
Keeping It Green
Our landscapes have many functions; they add beauty to our surroundings, provide a place to recreate, reduce stress, and clean and cool the surrounding environment. They also provide pollen and nectar for pollinators and provide habitat for birds. Keeping It Green is a weekly podcast in which Penn State extension educators talk with ornamental plant professionals and enthusiasts who add beauty and function to our landscapes. Topics will range from design, installation and maintenance, plant selection, pests, and other current horticulture topics.
Episodes
44 episodes
Season 3 Episode 3 - Kelly Piccioni
Join the Keeping It Green team as they sit down with one of Penn State Extension’s newest hires, Kelly Piccioni. Kelly shares her family's deep-rooted history in horticulture, starting with her great-grandfather, who bought Christmas trees by t...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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44:16

Season 3 Episode 2 –with Patricia Prade, Penn State Extension Educator
Join the Keeping It Green team as they chat with one of Penn State Extension’s newest hires, Patricia Prade. She studied forestry within the Brazilian university system with no interest in insects—until something changed. We'll explore what spa...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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41:48
Season 3 Episode 1 –with Tom Bechtel, owner and CEO of Heritage Lawn and Landscape
Join the Keeping It Green team as they chat with Tom Bechtel, owner and CEO of Heritage Lawn and Landscape. Tom shares insights into the wide range of services his company provides across three counties in south-central Pennsylvania. He also de...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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47:33
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Season 2 Episode 11: with Alyssa Hagerman, horticultural manager at Hershey Gardens
Join us as Alyssa shares her journey in horticulture, which began with childhood greenhouse visits alongside her great-grandmother. In this episode, she talks about how her passion blossomed through school, eventually leading her to study horti...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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47:13
Season 2 Episode 10: with Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Association
In this episode, we chat with Andrew Bunting, vice president of Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). Andrew discusses the history of PHS and its four main priorities: creating healthy living environments, increasing acc...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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46:01

Season 2 Episode 9: Jennifer Shaffer, Director of the Organic Land Care Program at the Northeast Organic Farming Association
In this episode, we sit down with Jennifer Shaffer, Director of the Organic Land Care Program at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA). Jennifer discusses how NOFA's mission of sustainable farming extends to their Organic Land Care P...
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47:16

Season 2 Episode 8: Emelie Swackhamer, Penn State Extension Horticulturist
Join the Keeping It Green podcast as they explore the role of a generalist in horticulture education with Penn State extension horticulturist Emelie Swackhamer. For decades, Emelie has been helping farmers, growers, homeowners, and landscapers ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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48:09

Season 2 Episode 7: What's happening around PA?
Weeks of rain and several days of warm weather have sparked an array of color and growth in Pennsylvania's landscapes. On the latest episode of The Green Industry podcast, our team examines the changes in plant and insect life occurring statewi...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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48:18

Season 2 Episode 6: Christine Williams, Owner of Little Swatara Creek Flowers
Little Swatara Creek Flowers was born when Christine Williams decided to grow the flowers for her daughter's wedding on their family farm. This choice led to a shift, with cut flowers gradually taking over parts of the land traditionally dedica...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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53:44
Season 2 Episode 5: Michelle Catania, Morton Arboretum’s Green Industry Outreach Coordinator
The Green Industry podcast team jumps into mid-west horticulture with Michelle Catania, the Green Industry Outreach Coordinator at Morton Arboretum. This interview offers a journey through time, exploring the legacy of the Morton family, pivota...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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46:47

Season 2 Episode 4: Conversation with Art and Abe Van Wingerden, co-CEOs of Metrolina Greenhouses
Join us as Art and Abe Van Wingerden delve into their upbringing within the greenhouse business their parents pioneered. What began as a modest venture has blossomed into a sprawling enterpris...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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50:42

Season 2 Episode 3: Conversation with Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center
Join the Keeping It Green podcast team as we talk with Sam Hoadley, the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center. Discover how a small organization makes a significant impact! During ...
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43:59

Season 2 Episode 2: Talking with Nancy Knauss, Co-Owner of Xylem Excursions
Join the podcast team as we trace Nancy Knauss' fascination with plants from an early age to leading horticulture tours across the world with her company, Xylem Excursions. H...
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42:12

Season 2 Episode 1: Talking with Nash Turley, Penn State Entomology Postdoctoral Scholar
Is it possible to talk about brown tree snakes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, owls, swimming pools, Guam, bees, and Furby stuffed animals in one podcast? The Keeping it Green podcast team pulled it off with the assistance of Penn State Entomolo...
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48:44

Season 1 Episode 30: A Conversation with Glen Bupp, Penn State Extension
Listeners are invited to explore disc golf courses' basic design and maintenance principles. With disc golf’s surging popularity, Penn State Extension Educator Glen Bupp discusses the unique aspects distinguishing disc golf courses from traditi...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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43:16

Season 1 Episode 29: Mark Sellew with Prides Corner Farms
Join the podcast team as they journey to Connecticut to chat with Mark Sellew of Prides Corner Farms. Mark shares the intriguing story of transitioning from greenhouse tomatoe...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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47:44

Season 1 Episode 28: Hugh Weldon and Dan Bangert with The Professional Grounds Management Society
Residential landscapers specialize in creating and maintaining outdoor spaces for individual homeowners, focusing on aesthetics and personalized design. In contrast, grounds managers of institutions oversee larger outdoor areas, emphasizing not...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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1:00:07

Season 1 Episode 27: End of Summer Wrap-up from The Keeping It Green Podcast Team
The Keeping It Green podcast team takes a dive into the challenges faced during the summer growing season. Maybe the podcast title should have been "The Landscaping Apocalypse" instead of “Summer Wrap-Up?" The group had a realistic discussion a...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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51:59

Season 1 Episode 26: Talking About Ticks with Amy Korman, Extension Educator with Penn State
Pennsylvania has become a hot spot for tick-borne diseases with the dubious distinction of ranking #1 in the country for the number of Lyme disease cases per year. Amy Korman, a Penn State Educator, joins the podcast team to discuss the complex...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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49:52

Season 1 Episode 25: Landscape Design with Claudia West of Phyto Studio
From her origins in East Germany to her current role as the principal of Phyto Studio, Claudia West's story is intertwined with the significance of North American native plants. Tune in to today's podc...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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50:24

Season 1 Episode 24: Conversation with Erin Kinley, Penn State Master Gardener
So how did a Nebraska farm girl, raised on an animal/row crop operation, become interested in horticulture? And what brought her to the East Coast? Tune in as Erin Kinley talks about her path from the farm to the coordinator of Penn State’s Mas...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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50:38

Season 1 Episode 23: The Perennial Challenge of Invasives, a Conversation with Dr. Victoria Smith, State Entomologist of Connecticut
The team ventures into the regulatory landscape of the horticulture industry with a conversation with Dr. Victoria Smith, the State Entomologist of Connecticut. One of the main roles of Vicky’s position is to address the perennial challenge of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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47:46

Season 1 Episode 22: “A Variety of Horticultural Topics” With the Keeping It Green Podcast Team
The podcast team gets together to kick around their thoughts on a variety of horticultural topics and asks several deep questions: Why are there all those planes flying around central Pennsylvania? What is stressi...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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50:13

Season 1 Episode 21: Conversation with Tim Vela of United Veterans Construction and Landscape Solutions, Inc.
The podcast team heads out to the southwest to chat with Tim Vela of United Veterans Construction and Landscape Solutions, Inc. Tim’s early exposure to horticulture started when his mother gave him the ‘...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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51:58

Season 1 Episode 20: Talking with Jeff Fowler and Tanner Delvalle, Hosts from Penn State’s Fresh Cut Grass Podcast
The Keeping It Green podcast team joins forces with Penn State Extension’s Fresh Cut Grass podcast crew. Can enthusiasts of woody and herbaceous plants get along with fans of turfgrass? Tu...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:07:58
