1 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:09,359 Coming to you from Studio A here at Proven Winters color Choice Shrubs along the 2 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:15,199 beautiful lake shore of Lake Michigan. It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show. 3 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:21,719 It's Stacy Hervella me, Rick weisst and our engineer and producer Adriana Robinson Stacy 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,320 here in Michigan. It's dry right now, very dry, and in the 5 00:00:27,359 --> 00:00:33,880 past year or so, we have seen well water restrictions for areas that aren't 6 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:39,240 necessarily familiar with water restrictions. I mean, I remember last summer in the 7 00:00:39,399 --> 00:00:45,240 UK and they had water restrictions. They were they were dealing with some temperatures 8 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:51,320 that were over a hundred degrees just unusual. And we're starting to see some 9 00:00:51,359 --> 00:00:56,359 of that dryness here and there also again this year. I mean dryness is 10 00:00:56,359 --> 00:00:59,600 an understatement, I think for what we've had, I don't know if we've 11 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,439 had a drop of rain in a month. And I know we're not alone. 12 00:01:03,479 --> 00:01:06,480 I know this is happening through a lot of the Midwest, parts of 13 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,959 the East Coast. There's forest fires. We can see it, you know, 14 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,400 in our air, no matter how far we are from Canada. I 15 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:15,799 mean, some things that I've read have said that this is the driest it's 16 00:01:15,799 --> 00:01:19,560 been since the literal dust bowl. O boy, I tell you what. 17 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:26,200 And it makes it difficult. And you know, in the UK last summer 18 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:33,560 they recorded their highest ever temperature I think it was in July forty degrees celsius. 19 00:01:33,599 --> 00:01:37,400 That's one hundred and four degrees fahrenheit. And so they had something they 20 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,840 called a hosepipe ban. I love that. How we call them garden hoses 21 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:47,319 and they call them hose pipes in England. But they engaged in a hosepipe 22 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:52,239 band which brings up a point if I could just rant for a moment, 23 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:57,480 and that is I don't have a lot of success with hoses and sprinklers. 24 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,760 Now. Of course, if you know, you get what you pay for. 25 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,959 If you buy one of those cheap plastic sprinklers that has two settings, 26 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,879 drip in monsoon, you're going to have a problem. And the hoses, 27 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:15,280 I don't care. I have bought hoses that are called hydrotechnics or flex ziller, 28 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,479 bionic steeler, no kink camel, and they just kink on me. 29 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,199 I So okay, I got that out of myself. Well, you know, 30 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,439 Rick, I think you are always welcome to rans about hoses. If 31 00:02:24,439 --> 00:02:30,759 there is one universally hated piece of gardening equipment. I think all of us 32 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,199 could agree it would be the hose. First of all, it's necessity is 33 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,080 always irritating because it means a bunch more work, and they are always so 34 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,759 annoying to work with. They kink, they get stuck on something, you 35 00:02:40,879 --> 00:02:45,439 drag them over a plant. They are a necessary evil. But you know 36 00:02:45,479 --> 00:02:50,120 what I have that I invested a small amount in that makes a huge difference. 37 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,599 A metal hose reel. Oh, that is a game changer. So 38 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:58,319 not one of those cheap plastic kinds. It's a metal one with wheels, 39 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,479 and it really is a game changer because it's so much easier to keep it 40 00:03:01,599 --> 00:03:06,759 neat. It doesn't end up getting kinked and staying kinked. And I have 41 00:03:06,879 --> 00:03:09,520 hated hoses a lot less since I got my host cart. Well, I 42 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,639 like that, And I'll tell you what. Send us your notes and your 43 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:15,319 comments. I'm sure we're going to get comments. Hey, Rick, I 44 00:03:15,479 --> 00:03:19,479 found the perfect hose and here it is, so send it to us. 45 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,560 Go to our website, Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. I in turn, 46 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:29,680 will post a story of the guy who invented this and started everything. His 47 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,439 name is Jan actually Yan, I think is how they would pronounce it in 48 00:03:34,479 --> 00:03:40,520 the Netherlands. Vanderhyden. He invented the hose way back in the seventeenth century. 49 00:03:40,599 --> 00:03:45,120 So read that story. It's kind of interesting. Yeah, Now as 50 00:03:45,159 --> 00:03:49,479 it relates to hot, dry weather and watering, first of all, mulching 51 00:03:49,879 --> 00:03:53,240 makes a difference. It makes a big difference. And we're also going to 52 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:59,719 share a story at our website again. Gardening simplified OnAir dot Com from Bartlett 53 00:03:59,759 --> 00:04:03,599 Tree Research Laboratory in Charlotte, North Carolina. I've been there. How they 54 00:04:03,639 --> 00:04:09,240 do some great work there and they essentially looked at areas that were bear soil 55 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:15,040 compared to mulch soil and the variation in temperature between daytime and nighttime, huge 56 00:04:15,079 --> 00:04:20,439 fluctuation stacy. Putting some mulch on the soil really helps take some of the 57 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,959 stress out for plants. It's hugely helpful. And most importantly, whether it 58 00:04:26,079 --> 00:04:29,920 rains or you water, it really helps to conserve any water the plants get, 59 00:04:29,959 --> 00:04:32,240 and the hotter it gets, the more important that is. So between 60 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:38,000 the temperature and the water conservation. Never Mind that using an organic multure one 61 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,600 made about material that will decompose like shredded bark or pine straw, that those 62 00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:44,920 will build the soil. I mean, mulch is a win all the way 63 00:04:44,959 --> 00:04:47,079 around as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, I just don't discount what it 64 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,839 can do to help with this issue. Now here's a tip from me that 65 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,600 I often have shared with people as far as watering is concerned. They struggle 66 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,839 with how much do I water like they'll make a well. I have an 67 00:05:00,879 --> 00:05:04,079 irrigation system, and my argument is, well, your irrigation system is for 68 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:09,959 your lawn, but not necessarily for trees or shrubs where they need a deep 69 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:14,360 watering. I always recommend people go into their yard with shovel and in two 70 00:05:14,439 --> 00:05:18,439 or three places just dig a hole. Then go get a garden hose and 71 00:05:18,639 --> 00:05:24,439 fill that hole with water, and now just stand and watch what happens. 72 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,720 Does it drain away quickly? Does it not drain? You know, that's 73 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,000 a good test anytime you're planting to kind of get a feel for what the 74 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,800 soils like and its ability to retain moisture. That's a great idea. And 75 00:05:34,879 --> 00:05:38,040 you know, similarly, I have a tip that I've given to people, 76 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,600 particularly those that have an irrigation system and they say, hey, you know, 77 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,000 my irrigation system runs every morning for an hour, but this thing is 78 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,480 still wilting. You know, get like a bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup 79 00:05:48,519 --> 00:05:53,800 or something and put it by this plant that is not doing well and let 80 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,319 your sprinkler run and then check what's in it, because you don't always necessarily 81 00:05:57,399 --> 00:06:00,920 know that just because your system is running, it's equally applying water to everything. 82 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,800 You know, sometimes something that's in front of another plant can take all 83 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:09,519 that water or it's just not getting where it needs to be. And a 84 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,319 lot of people will say, okay, well find maybe I find out find 85 00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:15,839 out that I'm not watering it. But then what do you do? Well? 86 00:06:15,959 --> 00:06:17,879 Most sprinklerheads can be adjusted, you can adjust the angle, you can 87 00:06:17,879 --> 00:06:20,399 adjust your program. There's lots of options that you can do, but you 88 00:06:20,439 --> 00:06:24,360 do need to actually go out there and see what's happening. Get your hands 89 00:06:24,399 --> 00:06:28,160 dirty as it were. Yeah, I like that idea. Coffee cans would 90 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,240 work. To still have coffee cans. Pardon people still have coffee plastic one? 91 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,160 Oh okay, yeah, plastic ones, although if they're plastic or you 92 00:06:36,319 --> 00:06:43,079 use the infamous cool whip, Yes, make sure they're weighted, because yeah, 93 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:47,199 they do tend to they tend to blow away. Group plants according to 94 00:06:47,639 --> 00:06:53,279 like needs. In other words, plants that need the same kind of environment 95 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,879 when we're planting. That helps make a difference too. It's going to make 96 00:06:56,879 --> 00:06:59,399 it easier for you. And you know, I don't know, maybe it's 97 00:06:59,439 --> 00:07:02,519 just me being a little too literal about my gardening, but I also find 98 00:07:02,519 --> 00:07:05,279 that they just feel more natural group together. You know, if I were 99 00:07:05,319 --> 00:07:10,000 to try to PLoP a fern down into the middle of my you know, 100 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,480 sunny native plant garden, it would just look weird exactly. Would it make 101 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,439 a maintenance issue? It would look weird, But it's a good reminder to 102 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,040 do that. Those pistol grip nozzles that you put on the end of a 103 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:27,439 hose, I'm sorry. They're for washing cars. They're not meant for plants. 104 00:07:27,519 --> 00:07:32,199 They're meant for washing cars. So again, a good deep trickle soaking 105 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:36,199 is going to make a big, big difference. I get that question a 106 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,160 lot, Stacy. You know, how do I water? Do I water 107 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:46,040 light frequent or deep infrequent? And in summer, maybe light frequent would be 108 00:07:46,079 --> 00:07:50,000 good for your lawn, but it's not good for landscape plants. Again, 109 00:07:50,079 --> 00:07:56,079 you're better off with a good deep trickle soaking now and then to really get 110 00:07:56,079 --> 00:07:58,759 into that ripple. Yeah, make sure it goes nice and deep, and 111 00:07:58,839 --> 00:08:01,920 it saves your time. Rather than every single day going out there for an 112 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,720 hour or two, you know, just spend the time and once a week 113 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,160 or twice a week use the sprinkler. A great use for the sprinkler, 114 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:11,639 you know, it's a real game changer that I think as especially if you've 115 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,439 ever worked in a garden center or at a botanical garden, a watering wand 116 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,199 becomes second nature to you. And that's a tool that a lot of homeowners 117 00:08:20,199 --> 00:08:22,959 and gardeners don't have. They are relying on different spraying hazzles that they find 118 00:08:22,959 --> 00:08:26,680 at the hardware store. And I'll tell you, a watering wand another huge 119 00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:31,959 game changer. It extends your reach. It's just so much easier to hold 120 00:08:31,039 --> 00:08:33,639 and work with. And if you have hanging baskets, of course it's a 121 00:08:33,759 --> 00:08:37,799 must have. But I would encourage everybody to invest in at least a decent 122 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,919 watering one. I mean, I got mine at a discount store and it's 123 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:43,960 been holding up and it works well and I'm really grateful for it. But 124 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,559 game changer, A game changer. There we go again, a game changer. 125 00:08:48,639 --> 00:08:50,360 Here's another game changer for you. And you're not gonna want to hear 126 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,440 this, but I'm gonna say it anyhow, And that is put on a 127 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:58,000 pair of sunglasses and a hat, some suntan lotion, but get out there 128 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:03,399 yourself and stay on top of the weeds. The weeds just naturally can handle 129 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,159 stress. But those weeds are going to be sucking moisture out of the soil 130 00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:13,399 that your favorite plants need. Well. You know, I have a gardening 131 00:09:13,399 --> 00:09:18,559 confession. I would rather weed than water. You would, yes, anytime, 132 00:09:18,919 --> 00:09:24,200 any day. I Watering is my least favorite garden chore. I do 133 00:09:24,279 --> 00:09:26,919 not enjoy it. I enjoy the effects of it, but I don't enjoy 134 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,799 doing it. I would always rather pull weeds than water. Fortunately, my 135 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,759 husband enjoys watering, so it's a good match. Yeah. I would think 136 00:09:33,799 --> 00:09:35,440 there's a lot of people who enjoy watering. You know, when you're driving 137 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:39,600 home from work at night, you see these people in a lawn chair out 138 00:09:39,639 --> 00:09:43,360 on the front yard with one of those pistol grip nozzles, just kind of 139 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:48,159 getting everything wet, which is not a good idea. And by the way, 140 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,600 watering mid day too is well, it's okay, but it's not efficient. 141 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:56,039 The sun and the wind can evaporate a lot of the effectiveness. There's 142 00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:00,480 really something to be said for early morning water. Yeah. I mean, 143 00:10:00,519 --> 00:10:01,440 sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but if you can 144 00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:07,320 at all, morning is best. But evening is okay, particularly if it's 145 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,080 as warm as it is now, and any water sitting around on the plants 146 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,320 will usually evaporate off, reducing any threat of disease or anything like that. 147 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:18,120 Well, hopefully we've inspired you to wet your plants. And I'll tell you 148 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,440 what, I gotta go out and invest in a good sprinkler because those dripping 149 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:26,799 monsoon sprinklers, I'm just done with it. You get what you pay for, 150 00:10:28,519 --> 00:10:31,440 and the hoses. I agree. I think I'll get one of those 151 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,799 metal roll up things. You're right, a game changer, Stacy, because 152 00:10:35,039 --> 00:10:37,399 I'm done with tripping on my own hole. I love money, all right. 153 00:10:37,759 --> 00:10:50,120 Coming up next, plants on trial here on the gardening Simplified Schill prooven 154 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,120 winners, Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your success in the garden. That's why 155 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,679 We trial and test all of our shrubs for eight to ten years, making 156 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:01,480 sure they outperform everything else on the market. Look for them in the distinctive 157 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:07,039 white container at your local garden center. Creatings Gardening Friends, and welcome back 158 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,360 to the Gardening Simplified Show. You know, in the last segment, we 159 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:16,679 were talking about water, and I'm going to give away to our listeners a 160 00:11:16,799 --> 00:11:20,080 big tip. This might come back to shoot me in the foot, but 161 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,440 I'm going to share it anyway. So you were talking about sprinklers, and 162 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:28,639 you know new sprinklers. They're cheap quality, but they're not cheap to buy. 163 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,519 They're espencive. I can't believe when I look at the stores how much 164 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:37,519 those sprinklers cost. Estate sales. If you go to an estate sale, 165 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:43,279 you can get some really good, old fashion all metal sprinklers for like two 166 00:11:43,399 --> 00:11:48,279 dollars five dollars maybe tops, and that is the best way for you to 167 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:56,360 get to avoid the dripper monsoon get a quality sprinkler for very little money. 168 00:11:56,519 --> 00:12:01,840 So given away a big secret here. But I feel confident in the sprinklers 169 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,480 I've gotten from estate sales. I think I have what I need, so 170 00:12:03,519 --> 00:12:05,960 I don't think I'm competing with any of you for it. I like that 171 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,879 idea, you know, like I say, it's just a frustration thing. 172 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,200 I I'm the type of guy who will fire up the sprinkler and then I 173 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,559 want to adjust it. So I go over there and adjust it, and 174 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:22,600 then, trying not to get wet, I run and trip tangle up in 175 00:12:22,639 --> 00:12:26,159 the sprinkler. You know, it's just a mess entertains the neighbors. But 176 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:28,720 I'm not having it. Yeah, well, there's no way you can adjust 177 00:12:28,759 --> 00:12:31,159 the sprinkler without getting wet. So okay, so this doesn't is going to 178 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,840 save you that. But if it's as hot as try as it has been 179 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,600 around here lately, getting wet when you adjusted the sprinkler isn't such a bad 180 00:12:37,639 --> 00:12:41,519 thing. So it's time for Plants on Trial, where we tell you about 181 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:46,240 one of the three hundred and twenty proven winners Color Choice shrubs and you decide 182 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,039 if it's going to earn a place in your garden. And you know, 183 00:12:48,159 --> 00:12:52,720 when I am picking a plant on trial, it's hard because I like all 184 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,799 of our plants a lot, and I find myself in this mentality where I 185 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:01,679 want to save the really good plants, my really favorite plants for what I 186 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:03,559 don't know, I mean, I don't know what I'm saving them for. 187 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,399 Gardening season is now um, and so I wanted to pick one that um 188 00:13:09,879 --> 00:13:13,759 was really versatile in watering because watering, of course, is so important and 189 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,200 all new shrubs, anything, new shrubs, perennials, trees that you've planted 190 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,480 this year is going to need a lot of water. So even if it 191 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,600 says it's throughout tolerant down the line, that's true, but you know, 192 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:24,320 especially as it's getting established, you're gonna need it. But one of the 193 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:33,200 plants good it's most forgiving about watering is spiria. People love spiria. They're 194 00:13:33,399 --> 00:13:37,039 they're very easy to find. They're very easy to grow, and maybe too 195 00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:41,879 easy to grow because some people find them a little oh hum ya is and 196 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:48,039 for people keeping score at home. So Spiria spi r ea. And this 197 00:13:48,159 --> 00:13:52,600 is a plant that probably is as old as dirt. I mean it's been 198 00:13:52,639 --> 00:13:54,879 around for a long time. Oh yeah, right, And huge diversity of 199 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:58,080 Spirea is out there in the world. Um. But the ones that we 200 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,679 grow in our gardens tend to be Japanese spiria, the little mounded ones with 201 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,360 like a nice, pretty colorful foliage, pink flowers, and they just you 202 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,559 know, people find those little tofty plants irresistible, and Spirea is sort of 203 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:13,320 an ultimate toufty plant. And you know there are good workaday plants in the 204 00:14:13,399 --> 00:14:18,240 landscape, but he kind of leaves people saying what else is there? And 205 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,320 what else there is in the spirea world? Is double play doozy Spirea. 206 00:14:24,039 --> 00:14:30,159 And this plant is just plain impressive. Have you grown this one yet? 207 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,200 Well? Yes, and you sold me on it, oh, Stacy, 208 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:41,080 Because I mean when I think spiria sometimes I think kind of rangy and invasive, 209 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,720 and these plants are the furthest thing from that they are. So what 210 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,039 the most important thing you need to know about double play doozy spiria is it 211 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:54,519 is not just reblooming, It is continuous blooming. I have rarely seen a 212 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,000 plant that is such a flower powerhouse. So Spirea start to bloom. Now 213 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:03,799 these Japanese types yea again, nice neat little mound as a double play Spirehea. 214 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:09,679 The double play is that it's foliage in spring emerges a really really beautiful 215 00:15:09,759 --> 00:15:13,320 red color. And then the second part of the play is the flowers. 216 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,360 So that's what double play means, and so when it starts to flower, 217 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,679 now it's kind of got like a deep red pink flower and they're just covered. 218 00:15:20,679 --> 00:15:24,200 So there are these nice mounds about two to three feet tall and wide, 219 00:15:24,799 --> 00:15:30,440 just absolutely covered in these beautiful red pink flowers. And as they wind 220 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:35,639 down alongside the rest of the spirea is that invariably wind down after their bloom 221 00:15:35,639 --> 00:15:39,919 period, this one just keeps going. New flowers come up right alongside the 222 00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:46,639 first batch, and they keep flowering all summer long. It's truly amazing. 223 00:15:46,639 --> 00:15:50,440 And you know, here in Michigan, even in our average summer, I 224 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,799 have not seen heat really slow down that reblooming at all. They really continue 225 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:00,159 to flower. So if your demand from a landscape plant is something that is 226 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:04,039 just full of flowers, I really don't know that you can do much better 227 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:10,159 than double play doozy spyria. Yeah, no deadheading necessary. Now, Stacy, 228 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:11,840 I would ask you the question, does this have something to do with 229 00:16:11,879 --> 00:16:17,759 the whole seed thing? Does the plant produce seed or it doesn't produce seed 230 00:16:17,799 --> 00:16:19,279 and that's why it keeps blooming. I mean, what's the deal. That's 231 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,519 a great question. So it does not produce seed, and so you know, 232 00:16:23,559 --> 00:16:26,720 when we're talking about annuals. That's a common thing to make sure that 233 00:16:26,799 --> 00:16:32,759 an annual will bloom continuously is if it does not set seed. Now, 234 00:16:32,879 --> 00:16:34,879 the plant, of course doesn't think anything, but for the sake of this 235 00:16:36,399 --> 00:16:38,679 example, the plant thinks, will shoot, I didn't reproduce, I better 236 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,320 make another flower. Maybe this time I'm going to set some seed. Oh 237 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,519 shoot, I didn't set any seed. Better make another flower, and so 238 00:16:45,679 --> 00:16:48,559 on and so forth. And that's exactly what's happening with double play doozy. 239 00:16:48,639 --> 00:16:52,240 So it does not set seed. And now a lot of people who grow 240 00:16:52,279 --> 00:16:55,919 spyria and like it may not realize that in some areas some of the older 241 00:16:55,919 --> 00:17:00,759 types of Japanese spyria are becoming invasive. They are actually spreading out to the 242 00:17:00,799 --> 00:17:03,559 wild, which can be confusing because we do have a number of natives spiria 243 00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:07,519 that you might legitimately find in the wild. A lot of people don't realize 244 00:17:07,519 --> 00:17:12,359 that we have so many native spirias in the US and Canada, and so 245 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:17,960 yeah, that sterility, that inability to set seed, is what keeps it 246 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,599 blooming. It just keeps trying to set seed and it just doesn't because it's 247 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:26,400 chromosomes don't match up and as a result you get NonStop flowering. So double 248 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:30,279 play Doozy Spiria. The double play would be based on the fact that it 249 00:17:30,519 --> 00:17:36,000 continues to bloom. Has no connection to baseball. In no no connection, 250 00:17:36,039 --> 00:17:38,039 say hello, wood is kind of like rounded, maybe not quite baseball rounded, 251 00:17:38,079 --> 00:17:42,559 but good. You know it hits all the bases or I don't have 252 00:17:42,599 --> 00:17:47,880 a baseball fun handy double play. Doozy is one of our truly innovative plants 253 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,559 that comes to us from doctor Tom Rainey at North Carolina State University. We've 254 00:17:51,559 --> 00:17:56,319 talked about him a number of times on the show because he really is such 255 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:02,160 an innovative breeder and he really uses his talents and knowledge to develop plants like 256 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:07,640 this that truly outperform anything else. And so I can't recommend any plant from 257 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,519 him. You can't go wrong with now when it comes to growing spyria. 258 00:18:10,559 --> 00:18:14,200 Another reason people like it so well is because it's quite tolerant of shade. 259 00:18:14,279 --> 00:18:18,160 Now deep shade, I would not recommend part shade's not a problem. If 260 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,039 it's in too much shade, it's going to live. I feel like I 261 00:18:21,079 --> 00:18:22,279 say this every week, But it's in too much shade, it's going to 262 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,039 live, but you're just not going to get those flowers. You're not going 263 00:18:26,079 --> 00:18:30,279 to get that nice spring, colorful foliage that comes out. So try to 264 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,400 keep it with at least four hours of bright light every day, or filtered 265 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:38,920 sunlight throughout the day, like through a high canopy tree or something like that. 266 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,400 That's going to give you the best blooming and the nicest habit. But 267 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,880 when it comes to watering, it is quite versatile. Again, if it's 268 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,279 new this year, if you're just planting Double Play Doozy or any shrub, 269 00:18:48,599 --> 00:18:51,759 you're going to want to make sure that it's watered. It should not be 270 00:18:51,799 --> 00:18:55,720 allowed to dry out completely during its entire first season, and you'll see it 271 00:18:55,759 --> 00:18:57,960 on the foliage if you're not giving it enough water. Yeah, it'll become 272 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,559 evident quickly, it will, but it is once it's established, it will 273 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,680 definitely tolerate some periods of dryness. Now, of course, if you let 274 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,519 it go to an extreme, it's one of those things where it will live, 275 00:19:10,559 --> 00:19:11,920 but it's not going to perform. So that's up to you to say 276 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,799 how much you're going to support that plant, to say, you know, 277 00:19:15,039 --> 00:19:18,119 I want it to look like this, so I am going to have to 278 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:22,359 meet its needs in these extreme conditions, you know, like we are having 279 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,440 now, Like most reblooming plants, it is going to benefit from some fertilizer. 280 00:19:26,519 --> 00:19:27,519 So I'm not usually the kind of person who says, oh, you 281 00:19:27,559 --> 00:19:32,559 always got to go around and fertilize your perennials and shrubs. But when you 282 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,799 have a reblooming plant, giving it that extra energy, whether it's a rebooming 283 00:19:36,839 --> 00:19:41,240 lilac or rebooming hydrangea, whatever it is, that will go a long way 284 00:19:41,279 --> 00:19:45,400 towards helping it produce more of those flowers. So I would say, you 285 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,559 know, apply something like a Spoma rose tone. That's my standard go to 286 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:53,559 fertilizer recommendation for flowering shrubs, you know, once a month from spring until 287 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:59,359 July, and you will get out standing results with that. Now, I 288 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:03,480 had an experience variance this year, Stacy, where in the evening hours, 289 00:20:03,519 --> 00:20:07,799 the deer came along and right near my double play Doozy. They munched on 290 00:20:07,839 --> 00:20:12,480 the verbina, but they left the double Play Doozy Spyria alone. Was I 291 00:20:12,599 --> 00:20:18,279 lucky? Interesting. I'm kind of surprised that you're for being a frank. 292 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,880 I know, so was I. I was not happy about it. It's 293 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,880 like the buck stops here. I'm not happy you stop there to eat. 294 00:20:26,039 --> 00:20:30,240 Yeah. Anyway, So in general, yes, Spiria is deer resistant, 295 00:20:30,319 --> 00:20:33,160 but you know it, like we were talking about with viburnums a few weeks 296 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:37,400 ago, you always have to be careful when it comes to deer because what 297 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,119 they are going to like the most is the flowers. So they're not really 298 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:44,039 destroying your plant, but they might go after your flowers. Now, I 299 00:20:44,079 --> 00:20:49,240 have not tried double play doozy in my intensely dear ridden yard, but generally 300 00:20:49,279 --> 00:20:52,519 they are quite dear resist. Now, I have sometimes had problems with rabbits 301 00:20:52,839 --> 00:20:57,440 eating the flowers. So you know, a little bit of repellent, especially 302 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,960 early in the season, will probably go a long way. But I think 303 00:21:02,039 --> 00:21:04,960 especially once your plant is established, starting to get you know, woodier, 304 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:10,119 more fibrous, you're not really going to have to worry about damage from the 305 00:21:10,519 --> 00:21:15,160 macrofauna that visit your yard. And Stacy with Spirea, I found that it's 306 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,440 a plant in general that does respond pretty well to pruning. For those people 307 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,400 out there who do like to prune, yes, and it's you. If 308 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,680 it's not mounded enough for you, you can absolutely go out there and make 309 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:33,680 it even moundier and a lot of you. It is a very amenable plant 310 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:37,039 to pruning. So that's just a little taste of one of my absolute favorites 311 00:21:37,079 --> 00:21:41,200 and one of our most innovative flowering shrubs, double Play Doozy Spyria. You 312 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,079 can see the pictures at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. Learn more about it, 313 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,960 and ask for it at your local garden center because you know what, 314 00:21:48,039 --> 00:21:52,039 now is a great time to go shopping for something like spiria, because it's 315 00:21:52,039 --> 00:21:55,240 going to be in bloom, it's going to look irresistible, and the garden 316 00:21:55,319 --> 00:21:59,279 centers need your support. So June is such a great one. It's still 317 00:21:59,319 --> 00:22:00,359 a great one for ing as long as you're going to be a round to 318 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,039 water. We're gonna take a little break. When we come back, we're 319 00:22:03,039 --> 00:22:06,799 going to be opening up the garden mailbag to answer your questions, So please 320 00:22:06,799 --> 00:22:18,200 stay tuned at proven Winner's Color Choice, We've got a shrub for every taste 321 00:22:18,319 --> 00:22:22,240 and every space. Whether you're looking for an easycare rose, an unforgettable hydrangea, 322 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,440 or something new and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs and 323 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,400 the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. Look for them 324 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,240 at your local garden center. Greetings, gardening friends, and welcome back to 325 00:22:36,559 --> 00:22:38,880 the Gardening Is Simplified Show. It's the time of the show where we open 326 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,599 up the mailbag. It's one of the ways that we simplify gardening for you 327 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,920 by answering your garden questions. And if you have a garden question for us, 328 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,160 please don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to hear from you. 329 00:22:48,599 --> 00:22:52,680 You can email us at help HLP at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com, or 330 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:59,119 just visit Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com and use the contact form. Before we 331 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,880 get to the first question, and I did want to briefly talk about the 332 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,039 name of double Play Doozy spy Rhea. Okay, do you know where the 333 00:23:04,079 --> 00:23:08,079 word doozy comes from? Doozy No idea. It comes from the Dusenburg car. 334 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:14,000 Yes, that was like there, sort of I did not. Yeah, 335 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:19,359 that was their tagline. It's a doozy because Dusenberg's remain to this day 336 00:23:19,559 --> 00:23:26,599 absolutely fabulously amazing cars. I mean, oh my gosh, if I were 337 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,759 a billionaire, I would own a Dusenberg. They are just gorgeous, fabulous 338 00:23:30,759 --> 00:23:34,359 cars. And you can actually go to the aubern Court Dusenburg Museum in Indiana 339 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:38,240 and see some for yourself, and you too will say, wow, that's 340 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,640 a doozy. That's a doozy. I'm putting it on my bucket list here. 341 00:23:41,759 --> 00:23:45,359 Please do anyway, what do we got in the mailbag? All right, 342 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,079 So Tony writes to us this week, I'm looking for a native Michigan 343 00:23:48,599 --> 00:23:53,000 fern for the south side of the house where we have removed decking. There's 344 00:23:53,079 --> 00:24:00,880 shade until afternoon, and it gets about three hours of late afternoon sun. 345 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,559 It's sandy and well drained. What do you suggest? Thank you and thanks 346 00:24:04,559 --> 00:24:07,319 for your question. Tony appreciate that. So, Rick, are you a 347 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:11,359 fern guy? Yeah? I like ferns. Like ferns, Okay, I 348 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:17,720 love ferns. The problem is I have no place to put first. My 349 00:24:17,839 --> 00:24:21,440 garden is so dry, is pure sand. I have a little bit of 350 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,079 shade, but as is often the case, I pretend that I can grow 351 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:29,000 ferns. And I'm particularly am fond of native ferns. And I think my 352 00:24:29,079 --> 00:24:33,240 situation is similar to Tony's in that the soil sandy and well drained. I 353 00:24:33,319 --> 00:24:37,279 don't I do have less sun, and I have found that these species of 354 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,440 native ferns actually do very well for me with little supplemental water. So Dryopterus 355 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:48,000 often known as wood fern, So we have a couple native species of Dryopterus 356 00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:51,920 to Michigan. So if you're really you want to be specific to just Michigan 357 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:53,640 natives, that is a great place to start. Like I said, they 358 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,680 usually have some sort of wood fern in the name. Now, the variety 359 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:03,279 of the species that I grow is Dryptrius astrallis, which is a naturally occurring 360 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:07,480 hybrid of two different Dryopterus species, and if it had sufficient water and sufficient 361 00:25:07,519 --> 00:25:11,359 shade, it would reach to be about six feet tall. So it's a 362 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:15,519 little bit more durable and a different look than the ostrich fern, which can 363 00:25:15,559 --> 00:25:18,720 also get very large. So that's not native to Michigan, but that is 364 00:25:18,759 --> 00:25:22,759 a beautiful ornamental choice that you should be able to find. But wood ferns 365 00:25:22,799 --> 00:25:27,880 I found are very very drought tolerant Christmas ferns, Christmas fern, absolutely i'd 366 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:33,400 recommend that, and I was going to mention also the ostrich fern. However, 367 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:38,119 you know in nature often you'll see these ferns kind of in dry wooded 368 00:25:38,279 --> 00:25:42,039 areas. But with something like ostrich fern, I think you're right, Stacy. 369 00:25:42,079 --> 00:25:48,000 You're gonna want more of a wet woodland type of effect to be successful. 370 00:25:48,039 --> 00:25:51,519 And what will happen if something like an ostrich fern doesn't get enough water 371 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,480 is it'll just go prematurely dorman exactly. It won't die, but it will 372 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,240 go dormant very early, and then you won't have that beautiful, magical, 373 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,480 lush fern woodland look that you want. And where's the fun in that? 374 00:26:02,599 --> 00:26:06,079 So Christmas fern is a small fern, so I wasn't sure if Tony was 375 00:26:06,079 --> 00:26:08,200 looking for things that are sort of smaller scale or something really, you know, 376 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,880 large and showy, like an ostrich fern or Dryopterus Christmas fern. I 377 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:17,319 love it's evergreen. They are jur tolerant once they get established, but I 378 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:21,599 am finding out that getting them established does take quite a bit of water, 379 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,319 So a little caveat for you there. Another one is a thyreum or lady 380 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:29,559 fern. Now, most of the etheryreums that you're going to find in garden 381 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,079 centers are ornamental Japanese types, so they're not native. We do have native 382 00:26:33,079 --> 00:26:37,000 Etherioreum also known as lady ferns, So if you want to be real specific 383 00:26:37,039 --> 00:26:41,880 about that, make sure you're looking for those species. But otherwise I find 384 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:48,920 that those are pretty amazingly tolerant of my sunny and dry conditions as well. 385 00:26:48,319 --> 00:26:55,000 That's excellent, you know. I just look this up Christmas fern. It's 386 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:00,880 evergreen leaves have been commonly used in Christmas decorations, and each individual leaflet that 387 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:07,160 makes up the frond is shaped like a tiny green Christmas stocking, and that's 388 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,359 why they call it Christmas fern. I thought they called the Christmas fern because 389 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,680 it was evergreen, but that's a great reason. So we're going to put 390 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,599 some links and put all of that information on the show notes at Gardenery Simplified 391 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,440 on air dot com for Tony or anyone else who is looking for some fabulous 392 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:26,319 ferns for their garden. And Tony here on the Gardening Simplified Show, you're 393 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:30,599 among fronds. So keep those questions coming. Mary's wondering, can you tell 394 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:36,319 me a way or ways to prevent powdery mildew on paeonies? Every year when 395 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:41,319 I deadhead faded blossoms is around the same time I start seeing it at the 396 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,720 base of the plants. I started using paeony rings, which helps some, 397 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,640 but it still shows up. And you know, I think Mary makes an 398 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:55,200 important point there, and that is she observed that it starts at the base 399 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,799 of the plants. Well, that's probably where you're getting a fair amount of 400 00:27:57,839 --> 00:28:03,599 moisture and may be not as much sunlight to those. Yeah, you know. 401 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:10,000 I my answer to Mary is that I don't know if it's possible for 402 00:28:10,079 --> 00:28:14,559 a herbaseous pony to get through a season without powdery I mean, without applying 403 00:28:14,559 --> 00:28:18,319 somebody. I don't think it's possible, and I don't think that people should 404 00:28:18,319 --> 00:28:21,920 take that as a reason to be defeated. I think you just have to 405 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,440 kind of accept it as part of the territory. And sometimes that's the case. 406 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,720 You know, plants can certainly live with powdery mildew. It's a bit 407 00:28:29,799 --> 00:28:32,920 unsightly, and of course if it's extreme, it can be quite unsightly. 408 00:28:33,039 --> 00:28:36,319 Sure, but you know, I think if you were to go around and 409 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:40,319 look at peonies all around your neighborhood, you're going to find that they just 410 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,200 get powdery mildew by by the time that they're done, and that, you 411 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,960 know, I personally think that they're fabulous flowers more than make up for that, 412 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,480 you know, little liability. I don't know do you have any that's 413 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,000 true, although you know, again with peonies, trying to water at the 414 00:28:55,079 --> 00:28:59,279 base when you can, as opposed to over the top, or if you're 415 00:28:59,319 --> 00:29:03,319 watering in evening, that can create problems. I think Mary makes a good 416 00:29:03,319 --> 00:29:07,480 point too, though she made the attempt with pone rings, and pony rings 417 00:29:07,559 --> 00:29:11,200 are good because you want good spacing between plants, you want air circulation. 418 00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:15,279 You don't want them flopping down on the ground. And what I find also 419 00:29:15,359 --> 00:29:19,000 with some folks, Stacy, is that they had great intentions at the time 420 00:29:19,039 --> 00:29:23,759 the pony was planted, but since then things have kind of shaded over. 421 00:29:23,839 --> 00:29:29,079 So just make sure that and I don't know if that's the case for Mary 422 00:29:29,119 --> 00:29:32,279 here, but just make sure that they're getting plenty of Yeah, full sun 423 00:29:32,359 --> 00:29:36,240 ponies are absolutely full sun plants. They want at least six hours of bright 424 00:29:36,279 --> 00:29:38,640 sun every day. But everything that you said, Rick is absolutely correct. 425 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,160 There are a number of things that you can do to reduce powdery mildew, 426 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:47,119 but I think even if you do all of that, you just can't have 427 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:52,000 the attitude that it's your fault or you're doing something wrong. If ponies get 428 00:29:52,079 --> 00:29:56,599 some powdery, it's really just what they do. And absolutely I think pioneer 429 00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,519 rings are very helpful sun avoiding, watering, and then the le best tip 430 00:30:00,119 --> 00:30:04,480 is that when they go dormant in the winter in the fall, make sure 431 00:30:04,519 --> 00:30:08,759 that you're removing all of that foliage. So clean up all of the foliage 432 00:30:08,799 --> 00:30:14,519 that dies back, because what happens with powdery mildew is the spores will just 433 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:17,640 you know, rest on that foliage and usually they're right under the plant. 434 00:30:18,039 --> 00:30:21,920 And then the following spring, you know, that foliage starts to emerge. 435 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,559 It's super tender, it doesn't have that protective cuticle yet to prevent it from 436 00:30:26,599 --> 00:30:29,119 you know, taking on those spores. Those spores land on there and it 437 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,279 just repeats the cycle. So sanitation removing all that old foliage will also help. 438 00:30:33,279 --> 00:30:36,559 But again, Mary, even if you do all of this, don't 439 00:30:36,599 --> 00:30:40,319 beat yourself up if the pne's still get a little bit white. I was 440 00:30:40,319 --> 00:30:42,680 thinking, hey, maybe you could just like plant some artemisia or something silvery 441 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:47,319 around it and act like you meant to do that draw the attention. There 442 00:30:47,359 --> 00:30:49,240 you go, Good luck, Mary, and Kelly writes to us. Now, 443 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:53,519 speaking of clean up, this may be a good idea for Kelly's issue 444 00:30:53,680 --> 00:31:00,359 here. Also, Kelly writes that for many years I've had so many with 445 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:06,920 spotted cucumber beetles on my dahlias and roses. Yes, that can become very 446 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:11,279 cucumbersome. I also have a huge thrip and afid population on my roses. 447 00:31:11,279 --> 00:31:15,720 Can you help let me know what's the best action to help with this. 448 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:21,000 I use a lot of these flowers for flower arranging. How can I get 449 00:31:21,079 --> 00:31:25,839 this problem under control? All right? I don't know if Kelly would appreciate 450 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:32,079 your joke there about them being cucumberus because or cucumbersome because they are. They're 451 00:31:32,119 --> 00:31:34,720 a terrible pest, they are. You know, I was, I was 452 00:31:34,759 --> 00:31:38,759 looking at some extension websites today to find some advice to give to Kelly, 453 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:42,559 and everyone's just like, sorry, they're one of the worst pests out there, 454 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:47,240 cucumber beetles. But you know we're not going to leave you empty handed. 455 00:31:47,279 --> 00:31:48,839 Here, So a couple of bits of advice for you, and I'll 456 00:31:48,839 --> 00:31:52,759 put this all in the show notes, along with some helpful links to more 457 00:31:52,839 --> 00:31:56,279 in depth information about their life cycle. So, first of all, control 458 00:31:56,359 --> 00:32:00,640 weeds and ask your neighbors to do the same. Weeds will provide excellent host 459 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:05,960 material for them to shelter in. So you don't want any weedy, you 460 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,720 know, areas if you can help that, if you are not growing, 461 00:32:10,519 --> 00:32:15,640 if you are growing any kind of cucumbers or anything like that in your garden, 462 00:32:15,119 --> 00:32:22,000 stop Cucumber beetles don't only pray on members of the cucumber family, but 463 00:32:22,079 --> 00:32:24,680 they are their favorite things. So it could be that if you're growing cucumbers, 464 00:32:25,039 --> 00:32:28,480 they're coming in eating the cucumbers and then they're like, oh, what's 465 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:30,960 that over there? That dalia looks pretty yum yum yum. Roses, Oh 466 00:32:31,039 --> 00:32:34,559 I like that too, and so you're just kind of, you know, 467 00:32:34,599 --> 00:32:37,400 giving them more reasons to stay around. So if you avoid growing their main 468 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,119 attraction, the cucumber plants, it could help. I'm not saying it well, 469 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:44,599 I'm just saying it's one step. Yeah. I think if if I 470 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,160 was struggling with that on my dalias and roses and I wanted to grow cucumbers, 471 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,720 I would go with the floating row covers, especially when the pressure's on, 472 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,640 that would be a good way at least to deter them, right and 473 00:32:59,319 --> 00:33:04,079 mulch helps because they lay their eggs and cracks in the soils, so mulching 474 00:33:04,119 --> 00:33:07,440 will also help to reduce their egg laying sites. And then there are a 475 00:33:07,519 --> 00:33:14,680 number of biological controls, so different predatory insects, nematodes, things like that 476 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:20,480 that you can actually apply that will prey on the spotted cucumber beetles or the 477 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:22,440 striped cucumber beetles, depending on which when you have both the same treatment. 478 00:33:22,519 --> 00:33:25,359 So it's way too much to get into, but I'm going to give you 479 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:30,599 all the resources in our show notes at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. We 480 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:32,880 think everyone who wrote in, and we invite you to write us with your 481 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:37,720 gardening issues as well. Just visit Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com for all the 482 00:33:37,759 --> 00:33:39,720 details. We're going to take a little break in when we come back, 483 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:50,880 we've got branching news you won't want to miss that. The Gardening Simplified Show 484 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,519 is brought to you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering 485 00:33:54,559 --> 00:33:59,799 shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success, so you and 486 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,119 away more beauty and less work. Look for proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs in 487 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:09,559 the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening 488 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:15,400 Simplified Show. It's time for Branching News and Stacy Today and Branching News. 489 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:20,840 I'm going to start things off with a comment that was made by one of 490 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:25,280 our viewers on YouTube. We thank all those folks who watch on YouTube, 491 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:30,639 who listen on radio or download the podcast, and in this case we had 492 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:37,960 someone who watches on YouTube who brought up the subject of the Chelsea chop. 493 00:34:37,519 --> 00:34:43,400 Oh, yes, Chelsea chop. Now I thinks your plants like it's their 494 00:34:43,599 --> 00:34:45,920 birthday, and some people are like, what does that mean? Now, 495 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,960 I don't think in all parts of the country, or at least around the 496 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:55,400 world, not everybody does this pinch to grow an inch thing. But now 497 00:34:55,800 --> 00:35:02,679 I think they mostly only view that to kids R right to but a pinch 498 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:07,639 to grow an inch. I had heard a sock to grow a block, 499 00:35:07,159 --> 00:35:10,519 a punch to grow a punch, and a pinch to grow an inch. 500 00:35:10,559 --> 00:35:15,360 So I guess they do the bumps or the dumps in Scotland and in the 501 00:35:15,519 --> 00:35:21,639 UK, maybe even in Canada. We'll find out as people will will comment, 502 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,800 but they'll bump them for their birthday. They use the metric system, 503 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,480 so they can't say pinch to grow an inch. Yeah, there you go. 504 00:35:29,159 --> 00:35:34,360 That explains it. It says here. In French speaking Canada, the 505 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:39,119 US, and Australia, birthday punches are given in similar fashion, so you 506 00:35:39,159 --> 00:35:45,239 get punched for the number of times that equal equal your age. And then 507 00:35:45,679 --> 00:35:51,679 in Brazil, Hungary, Argentina, Italy other countries, the person has his 508 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:57,559 or her ear lobes pulled, so the tradition is to pull on the ear 509 00:35:57,679 --> 00:36:02,360 lobes and say a rhymes live so long so your ears reach your ankles or 510 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,519 something like that. So there you have it, a pinch to grow an 511 00:36:06,519 --> 00:36:10,280 inch? You did. No birthdays could be abusive. Point. Yeah, 512 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:14,360 I know. I'm glad my birthday isn't for a few months. Here. 513 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:19,559 The point here is this individual brought up the Chelsea chop and we had said 514 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:24,280 that at some point we would talk about pinching and pinching your plants. But 515 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:30,159 the Chelsea chop really is not pinching. What the Chelsea chop is and we're 516 00:36:30,199 --> 00:36:35,400 gonna put the link on the website, but it's essentially well, let's say, 517 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,599 first of all, it's tied into the Chelsea Flower Show in England which 518 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:44,320 takes place the end of May, so it's a timing thing. And at 519 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,760 that time, the recommendation is to take some of these perennials that tend to 520 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:52,760 grow a little long, a little tall, maybe flop over late in the 521 00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:59,559 season, to chop them back at that point to reduce their size four to 522 00:36:59,639 --> 00:37:04,599 six weeks before blooming so that they can still bloom. And we're talking about 523 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:10,760 plants like upright seedoms, Helianthus, joe pye weed, flocks, Heliopsis minarda, 524 00:37:12,159 --> 00:37:15,480 Shasta daisies, those types of plants. Give them the chelsea chop. 525 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:21,480 Yep, I've had the deer give my plants a chelsea chop before. Yeah, 526 00:37:21,559 --> 00:37:24,000 same here, same here, But you know it does work. Some 527 00:37:24,079 --> 00:37:29,880 of the upright seedoms, if they haven't been divided in sometime by August September, 528 00:37:30,559 --> 00:37:32,719 they start to flop over. And if if you give them that chelsea 529 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:37,920 chop and cut them back in late May early June, they're still gonna bloom. 530 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,480 They're gonna still set buds and bloom, but the plant will be a 531 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:45,920 lot shorter and squatty. And so we're gonna give you information on how to 532 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:51,000 do that. There's two links that we're gonna put at the website at Gardening 533 00:37:51,039 --> 00:37:57,719 Simplified OnAir dot com, so that you two can consider doing the Chelsea chop. 534 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,480 You know, another advantage to it that a lot of people don't consider 535 00:38:00,639 --> 00:38:04,599 is that it can delay your bloom time. And so you can end up 536 00:38:04,639 --> 00:38:08,360 by deciding what you chelsea chop and don't having things bloom together that wouldn't normally 537 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:13,760 bloom together and creating some really interesting and unique displays. That's a great point. 538 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:16,400 And you know what you're doing at the time. When you cut back 539 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:22,400 these plants, you're again not pinching them like we do on birthdays, but 540 00:38:22,639 --> 00:38:28,639 rather you're chopping them like a half one third halfway back. Yeah, it's 541 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:30,280 a chop. It's not a pinch. There you go. A chop, 542 00:38:30,639 --> 00:38:36,000 not a pinch, all right. A Washington State University led study revealed plants 543 00:38:36,079 --> 00:38:42,800 can sense when something touches them and when it is let go. So Washington 544 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:52,000 State University said in the journal Nature Plants that they see many complex responses depending 545 00:38:52,039 --> 00:38:58,440 on the force and duration of touch On plants. The difference between the touch 546 00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:02,960 and the removal was clear, so when researchers applied thirty seconds of touch to 547 00:39:04,039 --> 00:39:09,400 a plant cell. They saw all sorts of waves of calcium ions and other 548 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:16,360 things happening within this plant, the reaction lasting around three to five minutes, 549 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:20,760 and we're going to put the link on the website. Also, I thought 550 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:25,559 that that was very very interesting that plants would react to touch. Yeah, 551 00:39:25,559 --> 00:39:30,079 and that's quite a long time to be reacting. I touch my plants a 552 00:39:30,079 --> 00:39:34,639 lot. I wonder if I'm like stressing them out and they got to use 553 00:39:34,679 --> 00:39:37,079 all this energy to recover from me going oh, this is so beautiful, 554 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:44,840 or if it's the plant's birthday and you pinch it, yikes, tell you 555 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,039 what. Anyhow, I found that to be very very interesting. So again, 556 00:39:47,079 --> 00:39:52,440 that story's going to Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com and check out the link. 557 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:55,079 It may be some fun reading for you. And then finally, a 558 00:39:55,119 --> 00:40:01,480 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition looked at data collected from 559 00:40:01,519 --> 00:40:07,039 over one hundred and forty six thousand American adults over the age of sixty five. 560 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:08,519 Now, the minute I saw that heading, I thought, oh, 561 00:40:08,599 --> 00:40:13,119 this articles for me. This is excellent, So I'm going to pay attention 562 00:40:13,199 --> 00:40:17,719 here. The participants were broken down into three groups. Gardeners, older adults 563 00:40:17,719 --> 00:40:24,400 who garden, exercisers, ones who engage in other physical activities other than gardening, 564 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:30,800 and non exercises. Non exercisers those who tend to just sit on the 565 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:37,360 sofa. The gardeners reported spending more time staying physically active compared to exercisers, 566 00:40:37,559 --> 00:40:42,880 and they were able to meet the recommended one hundred and fifty minutes of aerobic 567 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:50,639 activity per week with just gardening alone. And so actually this report and it's 568 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:57,000 quite interesting, but the report basically again talks about the fact that this exercise 569 00:40:57,119 --> 00:41:00,880 that is given to us by being gardeners, going out there and pinching our 570 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:06,880 plants, by going out there and weeding or chasing those cucumber beetles, are 571 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:12,079 going to help us live longer and make us healthy. I always love stories 572 00:41:12,159 --> 00:41:15,840 late. Yeah, you know, it's a really interesting study because I feel 573 00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:17,800 like, you know, if you exercise, or like I'm going to the 574 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,400 gym for an hour, I'm going for a five mile run, so you're 575 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,280 doing these like very set focused tasks, or if you go out to garden, 576 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:28,360 you're like, well, first I'm gonna you know, weed this bed, 577 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,280 and then I'm going to do X, Y and Z, and then 578 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:34,119 next thing you know, it's six hours later and you've been working, and 579 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:37,000 you know you don't you don't necessarily have that hard stuff or like that that 580 00:41:37,199 --> 00:41:42,280 single goal, because it's it's an ongoing process and there's always something else to 581 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,000 do. So if you're you know, the weather's good, you're having a 582 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,639 great time, you just keep working. I think there's just so much truth 583 00:41:47,679 --> 00:41:52,239 to that. I also want to mention here in Branching News that we get 584 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:57,880 a lot of ideas from you, and we'd like to hear from you again, 585 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,760 Stacy. I love it when folks will on us pictures and of course 586 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,320 you can send us your questions and will address them on the show. But 587 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:09,280 I'm looking for ideas. And in case you missed the first segment, I 588 00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:14,440 have not been able to find a sprinkler or a hose that actually works. 589 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:19,159 So if you have an idea, send us a note a picture at Gardening 590 00:42:19,199 --> 00:42:22,119 Simplified on air dot Com. I was going to say ricks recommendations, but 591 00:42:22,199 --> 00:42:29,800 it's like Rick's recommendation requests exactly exactly. And of course in our first segment 592 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:32,840 we talked about drought many areas. It's very, very dry. I wanted 593 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:37,440 to quickly address this in Branching News, and that is to ask you, 594 00:42:37,599 --> 00:42:42,559 Stacy, if you have a couple of favorites, four drought favorite plants, 595 00:42:42,599 --> 00:42:46,559 because for me, again, I you know me, I love ornamental grasses, 596 00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:52,000 and I have found those things to be so tough when the weather gets 597 00:42:52,039 --> 00:42:54,679 hot and dry. Yeah, they are. I have a lot of ornamental 598 00:42:54,719 --> 00:43:00,199 grasses. Baptisia. You know, my Baptisia is blooming right now out. 599 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:05,000 It looks absolutely gorgeous. It is on the downswing. The plant itself is 600 00:43:05,039 --> 00:43:07,800 extremely drought taller, and its roots grow very deeply. But I have found 601 00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:10,519 that this year, with it being so dry and not giving it supplemental water, 602 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:14,920 the blooms did seem to fade a bit more quickly, but still the 603 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:17,800 plants alive. I'm not worried about it, you know, contributing for the 604 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,960 long term. Another plant that does really well for me despite extreme drought is 605 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:27,760 I've talked about it before is Sylphium porfoliate um, or the cut plant. 606 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:31,760 So big giant native perennial gets to be around, you know, eight to 607 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:37,320 ten feet tall yellow flowers attracts a ton of pollinators and I have a couple 608 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:42,679 of huge clumps of that that even now where a lot of my plants are 609 00:43:42,719 --> 00:43:47,360 like please water, it's just like ma, I'm good, yea well for 610 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:53,920 me. And of course Proven Winners has some wonderful seedoms that you can consider 611 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:59,440 purchasing. Also, it's not like the seedoms that your grandma grew today. 612 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,679 These are low mounded, gorgeous seedoms. Just go to Proven Winners, type 613 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:09,599 in the word seedom seedu m and you'll see the great series of seedoms that 614 00:44:09,679 --> 00:44:15,880 are just care free and again can stand up to drone. Yeah, I 615 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:20,519 have a huge seedom collection, a beautiful mix of different seatoms and ice plants, 616 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:25,239 and that garden is not mining the weather whatsoever right now exactly. We 617 00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:29,840 want to thank you for joining us, for watching us on YouTube, downloading 618 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:35,280 the podcast and listening on radio. We want to thank Adriana Robinson for all 619 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:37,920 her work. She does such a fabulous job, keeps us on the air 620 00:44:38,079 --> 00:44:43,119 here talking to you, and we want to thank you of course also for 621 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:47,400 your participation. Keep those questions and comments coming there. He goes Stacy and 622 00:44:47,519 --> 00:44:51,920 Stacy, thank you. It's a privilege and pleasure to do the show. 623 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:52,360 Thanks Rick. Likewise,