1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:07,400 Coming to you from Studio A at Proven Winners Color Choice shrugs. It's time 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:12,759 for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella me, Rick weisst and our engineer 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:18,760 and producer Adrianna Robinson Stacy. Today we talk about herbs because I have time 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,480 on my hands. A bad pun right off the bad thy m e. 5 00:00:22,719 --> 00:00:25,839 But as Stacy reminds me, if you have to spell it out, it's 6 00:00:25,879 --> 00:00:29,280 not that great a pun. So let's move on. You have sunshine, 7 00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:32,840 you have containers, They're easy to grow. And one of the trends in 8 00:00:33,079 --> 00:00:38,200 gardening is all things Mediterranean. So Stacy, as we enter the heat of 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,719 summer, why not herbs? Oh? Why not? Indeed? I think 10 00:00:41,799 --> 00:00:44,520 that. You know, we've talked a little bit about some of the luxuries 11 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,640 of gardening. The luxury of having your own cut flowers out your back door, 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,000 the luxury of having your own herbs out your backdoor is something I really 13 00:00:52,039 --> 00:00:55,039 can't put into words. You know, you're sitting there thinking about what you're 14 00:00:55,079 --> 00:00:57,039 gonna have for dinner, and then you say, well, shoot, I 15 00:00:57,079 --> 00:00:59,320 don't have any cilantro and then you say, wait, yes they do. 16 00:00:59,479 --> 00:01:03,120 Yes, I think garden and that is such a great feeling. I love 17 00:01:03,159 --> 00:01:07,879 growing herbs. I grow a ton of herbs, and so yeah, you 18 00:01:07,879 --> 00:01:11,120 don't have to twist my arm. Well for all gardeners, because herbs tend 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,959 to be easy to grow, Stacy, I would dare venture out and say 20 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,519 that they're to a degree pest free too, just by their nature. They 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,400 really are. And I'm proud to say that that deer don't eat them. 22 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,760 Yeah, I being how much luckier can you be? The tomatoes, forget 23 00:01:25,799 --> 00:01:27,959 it, peppers, they'll nibole them. The herbs, they never touch them, 24 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,280 and I am so grateful for that. But you know, interestingly, 25 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,799 I was actually just thinking over the wheat. Last weekend. I was planting 26 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,840 pesto perpetuo basil. You know, it is such an amazing basil. So 27 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:44,719 it's variegated, which is cool and different, but it doesn't flower. It 28 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,040 never flowers, so you can keep getting that foliage. It doesn't get woody 29 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,239 and really really resonance instead of the plant putting all its energy into flowers at 30 00:01:52,239 --> 00:01:56,159 some point. So it's beautiful. It's fragrant, and for many years I 31 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,560 had a problem with the asiatic garden beetle on my basil. You know, 32 00:02:00,599 --> 00:02:04,000 that. I also call it the coppery menace. It was the only thing 33 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,240 that would eat basil, and it would absolutely skeletonize it. Now that problem 34 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,439 has abated for me a bit knock on wood, But I always found that 35 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:15,120 they never touched my Pesto perpetual. But that really is like the only herb 36 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,319 pest I have ever had to contend with in many, many years of herb 37 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,919 garden. Well there's pesto besto and a masil basil Italian sweet basil, A 38 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:29,400 number of varieties, as Stacy said, that really don't do much as far 39 00:02:29,439 --> 00:02:32,400 as flour initiation is concerned, and so you get more benefit from the plant. 40 00:02:32,759 --> 00:02:37,800 I call it basil instinct. And I love to plant basil around my 41 00:02:37,879 --> 00:02:42,759 tomatoes because it makes the tomatoes taste better. No scientific evidence, but there 42 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,319 you have it. I love time, also, Stacy in A favorite of 43 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:51,080 mine is wooly time, and I grow it for its ornamental nature, not 44 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,840 its herb name. Yeah, wooly time does not sound terribly appetizing, right, 45 00:02:54,599 --> 00:02:58,439 but it is a beautiful plant. I grow a lot of time, 46 00:02:58,479 --> 00:03:01,439 and would you believe it, I am self sows abundantly for me in my 47 00:03:01,479 --> 00:03:05,919 garden. I mean it pops up everywhere, and that's really nice. So 48 00:03:06,039 --> 00:03:07,439 wherever the parent plant is, when that's getting a little old, I'm sure 49 00:03:07,439 --> 00:03:12,280 to find some seedlings around that are just getting into the prime of their life 50 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,719 and really productive. That's great. I'd like to know if you grow some 51 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:20,199 lemongrass. Lemon grass is a great herb. First of all, for the 52 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:27,960 botanical name, I'm gonna clabber this stacy, but simbo poken simbo. It's 53 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,039 called lemon grass. Ah, And lemongrass has this great botanical name. But 54 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,199 the great thing about it growing it in your yard or garden. So if 55 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,919 you walk by and you take some of it up and stick it in your 56 00:03:38,919 --> 00:03:44,039 mouth, it tastes like the breakfast cereal fruit loops. Okay, it does. 57 00:03:44,479 --> 00:03:47,199 I find that lemon grass is a very polarizing flavor. But that is 58 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:52,439 a very enthusiastic endorsement. Yeah, used in Asian and Thie cooking. I 59 00:03:52,479 --> 00:03:55,439 don't eat fruit loops for breakfast. I'm more of a Captain crunch guy, 60 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:00,360 but that's okay. How about dil? Do you like growing dil? Remember 61 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,000 as a kid working on the farm growing dill, and it was always covered 62 00:04:03,759 --> 00:04:08,080 with bees. Yep, it's so pretty. I do love growing dill, 63 00:04:08,199 --> 00:04:12,439 although dill is one of those plants that never really stays where you put it. 64 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,960 And I think the best way to grow dell is to grow start it 65 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,160 from seed. So you know, it's really hard to grow from a seedling. 66 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,560 I it's not hard, but it's a much easier to grow from a 67 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:26,600 seed and let some of those flowers go to seed and then let the dill 68 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,279 tell you where it wants to grow. I love having a nice population of 69 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:32,759 self sewing dill. That's a great point. I like that point to have 70 00:04:32,879 --> 00:04:38,839 that dill so we can make some dilly beans later on in the year fantastic. 71 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,480 I had read somewhere that dill was called the meetinghouse herb was chewed by 72 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,879 early American children to lull them through the long sermons oh my parents. Also, 73 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:54,639 my parents used to always pass me peppermints so I could get through those 74 00:04:54,680 --> 00:05:00,160 eternal sermons about eternity. So yeah, interesting. And if the pepper it 75 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,240 came out of my dad's pocket, it tasted like cologne, and if it 76 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:06,040 came out of my mom's pocket, it tasted like perfume. But I'll never 77 00:05:06,079 --> 00:05:10,920 forget that. Well, I don't know if that will will fly these days. 78 00:05:10,959 --> 00:05:14,879 I think today's children demand a little more than a head adel to non 79 00:05:15,319 --> 00:05:20,920 and boring situation. All right, let's get divisive, let's get to oh 80 00:05:21,079 --> 00:05:28,079 controversial and talk cilantro. Oh yes, cilantro is so controversial because people either 81 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:33,279 love it or can't stand the taste. And as I understand it, Stacey, 82 00:05:33,759 --> 00:05:39,079 it's biological. In other words, there was a genetic survey by researchers 83 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,680 at Cornell University. They found that there's a very specific gene that makes some 84 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:48,639 people strongly dislike the taste of cilantro, saying it tastes like soap. I 85 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,920 have heard that I am firmly in the love at camp. I've pretty much 86 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,240 always got to have a bunch of it in my fridge because I use it 87 00:05:55,279 --> 00:06:00,199 in so so many recipes. But I think what's more controversial about cilantro when 88 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,199 it comes to gardening is so many people don't understand how to grow it. 89 00:06:04,959 --> 00:06:09,639 I have heard from so so many gardeners over the years who just say, 90 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,839 every time I grow cilantro, it doesn't look good, it doesn't thrive, 91 00:06:12,959 --> 00:06:16,480 Like what am I doing wrong? And I'm going to reveal the secret right 92 00:06:16,519 --> 00:06:23,120 here on the Gardening Simplified Show. Okay, the grocery store has given you 93 00:06:23,319 --> 00:06:29,199 unrealistic cilantro expectations. So you know, you buy cilantro in the grocery store, 94 00:06:29,199 --> 00:06:32,360 you get this big, leafy, beautiful bunch. That big leafy, 95 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:40,439 beautiful bunch that you're buying is probably ten to fifteen cilantro plants, maybe less, 96 00:06:40,439 --> 00:06:43,600 maybe eight to ten, but it's not one plant. And so people, 97 00:06:43,639 --> 00:06:47,240 I think, because that's what their experienced buying it is, they tend 98 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,680 to think it's something that you're just going to grow and grow and grow, 99 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,959 like basil or time and just keep trimming off of. But that is not 100 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:58,439 the case at all with cilantro. It naturally has an extremely short life cycle. 101 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:00,439 That's true. We go like a week. We're talking about annuals, 102 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,639 so it's a true annual, but that lifespan is a matter of weeks instead 103 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:10,519 of a matter of months. And so you can't just plant cilantro once and 104 00:07:10,639 --> 00:07:13,519 expect it to produce for you all season long. It just won't happen. 105 00:07:13,959 --> 00:07:16,319 Books, we'll talk about cilantro bolting or going to flower, at which point 106 00:07:17,079 --> 00:07:20,800 even the most diehard cilantro fan I think could barely stand to eat it because 107 00:07:20,839 --> 00:07:25,560 it develops some kind of you ever eating a bolted cilantro? Oh yeah, 108 00:07:25,759 --> 00:07:30,680 it's a that's a taste sensation there, Ye talk about divisive. But you 109 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:32,480 keep seating it, right, Yes, I mean keep seating it. That's 110 00:07:32,519 --> 00:07:35,959 it. So definitely the cilantro is another plant that I would say, don't 111 00:07:35,959 --> 00:07:39,920 buy the seedlings at the garden center. Instead, buy a pack of seed 112 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,439 and keep sewing it like every two weeks or something. Now, what I 113 00:07:44,519 --> 00:07:48,120 often do is to actually put it into two terra cotta pots, so I 114 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,279 have one kind of on the backburner growing in and one that I'm cutting off 115 00:07:51,319 --> 00:07:54,560 of. So in my displays, I don't have one. That's all, 116 00:07:54,639 --> 00:07:57,879 you know, stubble. But yeah, cilantro is not going to be like 117 00:07:57,879 --> 00:08:00,199 you see in the grocery store. You need to sew a long out of 118 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:01,759 it, and you need to sew it often, and then you will have 119 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,600 the cilantro of your dreams. But you have to stop thinking about cilantro like 120 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,319 you think about basil. You know, if you get good at growing cilantro 121 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,920 and you give it away to friends and neighbors, you know what that makes 122 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:20,000 you? Oh? No, a cilantropist. Okay, moving along. I 123 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,360 love clipping chives in the garden. I love growing chives. It's easy, 124 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,360 it's fun, and I love snipping up little chunks of chives and putting them 125 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:33,159 on my potatoes. Chives are so useful to have in the garden. I 126 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,399 got a secret for chives too, you do, yeah, you know, 127 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:37,480 so you know after they flower, which is right now, and chive flowers 128 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,080 are so beautiful and edible. But once they flower, they kind of get 129 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:46,320 real thin and you don't get a lot of like robust chives anymore. Well, 130 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,879 all you have to do after they flower is cut the whole thing back 131 00:08:48,919 --> 00:08:52,159 to a little stubble mound. I found that, keep it watered, and 132 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,879 then you'll get a whole new crop of fresh chives. And if they do 133 00:08:54,919 --> 00:08:58,360 the flower. The flowers are are beautiful. They're beautiful, they're edible, 134 00:08:58,399 --> 00:09:05,399 they attract ellinators. I love them. It's a great herb. Everyone should 135 00:09:05,399 --> 00:09:09,720 have that in their garden. As a matter of fact, there was a 136 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:15,320 famous song done by the Beege's Chive talking remember that one. Sorry, okay, 137 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,919 you know we could talk about mint. I love lemon balm in tea 138 00:09:20,519 --> 00:09:24,799 Camo mile is that how you pronounce it? Yeah, yeah, I love 139 00:09:24,879 --> 00:09:28,159 that. But you talk about mint and how invasive it can be. Probably 140 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,799 mint is a good example of why in many cases we grow herbs and pots. 141 00:09:33,919 --> 00:09:37,840 Right, yes, but mint resents being in a pot. I'll tell 142 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:41,000 you how I control my mints. Okay, dry soil. If the soil 143 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:46,399 is very dry, it will not spread as vigorously as if it's in a 144 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,519 moist soil. So I keep my soil real dry, which is not difficult. 145 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:52,759 When you live on West Michigan. You're the lake shore very sandy, 146 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:56,159 and that really helps to eliminate the spread. So it stays in a nice 147 00:09:56,279 --> 00:10:00,799 kind of contained area and I don't have to worry about terror my neighborhood with 148 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,559 my mint patch. Fantastic, fantastic. It was meant to be all right, 149 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,639 So we could talk for days about herbs. I think for future shows 150 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:13,879 we should continue to dive into this subject. Well. I believe that you 151 00:10:13,919 --> 00:10:16,039 really do want to talk about herbs, but I also think you have a 152 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,600 whole list of herb puns that you have not been able to pull out yet, 153 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,480 So I'm questioning your motives. Rick. There's a reason I love the 154 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,399 music of Elvis Parsley. All right, So coming up next, plants on 155 00:10:28,519 --> 00:10:31,799 trial will continue, well, kind of an herbaceous or herb talk, not 156 00:10:31,879 --> 00:10:37,480 herbaceous, but an herb talk with a beautiful plant that Stacy's going to introduce 157 00:10:37,519 --> 00:10:46,720 to us. That's all coming up here on the Gardening Simplified Ship Proven Winners, 158 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,480 Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your success in the garden. That's why we 159 00:10:50,519 --> 00:10:54,120 trial and test all of our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure 160 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:58,879 they outperform everything else on the market. Look for them in the distinctive white 161 00:10:58,919 --> 00:11:05,159 container at your garden center. Greetings, gardening friends, and welcome back to 162 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:09,120 the Gardening It Simplified show Man. We really didn't get enough time to talk 163 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,440 about herbs. We'll have to have a part two. Let's do it. 164 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,080 I mean we got to talk rosemary and a whole bunch of other herbs. 165 00:11:13,159 --> 00:11:16,000 Yeah, and there's always more to talk about with herbs. Now. I 166 00:11:16,039 --> 00:11:18,759 did want to clarify. I did say mint doesn't do great in containers, 167 00:11:18,799 --> 00:11:22,799 and I did want to just kind of offer a bit more explanation on that. 168 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:26,440 It will. You can certainly grow it in a container, but because 169 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:28,879 it does like to run, it doesn't really like to be contained, so 170 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,200 it doesn't it's not really as a robust in the long term. I agree, 171 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,759 and I knew exactly where you were going with that, and I agree 172 00:11:35,799 --> 00:11:39,559 with you. I mean, it is a plant that can. It grows 173 00:11:39,559 --> 00:11:41,960 so fast it requires a new ZIP code by the end of summer. It 174 00:11:43,039 --> 00:11:45,679 does, So go ahead and try it. I never want to discourage anyone 175 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,159 from trying it, but be aware that you know a lot of things where 176 00:11:48,159 --> 00:11:50,559 you think, Okay, this is a solution, I'm going to contain it 177 00:11:50,799 --> 00:11:54,440 and I'm going to fix the problem. The plant's like, I got other 178 00:11:54,480 --> 00:12:01,679 ideas, so just a little fby either. So today's plant on trial is 179 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,919 we don't really have herbs exactly in the proven winner's color choice line, so 180 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,200 I had to stretch it a little bit, but I think I did a 181 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:13,759 pretty okay job. Today's plants on Trial is black lace elderberry. I think 182 00:12:13,799 --> 00:12:18,360 you did a great job. I love elderberry. Elderberry is so cool, 183 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:24,600 and you know, black lace is an ornamental elderberry that is instead of just 184 00:12:24,639 --> 00:12:28,120 having like playing green foliage and white flowers, it has deep almost black foliage, 185 00:12:28,159 --> 00:12:33,399 kind of purple black foliage that is naturally occurring in this beautiful fine lacey 186 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:37,759 kind of dissected look. Oh, that lacy dissected look to the foliage Stacey. 187 00:12:37,879 --> 00:12:41,840 When when I see the plant from a distance, it looks like a 188 00:12:41,919 --> 00:12:45,440 Japanese maple, and you know, that's it's a great opportunity for people who 189 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,360 live in climates that are too cold for Japanese maple to kind of have that 190 00:12:48,399 --> 00:12:50,440 look. Now, it doesn't have the full color of Japanese maple, and 191 00:12:50,519 --> 00:12:56,039 it does get much much larger than most Japanese maples, but it does have 192 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,679 that similar that that finely dissected foliage that people love in Japanese may. It 193 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,639 does have a similar look. And then right around now in early summer, 194 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,279 it develops flowers, and the flowers are pink. So you have this dark, 195 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:13,000 purply black foliage with these bright pink flowers. Black lace is one of 196 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,080 those plants that when people see it in bloom at the garden center, they 197 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:20,960 just have to have it. Wow. I've seen so many garden centers position 198 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,240 black lace as an impulse item, you know, like at the entrance, 199 00:13:24,279 --> 00:13:26,240 because they know people don't always make it out to the shrub section, which 200 00:13:26,279 --> 00:13:30,639 you should. There's lots of good stuff back there, but they just know, 201 00:13:30,799 --> 00:13:33,000 when you see this thing, you've got to have it. Now, 202 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,360 where does the herb part come along? People are probably wondering. Some people 203 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,720 have some sense that elderberries are edible have an herbal, you know, connection, 204 00:13:43,919 --> 00:13:46,320 And I think a lot of this just comes from being in the US, 205 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:52,600 where elderberries are not as popular for food or medicine as they are abroad. 206 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,320 So in Skandinavia, did you know that they will cut off the fresh 207 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:58,960 flowers of elderberries, so they have to be fresh because when the flowers get 208 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,480 old, they smell like cat pee. When they're fresh, they smell like 209 00:14:01,519 --> 00:14:05,799 Annis. Elderberry has a lot of weird I know elderberry has a lot of 210 00:14:05,799 --> 00:14:09,240 weird smell stuff going on. Is anyone who has ever grown when can tell 211 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,799 you. But when the flowers are freshly open, they have a really beautiful 212 00:14:13,919 --> 00:14:18,039 kind of light sweet Annis scent. So in Scandinavia they cut them off, 213 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:22,080 they dip them in batter and deep fry them as a kind of fritter. 214 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:26,039 I've never tried it, but I've seen pictures of it, and they're infused 215 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,600 into beverages. So, especially in Eastern Europe, they are placed in like 216 00:14:28,679 --> 00:14:33,120 ice water or lemonade where they infuse that you know, kind of annie se 217 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,759 scent. In England they're very popular. Are made into an elder flower fizz 218 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,559 where the flowers are so high in natural yeast that with some sugar and some 219 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,559 pure water that doesn't have any minerals or chlorine in it, they will ferment 220 00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:52,120 into a lightly alcoholic, naturally fermented beverage. Well, I'd like to try 221 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:56,200 that. You know. It's true that sambucus or elderberry has been around for 222 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:01,440 a long long time and has been used by many cultures for its medicinal purposes 223 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,039 too, right, Yeah, And I think if people do have some sense 224 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:11,120 of elderberry having medicinal qualities, it is because its use in cold medicine has 225 00:15:11,279 --> 00:15:15,919 really become popular, especially since covid. It can alleviate a cold and flu 226 00:15:16,039 --> 00:15:20,279 symptoms, especially cough. I think there's even a cough medicine called sam Buchal, 227 00:15:20,679 --> 00:15:24,879 which is named for sambucas, the botanical name of elderberry. But the 228 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:31,159 fruits most commonly are used to make things like cough syrups and other herbal remedies 229 00:15:31,159 --> 00:15:33,159 like that, and wine and wine Oh yeah, every time I see the 230 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:37,879 plant, I think in school, I was in a play called Arsenic and 231 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,639 Old Lace. Oh yeah, Frank Capra, Carrie Grant starred in it. 232 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,960 But I was the crazy guy who thought he was Teddy Roosevelt. When the 233 00:15:46,039 --> 00:15:50,159 anties would lace the elderberry wine with poison. I'd collect the bodies, thinking 234 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:54,360 they were affected by yellow fever, bring them to the basement, and just 235 00:15:54,399 --> 00:15:58,519 a play. Not for real. Rick wouldn't be city here next to me. 236 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,000 Look it up. It's a classic. I mean it's a real classic. 237 00:16:03,879 --> 00:16:07,919 But yeah, elder it can be made into wine. I've often seen 238 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,679 it used as sauces, like for game and that kind of thing. But 239 00:16:11,799 --> 00:16:15,120 interestingly, as we sit here and talk about the culinary and medicinal uses of 240 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:19,519 elderberry, the foliage and stems are very toxic. So if you are going 241 00:16:19,559 --> 00:16:23,600 to consume elderberry, you do so at your own risk. And black lace 242 00:16:23,679 --> 00:16:27,639 would not be one of those varieties that I would recommend for consumption. It 243 00:16:27,759 --> 00:16:34,559 really is sold as an ornamental and it was a reject from an edible or 244 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:41,120 elderberry breeding program. Wow. Yes, so this was happening in the UK, 245 00:16:41,279 --> 00:16:42,840 where, like I said, their elderberries are much more a part of 246 00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:47,919 you know, food in medicine than they are here typically, And they had 247 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,679 this breeding program where they were trying to find elderberries for food and medicinal uses, 248 00:16:52,039 --> 00:16:55,919 and black lace came out of one of their you know crosses, and 249 00:16:55,919 --> 00:16:59,120 they said, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is way too ornamental for 250 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,399 us. It's still got some of these qualities, but what it really has 251 00:17:02,519 --> 00:17:06,119 is better in a program like proven Winners Color Choice shrubs. So they shipped 252 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,960 it across the pond and it has been one of our best sellers ever since 253 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,359 it was first introduced, because really, I think people sort of had a 254 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,559 sense that we do have a native elderberry. We actually have two native elderberries 255 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:19,720 in the US in Canada, but no one ever really thought of them as 256 00:17:19,759 --> 00:17:25,359 particularly ornamental until black lace came along, and then it was like, really, 257 00:17:25,519 --> 00:17:30,359 you know, raising the bar beautiful. So it's a very easy plant 258 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,640 to grow. And so let me just back up a sex. So talking 259 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,880 about the native elderberries, our native elderberry is Sambucus canadensis, which makes sense 260 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:42,079 Canada, North America, and the species that black lace is is a closely 261 00:17:42,079 --> 00:17:48,000 related European cousin Sambucus nigro. So some taxonomists will consider one to be a 262 00:17:48,079 --> 00:17:52,279 subspecies of the other, indicating that they're even more related. This goes back 263 00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:55,799 to the splitters and lumpers, which I think we've talked about on the show 264 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,200 before. If you're a splitter, you think firmly that they are two diferent 265 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,319 species, Sambucas canadensis over in North America Sambucus nigra in Europe, and some 266 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:08,079 will say, oh, it's Sambucus nigra subspecies canadensis. Some people will say 267 00:18:08,079 --> 00:18:14,240 it's Sambucas canadensis subspecies nigra. It goes on and on. I'm sure people 268 00:18:14,279 --> 00:18:21,160 are going to need some Delda chiwan Is like as they go through the botanical 269 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:26,279 nomenclature of elderberry. But you know, it's important that people sort of understand 270 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,680 the difference and similarities between these two. So you can almost think of them 271 00:18:30,759 --> 00:18:36,160 as European and American counterparts of one another. They are very similar in their 272 00:18:36,279 --> 00:18:40,160 look, in their size, and in their bloom times. And that matters 273 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,960 because if you want fruit on black lace elderberry, you're going to need a 274 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:49,720 different a different variety of a sambucus or elderberry that blooms at the same time 275 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:53,279 and is not a black lace because all the black lace are clones of each 276 00:18:53,279 --> 00:18:57,200 other, so they have identical pollen. You need that cross pollination of two 277 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:02,680 different varieties in order for fruit to develop. But the great news for those 278 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:07,759 of us in North America who live near natural populations of our native elderberry is 279 00:19:07,759 --> 00:19:10,680 those will typically do the trick of pollinating it. Okay, so we probably 280 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:11,839 have some people out there growing black lace right now who said, well, 281 00:19:11,839 --> 00:19:14,880 gee, I don't. I didn't know you needed a pollinator. And I 282 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,559 get fruit on mine every year, and that's because our native elderberries are pollinating 283 00:19:18,559 --> 00:19:23,000 it, because those bloom times do overlap. The other thing you can do 284 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:26,960 is use our other elderberry, laced up elderberry, which will serve as a 285 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,960 pollinator for it, and then you have two black ones. But we'll get 286 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,119 to laced up on another plant on trial. It's fantastic. I was doing 287 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,519 some reading too, Stacey, and I saw that in some cultures, some 288 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,799 areas, they'll use the berries as a food colorant or food coloring. That 289 00:19:41,799 --> 00:19:45,319 makes sense. Yeah, the berries are always black so yeah, whether you 290 00:19:45,319 --> 00:19:48,240 have black lace or our native they on Sambucus candidensis. They are a deep 291 00:19:48,319 --> 00:19:53,799 purply black and they stain a dark color. Now very easy to grow full 292 00:19:53,839 --> 00:19:57,000 sun for most of us you'll get the best color and most flowering. That 293 00:19:57,039 --> 00:20:02,480 way, the more your client it is hot, the more shade that's gonna 294 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,720 want, and what you're gonna find. This is not a great plant for 295 00:20:04,759 --> 00:20:07,960 hot climates, and I know we have a lot of hot climate listeners who 296 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,400 are probably growing right now, and I'm sorry. I'll make it up to 297 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,440 you with a good one next week. But in warmer climates, what happens 298 00:20:15,519 --> 00:20:18,680 is the foliage doesn't develop the color as well, so it's kind of like 299 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,119 a muddy greeny black. It's not as nice. It can still grow, 300 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,799 but we really only recommend it through about USCA Zone seven. Average soil needs, 301 00:20:26,839 --> 00:20:30,160 average water needs. It's very very tolerant. I grow a ton of 302 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:36,519 elderberry in my very dry you know, soil does very well. And I 303 00:20:36,559 --> 00:20:41,960 wanted to bring up deer because I have found that they will eat it for 304 00:20:41,079 --> 00:20:45,599 about the first two years and after that they never touch it. So the 305 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:49,440 first years after planting, I think that the growth is just really soft and 306 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,240 tender, and they're much more attracted to it, whereas after a few years 307 00:20:53,279 --> 00:20:56,720 in the ground, it starts growing beyond their ability to reach it. Because 308 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,680 black place elderberry is a big plant. It's going to get to be about 309 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,799 eight to ten feet tall and wide if you don't prune it or just kind 310 00:21:03,839 --> 00:21:07,920 of let it grow to its own devices. So eventually they will stop eating 311 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,920 it. But I did have to fend off against them for a couple of 312 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:17,000 seasons after I first planted, so a little sprits of repellent initially, and 313 00:21:17,039 --> 00:21:19,319 then we'll be good to go. That's right. So it is a beautiful 314 00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:22,119 plant. If you want to see a picture of it, and I highly 315 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,319 recommend that you do, you can visit our show notes at Gardening Simplified OnAir 316 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:29,279 dot com, or like I said, just visit your local garden center. 317 00:21:29,319 --> 00:21:32,920 They are sure to have this one and be placing it in a position of 318 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:34,279 pride because they know it'll fly out the door when you see it. I 319 00:21:34,279 --> 00:21:37,440 can testify in the garden center of a lot of people who come back and 320 00:21:37,519 --> 00:21:41,079 say, I can't believe how easy this plant is to grow. Yeah, 321 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:45,759 it's easy. It's beautiful. And again, if you want to know more 322 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,799 Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com, we've got to take a little break. When 323 00:21:48,799 --> 00:21:51,559 we come back, we're answering your garden questions, so please stay tuned to 324 00:21:51,640 --> 00:22:03,200 Gardening Simplified. At proving winner's color choice, We've got a shrub for every 325 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,039 taste and every space. Whether you're looking for an easycare rose, an unforgettable 326 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:11,799 hydrangea, or something new and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs 327 00:22:11,799 --> 00:22:15,519 and the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. Look for 328 00:22:15,599 --> 00:22:21,960 them at your local garden center. Greetings gardening friends, and welcome back to 329 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,200 Gardening Simplified. It's one of my favorite parts of the show where we get 330 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:30,279 to help our listeners be better gardeners know more about plants in gardening. And 331 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,079 you know, I do appreciate our listeners so much. And I heard from 332 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,079 a listener whose question we answered a few weeks ago. We talked about Josh's 333 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,599 birch tree that he was saying he had had some trouble with it, and 334 00:22:41,599 --> 00:22:45,519 he sent some pictures and so we put out a bunch of thoughts about it. 335 00:22:45,559 --> 00:22:48,359 Well, Josh took our advice not only took our advice, but made 336 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:53,240 a video about taking our advice on his YouTube channel, Joshua's Garden. So 337 00:22:53,519 --> 00:22:56,799 please, we'll put a link of that link to that in our show notes, 338 00:22:56,799 --> 00:23:00,680 and you're definitely going on to check that out and see how it's going. 339 00:23:00,759 --> 00:23:03,880 For josh it already looks like it's better than it was when he sent 340 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,160 us the pictures. But I'll definitely be following that journey along closely. I 341 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,440 think that's great. And Jim sends us a note he tried his hand at 342 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,880 a limb a Rick and Jim. I think you did pretty good, he 343 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:21,759 said, watching Stacy and Rick after dinner. I'm reformed from a gardening center. 344 00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:26,960 No more random plant chooser or untested loser. I can now be a 345 00:23:26,039 --> 00:23:30,119 true proven winner. Ah, well done, Jim, and thank him very 346 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,839 much. Appreciate that. If you want to reach out to us, you 347 00:23:33,839 --> 00:23:38,000 can certainly do that Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com or just email help HLP at 348 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,359 Gardening Simplified OnAir dot Com. So what do we got in the mail bag 349 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:45,279 today? Rick? Well? Stacy Edith has a problem. She sent a 350 00:23:45,319 --> 00:23:48,359 photo my autumn joy seedom is having issues. I'm not sure what is causing 351 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,200 this to occur. It appears to be spreading to my other seedoms within the 352 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,640 same area. Leaves distorted, small, curled, something red. I don't 353 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,480 see bugs. Have you seen this before? How do I treat it? 354 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,400 And thanks for your time. So I looked at eis picture and of course 355 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,839 we'll put these in the show notes so you can see too. And I 356 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:12,359 feel pretty confident that it's slugs. And you know, slugs are not a 357 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:18,039 typical problem on seedom because you know, they grow in sunny, dry areas 358 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,880 and slugs do not like those conditions. So you know, one thing that 359 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:27,680 can happen is that sites can sort of become shadier over time. But for 360 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,440 whatever reason, I do think that that it's slugs. You can when you 361 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:36,400 see those irregular holes, especially kind of in the middle of a leaf, 362 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:41,160 that's usually a pretty telltale sign of slugs. And I think that you're seeing 363 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:47,039 a combination of slug damage and the fact that the conditions for your seedom are 364 00:24:47,079 --> 00:24:49,559 not ideal for it to grow well, and so those two things are really 365 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,359 kind of setting it back. You know, I saw your picture of the 366 00:24:52,599 --> 00:24:57,359 red bits on the leaves. I think that might be like from too much 367 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:02,880 water or nutrient leaching. It's not really a huge cause for concern. But 368 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:04,680 my advice here, Edith would be you can control the slugs if you want, 369 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,400 and we're going to have a slug control tip in Branching News at the 370 00:25:08,519 --> 00:25:12,440 end of the show. But I would consider moving it because I don't think 371 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:18,079 that your autumn joy Sedom is in the right place for it to achieve its 372 00:25:18,079 --> 00:25:21,640 best. Like I said, sites can change over time, get shadier, 373 00:25:22,039 --> 00:25:26,599 get you wetter from having an irrigation system install or just being shadier, and 374 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,200 they don't use as much water. So it's a great point, Stacey, 375 00:25:29,279 --> 00:25:32,759 and for people keeping score at home. Autumn joy Sedom is one of those 376 00:25:32,839 --> 00:25:38,640 upright taller seedoms I have found through the years. And maybe you don't want 377 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,680 to do this, maybe it's tough for you to do this, but I 378 00:25:41,799 --> 00:25:47,920 like to lop mine back initially in June to reduce the size and then they 379 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,559 will still produce those flower heads for the month of August. That might help 380 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,200 with the slugs to heat things up a little bit. But don't forget to 381 00:25:56,279 --> 00:26:00,440 divide them occasionally too, because other ways going to get that floppy thing. 382 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,799 Yeah, especially if they're not getting enough sun, they will be very floppy. 383 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,160 And you know, there are some interesting proven winter seedums as well. 384 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:11,119 I really love pure Joy. Have you grown pure Joy? It's kind of 385 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:14,240 like a dwarf version of autumn Joy, so it doesn't get as tall. 386 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,960 I think the foliage is really nice and I have bunches of that that I 387 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,799 really really like. So if you are going to replace it or looking for 388 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:22,599 something for a different sun year a spot in your yard, consider pure Joy 389 00:26:22,599 --> 00:26:27,240 instead. Hey, Maria had a great question for us. Okay, I 390 00:26:27,279 --> 00:26:30,440 was looking for a climbing plant for my new arbor and I'd love to plant 391 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,119 the pink pink Clematist that was our plant on trial a few weeks ago. 392 00:26:33,519 --> 00:26:37,440 My only concern is is it toxic to dogs? I'm not sure that my 393 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,599 dog would eat it, but she is a curious dog. Any advice would 394 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:47,400 be appreciated. Now, this is obviously this is a question that we get 395 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,039 all the time, people saying is this toxic? Is that toxic? And 396 00:26:49,839 --> 00:26:53,599 you know, short of something being like definitively deathly toxic, it's not an 397 00:26:53,599 --> 00:26:59,359 easy question to answer because there really are a number of degrees, you know 398 00:26:59,519 --> 00:27:03,759 to to this problem. So you know, The question then becomes, well, 399 00:27:03,799 --> 00:27:07,559 how toxic is it? Is it like you're just gonna feel kind of 400 00:27:07,559 --> 00:27:11,799 crummy or your dog's gonna feel kind of crummy. Will it pass? You 401 00:27:11,839 --> 00:27:15,200 know, will they need veterinary attention? How much do they need to consume? 402 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,240 As we all know the dose makes the poison. What parts are toxic? 403 00:27:18,319 --> 00:27:22,319 You know, we were just talking about the elderberry, and yeah, 404 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,720 you know, fresh flowers and ripe fruit can be eaten, but any other 405 00:27:25,759 --> 00:27:29,960 part you should not eat. So it becomes it's really not like a black 406 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,960 and white kind of question. There's it's really very gray. But my advice 407 00:27:33,319 --> 00:27:37,839 for anybody who wants to make sure they're not planting things that are potentially toxic 408 00:27:37,519 --> 00:27:42,240 is really simple. So you're going to use a search engine of your choice. 409 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:45,519 You're going to type in the plant's botanical name, which you can get 410 00:27:45,559 --> 00:27:48,240 on our website provenment Ers color Choice dot com, or it might be on 411 00:27:48,279 --> 00:27:52,000 the plant tag or you can find that somewhere. So use the botanical name, 412 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:57,759 the scientific name, and then type in site si te colon dot edu. 413 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:02,680 And what that does is it limits all of your search results to just 414 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:07,279 university websites. So it's going to filter out all the bloggers, all the 415 00:28:07,319 --> 00:28:11,039 other stuff that you aren't sure that you can rely on. And by limiting 416 00:28:11,039 --> 00:28:15,039 it to university websites, you're getting veterinary programs, you're getting medical programs, 417 00:28:15,039 --> 00:28:19,000 and so you're getting really useful advice. And then you know, by making 418 00:28:19,039 --> 00:28:23,519 sure that you're using the scientific name, you're also eliminating any confusion about common 419 00:28:23,599 --> 00:28:26,240 names, because a lot of times people will have the same common name for 420 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:30,799 different things. So that's the surest way I think for people to do their 421 00:28:30,799 --> 00:28:36,799 own due diligence and then make your own decision based on you know, hey, 422 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:37,799 your dog might throw up, and you say, well, I don't 423 00:28:37,839 --> 00:28:40,720 want my dog to throw up, so I'm not going to plant this, 424 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,839 or you know, if they're probably not going to eat it, so you 425 00:28:45,839 --> 00:28:48,160 know it's probably okay. And in the case of clematis, it is one 426 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:52,359 of those they might throw up kind of situations, so not deathly toxic, 427 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,920 but a number of plants in the nunky lacy, the family that Clematis is 428 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:00,079 in, are known to be toxic. And I think it's also important that 429 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:04,440 you know, short of a plant being sold as an edible plant, you 430 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:07,920 shouldn't be eating you or your pets should not be eating them. So, 431 00:29:08,839 --> 00:29:11,440 but this is definitely a place where a little research will go a long way 432 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,000 and help you feel more confident in your planting decisions. That's great advice, 433 00:29:15,079 --> 00:29:19,559 Stacy Donald writes to us. I love catmint and Russian sage. Some of 434 00:29:19,559 --> 00:29:26,440 the new cultivars like cats Pajamas and nopetta and denim which is the Russian sage. 435 00:29:26,559 --> 00:29:32,799 Love that plant are not as easy and vigorous growers in my garden. 436 00:29:32,839 --> 00:29:38,200 Could be that pH needs are different for these cultivars, and Stacy I would 437 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:42,640 not go down the pH road. I don't think it's a factor. It's 438 00:29:44,119 --> 00:29:48,039 it's like other plants, you know, the cats pajamas cats me out that 439 00:29:48,119 --> 00:29:52,759 I grow in my landscape. I love the fact that it seems to have 440 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:56,240 much more controlled growth than let's say, you know, the older stand by 441 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,079 varieties like Walker's Low. Right, you know that's a great point. Yeah, 442 00:30:00,079 --> 00:30:03,519 it's this is probably not any kind of cultural condition. If you're seeing 443 00:30:03,559 --> 00:30:10,200 really vigorous growth from those old fashioned varieties like Walker's Low or the standard Russian 444 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:14,960 sage. It's important to understand that when people, when plant breeders, develop 445 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,039 a new variety. They're usually looking to solve some sort of problem, and 446 00:30:18,039 --> 00:30:22,000 that's exactly what Rick was saying, Like, uh, Sperovski of Russian sage 447 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,839 can get to be a huge plant and it almost always flops, you know, 448 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:29,000 So what will happen By the time it starts to flower. It gets 449 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,759 really heavy and some people will call it splaying, where it kind of just 450 00:30:32,799 --> 00:30:34,720 opens up from the center, so it doesn't really flop down like a you 451 00:30:34,759 --> 00:30:37,960 know, pony does, but it just kind of breaks open and falls all 452 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:42,880 over the place. That's what we'll splay. Yeah, And so the breeder's 453 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,200 goal was to eliminate this splaying, and one of the ways they do that 454 00:30:48,359 --> 00:30:52,279 is by working with the plant's growth, making it a more compact variety. 455 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,720 And as such, it's not going to grow as quickly. It's not going 456 00:30:56,759 --> 00:31:00,720 to have long inner nodes where it's just you know, shooting out really you 457 00:31:00,759 --> 00:31:04,079 know, fast growth that can often be weak and floppy. So I think 458 00:31:04,079 --> 00:31:08,039 in both of these cases, and definitely with the Perovski a Russian stage, 459 00:31:08,359 --> 00:31:12,440 it's just a situation where the breeding goal was not to have a super fast 460 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:17,519 growing, super vigorous plant, but to have one that doesn't flop and doesn't 461 00:31:17,559 --> 00:31:21,400 splay and stays well behaved, like you said, Ric, So it's kind 462 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:26,680 of remedying some of the liabilities of the older varieties. My parents always taught 463 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,640 me I have to behave on the splay ground from a young age. Right. 464 00:31:30,799 --> 00:31:36,759 Plants need to do the same. And again you'll find with herbaceous perennials 465 00:31:36,759 --> 00:31:41,079 that in some cases to avoid those problems, dividing the plants from time to 466 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:45,599 time really is of benefits, dividing and pinching, and you know, pinching. 467 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,000 I think pinching perennials is such I don't do it, but I think 468 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:55,519 it's a fascinating topic. And if anybody is interested in controlling their perennial growth, 469 00:31:55,559 --> 00:31:59,200 I would highly, highly recommend the book The Well Tended Perennial Garden by 470 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:05,759 Tracy disabad Oust. This she spent years of her life pinching back her garden 471 00:32:05,759 --> 00:32:10,039 at different times, taking meticulous observations of when things bloomed, how the pruning 472 00:32:10,039 --> 00:32:14,920 affected them, does pruning it, are pinching it at this time? Do 473 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:19,000 this? Does it? Do that? And she published all of her results 474 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,559 in that book. And you know, there's very few gardening books that I 475 00:32:21,599 --> 00:32:23,480 would say are a must own, But if you are a perennial gardener, 476 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:28,039 I think that is an absolute essential item to your library. I love it. 477 00:32:28,079 --> 00:32:30,240 I just made a note future show, we're going to talk about pinching. 478 00:32:30,519 --> 00:32:34,000 Pinching. Okay, let's do it. We'll have to do it soon. 479 00:32:34,119 --> 00:32:37,400 O Coyle's time to pinch. Yes, that's true to an All right, 480 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,079 well, we're going to take a little break now. If you have 481 00:32:39,119 --> 00:32:43,200 a gardening question for us, you can email us at help at Gardening Simplified 482 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,480 on air dot com, or just visit Gardening Simplified on air dot com. 483 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:49,480 And when we come back, we've got a branching news and you want one 484 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:59,359 of us. It's so please stay tuned to Gardening Simplified. The Gardening Simplified 485 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,880 Show is brought to you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning 486 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:07,880 flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy 487 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,000 more beauty and less work. Look for proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs in the 488 00:33:13,039 --> 00:33:20,240 distinctive white container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified 489 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,759 Show. It's time for branching News and our first item in Branching News this 490 00:33:24,799 --> 00:33:31,240 week is a slug fest. That's right o Oregon State University. Recent research 491 00:33:31,359 --> 00:33:38,400 reveals bread dough to be the best attractant for trapping slugs, even better than 492 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:44,920 beer. Now this is interesting, Stacy. The collaborators haven't determined yet why 493 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:49,799 bread dough, a simple mixture of flower water and yeast, attracts slugs and 494 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:54,799 snails, but they theorize that it's the fermentation process that draws them, and 495 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,319 I would agree it's got to be the yeast. It's the yeast you could 496 00:33:59,359 --> 00:34:04,079 do to trap slugs. But pretty interesting stuff. It is interesting. And 497 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,079 you know, in the relatively short time we've had the show, I can't 498 00:34:07,079 --> 00:34:10,519 believe how many people have written to us with slug questions and slug problems. 499 00:34:10,519 --> 00:34:15,000 And they almost always say, I don't want to use anything toxic if I 500 00:34:15,039 --> 00:34:17,039 can help it, I want something non toxic. And this is a great 501 00:34:17,079 --> 00:34:22,800 opportunity. So the recipe that these researchers at Oregon State developed is one cup 502 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,760 flour, two cups of water or has needed, and one packet of yase. 503 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,440 And don't worry, we'll put this in the show notes. So if 504 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,920 you're driving, you don't need to slam on the brakes and write down the 505 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,679 recipe. Just visit guarding Simplified on air dot com. You mix that together, 506 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:37,800 you put it in a container like a cottage cheese container or yogurt container. 507 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,280 You bury it with the rim, flush with a soil level, and 508 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:44,039 then the next morning you go out and clean out your slug, stir up 509 00:34:44,039 --> 00:34:46,920 your dough and start it again. Wow. You just let them slug it 510 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:51,920 out. It's amazing. Yeah, they went bonkers for it. According to 511 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:57,880 the University, bread dough outperformed everything. In one instance, over eighteen thousand 512 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:05,599 snails were trapped in forty eight hours. Wow. So very effective and non 513 00:35:05,639 --> 00:35:07,559 toxical. Though, you aren't going to want to let your dog get a 514 00:35:07,559 --> 00:35:14,440 hold of that because no yikes. Yeah, slugs have given us a lesson 515 00:35:14,559 --> 00:35:19,960 on breaddough if you just loaf around your toast. Right, So this works. 516 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,159 I'm going to give this a try in my garden. So how about 517 00:35:22,199 --> 00:35:27,320 good vibes? Always talking about good vibes in the space that you're in, 518 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:32,599 and we as gardeners, landscapers, garden centers, plant lovers, we like 519 00:35:32,679 --> 00:35:37,920 to think about good vibes in your space. We're gonna share with you a 520 00:35:38,159 --> 00:35:45,280 study that basically talked about the top ten essentials for good vibes wherever you are, 521 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:50,239 maybe a restaurant, visiting someone's home, your home, wherever it may 522 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,280 be, your space. Cleanliness was at the top of the list. Windows 523 00:35:53,400 --> 00:36:00,480 was high on the list also, and good smells. Yeah, that makes 524 00:36:00,519 --> 00:36:05,639 perfect sense to me. Trendy design, high ceilings, but plants or green 525 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:09,639 space also made that top ten list. And I think that that's good because 526 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:15,320 the top five indicators of bad vibes in a space are unpleasant smells, dirty 527 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:21,440 environment, too cold or too hot, no windows, and dead or unkempt 528 00:36:21,559 --> 00:36:27,679 plants and greenery. Oh well, that makes a garden a very questionable. 529 00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:30,280 You don't know if it's good vibes or bad. It might have bad smells, 530 00:36:30,679 --> 00:36:32,880 it could have too hot or too cool to temperatures. But sweet garden 531 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:36,360 always has good vibes. It's great. The other day I was out and 532 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:37,920 about. I saw this young man. He was walking along. He was 533 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:42,920 wearing a T shirt and it said, don't kille my vibe. I thought 534 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,599 that was good. I want one of those shirts. Did you stop to 535 00:36:45,639 --> 00:36:49,480 tell him how much you appreciate it? Put a smile on a space. 536 00:36:51,519 --> 00:36:54,639 Okay, word of the day. As I've always said on this program, 537 00:36:55,280 --> 00:37:01,840 Stacy, I find you to just be a genius with words and pronunciation of 538 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:06,400 words and all of that stuff. And I have to be honest with you. 539 00:37:06,559 --> 00:37:15,119 I did not know this word flu vitol, Yeah, relating to rivers 540 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:19,800 or I know. Uh uh, this is uh, it refers to the 541 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:24,360 This was in the Merriam Webster Word of the Day and it says it refers 542 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:30,239 to the colored outer layer of the rind of a citrus fruit. Oh, 543 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:36,880 never before. That's uh, that's interesting. Yeah, that's a new one 544 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,639 on me for sure. Okay, I don't know how many times people would 545 00:37:39,639 --> 00:37:45,119 have occasion to use it exactly. I've never found the occasion, you know. 546 00:37:45,159 --> 00:37:46,039 And that's kind of one of those things when we say like, oh, 547 00:37:46,079 --> 00:37:49,800 it doesn't matter if you pronounce a scientific name correctly as long as you 548 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,760 get the plant that you want. If you're using this word and people have 549 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,280 no idea what you're talking about, it's not really doing you a lot of 550 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:58,360 good either. So I don't even know how to pronounce it. But it's 551 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:02,360 spelled f l a v E d O. And according to the Merriam Webster 552 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:08,719 Dictionary. Yes, colored outer layer of the rind of a citrus fruit. 553 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:12,840 So okay, I don't know, learned a new word. Interesting night gets 554 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:20,480 my peal of approval. Let's go to Pennsylvania. According to wtag Joshua Jenkins, 555 00:38:20,519 --> 00:38:22,800 forty two years old, I put this one in here for you, 556 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:29,000 Stacy, because I know you like spiders, right yeah, w tag J 557 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:34,719 in Pennsylvania. Joshua Jenkins of Altuna, Pennsylvania, was arrested Thursday night after 558 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:38,079 he called nine one one because his house was on fire. He was trying 559 00:38:38,159 --> 00:38:44,679 to burn spiders. Oh no, yeah, and uh he was. He 560 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:49,920 told them he was using a butuane torch. They said, actually he was 561 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,519 using a propane torch to burn the spiders and their nests from the outside of 562 00:38:53,559 --> 00:39:00,800 the home and started the house on fire. Not a good idea, No, 563 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:05,840 that's terrible. Better like spiders, Why do I like that? Oh? 564 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:08,199 They're just fascinating. I mean I could go on and on about the 565 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:12,280 facts about spider silk, but I'll give you one of my favorites. Did 566 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:15,920 you know that if there, if you could make a rod of spider silk 567 00:39:16,039 --> 00:39:20,639 the thickness of a pencil and stretch it across the sky. So it was 568 00:39:20,679 --> 00:39:24,039 taught it would stop a plane in midflight. That's how strong and elastic it 569 00:39:24,119 --> 00:39:27,639 is. Yeah, so it doesn't break, you know. That's why like 570 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,480 bugs and stuff can fly into it and they don't fly through, they don't 571 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,119 bounce back, they get caught in it. I mean, it really is 572 00:39:34,119 --> 00:39:38,440 one of the most amazing materials on Earth. And they're just fascinating. I 573 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:42,039 love to watch the orb weavers, which are the kind that make the you 574 00:39:42,079 --> 00:39:45,000 know, really the classic spider web shape. I just love to watch them 575 00:39:45,039 --> 00:39:50,239 do their work and I'd love to, you know, watch them catch pest 576 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,840 insects and they're just really cool. Yeah, that's fascinating. It really is. 577 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:58,280 And I love the modern spiders because they don't have webs. They have 578 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:05,480 web sites. They all work as web designers or techie web designers. Do 579 00:40:05,519 --> 00:40:07,559 you use the relocate method? I am a person who does that. If 580 00:40:07,599 --> 00:40:12,039 I find a spider in the house, I pick it up and take it 581 00:40:12,079 --> 00:40:15,920 outside. I do not use the relocate method. I leave the spiders where 582 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,719 they are because a lot of people don't realize that there are indoor spiders and 583 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:23,480 there are outdoor spiders. So the indoor spiders are not really going to survive 584 00:40:23,599 --> 00:40:28,199 outside. I mean, occasionally an outdoor spider will make its way into your 585 00:40:28,199 --> 00:40:30,920 house, but for the most part, your indoor spiders are your indoor spiders, 586 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:36,280 and your outdoorspiders your outdoor spiders. So your indoor spiders are probably not 587 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,159 going to be long for the world, but they can fend it for a 588 00:40:38,159 --> 00:40:42,000 fend for themselves. And you know, hey, you've done the best that 589 00:40:42,079 --> 00:40:44,599 you can with something you're comfortable with, So I gotta do this. I've 590 00:40:44,639 --> 00:40:47,159 got a knock knock joke. Okay, okay, knock knock, knock, 591 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:51,159 knock, knock, knock, knock knock. Well, you had to count 592 00:40:51,159 --> 00:40:55,199 on eight fingers, so there, spider, exactly all right. A Dutch 593 00:40:55,239 --> 00:41:00,760 startup company is now selling coffins that biodegrade within forty five days of burial. 594 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:07,639 Now that's interesting. The company's Loop Biotech, start in twenty twenty and makes 595 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:13,840 coffins and earns. They're shipping to Europe and the United States, and so 596 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:21,880 they're making these coffins let's see up cycled hemp combined with mascellium, the root 597 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:29,280 structure of mushrooms, and they make these coffins and they start breaking down after 598 00:41:29,639 --> 00:41:34,079 forty five days. Now, that's interesting. Yeah, that's that's a good 599 00:41:34,119 --> 00:41:38,719 solution. Yeah, and hopefully they're much more affordable. Well yeah, their 600 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:43,960 marketing campaign should be buy our coffin. It's the last thing you'll ever need. 601 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:50,559 Yeah, so you're hired. Let's go to Charlotte, Charlotte, North 602 00:41:50,559 --> 00:41:53,719 Carolina. The city of Charlotte. They have a new bike lane, electric 603 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:59,719 streets street Boy, that's tough even for me, a trained professional, to 604 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:05,719 say, a street sweeper. They named it. The Charlotte Department of Transportation 605 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:08,880 asked the public to submit ideas for what they should call this street sweeper. 606 00:42:09,199 --> 00:42:13,800 The public weight in on what to call it, and they settled on Sweepy 607 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:21,480 Mix sweep Face, oh boy, inspired by Yes, I thought the runner 608 00:42:21,599 --> 00:42:28,079 ups were better clear Opathra and sweep Caroline. Oh yeah, that's a good 609 00:42:28,119 --> 00:42:30,920 one. Yeah, I mean, especially since it's Carolina, North Carolina. 610 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:35,400 I'm surprised that didn't win. I guess they just wanted to make the news 611 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,960 with another Bodie mcboat Face inspired name. I think so too, and their 612 00:42:39,039 --> 00:42:45,039 streets will bristle with beauty. Stacy. Always fun to do this show with 613 00:42:45,119 --> 00:42:51,000 you. There, you haven't another edition of Branching News and in upcoming weeks. 614 00:42:51,079 --> 00:42:53,760 Boy, we've got some great topics to share with you and always invite 615 00:42:53,760 --> 00:43:00,880 you to visit our website. Our website is Gardening Simplified on air dot com. 616 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:04,920 There are a number of people who work to post show notes there for 617 00:43:05,159 --> 00:43:08,760 you, pictures, and of course we thank Adriana Robinson for the fabulous job 618 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:14,559 that she does engineering producing the show, getting this content out there for you 619 00:43:14,639 --> 00:43:17,960 folks. We thank her and Stacy. It's fun and we just want people 620 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:22,440 to visit the website and send us your questions or comments. Yes, and 621 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:24,840 if you are watching us on YouTube and seeing Adrianna's work, you're also seeing 622 00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:29,679 that we have our new summer background up because it's June, so you won't 623 00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:32,519 want to miss your opportunity to check that out. We've changed with the seasons 624 00:43:32,559 --> 00:43:37,599 and it's full on gardening season, so we couldn't be happier, fantastic. 625 00:43:37,679 --> 00:43:40,360 It's a kick in the plants. Thanks Stacy, Thanks Adriana, and thanks 626 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:45,239 to you for watching and listening to the Gardening Simplified Ship.