Environment

Summers in Phoenix can be long and lethal for those who can't escape the heat. Those who live in it say the heat makes them irritable, disoriented and unable to eat. Even at night, the temperature can hover in the lower 90s.

Summertime doesn't have to mean hours behind the lawn mower, at least for shade-dwellers. Forty years ago, David Benner, horticulturist and moss enthusiast, killed all the grass on his property and cultivated moss in its place. Benner has 25 different moss species growing in his garden near New Hope, Pa.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was an architect, an inventor and a statesman. But his passion was nature. Host Liane Hansen visits Monticello, Jefferson's primary residence on a mountaintop in Virginia, and tours Jefferson's magnificent gardens.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was an architect, an inventor and a statesman. But his passion was nature. Host Liane Hansen visits Monticello, Jefferson's primary residence on a mountaintop in Virginia, and tours Jefferson's magnificent gardens.

Wicked Plants is a new book documenting the sometimes deadly plant kingdom. Author Amy Stewart writes about illegal, dangerous and toxic species, including oleander and poison sumac. This summer, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden features some of these "evil" plants skulking among its lily ponds and greenhouses.

Wicked Plants is a new book documenting the sometimes deadly plant kingdom. Author Amy Stewart writes about illegal, dangerous and toxic species, including oleander and poison sumac. This summer, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden features some of these "evil" plants skulking among its lily ponds and greenhouses.

It takes an obsession to create a rose garden as glorious as the one Nick Weber has grown at his home in Ashton, Md. He calls it the "Heritage Rosarium," and it's filled with nearly 700 heirloom varieties of ramblers and climbers. Nick and his wife, Roseanne, open the garden to the public only once a year on Memorial Day weekend.

It takes an obsession to create a rose garden as glorious as the one Nick Weber has grown at his home in Ashton, Md. He calls it the "Heritage Rosarium," and it's filled with nearly 700 heirloom varieties of ramblers and climbers. Nick and his wife, Roseanne, open the garden to the public only once a year on Memorial Day weekend.

The Royal Horticultural Society held open auditions to try to come up with the 10 best voices to encourage their tomatoes in a month-long experiment.

The Royal Horticultural Society held open auditions to try to come up with the 10 best voices to encourage their tomatoes in a month-long experiment.