1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:06,480 Coming to you from Studio A here at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. It's 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:11,359 time for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella, me, Rick Weist, 3 00:00:11,359 --> 00:00:16,719 and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Okay, today we get to talk 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:22,160 about pruning and obviously herbaceous material like your perennials. Well, we pruned them 5 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,320 up and cleaned them up last fall, and if there's still some left, 6 00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:29,359 like ornamental grasses, we can cut them back now. But when we talk 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:35,119 about pruning, as we get to the vertumnal time of the year versusumnl. 8 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,759 Yeah. I threw that in there, Stacey, because a tumnal rolls off 9 00:00:39,759 --> 00:00:44,280 the tongue. But a lot of people don't know of that seventeenth century word 10 00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:49,640 that pertains to spring vertumnol. So I've never heard that word. I hadn't 11 00:00:49,679 --> 00:00:52,560 either, That's why I threw it in. I think it's interesting. So 12 00:00:52,719 --> 00:00:57,759 really, the question is when is the best time of year to prune my 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:04,200 trees and my rub And the reason people can sometimes get confused or hesitate is 14 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:10,480 because pruning requirements of trees and shrubs will not only vary according to the species, 15 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:15,959 but also depend on the purpose of the pruning and Stacy, if I 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,760 had a dime for every time someone has asked me about how to prune a 17 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:25,959 bud leah or a hydrangea or a clematis, I'd be a rich guy. 18 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,719 Oh yeah, those are three big stumpers right there. Oh, good one, 19 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,040 big stumpers. Yes. As a matter of fact, my word of 20 00:01:33,079 --> 00:01:38,439 the day hag snare. Oh, hag snare. There's another lost word found 21 00:01:38,439 --> 00:01:42,680 in the Internet archive. It's a stub off which wood has been cut. 22 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,480 Oh, there you go. You can add that one to your portfolio. 23 00:01:48,359 --> 00:01:53,840 Uh So, what's the secret And I'm stealing this one from Stacy? What's 24 00:01:53,879 --> 00:02:00,920 the secret of transitioning from a competent gardener to a confident one pruning? I'd 25 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:07,640 suggest you watch Stacy's video. And also, Stacy, you produce something called 26 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:15,039 Pruning Demystified and it's a web page that will link at Gardeningsimplified on air dot 27 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,159 com. It is. It is excellent, Stacy, because again, many 28 00:02:19,199 --> 00:02:23,400 times people become paralyzed knowing that they should prune, afraid to prune because I'm 29 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,960 gonna kill the thing or I'm gonna mess it up. It's so true. 30 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,919 People sort of have this vague notion that gardening or even just having a landscape 31 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:36,479 requires pruning. So they know these two concepts, but they don't know how 32 00:02:36,479 --> 00:02:39,759 they go together. And you know, I think a lot of people will 33 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:46,240 drive around they'll see, you know, landscapes at gas stations, and they'll 34 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,639 see those things pruned to within an inch of their lives and they'll say, 35 00:02:49,719 --> 00:02:53,879 that is a well maintained landscape. That's what my landscape should look like. 36 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,800 If it does, everyone knows that I care and I'm taking care of my 37 00:02:57,879 --> 00:03:00,360 plants, and that's what it should look like. And so that's not the 38 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:05,120 case at all. I mean, pruning is done for specific purposes. A 39 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,439 pruned landscape does not equal a well maintained landscape. It does not equal a 40 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:15,120 beautiful landscape, certainly. But pruning is a very powerful gardening tool. And 41 00:03:15,159 --> 00:03:17,240 I think for myself, you know that thing that I wrote that you said 42 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:23,759 in pruning tmstified that it's transitioning from a competent gardener to a confident one when 43 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,879 you do prune properly, and when you see how what you've pruned has impacted 44 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,159 the plant's growth, Yes, it really just kind of distills it all and 45 00:03:31,199 --> 00:03:34,759 it really starts to make sense for you. And so that's why it's so 46 00:03:35,439 --> 00:03:38,719 important to understand what you're doing and not just go out there willy nilly and 47 00:03:38,759 --> 00:03:40,159 just say, Okay, everything looks care for I pruned it. I mean, 48 00:03:40,159 --> 00:03:45,479 that's just you know, it's all about making sense exactly. And Stacy, 49 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,120 I'm in your camp because you have always said don't prune without a reason. 50 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,439 Never, So why do we prune? Well, the reason we prune 51 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:58,280 is to improve flowering and fruiting, even stem color on plants like dog. 52 00:03:58,319 --> 00:04:02,520 Would ye improve the plants habit or shape, encourage reblooming, neet in a 53 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:08,879 plant's appearance, rejuvenate it, or maybe if you're really getting into pruning, 54 00:04:09,039 --> 00:04:14,840 forming a hedge or some sort of topiary. But always prune with a reason. 55 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,800 And with that, Stacey, I threw together a very short limerick to 56 00:04:18,879 --> 00:04:26,000 share with you on pruning because it causes so much worry for people. Oldwood, 57 00:04:26,319 --> 00:04:30,800 newwood, deadwood. My to prune or not to prune? I ask 58 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,720 why height and length to measure? I'm really feeling the pressure. Do I 59 00:04:34,759 --> 00:04:41,399 take action or do I just stand by? Ooh? People ask themselves that 60 00:04:41,639 --> 00:04:46,639 in the garden all the time. Right, and you take something like hydranges 61 00:04:46,199 --> 00:04:50,120 or bud Leah's. The fear is I'm going to damage the plant or I'm 62 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:57,439 going to reduce flowering by pruning. And as we leave winter and head into 63 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,759 spring, there is that risk that you can could prune out flowers with some 64 00:05:00,959 --> 00:05:04,399 plants, right, And there is that risk. Now that is a risk 65 00:05:04,439 --> 00:05:08,959 that is a disappointment certainly for someone who does that. And that's why we 66 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,680 always say, when in doubt, don't prune. If you don't prune something, 67 00:05:13,759 --> 00:05:16,959 it's a lot easy to recover from not pruning then from over pruning. 68 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:23,120 And you know, it's just if you don't know why you're pruning, then 69 00:05:23,199 --> 00:05:25,079 you don't know what to do. You don't know how much to cut, 70 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,720 you don't know where to make your cuts. That reason why you are pruning 71 00:05:28,959 --> 00:05:32,720 literally informs every other decision that you're going to make in that pruning project. 72 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,040 So I would say, if you don't have that initial reason, then do 73 00:05:36,199 --> 00:05:41,399 stand by. Then do put the pruners down. Either leave it alone, 74 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,519 write a message to the gardening Simplified Show. Maybe we'll be able to help 75 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,079 you. Read some articles online, ask a gardening friend, but you know, 76 00:05:48,639 --> 00:05:51,319 try to determine that reason, and then you can make your decision, 77 00:05:51,319 --> 00:05:56,839 and if that happens next year, that's perfectly fine. Pruning is is rarely 78 00:05:56,879 --> 00:05:59,680 an issue of like, if I don't prune this, the plant is going 79 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,120 to It's really an esthetic nicety. I mean, unless, of course, 80 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,920 it's like a damage, which we've had a ton of damage this year with 81 00:06:05,959 --> 00:06:10,000 all of that cool, heavy wet snow. You know, if you have 82 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:13,240 a hanging limb, well then all of this goes out the window. But 83 00:06:13,399 --> 00:06:16,199 in terms of maintaining your landscape, when in doubt, don't prune. As 84 00:06:16,199 --> 00:06:20,959 they say in broadcasting, please stand by the opinions here are not the fault 85 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,439 of your receiver. They're just our opinions and stacy. For me, what 86 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,879 I hate to see with pruning. There's nothing like a plant having a bad 87 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,079 hair day where somebody just takes a little off the top. Now, I 88 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:40,439 think taking a little off the top sometimes it's necessary, but most of the 89 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:45,279 time we are far better off again going in with a reason, because when 90 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,480 we prune back on a branch, it forces outward growth, it makes the 91 00:06:48,519 --> 00:06:54,680 plant fuller, or forces blooming. In some cases, we take a branch 92 00:06:54,959 --> 00:06:59,000 all the way out as opposed to taking a little off the top. But 93 00:06:59,079 --> 00:07:02,639 as I drive out and about in neighborhoods or when I'm out running, I 94 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:08,639 see it all the time, plants where just a little has been taken off 95 00:07:08,639 --> 00:07:11,959 the top, and it drives me nuts. Yeah, it's it's not my 96 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,560 jam, it is not my style, and I don't it's it's you're just 97 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,879 asking yourself, why did someone do this? Even if you do want to 98 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,279 height control your plant, you want it to be shorter. You know, 99 00:07:23,399 --> 00:07:26,079 you're not going to give it the buzz cut. You want to get out 100 00:07:26,079 --> 00:07:30,720 there with your hand pruners and make individual cuts. Don't just take your heads 101 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,040 trimmer and you know, cut it flat so it has a buzz cut. 102 00:07:33,279 --> 00:07:39,759 You want to cut out selectively to maintain a more natural look, especially when 103 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,639 you're just bringing the top. Yeah. Maybe it goes back to my childhood 104 00:07:43,959 --> 00:07:46,399 because I look at pictures now when I was very young, and I think 105 00:07:46,439 --> 00:07:50,800 my mom put a pot on my head and just cut my hair that way. 106 00:07:50,879 --> 00:07:55,879 But it was cheap, so it was it was easy. Uh. 107 00:07:56,040 --> 00:08:01,040 You know, time of the year is a critical issue. In summer, 108 00:08:01,279 --> 00:08:05,959 I'd like to do some maintenance pruning, but in general, step away from 109 00:08:05,959 --> 00:08:11,720 the pruners early in spring. You know, grape vines are a great example. 110 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:16,680 People will prune grape vines very hard during the months months of February and 111 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:22,199 March. So early spring or late winter in ideal time because also, Stacey, 112 00:08:22,279 --> 00:08:26,319 there's no insect or disease activity. We get a good look at the 113 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,480 plant and we do a better job of pruning. You know, it's such 114 00:08:28,519 --> 00:08:33,240 a good time to get that, you know, good look at the structure 115 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,039 of the plant. Very often you can see where the buds are emerging or 116 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:41,480 are going to emerge, which also helps you make the right decisions. So 117 00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:43,360 I think it's a great time. There are a few things, except of 118 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,240 course for those who lime on old wood, which you know, got plenty 119 00:08:46,279 --> 00:08:50,519 of detail for that, you know, on that for you to determine that. 120 00:08:50,919 --> 00:08:54,000 There's few things that aren't best pruned in early spring while there's still somewhat 121 00:08:54,039 --> 00:08:58,759 dormant. Yeah, exactly. Lilacs are one of the first plants that comes 122 00:08:58,759 --> 00:09:03,679 to mind. Not prune lilacs or for scythia, but in general those spring 123 00:09:03,759 --> 00:09:07,559 bloomers, I like to prune them right after they're done blooming. On a 124 00:09:07,639 --> 00:09:11,960 future show, Stacey will talk about the topic of tools, but I do 125 00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:16,519 want to mention in this segment get yourself a good, high quality, clean 126 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,919 bypass pruners. Not one of those mashers, Nope, but a bypass pruner, 127 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,120 as long as you don't lose it. And I do lose them sometimes 128 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:31,759 I find them with a lawnmower, but I do lose them. Still spend 129 00:09:31,799 --> 00:09:33,600 some money and get a good perner. You know, it's so worth it. 130 00:09:33,639 --> 00:09:37,639 Your hands will thank you, your plants will thank you. And those 131 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,759 mashers they're called anvil pruners. And the issue with those, of course, 132 00:09:41,799 --> 00:09:45,759 they don't make a nice clean cut. They smash the wood. But they're 133 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:48,720 much cheaper than the bypass pruners. So when people, especially beginning gardeners or 134 00:09:48,759 --> 00:09:52,639 people on a budget, go to the garden center to buy those pruners, 135 00:09:52,639 --> 00:09:54,240 they just say, well, this is pruners. This is ten bucks or 136 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,639 twenty bucks cheaper than the other ones, and they end up with the wrong 137 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,799 pruner. Anvil pruners are often used by foresters because they stay sharp and they're 138 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,120 just doing, like, you know, different kinds of work. They're fine 139 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,840 if you're doing cut flowers, but in terms of pruning from your actual landscape 140 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:13,440 plants a bypass pruner with a scissor action. There's no other choice. Yeah, 141 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,799 in general, you'll find those cheap pruners have to check out along with 142 00:10:16,879 --> 00:10:22,519 the candy bars for impulse purchases. Get to the tool section and spend some 143 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:26,679 dough on that bypass pruning. Cheers. Plants on trial coming up next here 144 00:10:26,919 --> 00:10:37,320 on the Gardening Simplified Show, Proven winners. Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your 145 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,960 success in the garden. That's why we trial and test all of our shrubs 146 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,960 for eight to ten years, making sure they outperform everything else on the market. 147 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,480 Look for them in the distinctive white container at your local garden center. 148 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,120 Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. It's time 149 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:56,240 where we put a plant on trial, which is to say, we're going 150 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,600 to tell you about one of the three hundred and twenty plus proof Winter's Color 151 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:03,919 Choice shrubs and you get to decide if it's going to earn a spot in 152 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,919 your garden or landscape or not. Now I'm gonna have to come right out 153 00:11:07,919 --> 00:11:11,919 and say that today's plan on trial is a fabulous one. It's Rise up, 154 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,960 Lilac day's rose. I like that, and you know what, I 155 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,200 can see why you picked it because in the previous segment I mentioned hydranges and 156 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,200 bud leah. But when it comes to pruning rosy, yeah, I mean, 157 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,840 I think roses are the thing. People think roses, they think pruning 158 00:11:26,879 --> 00:11:30,759 even more so than almost anything else, any other kind of plant. And 159 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:35,120 I wanted to pick Rise Up Lilac days because it is the Rise Up series 160 00:11:35,159 --> 00:11:39,480 are the first ever climbing roses from proven Winter's color Choice shrubs. And I'm 161 00:11:39,519 --> 00:11:41,519 going to get into that in a minute, but it's going to take me 162 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:45,559 a long time to kind of build up to that, because of course, 163 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,120 you know, I like to tie the plant into the topic of the day, 164 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,679 and it's pruning, and spring is for pruning. People get real antsy, 165 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,759 they want to do the right thing. And again people just think roses 166 00:11:54,840 --> 00:12:00,720 need to be prune, and that is true. And I I have found 167 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:05,840 in my own personal gardening journey that when I read about pruning roses, when 168 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,639 I learned about the how and why of pruning roses, as we said in 169 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:13,360 the first segment, things just really crystallized for me. And that was knowledge 170 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:18,399 I was able to see and apply across other plants as well. Now, 171 00:12:18,399 --> 00:12:20,720 I do want to first say that, you know, we're talking about pruning. 172 00:12:20,279 --> 00:12:24,360 We talk a lot about shrubs on the show, but really all types 173 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,519 of plants can be pruned for different reasons. So annuals, you know, 174 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:31,559 you might give your annuals a trim in the middle of the summer to kind 175 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:35,320 of shorten them, make them a little bit, reinvigorate them. A pinch 176 00:12:35,399 --> 00:12:37,240 to grow an inch, A pinch to grow an inch. Dead Heading is 177 00:12:37,279 --> 00:12:41,519 a type of pruning. So if you're dead heading geraniums or something else, 178 00:12:41,799 --> 00:12:45,679 that is actually also a type of pruning. People prune their perennials. I 179 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,399 know when I was a rooftop gardener in New York City, the designer that 180 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,039 I was working for liked to have his hostas pruned. He didn't like them 181 00:12:52,039 --> 00:12:54,879 to have as many leaves as they were supposed to have. He wanted more 182 00:12:54,919 --> 00:12:58,360 space. So I would go in there and I would yank out hostile leaves, 183 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,200 and that was all also a type of pruning. Of course, we're 184 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,759 going to talk about shrubs and trees. Those are a totally different technique with 185 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,720 a different approach. But when it comes to shrubs. I think roses really 186 00:13:09,759 --> 00:13:16,320 do represent all of the benefits and reasons why you might prune something. So 187 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:22,039 the reason that we prune roses so regularly, why they have this association with 188 00:13:22,159 --> 00:13:26,799 pruning, is because if you do not prune a rose, what happens is 189 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:31,600 the growth gets really really tall, it gets really really skinny, and you 190 00:13:31,759 --> 00:13:35,120 just get a few kind of wimpy flowers way up there at the tippy top. 191 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,000 So it's not going to look anything like the pictures that you see on 192 00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:39,879 our plant tags or on our website. It's not going to have that big, 193 00:13:39,919 --> 00:13:46,399 beautiful rose bush, light rose bush look that people like so much. 194 00:13:46,039 --> 00:13:50,320 Now, if you prune a rose, what you do is you do two 195 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,639 things. You take off that apical bud, the top bud, which produces 196 00:13:54,639 --> 00:13:58,519 hormones, which stifles the growth of anything below it, so you keep it 197 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:03,480 from just one means you grow upward ever skinnier. And by taking off that 198 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,720 top bud, which was produced later in the previous season when the days were 199 00:14:07,759 --> 00:14:13,440 getting shorter and cooler, you're taking the growth back to thicker, sturdier, 200 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:18,600 more vigorous buds that were created much earlier in the season, when the growing 201 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,879 season was ideal, you know, back in June July. The days are 202 00:14:20,919 --> 00:14:26,000 long hot, and those thicker buds are going to result in thicker, more 203 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:30,440 vigorous growth, which is going to be stronger, more supportive, It's going 204 00:14:30,519 --> 00:14:33,879 to look better, and most importantly, it's going to flower better. Have 205 00:14:33,919 --> 00:14:37,919 you ever pruned a rose and some of the growth that came after your pruning 206 00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:41,919 was thin and spindily and weak, and some of it was thick and vigorous. 207 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,919 Sure, the reason for that is the size of the bud that you 208 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,720 pruned back to. People get so confused by this. You know, I 209 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,480 thought I did the right thing. Some of the growth is skinny, the 210 00:14:50,559 --> 00:14:56,399 thicker the bud that you prune back to. So you make your cut above 211 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:58,559 a bud, the thicker that bud is, the thicker and more vigorous the 212 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:03,080 growth that comes from it is. So with roses, we really want to 213 00:15:03,559 --> 00:15:07,200 prune them at a time when those buds just start to emerge and you can 214 00:15:07,279 --> 00:15:13,120 really clearly see where those buds are, how thick they are, and make 215 00:15:13,159 --> 00:15:16,639 that cut, and then when you see the ensuing growth from those cuts, 216 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,360 that's I think when it really all starts to make sense for people. That's 217 00:15:20,399 --> 00:15:26,320 fabulous advice. You rose to the occasion, Stacey. And when I first 218 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,519 started out in the garden center industry, they always told us to prune back 219 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:35,480 to the first five leaflet on the stem. To me, that really doesn't 220 00:15:35,519 --> 00:15:37,320 make sense. I like what you're saying there. Yeah, I don't do 221 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,080 the leaflet thing. No, neither do I. And I also know why 222 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,639 they taught me that. Well, you know, there's a lot of pruning 223 00:15:43,679 --> 00:15:46,919 practices especially that have been tossed out the windows since back in the day, 224 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,919 you know, I know, even when I was learning to garden, you 225 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,039 know, back in like the nineteen nineties, people were still saying, oh, 226 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:56,919 well, you must make the rose cut away from the bud so the 227 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:02,120 water drains away from it. And when I went to horticulture school, the 228 00:16:02,159 --> 00:16:06,399 instructor was like, are you joking me? Do you see buds rotting everywhere? 229 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,320 Because when nature makes a pruning cut, it's not at a slant and 230 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,879 buds aren't rotting out. And as I've said before on the show, when 231 00:16:11,919 --> 00:16:15,120 you are pruning off the plant, you do want to minimize the surface area 232 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,759 of the wound. You want to leave a smaller wound that's easier for the 233 00:16:18,799 --> 00:16:21,519 plant to heal from. If you make a big, long, slanted cut, 234 00:16:21,559 --> 00:16:23,600 that's a lot more surface area. Stacey, haven't many of these rolls 235 00:16:23,759 --> 00:16:29,200 been thrown out the window because today, in the golden age of plant breeding, 236 00:16:29,279 --> 00:16:33,519 these plants are more vigorous, they're fabulous. Like the plant you're featuring 237 00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:37,519 today. There's that, yeah, a lot, and that does help a 238 00:16:37,559 --> 00:16:40,320 lot, But a lot of these you we've just realized they're they're just not 239 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:44,159 true. They're just little things that probably people put into their gardening books to 240 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:45,679 make you buy them and think that they were giving you a little yeah, 241 00:16:45,759 --> 00:16:49,360 hecks give you something a little bit extra. But the other reason that I 242 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:53,799 don't like cutting back to the five leaflet is, in my opinion, if 243 00:16:53,840 --> 00:17:00,720 you are waiting until the rose has actually leafed out and is not still in 244 00:17:00,759 --> 00:17:06,599 bud, then the rose just wasted all of that energy expanding those buds into 245 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:08,920 leaves that you're just gonna cut off. Now. It's not going to harm 246 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:14,599 the plant. These are all like best practices kind of things. So if 247 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:15,839 you wait, if you do it when they're still in bud, the plant 248 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:19,079 doesn't put energy into leafing those out. The energy within the roots and the 249 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:25,400 plants. A vascular system can be concentrated into the much smaller amount of buds 250 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:30,920 that you have left on the plant. And that's my approach to that. 251 00:17:30,039 --> 00:17:33,960 Now, Oh man, I had so many things I wanted to say about 252 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,400 prunny, I'm not gonna have time, and this is like, it's like 253 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,480 torture to try to get this all into ten little minutes and tell you about 254 00:17:40,519 --> 00:17:45,359 the fabulous Rise Up Lilac Day's rose. Now, all of the approach to 255 00:17:45,519 --> 00:17:48,119 pruning roses is going to be the same. So everything that we're talking about, 256 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:53,599 you know, early spring pruning back to a thick and vigorous bud, 257 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:56,400 that's going to be the same. No matter what type of rose you have. 258 00:17:56,559 --> 00:18:02,039 The differences are going to come depend on those types of roses. So 259 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,519 with something like a shrub rose, you can actually prune that thing with like 260 00:18:04,519 --> 00:18:07,880 a hedge trimmer or a chainsaw, it's not real fussy. If you have 261 00:18:08,039 --> 00:18:11,519 something like a hybrid t you're probably going to be a lot more delicate and 262 00:18:11,599 --> 00:18:17,319 purposeful about where you make those cuts. And with something like a climbing rose 263 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,000 like Rise Up Lilac Days, then you're going to use a similar strategy, 264 00:18:22,039 --> 00:18:26,480 but you have to understand that climbing roses do not climb on their own, 265 00:18:26,519 --> 00:18:30,039 so they're not like a clematis. They're not like a climbing hydrangea. They're 266 00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:33,880 not like ivy where they are able to climb up on something on their own. 267 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:41,240 Basically, what they are are roses that have naturally long, flexible canes 268 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:45,920 and they still still have thorns so they can cling somewhat, but that gives 269 00:18:47,079 --> 00:18:51,880 them the ability to be trained on to a structure. So you know, 270 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,000 you're gonna have to do a little bit of work to get a climbing rose 271 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,400 to actually climb. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't prune it, because what 272 00:18:57,519 --> 00:19:00,960 happens people worry, Hey, I finally got my climbing rose to cover this 273 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:03,640 thing. Now you're telling me I'm going to prune it like crazy. As 274 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,599 we've said on the show, when you have an established plant, you have 275 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:11,519 a big, vigorous root system which acts as an engine to fuel that growth. 276 00:19:11,839 --> 00:19:15,160 So the more established your root system is, the more vigorously it is 277 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,960 going to recover from that pruning. So you're still going to want to prune 278 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,960 your climbing roses. Of course, they can get to a point where they're 279 00:19:22,039 --> 00:19:26,920 very difficult to prune. But you want to make sure that you are taking 280 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,000 off that top growth. Otherwise what you're going to have is a climbing rose 281 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,119 with just a few spindly little flowers at the tippy top that you can't even 282 00:19:33,279 --> 00:19:37,720 enjoy. You're not going to get that amazing cape cod rose covered cottage look 283 00:19:37,759 --> 00:19:41,440 that you want by a growing a climbing rose. You're just going to have 284 00:19:41,519 --> 00:19:45,599 like ten sad flowers and they're going to be at the top. Stacy, 285 00:19:45,599 --> 00:19:48,160 I'm realizing we're going to have to do about three or four shows on the 286 00:19:48,319 --> 00:19:52,440 rose topic. We could, we could, I know, it's like I 287 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,039 wish I could say so much more, but I do want to talk about 288 00:19:56,079 --> 00:19:59,720 Rise Up Lilac Days specifically. So it is a what we call a mini 289 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,680 climb. So other climbing roses are gonna maybe have canes that are ten fifteen 290 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:08,440 feet more tall long, whereas Rise Up Lilac Days and the other roses in 291 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,519 the Rise Up series are about five to eight feet tall. So this is 292 00:20:12,559 --> 00:20:18,680 an ideal size for planting on like a porch, pillar, pergolas, deck 293 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:21,160 railings, things like that. Of course, maybe a deck ralling isn't so 294 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,240 good because they do have thorns, But any place you're not gonna have to 295 00:20:23,279 --> 00:20:26,759 have your hands. So it's a really nice scale, and I think that's 296 00:20:26,759 --> 00:20:30,559 important. It's not going to take over your house. It's not going to 297 00:20:30,599 --> 00:20:33,680 become a maintenance nightmare. It's just going to give you that beautiful column of 298 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:37,920 flowers. And the flowers on this plant you have to see them to believe 299 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:42,000 them. They are purple, and you know, a lot of roses color 300 00:20:42,079 --> 00:20:47,079 kind of gets a little bit maybe exaggerated. They are a true kind of 301 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,200 lilac purple. And the fragrance if you smelled this plant, it is absolutely 302 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,359 stunning. You know, we love roses that have all the disease resistance in 303 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,599 vigor that we want in proven Winter's color choice shrubs, but with fragrance and 304 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:03,240 with amazing color, and this plant does that. Now, if you don't 305 00:21:03,279 --> 00:21:07,160 have a place to grow a climbing rose, don't fret, because this is 306 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:08,920 a mini climber. You can actually grow it as a shop rose. It 307 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:14,640 doesn't strictly need the support, It just can be used that way. So 308 00:21:15,079 --> 00:21:18,160 I really love that versatility because when you see this plant in the garden center 309 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,279 this year, you are going to want to have one for your own garden. 310 00:21:21,319 --> 00:21:22,720 I can guarantee you that. And if you want to see the pictures 311 00:21:22,759 --> 00:21:26,359 of it, you can visit us at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com or check 312 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:30,240 us out on Instagram, or of course, if you're watching YouTube version, 313 00:21:30,279 --> 00:21:33,519 you're going to see all the fabulous footage that Adriana cuts in so you can 314 00:21:33,559 --> 00:21:37,319 see it for yourself and decide if it is going to earn a spot in 315 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,079 your garden. Rise Up Lilac Day's Rose. We're going to take a little 316 00:21:40,079 --> 00:21:41,240 bit of a break. When we come back, We've got the garden mail 317 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:51,559 bag to open up, so please stay tuned. At proven winner's color choice, 318 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:55,599 We've got a shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking 319 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:00,000 for an easycare rose, an unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, 320 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,519 you can be confident that the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed and 321 00:22:03,559 --> 00:22:08,640 tested for your success. Look for them at your local garden center. Greetings, 322 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,240 gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. I have 323 00:22:12,319 --> 00:22:18,559 to confess I was quite the rambling rose in plans on trial talking about Rise 324 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:22,079 Up Lilac Day's Rose. So there was a lot of information. I didn't 325 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,799 even get out half the information that I wanted to get out, So please 326 00:22:25,839 --> 00:22:30,559 do check out our show notes at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com. I'm gonna 327 00:22:30,559 --> 00:22:33,039 put in everything that I said, everything that I didn't say, linked to 328 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,279 the page of Rise Up Lilac Day's Rose, so you can see it for 329 00:22:37,319 --> 00:22:38,920 yourself. And we'll also have resources there for you, because you know, 330 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,680 we want you to be successful, and that's why we have the garden mail 331 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,200 Bag so people can write us their questions. And it is definitely getting to 332 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,960 the time of year where people are worried. We have unusual warmth this spring, 333 00:22:49,039 --> 00:22:55,559 so people are freaking out about all sorts of stuff to varying degrees and 334 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,559 you know, thinking ahead to the season and remembering things that they need to 335 00:22:59,599 --> 00:23:02,480 deal with that happened last year. So what a we got in the mailbag 336 00:23:02,559 --> 00:23:04,319 this time? Yeah, with an El Nino winter. As a matter of 337 00:23:04,319 --> 00:23:07,960 fact, I'm going to be on the NBC affiliate here in West Michigan this 338 00:23:08,039 --> 00:23:12,839 week talking about that fact that stuff is popping out of the ground. And 339 00:23:14,039 --> 00:23:18,200 one of our YouTube viewers also asked us which is probably on a lot of 340 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:23,759 people's minds. My day lilies are emerging already zone five B six A. 341 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:30,119 Do I need to cover them when it freezes again? Daffodils, day lilies 342 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,559 popping out of the ground. Stacy they are, and you know, I 343 00:23:33,599 --> 00:23:38,359 think that it's not a cause for concern. There are certainly things that are 344 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:42,519 sensitive too cold. If we have a warm snap and they start to emerge, 345 00:23:42,799 --> 00:23:47,799 that tends to be more shrubs. There's certainly perennials that are susceptible to 346 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,319 that, but day lilies are not one of them. And day lilies are 347 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:56,039 naturally very early to emerge. And just because that's happening now in late February 348 00:23:56,079 --> 00:24:02,519 instead of late March as it would under a more normal or winter, doesn't 349 00:24:02,559 --> 00:24:07,519 mean that they can't make it. You know, it's they plants emerge based 350 00:24:07,599 --> 00:24:11,160 on day length and warmth, and right now the days are getting longer, 351 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,000 and so you know, to some extent the plants know what they're doing. 352 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,359 You know they're being triggered, and yeah, we could have some cold snaps, 353 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,640 but that could happen in April, and it has happened when you know, 354 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,920 even when the dailies are emerging under more normal conditions. Sure, and 355 00:24:25,039 --> 00:24:29,880 remember that part of the reason they're emerging is soil temperature. There is not 356 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:34,799 frost in many areas in the ground where normally we would have frost. Now 357 00:24:34,839 --> 00:24:40,640 the question should I cover them, Stacy, I say no, don't cover 358 00:24:40,759 --> 00:24:44,440 them. Now. For some people who have plants that are growing too quickly 359 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,200 because of early spring weather, I have had folks who have shaded the plants, 360 00:24:49,559 --> 00:24:55,440 put up a little block create shade. Sun still somewhat low in the 361 00:24:55,519 --> 00:24:57,680 south, and that has helped slow the growth. But I would say, 362 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,400 in the case of daylilies, don't worry about it. Yeah, you can't 363 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,440 kill them. You can't kill I mean you really can. You can try. 364 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,000 And also, they are so tough and vigorous, they have so much 365 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:10,759 energy stored up in their roots that it's really not a problem. And I 366 00:25:10,759 --> 00:25:12,839 think that people. Now, if you're one of the listeners who are saying, 367 00:25:12,839 --> 00:25:15,920 well, wait a minute, I'm in zone five B six A and 368 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,680 my day lilies aren't emerging. Should I be concerned? What you're going to 369 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,279 see very often is that plants that are near your home are going to emerge 370 00:25:23,279 --> 00:25:26,200 a lot earlier than plants that are further away from your home. Your home 371 00:25:26,279 --> 00:25:30,079 kind of creates a little microclimate. It's a little bit warmer, so it's 372 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:34,039 not necessarily a cause for concern. It's normal for day lilies to be early. 373 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:40,720 If you are going to have an unusually cold snap or frost or freeze 374 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,200 and you're concerned, it's not a problem to go out there and drape an 375 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,319 old towel or blanket or something like that. Not plastic, use something cloth. 376 00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:51,039 So if you're concerned, you can do it, But I don't think 377 00:25:51,039 --> 00:25:55,680 it's that you need to, and they'll still be okay. Aaron writes to 378 00:25:55,799 --> 00:25:59,559 us, Oh, and let's tackle this issue. We're going to talk about 379 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,480 chig I call them red bugs. The chiggers have made being outside in the 380 00:26:03,519 --> 00:26:08,599 garden really difficult to do, with miserable bites, even with a good layer 381 00:26:10,039 --> 00:26:14,799 of bug spray. The Garden Center recommends dietamacious earth, but we have a 382 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:22,079 large yard and garden reapplying is intensive expensive. I'd really prefer not to use 383 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,720 an insecticide. There are a few insecticides out there to kill chiggers. So 384 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:32,000 are there specific plants I should target? What do I do? What other 385 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,920 bugs eat? Chiggers. Boy, I feel your pain. Eric, Yeah, 386 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,039 it's awful. Now I have to say I don't know anything about chiggers, 387 00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:44,079 so Aaron's comment sent me into a chigger deep dive, and I've learned 388 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:48,480 more and seen more about chiggers than I had ever hoped to see. Other 389 00:26:48,599 --> 00:26:52,519 bites are horrible. They are horrible. And as a matter of fact, 390 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:59,279 years ago, there was an entomologist that gave me this limearick of tiggers. 391 00:26:59,279 --> 00:27:03,759 It's real short. The thing called a chigger is really no bigger than the 392 00:27:03,799 --> 00:27:07,839 smaller end of a pin. But the bump that it raises just itches like 393 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,599 blazes, and that's where the rub sets in. Oh yes, I could 394 00:27:11,599 --> 00:27:15,200 see that, very accurate. Yeah, and they it's not a pretty situation. 395 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,799 So I had to do a lot of research on this. I have 396 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,559 not had chiggers now. I do want to say a couple of things though. 397 00:27:22,839 --> 00:27:26,839 So first of all, I think that if you I totally understand and 398 00:27:26,839 --> 00:27:30,359 respect and appreciate anyone who doesn't want to use pesticides. But I think when 399 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,640 it does come down to a question of human life and health and well being, 400 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:37,480 sometimes we have to make exceptions. And I do want to say, 401 00:27:37,519 --> 00:27:41,839 if you do want to call a professional service, that chiggers are actually not 402 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,559 insects. People think they're insects, but they're actually more closely related to spiders, 403 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:51,680 scorpions, and ticks. So a lot of times pesticides that will take 404 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,640 care of chiggers are not actually going to harm any insects, true insects that 405 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,559 you're trying to preserve. I know you care a lot about pollinators and want 406 00:27:59,559 --> 00:28:03,200 to preserve them, so I would say find it a professional, ask them 407 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,200 what they use to treat chiggers, and then do your research on those chemicals 408 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:11,640 to see if they have any impacts on the insects that you're trying to conserve. 409 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,240 Now, if you do get that, you get your yard sprayed. 410 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:19,920 Remember that only the larval stage take of chiggers will actually bite you. No 411 00:28:21,039 --> 00:28:25,480 other life phase of the chigger causes any harm to humans. So it's kind 412 00:28:25,519 --> 00:28:29,680 of a brief window from when they hatch out in like early to mid spring, 413 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,480 until they feed on you or your pets or whatever, and then drop 414 00:28:33,519 --> 00:28:37,759 off and move on to their next life stage. So if you're able to 415 00:28:37,799 --> 00:28:41,920 get them in that stage, you won't have biting chiggers and you'll be able 416 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:47,119 to take care of them. Keep your yard clean if possible, of leaf 417 00:28:47,119 --> 00:28:49,000 litter. I know a lot of us like to leave the leaves for different 418 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:55,359 insects and stuff. But the female chiggers adults lay their eggs in leaf litter. 419 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:57,720 So if you're able to clean that out now or sometime within the next 420 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:02,519 couple weeks, you'll remove a lot of potential egg laying sites. They like 421 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:07,480 shaded areas of soil better. So if you have areas where your plants are 422 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:11,079 close together and it's creating a nice, cool, shady area for them to 423 00:29:11,119 --> 00:29:15,240 shelter in, put your dietamacious earth there. You don't have to go dusting 424 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,519 your entire yard to try to deal with them. Concentrate it into the types 425 00:29:18,559 --> 00:29:22,960 of areas where they are going to shelter. Yeah, and along that vein 426 00:29:23,079 --> 00:29:30,359 Stacy, I would recommend cutting back taller plants or grasses. Check out your 427 00:29:30,359 --> 00:29:33,920 property. If you have a lot of tall grass surrounding the area, cut 428 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:38,119 it back. It's going to make a difference. Chiggers or red buds bugs 429 00:29:38,319 --> 00:29:44,519 also love raspberries and blackberries for some reason. Oh really, Yeah, they 430 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,839 like to hang out in a raspberry or BlackBerry patch. And then the other 431 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,519 thing is tight clothes are not good. In other words, areas where your 432 00:29:52,559 --> 00:30:00,240 clothes are tight, the band on your socks or waistband or the sleeve is 433 00:30:00,359 --> 00:30:03,799 generally where they'll get in, get comfortable and do some damage. So think 434 00:30:03,839 --> 00:30:07,640 about that too. Yeah, that's that's really good advice. Now, I 435 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,720 do want to say, if you have irrigation, leave it off for the 436 00:30:11,799 --> 00:30:15,880 season. They tend to prefer humid, moisture environments, so if you're able 437 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:21,039 to keep your yard drier, that will certainly make them feel a lot less 438 00:30:21,119 --> 00:30:23,440 welcome. And the good news is that all of these measures, whether it's 439 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,480 you know, cutting back your ornamental grasses, preventing things from getting taller, 440 00:30:27,559 --> 00:30:32,559 or overhanging your lawn, keeping your lawn shorter than maybe we would normally recommend 441 00:30:32,599 --> 00:30:36,720 for a healthy lawn, they can all be temporary until you take care of 442 00:30:36,759 --> 00:30:40,160 your infestation and hopefully they won't come back. They don't fly, They just 443 00:30:40,279 --> 00:30:42,200 kind of hitchhike a ride, so you don't have to worry about them, 444 00:30:42,279 --> 00:30:45,640 you know, descending in swarms. Again, if you're able to take care 445 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:51,640 of this population in your yard right now by taking some of these more drastic 446 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,759 measures. You should be able to protect yourself in the future, hopefully. 447 00:30:55,799 --> 00:30:57,559 But I would say, you know, if it really is as bad as 448 00:30:57,599 --> 00:31:02,079 you're talking about and as bad as it sounds, I would say, consider 449 00:31:02,799 --> 00:31:06,200 talking with a professional. Tell them your concerns, ask them what they're going 450 00:31:06,279 --> 00:31:08,839 to be using, do your research, then make those adaptations to your yard. 451 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,960 That's an IPM approach right there. Got it. In an upcoming show, 452 00:31:14,039 --> 00:31:18,440 we will be talking about IPM Integrated pest management Real quickly, Stacy, 453 00:31:18,759 --> 00:31:26,400 Connie's asking you about a Winecraft black smoke bush where some branches growing really tall 454 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:32,519 and other branches short. Wants to know about how far back to prune a 455 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,799 smoke right now, Connie. This is such a great question because Connie also 456 00:31:34,839 --> 00:31:40,599 mentions that she bought a court size Winecraft black smoke bush, and this is 457 00:31:40,599 --> 00:31:44,200 a beautiful plant. Smoke bush is a very interesting plant. But the court 458 00:31:44,319 --> 00:31:48,640 size is a size that we normally would sell to growers to grow on to 459 00:31:48,799 --> 00:31:52,039 a larger size, and then they would be doing a lot of pruning to 460 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,640 build that plant. When you buy that court size, you need to take 461 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:00,880 that opportunity to do the pruning yourself. Well. Smoke bush especially if you 462 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,559 look at them right now in the winter, a more mature one. They 463 00:32:04,559 --> 00:32:07,440 have a crazy growth habit. They look like they have like fireworks all over 464 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:12,000 them. They do this weird branching thing, and so it's just a natural 465 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,200 aspect of their growth is that they have a crazy growth habit. So I 466 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:19,920 would say, Connie, go ahead and hack that thing back. You're going 467 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,599 to lose your flowers this year, but not a big deal. I would 468 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:27,319 cut yours back to about probably you know, I saw they're pretty tall, 469 00:32:27,359 --> 00:32:30,279 your stems, and we'll put the pictures in the show notes at Gardening Simplified 470 00:32:30,599 --> 00:32:32,720 on air dot Com. I would say cut it back to you know, 471 00:32:32,839 --> 00:32:37,359 just about a foot or two that's going to cause it to branch or wherever 472 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,960 you want that branching to start. Cut it back, and then you'll kind 473 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,920 of encourage that branching. If you don't encourage branching on a smoke bush, 474 00:32:45,359 --> 00:32:47,119 it's not going to do it until it gets really tall and unruly. I 475 00:32:47,119 --> 00:32:52,599 agree, Connie, show that plant whose boss? Yeah, get those bypass 476 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,000 pruners and hack it down. Thank y'all so much for your questions. We're 477 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,559 going to take a little bit of a break. When we come back, 478 00:32:57,599 --> 00:33:05,839 we have a special guest for Branching News, so please say tuned. The 479 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:09,559 Gardening Simplified Show is brought to you by Proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs. Our 480 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:15,799 award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so 481 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:20,319 you enjoy more beauty and less work. Look for Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs 482 00:33:20,319 --> 00:33:25,039 and the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the 483 00:33:25,039 --> 00:33:30,359 Gardening Simplified Show. It's time for branching News. Today on Branching News and 484 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:37,160 interview with our friend Don Snowink from Thornapple Woodlands. And Don always gets me 485 00:33:37,359 --> 00:33:43,680 excited about bees and nature and plants and all that type of thing. His 486 00:33:44,319 --> 00:33:50,440 enthusiasm is fabulous. And Don, you sent me a picture the other day 487 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:58,359 of some maple trees that were well dripping what you call sapsicles. It's maple's 488 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,799 syrup season and in El Nino year, has it been kind of different this 489 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:10,119 year? Big time different is an understatement, you know. Usually we tap 490 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:16,719 the trees around the end of February. I like to say that March is 491 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:22,360 maple sirup months in Michigan, but with a year like this, we may 492 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:29,719 be finished by the middle of March easily. Wow, And the season started. 493 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:34,360 The SAPs started running at the end of January this year. So how 494 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:39,159 bizarre. Yeah, yeah, and then we see sapsicles. So on today's 495 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:44,199 show we talked about pruning. This is where a wound or a prune has 496 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:49,480 taken place, pruning has taken place, and now sapsicles start to form. 497 00:34:49,599 --> 00:34:52,039 Because you know, we have this odd thing here in Michigan or in the 498 00:34:52,079 --> 00:34:55,920 Midwest where we can get the sun to shine. It gets very warm during 499 00:34:55,960 --> 00:35:00,360 the day and then it flash freezes at night. It's very cold that night. 500 00:35:01,119 --> 00:35:06,559 It can be that that causes a sabsaicle or the SAP's been flowing during 501 00:35:06,599 --> 00:35:09,039 the day and then it gets cold at night and freezes. Or more likely 502 00:35:09,119 --> 00:35:15,239 even than that, is this scenario where it's a below freezing day. Let's 503 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:21,280 say it's thirty degrees for example, but the sun is out, so that 504 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,960 warms up the tree because that bark is dark, and it warms it up 505 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:30,519 and it gets the sap flowing inside that tree. As the sap comes out, 506 00:35:30,559 --> 00:35:35,559 the wound, whether it's a cut from a human cutting a branch, 507 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:39,079 or whether a branch broke off in a storm over the winter, the sap 508 00:35:39,119 --> 00:35:45,840 comes out of that cut, freezes and it grows as the sap drips down 509 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:50,440 there and freezes on that sabsaicle. Wow. Wow, And be honest with 510 00:35:50,559 --> 00:35:52,840 me, don you would do exactly what I would do, right, you'd 511 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:57,320 snap one off and taste it, right, you better believe it. And 512 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,920 you know what's fascinating to me is this When you do that, immediately there's 513 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:07,320 a sweetness and then right away that sweetness goes away. So it's almost like 514 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,840 the sugar's on the outside or something. But here's what I am always curious 515 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:19,199 about too. Did we discover that there's sugar in there by grabbing a sapsicle 516 00:36:19,199 --> 00:36:22,639 and sticking our in our mouth years and years and years ago? How did 517 00:36:22,679 --> 00:36:27,039 this all start? Possibly that's one way. Yeah, you know, it 518 00:36:27,159 --> 00:36:30,239 could have all be gone. Another possibility, of course, is watching the 519 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:34,679 squirrels, because squirrels love to bite into maple branches, and you see them 520 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:37,199 having a grand old time up there, just oh yeah, drinking it all 521 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,039 up, and you say, hey, maybe they have the right, adam, 522 00:36:39,039 --> 00:36:44,320 Maybe there's something good in there that's exactly right. Last year when we 523 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,920 pulled our taps. We had still some weather where it froze at night, 524 00:36:47,039 --> 00:36:52,039 got warmed during the day above freezing made the sap flow from that hole that 525 00:36:52,079 --> 00:36:55,440 we vacated when we pulled out the spile, and I saw a squirrel go 526 00:36:55,480 --> 00:37:00,599 out there and drink all that area. Pretty cool. Yeah, it is 527 00:37:00,679 --> 00:37:07,039 called that's great. So that proves that sapsicles came first. Pancakes were invented 528 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:10,639 after sapsicles, and I guess that's how it works, right Don, Hey, 529 00:37:10,639 --> 00:37:15,639 if you say it, I agree. You sent me a video that 530 00:37:15,679 --> 00:37:20,199 we're going to share with our listeners and our viewers at Gardeningsimplified on air dot 531 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:25,360 com or here on our YouTube edition of the show, and that is of 532 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:31,239 bees just swarming in I think it was like mid February, and of course 533 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:38,480 we're here in Michigan in an El Nino winter. Inspired me, Don and 534 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:44,159 again caused me to think, what effect does an El Nino winter have on 535 00:37:45,039 --> 00:37:49,960 these bees? Yeah, that's a that's really a good question, and I 536 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,960 think it makes me wonder the same. First of all, I think the 537 00:37:55,039 --> 00:38:00,880 warmth during the days we get we get more days above freezing. That allows 538 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:06,880 those honey bees to vacate the hive to actually fly outside, and then they 539 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:12,199 defecate. We call that a cleansing flight where they don't go to the bathroom 540 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:16,039 in the hive for you kids that are listening out there, but they hold 541 00:38:16,119 --> 00:38:20,639 it and then when they get a chance to fly, they're going to go 542 00:38:20,679 --> 00:38:24,119 out and I'll see little brown yellow dots on the snow if there's snow on 543 00:38:24,159 --> 00:38:28,679 the ground. That's from there doing their thing out there, and then they 544 00:38:28,679 --> 00:38:32,440 fly back to the hives. So that's interesting. Interesting when you're on a 545 00:38:32,519 --> 00:38:37,199 long trip with the kids on the expressway, it's it's like looking for a 546 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:44,519 rest area where you can turn off right exactly and think of the relief for 547 00:38:44,639 --> 00:38:47,920 the bees. So that's on the pot. That's on the positive side for 548 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,360 the bees. Now to me, the negative side of having a warmer than 549 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:58,320 normal winter is they go through more honey over the winter. They've stored honey 550 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,440 in that hive. Those bees need to heat that five on the cooler days, 551 00:39:04,199 --> 00:39:07,599 you know, they're keeping at ninety five degrees wow. And they do 552 00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:13,400 that by shivering their thoracic muscle, that's the muscle they use to flap their 553 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:20,039 wings, but they disconnect from their wings keep vibrating that thoracic muscle that generates 554 00:39:20,119 --> 00:39:23,400 heat. But they need a source of energy for that, and that's honey. 555 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:30,599 So they need to eat more honey. They're probably going to go through 556 00:39:30,599 --> 00:39:35,760 more honey because they're more active, and that means less warmer Sorry man, 557 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:38,679 Yeah, and that means less for you or does that mean that it starts 558 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:44,800 to become more of a dire situation for the bees. It's more of the 559 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:50,400 situation for the bees because we've harvested our honey already at the end of summer, 560 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:54,559 and then we leave here where we live Michigan. I leave sixty to 561 00:39:54,599 --> 00:40:00,679 eighty pounds of honey on the hives for the winter for the bees. So 562 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:07,039 in a warmer winter, when we get days in the fifty degree range, 563 00:40:07,159 --> 00:40:09,679 I can go out to a beehive and lift the back of it, lift 564 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:15,079 the sides, gauge how much honey is in there, and if there's not 565 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:20,280 enough, I can do certain things to feed them an emergency feeding situation. 566 00:40:21,679 --> 00:40:25,400 Now another concern. Now, obviously there's been so much talk about different paests 567 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:30,960 and diseases that are impacting honeybees. Do those tend to be worse when you've 568 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:38,000 had a milder winter. I suspect that they can be I'm not certain on 569 00:40:38,119 --> 00:40:45,960 that, but I would think that a milder winter allows more bees to live 570 00:40:46,079 --> 00:40:52,960 in that five And if any of them have mites like Verroa mites, which 571 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:58,239 are a carrier or a pathogen we call it for disease, then we may 572 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:02,920 have higher might loads we'd say, more whites than a hive come springtime, 573 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:10,159 which could bring on those diseases. So we're talking about honey bees here, 574 00:41:10,199 --> 00:41:15,920 but of course we have our native bees also that are dealing with an al 575 00:41:15,039 --> 00:41:21,440 Nino winter. And as things have gone, we may see things like red 576 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:27,840 maple blooming earlier this year, or winter aconite, or many of these different 577 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:32,719 types of plants that are going to produce that first pollen source. So again, 578 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:38,840 the bees don are going to have to be just like us, let 579 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:45,840 nature take its course, I would think so. And I think that the 580 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:51,679 bees are able to do that almost better than we are letting nature take its 581 00:41:51,719 --> 00:41:57,480 course. They're adaptive, They're able to adapt to the kind of weather that 582 00:41:57,519 --> 00:42:02,960 they're having at that time. So and the plants too are responding. Like 583 00:42:04,039 --> 00:42:07,920 you said, the maple, some of the soft maples like the silver maple. 584 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:14,360 They may be blooming here in a sheltered location. I wouldn't be surprised 585 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:19,199 to see a silver maple already starting to bloom a little bit. So if 586 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:22,400 the bees get a flight day, they can a warm day where they can 587 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:25,119 fly from the hive, they can find that pollen there, or they can 588 00:42:25,159 --> 00:42:34,039 go to skunk cabbage, which is probably blooming right now. So those types 589 00:42:34,079 --> 00:42:40,800 of things should be available. The willows are some early forage plants. You 590 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:45,679 mentioned ac and i winter aconite snowdrops as well. We've seen them blooming. 591 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:51,880 Things like that are available. Well, you know, bees are on our 592 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,400 minds because we're all anxious for spring. And of course in California they have 593 00:42:55,519 --> 00:43:01,880 the annual almond tree blossom in February March. They call it the world's largest 594 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:09,199 pollination event. And boy, they don't have enough native colonies of honey bees 595 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:14,480 in California and so they got to bring in a lot of bees from elsewhere. 596 00:43:14,519 --> 00:43:20,599 Correct now they do, yes, so many what we call migratory beekeepers, 597 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:25,800 which are beekeepers that have hives of bees and then they migrate or bring 598 00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:32,039 them to different areas of the country. When certain types of plants are blooming. 599 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:37,480 Now, it's almonds now, or if we're from northern California, what 600 00:43:37,519 --> 00:43:45,119 would we say almonds in instead? Right, right, But it's a sight 601 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:51,039 to see. I guess the white blossoms in the orchards of almonds are pretty 602 00:43:51,119 --> 00:43:54,920 astounding. But they need to bring in hives and hives of bees by the 603 00:43:55,079 --> 00:44:00,920 truckload. So imagine that. Yeah, yeah, that is that is crazy. 604 00:44:01,119 --> 00:44:06,280 You know, I'm always fascinated by bees, Stacey. I know you 605 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:09,840 love insects and studying insects, and you know, some of the reading I 606 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:15,119 had done this past winter talked about pollen stealing. In other words, in 607 00:44:15,159 --> 00:44:22,360 Italy they have observed honeybees snatching pollen off the backs of bumble bees, and 608 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:28,239 then honey bees also having, you know, a remarkable ability to adjust their 609 00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:35,719 flight behavior when they're hauling a load of nectars so they don't overheat. Bees 610 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:40,800 just are simply done fascinating, and I think that's why we're drawn to them, 611 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:47,800 not only the importance of bees in our landscape, but just the fascination 612 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:54,840 with them exactly. And I think they're probably the most studied insects studied by 613 00:44:54,960 --> 00:45:00,880 humans. And you can see why I mean, I'm I've got eighteen years 614 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:07,519 of bee keeping under the belt now, and still I'm fascinated when I learned 615 00:45:07,559 --> 00:45:12,119 something new, like you just mentioned where honey bees are stealing palling off the 616 00:45:12,199 --> 00:45:15,840 backs or from the back legs of a bumblebee. You know, just stuff 617 00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:22,559 like that it makes you shake your head. Or what you just talked about, 618 00:45:22,559 --> 00:45:27,079 how the bees are adapting their flight behavior when they're loaded with pound so 619 00:45:27,119 --> 00:45:31,880 that they don't overheat. Well, that's remarkable. But I almost just nod 620 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:37,119 my head and smile and think I'm not surprised anymore. You know, the 621 00:45:37,199 --> 00:45:42,679 truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to honeybees. It's totally remarkable. 622 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,840 That's so true. Yeah, and we're all trying to find ways to support 623 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:51,000 the bees. Of course, the concept of nomo May was started in the 624 00:45:51,119 --> 00:45:58,320 United States in Appleton, Wisconsin. As I understand it, the city suspended 625 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,679 their weed ordinances for the month of May. But in Florida, I have 626 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:07,719 found that no mo May has been adapted to no mo March and Stacey. 627 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:12,159 It does bring up the point that there are many things that we can do 628 00:46:12,519 --> 00:46:16,039 for bees, including as we do on this show, encouraging people to plant 629 00:46:16,079 --> 00:46:20,199 more flowers. Things that we can do and things we cannot do, like 630 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:23,599 Mo and look at the things around us and not judge them as weeds or 631 00:46:23,679 --> 00:46:29,599 nuisances, but as a food source for bees and the other insects around us 632 00:46:29,599 --> 00:46:34,239 that are actually really important. Exactly. Yeah, I mean we have no 633 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:38,800 shave November, right, why not? No, MO may love it. 634 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:44,079 It's all the buzz done it is. Yeah. Yeah, So you're looking 635 00:46:44,119 --> 00:46:47,960 forward to the spring season. We're looking forward to some of these plants starting 636 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:54,639 to bloom. What's the hot buzz the news and the whole bee world and 637 00:46:54,719 --> 00:46:59,599 bee keeping world that we're going to hear a lot about in twenty twenty four. 638 00:47:00,639 --> 00:47:07,239 Why that's a question that I have no idea. Sometimes these things just 639 00:47:07,519 --> 00:47:15,519 evolve and we find something that we didn't know before, and I think that's 640 00:47:15,599 --> 00:47:20,559 terrific too. I know they're working hard at some of the pathogens, Like 641 00:47:21,079 --> 00:47:23,199 there's one of the foul broods we call it. I mean, this is 642 00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:28,400 kind of the dark side of beekeeping, but European fall Root, for example, 643 00:47:29,519 --> 00:47:32,800 there are people that are studying that and trying to figure out ways that 644 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:40,239 we can eliminate it from our hives. And it's exciting for me to see 645 00:47:40,239 --> 00:47:46,239 that happening because I've struggled with that My bees have struggled with that particular disease. 646 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:52,280 So yeah, it's been I actually involved some of the people at Michigan 647 00:47:52,320 --> 00:47:58,440 State University that are working on this study just to see what I can learn 648 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,480 from them as well. So it gives me some hope, and I think, 649 00:48:01,760 --> 00:48:07,559 yeah, that's good news. Stacy. When you visit Don at his 650 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:12,760 house, I've been to Don's house and he gets you a barstool and you 651 00:48:12,840 --> 00:48:15,360 pull that bar stool up to the bar, and then he starts getting out 652 00:48:15,519 --> 00:48:22,960 bottles of various types of honey and some wooden sticks and you start tasting honey. 653 00:48:23,119 --> 00:48:29,079 It is amazing contingent on the plant species that the bee used, or 654 00:48:29,239 --> 00:48:32,639 the time of year, the variance in the flavor of that honey, it's 655 00:48:32,639 --> 00:48:37,039 amazing. Yeah, plants are so incredible. And you know, it's just 656 00:48:37,199 --> 00:48:40,880 I think that when even when we have extremes like this that maybe get us 657 00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:45,079 a little bit concerned about what's going to happen, they're also learning opportunities. 658 00:48:45,159 --> 00:48:47,800 And you know it's like what Donna say is, we don't know, you 659 00:48:47,840 --> 00:48:51,440 know, what's going to happen when we have such a mild winter. Is 660 00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:53,280 this going to be better or worse for viromites? Is this going to be 661 00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:58,159 better or worse for European foul brood? And even though you know we might 662 00:48:58,199 --> 00:49:01,800 have our anxieties and concerns about weather like this and about seasons like this, 663 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:07,760 there's also a learning opportunity that we can hopefully take away from it and apply 664 00:49:08,519 --> 00:49:13,760 in different, more normal times. So true, And I think we can 665 00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:19,000 take a lesson from the bees and their adapt activity, their ability to adapt 666 00:49:19,360 --> 00:49:22,639 to certain situations, and I think we can adapt as well well. We 667 00:49:22,679 --> 00:49:25,920 can take a lesson from you. Don. Thank you for what you do 668 00:49:27,079 --> 00:49:32,880 and educating people throughout the year on bees very very important work. We celebrate 669 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:37,400 it and we thank you for what you do. Don. If people want 670 00:49:37,440 --> 00:49:42,400 to learn more about you, what websites should they go to? They can 671 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:46,440 go to Thornapplewoodlands dot com and see what we do. We do a lot 672 00:49:46,519 --> 00:49:52,280 of educational programs at schools and libraries, things like that, and any event 673 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:58,239 where there are people gathered and they want to learn either about honeybees or about 674 00:49:58,360 --> 00:50:02,519 maple syrup. And we've added fishing the basics of fishing, whether it's open 675 00:50:02,599 --> 00:50:07,519 water or ice fishing. Oh boy, that that kind of hurts my heart 676 00:50:07,559 --> 00:50:14,719 to talk about ice fishing. Right now, it's not a good winter for 677 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:20,480 that. But maybe on a future show we could chat worms if that's something 678 00:50:20,519 --> 00:50:24,559 you'd like to talk about. You know, I just started worm farming or 679 00:50:24,599 --> 00:50:30,039 whatever we call it when we raise worms. But I started with European night 680 00:50:30,119 --> 00:50:37,119 crawlers and yep, and I also got some composting worms as well, which 681 00:50:37,119 --> 00:50:42,800 will be smaller than the night crawlers, but they're in two separate bins. 682 00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:47,079 And it's been totally amazing to me to see how the night crawlers have grown 683 00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:52,719 and now they're starting to multiply in there, and oh, it's just a 684 00:50:52,920 --> 00:51:00,840 thrill for me. So any good. Yeah, they'll produce compostor castings, 685 00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:06,719 right, which is and which is terrific for the gardens, and also fishing 686 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:08,840 bait for me if I want to go bluegill fishing. So it'll be hard 687 00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:13,719 for me to use one of my worms as bait now because I'm starting to 688 00:51:13,760 --> 00:51:17,239 get attached to them. Well, I had to wiggle that in there, 689 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:22,440 Don, and thank you, we will talk worms. His name is Don 690 00:51:22,719 --> 00:51:27,480 sneink, It's thorn apple Woodlands and Don, thank you so much for joining 691 00:51:27,519 --> 00:51:30,960 us on the Gardening Simplified Show. It's been a pleasure and I thank you 692 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:35,400 so much for the opportunity. Thank you. Thanks Don. Please tell the 693 00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:38,679 bees and worms that Rick, Adriana and I say hello. All right, 694 00:51:38,760 --> 00:51:43,159 we'll do. Thank you so much. So that's all we have time for 695 00:51:43,239 --> 00:51:45,719 today. We want to thank you all so much for listening. Thank you 696 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:47,199 Rick, thanks to Adriana, and again thank you all for listening. We 697 00:51:47,239 --> 00:51:49,480 hope you have a wonderful weekend.