WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:06.639 Coming to you from Studio A at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. It's time 2 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:12.320 for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella me Rick weisst and our engineer and 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:17.839 producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, Stacey, We've had some comments and some questions 4 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:22.960 from folks who watch us on YouTube or listen to the podcast or listen to 5 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:28.280 us on radio about the fact that they have wet spots in their garden. 6 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:32.079 We've done some shows on drought, but today I think we've got to help 7 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:36.399 out these folks who have plants that have wet feet. You know, it 8 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.560 happens a lot, and certainly it's less common for you and I out here 9 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.880 by the lake shore, where our soils really sandy and really well drained. 10 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.719 Even if we were to get some sort of torrential downpour, it's usually going 11 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.399 to drain out pretty quickly because sandy soils drain well. But especially people who 12 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:54.759 have clay soils or people who have a shallow water table, they can have 13 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:58.960 naturally wet soil and that can feel really limiting for people. Absolutely, and 14 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.120 of course we know that plants need oxygen as much as they need water, 15 00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:08.719 or taking a plant and planting it too deep. Again, roots need oxygen 16 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:14.079 in order for the plant to thrive. So rainfall is a good thing, 17 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:19.640 but sometimes it can pose challenges, and today we'll talk about that here on 18 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.120 the Gardening Simplified Show. And by the way, when a plant's under stress 19 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:29.560 due to too much water, stacey disease can quickly become a problem. Well, 20 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.359 sure, a lot of diseases. When people talk about root rot and 21 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.840 that kind of thing, those things don't happen to healthy plants that are in 22 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:38.480 well drained soil. They happen when there is a lot of moisture and the 23 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:44.879 plant can't get oxygen to recover from all of that of that water. Yeah, 24 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:51.239 and I've also seen situations in landscapes where folks are struggling primarily because they 25 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:57.640 are an irrigation set it and forget it individual, and there's a rain button 26 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:01.319 there on the clock for you. Irrigation. Just pay attention to that. 27 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:07.520 Weather patterns change and so you're going to have to adapt to it with your 28 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:12.439 irrigation. Now, stay see a few different ways to deal with it. 29 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:17.800 Number one, raised beds elevate planting areas above the surrounding soil level to improve 30 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:23.759 drainage and prevent water logging. That's one way. Swales are another way to 31 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:30.479 create shallow, gently sloped ditches to divert excess water. Drainage ditches, I 32 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:36.080 guess in a worst case scenario, you may want to install a drainage ditch 33 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.199 or a French drain. And then the other thing that I think is really 34 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:46.680 important in these wet areas is to add organic material. Many times the wetness 35 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:53.639 is due to dense soil particles like clay. Soils avoid the temptation to add 36 00:02:53.919 --> 00:03:00.120 sand. Sand plus clay equals concrete bethinking organic material well, and the organic 37 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:02.960 material is going to be a lot easier to haul around and incorporate into your 38 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.159 garden compared to sandwhich is extremely extremely heavy. I think another really important part 39 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:13.919 of this equation is determining what is the cause of that excess moisture in the 40 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.680 first place. Because those solutions that you just listed, you know, which 41 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:20.479 of those is going to be best for you really depends on what is the 42 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.439 culprit in the first place. And so many of us you know out here 43 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:28.960 it's common for the water table to be very high, but i've certainly you 44 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.560 know, been in places where there's just natural water features or you know, 45 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:35.840 drainage is naturally poor, and in that case, there's probably less you can 46 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.719 do with it. If it's a stormwater runoff issue, like with your house, 47 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.719 then a French drain might be the solution. You might be able to 48 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:46.080 get new gutters or downspouts and change that so that you can actually, you 49 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:49.560 know, manage where that water is going. But once you determine that cause, 50 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.879 then you can look at the solution. And some solutions might be inexpensive. 51 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.639 Some solutions might be very expensive if they require a lot of like regrading 52 00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:00.680 and reworking of your area, and some solution can actually be really fun. 53 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:03.960 And I was glad that you mentioned about the swales because one thing that's so 54 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:08.919 popular right now is rain gardens. Yes, and that is a great plant 55 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:14.199 based solution to a wet area that is maybe super wet when it rains and 56 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:15.800 then dries off a little bit in the summer, like when we're sort of 57 00:04:15.839 --> 00:04:20.720 in between, and rain garden plants are specifically adapted to those conditions. Great 58 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:25.560 points made their Stacey, And of course, where you're with your plants around 59 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:29.480 your home, take a look at the gutters, take a look at the 60 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:33.839 down spouts. It's a pretty easy fix to be able to move or at 61 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:40.040 least move the water from the down spouts into another direction. And you're right. 62 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:44.519 In some situations, we have plants that are underwater part of the year 63 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:49.040 and dry and that boy, that's tough, tough on plants. Let me 64 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:55.160 give you a limerick on the subject. I want a lovely retreat, but 65 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:00.800 high water my efforts deplete. I live in a floodplain. The water just 66 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:05.120 won't drain. I constantly have wet feet. My yard is under a flood. 67 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:10.879 My soil type is mud. I'm feeling under the weather. We're all 68 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:15.199 in this together. My landscape is a dud. You know, this is 69 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.759 a tough situation to deal with. It is and you know, again going 70 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.600 back to like the difficulty aspect, if you have what soil, it's hard 71 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:25.279 to dig. It's going to be difficult to get those plants in there. 72 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:29.079 But the good part is that if you are doing a plant based solution, 73 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:32.720 like a rain garden or like plants that simply tolerate wet soil, you invest 74 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:35.879 that time and effort once and then your plants should be good to go. 75 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:39.079 And you know, on the bright side, you never have to worry about 76 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:43.040 watering. Yeah, that's true. Look at the bright side. I like 77 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.480 that. Let's talk about some of those plants that can handle the water, 78 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:51.839 because I think that that's a great solution is plants that are tolerant to having 79 00:05:53.959 --> 00:06:00.279 wet feet. And one grass that I just love is switch grass or panic 80 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:04.879 and generally we think about them in dry areas or grasses being drought tolerant, 81 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:10.959 but I've found that switch grasses can handle it quite well. Papyrus like the 82 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:17.519 graceful grasses, TUTS series, fiber optic grass is really great, the Juncus, 83 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:24.040 the blue mohawk or curly whirly juncus, and then of course stacey. 84 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:29.360 Also your sedges. I love sedges like the toffee twists sedge. Any of 85 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:33.120 those are a situation where we can use a grass like plant in a wet 86 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:36.959 area. You know, Sedges are also known as carrecks botanically, and I 87 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:42.519 have to confess that my absolute most favorite carrecs out there are all wet soil 88 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:46.399 carrects. Okay, I mean there's really nice dry soil carrecks that can you 89 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.839 take it dry and are very versatile, but my most favorite ones are absolutely 90 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:55.439 for wet areas, so you know, it's a typical gardening situation. The 91 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:58.360 grass is always greener on the other side, you know, very good. 92 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.720 Another great water in tolerant place is your favorite cannas. Yes, cannas can 93 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.720 handle it. I appreciate you bringing that up. And while we're on the 94 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:13.079 subject of foliage plants that can handle water, how about iris, Siberian iris, 95 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:17.959 Japanese iris. You know, Siberian iris are almost semi aquatic and they 96 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:23.720 can really handle wet feet and bloom beautifully for you. So if you've got 97 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:29.920 a wet area, I would certainly look at Siberian iris. Ligularia bottle rocket. 98 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:31.639 Yeah, I love that plant, and that if you do see that 99 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.360 it is a native species. If you see that growing in the wild, 100 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:39.759 you're absolutely going to see that in those wet, deeply forested areas, just 101 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:44.839 sitting there doing its thing and looking amazing. Also, another great perennial would 102 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:49.639 be cardinal flower cardinal lobilia. There's some great varieties there that you can pick 103 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:53.759 from. And when we move on to shrubs, I don't want to steal 104 00:07:53.800 --> 00:08:00.600 your thunder because stay tuned in segment two and Stacey always gives us a great 105 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:03.399 plant in plants on trial, So I'm not going to steal your thunder on 106 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:09.560 the shrubs, although I do want to say you're an individual who really got 107 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.759 me excited about chokeberry erronia, and I think that that's a great plant. 108 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:20.920 Clethras summer sweet vanilla spice is another one, and we'll see what Stacy has 109 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.160 up per sleeve in segment four. And then of course trees. You know, 110 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:31.000 we want to try to grow trees in wet areas. Many people do 111 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:35.559 struggle with it. I think that there's some great choices there. Red maple's 112 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:41.159 a great choice, Juneberry river birch. Hackberry willow, of course is an 113 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:48.600 obvious and swamp oak. The species that was used at the nine to eleven 114 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.919 memorial site in beautiful, beautiful, really amazing native oak. And of course, 115 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:56.159 even though it's not as common to grow out here, we cannot forget 116 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.200 the bald cypress yes growing in the cypress swamps of the South and really just 117 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:03.279 one of the most beautiful and interesting plants. We do have some in our 118 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.720 trial garden here. I mean they're fascinating. They grow these knees, these 119 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:13.799 woody outgrows when they're in a lot of standing water that will definitely trip you 120 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:16.919 if you're walking through the woods or anything. But they're so beautiful and so 121 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:20.559 interesting, and they're a deciduous conifer. They are a conifer, but they 122 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:24.840 actually lose their leaves every fall, which is why they're called bald cypress. 123 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:28.840 But we have so many amazing American native trees that can take this kind of 124 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.799 conditions, So you know, you're really spoiled for choice. Even though your 125 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:35.879 initial you know, reaction might be, oh man, what can I grow 126 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.000 nothing? I'm just gonna be living in a swamp over here. There are 127 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:43.720 actually a number of really interesting, beautiful plants that you can grow that have 128 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.399 seasonal interests. They're not just something that will simply grow there and you'll just 129 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:48.480 be like, okay, yeah it's there. I mean, you'll actually get 130 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:52.559 a good show. I agree. So if you've got a wet spot that 131 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:56.240 you're dealing with, don't throw in the trowel. There's a lot of options 132 00:09:56.279 --> 00:10:00.399 for you. Oh Zelkova tree, I was thinking about that too, So 133 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:03.960 don't throw in the trowel. I just wet my plants. You can do 134 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:11.840 it and be successful in wet areas. We'll find out what plant Stacy has 135 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:16.120 in mind. Coming up next in Plants on Trial here on the Gardening Simplified 136 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:26.639 Show. Proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs cares about your success in the garden. 137 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:30.279 That's why we trial and test all of our shrubs for eight to ten years, 138 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:33.960 making sure they outperform everything else on the market. Look for them and 139 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:39.679 the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greeting's gardening friends, and 140 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:43.720 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where it is our pleasure to be 141 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.759 the first, maybe the first to welcome you to spring. Yes, it 142 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:52.639 is officially meteorological spring. That means that if you measure the seasons by the 143 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:58.159 month rather than the actual astronomical dates, when the equinox or solstices happen, 144 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:03.000 that it's spring. So meteorological spring is March April May. And that means 145 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.720 that just yesterday we started meteorological spring the way I'm going to measure it, 146 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:09.200 Stacey, March one spring start. The earlier, the better for you. 147 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:13.320 Earlier. Well, we're celebrating it here with a new backdrop. If you 148 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:16.679 haven't seen it on our YouTube show, you can see that there we'll be 149 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.960 looking at this for the next three months. Will it is meteorological spring, 150 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:24.120 and we are definitely very happy about it, even though this year's weather has 151 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:28.799 definitely made it seem like spring came a lot earlier. Wow, February strange, 152 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:33.480 very strange. I have had my snow crocuses in bloom for about a 153 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:37.240 week two weeks now, the earliest they've ever bloomed in the entire time I've 154 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:39.840 grown them in, you know, fifteen years, glory of the snow snow 155 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:45.559 drafts which Hazel hellibores goes on and on. They're they're in bloom now you're 156 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:48.399 in Michigan, so it's a good opportunity for you to document that through your 157 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:52.120 social media. It's always good to look back and see those dates, just 158 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:58.440 like a meteorologist would. But speaking of spring, today's plant on trial is 159 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:05.360 actually a summer plant, so I'm getting way ahead of myself. Today's plant 160 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:11.919 on trial is sugar shack button bush. Sugar shack button bush, that's correct, 161 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.480 and it is not a plant that you're going to see doing a whole 162 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:18.440 lot until summer rolls around. But of course I picked it to match with 163 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:24.240 today's show, and it is absolutely positively one of the most wet tolerant, 164 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:30.440 wet soil tolerant shrubs that we offer. A I figured that's why you picked 165 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:33.399 it, and you know that's what we do on this show. You introduced 166 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:39.720 the plant and then I simply repeat it like Ed McMahon on the Johnny Curson, 167 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:48.320 just like that. So I want you to leave that in Adriana. 168 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.879 I know Ed McMahon from Star Search, not this night shot. I was 169 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:56.639 not allowed to stay up that late during those years. But anyway, this 170 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:01.480 is a very interesting plant. So before I get in to its ability to 171 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:03.639 tolerate what so, I want to just kind of paint a mental picture of 172 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:09.000 it for you. It is a plant that is native to North America, 173 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:13.919 and its main attraction is by far its flowers. And its flowers are such 174 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:16.559 that if you were to see them in a book or a picture on Instagram 175 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:20.440 or something like that, you would think it was some sort of crazy exotic 176 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:26.440 plant. The flowers, when it blooms in about mid to late July, 177 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:31.919 are these perfectly round spheres that look like a pincushion with pins coming out all 178 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:35.559 around them. Now, they're relatively small, probably about this a little bit 179 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.360 bigger than a quarter, So I know, sometimes you can't really tell the 180 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.519 scale, but they just look like something from out of this world. And 181 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:46.519 in fact, one of the first varieties of button bush that was selected and 182 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.960 available on the market was actually called Sputnik, oh, after the Soviet spacecraft, 183 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:56.720 because it resembled that that sort of circular, spiny looking thing. The 184 00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:01.519 other thing about the flowers just the most incredible fragrance. And you know, 185 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:05.759 I often find that when a plant has incredible fragrance and it's summer blooming, 186 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:11.240 there's just something about that combination of those hot, humid days and that amazing 187 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:18.039 fragrance coming off the plants that is really just makes your day. So let 188 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:20.440 me let me ask you a quick question a minute, Stacy, I can 189 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:24.919 see button bush based on how the flowers look. But here at proven Winter's 190 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:30.559 color choice shrubs, how'd you settle on sugar shack. Well, that's a 191 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.320 very good question, and I'm afraid I don't really have a very good answer. 192 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:39.080 Oh. I distinctly remember the conversation wherein we named it sugar shack. 193 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:43.080 But very often so what we're doing when we're trying to name plants is we're 194 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:46.679 thinking about, Okay, this is this is a native North American plant. 195 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:52.519 We want something that kind of implies that it's you know, related to sort 196 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:56.759 of these vernacular traditions, like a sugarshack, even though it blooms in summer 197 00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:00.919 and it's pretty hearty. So this plant is hardy from you USDA Zone four 198 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:03.360 and heat tolerant all the way up to USDA Zone ten. So it's actually 199 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:07.559 one of the broadest hardiness range of any of the plants that are in the 200 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:11.679 proven Winter's Color Choice line. And I think that we just kind of liked 201 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:15.799 that name because of the sweetness, you know, of the flowers, the 202 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:20.039 sweetness of the fragrance, and it also just kind of just kind of stuck 203 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.399 and it's out in the woods where you might find a sugar sheck. I 204 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:26.320 think it's right. So I think when people see the flowers again, they 205 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:31.039 think that it's something exotic, but I have seen native button bush. Cephalanthis 206 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:37.360 occidentalis is the scientific name, growing right downtown Grand Rapids, right along the 207 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:41.240 river there. Wow, would you say that botanical name again, cephalanthis occidentalis. 208 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:46.879 Wow, that's really impressive. Well, cephalanthis it means like a head 209 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:50.600 like flower, so that's where that roundness comes. And occidentalis actually means eastern 210 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:56.919 because this plant is native to the entire eastern half of North America, so 211 00:15:56.960 --> 00:16:00.679 that's where the botanical name comes from. But this is a plant that is 212 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:04.399 far from exotic, far from unfamiliar. And again, if you are walking 213 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:08.080 along the river, walking downtown Grand Rapids by the gerald Ford Museum, you 214 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:14.120 will actually see wild button bush growing along the river beautiful. And if you 215 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.399 certainly if you go up north, you'll find it growing along any kind of 216 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:22.000 like large pond, small lakes. It will also grow like in Grand Rapids, 217 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.480 along running water, so along rivers. And I always just find it's 218 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:30.200 so interesting that when something looks and feels so exotic to find out that it's 219 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.799 actually really ubiquitous if you're just in the right kind of environment for it. 220 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:38.879 Ubiquitous and a native plant. And the botanical name is as tough to say 221 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:45.440 as meteorological spring. I actually find Cephalanthus accidental. It's a little easier speaking 222 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:52.480 for rolls off your tongue. So this is again a very easy plant to 223 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.360 grow. Now, it does want a lot of water, and this is 224 00:16:55.399 --> 00:17:00.000 a case that you're going to find that typically though more tolerant of wet soil, 225 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.200 something is the less tolerant it will be of drought or dry soil. 226 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:07.000 There are a couple of exceptions out there. I think you mentioned Erhonia. 227 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:10.799 That's one that can can kind of take those extremes. Although it will definitely 228 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:12.960 start to suffer if it's too dry, it won't suffer if it's too wet. 229 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:17.400 So this is not a plant for drought. I have tried to grow 230 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:21.960 it in my garden. I cannot too well drained, not enough water. 231 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:26.440 But if you have an area you know, again clay soil, high water 232 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:30.440 table, if you have like a live on a river or a pond or 233 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:33.720 something like that, this makes such a beautiful choice. Now, what is 234 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:37.440 the reason that we selected sugar shack specifically out of all of these button bushes 235 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:41.400 that you can find all over Michigan. Is we were looking for a way 236 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:47.359 to make this plant more friendly to growing in home gardens. Now, if 237 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:49.720 you were to see a button bush out in the wild, it could be 238 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:55.759 anywhere from you know, eight to ten or twelve feet tall and wide and 239 00:17:55.799 --> 00:18:00.400 typically and this certainly includes the ones in Grand Rapids. Not a great looking 240 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:03.279 plant if you see the flowers, you're like, oh, that's kind of 241 00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:07.240 neat, But you know the plants, they're kind of scraggly. You know, 242 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:10.160 they've had a lot of damage just from you know, the river raging 243 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:12.559 by and having things, you know, float by and break branches and so 244 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:17.440 forth. So it's not necessarily a plant that she would recognize so well if 245 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:19.559 you were to see it in the wild and it's bloom period again is only 246 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:23.920 in sort of that like mid to late July time frame. But it does 247 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:29.400 have some other distinguishing characteristics, very glossy foliage, and I think that that 248 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:34.240 is that makes this plant really attractive well outside of its blooming season. So 249 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:37.799 we've got it down to about a four to five foot tall and wide size, 250 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:41.319 so you can't actually use it in your home landscape and enjoy those flowers. 251 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:48.680 Another distinctive characteristic that we selected it for is after those flowers fade, 252 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:53.400 what's left is sort of this round, almost a little bit like a plane 253 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:59.640 tree or a sycamore seed pod, sort of like that, but they turn 254 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:03.000 red, and so the other ones in the wild after that flower fades, 255 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:04.480 i'll just kind of turn brown or take on a little bit of red. 256 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:10.720 With sugarshack. We were selecting for that remaining fruit to be a really nice 257 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:14.920 bright red and you can see this in our show notes at Gardeningsimplified on air 258 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:17.400 dot com, and you can look at the pictures also on our Instagram and 259 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:19.680 of course if you're watching on YouTube, you'll see everything. And it really 260 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:23.319 gives this plant a lot more season of interest, which is another thing that 261 00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:27.359 people are going to want when it comes to including it in their landscape. 262 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.960 Rather than just appreciating it. They want it to be a size that works 263 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:34.119 for their landscape and they want to have that longer season of interest, and 264 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:37.240 we want to give it to them. Yeah, so, Stacey, more 265 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:41.559 seasons of interest. But I think the other selling points as you've mentioned a 266 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:45.680 native plant, yes, and then I'm looking at your description the honey scent, 267 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.839 the sugar shack element of it. I would think this thing would attract 268 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:55.920 pollinator. Oh my gosh, it is a buzz with pollinators in the summer. 269 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:59.240 It's something you really have to see to believe it. Almost it's one 270 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:02.559 of those plants. I love this. I'm sure a lot of people are 271 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:06.960 probably recoiling at the mirror idea, but I love standing next to a plant 272 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:08.160 like this when it's in bloom on a summer day, and it's just like 273 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:12.759 throbbing with life, just like buzzing and noisy, with all of the insects 274 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:15.799 with you. I think that's a thrill. I love that. I'll stick 275 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:21.200 my hand right in there. It's fabulous. Yeah, it's great. Hopefully 276 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.920 you don't get stune. But the insects will actually, and this is true, 277 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.359 the insects will be so busy, you know, feeding off. The 278 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:30.039 plants are not interested in you. You really got to go mess with them 279 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:34.799 to try to distract distract them from the wonderful nectar of sugar. Shehck button 280 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:38.720 bush. So as I said, very wide hardiness range, hardy USDA zones 281 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:42.200 four through USDA Zone ten, so very cold tolerant as well as very heat 282 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:47.799 tolerant, very useful, four to five feet tall and wide summer bloom time. 283 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:51.359 And one last thing, oh two less things actually very deer resistant. 284 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:52.680 Ah. So this is a plant that you don't have to worry about the 285 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:56.680 deer getting So great if you have more of an unmanaged property and are just 286 00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:00.759 looking to get more interesting plants in it. And it was recently awarded the 287 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:04.680 Pennsylvania Horticulture Society Gold Medal. I see that. That's that's a big deal. 288 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.920 It's a very big deal. It's a very prestigious award. We have 289 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.720 a couple of other plants that have earned it, but definitely one that we 290 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:15.599 were very proud of to get that. So we thank the people at PHS 291 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:19.279 for that, and hopefully you will take that as an additional recommendation to add 292 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:23.039 sugar shack button bush to your landscape. You can get all the details at 293 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:26.799 Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We're going to take a little break. 294 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.039 When we come back, we're opening up that garden mail bags, so please 295 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:37.960 stay tuned. At proven Winner's Color Choice, We've got a shrub for every 296 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:42.799 taste and every space. Whether you're looking for an easy care rose and unforgettable 297 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:47.559 hydrangea, or something new and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs 298 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:51.279 and the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. Look for 299 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.960 them at your local garden center. Greeting's Gardening friends, and welcome back to 300 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:00.119 the Gardening Simplified Show. You know, I do love to help people with 301 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.759 their garden questions. I never really get stumped, but you can certainly try. 302 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:08.319 Oh and if you have a gardening question, whether or not you think 303 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:11.720 it'll stump us. If it's stumped you, you can certainly reach out to 304 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:15.000 us any time at help HLP at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, or just 305 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:18.319 visit Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We've got a handy contact form there 306 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:22.799 that you can fill out and send us, and we would be happy to 307 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:27.599 offer our experience and expertise and perspective on your problem, as we're going to 308 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:32.640 do for these gardeners Stacy, as I always say, that gets my stump 309 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:37.359 of approval. Chuck writes to us, we live in Zone seven A north 310 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:41.680 of Atlanta, Georgia. We also live in deer country, which forces us 311 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:48.079 to purchase deer resistant shrubs. I went heavy with daisy gardenas about twenty of 312 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:52.720 them. Two years have passed and no blossoms. My pH is between six 313 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.359 point five and seven with a fertilizer for acid loving plants, just do the 314 00:22:56.440 --> 00:23:02.480 trick or do I add extra salt for in spring? I read pH of 315 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:07.440 five to six is optimum, but can't get my pH. Lower bushes are 316 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.519 green and growing great, but no beautiful white blossom. Well, that is 317 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:15.640 very disappointing because it is you know, gardenias are beautiful, their foliage is 318 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:18.480 attractive, and their habit is typically very attractive. But you know, let's 319 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:22.960 face it, we're growing it for the flowers. So I certainly can understand 320 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:26.559 Chuck's pain. And one of the reasons why I really wanted to get this 321 00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:30.160 one out here is because whether or not you can grow gardena, I think 322 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:36.240 that this hints at a common misconception about plant health, and that is that 323 00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:41.119 soil pH will If the soil pH is an issue, it's not necessarily going 324 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:45.480 to manifest as a lack of flowers. What you're going to see is unhealthy 325 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:49.119 foliage exactly. And so if you're not getting flowers, my first thought would 326 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:53.079 not be to blame the soil pH. If, as you say, the 327 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:57.599 plant is growing green and looking healthy, then the pH is almost certainly not 328 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:02.039 the issue. Yeah, because is if the pH was a problem, it's 329 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:04.519 going to be evident in the veining of the foliage and the color. Yeah, 330 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:07.359 you're going to see a lot of yellow leaves especially. You know, 331 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:11.160 new growth is going to be slow to come out. When it does come 332 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:15.160 out, it's going to look sickly and unhealthy. And you know we've talked 333 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:18.359 about this on the show before, but soil pH is the reason that plants 334 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:23.200 have specific soil pH needs is not because of the acidity of the soil and 335 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:27.519 oh my roots can take in an acidic environment or a less acidic environment. 336 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:33.960 It's because the soil pH controls the availability of nutrients to the plants. So 337 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:37.559 all of the nutrients in the soil are minerals, their elements, and a 338 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.559 chemical reaction has to take place for them to become free from the soil bond 339 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:45.000 and be taken up for the plant. And that is going to happen differently 340 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:48.559 under different soil conditions. And this is why if you do have a soil 341 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:53.359 pH issue for your plant, again, it's not likely going to manifest itself 342 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:57.079 through a lack of flowers. So certainly it can be you know, nutrients 343 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:00.839 starved enough that that is the issue, but it that would not be the 344 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:04.200 only symptom you're seeing. You're also going to see yellow foliage, weird sort 345 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.200 of veining foliage. There's a lot of different nutrient deficiencies that can happen, 346 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:11.880 so chuck, if your soil is really about a six point five to seven. 347 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:15.079 That's probably a little bit higher than Guardina's would want. But as long 348 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:18.519 as your foliage is still nice and green, I wouldn't worry about that. 349 00:25:18.599 --> 00:25:22.920 I would start turning my attention to different explanations for the lack of flowers. 350 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:29.240 And there's a couple of possible reasons. So number one is potentially maturity. 351 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:33.559 So these plants have only been in the ground about two years. Normally this 352 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:37.200 isn't a huge issue for Guardinas, but it is something to consider certainly. 353 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:41.119 You know the whole sleep, creep leap. The first year a plant sleeps, 354 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:42.799 the second year it creeps and grows, and then the third year it 355 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:47.799 leaps, so that could be an issue. And whenever something's not flowering, 356 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:51.039 you know what, we've got to ask. You're gonna say it. I'm 357 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:52.519 not gonna say it, You're going, okay. We got to ask if 358 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:56.680 you're prumned it and if so, win, because pruning is probably the number 359 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:00.680 one reason certainly when it comes to hydranges can be for anything else. The 360 00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:06.680 number one reason that a plant wouldn't bloom guardinas because they bloom in early spring, 361 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:10.680 bloom on old wood. So basically that means that if you prune your 362 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:15.759 guardena at any point from say September, until it would be blooming the following 363 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:21.359 spring, you would be cutting off the flower buds that the plant had already 364 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:25.279 formed. It's making those flower buds in fall and winter and then just opening 365 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:27.279 them in spring. So if you need to prune your guardina, the only 366 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:32.880 time you can safely do that without removing flowers is immediately after it flowers. 367 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:36.279 Yeah, I agree completely on the pruning thing. I think in addition to 368 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:41.079 that, taking a look at available light. Also when we're having difficulty with 369 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:44.319 pruning, I think we've got to take a look at the amount of sunlight 370 00:26:44.359 --> 00:26:47.319 that those plants are, yeah, for sure, and too much shade. 371 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:51.559 Although gardinias can definitely tolerate some light shade, and the hotter your climate, 372 00:26:51.640 --> 00:26:56.039 the more shade they can take. It's certainly worth considering because yeah, in 373 00:26:56.079 --> 00:27:00.160 deep shade, pollinators are not as active, and so the plant is less 374 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:03.519 likely to flower because it's not getting the energy, and why would it when 375 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:07.039 there's no pollinators, And ultimately, as much as enjoyment, As much as 376 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:11.440 we get enjoyment from the flowers, the flowers do exist only to make seeds. 377 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:12.559 So if it's not going to be able to do that, then a 378 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:15.359 lot of times the plant won't just won't put the energy into blooming. I 379 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:19.519 just let you do your thing with that answer, and I'll do the Ed 380 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:25.640 McMahon thing again. You are correct, man. I like it because I 381 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:29.559 really have nothing else to add. You nail it. Yeah, So anyway, 382 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:30.960 Chuck, don't worry too much about the pH unless you start seeing the 383 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:34.480 yellow foliage. If you have been pruning, and I know when someone has 384 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:40.279 miss prune something, the urge to kick yourself is very strong. But on 385 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:44.599 the bright side, if pruning is actually the solution, that's a very easy 386 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:47.519 thing to fix. You know, if the issue is shade, that's not 387 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:49.279 so easy to fix, because then you might have to move the plant or 388 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:53.759 change something around. At least with pruning, you can modify your behavior and 389 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:59.160 not prune it and get back to beautiful, fragrant Grdemia flowers hopefully this year, 390 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:02.160 if not next. It's a kick in the plants, all right. 391 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:07.880 Genny's asking us about powdery mildew. What causes it to form on plants? 392 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.640 Does it spread to other plants in the garden? If not treat it. 393 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:14.960 How do you get rid of it and treat it? Can I deal with 394 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.200 it in spring before disease begins? Should the disease plant be cut back or 395 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:23.559 removed? You know, Jenny, great questions. And let me say right 396 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:30.759 off the top, Stacey, that coming up next week we'll talk about IPM, 397 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:37.799 and this is a great question as it relates to that, and anytime 398 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:41.000 that we're looking at issues like powdery mildew, I think we've got to remember 399 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:45.680 what we learned in school a long time ago. Whenever we have a disease, 400 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:51.400 it's like a triangle. You have a pathogen, you have a host, 401 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:57.160 and you have an environment that's suitable to it growing. And I think 402 00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:03.279 you know my comment would be on powdery mildew that fungal spores travel. Yes, 403 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:07.759 they sure do. They're very small, they can easily travel on the 404 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:11.960 air. And I found that Ginny's questions were all really really good questions. 405 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:15.039 So to answer the first question, what causes it to form on plants, 406 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:18.240 It's exactly what Rick said. The fungal spores are in the air. Certain 407 00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:26.319 plants are more susceptible than others, and they thrive in conditions where a plant 408 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:30.599 is alternately wet and dry. So they can't really live well on a plant 409 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:33.519 that's always dry. They can't really live well in a plant that's always wet. 410 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:37.359 But if you have say a sprinkler system, and it pelts all your 411 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:38.880 plants first thing in the morning, they spend all day drying, and then 412 00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:44.839 the next day boom happens all over again. That is ideal conditions for powdery 413 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:48.799 mildew to develop. Now, as far as it's spreading to other plants, 414 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:52.359 this is interesting. As much as it can seem like powdery mildew is a 415 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:56.960 ubiquitous disease, powdery mildew is always specific to the plant that it's on. 416 00:29:56.759 --> 00:30:02.319 So the powdery mildew that would impact some thing like a rose is not going 417 00:30:02.359 --> 00:30:06.960 to be the same powdery mildew that would affect something like a coreopsis. They 418 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:11.000 are specific to those genera or the genus that you're growing. So the idea 419 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.839 that it would spread to other plants in your garden, yes, it will 420 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:18.200 spread to similar plants, so other roses or other choreopsis, but that same 421 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:22.960 type of powdery will not crop up on other plants. If other plants get 422 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:26.119 it, it got another strain or species of the powdery mildew fungus. I 423 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:30.960 like that and fungal spores are fun. Guys like me just kind of hang 424 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:36.079 out and wait until the environment's right. And you know, you mentioned the 425 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:40.160 irrigation issue. If you're watering, you know, try to water at the 426 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:45.359 base. The other thing I've found, Stacy, is if you're overfertilizing your 427 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:48.480 plants, that can be an issue. Yeah, well, anytime there's that 428 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:53.279 fresh new foliage. What happens when a plant leaves out is as that foliage 429 00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:57.880 matures, a wax cuticle develops and then it's less susceptible to those fungal diseases. 430 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:03.160 But when it's fresh in spring, when it is moist, when there 431 00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:07.279 is a lot of fungal spores fresh on the wind, it's really easy for 432 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:10.039 them to land on that foliage. And I think this is sort of one 433 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:15.160 of the big gotchas of powdery mildew is that by the time it starts showing 434 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:18.480 up in your garden in you know, June, it actually infected your plants 435 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:25.559 probably two months prior, and so preventative is really has to happen in spring. 436 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:29.519 But I will say overall, powdery mildew can be very unsightly, and 437 00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:33.279 in extreme conditions it can be extremely unsightly, But overall I encourage people to 438 00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:37.359 just kind of take it with a grain of salt. My standard advice. 439 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:41.240 If it's a branch that you can easily cut off without really harming the plant 440 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:44.839 or you know, ruining its overall appearance, I would say, just snip 441 00:31:44.839 --> 00:31:48.000 it out and throw it away. That reduces the inoculum or amount of fungal 442 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:52.559 spores out there and the other thing. And this is definitely one of those 443 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:56.759 easier said than done types of pieces of advice. But try to clean up 444 00:31:56.799 --> 00:32:00.480 all of the foliage from the plant after it, because what happens with this 445 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:05.759 plant and its life cycle. Those leaves had powdery mildew on them, They're 446 00:32:05.799 --> 00:32:08.000 going to fall below the plant. They're going to sit there with those fungal 447 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:13.119 spores on them, and then the following spring, if conditions are right, 448 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:15.039 which they very often are, they're just going to go right back up and 449 00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:21.160 reinfect that plant and it's new foliage. By removing that foliage from the base 450 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:22.319 of the plant, you can really do a lot to reduce it. Of 451 00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:27.079 course, the fungal spores are still on the wind it's not foolproof, but 452 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:30.440 it is something and you know, every little bit does help. And this 453 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.160 is sort of the crux of IPM as we're going to talk about next week. 454 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:36.559 I think it's well rooted advice. All right, thank you all so 455 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:37.720 much for your questions. If you do have a question for us, again, 456 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:40.319 reach us at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We're going to take 457 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:50.839 a break when we come back Branching News. The Gardening Simplified Show is brought 458 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:54.240 to you by proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs 459 00:32:54.240 --> 00:33:00.200 and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy more beauty 460 00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:04.279 and less work. Look for proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs and the distinctive white 461 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:08.640 container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. 462 00:33:08.680 --> 00:33:14.319 It's time for branching news and Happy Leap Year. February twenty We get an 463 00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:17.279 extra day this year, or we had an extra day, and I try 464 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:21.839 to make I try to make the most of it. Get up early in 465 00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:25.960 the morning Leap Day, I go to ihop, have breakfast, you know, 466 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:30.359 kind of cool. So three hundred and sixty five days to a year 467 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:35.319 twenty four hours a day, but it actually takes the Earth three hundred and 468 00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:42.920 sixty five point four nine zero days to orbit the Sun. That just kind 469 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:45.240 of blows my mind. Who's counting? Who's counting exactly? Well, I'll 470 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:50.559 tell you who's counting. The reason that we have this leap day or extra 471 00:33:50.680 --> 00:33:57.440 day every four years is because centuries ago people kept track of the Sun's position. 472 00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:00.839 They couldn't watch whether people on the news or whatever it may be. 473 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:07.680 They didn't have the digital advantage advantages we have today, and so they kind 474 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:14.480 of looked at that sort of thing to know when to plant or harvest, 475 00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:16.440 and so it was a big deal to them. But I just try to 476 00:34:16.480 --> 00:34:21.280 take that extra day and make the most of it, really pack a lot 477 00:34:21.360 --> 00:34:23.000 in that day because I feel like I'm getting a bonus. Yeah you are, 478 00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:27.239 I guess, Yeah, I guess. So. So anyhow, I 479 00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:31.119 start off the day by going to the I hop like anyone would on leap 480 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:36.800 Day. And it's unbelievable. So I hope you enjoyed it. Did you 481 00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:39.679 drink a happy beer? Oh? Yes, I do, a very happy 482 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:45.000 one in IPA. All right, I say, eat more plants. Us 483 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:52.119 adults found many feel either tired, frustrated, or even sad by the time 484 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:57.760 their day is done. Now that's really sad. I'm looking at a survey 485 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:04.079 here, and but here's the point. Many people credit their diet for making 486 00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:07.800 them feel that way, either frustrated, sad at the end of the day, 487 00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:12.599 or tired. One in five Americans said they don't even have the slightest 488 00:35:12.639 --> 00:35:20.159 idea where their food comes from. So the top motivators to buy sustainably sourced 489 00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:24.159 foods or maybe this year put a vegetable garden on your docket and grow some 490 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:30.360 vegetables at home is to eat healthier overall, improve their heart health, weight 491 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:37.679 management, boost their energy, or manage their stress levels. Again, we 492 00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:44.840 see surveys over and over again the advantage of growing your own food in your 493 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:49.519 own yard and taking advantage of that this year. Make a resolution to do 494 00:35:49.559 --> 00:35:51.960 that in twenty twenty four. And you know, I think so many people 495 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:53.360 think, oh, well, vegetable garden. That sounds like a lot of 496 00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:58.840 work. But really it can be as simple as just growing one tomato plant 497 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:01.000 or just growing one basil plant. And I think, you know, you 498 00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:04.800 don't have to just dive into the deep end. If you want to great, 499 00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:07.079 but you don't have to. And I find that, you know, 500 00:36:07.480 --> 00:36:13.840 it's very encouraging and addicting when you do start to have that little bit you 501 00:36:13.880 --> 00:36:15.079 know, Oh, I just you know, put a little bit of homemade, 502 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:19.960 homegrown basil on this. You know, I just harvested some homegrown tomatoes. 503 00:36:19.960 --> 00:36:22.079 And once you get that feeling, you want more. So it can 504 00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:24.719 start small, and even that makes a big difference. Yeah, if you 505 00:36:24.719 --> 00:36:29.760 can chop up some slices of green pepper and throw them in a little tupperware 506 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:32.280 container and then midday while you're at work, you could munch on those, 507 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:36.000 Yeah, and just casuals. Yeah, I agree with these. Anyone anyone 508 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:42.559 else? Anyone want? Anyone want to know about my homegrown green pea. 509 00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:45.039 Come over here, look at my peppers. Yeah, you've got it. 510 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:50.639 Anyhow, I like to talk about fresh food and how important it is and 511 00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:53.719 that you know, not only does it help us physically, but it also 512 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:57.800 helps us mentally. And I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. 513 00:36:57.880 --> 00:37:00.480 If you can show your fellow co workers that you know, I grew this 514 00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:05.239 in my garden, it it feels good. So have you heard about the 515 00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:10.519 restaurant on the moon. No great food, no atmosphere. You know what, 516 00:37:10.679 --> 00:37:15.119 I can always tell whether or not you like one of my puns by 517 00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:22.519 your sigh. I have a I call it my seismograph. So there you 518 00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:24.559 go. All right, here's a sad story. Let's move to a sad 519 00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:30.639 story. Duke University has decided to close its herbarium. No, that's sad. 520 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:35.159 I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right, Stacey, but I think 521 00:37:35.199 --> 00:37:37.960 I am. It's an herbarium. So it's a collection of eight hundred and 522 00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:45.159 twenty five thousand specimens of plants, fungi, algae. They've been collecting them 523 00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:51.119 for a century. So an herbarium is like a library, but it differs 524 00:37:51.239 --> 00:37:55.400 in that the information is stored in a biological form. So it's a collection 525 00:37:55.519 --> 00:38:00.159 of plant specimens. They preserve them, they label them, they store or 526 00:38:00.199 --> 00:38:05.679 them. Maybe they're pressed on paper, flattened, dried, mounted, some 527 00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:12.960 of them maybe are seeds or microscopic slides, DNA extractions, whatever it may 528 00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:15.079 be. But of course, yeah, I can you know, I can 529 00:38:15.880 --> 00:38:22.400 certainly consider the fact that it's very expensive to keep an herbarium going, and 530 00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:29.800 yet a lot of people are very upset about this. And understandably so because 531 00:38:29.800 --> 00:38:34.039 in today's day and age with DNA, they you know, they're able to 532 00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:38.599 go back and pull important data as far as these plants are concerned, and 533 00:38:38.920 --> 00:38:45.840 issues like climate change or how plants are adapting to the climate or the area 534 00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:52.719 where they're at. So, and in defense of Duke University, they've stressed 535 00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:57.880 that their plan is to move the herbarium someplace else. They're saying, we're 536 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:01.960 not destroying anything, but boy, what an archive after one hundred years and 537 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:07.599 they've decided, you know, they're not going to fund it anymore. I'm 538 00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:09.199 hoping they can find a new home for it, you know, I hope 539 00:39:09.239 --> 00:39:15.119 so too. Arberia are very interesting and important aspects of research, so usually 540 00:39:15.559 --> 00:39:17.960 you know, associated more with museums or large institutions, which is kind of 541 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:22.360 surprising that a big university like Duke would actually get rid of theirs or move 542 00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:28.199 it. It sounds to me like the herbarium needs a marketing campaign, Like 543 00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:31.400 we need to get some like museum exhibits going so people can get interested in 544 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:36.920 herbaria and you know, start to care more about the preservation and what we 545 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:39.639 can learn from the preserve specimens. Yeah, that's great. And I'm sure 546 00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:43.760 it's a budget issue. And if you want to read more on this and 547 00:39:44.360 --> 00:39:49.480 educate yourself on this, the New York Times did a great article and we'll 548 00:39:49.480 --> 00:39:53.719 put the link there at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, so check that out. 549 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.760 Wow, while we're on the subject of depressing news, and I didn't 550 00:39:58.760 --> 00:40:00.559 want to bring this up, Stacy, but just over a year ago, 551 00:40:00.679 --> 00:40:05.239 we talked about Flacco, the owl. I did hear about this in New 552 00:40:05.360 --> 00:40:10.000 York, who fled the Central Park Zoo enclosure after it was vandalized and he 553 00:40:10.199 --> 00:40:17.760 died. Yeah, he collided with a building in Manhattan, the Wildlife Conservation 554 00:40:19.079 --> 00:40:22.639 Society announced, And it made me really sad when I saw that, because 555 00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:28.960 boy, people were really rallying around Flacco. They were enjoying bird watching, 556 00:40:29.119 --> 00:40:35.239 learning more about bird watching as he flew about Central Park and they're in New 557 00:40:35.320 --> 00:40:39.159 York and they would post updates on Twitter about his eating habits, that sort 558 00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:42.639 of thing. And he died, So yeah, kind of sad. I 559 00:40:42.639 --> 00:40:45.159 mean, window strikes are always so sad, and especially when it is you 560 00:40:45.199 --> 00:40:47.880 know, a bird of prey, which is of course, I mean, 561 00:40:47.920 --> 00:40:52.119 it's tragic anytime, but especially when you have something that is relatively rare or 562 00:40:52.199 --> 00:40:55.360 uncommon, like a bird of prey. But you know, this is why 563 00:40:55.400 --> 00:40:59.960 it's so important people keep their lights off at night to try to minimize it. 564 00:41:00.119 --> 00:41:01.639 I mean, we'll never be able to completely get rid of bird strikes 565 00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:06.440 because sometimes the sun can just hit a window at a certain angle and the 566 00:41:06.440 --> 00:41:09.719 birds get confused. But any little bit that we can do if you frequently 567 00:41:09.800 --> 00:41:14.679 have bird strikes. I remember we did a branching news story once on how 568 00:41:14.760 --> 00:41:15.920 the deca had to be on the outside. If you put it on the 569 00:41:15.920 --> 00:41:21.559 inside, it didn't work. Any little thing you can do can help, 570 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:23.480 and you might not know how it helps. But yeah, we have to 571 00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:27.280 do the best that we can with what we have. Absolutely, by the 572 00:41:27.320 --> 00:41:31.039 way, it causes me to think, how was superb Owl Sunday? It 573 00:41:31.079 --> 00:41:34.679 was good. I did not see any owls, not for a lack of 574 00:41:34.719 --> 00:41:39.599 looking, but I personally did not see any owls superb or otherwise. At 575 00:41:39.639 --> 00:41:43.800 least you were out there birdwatching, Yes, definitely, all right, I 576 00:41:43.880 --> 00:41:47.559 love it. And then you ever like to go just to websites that are 577 00:41:47.719 --> 00:41:52.559 selling homes like Zillow. I like to do that. And we're going to 578 00:41:52.599 --> 00:42:00.400 post a picture of one that I spotted in fullsome Lake California things an entertainers 579 00:42:00.679 --> 00:42:06.480 paradise. It's not that the house is so big, but the backyard landscape 580 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:13.119 just is unreal. You got to see it to believe it. The hedges 581 00:42:13.239 --> 00:42:19.800 back there spell out the word Margaritaville. Oh my, and it's hilarious to 582 00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:22.320 take a look at in California. So you got to take a look at 583 00:42:22.320 --> 00:42:28.280 that, because that is huge fun. And it brings up the point that 584 00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:31.800 our landscapes and our plants and outdoor our living areas give us a chance to 585 00:42:32.239 --> 00:42:37.199 enjoy entertaining folks or just enjoy it for ourselves and have some fun with it. 586 00:42:37.280 --> 00:42:40.840 In this home boy, they took it the extra mile. Well, 587 00:42:40.840 --> 00:42:44.800 you know, it is important that we look at our gardens as opportunities for 588 00:42:44.840 --> 00:42:47.480 self expression. I mean, I can't say that spelling Margaritaville would be my 589 00:42:47.599 --> 00:42:52.159 choice for hedgewords, but you know, if you love Margarita's and you love 590 00:42:52.239 --> 00:42:55.360 Jimmy Buffett, then I guess that's what you're going to spell with your hedge. 591 00:42:55.960 --> 00:43:00.719 A term. I walks into a bar, he sits down and says, 592 00:43:00.119 --> 00:43:07.920 hey is the bartender. With that, we'll end our show today. 593 00:43:07.960 --> 00:43:12.400 It's been fun The Gardening Simplified Show. Look for us on Instagram, look 594 00:43:12.440 --> 00:43:17.400 for our website, the Gardeningsimplified Show on air dot com, and of course 595 00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:22.519 watch us on YouTube or radio, or look for us wherever you get your 596 00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:28.320 favorite podcasts. Stacey, thanks so much, Thank you, Adriana, and 597 00:43:28.400 --> 00:43:31.559 thanks most of all to you, thanks for tuning in The Gardening Simplified Show.