Podcasts Ask Grumpy Podcast The Best Trees And Shrubs For Privacy, According To Grumpy By Steve Bender Steve Bender Steve Bender, also known as The Grumpy Gardener, is an award-winning author, editor, columnist, and speaker with nearly 40 years experience as Garden Editor, Senior Writer, and Editor-at-Large for Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 7, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article About This Episode Question Of The Week Tip Of The Week About Ask Grumpy Close About This Episode The best trees and shrubs for providing privacy. Plus. Grumpy’s tip on okra. Question Of The Week "What are the best types of trees or shrubs for providing privacy along a fence in Matthews, North Carolina? Note that my fence is close to my neighbor's house." - Anne Grumpy's Response: What you need are something that is evergreen and grows into a narrow column, and here are some inspired suggestions, so get out a pen and paper: Red Sky Pencil Japanese Holly Sugar and Spice Arborvitae Maki Podocarpus Skyrocket Juniper Blue Arrow Juniper 18 Best Plants To Add Privacy To Your Yard Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Tip Of The Week Okra If you're growing okra, a lot of people in the South do that because it's one of our really traditional, heritage plants that we have in the South. And I grew up eating okra out of a family garden and one thing you gotta know is, you eat the pods. For those of you who've never seen okra before, it has a flower that looks a bit like a mallow or a hibiscus bloom. When it falls off, it forms this long, narrow seed pod that gets longer and longer every day and is edible to a point. But once the seed pod gets to be about six inches long, it can get fibrous and tough. So a good rule of thumb is to pick all the okra when the pods are four inches long, that way you'll know they'll always be tender. And another benefit of picking and harvesting frequently is the more you pick, the more you'll get 'cause you pick the okra, the seeds don't mature, so the plant keeps producing. How To Cook Okra That's Not Slimy About Ask Grumpy Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 30 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode. Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit