what the experts say are the best practices for Spring Clean Up and what real gardeners do, like us! When is the best time?  What plants are best to start with?  How to protect be...

Lindsey is back this week and we do a deep dive on one of our favorite herbs to kill: Rosemary! Learn how to plant, grow and trouble shoot this useful and culinary favorite herb.  Find out what happened to the Rosemarys' toughing it out in our yards and what Lindsey is going to name her little Rosemary sprout.

And we’ve got new pod plays!  Ask Agnes - the helpful gardening show that takes the agony out of gardening - makes a return visit to chat all about winter sowing and winter sewing. 

Mailbag gives us a...

Denver’s favorite character actor and successful zucchini gardener, Lindsey, joins as guest host and we dive into gardening without soil – Hydroponics!

Did you know you can grow almost any plant in water?  That you can get a kit and grow greens and herbs on your counter? And that Lindsey talks with her hands a lot?  Get inspired by all the benefits of hydroponic gardening and learn all of Lindsey’s tips and tricks on hydroponic kits: 

Episode 100!  We are back with new episodes, new pod plays and the wonderful, wise and wacky EDITH joins us!  Spinach is on her mind, plus she educates us all on how to vaccinate bees.

Then to the heart of the matter:  We reveal our 2022 Favorite Garden Mistakes. Why couldn’t we grow one of the easiest vegetables? Edith planted peppers in the wrong place – find out where and learn from her mistake.  Plus: Marigold issues!  Bad timing! And Strange WTF’s?!

Now let’s inspired!  We are gonna throw some shade and combat climate change. Tomatoes?  Of...

Since January 29 is National Curmudgeons Day,  we thought we would share one of our favorite pod plays and honor all the cranky and fussy people in our lives.

We enjoy curmudgeons so much, one of our Garden Party categories is named for them.  (For just $2 a month, you can be an Upside Down Tulips Curmudgeon.  Just click HERE)

Good laughs and celebrating the garden are what we are all about at Upside Down Tulips.  We will be back next week with a brand new episode filled with our fun garden tips and tricks and bad joke...

We have put down our hoes and, like our garden, are settling down for long winter’s nap.

BUT! Before we are carried off to a deep hibernation filled with dreams of next year’s garden, we wanted to spread some holiday cheer and share with you our favorite holiday pod plays just for the gardener, the wanna-be gardener and anyone who considers well-aged manure a thoughtful gift.  

This week we chat about what’s alive, what’s dying, what dead and what plants cheer us up for the holidays.

Plus learn about root rot, why you should never place basil in your fridge, what is a zone, what does Persephone Period mean for gardeners. Oh – a...

Let’s set the bar low and root for each other! Leslie is back as guest host - and with the help of the knowledgeable and fun Brittany Pimentel from Denver Urban Gardens - we plan Leslie’s 2023 container garden.  Leslie’s mind is blown over patio tomatoes, pinching basil, burying mint, worm poo and what the heck is "soilless soil". Maybe we will blow your mind, too?

Since it is the week of Thanksgiving and we got our first snow, we stuffed the episode with some fun pod plays for the gardener and fans of cranberry sauce. ...

Meet Leslie and her black thumb of death. Her enthusiasm for plants, passion to learn and fun stories make her a great guest host. Find out why she grew up afraid of gardening and what happened to her miniature rose. Meanwhile, Christy’s managed to harvest a second zucchini and looks forward to the world’s smallest celery crop.

The Main Event: We dig into all the plants we have killed before and why yellow leaves can be the result of so many things out of balance.  Plus, learn the #1 way to successfully move your plants, how to ov...

Karen and Christy are in costume and ready to celebrate Halloween and the end of the garden season!  We have curated a special episode just for the gardener.  We warn you about deadly plants that can kill, tempt you with recipes for spooky season, share scary stories and treat you with a pumpkin bucket full of full of fun, original pod plays that we only play during Halloween. Yup, we have all the fan favorites: Ichabod Grain, Stranger Garden Things, Silence of the Lamb’s Ear and The Killing Frost.  And we have a BRAND NEW Pod Play about The S...

Karen is back and together we are living the brand of celebrating garden mistakes. But, we are also enjoying the onslaught of tomatoes, squash and eggplant.  What about our zucchini? (We have news!) And our pumpkins? (We have an update!) And the fish guts in our basement? (What the heck?!)

This episode is brought to you by the letter “A” – we bring a potpourri of garden tips and tricks that start with the first letter of the alphabet. 

Meet Karen!  A new guest host and voice behind the infamous Squirrel in our pod plays. Karen tells us all about her garden:  full of beautiful tomatoes, rogue pumpkins, pokey peppers and zilch zucchini. 

Cathy Nesbitt from Cathy’s Crawlers joins us to talk all about vermicomposting and how to get a worm composting system all set up.  She answers all your questions: What kind of worms? How to feed your worms?  What is the best location? When to harvest their amazing poo?  What if you are afraid of worms? What does Bruno have to do about it and w...