1 00:00:30,359 --> 00:00:36,320 It's time for the Gardening Simplified podcast, YouTube and radio show coming to you 2 00:00:36,799 --> 00:00:41,880 from Studio A here at proven winners, Color Choice Shrubs. It's Stacy Hervella 3 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,799 me, Rick weisst and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, let's 4 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:55,159 raise the woof Yeah, popular things to do out in your landscape gardening and 5 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,359 dog scaping. We're going to talk about dog scaping today, and statistics show 6 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,439 percent of US households own a pet. More specifically, dogs are the most 7 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:12,040 popular pet in the US. Sixty five million US homes own a dog now. 8 00:01:12,079 --> 00:01:18,400 In twenty twenty two, statistics show Americans spent one hundred and thirty six 9 00:01:18,439 --> 00:01:25,799 point eight billion dollars on their pets, and essential dog expenses cost owners on 10 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:32,319 average about one thousand, five hundred and thirty three dollars annually. Stacy, 11 00:01:32,359 --> 00:01:36,599 I'd have to say people are mutts about their dogs and gardening. Oh that's 12 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:41,480 rough, wreck, Thank you very mulch. Well, dog friendly gardening is 13 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:46,400 very important, and you know, spending time outdoors with your pet, you 14 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,719 want it to be less stressful because I think you got to think sometimes about 15 00:01:49,719 --> 00:01:53,840 your pupp as a toddler. You want it to be a safe environment for 16 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:59,519 your dog. At the same time, dogs are very very smart and very 17 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:06,000 very interactive. You can teach a dog tricks, so dog scaping is a 18 00:02:06,159 --> 00:02:12,159 topic that is great to cover to make the area wonderful for both you and 19 00:02:12,319 --> 00:02:16,240 your pet. When it comes to occupations, dogs are not good landscapers. 20 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:23,719 They are roofers, so they can dig. You know. I've definitely seen 21 00:02:23,759 --> 00:02:27,639 some very digging dogs that could, you know, give you a little headstart 22 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,240 on planting a shrub. If you can get them to dig in the right 23 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,639 place exactly, I can dig it well. Full disclosure and transparency, I 24 00:02:35,719 --> 00:02:38,439 do not own a dog, but I live next to a dog beach. 25 00:02:38,479 --> 00:02:44,960 It's a fifty two acre park with breath taking views of Lake Michigan, and 26 00:02:45,319 --> 00:02:51,360 I watch dog owners and their dogs enjoy the beach now. I've also spoken 27 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,680 to hundreds of dog owners who have called into a live radio show to talk 28 00:02:55,879 --> 00:03:02,080 about their dogs and their landscape and their yard. And it's not far fetched 29 00:03:02,319 --> 00:03:07,400 to say that dogs need room to roam and so Stacy, most of the 30 00:03:07,479 --> 00:03:13,199 questions that I would get through the years were surface related, turf related, 31 00:03:13,879 --> 00:03:17,000 Essentially, the dog evacuating on the turf let me put it that way, 32 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:22,879 going potty and creating spots or digging up the turf, and I would say 33 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:29,560 that that's probably the number one issue, at least as I've heard from dog 34 00:03:29,599 --> 00:03:35,400 owners, because that surface is important. There's controversy there. There are some 35 00:03:35,439 --> 00:03:42,159 people who will resign themselves to artificial turf. Well, that's expensive, it 36 00:03:42,199 --> 00:03:46,360 can get hot in the sun. You've got clean up issues. So I 37 00:03:46,479 --> 00:03:52,120 personally believe through the years, a tall turf type rescue that's used in heavily 38 00:03:52,159 --> 00:03:58,199 traffic parks, along with perennial rye grass which tends to germinate quickly, is 39 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,039 a great way to go. Maybe some water in those areas where you need 40 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:09,759 to drain the salts out of the areas where the dogs have evacuated. I'm 41 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:14,599 going to use that word because I just think it's more radio friendly. And 42 00:04:14,919 --> 00:04:17,240 of course through the years too, we've advised people to use gypsum pellets. 43 00:04:17,319 --> 00:04:21,600 Gypsum pellets are used on clay lawns. Whether or not it works, that's 44 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:27,240 up to you to decide. But I find that as one of the top 45 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:30,199 issues. Well, you know, I think that along with all of that, 46 00:04:30,439 --> 00:04:33,519 a healthy dose of tolerance is also a good thing for dog owners to 47 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,920 have. I mean, you're going to have a dog, then I think 48 00:04:35,959 --> 00:04:40,639 you need to just kind of resign yourself to not having a perfect turf. 49 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,199 And it's okay if those you know, you can coexist with those two things. 50 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,439 I mean, you know, I think you know, my neighbors have 51 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:51,360 two dogs, and their turf looks to me absolutely immaculate. I'm sure they're 52 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,920 sitting there going oh jeezer spots all over it, but I mean I think 53 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,560 it looks amazing, and so it's okay. You know, a lawn doesn't 54 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:00,879 have to be a completely con assistant perfect thing. And if you're one of 55 00:05:00,879 --> 00:05:03,319 those people who have a home putting green, well you just keep your dog 56 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,360 off of that problem solved, Yeah, exactly. Well, there are many 57 00:05:08,439 --> 00:05:13,839 wonderful dog owners who do a great job training their dogs and setting up in 58 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:17,800 their landscape an area where the dog can go to the bathroom, and it 59 00:05:17,959 --> 00:05:21,480 works. It just takes some work, some time to train the dog to 60 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:27,279 go in those areas. Obviously, the difference between male and female dogs also, 61 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,399 the male dogs tend to do more damage to shrubs, the female dogs 62 00:05:30,439 --> 00:05:36,120 more damage to turf areas. Now, also we want plants that are tough, 63 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:43,199 that can handle dogs rummaging around in the yard. I think ornamental grasses, 64 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,680 as an example, are perfect. They're tough, they're safe for the 65 00:05:46,759 --> 00:05:53,600 dogs. And of course we have unsafe plants that we don't want in our 66 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,959 landscape. You know, you think of sago palm or oleander. I mean, 67 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,360 those are obvious plants that you don't want in your landscape. But Stacy, 68 00:06:01,439 --> 00:06:06,759 you've often advised people to use a method to look up university websites for 69 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,600 plant list Oh yeah, I'm a big believer in this. And you know, 70 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,120 over the years I've heard from a lot of gardeners who are like, 71 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,759 you know, I'm interested in your fill in the blank plant, but I 72 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,279 want to know if it's if it's okay for my dog to eat or you 73 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,439 know whatever. And I will say, first and foremost, your assumption with 74 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:26,879 any plant should be your dog cannot eat it. So even if something is 75 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,920 not harmful, it's not like you should encourage your dog to eat it, 76 00:06:30,959 --> 00:06:34,839 because you know, at least at worst your carpet could be at riskless once 77 00:06:34,879 --> 00:06:39,480 the dog comes back inside. So you know whether or not something is actually 78 00:06:39,519 --> 00:06:43,600 coming up as toxic, is an important distinction because you're just like, don't 79 00:06:43,759 --> 00:06:46,120 you just don't eat the plants. But if you are wondering, and if 80 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,680 you are concerned or your dog has eaten something and you are now very concerned, 81 00:06:50,199 --> 00:06:54,920 the best way to get reliable information on if a plant is toxic to 82 00:06:54,959 --> 00:06:59,040 your pet is to search the scientific name if possible. So you don't want 83 00:06:59,079 --> 00:07:01,879 to just put in like, you know, maiden grass, because it's going 84 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,000 to be, you know, kind of muddy. It'll be confusing, So 85 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,240 you would want to put in miscanthus at the very least. And if it's 86 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,120 a hydrangea, then you would want us put in like hydrange of piniculata, 87 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,480 so as much scientific name as you can put it, So you would put 88 00:07:13,519 --> 00:07:18,439 in hydrange of peniculata toxic, not poisonous or anything that because the official term 89 00:07:18,439 --> 00:07:24,240 here is that it's toxic to the animal toxic and then dogs or cats or 90 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:29,439 rabbits or tortoises or whatever that is. And then site si te colon dot 91 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,560 edu. And so what this does is it limits all of your responses in 92 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:39,160 your search to only university websites. And what that means is that you're getting 93 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:44,680 results from veterinary programs where they're actually studying these things. And you know, 94 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,839 the really good thing about this Ateran and I were just talking about this as 95 00:07:46,839 --> 00:07:50,319 well, is that it's not only just saying your dogs shouldn't eat this, 96 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:56,240 it's actually giving you These sites are giving you actual information on what the mode 97 00:07:56,279 --> 00:07:59,800 of action of that potential toxin is. Is it going to be a dermal 98 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,639 is bothering the skin, the hair, sure stomach? What you should be 99 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:05,240 looking for, and then you can take that to the vet because you know, 100 00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:07,720 if you just say, oh, he just ate this plant and it 101 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,279 was a hydrangea like, that's not necessarily helpful. And I know in these 102 00:08:11,319 --> 00:08:13,680 times of you know, panic, it's not always easy to think straight. 103 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:18,680 So it might be useful if you have a landscape and a very very curious 104 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,439 dog is to just make a little list of those plants and do the research 105 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,680 and then just have that list to refer to. That's a great way to 106 00:08:24,759 --> 00:08:28,480 do research. Of course, we also learn from each other. Being in 107 00:08:28,519 --> 00:08:33,919 the garden center industry for over forty years, I've learned a lot from dog 108 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,759 owners. We can learn from each other and programming note today coming up in 109 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:41,639 the mail bag segment, we're going to learn from you, and there's some 110 00:08:41,759 --> 00:08:46,840 great advice in there, Stacey. And then in the final segment today, 111 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,679 we're going to learn from our very own Adrianna Robinson. She has two dogs. 112 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,480 I'm gonna make sure to get this right, at Liass and Sage. 113 00:08:54,919 --> 00:08:58,159 And we're going to talk about Atlas and Sage coming up in our fourth segment. 114 00:08:58,639 --> 00:09:03,000 See. The other thing I've learned from folks through the years is, 115 00:09:03,039 --> 00:09:05,919 of course dogs like to roam. We should have a fence or a barrier 116 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:13,720 to protect the dog, but a dog generally would like to patrol that fence 117 00:09:13,799 --> 00:09:18,360 line, keeping an eye on the neighbors. I love those windows you can 118 00:09:18,399 --> 00:09:22,320 purchase the ventilated windows. Yeah, peek out the fence line, but it 119 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:28,320 means moving shrubs or plants maybe a little ways away, maybe two to three 120 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,559 feet from the fence line, so they have that area that they can patrol 121 00:09:33,039 --> 00:09:37,240 looking at things like hard scaping or maybe looking at in an elevated lookout. 122 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,960 And then in addition, when we talk dog scaping, Stacy, we've got 123 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,440 to provide an area of shade for dogs too. Oh. Absolutely, clean 124 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:50,440 water and clean water, yes, exactly, raised beds if you're going to 125 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,559 grow herbs, vegetables, that type of thing. Raised beds are a good 126 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:58,440 idea. And then you know, I'm gonna ask Adriana about this in our 127 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:03,039 fourth segment too, because through about the years, people have asked about mulch, 128 00:10:03,159 --> 00:10:05,759 what does your dog eat? And of course there's the whole thing with 129 00:10:05,879 --> 00:10:13,679 cocoa mulch attention to exactly. So anyhow, the dog show up and they're 130 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:18,320 the stars of the show. We love our dogs. As a matter of 131 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,519 fact, that's when the paparazzi shows up. Sorry, there's so many good 132 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,799 dog puns. I just can't resist. But you can train your dog. 133 00:10:26,879 --> 00:10:33,679 And of course some dogs are diggers. I mean, they just want to 134 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:37,759 dig, that's their nature. And so if you have a dog like that, 135 00:10:37,919 --> 00:10:43,679 also maybe providing a digging pit. So let's continue on with dogscaping. 136 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,200 We're going to see how Stacy ties it in with plants on trial this week 137 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:56,799 here on the Gardening Simplified Show. Proven winners Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your 138 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:01,399 success in the garden. That's why we try and test all of our shrubs 139 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,399 for eight to ten years, making sure they outperform everything else on the market. 140 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,960 Look for them and the distinctive white container at your local garden center. 141 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,480 Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where the 142 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,799 topic of the day is dogs. And you know, a couple of weeks 143 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,759 ago, we did ask people to send in pictures of their dogs so that 144 00:11:20,799 --> 00:11:24,559 we could show them as part of this episode. So this is one episode 145 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:28,840 I would strongly encourage you if you do not tune in on YouTube, that 146 00:11:28,879 --> 00:11:31,279 you tune in this time because we are going to add all of those in 147 00:11:31,519 --> 00:11:37,440 to the YouTube video. We got so many great submissions. I love them 148 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:41,039 all. Every email that I opened was like a new joy. And I'll 149 00:11:41,039 --> 00:11:45,279 tell you, I don't know if other shows ask their listeners to send and 150 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:46,919 dogs, but I think our listeners have the best looking dogs out there. 151 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,879 Is just sayings are adorable, the landscapes are beautiful. These people give wonderful 152 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:58,679 advice. You know. I was thinking, Stacey, about all the fertilizers 153 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:03,000 that are out there that are dog safe and organic even weed controls, and 154 00:12:03,039 --> 00:12:07,679 so you know, those opportunities are there, and these people are living it, 155 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,120 practicing it and making it work. And you know, so I don't 156 00:12:11,159 --> 00:12:15,799 have a dog as Rick said, I'm also a dog free American here, 157 00:12:16,919 --> 00:12:22,200 but my neighbors have two dogs, and so my main native plant garden borders 158 00:12:22,279 --> 00:12:26,279 their yard as well. And my neighbors are wonderful people, and so we're 159 00:12:26,279 --> 00:12:31,240 often chatting over the fence, and very often as soon as we start chatting, 160 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,840 the dogs run over. And they're newish puppy she's I think she's a 161 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,840 little over a year old now, will immediately just start nipping at every plant 162 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,360 that comes through the fence. Wow. So it's like and I so I 163 00:12:41,399 --> 00:12:43,679 said to them last time, I said, does she always show this much 164 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,039 interest in the gardener? Is it only like if we're over here talking? 165 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,000 They said, Oh, no, it's only if she's here talking. So 166 00:12:48,039 --> 00:12:50,120 it's kind of one of those things where your dog may or may not have 167 00:12:50,159 --> 00:12:54,960 an inherent, you know, desire to engage with the garden, but once 168 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,679 you kind of draw its attention to it, then it's a totally different story. 169 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:00,720 So, you know, I feel like I have a responsibility. When 170 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,919 I was building this border, I certainly wasn't thinking, oh, are dogs 171 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,080 potentially going to you know, eat it? And you know, an important 172 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:13,120 thing to think about in terms of toxic plants and dogs. Is that toxic 173 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:18,320 plants do not you know, become toxic in an attempt to trick the animals 174 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,799 into eating them and then oh surprise, you've been poisoned. They taste terrible, 175 00:13:22,919 --> 00:13:28,679 like there is a taste to torrent in almost all toxic plants that is 176 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,159 specifically there to be like, don't eat me, you will be sorry. 177 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,240 So you know it is something to take seriously. But also to know that, 178 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,360 you know, most dogs puppies of course, can be a different uh 179 00:13:39,919 --> 00:13:43,320 uh, you know, situation entirely, and I know that dogs have varying 180 00:13:43,519 --> 00:13:50,960 levels of interest and self awareness out there. My neighbor's dog leaves the plants 181 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,039 alone, but loves to steal my garden gloves, grabs my gloves and runs 182 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,960 with them. Bo Bo is a great dog. Well in my neighbors. 183 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:03,919 When this dog was a puppy, she loved to pick up our pine cones, 184 00:14:03,919 --> 00:14:07,080 which was which was a very welcome things. Sometimes really liked chewing on 185 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:11,279 pine cones. But anyway, so that is just a little aside to our 186 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:15,159 intro and a reminder to please do check out the YouTube version to see all 187 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,200 of the darling dogs from our listeners. So Yeah. When I was thinking 188 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,039 about today's plant on trial, you know, as usual, there's so many 189 00:14:22,039 --> 00:14:24,279 different directions that it could have gone in. I could have picked a dog, 190 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:30,320 would but I did not. I almost went with a pug stair butterfly 191 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,639 bush because it was our indeed named for the dog. Well done Pug, 192 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,200 because I kind of had that short, squat, little habit. But no, 193 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,399 I thought back to my past, and I thought of a plant when 194 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:43,519 I was a rooftop So I lived in New York City for twelve years, 195 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,759 I was a rooftop gardener. And when I was rooftop gardener, very often 196 00:14:46,799 --> 00:14:52,759 we would also do the maintenance on the sort of small landscapes around the front 197 00:14:52,799 --> 00:14:56,720 of buildings in Manhattan. And I also worked in Central Park as a public 198 00:14:56,759 --> 00:15:01,159 gardener. And in New York City it's you have to be tough to be 199 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:05,080 a plant in New York City in a park or in one of those landscapes, 200 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,720 because what happens is, you know, have firmworks all day, the 201 00:15:07,759 --> 00:15:13,159 dog finally gets to go out, and the second that dog sets foot outside 202 00:15:13,159 --> 00:15:18,320 the building, that little landscape is just getting bombarded. And that's why they 203 00:15:18,399 --> 00:15:24,480 call it Central Bark. They usually don't even make it to Central Park before 204 00:15:24,519 --> 00:15:26,840 they immediately get to you know, that first landscape. Now they'll of course 205 00:15:26,879 --> 00:15:31,399 do more business once they're in the park. But yeah, between that and 206 00:15:31,919 --> 00:15:35,679 you know dogs in parks where people will take them to walk and do their 207 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:39,960 business, you know, the plants really have to stand up to a lot. 208 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:43,320 And in my years of maintaining those little front landscapes, I have seen 209 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:48,879 a lot of plants die due to Now, this is of course super usage. 210 00:15:48,919 --> 00:15:50,840 This is not like your regular you know, homeowner who lets the dog 211 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,039 out and they one or two dogs are going out, you know, three 212 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:58,759 times a day. This is like seventy or one hundred dogs coming out multiple 213 00:15:58,799 --> 00:16:03,919 time let the dogs out. So you know, I've seen a lot of 214 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,960 plants die, and I've seen some plants really be able to stand up to 215 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,639 that and consistently. One of the plants that I think is best able to 216 00:16:11,679 --> 00:16:18,960 stand up to the abuses of pet ownership, especially dogs, is Abelia. 217 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:22,840 This is interesting, Stacy, because I think a lot of people aren't necessarily 218 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,360 familiar with it. No, certainly not in the Midwest. So Abelia is 219 00:16:26,399 --> 00:16:32,799 a very interesting shrub. It is shade tolerant, which is very nice, 220 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:37,240 it's very dear resistant, it's pretty drought tolerant. Most abelias do come from 221 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,639 Asia, that's where they're native to. But for many, many years, 222 00:16:40,639 --> 00:16:42,480 people just did not assume that abelias were hardy. So you'll see them if 223 00:16:42,519 --> 00:16:47,799 you go to the south. They're a fairly popular landscape plant. But there's 224 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,799 actually hardy varieties down to USDA Zone four, like our sweet emotion abelia. 225 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,799 But this type that we're talking about today and the plant on trial today is 226 00:16:55,879 --> 00:16:57,440 fun shining abelia. Even though a lot of what I'm saying just kind of 227 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:02,919 applies to these abelias in general, it's actually hardy to USDA Zone six, 228 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,920 and I would say potentially down to USDA Zone five if you plant it in 229 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:11,720 a proper spot, you know where it's kind of protected and not totally exposed 230 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,519 to the worst of the winter weather. But yeah, especially for us in 231 00:17:15,559 --> 00:17:18,559 the Midwest and a little bit you know more as you go on the East 232 00:17:18,559 --> 00:17:21,480 Coast, a lot of people aren't familiar with it, and you will see 233 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:26,119 it abundantly. Bilio grande flora is a very very popular park plant in New 234 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:32,839 York City for hedges and delineation and that kind of thing. So these abelias 235 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:37,880 are semi evergreen, so they keep some of their leaves in winter and lose 236 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,279 the rest. But the important thing about their foliage is it's very glossy. 237 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,559 And I think this is just a theory. I don't have proof, but 238 00:17:45,599 --> 00:17:48,799 since I have seen abelia stand up to a lot of dog abuse in a 239 00:17:48,799 --> 00:17:53,079 lot of different places throughout New York City, I think that that glossiness really 240 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:57,160 helps to keep it safe. You know, from when the dog earine hits 241 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,359 it. There's heat, there's salt, there's all of these other issues that 242 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:04,640 could potentially damage that leaf tissue. And I think that that glossy coating on 243 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,400 the leaf, which makes it such an attractive landscape plant, also helps to 244 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:15,799 protect it from extensive dog damage. And the glossy foliage probably makes the plant 245 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,559 heat resistant too, so for folks who live in warmer areas, it's a 246 00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:22,279 great plant. Yeah, it's so, and I, like I said, 247 00:18:22,279 --> 00:18:25,759 it's very drought tolerant as well. Another thing that's good about it in terms 248 00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:29,880 of you know, dogs, is its leaves are very smooth, and so 249 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,720 that is minimal leaf surface. So if you think of like a hydrangea leaf, 250 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,160 it's got all those veins, and like thick quilting, that's a lot 251 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,200 of extra surface area for things to get damaged, whereas the abelia, it's 252 00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:44,359 very smooth and it can roll off as well as reduce a surface area where 253 00:18:44,799 --> 00:18:48,799 there could be a potential for damage. So I think it's a great plant. 254 00:18:48,799 --> 00:18:52,920 And Funshine abilia is known for its colorful foliage. It is an extremely 255 00:18:52,720 --> 00:19:00,279 colorful, colorful plant. So the foliage emerges bright orange, and it has 256 00:19:00,319 --> 00:19:03,200 a red stem so that when that new growth comes out, it's not a 257 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:06,559 red stem, and then as that matures, it turns yellow, and then 258 00:19:06,559 --> 00:19:08,319 it kind of turns to chartroot. So you're getting like three or four or 259 00:19:08,319 --> 00:19:14,480 five different colors on this plant at once. So it's looking really great in 260 00:19:14,519 --> 00:19:18,480 the landscape as well. And then in summer it develops sort of these small 261 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:25,200 bell shaped, purply pink flowers. In the case of so in some abelias, 262 00:19:25,279 --> 00:19:27,279 the flowers are the main attraction. In the case of Funshine, I 263 00:19:27,319 --> 00:19:32,880 would say the foliage completely overshadows the flowers, like you're almost like, WHOA, 264 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:36,000 that thing's flowering. You know it's the foliage. The color does so 265 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:40,319 so much, And another great thing for dog owners. The flowers are fragrant. 266 00:19:40,559 --> 00:19:42,519 Oh, so you know who wouldn't benefit from a little bit of fragrance 267 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:47,440 on a hot summer day and the dog's you know, availing itself of your 268 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,799 nearby Abelia. This sounds like a winner to me. If you're keeping score 269 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:55,960 at home, Stacy's talking about funshine Abelia. So that's spelled If you're driving 270 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,720 in your car listening to a podcast or the radio version of our show, 271 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,319 it's spelled A B, E, L, I, A, and Stacey. 272 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,759 This sounds like a real winner. It is, and you know I 273 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,680 like it too. So you're going to find a lot of different sizes and 274 00:20:11,759 --> 00:20:15,559 shapes within Abelia if you go to the garden center to buy this. Like 275 00:20:15,599 --> 00:20:18,000 I mentioned, the Abelia Grande Flora that is so popular in New York City 276 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,960 is going to be a little bit taller, a little bit kind of twiggyar 277 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:26,400 whereas the newer varieties that we're selecting for are really more about that dense habit, 278 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,160 and they tend to be more rounded, so you can still use them 279 00:20:30,519 --> 00:20:33,200 as like a low hedge or an edging, so they are perfect for that 280 00:20:33,279 --> 00:20:37,359 IDEI referenced earlier about those little landscapes. Right when you come out the door 281 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,880 where you just want something low and just something to take up space. And 282 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:47,079 so I think this is a great suggestion. Abelia are non toxic. I 283 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:51,319 did verify that using my method of you know, typing in the scientific name 284 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:56,000 and site colon dot du to make sure that it is non toxic. Should 285 00:20:56,039 --> 00:21:00,319 your dogs be interested in it besides just marking their spot? And it's also 286 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,400 deer resistant. Yeah, so that's another great thing about it. I have 287 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:08,519 abelia in my yard and the deer have never touched it, and come fall, 288 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:14,119 the hummingbirds and butterflies actually fight over it. Wow. So the flowers 289 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,759 really attract a ton of hummingbirds and butterflies. It seems like, especially late 290 00:21:17,799 --> 00:21:19,839 in the season. I don't have to become more nectar rich at that point 291 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,440 or what. But yeah, I mean I have seen multiple butterflies and a 292 00:21:23,519 --> 00:21:26,720 hummingbird will come along and be like, hey, out of my way, 293 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:30,160 gotta get a drink here. So it's a great plant. It's a good 294 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,759 looking plant. So even if you don't have a dog and you're just looking 295 00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:37,240 for a really colorful shrub, funshine abilia is a great choice. We also 296 00:21:37,279 --> 00:21:44,480 have a bunch of other newer varieties similar to Funshine variegated different colors. We 297 00:21:44,559 --> 00:21:47,559 will put a link in the show notes at Gardening Simplified on air dot com 298 00:21:47,599 --> 00:21:51,039 so you can learn everything you need to know about Funshine abilia and the rest 299 00:21:51,039 --> 00:21:53,359 of the proven Winter's Color Choice abelias. You can also find a retailer there 300 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,079 if you want to add it to your garden. And for now, we're 301 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,480 gonna take a little break. When we come back, we are sharing our 302 00:21:59,519 --> 00:22:10,240 listeners advice on dog scaping, so please stay tuned at Proven Winner's Color Choice. 303 00:22:10,279 --> 00:22:14,240 We've got a shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking 304 00:22:14,279 --> 00:22:18,720 for an easy care rose, an unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, 305 00:22:18,839 --> 00:22:22,039 you can be confident that the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed 306 00:22:22,079 --> 00:22:25,759 and tested for your success. Look for them at your local garden center. 307 00:22:26,599 --> 00:22:30,359 Greetings, gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, the 308 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,440 dog themed Gardening Simplified Show. And like I said, we invited our listeners 309 00:22:36,519 --> 00:22:41,039 to send us photos of their dogs in the garden and they did not disappoint. 310 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,160 You know, when we asked people to send in their photos, I 311 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,680 was wearing one of our new plank geek shirts, and I said, oh, 312 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,680 we'll pick a winner at random, but it turns out that I am 313 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,960 a softie. And since we heard from about you know, ten or twelve 314 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,519 different listeners, they're all getting shirts. Fantastic. So if you send us 315 00:23:00,519 --> 00:23:04,799 a dog picture, uh look, check your inbox for an email from me. 316 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,079 If it's not there, check your spam and if you still don't see 317 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:11,440 it, then shoot me an email and I will get with you to get 318 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,960 your get your size and gets you your planking shot, because we do appreciate 319 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,319 you taking the time to write us and send us those pictures. And there 320 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,160 is just some yes. And that was the really cool thing is you know 321 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,359 we didn't say we may have said, like, hey, if you have 322 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,839 advice, but some people wrote in with some really really good ideas, and 323 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,839 I think, you know, it's so good when we learn from each other. 324 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,480 And you know, Rick, you and I know we can talk about 325 00:23:33,519 --> 00:23:37,640 a lot of different aspects of gardening, but gardening with dogs is not one 326 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:41,920 of them. So that's why we're going to invite Adriana on camera for segment 327 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,279 four as our resident dog expert. And if you check us out on YouTube 328 00:23:45,279 --> 00:23:48,880 again, you'll see the dog pictures, and we'll put pictures of Adrian is 329 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:53,000 adorable for babies there as well. But I did want to share some of 330 00:23:53,000 --> 00:24:00,599 the information that we got from our listeners on dog gardening. So Ela writes 331 00:24:00,759 --> 00:24:04,920 and that she loves to listen to the show while she's gardening, and she 332 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,839 says fencing has been a true game changer for me and my garden. My 333 00:24:10,039 --> 00:24:15,279 sweet but clumsy ninety five pound golden doodle Marigolds the cutest name. I love 334 00:24:15,319 --> 00:24:18,880 it. And there is a picture she signed, a picture of Marigold, 335 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,319 which is a She's an absolutely delightful dog. So Marigold used to trample all 336 00:24:22,319 --> 00:24:25,839 over my plants without a care in the world. Of course, she's a 337 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,519 dog. I tried steaks and twine, she still broke through. Yeah, 338 00:24:29,559 --> 00:24:33,000 she's ninety five pounds. Earlier this spring, I invested in sturdy metal fencing 339 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:37,880 that's about three feet tall as a perimeter around my perennial beds in my backyard. 340 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,640 And this has been perfect for keeping Marigold from squashing my plants and still 341 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,880 being able to play a game of fetch for my vegetable garden. As you 342 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,079 can see in the picture, I went a step further and added a four 343 00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:52,279 foot picket fence. The barrier has proven to be incredibly effective in safeguarding my 344 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,559 veggies from her playful paws. Since installing the fencing, I can relax in 345 00:24:56,559 --> 00:25:00,640 my backyard and Miss Marigold can enjoy her outdoor time. It's been a win 346 00:25:00,799 --> 00:25:03,960 win for both of us. If you are dealing with a similar situation, 347 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:08,000 I highly recommend investing in some quality fencing. It's made a world of difference 348 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:14,359 for us. Elaine makes a good point there, quality fencing do it work, 349 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,880 you know, and quality fencing also means sturdy posts that you put the 350 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:23,880 fencing on. Just invest the time in that and both you and your dog 351 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,680 are going to appreciate that great Now, Yeah, you know what. That 352 00:25:26,759 --> 00:25:30,359 kind of goes along with our Regrets show from last week, which is if 353 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,640 you don't invest in quality fencing, there you go. You will probably regret 354 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:37,680 it because then you're out the cost of the not quality fencing as well as 355 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,440 the cost of quality fencing. So you know, there's something to be said 356 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,599 about it. It looks awful and so I don't know, there's no defense. 357 00:25:45,599 --> 00:25:48,039 Elaine did send an adorable picture of Marigold in front of her garden, 358 00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:52,240 and then she sent a picture of her vegetable garden. And really, this 359 00:25:52,319 --> 00:25:55,799 is another one that you have to check out because her picket fence, she 360 00:25:55,799 --> 00:25:56,359 doesn't even she just catches. It's like, oh, I just put in 361 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,680 a picket fence. It's painted all different colors. And she has these colorful 362 00:26:00,759 --> 00:26:06,880 flags zigzagging over her garden and it just looks like the sweetest, most delightful 363 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,119 place to be. So thank you so much Elaine for sending that advice and 364 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,839 your photos. And here's to miss Marigold. You are a good dog. 365 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,480 Yes, thank you, Marigold. Brianna writes to us. My name is 366 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,599 Brie, my husband is Marshall. We are Zone eight B gardeners in Texas. 367 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:30,000 I'm a surgery resident and my husband is a veterinarian. Attached our pictures 368 00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:33,359 of our dog, Ellie, and she is the best gardening buddy. Anytime 369 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:37,920 we're out gardening, she wants to be with us. Her favorite things while 370 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:42,400 we garden are playing fetch with her favorite ball, getting pets, or snoozing 371 00:26:42,599 --> 00:26:47,640 in a sunny spot. We trained her not to go in the garden beds. 372 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:51,599 To her, they are off limits. And I love this Stacy. 373 00:26:51,599 --> 00:26:55,799 You know we talked about that in the first segment. Some folks are put 374 00:26:55,799 --> 00:26:59,880 the time in and are very good at training the dog to stay out of 375 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:04,599 garden beds or go potty in a certain area. Early on, we did 376 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,960 not even let her be outside alone to get into trouble. We used a 377 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:17,319 lot of positive reinforcement boiled chicken is her favorite, and rewarded her for staying 378 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:19,759 out of the garden beds. It took time, but now even if her 379 00:27:19,799 --> 00:27:25,960 favorite ball rolls into the garden beds, or if she's chasing a squirrel squirrel, 380 00:27:26,519 --> 00:27:30,200 she doesn't go into the garden. That's impressive. That's impressive. She's 381 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,640 a very high energy dog, so we always make sure that she gets enough 382 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:40,359 exercise and mental stimulation. And then I really appreciate what Brie wrote here, 383 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,359 Stacy. She goes on to talk about the less toxic plans. Yes, 384 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,799 so she mentions tulip's hyacinth s, daffodil's chrysanthemums. Now, obviously Bree's husband, 385 00:27:48,839 --> 00:27:52,279 Marshall, is a vet, so he probably has the benefit of, 386 00:27:52,319 --> 00:27:56,799 you know, knowing some of these, but it's not information that you know 387 00:27:56,319 --> 00:28:00,160 you need to go to veterinary school to get because veterinarians fortunately are sharing this 388 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,000 information on university websites and we will link. I'll link to some of my 389 00:28:04,079 --> 00:28:07,519 favorites in our show notes so that you can keep those handy for if you 390 00:28:07,559 --> 00:28:11,960 do need to do that. So they put less toxic plants in the garden 391 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,400 because the garden bed is off limits, so she doesn't dig or eat the 392 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,680 plants. But they do make sure to keep any dead foliage or leaves picked 393 00:28:18,799 --> 00:28:22,640 up. And that's important too because I have a friend who had a dog 394 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:29,160 eat some Taxis clippings. So they had trimmed the shrup the hedge and you 395 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:30,359 know, left it and they were cleaning up, and you know, the 396 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,559 dog never bothered the plant itself, but as many dogs are very interested in 397 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,559 sticks, and you know, the dog picked up the stick. And Taxis 398 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,640 is one of the most toxic plants, despite the fact that somehow deer managed 399 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:45,039 to eat it, which never fails to boggle my mind. So they had 400 00:28:45,079 --> 00:28:48,640 to, you know, take him to an emergency vent, which is expensive, 401 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,400 and you know, they had no idea of if he had consumed enough 402 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:52,720 to be a problem. So yeah, it's important to make sure that all 403 00:28:52,759 --> 00:28:56,480 of that stuff is being kept up, picked up as well as you know, 404 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,240 just keeping them from the actual plants growing in your garden. You know, 405 00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:03,920 you talk about plants they see often within the garden center. We would 406 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:10,759 get calls from people where the dog would eat the organic fertilizer if that folks 407 00:29:10,759 --> 00:29:11,880 had purchases. And of course, if you think about it, it's got 408 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,000 bone meal in it, blind meal, it's got the corn, gluten, 409 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:21,680 ratten eggs. All that gets exactly right, everything that dogs love. And 410 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,599 I am aware of that, like if I spray deer repellent like that, 411 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,119 I don't want their dogs to be going crazy if they're you know so. 412 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,799 But Brianna goes on to say that there are some highly toxic plants that they 413 00:29:30,839 --> 00:29:36,319 completely avoid, and Marshall, the veterinarian husband recommends that you do the same. 414 00:29:36,799 --> 00:29:40,599 So she lists a couple that are common in Texas, less common for 415 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:45,839 us up here in Michigan. Sago palms oleander is one of the most toxic 416 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:49,319 plants out there for humans as well as animals and lilies. She said, 417 00:29:49,359 --> 00:29:53,000 this is actually for cats, but the pollen can cause kidney failure and death, 418 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,200 and they specifically don't get lilies in the flower bouquets because of how toxic 419 00:29:57,319 --> 00:30:00,880 they can be for cats, she says. Lastly, Marshall is very passionate 420 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:04,960 about education and it's happy to answer any questions or talk more about plant health. 421 00:30:06,079 --> 00:30:08,119 So I love that. I thought we would have him on a future 422 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,559 show and what I thought would be you, So we didn't have time to 423 00:30:11,559 --> 00:30:14,359 book it all together for the dog scaping show. What I thought would be 424 00:30:14,359 --> 00:30:17,640 great to talk to Marshall about is sort of you know, if your dog 425 00:30:17,799 --> 00:30:19,440 eats a plant, what should your plan of action be? What do you 426 00:30:19,519 --> 00:30:23,240 need to know to go to the vet with so that they can act, 427 00:30:23,519 --> 00:30:27,279 you know, defensively and in a hurry. So look for Marshall on a 428 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:33,240 future show hopefully. And thank you so much to Brianna and Marshall and Ellie. 429 00:30:33,279 --> 00:30:36,119 Ellie, you are a very good dog, Julie writes to us, 430 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:41,079 Hi, I'm sending what I do to keep my garden and lawn looking good 431 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:44,640 with two dogs. After seeing the damage my male dog was doing, I 432 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,440 started training them both to go number one in a certain area before they get 433 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:52,880 access to the yard. They are anxious to get out, so they will 434 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,359 hurry up and do their business with a verbal queue. Now sometimes they will 435 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:00,240 go again a second time out in the yard, but it's very rare. 436 00:31:00,559 --> 00:31:03,559 I don't mind number two, just number one that does the damage. And 437 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:08,599 like we talked about in the first segment, yes, surface areas and damage 438 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:14,200 to most notably turf. I have included a picture of the little area behind 439 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:18,680 our garage that I have playground wood chips on them for them to go, 440 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:22,880 and then also a picture of them out and about enjoying the yard. A 441 00:31:22,119 --> 00:31:26,799 third picture of my son's dog last year when I was dog sitting, he 442 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:32,759 found a nice comfy spot on my annuals to lay down. It always makes 443 00:31:32,759 --> 00:31:34,559 me laugh when I see that, and it is a great picture. It's 444 00:31:34,599 --> 00:31:37,920 a big gray looks like a bowl mastiff or something. He's a very large 445 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,480 dog and he is just like, it's cool here where if I fits, 446 00:31:41,519 --> 00:31:45,559 I sits. So yeah, And I think that Julie, you know, 447 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,160 her yard obviously looks great. It's very very neat. I think she's her 448 00:31:48,279 --> 00:31:52,160 advice is a great example of, you know, how you can kind of 449 00:31:52,480 --> 00:32:00,319 balance having a really beautifully tended yard and having two dogs. And so that 450 00:32:00,359 --> 00:32:04,240 was really great advice too. Now, whether or not it's possible for you 451 00:32:04,279 --> 00:32:07,480 to train your dog at that level, whether or not it's too late for 452 00:32:07,519 --> 00:32:09,160 you to train your dog at that level, whether you can teach an old 453 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,759 dog new tricks as it were. But you know, if you're getting a 454 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:15,720 newer dog, a puppy or something like that, it's worth considering, you 455 00:32:15,759 --> 00:32:19,480 know, how can you put the effort in to train them so it's not 456 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,119 an issue in the first place. Although I have heard from a number of 457 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,759 people who say that wood mulch is like their dog's favorite thing to chew on. 458 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:29,400 It's like the stick selection. They can just like go through and find 459 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,960 their favorite little chunk and chew on it. They love that exactly. You're 460 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:37,039 barking up the right tree. But you know, again, the wood mulch, 461 00:32:37,319 --> 00:32:40,119 and I think we had a question about this recently, is widely believed 462 00:32:40,119 --> 00:32:45,799 to be the best for the most dogs safe of all of the mulches out 463 00:32:45,799 --> 00:32:51,079 there. So so thank you all so much for your advice and assistance and 464 00:32:51,079 --> 00:32:54,160 your amazing photos of your beautiful dogs. Oh, I forgot, Julie didn't 465 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:58,279 tell me her dog's names, but I'm sure they are also very good dogs. 466 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:00,000 Anyway, Thank you again. We're going to take a little break. 467 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,920 When we come back, we're going to bring on Adriana for some more dogscaping 468 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:12,839 advice, so please stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Show is brought to you 469 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,880 by Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens have 470 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:22,880 been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy more beauty and less work. 471 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:27,079 Look for Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs in the distinctive white container at your 472 00:33:27,119 --> 00:33:32,880 local garden center. Welcome back to The Gardening Simplified Show, our dog scaping 473 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:38,480 edition of The Gardening Simplified Show. And as we've mentioned previously on today's show, 474 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:44,039 both Stacy and I are not dog owners. We are plant lovers. 475 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:50,960 We are obviously gardening lovers and certainly appreciate pets. We're surrounded by them. 476 00:33:51,119 --> 00:33:54,960 Our neighbors own dogs, and as I mentioned, I live near a large 477 00:33:55,119 --> 00:34:00,759 dog beach on Lake Michigan. But the true dog owner here on the set 478 00:34:01,279 --> 00:34:07,920 of The Gardening Simplified Show, as our wonderful engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson and 479 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:14,199 Adriana I understand two dogs, Atlas and Sage. Tell us about Atlas and 480 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:17,320 Sage. Yes, so yep. As Rick mentioned, I have a husky 481 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,719 named Atlas. He I think I've been saying he's eight years old for the 482 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,840 past like four years, but this year he is officially turning eight. And 483 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:30,320 then Sage is a little mutt pup that we got from Honduras, oh recently. 484 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,480 Treso Stage is a recent addition to the family. Yes, got her 485 00:34:34,519 --> 00:34:37,840 in April. You know, I joked about the Papa Razzi and we were 486 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:44,599 having fun Adriana talking about the fact that both of us had visited Hawking Hills 487 00:34:44,599 --> 00:34:49,360 in Ohio, and I think you brought along Atlas on that trip. Is 488 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,559 that correct? Yes, that is correct. We actually went with two of 489 00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:54,840 our friends who had a husky and a Golden retriever with them as well. 490 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:59,599 It was super fun. Atlas loved swimming around in the area, but it 491 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:02,960 was very crowded. Yeah. Yeah, and of course they surround Atlas. 492 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,159 They become the stars of the show. You know. One of the things 493 00:35:07,199 --> 00:35:12,599 I was thinking Stacy with dog scaping is that, again fencing in barriers, 494 00:35:12,639 --> 00:35:15,559 you have to think about your neighbors. You have to think about what's safe 495 00:35:15,639 --> 00:35:22,559 for your dog and also consider your neighbors and their part in this relationship with 496 00:35:22,679 --> 00:35:27,599 your dog. Also, and Adriana, we have a story to post on 497 00:35:27,639 --> 00:35:34,599 our website, Gardening Simplified on air dot com, and that is this dog 498 00:35:34,639 --> 00:35:40,079 owner who got revenge on her neighbor who was teasing her dog with a drone 499 00:35:40,119 --> 00:35:46,880 and eventually the dog destroyed the drone and the neighbor was trying to get the 500 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:52,440 money back on this drone, but the judge ruled in favor of the pet 501 00:35:52,559 --> 00:35:59,920 owner and the individual owned the drone ended up paying up. But again, 502 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:05,280 neighborly relations when you have a dog, pretty important thing to pay attention to. 503 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:07,599 Yeah, and you know, it's funny because I feel like normally it's 504 00:36:07,639 --> 00:36:09,800 the one who owns the dog that it's like, you know, you're kind 505 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:12,920 of having to be more cautious. You don't want it to be barking in 506 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,119 their window or anything like that. This story was interesting. You know, 507 00:36:15,159 --> 00:36:20,719 I am a drone pilot and having a husky specifically, I definitely side with 508 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:22,760 the dog owner on that. I think anytime you just start off a story 509 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:27,519 with trying to terrorize a dog, it's usually a bad idea. So I 510 00:36:27,559 --> 00:36:30,559 think it was it ended the way it should have for that story. Well, 511 00:36:30,599 --> 00:36:32,119 you know, dogs need a safe space too, and the yard is 512 00:36:32,159 --> 00:36:36,320 their home just as much as it's yours. And if you go and start 513 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:40,599 antagonizing some poor unsuspecting dog on its home turf, I mean yeah. And 514 00:36:40,639 --> 00:36:45,239 you know dogs have a natural predator sense to a degree too. So something 515 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:49,400 buzzing around, you know, kind of coming at it, it's probably panicking. 516 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,079 It doesn't know what's going on, so Atlas would have grabbed it to 517 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:53,719 Yeah, it doesn't know that. It's not like a hawk about to like 518 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:58,280 swoop down and you know, mess with it or something like that. So 519 00:36:59,119 --> 00:37:01,840 I know you have a vegetable garden, yes, So have the dogs ever 520 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:06,000 shown any interest in the vegetable garden or any other part of your garden? 521 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,880 Yes? So the vegetable garden, I do have a fence around it where 522 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:13,480 you know, it's got some wood frames and also some chicken ware, so 523 00:37:13,519 --> 00:37:15,199 they can't go in it unless I'm in there. And then Sage likes to 524 00:37:15,199 --> 00:37:17,880 go around. She loves smelling the celery because she knows she's gonna eat it 525 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:22,519 later. And then so that's pretty much the extent of getting in the vegetable 526 00:37:22,519 --> 00:37:27,519 garden. But then for my regular garden. They definitely like to explore everywhere. 527 00:37:27,639 --> 00:37:30,039 I leave certain areas of the yard open for them because I know they 528 00:37:30,159 --> 00:37:34,519 enjoy playing. So we have a back fence where our neighbors have two dogs 529 00:37:34,599 --> 00:37:37,199 and they like to go and run around there, So I don't plant anything 530 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:39,000 there because I know it's going to get trampled. Other than that, I 531 00:37:39,039 --> 00:37:43,079 do have Atlas trained to stay out of the garden beds, so he's pretty 532 00:37:43,079 --> 00:37:45,320 good at that for the most part, unless there is a squirrel he's got 533 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,440 to chase. He never catches them, but you know he does love to 534 00:37:47,519 --> 00:37:51,480 chase them. Well, instinct kicks in, you know, he's just like, 535 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:53,360 I gotta go after the squirrel. My training it all goes out the 536 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,639 window right exactly. And he's, you know, a protector of the yard. 537 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,320 So sure, but you know I have trained him to respect the garden 538 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:05,079 and training stage as well. We were talking about mulch in the last segment. 539 00:38:05,199 --> 00:38:08,280 I use a shredded plane bark mulch no die, so Sage will kind 540 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,920 of chew on that sometimes, but not to an extent where it's been a 541 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:15,199 problem. Right, So just the shredded hardwood mulch, not something that has 542 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:20,239 a dye in it that makes it red or black or chocolate colored. Yes, 543 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,719 correct, yep, just a natural shredded bark. Yeah, and of 544 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:27,679 course avoiding cocoa mulch. You know, off the top of my head, 545 00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:31,400 I was thinking of a word, and I think it's I think it's pronounced 546 00:38:31,559 --> 00:38:36,400 smoothe or smooth. Oh, yeah, a little. You talked about that 547 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:42,000 before, Yes, m u s when you talk about Atlas chasing a squirrel, 548 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:47,480 I leave them in my yard so they can escape most Yes, the 549 00:38:47,519 --> 00:38:51,960 squirrel stands a fighting chance. Yeah. Going back to maultch too. When 550 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,559 I was just looking up a couple different facts for this show, I had 551 00:38:54,679 --> 00:38:59,639 read one of those articles too, where it was how to prevent fleas from 552 00:38:59,679 --> 00:39:02,679 getting new yard and kept saying cedar bark mulch, which I was not able 553 00:39:02,679 --> 00:39:08,960 to find scientific evidence that that truly supports prevention from ther yard, but mentioned 554 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,599 that that is interesting because you know, a little while ago, we had 555 00:39:12,719 --> 00:39:16,679 a listener question who was asking about mulch to prevent fire ants, and they 556 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:21,000 were also making claims about cedar being less attractive to fire ants, but there 557 00:39:21,039 --> 00:39:24,079 was also no scientific evidence that you know, the cedar mulch. It's typically 558 00:39:24,119 --> 00:39:27,599 more expensive and say with a dyed mulch. So it's like what we're saying 559 00:39:27,599 --> 00:39:30,920 here is just get the cheapest mulch that does the best job, and it's 560 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:32,079 better for the dogs, and it's better for you, and it's better for 561 00:39:32,119 --> 00:39:37,880 the garden as well. So I'm curious about how you managed to train out 562 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,280 lists to not go in the beds like that. Seems like I haven't trained 563 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:45,320 a dog before, but this seems very difficult. Ye well, yes, 564 00:39:45,679 --> 00:39:49,679 yes and no. So we have our lawn where it's just you know, 565 00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:52,639 grass, and I'm not a huge lawn fanatic or anything, so mine doesn't 566 00:39:52,679 --> 00:39:55,800 look that great. But so the garden beds edged and they are shredded bark 567 00:39:55,880 --> 00:40:00,239 mulch, so it kind of is already a perimeter. And I trained to 568 00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:04,400 to teach those perimeters almost like a fence, positive reinforcement. Whenever he would 569 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,199 stay out, you know, I'd say stay out of the garden and he 570 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:07,840 would, and I would give him some boiled chicken, which he loves as 571 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:12,480 well. Which I mean it took years, right like it's not And when 572 00:40:12,519 --> 00:40:15,599 I moved, I had to it was completely new training. He knew the 573 00:40:15,599 --> 00:40:17,079 phrase, but he didn't understand, like, well, is this a garden? 574 00:40:17,119 --> 00:40:20,719 You know? Where am I? He's kind of he's too smart for 575 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:22,280 his own good. So when I'm not around, I know, he definitely 576 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:27,559 like casually walks around the plants and like tiptoes in there. But and then 577 00:40:27,559 --> 00:40:30,280 I'll like poke my head out and he'll like screw you away or like hide 578 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,239 behind the garage where I can't see him. So he's not probably as trained 579 00:40:32,239 --> 00:40:37,360 as Ellie, who sounds amazing, but he's he's a good boy's fair So 580 00:40:37,519 --> 00:40:38,960 you know, you're like Alice, dude, you're one hundred pounds. I 581 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:44,559 can tell if you've left a foot printed, you know, And like certain 582 00:40:44,599 --> 00:40:49,039 things are really cute, Like he loves smelling lilacs and lavender. So if 583 00:40:49,199 --> 00:40:52,559 I see, you know, a little paw in done next to the lavender, 584 00:40:52,639 --> 00:40:54,639 because I know he was stepping over to smell it, That's okay. 585 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:58,039 It's for him to enjoy too, that's great. You know, I would 586 00:40:58,039 --> 00:41:00,920 think repetition is the key? Is that is the word I was looking for? 587 00:41:01,039 --> 00:41:05,519 Yes, you know, one of the observations that I had and with 588 00:41:05,599 --> 00:41:09,840 my neighbor, and that is when you own a dog, it gives you 589 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:15,519 the opportunity to get exercise for yourself. His dog goes busting out the back 590 00:41:15,599 --> 00:41:20,880 door and goes crazy when he initially is able to get out of the house. 591 00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:24,519 But I think one of the important aspects here, from my observation, 592 00:41:24,679 --> 00:41:29,119 would be that if you're going to own a dog, you're going to have 593 00:41:29,199 --> 00:41:31,719 to be willing to get some exercise yourself. In other words, take that 594 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:37,880 dog for a walk. Yes. Absolutely. Going back to even bad habits 595 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:39,880 that dogs have in the yard, you gotta almost look at it as from 596 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:44,159 a why is this habit happening in the first place. So a lot of 597 00:41:44,199 --> 00:41:47,360 the time it does have to do with their not exerting enough energy. You 598 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:50,880 gotta take them out more, or if they're chewing a bunch of stuff, 599 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:53,039 maybe try putting different toys in the yard for them to interact with. Sure 600 00:41:53,159 --> 00:41:55,239 the digging, I know a lot of dogs will do that, either because 601 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:59,880 they're anxious or the energy thing again, but some will do it like Sage 602 00:42:00,119 --> 00:42:02,199 from Hondura's No doubt, she was used to doing that all the time to 603 00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:07,039 get cool, so okay, so I would whenever she would do that, 604 00:42:07,079 --> 00:42:08,280 and it would always be, you know, in a fresh garden bed. 605 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:12,239 I just dug up so it was like really dirty. So whenever she would 606 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,119 do that, I would just redirect you. I'd say no, and then 607 00:42:14,159 --> 00:42:16,559 redirect her to this spot on my back patio where it's cement and in the 608 00:42:16,559 --> 00:42:20,960 shade and nice and cool. So then she knows to go there now whenever 609 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:22,480 she's trying to cool down. And she picked it up really fast. And 610 00:42:22,519 --> 00:42:27,920 some dogs definitely take more time. But I think that knowing why the dog 611 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,079 is behaving the way it is is the first step. Sure. Absolutely, 612 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:37,960 have your dogs ever brought something interesting home to you? I was reading a 613 00:42:37,039 --> 00:42:40,960 thread some dog owners here, and I had so much fun reading this. 614 00:42:42,559 --> 00:42:45,400 One of these individuals says, my neighbor's dog once brought home a man's bathing 615 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:50,800 suit with keys in the pocket. All we knew to do was hang the 616 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,840 bathing suit out on our mailbox and hopefully the owner would find it. And 617 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:59,880 then a yellow lab mix named Bailey. Her most incredible find was a tom 618 00:43:00,119 --> 00:43:04,079 Blur half filled with bourbon on the rocks. Oh that kind of does. 619 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:10,039 It's hilarious. You know, my dogs, if they're bringing anything to me, 620 00:43:10,639 --> 00:43:15,280 it's concerning for me because it's from my backyard and like, what did 621 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:17,199 you tear up? Or what did you do? So they're not really roaming 622 00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:21,880 around too often in the neighborhood or anything like that, so mine haven't. 623 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:25,039 There was famously the Halloween We're at last fell in love with the gourd. 624 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:29,400 Oh yes, oh, hopefully I can find pictures of that. Yes, 625 00:43:29,599 --> 00:43:34,320 there was a Halloween where there's just a random gourd, nothing really special about 626 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:37,559 it, but he carried it with him everywhere. He went to bed with 627 00:43:37,599 --> 00:43:39,719 it for months until it started getting bad. So I tried to, you 628 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:43,000 know, be the parent that was like, I'll just replace it and hopefully 629 00:43:43,039 --> 00:43:45,840 we won't he won't notice. But he did, and he never looked at 630 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:51,800 another gourd the same. That's a story, well, folks. Adriana Robinson 631 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:55,039 is our engineer and producer of The Gardening Simplified show. Just does a wonderful 632 00:43:55,119 --> 00:43:59,159 job. We could not do this show without you, Adriana, and we 633 00:43:59,199 --> 00:44:01,199 so appreciate you. As a matter of fact, you work so hard you 634 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:07,960 deserve a vacation. I was noticing on online that there is an airline now 635 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:12,719 called Bark Airlines. It now serves New York, La London, Paris, 636 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:16,280 Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Phoenix. So maybe 637 00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:21,920 look into Bark Airlines and take at listen Sage on a trip. Ah absolutely 638 00:44:22,159 --> 00:44:25,199 ute. Yes, Thanks Adriana, thank you well, Thank you all so 639 00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:29,360 much for listening, and thanks so much especially to everyone who's sent in their 640 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,280 advice and photos of their dogs. I hope you all take the time to 641 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:36,679 enjoy the dogs of the listeners to the Gardening Simplified Show. And thanks Rick, 642 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,480 thanks for our resident dog and our resident dog expert, Adriana, and 643 00:44:40,559 --> 00:44:43,760 thanks to all of you. We hope you have a wonderful week ahead.