WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.480 You don't have to hear it through the grape vine. You can hear it 2 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:12.519 and see it right here on the Gardening Simplified Show as we broadcast from Studio 3 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:19.679 A at Proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs with Stacy Hervella, Adrianna Robinson and myself 4 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.719 Rick Weiss. Boy, I tell you what. It's go time, it's 5 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:26.559 grow time. It's May. Yes, it is the height. It is 6 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:29.879 literally the height of the gardening season. So we're gonna hit you with some 7 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.640 random thoughts as we get into growing. It's you know, the season is 8 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:39.840 a marathon. And I love the quote from Charles Schultz. He was the 9 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:47.079 creator of the Peanuts cartoon Snoopy and Charlie Brown, and he said running is 10 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:50.479 good. I'm a runner, and and so it caught my eye. Running 11 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:56.840 is good for the ground. It makes it feel needed, it's nice. 12 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.359 So it's gardening then in that case, because I definitely need to ground for 13 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:04.840 gardening exactly. And here's the point, Stacy, by ob not bring your 14 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:11.560 own beer, but rather what you should do is build your own basin. 15 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:17.719 Build your own basin, so as you're putting these fledgling little plants into the 16 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:21.840 ground and you prepare the soil. I always say, take it the next 17 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:27.680 next step and provide a perimeter basin around the plant to help hold the water 18 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:30.519 and the nutrients initially and get it off to a good start. Well. 19 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:34.480 That's especially important when you have super sandy soil like we do out here on 20 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:38.079 the west side of the state, where you can't really build it up too 21 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:42.079 well and it wants to run off. So it's sort of like akin to 22 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:46.959 leaving a watering lip when you caught up a plant in a container. You've 23 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.879 got that inch or so of area where water can accumulate in the plant can 24 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.879 take it up. So this is a similar kind of thing, but just 25 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:55.959 in the ground, and it's free. You don't have to buy anything to 26 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:59.319 do it. Just use the soil to make a little basin. Now, 27 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:02.840 soil is not a single entity. It's a mix of several things. I 28 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.719 call the existing soil the parent soil. But when you work in organic material 29 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:14.000 and mix them in with the existing parent soil, you probably get the best 30 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:22.400 results. Whereas compost is organic matter that is decomposed or decomposing and stacy. 31 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:24.599 When I was in Europe, it was interesting or you watch some of these 32 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:31.039 programs gardeners in Europe what we call potting soil, they call compost, yes, 33 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:34.919 a bag of composts. You see that if you follow any kind of 34 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.960 like British you know, gardening accounts on Instagram, or you watch any British 35 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:43.000 gardening shows, everything's compost to them. We have a much more literal definition 36 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.439 of it here, but there it is the potting compost. Yeah, you 37 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:49.879 know. Here, for example, we would call it a chocolate bar. 38 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.840 Not really what it is sugar and fat with food colorings and some cocoa in 39 00:02:53.879 --> 00:03:00.159 it. Right, jeez, you're no fun. I love chocolate. Hey. 40 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:02.240 By the way, as we start planting, it's grow time. Take 41 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.319 me to your weeder stacy. It's important to keep up with weeds in the 42 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:15.199 landscape because they really compete with you with your plants for moisture and nutrients. 43 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:19.599 I have to confess to our listeners right now that over the weekend the thought 44 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:23.879 did cross my mind the weeds are firmly in control, despite the fact that 45 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:30.439 it's mid May. I do feel like the weeds are firmly in parts of 46 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:31.560 my garden, parts of our fine you know, where it's mulched thick, 47 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:35.479 but like, oh, we have a seed um garden with a collection of 48 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.520 a whole bunch of different seedums. It's beautiful. But little things like chickweed, 49 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:43.000 dandelions, you know, they get in there. I have a huge 50 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:47.159 beautiful patch of our native Apuncia cactus and where do you think the dandelions love 51 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:51.080 to come up? Right smack in the middle of that patch. I have 52 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.599 the same problem. And grasses grow up through. Yeah, yeah, they 53 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:58.599 know they they somehow manage to live where it's harder. But you know, 54 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:00.840 the weeds, it is important to manage them. But I also think that, 55 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.599 you know, weeding can be such a discouragement to people when they go 56 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.800 outside and they look at their garden, they think, oh, cheese, 57 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:12.080 I'm just going to give up. I can never manage all of these weeds. 58 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.639 And I think that's where a little bit of knowledge can potentially come in 59 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.720 handy. You know, like chickweed, for example, if if you only 60 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:24.199 have limited time or energy to devote to weeding, I'd actually leave the chickweed 61 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:27.079 alone. It's a spring annual. You know it's going to go away. 62 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:30.199 Yeah, sure, you don't ideally want those seeds to come and perpetuate your 63 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:34.560 chickweed issue. But you know, that's not where I would put my energies. 64 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:40.720 I would instead put it into pulling out grass weeds because that is a 65 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:43.480 total nightmare. You know, if I was the garden queen of the universe, 66 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:46.480 I would make it so that grass could never be a weed, because 67 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.600 what a nightmare that thing is. Grass grows best where you wish it wouldn't 68 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:54.439 exactly, and you nailed at Stacy. My point was going to be a 69 00:04:54.560 --> 00:05:00.639 familiarize yourself with a difference between annual weeds or winter annual weeds and perennial weeds, 70 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:02.600 and it will help with your control. Yeah. I have the same 71 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:05.839 problem out in the garden. You know, we talked. I mentioned Europe. 72 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:10.439 In Germany, they have this phrase when you say goodbye to someone you 73 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.600 know until we meet again. It's alf feeder zane. I always look at 74 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:18.360 the weeds and say alf zane because they're coming back now. Of course, 75 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:21.639 on the internet you're gonna see a lot of gardening hacks too. We've talked 76 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:26.600 about that before. We're going to post a couple of pictures for you at 77 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:31.839 our website, Gardening Simplified on air dot com. One of the pictures folks 78 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.920 hammer out spoons out of the kitchen flattenham painting them and paint them and use 79 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.879 them as markers role markers. That's clever. It's kind of clever. And 80 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:48.439 then pots, filling pots with debris trash so you don't have to spend so 81 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:56.680 much money potting soil. And this picture of course has pop cans pop cans 82 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:01.920 in the I wouldn't I wouldn't necessarily do that. I'd recycle the pop cans. 83 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:05.560 Well, you know here in Michigan we do often forget that that cans 84 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:11.519 are not worth ten cents apiece elsewhere, so that's less of an investment. 85 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:18.360 You know, I have been an ongoing battle about filling your container with dunnage. 86 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.439 You know, that's like what they call if you have a truck or 87 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:25.360 something, just to take up take up space. UM. And you know, 88 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:28.560 I totally get people wanting to use less potting soil. And a few 89 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:30.600 weeks ago we were talking about how potting soil is a resource. It is 90 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:34.079 expensive, it should be conserved, it should be stretched. So I'm totally 91 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:39.079 on board with that. But what I'm not on board with, UM is 92 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.879 just trying to get out of it just for the sake of it. Because 93 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.800 you know a plant's roots. Depending on the depth of your container, it 94 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:49.639 might actually need that entire container's worth of soil to really grow well and thrive. 95 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:54.639 And again I get the temptation to save money, but unless your container 96 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.879 is probably I would say over like sixteen or eighteen inches deep, I would 97 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:01.199 go ahead and fill it all all the way with soil and just reuse it. 98 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:05.439 And that makes obviously that financial expenditure of investing all that soil a little 99 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:10.800 less painful. I'm always trying to push it. I think we should consult 100 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:15.360 with our show attorneys. It's the firm Trillium, Sage, gall and Fungus, 101 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:18.959 and we'll find out what appropriate protocol is. Hey, a wire frame 102 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:24.680 for your cucumbers instead of having them sprawl all over the ground. I see 103 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:29.160 a lot of that on Pinterest and on websites also using chicken wire. Creating 104 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.199 a frame at a forty five degree angle at the base of the cucumbers allow 105 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:36.360 them to grow up in It allows some air movement for those q curb its 106 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:40.879 also, and it's so much easier to harvest. Yeah, particularly if you're 107 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:45.800 trying to grow like smaller cucumbers for pickles, it's a lot easier to harvest 108 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:48.279 when everything is in that vertical plane than when you're scrambling on the ground and 109 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:51.959 getting poked and pricked in. Yeah, exactly. So you know, there's 110 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.720 all kinds of things we can do here at the start. My advice today 111 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:05.120 is to invest in fertilizer prill pr i l s. It's essentially slow release 112 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:11.360 two to four month fertilizers and it's a process of osmosis with nutrients releasing through 113 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:16.879 this semi permeable membrane. And you'll see these at the garden center Stacey and 114 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:22.839 I love to pitch them in my containers with plants that I'm establishing, or 115 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:30.519 my hanging baskets. But essentially those prills release fertilizers slowly but surely over a 116 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:33.720 few moments. Yeah. They have a pretty fascinating mechanism that I encourage anybody 117 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:39.480 who is interested in, particularly if you are an engineering type. Their dispersal 118 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:43.440 method is really interesting and it's based on temperature. Yes, so you know 119 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.200 when you buy those kinds of products and it says oh feeds for whatever number 120 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.840 of months that's depending on the temperature, so it usually is releasing it some 121 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:56.080 sort of combination of sixty degree days, and there's different size holes that the 122 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.159 stuff comes out of it. It's really quite a fascinating engineering feet. But 123 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.480 you know, you take those little prills, sprinkle them around and you don't 124 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:05.960 even think about everything that went into them. Yeah, they're coated with in 125 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:11.679 some cases linseed oil and then they slowly but surely release that fertilizer. I 126 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:16.200 love using them, and they make a big difference. And in your containers 127 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:22.840 you could always supplement with some water soluble fertilizer. Also, I remember working 128 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:28.720 in the garden center Stacy, and you see a number of these prills in 129 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:33.600 containers when people are out purchasing their plants. And I had a lady return 130 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.279 one saying, I'm returning this plant because it has all kinds of insect eggs 131 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:39.759 in it. Have you ever heard, Oh, yes, many times, 132 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.000 and they do if you you know, if you look up slug eggs, 133 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.720 they do look like that. But the slug eggs aren't crunchy. The prills 134 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:50.000 if you can crush them in between your fingers and they make a very satisfying 135 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:54.960 little crunch. So there's my well rooted advice for you. Coming up in 136 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:58.879 our branching news segment. That's the fourth segment today, Plant Today, Eat 137 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:05.120 Tomato. I'm gonna talk about the fifty dollars tomato that you can plant this 138 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:11.200 spring in will celebrate with a limb a Rick. But first, Plants on 139 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:15.799 Trial. I'm looking forward to this one. Stacy's going to introduce a plant 140 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:20.200 that gets a lot of conversation among people. They love it, but struggle 141 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:24.639 with it. Yes, a lot of myths surrounding this plant that we are 142 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:30.360 about to dispel missurrounding it. You're tuned into the Gardening Simplified Show. Plants 143 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:39.960 on Trial is next. Stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Podcast is brought to 144 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:45.799 you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs with over three hundred flowering shrubs and evergreens, 145 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.840 all trialed and tested for your success. There's one for every taste in 146 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:56.080 every space. See them all at Proven Winners, color Choice dot Com Ratings. 147 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:01.080 Gardening Friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show with Rick Weiss 148 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:03.720 and me Stacy Hervella. And this is the time of the show where we 149 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:07.720 put a plant on trial, and that means we're going to tell you all 150 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:11.679 about one of the three hundred and twenty plus proven winners color choice shrubs, 151 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:15.279 and you get to decide for yourself if it is going to get a spot 152 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:18.519 in your garden. Now, when I pick plants on Trauma, I have 153 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:22.039 three hundred twenty some choices, and if you just if you take away the 154 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:24.679 couple that we've already covered, that's still a lot of choices. So it's 155 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:28.159 always a little bit hard to pick one. So I use whatever you have 156 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:31.320 decided to talk about in the first segment, Thank you very much. And 157 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:37.200 because we had a big focus on soil, I wanted to talk to you 158 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:43.360 today about a plant that does have specific soil needs, and that is Dandyman 159 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:48.960 purple rhododendron. And could it be said, Stacy, that dandyman or all 160 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:56.399 rhododendrons have specific soil needs. Yes, all rhododendrons do require acidic soil, 161 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:01.120 and not just rhododendrons, but pretty much every member of their scientific family, 162 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:07.399 the eric Casey So that includes zaleas blueberries pyrus which is sometimes known as in 163 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:15.440 dromeda mountain laurel, another popular landscaping plant cranberry wintergreen. I could go on 164 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:18.080 and on, heathers and heaths and all of these plants it's not all that 165 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:26.039 common necessarily for a gene a family of plants to share cultural needs like this. 166 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:28.600 You know, typically it's kind of dispersed, it's all over the place. 167 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:33.080 It's very hard to generalize from a scientific perspective on what the plants need 168 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:37.559 from a horticultural perspective, but Eric Casey, the rhododendron or heath family is 169 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:41.960 that rare exception, and so I thought this was a really good opportunity to 170 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:46.320 talk about why exactly rhododendrons need acidic soil. This is great stuff, folks, 171 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.399 it really is. And Stacy, let me ask you on top of 172 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:56.879 that, with this family or with rhododendrons, drainage or the soil type on 173 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:01.519 top of pH is probably important, extremely important. If you would like to 174 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.440 kill a rhododendron, the fastest way to do that is to make sure it's 175 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:11.559 in very wet soil. They succumb to so many root diseases in wet soil, 176 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:16.960 poorly drained soil. So if you've got a rhododendron, well, actually 177 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.320 I wouldn't recommend that you fled the soil because they're very shallow rooted and should 178 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.879 be quite easy to remove by and large, But I do want to go 179 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:26.720 back to this concept of acidity because I think a lot of people do know, 180 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:31.440 oh, rhododendrons, those need acidic soil. But you know, it's 181 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:37.279 a misunderstanding or a misconception rather that rhododendrons need acidic soil out of a preference 182 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:41.240 or an environment that their roots just like to grow in. Okay, it's 183 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:45.039 not like, oh, this is a cozy acidic environment or this is what. 184 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:50.960 It's a zesty and I really like it. You know, it's acidic, 185 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:56.399 it's zesty. It's because nutrients, the major plant nutrients that plants require 186 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:03.200 to survive, are available at different proportions depending on the pH level of the 187 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:07.519 soil, and there's all sorts of really need easy to understand diagrams. We 188 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.080 will certainly put those in the show notes at Gardenings Simplified OnAir dot com. 189 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:18.200 And what you'll see is that they're these kind of different wedge shapes across this 190 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:22.440 grid of each of the different nutrients, and it shows how they narrow or 191 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:28.759 widen at various phs. Now, the nutrients that are most available at a 192 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:35.960 lower pH or a more acidic pH level are iron and nitrogen, and rhododendrons 193 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:41.799 are notorious for being iron hogs, and that is why they really need that 194 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:46.159 acidic soil. It's not so much the environment around their roots. It's that 195 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:50.440 the nutrients that they need based on their physiological metabolism, that kind of thing, 196 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:56.759 their broad leaf nature, other broad leaf nature, are most available at 197 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:00.879 those lower pH levels. And so that's also why you know a lot of 198 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:03.919 people probably you've seen in your time in the garden centers. Someone will come 199 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:07.360 in, Oh, my rhododendron, it's all yellow. I need some iron. 200 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:11.279 Well, yes, iron will temporarily do the trick. But if your 201 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:16.840 rhododendron is deficient in something and you're seeing that yellowing foliage, it's almost certainly 202 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:22.360 due to a problem in the pH level. And you're better off probably if 203 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.200 you can fixing the pH level instead of trying to, you know, apply 204 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:31.320 iron and fertilizer to remedy the situation. It's the classic example of the right 205 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:35.360 plant in the right place makes sense and perfect sense. And you know, 206 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:41.159 I can't blame for people for wanting rhododendrons because they are beautiful and they are 207 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:43.759 shade tolerant, and you know, the neighborhood. I grew up in Over 208 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:48.559 on the east side of the state. It was like rhododendrons were v choice 209 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:52.200 for frontyard landscaping. I don't think there was hardly any houses on our block 210 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:56.039 that didn't have a rhododendron. Why because we had these kind of recessed porches, 211 00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:00.440 so it created these shady environments. And dendron was just like the go 212 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:03.519 to thing. And they're very memorable. You know. They have those that 213 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:10.240 big bold foliage, huge flower buds that you really can't miss. And dandy 214 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:17.480 Man Purple has giant snowball like clusters of purple flowers. So purple snowball. 215 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:22.279 This is not making any sense. Flowers in the snowball shape about the size 216 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.440 of a snowball. They look fabulous. Use your imagination or look it up 217 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:27.080 guarding simplified on air dot Com. We'll get it there. It makes perfect 218 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.919 sense, they don't. They remind you so makes me think of Sammy Davis 219 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:36.960 Junior. You know the dandy Man makes and everything he makes satisfying and delicious 220 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:44.080 musical. Internet Yes, that's always good. You can dandy Man is indeed 221 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:48.559 quite dandy. It was selected for its hardiness. Now rhododendrons, particularly for 222 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:53.320 people in colder climates, not always known to be something that is very tolerant 223 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:56.840 of cold temperatures and not just you know, oh the temperature is cold, 224 00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:00.440 but they get a lot of damage. They're broad leaf evergreens, as Rick 225 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:04.920 so eloquently said a moment ago, and so that you have those broad leaves, 226 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:08.200 they're losing a lot of water over winter. The sun, the wind, 227 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.240 all of that is contributing to water loss. The rhododendrons they curl their 228 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:17.640 leaves to reduce the surface area that's losing water. And if that happens over 229 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.319 a long time, we've all seen it, you know, you get those 230 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:26.279 random branches that are completely dead. So having a rhododendron like Dandyman purple that's 231 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:32.400 better able to withstand cold temperatures, particularly for gardeners in zones for USDA four 232 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:37.559 and five, is a really really important factor. You know. That's interesting, 233 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:41.880 Stacy, because for me here in Michigan, I find the rhododendrons get 234 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:45.720 big and beautiful the closer you are to the Lake Michigan shoreline. As you 235 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:52.519 move inland, things like winter, sun and wind can certainly create problems, 236 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:56.599 absolutely and so they are kind of a great example of that classic coastal plant 237 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:00.920 that really thrives with the more mild conditions. Or and you do see some 238 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:04.559 absolutely beautiful rhododendrons around here. They're very long lived. Now. I used 239 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:07.160 to live on the East Coast and you would see, you know, just 240 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:11.880 massive, massive rhododendrons fifty or so years old. We done not to see 241 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:15.000 them get quite that old. I don't know, maybe we just get tired 242 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:19.119 of things and a rotate through. But we would definitely recommend taking a look 243 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:23.279 at Dandyman at Purple. It comes to us from Maine, so very appropriate 244 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:29.359 there that it was being developed for a heartiness, and we've talked a lot 245 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:32.440 about I think some of the key factors for success with rhododendron. You're gonna 246 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:34.759 want an acidic soil, and if you don't know what your soil pH is, 247 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:38.599 you can certainly get that tested. You know, the standard pH test 248 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.359 at your garden center will work just fine for giving you a rough idea of 249 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:45.880 pH, or you can send away for a soil test, but you definitely 250 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:48.440 want to make sure that you're not creating a maintenance nightmare for yourself or an 251 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.799 expense, we have to keep going back and fertilizing. Good drainage not really 252 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:56.920 a huge issue for us out here on the lake shore. But if you 253 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:00.119 do live inland, or you live in a place with clay soil or underlying 254 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:04.039 bedrock, then you're definitely not going to want to plant anywhere that drains slowly, 255 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:07.880 because again it goes back to those those roots. Avoid pruning a rhododendron. 256 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.480 This is not one of those plants that you should be meatballing or cutting 257 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:18.440 into a rectangular hedge. Rhododendrons are really truly I don't think this is just 258 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.000 my opinion, at their back when they're allowed to just sort of attain their 259 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.319 own beautiful shape and structure, and this is not one if you favor trimming 260 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:33.160 your hedges. Well, my top three on my list you nailed at Stacy 261 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:38.920 are drainage, soil, pH and then for me again in Northern States, 262 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:44.240 you mentioned the porches on the east side of the state. Some kind of 263 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:48.640 structural shade in winter really is helpful. It really is, because then you're 264 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.279 going to reduce all of that winter sun that's causing that water loss and can 265 00:19:52.400 --> 00:20:00.400 lead to premature or sectional death on the rhododendrons, but you know they do 266 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:03.799 take shade in deep deep shade. For most of us, especially in the 267 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:07.799 north, You're you're not going to see as many flowers if they get too 268 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:10.720 too much shade, So you kind of want like that. Filtered light would 269 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:15.000 be an ideal situation, or morning sun is also a really good idea. 270 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:18.279 But if you have the right conditions for a rhododendron. Honestly, I think 271 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:22.119 there are a few specimen shrubs that you could do better than than a rhododendron. 272 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.039 Even though their bloom is relatively short, it is magnificent. That's first 273 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:30.119 time I ever heard that phrase. You're a wizard with words, Stacy. 274 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:34.599 You said sectional death. I have never heard that about a plant before. 275 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:37.720 I'm adding that, but you did see that, right. It's just like 276 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:44.640 one branch. Yeah, frustrating, not good, but at least we have 277 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:51.319 a name for it now, so listen. Dandelion Dandyman purple rhododendron is available 278 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:55.240 at your local garden center in the distinctive white permian winner's container. Ask for 279 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:59.279 it by name, or take a look at Gardening Simplified OnAir dot Com. 280 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:02.960 I got all the details We've got to take a little bit of a break, 281 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:04.839 but when we come back, we're answering your gardening questions, so please 282 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:17.480 stay tuned. Thanks for listening to the Gardening Simplified Podcast sponsored by Proven Winners 283 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:22.519 Color Choice Shrubs. Learn more about our trial tested and proven flowering shrubs and 284 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:29.759 evergreens, and find a local retailer at Proven Winners color Choice dot com. 285 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.480 Greetings gardeners, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. One of the 286 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:37.799 ways that we try to simplify gardening for you out there is by answering your 287 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:41.799 gardening questions. And you know, it's good to have a resource of people 288 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:47.480 who have strong opinions about horticulture and a lot of experience, and we will 289 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:51.920 give you both if you if you write it with questions. So to do 290 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:56.799 that, you can visit Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. That is thee the 291 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:02.240 website for the show, or you can just email us at help HLP at 292 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:04.920 Gardening Simplified OnAir dot com. So what do we got in the mailbag today? 293 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:08.680 Well, well, put Stacy, I have strong opinions on all of 294 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:12.039 these questions, so let's get to them. Susan writes to us. We 295 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:17.839 started three apple trees from seed. They're about twelve inches tall undergrow lights. 296 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:22.599 When should we plant them? Should they be hardened off first? Boy, 297 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:26.920 she's going down the right road, Susan, good job. Should they be 298 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:30.279 hardened off first? Yes? They should be yes. Yes. And a 299 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:33.920 lot of people I think they hear this hardening off term and they think, 300 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.000 oh, that sounds hard or that sounds weird. I'm not sure do I 301 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:40.400 need to do that? How do I do that? And hardening off really 302 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:47.759 just kind of refers to the transition between the very safe and controlled environment of 303 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:52.440 your dining room or kitchen or wherever you're growing those seedlings, even under light, 304 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:56.519 to the outdoors where the light is going to be way brighter, You're 305 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:59.759 going to have harsh winds. You know, you've got all this air circulation. 306 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.960 It's it's really from a plant's perspective, like a night and day kind 307 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.960 of difference. So to just take something from this very sheltered environment and just 308 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:11.359 shove it outside and say, okay, deal with it. Many plants will 309 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:14.599 survive, but they will be set back because it's very stressful for them. 310 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:18.400 Yeah, my best analogy living here on the lake shore of Lake Michigan is 311 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:23.599 what I see in June. People have been in that comfy indoor environment all 312 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.079 your and then all of a sudden they say, we're going to the beach 313 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:29.279 and we're going to spend the whole day on the beach. And at the 314 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:33.519 end of the day, yeah, not pretty. Even June in Michigan, 315 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:37.319 it is very similar there. There is definitely kind of want to kind of 316 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:41.079 work your way up to it, some sunscreens and visits to the tanning bed, 317 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:45.200 whatever it means to you. You are going to run your work your 318 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:47.359 way up to it. So, yes, Susan, you should definitely harden 319 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:51.440 them off. And now is really a perfect time to start hardening things off. 320 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:53.720 You know, we might still have some dips into cooler temperatures, but 321 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:56.880 you can easily take them inside if you think it's going to get too cold, 322 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:00.440 but they should be outside in a shape locations. So you start with 323 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:04.119 quite a lot of shade and then gradually move them to more and more sun. 324 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:08.119 And you know, it only takes I usually do like a week to 325 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:11.440 two weeks, depending on you know the crop and how long it's been inside 326 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:15.440 and what's what it's looking like, what's your usual time frame. Yeah, 327 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.920 the same thing. And I think that not only sun, but you've got 328 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:22.160 to get them used to the wind. Yeah, the wind can create real 329 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:26.480 problems. So a little bit at a time. Don't put them outside all 330 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:29.079 day long on a windy day. You're gonna have trouble, right, And 331 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:30.240 then as soon as they're hard enough, you can go ahead and get them 332 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:36.039 in the ground. But do be careful. This goes for anyone any who's 333 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:40.359 growing any kind of seedling. Those tender seedlings that have just come out of 334 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:45.720 your house are like a delight to rabbits and mice and deer and whoever else 335 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:49.359 you might have visiting your yards. So if you can harden things off above 336 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:56.440 mouth level or protect them in some way so that you know they're just going 337 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:59.599 to be super appealing to rabbits, especially, so you want to make sure 338 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:03.680 you don't lose all your hard work. Right there at the finish line a 339 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:07.680 salad buffet. Hey Craig has a question. I have mature red and white 340 00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:11.640 oak trees in my yard. With the recent warm weather this week, can 341 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:18.319 I still prune them this weekend without fear of getting oak wilt. I'm glad 342 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:22.279 that oak wilt is on Craig's radar. I'm extremely glad to hear that. 343 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:26.119 Yes, and we'll put a link on the website. But I want to 344 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:33.200 mention again here in Michigan, there's a website Michigan oak wilt dot org and 345 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:37.920 Stacy. What they have on that website is an oak wilt risk meter. 346 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:41.920 Oh interesting, and you can follow that risk meter the times when we're at 347 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:47.640 greatest risk, lower risk, and no risk. Okay, that's good to 348 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:49.359 know, But in a nutshell, if you don't have time to go to 349 00:25:49.480 --> 00:25:56.359 the risk assessment tool there, you should not prune oaks at all between April 350 00:25:56.359 --> 00:26:00.680 and July, and some people even say into August. Agree, And that's 351 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:04.880 a really good practice. And this doesn't just mean heavy duty pruning where you're 352 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:10.440 taking out limbs or trimming. It means even small wounding of the plant, 353 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:14.359 like little twigs, all of that because the way that oak wilt works is 354 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:18.240 it's a fungal disease and if you open up a wound and an oak tree 355 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:22.720 and those fungal spores are floating up in the air, it can take it 356 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:25.839 in and it will kill the tree. Some people call it sudden oak death 357 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:30.960 because it can happen so so very quickly. So you really want to make 358 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:36.640 sure that you're not creating any conditions for oak wilt to enter your oaks that 359 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:40.480 you actually have in your yard. And that means avoiding any kind of pruning 360 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:45.240 during that window. And I think you know one really important thing that people 361 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:49.400 should consider. Any good arborist, if you call them to prune your oaks, 362 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:52.640 is going to say no, I'm not going to prune these oaks right 363 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:56.480 now. And if an arborist is doing it anyway or says they'll do it 364 00:26:56.519 --> 00:27:00.279 anyway, call a different arborists please, because it's not just the risk to 365 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:03.839 your oaks, but it kind of just shows that they don't have a good 366 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:08.359 handle on any other potential risks or problems that could occur. And so it's 367 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:11.119 good that people know this. You know, it kind of is like a 368 00:27:11.160 --> 00:27:14.839 double edged, you know, outreach approach where you know, we need to 369 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:18.440 reach the trade and say, hey, definitely be very careful around your oaks, 370 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:21.359 but homeowners as well, because some people maybe have a smaller one that 371 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:23.599 they can, you know, prune themselves. But this is a very very 372 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:27.559 serious disease. It's not a native disease, and if we were to lose 373 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:33.480 oaks at scale in Michigan, it would be really truly nothing short of an 374 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:40.079 ecological disaster. No other tree hosts many different species of caterpillars, so butterflies, 375 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:42.119 moss in there by birds. I mean, it's just I don't even 376 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:45.759 want to think about it. I'm gonna It's a serious issue, and that's 377 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:49.400 why there are websites devoted to it. You know, with that risk meter, 378 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:55.039 you're right, it says the greatest risk is April fifteen to July fifteen, 379 00:27:55.440 --> 00:28:00.319 lower risk March fifteen to April fourteen. But the recommended time for pruning 380 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:04.480 is November to February when they're completely just to be safe when they're completely dormant. 381 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:08.000 By the way, May is oak wilt Awareness month. Oh, I 382 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:11.440 think we've done our part. I hope yeah, I hope so. And 383 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.400 we will, of course put some links for you at the website Gardening Simplified 384 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:18.319 OnAir dot com so you can do your own research. And if you live 385 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:21.559 in a different state, o wilt is an issue in many many states, 386 00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:26.319 you might want to look at your state's specific resources on oak wilt because that 387 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:32.240 timeframe will change a bit based on your climate. Meredith writes us a question. 388 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:36.400 I have a tiny wine nine bark, oh boy, I planted last 389 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:40.440 fall. It's in zone five, Ontario, Canada. I was told when 390 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:45.440 I bought it I should be chopping it back annually in parentheses A lot. 391 00:28:45.640 --> 00:28:52.440 I've seen that compassing or copassing, calling it compassing or compassing, I say 392 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:56.720 compassing compassing. Compassing nine barks prevents you from seeing blooms in the current year 393 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:00.960 and can ruin its appearance. I've also read that older branches won't be as 394 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:06.359 durable and need to be chopped. So what's the best approach for pruning nine 395 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:11.519 barks? So my approach to pruning nine barks is to do nothing. I 396 00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:15.079 am agree. I am opposed to regular pruning or trimming of nine barks. 397 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.519 I have several nine barks in my yard. The ginger wine is my absolute 398 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:25.960 favorite, and I have always found that pruning any kind of like trimming into 399 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:30.960 the plant really destroys the beautiful, elegant, natural habits of a nine bark 400 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.640 A little bit like we were talking about with the rhododendrons. They do have 401 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:38.400 a very natural, sort of a graceful arching habit, and if you're trimming 402 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:42.079 them back, meat balling them, anything along those lines, you're going to 403 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:45.680 get witches brooming, and you're going to get these funny little growth sticking out 404 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.799 all over. It'll be like, I don't know, a squadron of cheerleaders 405 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:52.920 or something with John bombing. Yeah, it just doesn't look natural. It's 406 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:56.160 kind of like I think back to the sixties when my mom would put a 407 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:59.440 pot on my head and cut my hair that way and I'll go around the 408 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:02.799 It just doesn't look good. It's not natural. It might be easy, 409 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.119 but it's not good. And you know that also is no doubt leading some 410 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:10.680 of the issues you might be seeing with flowering because nine bark is a shrub 411 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:14.599 that blooms on old wood. So basically what that means is it has its 412 00:30:14.599 --> 00:30:19.039 flower buds for spring all through fall the preceding fall in winter, and so 413 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:26.279 if you are cutting it anytime from basically like August through you know when it 414 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:29.680 would normally bloom in June, you're removing the flower buds. Yeah, and 415 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:33.039 I think it makes a good point too that with a variety of shrubs, 416 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:38.079 even nine bark, when we say prune sometimes it means just pruning out some 417 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:44.599 old wood or weak branches, pruning it out all together. But don't do 418 00:30:44.680 --> 00:30:47.880 that little off the top thing, absolutely, you know, and that's a 419 00:30:47.880 --> 00:30:48.400 lot of people say, oh, what, I can't prunt it. No, 420 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:53.519 you can't selectively prune out branches. So you're identifying some branches that maybe 421 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:56.680 are going in a direction you don't want them to go, or are just 422 00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.960 you know, old and not as productive with a nice, colorful new growth. 423 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:04.119 You can take those out, but this is definitely not one where you're 424 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:08.279 getting the hedge clippers out in shaping it. If you want to do that, 425 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:12.319 choose something else and not nine Bark. So as for Meredith, I 426 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:17.599 would say stop prunier or nine bark, Let it its haircut grow out. 427 00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:21.799 Hopefully it's still young enough that it will be able to acquire that you know, 428 00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:25.359 graceful natural habit on its own. And if it's too late for this 429 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:27.160 year, don't worry. There's always next year. So just avoid pruning it 430 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:30.240 and you can look forward to nine Bark flowers in twenty twenty four. You 431 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:33.599 know, Stacy, with all three of these questions, we were both strongly 432 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:37.279 opinionated. Not the first time, and it won't be the last. That's 433 00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:41.160 why they pay us the big bucks. Well, we got to take a 434 00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:44.599 little bit of a break right now. But when we come back, Rick's 435 00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:55.200 got branching news and his weekly limerick, So please stay tuned at proven Winner's 436 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:59.079 Color Choice Shrubs. We love plants, That's why we bring you the Gardening 437 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:01.799 Simplified Podcast, asked, and that's why we trial and test all of our 438 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:07.160 shrubs to make sure they outperform everything else on the market. Let our expertise 439 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:10.039 help you create the garden or landscape of your dreams. Get started at proven 440 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:15.720 Winner's Color Choice dot com. Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. It's 441 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:20.559 time for branching news. Not breaking news, but we don't make this stuff 442 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:25.799 up. Stacy Plant Today, Eat Tomato, a story from the Philadelphia Enquirer. 443 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:30.599 For all those foodies out there who are about to plant their vegetable plants, 444 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:35.960 there are those who feel really nostalgic about gardening. Maybe they saw their 445 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:38.319 dad or their grandpa do it, but they have no time, they have 446 00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:43.480 money, so they hire somebody to do it. Fascinated by it. I 447 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:46.559 mean, I personally enjoy the process, but I respect those who don't, 448 00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:51.680 and that gives a lot of opportunity for people like you and me who actually 449 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:53.680 like to do it. Well exactly, it's big bucks, though, I 450 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:59.240 tell you what for a couple of four by eight foot beds, and then 451 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:01.440 they maintain them during the gardening season, so you don't have to water, 452 00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:05.680 you don't have to weed, you don't have to fertilize. I don't know 453 00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:07.599 why this story just blew me away, because I'm like you, Stacey, 454 00:33:07.720 --> 00:33:10.839 I love doing it. But I suppose if you don't have the time, 455 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:15.079 you have the money. Great, there you go, So we're going to 456 00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:19.039 post the story on the website. It did cause me, though, to 457 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:23.400 think about the money you put into fertilizer and plants and soil and timbers or 458 00:33:23.400 --> 00:33:30.279 whatever else it may be. And we always joke about that fifty dollars tomatoes 459 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:32.920 at the end of the season. So I put together a limb a rick 460 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:37.920 for you. This week, my raised vegetable garden, I commence in its 461 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:44.640 construction. I will spare no expense. The components cost me lots of dough. 462 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:51.960 I calculated each backyard tomato cost me fifty two dollars and thirty nine cents. 463 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:53.599 So there you go. That's my limerick. Well, you know, 464 00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:58.640 in addition to gardening, I also knit, and so if my husband ever 465 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:00.200 says anything, he's like, oh, it's home. So that's how I 466 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:05.680 look at it too. We spend money on our hobbies and gardening. If 467 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:08.159 gardening is your hobby, then all of the money that you spend is going 468 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:13.039 towards your own personal enrichment. And if gardening's not your hobby and you want 469 00:34:13.079 --> 00:34:15.320 to pay someone else to do it, well I can tell you there are 470 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:17.760 a whole bunch of horticultures out there who will be at your service. Well 471 00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:24.480 said, Well said well Stacy. Thousands and thousands of people download the Gardening 472 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:30.880 Simplified Show podcast. We thank you for that, watching on YouTube, listening 473 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:35.559 on radio, and in a recent study tells us what people are doing while 474 00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:39.639 listening to a podcast, thirty percent of people are doing household chores while they 475 00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:45.280 listen, and thirty percent are driving around. Those are the main things. 476 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:50.519 Other things were unwinding after a long day, taking a walk, working, 477 00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:54.559 eating, eating a meal or a lunch break, etc. Etc. It 478 00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:59.960 doesn't say anything about working in the garden unless that's lumped into household chores. 479 00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:02.239 Well, you know, when I'm gardening, uh, there's obviously a lot 480 00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:06.840 of good gardening podcasts and other podcasts, and I love to listen to music, 481 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:08.239 but honestly, when I'm outside gardening, I want to hear the birds. 482 00:35:08.519 --> 00:35:13.679 Oh that's what I really so I'm not maybe I'm not all that surprised 483 00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:16.840 that it's not on there, but that's my own personal approach, and I 484 00:35:17.039 --> 00:35:21.840 love to talk to my plants while I'm out there. We carry on these 485 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:25.000 conversations, which is a very scary thing. But we're going to share with 486 00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:30.199 you on the website again. Gardening Simplified on air dot com. I thought 487 00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:37.039 this was cute from Parade dot com. Plant names for your precious angelic little 488 00:35:37.159 --> 00:35:40.480 baby plants. And I went through the list and it was pretty creative. 489 00:35:40.599 --> 00:35:47.960 Name your plants grove or rainy, or bamboo or pokey or chugs or missus 490 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:52.320 potts. You can go through the list. It's pretty interesting. I don't 491 00:35:52.440 --> 00:35:58.079 name my plants, but I do name the animals that visit my yard every 492 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:01.159 year. Really, yeah, I do you have names for the chipmunks? 493 00:36:01.519 --> 00:36:07.000 No, I don't really get chipmunks, but the rabbits and the hummingbirds will 494 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:10.280 usually get their own names. I like that. I like that a lot. 495 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:15.760 This from the Akron Beacon Journal. In two thousand and two, residents 496 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:22.079 led a public campaign to save a large white ash tree when the city announced 497 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:27.239 plans to remove it for construction of a curb ramp, and the neighbors prevailed. 498 00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:32.400 Yay. But then what happened? Emerald as oh No took the tree 499 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:37.039 out too bad in twenty fifteen, so they cut the tree down there in 500 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:43.159 Akron. And then an artist, the name is Michael mars I hope I 501 00:36:43.199 --> 00:36:46.320 got that name right. He long had admired that tree, so he turned 502 00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:52.039 the stump into artwork. In September of two sixteen, when he secretly installed 503 00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:59.320 a sword. Neighbors were mystified one day to wake up and see ex Caliber 504 00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:04.800 that great boy, oh boy, King Arthur would be would be proud the 505 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:10.239 ex Caliber's sword and people people loved that. They The point here in the 506 00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:15.800 story is they the stump had rotted and they had to grind it out, 507 00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:17.880 and so the sword is gone. Well you know, they don't last forever, 508 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:22.199 but you can enjoy them. Well they do. Yeah, speaking of 509 00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:28.599 King Arthur, do you know that I'm a knight. H did not do 510 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:31.039 this just happened on your trips Europe. They call me sir plants a lot. 511 00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:37.480 I don't have arthrization to tell you that joke, but I did anyhow. 512 00:37:37.639 --> 00:37:42.400 Okay, sorry, way to go the rectangular table if you haven't noticed, 513 00:37:44.599 --> 00:37:49.239 Yeah, no round table here. Remember the story we did on neighborhoods 514 00:37:49.239 --> 00:37:52.719 complaining about the noise of pickleball courts popping up all over the place. Well, 515 00:37:52.760 --> 00:37:59.400 here's your answer. Pickleballs rapid spread as created dilemmas for public parks, 516 00:37:59.559 --> 00:38:02.760 recordation departments. You know, they got to have the space, they have 517 00:38:02.840 --> 00:38:08.000 to have the funds. Retirement communities or neighborhoods face challenges. You know that 518 00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:12.719 constant pop pop. Oh, I know it well, right, But I 519 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:16.519 love pickleball and I'd like to play pickle ball. So pickleball is heading to 520 00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:21.440 the malls where players can play and then grab a bite, t eat or 521 00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:25.679 do some shopping. At least that's what landlords hope. So with many of 522 00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:32.000 these malls, they're losing their big anchor stores and they're converting them into pickleball 523 00:38:32.079 --> 00:38:37.960 arenas or areas where you can play pickleball year round and the neighbors don't have 524 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:40.119 to deal with the noise. And that's great because I think even if it 525 00:38:40.159 --> 00:38:44.719 didn't make that noise, it's becoming so popular that you can barely get on 526 00:38:44.760 --> 00:38:49.320 a court around here anymore. So more is better. You know, Over 527 00:38:49.360 --> 00:38:52.599 in the Detroit area, they've turned a lot of those abandoned stores into swimming 528 00:38:52.599 --> 00:38:54.360 schools for kids, have they really Yes, So they put in a big 529 00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:59.480 pool and then they have like kids parties and swimming lessons, and you know, 530 00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:01.639 I think it's really great that they found ways to use all those old 531 00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:07.360 buildings. Absolutely, and pickleball, well, we just deal with it. 532 00:39:07.360 --> 00:39:10.639 It's kind of a big deal. Okay, an extended gardening season here in 533 00:39:10.639 --> 00:39:14.119 the North. I want to talk to you about this, Stacy, because 534 00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:21.719 I'm a big fan of alnno Oh yeah, yeah, our new goddy. 535 00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:24.039 We have a new plant called Elninho, So that's why I was thinking. 536 00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:27.679 Tell me about the plant. Oh, it's fabulous. It's one of my 537 00:39:27.719 --> 00:39:31.000 absolute favorite that we offer in the entire line. It's a hybrid between Chilopsis, 538 00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:36.320 which is known as desert willow, and Catalpa, which is the bean 539 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:39.360 tree that you know we grew that's native here, both native shrubs. They're 540 00:39:39.440 --> 00:39:44.920 hybridized. It's only hardy to USDs on six. But the flowers, I 541 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:50.679 can't even describe the smell um. It's kind of like a ripe cantalope with 542 00:39:50.760 --> 00:39:53.960 vanilla. It's just the most beautiful smell. The flowers look like orchids. 543 00:39:54.079 --> 00:40:00.199 It's a fabulous plant. Okay, this is breaking news, So f our 544 00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:05.199 listeners who are driving along in the car doing household chores or whatever it may 545 00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:07.679 be, tell us again what the plant is. What is the name of 546 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:13.599 the plant. It's al nino chtolpa. So it's a hut interspecific hyper into 547 00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:17.239 generic hybrid, which means it's a hybrid between two genera Chilopsis and Catalpa. 548 00:40:17.320 --> 00:40:22.000 So the name is Chittelpa. And we don't really have a good common name 549 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:24.119 for it, so we're calling it desert orchid. But like I said, 550 00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:28.599 it's hardy d usd's on six. He tolerant through at least so nine, 551 00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:30.440 And it's one of those plants that you really have to see and smell to 552 00:40:30.519 --> 00:40:36.320 believe. Desert orchid will be much easier for me, and I think for 553 00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:38.760 many of our listeners. I think it's a plant you'd like to, oh, 554 00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:42.559 yes, this is fantastic. Well, you know. The reason I 555 00:40:42.639 --> 00:40:45.920 like Alninho so much is here, at least in the North, and in 556 00:40:45.960 --> 00:40:52.880 Michigan, we generally get a warmer, dryer winter, so I don't have 557 00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:57.199 to pack the shorts away. Maybe work out in the yard a little bit. 558 00:40:57.280 --> 00:40:59.639 I know on the west coast that causes a lot of rain, but 559 00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:04.960 of course they could use that range. So in the Ohio Valley warmer, 560 00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:09.119 so don't pack away those shorts. We'll be playing pickle ball in winter here 561 00:41:09.159 --> 00:41:14.920 in the North and I'm looking forward to it, so thank you El Nino. 562 00:41:15.719 --> 00:41:19.440 Not quite gardening season, but if it's less now shoveling, I'm all 563 00:41:19.480 --> 00:41:22.440 for it. It's a stretch, but I'm all for it. Hey, 564 00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:27.880 happy trell us to you until we weed again. Thank you Stacy, always 565 00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:30.079 fun to do this show with you. And a big thank you very much 566 00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:36.320 to Adrianna Robinson for folks who watch on YouTube, listen on the radio, 567 00:41:36.519 --> 00:41:40.679 or listen to our podcast. She does such an incredible job with this show, 568 00:41:40.719 --> 00:41:45.199 and we thank Adrianna. Thank you, Stacy, thank you Rick, 569 00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:46.880 thank you Adriana, and thanks to all of you for listening. It means 570 00:41:46.880 --> 00:41:47.519 so much to us.