1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,679 Hello, my friends across the fruited and rooted plane. It's time for the 2 00:00:06,679 --> 00:00:13,080 Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella me Rick weisst and our engineer and producer Adrianna 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:18,079 Robinson. Well, Stacy. Today we're going to talk about north versus South, 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,640 or South versus North, a little bit of southern gardening talk. I 5 00:00:22,679 --> 00:00:28,280 was chatting with a friend of mine, Teresa Watkins. She's with NewsRadio WFLA 6 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,960 in Orlando, Florida, has a gardening show she does. She's an author, 7 00:00:33,079 --> 00:00:37,079 she's a garden designer, and we were just chatting about the differences between 8 00:00:37,119 --> 00:00:42,119 southern and northern gardening. And of course we've had viewers and listeners who have 9 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,759 asked us to touch on the subject, a lot of them. Yes, 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,439 as the show's gotten some traction, We've heard from listeners all over the US 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,880 and all over the world. So we have a lot of fans in hot 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,359 climates who are a little bit like, hey, what about me? Well, 13 00:00:55,399 --> 00:00:59,920 and you know, when you think about gardening down south, or landscapes 14 00:01:00,039 --> 00:01:02,520 down I mean, one of the first things I think about when I've been 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,079 in, for example, Florida, is the difference as far as turf is 16 00:01:06,159 --> 00:01:11,000 concerned. So there you are looking at things like Zoisia grass, Bermuda grass, 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:17,560 Saint Augustine grass, and appear. In the North, we have those 18 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:23,120 wonderful, cool, seasoned blends of Kentucky blue and perennial rye and fescues that 19 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,439 you know, you just want to take your shoes off and walk barefoot in 20 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,400 the grass. Not so much down so well, aside from the texture of 21 00:01:30,439 --> 00:01:37,400 their turf, you've also got you know, scorpions and fire ass and snakes 22 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,840 and a lot of things that maybe aren't so pleasant to walk on barefoots. 23 00:01:42,239 --> 00:01:45,599 But here's a pleasant thought. In the South, and Teresa and I talked 24 00:01:45,599 --> 00:01:52,159 about this, you can garden year round, and we have snow that covers 25 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,959 our lawns and is the great equalizer. Everybody's yards look the same in the 26 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,840 winter time. And you know what, it really makes the maintenance industry a 27 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,359 big industry in the South. Also again, if you're gardening year around here. 28 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:09,719 As far as the maintenance industry is concerned, well, we hang some 29 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,199 Christmas lights and we plow snow, but it's a big deal down there, 30 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,039 it is. And you know, I think that that really gets to the 31 00:02:17,039 --> 00:02:22,159 whole North versus South, or south versus north, is that I think we 32 00:02:22,319 --> 00:02:25,039 look at each other and think, Wow, it'd be so cool to garden 33 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,479 in that climate, but that ultimately it's kind of like the grass is always 34 00:02:29,479 --> 00:02:32,639 greener on the other side, you know, literally and metaphorically. I mean, 35 00:02:32,719 --> 00:02:37,919 I can't even tell you how many times helping home gardeners, I've heard 36 00:02:38,039 --> 00:02:43,639 from them in Texas, in southern California and Florida saying, please tell me 37 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:49,120 there's a lilac that I can grow here, and I usually the answers no. 38 00:02:49,199 --> 00:02:51,479 I mean, there are some heat tolerant lilacs, which we have talked 39 00:02:51,479 --> 00:02:53,759 about a bit. But I'm also just like, eat a minute, Why 40 00:02:53,759 --> 00:02:58,840 would you want to grow a lilac when you can grow citrus and jasmine and 41 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:05,080 crotons, ova and all of this really cool stuff that you know, everybody 42 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,280 always wants what they can't have. I get that, but you know, 43 00:03:07,439 --> 00:03:09,280 when they're saying to me, wish I could grow lilacs, I'm going I 44 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,280 wish I could grow lemons. I wish I could grow avocados. That would 45 00:03:13,319 --> 00:03:15,439 be amazing. Well, of course, if you're going to garden in the 46 00:03:15,479 --> 00:03:17,840 south, one of the things you have to pay attention to. Well, 47 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:22,879 actually, if you're going to garden anywhere, you want to pay attention to 48 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:29,080 the soil. And in Florida, they they have an interesting kind of soil 49 00:03:29,199 --> 00:03:35,240 type there. It's called Mayaca soil. It's a fine soil. But here's 50 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,000 the point the difference being. And one of Teresa's comments to me was when 51 00:03:39,039 --> 00:03:45,199 you add amendments to the soil, and you add organic matter to the soil, 52 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,360 you have to pay attention to it because it breaks down so much faster 53 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,319 than when we add it to our soils here in the North. Oh, 54 00:03:52,319 --> 00:03:55,960 sure that higher temperature or higher humidity, it's just gonna go cycle right through. 55 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,639 And there are so many unusual soils in warm climates. You know, 56 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,719 growing up in the Midwest and gardening in the Midwest and East Coast, you're 57 00:04:02,759 --> 00:04:05,039 kind of like, oh, it's either you know, like a clay soil 58 00:04:05,159 --> 00:04:08,919 or sandy soil. It's just like that's it. But you know, you're 59 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:15,480 going down to Arizona, California, you have totally different challenges like boron tolerance. 60 00:04:15,519 --> 00:04:18,920 A lot of soils in California are very high, naturally high and boron 61 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:21,759 and there's a lot of plants that can't grow in it. You go down 62 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,839 to you know, Arizona, there's not a lot of irrigation, so the 63 00:04:25,879 --> 00:04:30,839 soils tend to get much more alkaline. There's all of these considerations which you 64 00:04:30,879 --> 00:04:33,959 know, provide opportunity but also a little bit of a challenge. Well, 65 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,879 yeah, and think about humidity. Humidity that was another subject that came up. 66 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,720 You know, here in Michigan, we we complain about the humidity in 67 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:46,639 July and August, but it's like, you know, down there, wow, 68 00:04:46,879 --> 00:04:50,839 in Florida, humidity and that's part of the reason why plants like lilacs 69 00:04:50,959 --> 00:04:58,720 are a problem growing them there. But also watering. And one of the 70 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,360 things that we were looking at is the fact that there's a tendency, for 71 00:05:02,399 --> 00:05:08,920 example, in Florida to overwater your plants. And so I did a little 72 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,160 bit of research and sure enough, Florida is the third highest state in the 73 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:18,759 United States for rainfall fifty five to sixty five inches a year. Number one 74 00:05:18,879 --> 00:05:24,199 is Hawaii, and you have Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama on the list. 75 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,480 A state such as ours, Michigan, we kind of fall right in the 76 00:05:27,519 --> 00:05:30,199 middle, number thirty two, with about thirty three inches of rain per year. 77 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:38,040 The point is overwatering can become a problem in some of these tropical regions 78 00:05:38,079 --> 00:05:41,639 because it's going to create disease for your plants. It does, and you 79 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,040 know, people think like, oh, it's hot, my plants need more 80 00:05:44,079 --> 00:05:47,000 water. But the fact is, when there is high humidity in the air, 81 00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:51,759 the plants don't lose as much water out of their foliage when they're you 82 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:57,279 know, undergoing photosynthesis, and so they don't need as much. And people 83 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:00,279 are thinking, well, it's hot, better water my plants. And I 84 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,399 can't tell you how many warm climate gardeners I've heard from, particularly attempting to 85 00:06:03,439 --> 00:06:11,319 grow limelight panicle hydrangea, who have killed or severely setback their plants, you 86 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,560 know, watering them like they think they should, but just not accounting for 87 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:18,600 that lower water usage that happens under high humidity conditions. Yeah, I think, 88 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:21,680 you know, as far as watering is concerned, if you're in Nevada, 89 00:06:21,959 --> 00:06:26,800 Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Arizona, Idaho, that's 90 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,519 a whole different matter. But in the South, yeah, just because it's 91 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,519 hot doesn't mean you need to pour on more water. Of course, nematodes 92 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:41,680 also are a problem in the South, and there's a real interest in container 93 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,439 gardening. And when I've spent time in Florida run through some neighborhoods, you 94 00:06:46,519 --> 00:06:48,920 see a lot of container gardens. Of course, you think about Jack Barnwell 95 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:56,040 and proven Winters, aqua pots and they're in Florida. Their ability to use 96 00:06:56,079 --> 00:07:00,600 both tropical plants and other plants. I asked Teresa the question, what's as 97 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:05,279 a garden designer, landscape designer, what's one of your favorite plants to use 98 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:11,199 and containers, because again you're right, Stacy, we think about Croton's and 99 00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:15,560 hybiscus and mandavilla and that sort of thing. She said, Oh soo easy 100 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:20,800 roses. Oh interesting, she said, roses just do fantastic. The new 101 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:28,720 roses like OsO easy roses. Also, bud Leah's in containers very popular and 102 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:33,120 they have a lot of success with them. And then, by the way, 103 00:07:33,199 --> 00:07:38,839 she had also mentioned a perennial that's one of my favorites, whirling butterflies. 104 00:07:39,879 --> 00:07:44,519 That is Guara guara, however you want to pronounce it, it's spelled 105 00:07:44,519 --> 00:07:46,839 gu a r a. That's going to be my word of the day, 106 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,759 guara because it's tough to say, but that's a perennial that's tough as nails 107 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:57,879 and can handle the heat. Kind of a neat plant to add to your 108 00:07:57,959 --> 00:08:03,199 landscape if you are in the health or even here in Michigan and dealing with 109 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,680 heat. Fun plant to grow. I have grown it a lot of times. 110 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,920 It sold as an annual here in Michigan, but it has been a 111 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,879 short lived perennial for me, like for two or three years, until you 112 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,639 know, some really wet snow kind of takes it out. But I love 113 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,439 that plant. I love those plants that have like a lot of space in 114 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,120 air in them, and I think Gara is a great example of that. 115 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:28,079 Yeah. Absolutely, And of course if you're watching us or listening to us 116 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,960 down south, I'm jealous because you get to grow annuals in the winter time. 117 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:35,879 Now, we do try to plant a few pansy's, some ornamental kale, 118 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:41,120 try and keep them alive a little beyond Thanksgiving Day. But again, 119 00:08:41,279 --> 00:08:46,720 talking to Kevin Hurd from Proven Winners, Kevin said that in many of their 120 00:08:46,759 --> 00:08:52,440 trial gardens, they will plant out annuals in Florida in the winter just to 121 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:58,639 test their cold tolerance, and they, for example found sweet Caroline Medusa, 122 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:03,279 the sweet potato vine. I did quite well in the Deep South during the 123 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,399 winter because of course they can get some cold snaps. But talk about fun 124 00:09:07,519 --> 00:09:11,120 being able to plant out annuals. Yeah, it's it is. You really 125 00:09:11,159 --> 00:09:13,840 have to sort of shift your perspective. I know one time I was visiting 126 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,240 San Antonio, Texas in early spring, and I said, oh, these 127 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,159 are the most beautiful petunias I have ever seen. And how long have you 128 00:09:22,159 --> 00:09:24,159 had them planted? They said, oh, those we only grow those a 129 00:09:24,159 --> 00:09:26,240 few weeks weeks. They're a spring annual for us, which for us they're 130 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:31,639 like the height of summer. And also exactly, yeah, so down south, 131 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:33,399 pay attention to the feeding. You're going to have to pay attention to 132 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,559 feeding again with a lot of rain and with the humidity and with the growth. 133 00:09:39,279 --> 00:09:43,480 Feeding of course is going to be very very important too. We had 134 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:48,519 a show a number of months ago about garden fatigue in the North when we 135 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:50,639 get a little weary of working in the garden. But boy, is it 136 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:54,919 a commitment. In the South. It's a year round thing. It is. 137 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,919 You never really get a break. Neither do the pests not something we've 138 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,840 touched on, but that can be a huge to shoe for people in the 139 00:10:00,879 --> 00:10:03,120 South. But you know, you get lemons, you get jasmine, you 140 00:10:03,159 --> 00:10:05,799 get so many cool things. I have to say, I'm I'm a little 141 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,960 jealous. Need I say more? Coming up next, Plants on Trial here 142 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:20,720 on the Gardening Simplified Show, Proven Winners Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your success 143 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,960 in the garden. That's why we trial and test all of our shrubs for 144 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,840 eight to ten years, making sure they outperform everything else on the market. 145 00:10:28,039 --> 00:10:35,600 Look for them in the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greetings, 146 00:10:35,639 --> 00:10:41,320 gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. It's the 147 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,279 time of the show where we put a plant on trial. That means we're 148 00:10:43,279 --> 00:10:46,600 going to talk about one of our favorite Proven Winners Colored Choice shrubs, and 149 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,080 you get to decide if you're going to try it out in your garden. 150 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,279 And seeing as how today's show is mostly dedicated to our friends in the warmer 151 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,600 climates, naturally I had to feature a shrub that is very, very heat 152 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:03,960 tolerant. Yes, and that is center stage red crape myrtle. And before 153 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,080 we continue, for our YouTube viewers, you got to show them, Oh 154 00:11:07,159 --> 00:11:09,000 yes, pen you just tapped on the table. All right, this is 155 00:11:09,159 --> 00:11:13,399 my very cool cactus pen that my mom got me at a store called jelly 156 00:11:13,519 --> 00:11:18,200 Land in Las Vegas, and she got me a bunch of cool pens. 157 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,600 The other ones might be a little too distracting to have on air, but 158 00:11:20,639 --> 00:11:24,480 this one doesn't move, so I brought it. Thanks Mom, Just showing 159 00:11:24,519 --> 00:11:26,120 off my cool pen. And it also writes very well, so it's not 160 00:11:26,159 --> 00:11:30,399 just a cool cactus pen. It also does its job. I love it 161 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:35,159 very well. It has black ink and the center stage crape myrtle has black 162 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:39,200 foliage. I just had to give a little tie in to bring it back 163 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,799 into plants on trial here. You know. You bring that up though, 164 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:46,480 Stacey, And when you look for crape myrtle online, there is a lot 165 00:11:46,519 --> 00:11:52,639 of talk about the dark leafed or black leafed crape myrtles and the pursuit of 166 00:11:52,639 --> 00:11:56,600 that. Yes, so I know a lot of our cooler climate listeners are 167 00:11:56,639 --> 00:11:58,679 not going to be necessarily familiar with crape myrtle. There has been more and 168 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:03,120 more being grown in cooler climates as people sort of experiment and find out, 169 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,240 oh hey, it does pretty well. If you got to downtown Holland, 170 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:09,720 Michigan, for example, in July and August, you will see quite a 171 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,799 few crape myrtles. That's the holy grail of plant breeding when it comes to 172 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:18,440 crape myrtle in that is trying to develop cold tolerant crape myrtle, right, 173 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:22,639 and then the other holy grail is an improved black leaf crape myrtle. So, 174 00:12:22,919 --> 00:12:26,320 now, if you aren't familiar with crape myrtle, or you haven't been 175 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,039 lucky enough to travel somewhere warmer, when they are in full bloom, they 176 00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:33,600 are a sight to behold. There really are, I think fewer few flowering 177 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:37,519 usually there are a flowering tree ares tend to be more of like a shrub, 178 00:12:37,639 --> 00:12:41,320 multi stammed habit are. There are a few other flowering trees or shrubs 179 00:12:41,399 --> 00:12:46,759 that are just so jaw dropping when they are in bloom. I mean they 180 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:52,000 are It's just thousands and thousands of flowers and the color is so bright that 181 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,480 I mean you'll stop your car, you know, but it's just it's absolutely 182 00:12:56,519 --> 00:12:58,720 screaming from out in the landscape. So over first, right, right, 183 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,440 a pull over first. But I have been in a situation where I almost 184 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,960 wanted to dis lay them on the brakes because the grape myrtles were so beautiful. 185 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,120 But you know, so they've been really popular garden plants in the US 186 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,519 for a century at least, if not longer. And you know when a 187 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,559 plant has been around that long, people start to wonder like what's next, 188 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,639 Like, hey, I understand grape myrtles, they're cool, but like I 189 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:22,919 want something with a little bit of pizzazz. I want something with a little 190 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:28,639 twist to it. And so these dark leaf or black leaf crape myrtles started 191 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:31,600 to come out to the market, oh, probably like fifteen twenty years ago, 192 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,840 and they are beautiful. So what you really have to imagine if you're 193 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:39,120 not familiar with this plant, is really super vivid flowers. So they can 194 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,240 be red, pink, purple, coral white, and then when you mix 195 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:48,919 that with that dark black foliage, they just pop against. It's really something 196 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:54,919 to see. But the earliest dark leaf crape myrtles, as beautiful as they 197 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:58,759 were, they were heat tolerant, but they did not really appreciate the humidity. 198 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:03,000 So what was opening is these black leaf crape myrtles, we're getting powdery 199 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,320 mildew. Now, when a plant with green leaves get gets powdery mildew. 200 00:14:05,399 --> 00:14:09,639 It doesn't look so hot. But when a plant with black leaves gets powdery 201 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:13,480 mildew and gets that white, fuzzy growth all over it, you really kind 202 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:18,559 of got a problem. Yes, there's no hiding that. And so you 203 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,080 know, when it came time for us to think about what was going our 204 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:26,480 take going to be at Priman Winter's Color Choice shrubs on these black leaf crape 205 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:31,399 myrtles, we knew that powdery mildew resistance was a non negotiable. It really 206 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:33,440 was. Our primary goal is to say, hey, you know, getting 207 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,639 good flower color is important. Getting a really nice, rich, dark black 208 00:14:39,639 --> 00:14:41,559 color is also important, But all of that kind of just goes out the 209 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:46,399 window if we don't have the performance of the plant, the disease resistance that 210 00:14:46,519 --> 00:14:50,200 is actually going to make people want to grow this and not say, oh 211 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,600 I wish that thing wasn't growing because it's just covered in powdery mildew. And 212 00:14:54,759 --> 00:14:56,279 so it took us quite a long time to develop it. But most of 213 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:01,519 the work on the center stage series of myrtle was done by our plant reader, 214 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,399 Megan Mattie, who was our reader who was our guest last week. 215 00:15:05,519 --> 00:15:09,000 Yep, Megan's a rock star. Megan is a rock star. I like 216 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:13,279 her a whole lot. And she's also the developer of the Center Stage Great 217 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:16,480 Myrtles and she specifically mentioned this when we were talking to her last week as 218 00:15:16,519 --> 00:15:20,039 being one of the plants that she is most proud of. And I think 219 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,440 that says a lot. You know, when you have a plant reader who 220 00:15:22,519 --> 00:15:26,480 is devoting their energy to so many different kinds of plants for so long, 221 00:15:26,559 --> 00:15:28,639 and they say, hey, this is one that's truly innovative. This is 222 00:15:28,679 --> 00:15:31,559 one that I'm truly proud of. I think that says a lot about the 223 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:35,039 plant and for Megan, that is a center Stage series and Center Stage Read 224 00:15:35,799 --> 00:15:39,679 is the one that I picked to highlight in today's Plants on Trial because it 225 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,519 was the first one and because I personally find the combination of that black foliage 226 00:15:45,519 --> 00:15:50,159 and those bright, bright red flowers absolutely irresistible. Have you seen this plant? 227 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,720 Oh, it's stunning. It's absolutely stunning. And of course you can 228 00:15:52,759 --> 00:15:56,919 go to our website, Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com check out the show notes 229 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:02,480 and if you're keeping score at home, we're talking about center Stage red crepe 230 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,720 myrtle. Yes, I have beautiful Let me quickly ask you a minute for 231 00:16:06,879 --> 00:16:11,879 again, those people scratching their heads riding in the car or at home listening 232 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:19,080 or watching crape myrtle, cr ape or cr epe. I say cr epe 233 00:16:19,159 --> 00:16:23,879 because the flowers look like crepe paper. That is where the name originally comes 234 00:16:23,919 --> 00:16:30,159 from. I win, I should be on Jeopardy if they have a plant 235 00:16:30,159 --> 00:16:33,159 category, I guarante, or a war history category, you'll be on top. 236 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,759 I don't know about any other categories though, But no, you're right, 237 00:16:37,799 --> 00:16:44,360 so we actually use approven winners the crepe cr ape. Okay, they're 238 00:16:44,399 --> 00:16:47,840 both technically correct. It's kind of just you know, however you want to 239 00:16:47,879 --> 00:16:51,480 say it. But either way, however you spelt it is. The derivation 240 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,200 of the name crepe is because the flowers do resemble crepe. People even use 241 00:16:55,240 --> 00:17:00,039 crepe paper anymore, no idea. I feel like that's a very party store 242 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,799 and kind of thing. All right, Well, hopefully they do, and 243 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,480 hopefully people know what the heck we're talking about when we talk about crape paper 244 00:17:07,559 --> 00:17:12,920 and crape myrtles as well. So anyway, this is a very very heat 245 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,559 tolerant plant. This will easily thrive in USCA Zone ten, which is you 246 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:21,359 know, almost all of the continental US. It will easily take. Even 247 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:25,599 the humidity in areas like southern Florida and Texas. It's not going to develop 248 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,599 that powdering mildia that people that might make people a little bit more a gunshy 249 00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:33,680 on darkleaf crape myrtles, And that's really, you know, one of the 250 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,519 reasons that it's so great. But we have discovered over time and trialing here 251 00:17:37,559 --> 00:17:42,079 in West Michigan that it does have a pretty good cold tolerance as well. 252 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:47,119 So here on the lake shore we have had them with the crape the center 253 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:52,400 stage series survive for several years. Now, what will happen typically in colder 254 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:56,759 climates like Michigan USCA zone sex, I've probably probably not going to get a 255 00:17:56,759 --> 00:18:00,440 whole lot of success colder than USCAE six. But don't let me discourage you 256 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,160 if you want to give it a try. You never know. But here 257 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,000 what happens is they die back to the ground. So they act a little 258 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,359 bit like a butterfly bush or Budleia or Chariopterus or something like that. Where 259 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,559 they are dying back to the ground, they're not remaining a shrub that where 260 00:18:15,559 --> 00:18:18,920 the growth is going to come out on those stems that persisted over winter, 261 00:18:18,599 --> 00:18:22,240 but after you know, some warmth in the spring, they will start to 262 00:18:22,279 --> 00:18:27,079 regrow from the roots. And because crape myrtle blooms on new wood later in 263 00:18:27,079 --> 00:18:33,160 the season, they actually do go on to flower and look amazing and by 264 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,400 the time you know, August rolls around, you won't even hardly have noticed 265 00:18:36,799 --> 00:18:40,240 that your plant ever even died back to the ground. It's really fun. 266 00:18:40,279 --> 00:18:44,039 It's kind of like the hardy bananas that we grow. Also, the moosa 267 00:18:44,079 --> 00:18:48,920 bajou I think is the name again, starting over but worth it, Yeah, 268 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,480 you know, I think it's it's one of those things that really shows 269 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,599 you that it pays to be a little bit experimental, yeah, and gardening, 270 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:57,359 And you know that's one of the things that we do here up proven 271 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:02,240 winners in our trial gardens or test these things and you know, seeing, 272 00:19:02,279 --> 00:19:04,480 hey will it come back, and yeah, we've had great survival on this. 273 00:19:04,519 --> 00:19:07,839 So it actually is a little bit more cold tolerant than we had initially 274 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,319 thought. We do usually put like a zone seven on it. But I 275 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:15,640 think if you're experimental and you want to give any of the Center Stage series 276 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,839 a try, if you're in USDA Zone six, you're probably going to have 277 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,079 pretty good luck, especially if you do find sort of a more protected spot 278 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,440 in your yard where you can plan out, but full sun. This is 279 00:19:26,519 --> 00:19:32,000 definitely a full sun plant, especially in colder climates and even in warmer climates. 280 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,240 You're going to want it to be in that full sun so that you 281 00:19:33,279 --> 00:19:37,519 get the full color to develop. Anytime that you have those extra pigments that's 282 00:19:37,559 --> 00:19:42,039 making folio geno black purple of those colors. If it's in too much shade, 283 00:19:42,039 --> 00:19:45,480 it gets to be kind of like a muddy green. You're not getting 284 00:19:45,519 --> 00:19:48,839 like the rich, you know, true kind of tones that you might be 285 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,319 seeing in our photos, which of course you can see at the show notes 286 00:19:51,319 --> 00:19:55,359 at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. Yeah, if you want to experiment with 287 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,079 the plant, you're in good company. George Washington did it in the seventeen 288 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,920 hundreds when they produced crape myrtle to the US. He wanted one on his 289 00:20:03,279 --> 00:20:07,920 Mountain Vernon estate. As I understand, I would guess he probably had pretty 290 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,680 good success. I would hope he had good success. And by the way, 291 00:20:11,279 --> 00:20:15,559 in my reading also I found that goldfinches love crape myrtle. The seeds 292 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,960 on the tree at least that's what I understand. So hey, you know 293 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:23,440 I did not experiment with it. What a beautiful tree. I love the 294 00:20:23,559 --> 00:20:26,920 black or dark leaf, and I love the idea of a yellow and black 295 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:32,559 goldfinch in the black folias of the center stage a crape myrtle. Wow. 296 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,400 So this is a great plan if you're looking for something really very colorful and 297 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,680 a more unusual color combination. Whether you live in a warm climate or you're 298 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,119 an experimental cold climate gardener, check it out center Stage red crape myrtle, 299 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,039 and you can see more pictures and all the information you need to grow it 300 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,640 at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. We're going to take a little bit of 301 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,000 a break. When we come back, we're opening up that garden mail bag, 302 00:20:52,039 --> 00:21:02,880 so please stay tuned. At proven Winner's Color Choice, we've got a 303 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:07,640 shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking for an easycare rose, 304 00:21:07,839 --> 00:21:11,839 an unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, you can be confident 305 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,640 that the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. 306 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:21,240 Look for them at your local garden center. Greetings, gardening friends, 307 00:21:21,279 --> 00:21:25,720 and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified show. It's one of my favorite times 308 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,160 in the show where we open up the garden mail bag and hear from our 309 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:33,960 listeners around the world near and far who have gardening questions. And if you 310 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,160 are one of those listeners who has a gardening question, please don't hesitate to 311 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,759 reach out to us. You can email us at help HLP at Gardening Simplified 312 00:21:40,799 --> 00:21:44,920 OnAir dot com, or just visit Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. There's a 313 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,279 contact form you can attach a photo, and I have to say, I 314 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:52,039 really do appreciate it when people have specific questions about what's going on in their 315 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,680 yard. If you can attach a photo, that makes it a lot easier 316 00:21:55,720 --> 00:22:00,480 to help you. So don't hesitate to include that when you reach out to 317 00:22:00,599 --> 00:22:02,839 us. And so, what we got in the mail bag today, Rick, 318 00:22:03,039 --> 00:22:08,440 Well, not only questions but comments. Comment from Sharon again about hoses. 319 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:14,599 I've got a limerick coming up. Well next week I'll do it for 320 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,160 you, a limerick on hoses. But she among many told us hose link 321 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:23,680 that's the answer, and Diane like's word of the day and gave us the 322 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:30,119 word cottawompole or cattiwompole. That's a great word. I love that word. 323 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,039 To travel purposely toward and as yet unknown destination. That's what we as gardeners 324 00:22:36,079 --> 00:22:41,039 do as you walk the garden path and easily yet distracted like you Stacy slamming 325 00:22:41,039 --> 00:22:45,640 on the brakes to see a Craig Merkle Right, I am very easily distracted, 326 00:22:45,759 --> 00:22:51,119 especially to me too. Absolutely also in the mail bag. Thanks. 327 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,799 Marcia sends us a picture. If you're watching on YouTube, you'll see it 328 00:22:53,839 --> 00:22:59,039 here, or you can go to our website Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. 329 00:22:59,079 --> 00:23:06,240 Marcia just kind of celebrating her sister in laws old old jade plant, probably 330 00:23:06,279 --> 00:23:11,119 a hundred years old. Many families have either a jade plant or a Christmas 331 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:15,400 cactus that has been around for a long long time. And this is a 332 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,839 beauty it is. It has such an incredible form. And jade plants are 333 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,920 one of my absolute favorite house plants. They're so easy to grow. They 334 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,559 thrive on neglect, which is one of the reasons they can persist for so 335 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,640 long. So you get that, you know, linkin it's the family chain 336 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:33,799 there that maybe isn't such a great caretaker of houseplants. They can even survive 337 00:23:33,839 --> 00:23:37,400 them. Yeah, Christmas cactus the same thing and can handle it. It's 338 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,440 kind of like the family fruitcake that's passed on through the years. Rhonda writes 339 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:48,400 to us and sends a photo she and neighbors and other folks panicking because their 340 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,400 maple trees are losing leaves, dropping leaves like it's fall, and yet the 341 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,799 leaves don't turn color. They're green, and a number of leaves fall to 342 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:03,200 the turf, and the concern in a course being drought and heat, well, 343 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,759 it's not the case, and no need to panic, no need to 344 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:12,119 lose your composture. It's something called maple leaf petiole borer and Stacy, I 345 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:17,880 see this all the time here in the North during well late May, but 346 00:24:18,079 --> 00:24:21,680 usually into the month of June when we see this when maple trees will start 347 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,000 shedding some of their leaves and causing concern for homeowners. This is a soft 348 00:24:26,039 --> 00:24:33,079 fly that emerges from the soil, lands on the petiole or the stem of 349 00:24:33,079 --> 00:24:37,640 a leaf, usually at the base, lays its eggs and then the larva 350 00:24:37,759 --> 00:24:41,039 just kind of tunnels into that petiole and at some point when the wind blows, 351 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:45,559 causes some of the leaves to fall off, and it's a pretty natural 352 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:51,079 thing, and then the larva will crawl into the ground and the whole cycle 353 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:55,480 wi will repeat itself again in the coming year. So maybe if you're keeping 354 00:24:55,559 --> 00:24:57,680 score at home, you want to Google it or use the search engine of 355 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:03,559 your choice. Mape leaf petiole boor I have to say, when you told 356 00:25:03,559 --> 00:25:06,759 me about this, this is the first I've actually heard of this. I 357 00:25:06,799 --> 00:25:08,960 have never heard of the maple leaf petiole borer before, so it was very 358 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:15,680 interesting to me to look into it. And you know, stress also can 359 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,759 be a factor though, so it's important to understand that, you know, 360 00:25:18,799 --> 00:25:22,240 that might not be the answer. But fortunately there is a very easy way 361 00:25:22,279 --> 00:25:26,640 to determine if your plant is losing leaves from the maple leaf petiole borer, 362 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:32,119 and that is that the leaves will not drop at the zone of abcision or 363 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:34,400 that little area where they cling to the actual tree. It'll just kind of 364 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,559 be like in the middle of the petiole. So if you you know, 365 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:42,000 go and look at that leaf at the foliage it's fallen under the tree, 366 00:25:42,079 --> 00:25:45,640 examine that petiole or the stem that connects it to the tree. If it's 367 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,119 just kind of like broken off in the center it's probably the maple leaf petiole 368 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,720 bar. No treatment is recommended. The plant can easily withstand losing that foliage. 369 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,440 It has a short lifespan where it's just going to move on. Now, 370 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:00,920 if you are seeing like the whole leaf is comeing off and you're actually 371 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,319 seeing that leaf base that would attach it to the tree, then you might 372 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,680 have a different cause like stress, and certainly the drought that we have had 373 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,200 here in Michigan would cause that. But again, that's not really like, 374 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:12,640 oh my gosh, the tree is dying. That's just a tree saying like 375 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,559 WHOA, conditions aren't ideal here, I'm going to drop a few leaves so 376 00:26:17,599 --> 00:26:21,519 I have a little less to support and hopefully that will get me through these 377 00:26:21,519 --> 00:26:26,319 tougher times. And if you are getting like larger branchlets of maple all over 378 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,880 that are actually like attached to the little twig, almost certainly squirrels, yeah, 379 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,519 yeah, they like to go around and sometimes they're building ans, and 380 00:26:36,559 --> 00:26:38,480 sometimes I think they're just being bored. I mean, I don't know the 381 00:26:38,559 --> 00:26:42,519 inside of a squirrel brain, but I swear sometimes they're just out there and 382 00:26:42,519 --> 00:26:47,319 they're just biting them off and letting them fall just for the fun of it. 383 00:26:47,319 --> 00:26:51,759 It's their job to get into trouble and chew the propane gas hoses off 384 00:26:51,759 --> 00:26:53,839 your gas grill on the back deck. So it sounds like you're speaking from 385 00:26:53,839 --> 00:27:00,599 experience there. That's a whole other topic for down the road. Brandon sends 386 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,119 us Ana Garden in West Michigan, Zonne six. A last few weeks, 387 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:10,000 notice the leaves on my flocks ultraviolet pink have started to turn yellow from the 388 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,960 base of the plant and appear to be moving up. Could this be related 389 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,880 to the warm weather I water when it's needed, or could it be a 390 00:27:18,079 --> 00:27:26,519 fungal issue? And again stacy flocks susceptible to powdery mildew. There are great 391 00:27:26,599 --> 00:27:33,319 garden flocks, tall garden flocks. There are great varieties proven Winners has Luminary 392 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,799 and cover Girl, party Girl, glamour Girl. You know a number of 393 00:27:36,799 --> 00:27:41,440 these flocks that have been bred to be more disease resistant. Yet culturally, 394 00:27:41,799 --> 00:27:45,960 with flocks, you have to be important. You have to be careful watering 395 00:27:47,079 --> 00:27:49,880 at the base of the flocks. And if you start to see yellowing at 396 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:55,880 the base where we get less light maybe less air, that eventually works its 397 00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,519 way up towards being a powdery mildew issue a ten for sure, and Brandon 398 00:28:00,599 --> 00:28:03,279 did include a photo which I will put in the show notes and thank you 399 00:28:03,319 --> 00:28:07,680 for that. Brandon. I don't see in his photo any signs of powdery 400 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:11,200 mildew, and you know, absolutely this has been such a stressful season for 401 00:28:11,319 --> 00:28:17,279 gardeners as well as gardens, and so when I was looking at Brandon's plants, 402 00:28:17,279 --> 00:28:18,960 my first thought is that it was a water issue. And you know, 403 00:28:19,039 --> 00:28:22,200 sometimes it can be as simple as like it just went a few days 404 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:27,200 without water, particularly in the spring when the foliage is emerging and it's so 405 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:32,759 soft, it hasn't yet developed that protective waxy cuticle that makes it better able 406 00:28:32,799 --> 00:28:37,680 to withstand hot and dry conditions, and so that reaction to dryness in that 407 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,480 period is going to look a little bit different than you know, wilting or 408 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,599 something in the summer. I don't see any signs yet, but you know, 409 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:47,759 Rick's absolutely right, flux is notorious for getting powdery mildew, so I'm 410 00:28:47,799 --> 00:28:49,519 not seeing any of that yet. I would say, definitely keep watering it, 411 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:55,440 and do bear in mind too that a lot of times plants will grow. 412 00:28:55,599 --> 00:28:59,640 This happens on panical hydranges. Especially as plants grow and get larger, 413 00:29:00,039 --> 00:29:03,720 they start to shade their inner leaves. They're less effective at photosynthesis because they're 414 00:29:03,759 --> 00:29:07,839 not getting as much sun, and so they just drop them and just like, 415 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,400 hey, I don't need to maintain this, you know, not very 416 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:14,640 functional leaf anymore. It's just it's going away. So not a huge cause 417 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,400 for concerned Brandon. But again we appreciate your message and we'll put your photo 418 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:22,480 in the answer on the show. Notes brings up a good point to their 419 00:29:22,599 --> 00:29:26,640 stacy, and that is when you initially plant them. Also spacing between the 420 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,559 plants, of course very important. Melissa writes to us hundreds of blooms on 421 00:29:30,599 --> 00:29:34,880 our mior lemon tree and a pot on the back patio, but also has 422 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:40,960 discovered hundreds of fire ants in the container too, yikes, trying to grow 423 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,119 these lemons as organically as possible. She didn't write yikes, I said, 424 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,119 yikes, do you have a recommendation to get rid of these buggers from my 425 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:52,200 container? By the way, as far as fire ants are concerned and getting 426 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:56,079 into the container, I don't know if Melissa's tried this, but a very 427 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:02,400 fine mesh, I mean super fine mesh over the drainage holes at the bottom 428 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:07,559 of the pot, or setting the pot on a drainage saucer. Some people 429 00:30:07,559 --> 00:30:11,599 will put a little bit of lemon juice in there, and there's a product 430 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,799 called tanglefoot. There's other names also, but there are sticky substances that you 431 00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:22,880 could potentially put along the top rim of the pot, and that may be 432 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,920 an organic way. Also to help with the fire ants. Well, you 433 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:29,359 know, I have to say, as much as I am envious of warm 434 00:30:29,359 --> 00:30:32,240 climate gardeners at times, when it comes to fire ants, I am not. 435 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,680 Ah. They are such a nightmare and I truly do pity anybody who 436 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:38,880 has to deal with them, which is most people in the South. So, 437 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:44,519 Melissa, the key to managing any ants, including fire ants, is 438 00:30:44,559 --> 00:30:47,799 that you have to kill the queen. So you know, Rick gave great 439 00:30:47,799 --> 00:30:52,440 advice and those are all non toxic methods, but honestly, unless you are 440 00:30:52,559 --> 00:30:56,440 doing some sort of control method that actually will kill the queen, she's just 441 00:30:56,440 --> 00:31:00,240 going to keep making new worker ants and new drones to keep coming out, 442 00:31:00,279 --> 00:31:03,720 and you'll keep trapping them, but she'll just keep making more babies. So 443 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:08,759 unfortunately, I would say this is a situation where, you know, particularly 444 00:31:08,759 --> 00:31:14,000 because fire ants can be harmful to humans and pets a situation where something a 445 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,519 little bit heavier might be in order. Now, the good thing about ant 446 00:31:17,519 --> 00:31:21,359 baits, chemical ant baits is that they really are specific to ants. You 447 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:23,920 know, they work, they work, they're very effective, and they're not 448 00:31:25,039 --> 00:31:27,759 something that like butterflies are going to be affected by or anything like that. 449 00:31:27,839 --> 00:31:33,839 So if you do a targeted application of an ant bait that's specifically for fire 450 00:31:33,839 --> 00:31:36,400 ants, and you take care of that queen, they eat it, they 451 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,839 eat it, they take it back to the queen, she dies, and 452 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:41,920 your fire ant infestation has gone. So sometimes that's you know, that's just 453 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:48,160 one of the principles of integrated pest management is doing the least problematic, most 454 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:52,519 effective thing. So Melissa, I totally understand, but I think that you 455 00:31:52,559 --> 00:31:56,559 will probably be happier with no fire ants and a little bit of a chemical 456 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,119 application. Then you know, it's no fun when you have ants in your 457 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:04,319 plants. You know, it really is no fun. Melissa needs something that's 458 00:32:04,359 --> 00:32:08,119 fire resist stand and I think we gave her some well ridded advice. All 459 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:14,240 Right, Well, hopefully that's helpful. Thank everybody for writing, and invite 460 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,079 you to reach out to us too at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. 461 00:32:16,119 --> 00:32:19,799 We're gonna take a little break. When we come back, We've got branching, 462 00:32:19,799 --> 00:32:22,880 Oh, Branching news with a special guest, so you're going to want 463 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:31,400 to find out who that is and stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Show is 464 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:37,079 brought to you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs 465 00:32:37,079 --> 00:32:40,920 and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy more beauty 466 00:32:42,039 --> 00:32:45,160 and less work. Look for Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs in the distinctive white 467 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:52,640 container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Joe, 468 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:59,000 It's time for Branching news and without further ado, I've been excited about this. 469 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:06,319 Can't we get the opportunity to interview the Gardening Simplified Shows Engineer, producer, 470 00:33:06,799 --> 00:33:14,680 videographer, photographer extraordinary Adriana Robinson Stacy who is usually on the other side 471 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,720 of the camera and today she joins us on the Gardening Simplified Show. I 472 00:33:17,759 --> 00:33:23,640 know we're turning the cameras around and we're finally letting the audience enjoy the amazingness 473 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:30,599 that is Adriana. And of course what better topic for Adriana to talk to 474 00:33:30,599 --> 00:33:36,039 our audience about than photography. Ah, and photographers can freeze time. I 475 00:33:36,079 --> 00:33:39,559 mean, what superpower do you have? Well, Adrianna has all kinds of 476 00:33:39,599 --> 00:33:44,400 superpowers, and of course we thank her every week for the work she does 477 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:49,559 here on the Gardening Simplified Show. Adrianna, thank you, and it's fun 478 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,440 to be able to chat with you about gardening photography. I know it feels 479 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,440 weird being on camera and having a microphone in front of me, but I 480 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:59,119 am excited. I'm excited to be here with you guys and talk about it. 481 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,720 You know who are watching on YouTube. You can see the cameras that 482 00:34:02,799 --> 00:34:07,240 I have sitting out on the table here knowing we were going to chat with 483 00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:10,239 you today. Adriana, I was thinking back to when I first started marketing 484 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:16,159 plants, and that was years and years ago, well, seventies and eighties, 485 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:22,000 and we were using Polaroid cameras and snapping pictures and then cutting them out 486 00:34:22,039 --> 00:34:27,639 with scissors and gluing them to a piece of paper. It's amazing how far 487 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,679 it has come today. But to Adriana, the work that you do is 488 00:34:31,159 --> 00:34:35,559 fabulous work, not only for proven winners color choice shrubs, but also for 489 00:34:35,599 --> 00:34:38,000 the industry as a whole, because we get to work with subject matter that's 490 00:34:38,039 --> 00:34:44,360 just amazing. That is so true. I can't really imagine besides animals, 491 00:34:44,599 --> 00:34:47,480 probably for me, but I can't really imagine having a better subject to photograph 492 00:34:47,519 --> 00:34:51,079 and plants, which I want to ask right off the bat, do you 493 00:34:51,079 --> 00:34:53,840 have a favorite flower you like to photograph? Is there a favorite plant? 494 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,639 It's a little hard to say. I like, I mean, I love 495 00:34:58,639 --> 00:35:02,519 Budleia, but I think plants that have seasonal interest all year round, so 496 00:35:02,559 --> 00:35:07,239 I love temple of bloom, any plants that attract pollinators. But I can't 497 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:12,639 say there's any one specific plant. Do you'd like handheld or going tripod? 498 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,559 I mean, when do you choose to use a tripod? So I will 499 00:35:15,639 --> 00:35:21,280 typically do handheld just because I'm on the go so often. But I will 500 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,400 use a tripod anytime I'm filming video because you want it to be stable. 501 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:29,119 And I will use a tripod if I'm doing any kind of long exposure or 502 00:35:29,199 --> 00:35:31,599 if I need to have that long exposure to let more light in. So 503 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:35,960 if it's dark out and I need to compensate for that, I'll use a 504 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,079 tripod. So Adriana, I love shooting pictures of flowers and plants, and 505 00:35:40,159 --> 00:35:45,760 I like to get into the worm's i view, get down low and shoot 506 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:51,760 the picture. Maybe rest my camera on a bean bag. What's I mean? 507 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:57,039 Angles important when you're shooting shooting flowers? Right? Absolutely. I think 508 00:35:57,039 --> 00:36:00,280 there's a lot of features on a plant that will either get highlighted or hidden 509 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:04,559 depending on the angle that you're taking the photo at. And I was laughing 510 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:07,159 when I saw that your worm's eye of view, and I was like, 511 00:36:07,199 --> 00:36:09,679 yeah, you essentially want to think like a beetle, a bird and her 512 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:15,000 dumb beaver, because I couldn't think of another. You know, you want 513 00:36:15,039 --> 00:36:17,559 to look at You want to take photos from every angle you can, because 514 00:36:17,599 --> 00:36:21,519 a lot of the times it'll surprise you what you'll get from something you really 515 00:36:21,559 --> 00:36:24,440 didn't think would turn out well well. And you know, Stacy, Adriana, 516 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:29,920 it just really struck me thinking about again the beautiful pictures that you take, 517 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:35,159 Adriana, and the video work that you do again years ago using these 518 00:36:35,199 --> 00:36:38,920 old polaroid cameras. You know, we worked hard at it. We were 519 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:44,519 proud of the work that we did. But today cameras. The technology is 520 00:36:44,679 --> 00:36:51,599 on real the editing that can be done, and yet there's a real human 521 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:59,199 element to photography. You are trying essentially to show others what you are seeing, 522 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:04,199 what your visualizing, and freezing that moment in time. Absolutely, you 523 00:37:04,199 --> 00:37:07,039 know. I actually went to school for film and videos, so I knew 524 00:37:07,119 --> 00:37:10,719 some things about plants, but I definitely learned a ton since I've been working 525 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:15,920 here and coming into this job and looking at plants for more of an artistic 526 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,679 kind of viewpoint is different than how Megan, our plant breeder, would look 527 00:37:20,679 --> 00:37:23,840 at her. She would see a more scientific side. So everyone has a 528 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:30,280 different view of things, and no matter how much technology is going to advance, 529 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,760 it's going to continue doing so there's always got to be some human element. 530 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,039 That's what makes a photo work exactly. You know. I have been 531 00:37:37,119 --> 00:37:40,679 lucky to work with Adriana since she started here over five years ago, and 532 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,679 before she started, we had one person taking you know, almost all of 533 00:37:44,679 --> 00:37:47,719 our photos and they were great photos, perfectly usable photos. And I remember 534 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:54,599 very quickly after she started, not coming in as a professional horticulturist, just 535 00:37:54,719 --> 00:38:00,599 immediately noticing the difference in the perspective that she was bringing to to plants that 536 00:38:00,639 --> 00:38:04,920 I had seen dozens of times in person, dozens of photos of and you 537 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:09,079 know, you don't necessarily think that there is so much interpretation to be had 538 00:38:09,519 --> 00:38:15,000 in plant photography. But you know, I guarantee you that you can round 539 00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:17,719 up your whole family on some summer evening, pass a cell phone around, 540 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:21,480 tell everybody to take a picture of the same flower, and you will be 541 00:38:21,519 --> 00:38:27,320 amazed at the different perspective that people bring and the different results that they get 542 00:38:27,639 --> 00:38:30,280 even using the same materials. And that's what's so fascinating and so interesting about 543 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,920 photography. Yeah, good point. Yeah, I mean I look at it 544 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,360 as like telling a story. Even with if you and I had the same 545 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:39,079 story, we're going to tell it s lately differently, and that's when it 546 00:38:39,159 --> 00:38:42,000 makes it work. That's a really good way to think about it again, 547 00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,599 you know, and I think part of the beauty also of the work that 548 00:38:44,679 --> 00:38:47,920 you do, Adrianna, is again going back to the nineteen seventies and my 549 00:38:49,039 --> 00:38:53,679 polaroid cameras. If you think about Edwin Land, the gentleman that started polaroid 550 00:38:53,800 --> 00:39:01,079 cameras back in the thirties and forties, his inspiration was to take pictures of 551 00:39:01,119 --> 00:39:05,679 his daughter, because he'd shoot pictures of his daughter and she would say to 552 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:07,639 him, well, where's the picture. I want to see the picture. 553 00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:14,000 And today, of course, we can take a picture and instantaneously see what 554 00:39:14,079 --> 00:39:19,920 we have. Now. There are pitfalls also in that some folks shooting pictures 555 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:25,480 with their phone may decide to shall we call it filter or overcompensate or saturate 556 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:30,239 or vibrants or whatever it may be, and then you kind of get a 557 00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:35,760 picture that really doesn't look look real. There's there's an art to editing pictures, 558 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,880 yes, and I am I lean more on the side of less saturation, 559 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:44,559 less filters, especially when it comes to plants. You know, you're 560 00:39:44,559 --> 00:39:46,039 trying to be authentic and you're trying to show the plant for what it is 561 00:39:46,079 --> 00:39:50,199 most of the time, unless you're being stylistic when you want to add some 562 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:53,000 sepia or whatever you want to do. But I think that a lot of 563 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:58,760 people get discouraged with photography because you always have an image in your mind of 564 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:00,599 what you want the picture to look. Then you go out there and you 565 00:40:00,719 --> 00:40:05,360 take the photo and it's nothing like what you want. And I think that's 566 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:07,400 discouraging for a lot of people, but I think a lot of people try 567 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:15,079 to compensate in editing. The advent of digital photography has really taken this plant 568 00:40:15,159 --> 00:40:20,320 photography to another level. It has, and it again is both exciting, 569 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:22,880 but I know it can be intimidating for people trying to get into any type 570 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:28,360 of photography really, but plant photography we're talking about here. And I think 571 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:30,159 a lot of people see all of these, you know, really well done 572 00:40:30,199 --> 00:40:36,079 photos and they think that because they have a better camera, they should be 573 00:40:36,119 --> 00:40:38,920 able to just naturally get a better photo. And it's something that you need 574 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:44,599 to practice and learn. I started off with an Olympus OM one film camera, 575 00:40:45,159 --> 00:40:47,239 and I think that was good because I had to learn all of the 576 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:52,079 settings on my camera. I had to learn what they actually do. And 577 00:40:52,119 --> 00:40:57,960 once you understand that, your creativity and your limits just expand so much with 578 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,440 what you can capture. It's amazing how you'll point a camera at some people 579 00:41:01,559 --> 00:41:07,239 and some people will just run. You know, yes, you know, 580 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:12,639 I realized what I was saying to them, Let me point my cannon at 581 00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:17,719 you and shoot you. And that's probably yeah, But composition is really an 582 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:22,000 important thing to learn. You know. You mentioned the camera and practicing. 583 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:27,039 You know, I had that same misconception with golf clubs, you know, 584 00:41:27,159 --> 00:41:30,400 buying an expensive golf club and a bigger golf I'm gonna make me a bet. 585 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,800 No, it takes. It takes practice and work. It's an art. 586 00:41:35,159 --> 00:41:37,639 That is. If I have a couple of tips on photography, and 587 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:43,159 my first one is to not get discouraged and give up, because it is 588 00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:46,079 so easy to do that, I would not have had any of my successes 589 00:41:46,199 --> 00:41:50,920 that I've had with video or photography if I did not fail a lot. 590 00:41:51,119 --> 00:41:52,880 Yes, well that's the great thing about digital photography. Is this a lot 591 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:58,320 less expensive to fail? Yes, it used to be better. I think 592 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:01,519 it's also important to understand that what is a failure for people does vary. 593 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:06,800 Did you fail just because you didn't capture exactly the thing that you thought that 594 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:09,719 you were going to, But maybe you still got a really good a really 595 00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:15,400 good photograph and you learn something. You know, it's not always about you 596 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:19,280 know what you think you were going for. It's about sort of what you 597 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:22,159 ended up with and what that says. Yeah, it's about the journey, 598 00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:25,519 not the destination, I think, but it is it is so much everyone 599 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:30,519 is their own worst critic myself. I definitely can relate with that, and 600 00:42:30,599 --> 00:42:35,639 I think there's so much serendipitous moments and photography and a lot of the times 601 00:42:35,639 --> 00:42:38,800 that's where my best images of commons just totally unexpected. That's such a good 602 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:43,119 point too, because there's so much, especially when you're photographing nature, where 603 00:42:43,119 --> 00:42:45,519 you might think like, oh, shoot, this bird flew into it, 604 00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:47,199 or oh, there was people in the background, and then when you actually 605 00:42:47,199 --> 00:42:52,159 go back and look at your photos, it had so much of a sense 606 00:42:52,159 --> 00:42:54,079 of time and placed to it. When you say, oh, yeah, 607 00:42:54,079 --> 00:42:57,079 there were people here, but look what they're wearing. Now, it's really 608 00:42:57,119 --> 00:43:00,800 clear that this was a hot summer day, or you know, all of 609 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:05,039 those things that you might think that you wanted to avoid can actually bring so 610 00:43:05,159 --> 00:43:08,639 much to a photo in terms of its time and space and all of those 611 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,960 elements that are so much more difficult to capture. You know. It just 612 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,360 goes kind of with that telling a story. Every element that you have in 613 00:43:16,519 --> 00:43:21,079 within the photo is helping to tell the overall story of what you're trying to 614 00:43:21,079 --> 00:43:22,920 show people. So what are some of your other tips so for talking about 615 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:28,119 lighting? I think that is probably the number, you know, like overwatering 616 00:43:28,119 --> 00:43:32,280 plants. Bad Lighting is probably the number one thing when it comes to photos, 617 00:43:32,639 --> 00:43:37,679 So just a quick tip is avoid harsh shadows and highlights. Shooting in 618 00:43:37,719 --> 00:43:42,280 the morning and the evening is best or cloudy overcast day. Of course, 619 00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:45,519 Golden hour is always great, and that is the first hour after sunrise and 620 00:43:45,639 --> 00:43:51,920 the last hour before sunset. For composition. Something to look into is the 621 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:55,000 rule of thirds, essentially, as if you had a nine grid on your 622 00:43:55,000 --> 00:44:00,199 photo, putting your subject or what you want people to focus on one of 623 00:44:00,199 --> 00:44:05,280 those meetup points on the grid. It's just a good rule to have balance 624 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:08,559 in the photo. Overall, I think that there's a real interest Adriana in 625 00:44:09,159 --> 00:44:15,559 shooting pictures of pollinators. I know I find myself doing that all the time, 626 00:44:15,679 --> 00:44:20,280 trying to capture them at work, whether it's a bumblebee or a hummingbird. 627 00:44:21,159 --> 00:44:24,199 Not an easy thing to do, but certainly fun. Yes, no, 628 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:29,599 that is one of my favorite things to do, finding the little hummingbirds, 629 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:31,639 little battles that they go through. It. It is a challenge, 630 00:44:31,639 --> 00:44:36,960 but it is fun. And yeah, macro photography has gotten more popular over 631 00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:40,199 the years for sure, and I think it's just a really cool way to 632 00:44:40,199 --> 00:44:45,280 get up close and personal and see details about things we normally don't notice. 633 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:49,320 There, of course, are different modes also that can be used on a 634 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,360 camera, and I'll be honest with you, I struggle with that, trying 635 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:54,719 to decide, well, should I shoot this in landscape mode? Should I 636 00:44:54,800 --> 00:45:00,280 use portrait mode? You know what, I'll shoot the same subject in every 637 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,360 mode and just kind of see how it comes out. Yeah, and that's 638 00:45:02,719 --> 00:45:06,360 a great way to do it. It does go back to what you are 639 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:08,719 trying to convey or what motion or story you were trying to tell with your 640 00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:13,360 photo, right, But as a general rule, if you're taking a wide 641 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:16,000 shot, like you want to get a photo of your whole garden, landscape 642 00:45:16,039 --> 00:45:20,400 mode so it has a deeper depth of field, so more will be in 643 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:23,599 focus in general, and then portrait mode is always great for you know, 644 00:45:23,679 --> 00:45:29,199 pollinator shots or any if you're trying to just highlight like a single bloom on 645 00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:31,519 a plant or something, so that has a shallowered up the field and the 646 00:45:31,559 --> 00:45:35,800 background will be more blurred and less distracting, which is what you want when 647 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:38,719 you're trying to get those detailed shots. So our for our viewers and our 648 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:43,840 listeners, coming from a professional photographer like you, where do you get your 649 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,880 inspiration? You know, we asked Megan in a show a week ago, 650 00:45:47,039 --> 00:45:51,119 The Plant Breeder, about well, have a cup of coffee when you show 651 00:45:51,199 --> 00:45:54,000 up to work and then I think I'll try and cross this today. What 652 00:45:54,119 --> 00:45:58,239 about you? Do you go out there and just try to get inspired or 653 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,280 you know, how do you approach that? Yeah, plants they're just interesting 654 00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:05,679 in general, so it's not very hard to go out and just be like, 655 00:46:05,719 --> 00:46:08,079 Oh, that looks good, that's interesting, that's pretty. You know. 656 00:46:08,119 --> 00:46:12,719 I really got interested in photography because I was pretty shy as a child, 657 00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:15,800 So it's kind of a way for me to explore and see the world 658 00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:22,559 at a comfortable distance that I would and from that I've been able to learn 659 00:46:22,639 --> 00:46:25,719 so much and notice different details that I never would have before. So it 660 00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:29,840 makes me more excited to go out there and just keep doing it. So 661 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:34,519 inspiration is everywhere. You know. There's a quote that I share a lot 662 00:46:34,559 --> 00:46:37,039 when I give talks from Orson Wells. The enemy of art is the absence 663 00:46:37,079 --> 00:46:40,920 of limitations. If you have free reign, it can be very hard to 664 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:44,039 figure out sort of where to focus. So do you find you know, 665 00:46:44,079 --> 00:46:46,239 when we say Hey, we need a shot of this in fall or you 666 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:50,159 know, we're going to be introducing this plant. Just get as much photography 667 00:46:50,159 --> 00:46:52,559 on it as you can. Is that freeing or is that kind of stifling? 668 00:46:53,480 --> 00:47:00,440 You can answer honestly, it is a bit of both and dependent. 669 00:47:00,519 --> 00:47:04,760 I mean, I would with photography, it's like, yeah, there are 670 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:07,679 certain shots. I just have that vision in my mind. So I'm going 671 00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:12,519 to, you know, try to plan accordingly and make sure I'm getting whatever 672 00:47:12,559 --> 00:47:14,760 I need to get that shot I have in my mind. But a lot 673 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:17,000 of times I'll go and just find like what makes this plant unique? What 674 00:47:17,079 --> 00:47:21,320 makes it different? If I just saw this plant, what would interest me 675 00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:24,519 with it? But Aidrianna, you make a great point for our viewers and 676 00:47:24,599 --> 00:47:30,320 for our listeners of The Gardening Simplified Show. And I mean this sincerely that 677 00:47:30,679 --> 00:47:34,239 you know I get. I'm privileged. I get the opportunity to work with 678 00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:39,679 two ladies who are very intelligent and very very creative. And you know, 679 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:45,960 Stacy, your use of words, your copywriting helps convey to people the benefits 680 00:47:46,239 --> 00:47:50,639 of these plants. And same for you, aid Rihanna. When you're shooting 681 00:47:50,679 --> 00:47:54,880 those pictures through the lens of your camera, you're showing the benefits of whether 682 00:47:54,920 --> 00:48:00,159 it may be a sky view, hydrain Joe or seven Sons Temple of Bloom. 683 00:48:00,199 --> 00:48:05,239 And that's fantastic and it's great for our listeners and our viewers and folks 684 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:08,760 who appreciate the gardening industry. You need that, we need to be shown 685 00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:12,519 the benefits of these plans. Well, the best part is to be part 686 00:48:12,519 --> 00:48:15,480 of a great team. Yeah, there you go, so true. Yeah, 687 00:48:15,480 --> 00:48:17,360 no, I totally agree. Folks. I hope you've enjoyed this. 688 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:22,800 This gives you a chance to meet Adrianna Robinson. She's the one who makes 689 00:48:23,039 --> 00:48:31,679 the Gardening Simplified show goes. She does yeah herself. Thanks for your work. 690 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:36,239 Yes, thank you both. Okay, big, thank you very much 691 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:39,679 to Adrianna Robinson Stacy. A picture's worth a thousand words, it is, 692 00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:43,159 and I think we got a little bit of both this time. I think 693 00:48:43,199 --> 00:48:46,360 we got an inside look at the Gardening Simplified ship. Again. Thanks so 694 00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:50,440 much to Adrianna for joining us as our guest today. Thanks to Rick, 695 00:48:50,599 --> 00:48:52,519 and thanks to all of you for listening. We hope you have a great week.