1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:06,559 Coming to you from Studio A here at proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. It's 2 00:00:06,639 --> 00:00:14,400 time for the Gardening Simplified radio podcast and YouTube show with Stacy Hervella, me, 3 00:00:14,679 --> 00:00:19,800 Rick Weist, and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. All right, 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,960 Stacey, weed need to talk. That's right. Weeds can be native or 5 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:29,800 non native, invasive or non invasive, and noxious or not noxious. Legally, 6 00:00:30,399 --> 00:00:34,359 a noxious weed is any plant designated by a federal, state, or 7 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:41,560 county government as injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife, or 8 00:00:41,679 --> 00:00:47,200 property. Now, the definition of a weed is also relative. I've always 9 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,880 said to people, a rose bush is a weed if it's planted in the 10 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,479 middle of a football field. That is true. And there are actually some 11 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:00,359 very severe rose weeds like multiflora rose exactly. Or you have weeds that are 12 00:01:00,439 --> 00:01:07,959 aquatic, terrestrial, or parasitic, like daughter such a strange weed. And 13 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,519 if you want to learn more about these weeds, you could go to the 14 00:01:11,599 --> 00:01:17,799 USDA Federal Noxious Weed List. Now, of course there's the opposite that is 15 00:01:17,799 --> 00:01:22,400 true, and there are people who celebrate weeds. My friend Lisa Rose, 16 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,799 she wrote the Urban Foraging book, is out there eating burdocks, stinging nettles, 17 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:32,000 pigweed, and bittercress all the time. And of course weeds are home 18 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:38,439 to insects like that fascinating spittlebug. I know you like insects too, Stacy, 19 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,680 and the spittlebug just fascinates me. They have this white foam that their 20 00:01:42,799 --> 00:01:48,760 nymphs produce, and it looks remarkably similar to a gob of human spit. 21 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,120 That is really the only way I can put it. They like to end 22 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,519 up on Canada thistle, and some people surmise, well, that's where mom 23 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:04,079 lays her eggs because it offers a natural prickly protection against predators. I guess 24 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,599 all said weeds are fascinating. Weeds are fascinating, and you know you mentioned 25 00:02:07,599 --> 00:02:14,000 a weed that I truly don't like, stinging netle. I have an adverse 26 00:02:14,039 --> 00:02:16,400 reaction to singing netle. Like it, I mean everyone, it bothers everybody, 27 00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:20,560 but like if it pricks my finger, the finger goes down for twenty 28 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,840 four hours and it's an extremely uncomfortable feeling. But I have gained a new 29 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:29,919 appreciation for singing netle this year, in fact, because it serves as a 30 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,439 larval host for the red Admiral butterfly. Oh wow. And here in West 31 00:02:32,479 --> 00:02:36,879 Michigan we have had a banner spring for red admiral butterflies. You know, 32 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,439 I mean they were every They still are, but they were everywhere. And 33 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,360 I realized one of the reasons that they can be out so early is because 34 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,599 stinging nettle is so prevalent out in the woods and wild areas here, and 35 00:02:47,199 --> 00:02:50,400 so it gives them a source. They can be out, and they can 36 00:02:50,439 --> 00:02:53,159 mate, and they can get those young out there and get them fed real 37 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,840 quick. So I had a very new appreciation for it after learning that, 38 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,280 and thus the reason for this show our favorite, and I would not favorite. 39 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:06,520 It's still interesting one. You know. It's all about perspective. Though. 40 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,719 On weeds, I mentioned the Canada thistle. If you think about Canada 41 00:03:09,759 --> 00:03:16,479 thistle or a thistle such an important plant to American goldfinches, you will see, 42 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,159 as a matter of fact, on YouTube, you'll see a picture that 43 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,400 I took of finches perched on one of these thistle plants. Not only do 44 00:03:24,439 --> 00:03:29,520 they like the seed, but they use the plant for nesting. And this 45 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:34,479 is a bird that nests later on in summer, not in the spring. 46 00:03:34,599 --> 00:03:38,759 So you develop an appreciation for weeds. I have always said that if I 47 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,759 started a rock band, and I've often thought of starting a rock band, 48 00:03:44,199 --> 00:03:49,719 it would be called Teasel and the Dames Rockets. Now Dame's Rocket is a 49 00:03:50,199 --> 00:03:55,680 either a loved or hated prolific ceeder in the landscape. Has a fabulous botanical 50 00:03:55,759 --> 00:04:01,520 name Hesperis matronalis, I believe is how it's pronounced, and you'll see that 51 00:04:01,599 --> 00:04:05,840 along the roadways as you drive by at fifty five to seventy miles per hour, 52 00:04:05,879 --> 00:04:11,520 but very very colorful. And then there's wild teasel. Now, this 53 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,879 one's got a great botanical name, Dipsicus silvestros. Yeah, that looks like 54 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:23,680 the caption you would see below Wilie coyote in a road Runner episode. It's 55 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,920 also known as barber's brush or church broom. But therein also I find the 56 00:04:28,959 --> 00:04:32,120 finches just dancing and playing on top of that weed, which is a non 57 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,319 native. Yes, it is no native. It was actually brought over with 58 00:04:35,439 --> 00:04:41,839 early American colonists because they use it for woolf processing, and they use it 59 00:04:41,879 --> 00:04:46,360 as culms to process wool and other animal hair into fiber. And if you 60 00:04:46,399 --> 00:04:49,240 think from just those few plants that were brought over way back when it has 61 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:55,920 certainly made itself well at home here in North America, no question. And 62 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:01,800 that's because just like Dame's rocket, weeds have explosive seed capabilities. Think about 63 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,720 garlic mustard and how that has spread. They're very, very competitive, like 64 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:13,240 the wicked weed of the West, spotted nap weed. There's another one that 65 00:05:13,319 --> 00:05:17,600 comes into the country around the eighteen hundreds. It's a lollopathic, meaning it 66 00:05:17,639 --> 00:05:23,439 alters the soil chemistry around it and inhibits the growth of other plants. When 67 00:05:23,439 --> 00:05:28,120 it comes right down to it, Stacey weeds are highly competitive. That's why 68 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,560 they are successful. That's why they are weeds and not garden plants. Is 69 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:35,160 they can outcompete other plants. And whether that is that they are less finicky 70 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:40,480 about soil or conditions or some adaptation, there can be so many of those 71 00:05:40,519 --> 00:05:44,759 adaptations that they can have that just make them a better competitor. And that 72 00:05:44,879 --> 00:05:47,040 is one case where being a better competitor is not a good thing. You 73 00:05:47,199 --> 00:05:51,680 nicely summarize the whole show right there in one paragram. So let me give 74 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:57,879 you this week's limb. A rick weed related. Is a weed a weed 75 00:05:58,079 --> 00:06:04,040 indeed? Or is it about respective a flora pedigreed success guaranteed. Do you 76 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:09,959 view it as defective? Yes? Is a weed a weed indeed, and 77 00:06:10,199 --> 00:06:15,720 is my opinion objective. I'm going to proceed not be weak need, I 78 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,120 guess I'll just be selective. In other words, there are weeds out there 79 00:06:20,199 --> 00:06:24,399 that we love, and on the top of my list, stacy has to 80 00:06:24,439 --> 00:06:26,959 be milkweed. Oh of course, I mean, I you know, I 81 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,519 wouldn't if I was making a list of weeds that A love, I probably 82 00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:30,839 wouldn't have even put milkweed on it because I don't think of it as a 83 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,480 weed anymore exactly so. But you are right. It is weed is right 84 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,439 there in the name, which kind of just goes to show you why so 85 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,720 many people do have a bad relationship with it, even though it does so 86 00:06:41,879 --> 00:06:46,519 much and it is native, you know. But yeah, I have ceased 87 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,079 thinking of milkweed as a weed myself. In talks that I give to folks 88 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,839 about plants, and when we get into the subject of weeds, one of 89 00:06:54,879 --> 00:06:59,160 the things I bring up is that we all remember in twenty twenty when we 90 00:06:59,199 --> 00:07:03,360 had the toilet shortage, and that's not the first time it's happened. In 91 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:09,360 nineteen seventy three, it happened Johnny Carson mentioned it on the Tonight Show and 92 00:07:09,399 --> 00:07:13,839 there was a run on toilet paper in the stores. The point is, 93 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,519 I make a list of these natural weeds that you can use as an alternative 94 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:23,480 to toilet paper, like giant mullin. Now, I like that plant because 95 00:07:23,519 --> 00:07:28,199 I think it's highly attractive. I also agree also known as verbaskom. Yes, 96 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,079 that is a plant that I do actually really enjoy. It is very 97 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,399 stately when it blooms. It's to a biennial. So the first year you 98 00:07:33,439 --> 00:07:40,079 get that beautiful fluffy white leaf rosette, and then the next year you've got 99 00:07:40,079 --> 00:07:44,600 this gorgeous candelabra of yellow. But that's also a non native and it's called 100 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,279 also cowboy tissue paper. Oh I know that. Yeah, that's the common 101 00:07:48,399 --> 00:07:53,720 name for the plant. So you know, stick with mullen. Then, 102 00:07:53,759 --> 00:08:00,560 of course there's other favorite weeds like dandelion's joe pie weed borage. Now that 103 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,720 one can get out of hand. It can very easily get out of hand. 104 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,720 It doesn't usually go too far. It takes a long time to march. 105 00:08:05,759 --> 00:08:09,879 But if you have it in your garden, you have it in your 106 00:08:09,959 --> 00:08:15,680 garden exactly and for people trying to grow along. Some people believe clover is 107 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,399 a weed. There are other people who are will are you, No, 108 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,519 clover is not a weed, a nitrogen fixing plant. But that's got to 109 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:28,000 be on the list of favorite weeds per Slaine and edible weed. And I've 110 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,639 got a favorite weed just because I think it's fun and it's funny. Sticky 111 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:37,960 Willie. This weed is so sticky that it sticks to you. Interesting weed. 112 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,000 And have a picture for our YouTube viewers, Rick. This may be 113 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:43,720 the first time we have to come to blows in the studio here. Because 114 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,480 I despise this weed. I came up with my own name for it. 115 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,759 Yes, it is laceration weed because it lacerates your skin. So it's a 116 00:08:54,759 --> 00:08:58,240 weak weed. Now, that's the nice thing about it is it's not hard 117 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,840 to pull when you have it, Like the stem that comes out of the 118 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,240 ground is very wimpy, so it's easy to pull. Ish, it's easy 119 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,639 ish to pull. But if you are pulling it and you have like bare 120 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:11,240 arms or bare hands and it brushes up against your skin the wrong way, 121 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:16,759 it just lacerates it and it really hurts. It's a fascinating weed. It 122 00:09:16,799 --> 00:09:18,960 is it's an interesting weed. The name I have more often heard for it, 123 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,039 because laceration weed was my own creation, is cleavers. Oh okay, 124 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,720 because it cleaves to you. And yes, it is very difficult, not 125 00:09:26,759 --> 00:09:30,159 as bad as like a cactus or you know, something jumping cat, jumping 126 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,759 choya that they have out west, but like it's not pleasant and it will 127 00:09:33,799 --> 00:09:37,240 stick to you and not only the planet itself but the seeds too. Making 128 00:09:37,279 --> 00:09:41,360 a note not to bring up Sticky Willie anymore. A few more weeds to 129 00:09:41,399 --> 00:09:46,799 the list. Pigweed because it's edible, poke weed because I like the Elvis 130 00:09:46,879 --> 00:09:50,320 Presley song Polk Salad Annie, and it wins the award for the most asked 131 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,519 about weed every year in fall. You, if you are a horticulturist, 132 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,840 I guarantee and people know it. I guarantee you. Come September, everyone's 133 00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:03,639 going to be asking you what is that plant? And of course Rosa rugosa 134 00:10:03,759 --> 00:10:07,240 in some parts of the country people call it beach tornado invasive, whereas I 135 00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:11,360 love the plant, I love the rose hips. So we end this segment 136 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:16,159 with a quote of the week, and it comes from no one else but 137 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,960 William Shakespeare. He says, I quote my Uncle Gloucester. Small herbs have 138 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,120 grace. Great weeds do grow apace, and since methinks I would not grow 139 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:33,759 so fast because sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste. So true, 140 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,360 We're going to see how Stacey ties this all together in Plants on Trial, 141 00:10:37,399 --> 00:10:48,399 and that's coming up next here on the Gardening Simplified Show. Proven Winter's Color 142 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:52,480 Choice Shrubs cares about your success in the garden. That's why we trial and 143 00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,360 test all of our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they outperform 144 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,279 everything else on the market. Look for them in the distinctive white container your 145 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:07,039 local garden center. Greetings gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified 146 00:11:07,039 --> 00:11:09,399 Show, where we are talking about weeds and so of course before we launch 147 00:11:09,399 --> 00:11:13,320 in today's Plant on Trial. You know, I feel like we owe our 148 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:18,600 listeners a little bit of you know, take home lesson here about weeds rather 149 00:11:18,639 --> 00:11:20,440 than just you know, I mean, it's fun to talk. I could 150 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,759 talk about weeds quite a lot. It was a chore that I hated as 151 00:11:22,759 --> 00:11:24,799 a child, but now it's actually my favorite garden shore. I'd call that 152 00:11:24,879 --> 00:11:31,200 weeding by example. I do enjoy weeding because it gets you around the plants. 153 00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:33,960 You can tend to observe a lot of things. You learn a lot 154 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:41,159 about plants by weeding. But the key to keeping weeding enjoyable is to making 155 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:46,879 sure that you don't have any weeds that are very difficult or unpleasant to manage. 156 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,440 And so I wanted to talk briefly about a concept that we talk a 157 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,480 lot about on the show, which is IPM Integrated Pest Management. And we 158 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,159 talk about that a lot in terms of pests like bugs and mammals and things 159 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,440 like that, but it does apply for weeds just as much as it does 160 00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:05,200 for awe for animal tests, and it works specifically, I think from a 161 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,720 weed management perspective, if it helps if you know what kind of weed you 162 00:12:09,759 --> 00:12:15,080 are dealing with, if it's a perennial weed, if it's an annual weed. 163 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,799 You know, if you have an annual weed and you are lazy or 164 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,320 time crunched or something like that, all you really have to do is prevent 165 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:28,279 that weed from going to seed. You don't necessarily have to pull out all 166 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:33,240 of the weeds individually, and that is why fall is such an important time 167 00:12:33,279 --> 00:12:35,159 for weed control. Yeah, make sure it doesn't go to seed now, 168 00:12:35,519 --> 00:12:39,480 some spring annuals like chickweed. Of course those would be long gone and have 169 00:12:39,519 --> 00:12:43,759 already spread their seed by fall. So it helps to know the life cycle 170 00:12:43,879 --> 00:12:46,559 of the weed that you are dealing with, to spend a little time looking 171 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,600 it up. And you know, because weeds are so ubiquitous as reck and 172 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:54,639 I just discover they can have a lot of different common names. But you 173 00:12:54,639 --> 00:12:58,360 start googling, you find that scientific name and then you're able to really search 174 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,080 by that and to dive in and get more specific advice. If you have 175 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,480 a perennial weed, you know, you just really have to invest in the 176 00:13:05,519 --> 00:13:07,159 time and effort to get it out of there, because otherwise it's going to 177 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:13,120 keep coming back and coming back from that same root system and getting worse every 178 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,480 year. And you know, one weed that I've been hearing a lot about, 179 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,720 especially here in West Michigan, although I think it's it's pretty well established 180 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:26,480 throughout Lower Michigan is Epipactus helleborine, also known as the uh wild orid, 181 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:31,759 the wild orchid. Yeah. Now, people, some people here might be 182 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,799 like freaking out to think that we have an orchid in Michigan that is a 183 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,240 weed, But we do, we really do, and This is a horrible 184 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,120 weed, very very difficult to control. It is a perennial weed. It 185 00:13:43,159 --> 00:13:46,600 makes a huge root mass, not really so much a root mass, I 186 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,039 guess, is like a bunch of runners. And it's a really cool looking 187 00:13:50,039 --> 00:13:52,080 plant. So when you see it come up in your garden, you think, 188 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,799 Ooh, that's cool. I got something really cool growing here. And 189 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:56,840 then you know, you look it up and you're like, ooh, it's 190 00:13:56,879 --> 00:14:00,360 an orchid. I'm growing an orchid. But you are growing the weed ediest 191 00:14:00,399 --> 00:14:03,519 orchid that is going to make the biggest pest of itself in your garden. 192 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,360 So my advice if you have epipact to celebrain also known as wild orchid or 193 00:14:07,919 --> 00:14:13,879 false helibor I think some people call it, do not let that thing go 194 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,000 to flower, or if you let it go to flower, because you just 195 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,399 want to see the flowers. Although for as far as orchid flowers go, 196 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:24,919 it's not actually all that interesting. It's a little interesting. Orchid seeds have 197 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,840 no endosperm, so when you talk about a seed, like you think about 198 00:14:26,879 --> 00:14:31,960 like a bean seed, all of that starchy bean is the endosperm that sustains 199 00:14:31,039 --> 00:14:35,360 the seedling as it grows. If you have a seed without endosperm, like 200 00:14:35,399 --> 00:14:41,320 an orchid, it's very very tiny, it doesn't have all that extra mass, 201 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:43,960 and so the seeds are essentially like dust. So if you let this 202 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,799 orchid go to seed, you're going to end up with thousands and thousands and 203 00:14:48,879 --> 00:14:52,879 thousands of those dust like seeds that are going to go all over your yard, 204 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,759 all over your neighbor's yard, and then all over your neighborhood and just 205 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,840 make this more and more of a problem. So if you don't have if 206 00:14:58,879 --> 00:15:01,320 you're out in the garden and you see this plant and you don't have the 207 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,279 tools or the time to dig the whole thing out, because it does take 208 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,519 time, and that you know, you can look up how big the root 209 00:15:07,559 --> 00:15:11,320 systems are at least not g it back and prevent it from going to see 210 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:15,159 the Sometimes having those little tips and tricks absolutely can really help you make a 211 00:15:15,159 --> 00:15:20,360 difference in your outlook on weeding as well as your time management. Understanding what 212 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,679 a winter annual is or in the case of this weed, not trying to 213 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,679 pull it up because you're just propagating it by doing that. Yeah, it's 214 00:15:28,279 --> 00:15:31,080 a it's a big problem. I had a guy down the road who asked 215 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,559 me how to deal with it. His whole yard was full of it, 216 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:39,600 and I told him to move well. He asked for my professional opinion. 217 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:45,240 It's it is not a weed that is easy or fund to match so anyway, 218 00:15:45,279 --> 00:15:46,679 so just so you know, if you're looking out for that, you 219 00:15:46,679 --> 00:15:50,320 can deal with it slightly better. But let's get to plants on trial. 220 00:15:50,399 --> 00:15:54,120 You know, there were so many directions I could have gone with this today. 221 00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:56,159 I thought to myself, I could go with something that suppresses weed, 222 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:58,879 that's like a groundcover, so you know, it doesn't let it grow. 223 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,399 I could grow. I could go with a sterile version of an of an 224 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:07,080 invasive plant. But I went with a plant that I would say, if 225 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:11,159 I'm talking about it to someone in real life, one of the proven winter's 226 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,840 varieties of this particular plant. They all say, oh, I love rows 227 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:21,519 of sharon, but does it set seed? Because so many people have had 228 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:27,399 so many bad experiences with older varieties of Rosa Sharon seeding all over with their 229 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:32,480 yard. And you know, in urban areas you will see Rosa sharon growing 230 00:16:32,519 --> 00:16:36,600 in alleyways, broken up sidewalks. It's a plant that can really get everywhere. 231 00:16:36,639 --> 00:16:40,159 It's not quite so bad here but certainly if you have had an older 232 00:16:40,279 --> 00:16:44,080 rows of Sharon in your yard, you know it's going to have a whole 233 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,159 bunch of babies right below it that you're going to have to deal with. 234 00:16:47,679 --> 00:16:52,320 And a lot of times woody weeds like a rosa Sharon seedling can be harder 235 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:53,759 to deal with than something like a grass. It can just pull up. 236 00:16:55,480 --> 00:17:00,720 So we do have one completely sterile so it does a seed, but none 237 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,240 of the seeds are viable. One completely serial rows of Sharon, and that 238 00:17:03,319 --> 00:17:08,039 is polypetite. But we had already featured polypetite rows of Sharon as a plant 239 00:17:08,039 --> 00:17:12,240 on trial last summer, so I had to go with our second close contender, 240 00:17:12,519 --> 00:17:15,759 which is sugar tip rose of Sharon. Have you seen this plant? 241 00:17:15,799 --> 00:17:18,880 I have seen it. Very interesting plant. Yes, it is a very 242 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,960 interesting plant. So not only is it very very low to no seed, 243 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:26,240 it is a variegated rows of Sharon, not a plant that most people think 244 00:17:26,279 --> 00:17:32,160 of as having a variegated option. And it's not just variegated. Now I 245 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,480 know, well, variegation can be very polarizing, right. It's very polarizing 246 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,640 for me because I don't universally like or dislike variegated plants. It's a very 247 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:44,240 much a case by case very busy, yes, but I actually do love 248 00:17:44,279 --> 00:17:47,960 this plant. And each leaf is really interesting. So it has two tones 249 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,319 of green, kind of a dark green and a mint green, and then 250 00:17:51,799 --> 00:17:56,559 the edge is usually white or sometimes it's swirled within as well, So each 251 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,480 leaf is very, very different. It makes it really fun to look at. 252 00:17:59,839 --> 00:18:03,640 And there's something to me about the proportions of these three colors that prevents 253 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:07,440 it from being overly busy or overly showy in the landscape where it's constantly like 254 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,839 grabbing your eye or competing with other plants. And that's a very good thing, 255 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,519 I think for a rose of Sharon, because you know, as much 256 00:18:15,519 --> 00:18:18,559 as people do like roses of Sharon, let's face it, they're only in 257 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,039 flour for you know, maybe two months. So you're gonna want something that 258 00:18:22,079 --> 00:18:26,599 does a little bit more in that you know, spring to late July timeframe, 259 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,119 and so I think sugartip is a great choice. Now let's get to 260 00:18:30,279 --> 00:18:34,200 the flowers, because they are beautiful. When this plant is in bloom, 261 00:18:34,559 --> 00:18:41,160 it's so pretty it almost makes my teeth hurt. It has like a it 262 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:48,119 has like a candy sweetness. The flowers are like the most like perfectly pink 263 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,079 color, like something that like you think about pink. It's like that color 264 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:53,839 of pink, just beautifully pink. And they look like a little powder puff. 265 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:59,039 I mean, I would say this plant is just like one of and 266 00:18:59,079 --> 00:19:02,079 I mean this in the best way, one of the girliest looking plants. 267 00:19:02,079 --> 00:19:07,200 It's like the classic, like what you would think of so beautiful pink flowers 268 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,920 a fashion east. It's a fashionista, yes it has it definitely is very 269 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,599 stylish, I think, and especially when it's used correctly. So these pink 270 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,599 flowers are fully double. They look like a powder puff. Just to continue 271 00:19:18,599 --> 00:19:22,559 on with this theme, so they're full, they look like a little pink 272 00:19:22,559 --> 00:19:26,200 powder puff. And all of those extra petals result from the facts that the 273 00:19:26,279 --> 00:19:30,279 reproductive organs have been transformed into petals, and that's how you get that full 274 00:19:30,279 --> 00:19:34,720 flower, and that's why you get few to no seeds. Fascinating if you're 275 00:19:34,799 --> 00:19:41,200 keeping score at home, Stacy's talking about sugar tip rose of Sharon. Possibly 276 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,039 something you may want to plant in front of your office if you're a dentist, 277 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,880 Yes, there you go. So pretty. It makes your teeth hairt 278 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,400 and so it does. Flower like I said, so it's not going to 279 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:57,680 set a lot of seed, and it is a slow growing rosa sharing and 280 00:19:57,759 --> 00:20:02,240 I think that's another thing that will a lot of people will appreciate about it, 281 00:20:02,279 --> 00:20:04,039 because other roses share and get huge, you know, eight to ten 282 00:20:04,079 --> 00:20:08,039 feet tall and wide. So, Stacy, who's the plant breeder genius who 283 00:20:08,079 --> 00:20:11,160 invented this plant? Well, that's a good question. This is one of 284 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:15,960 the few plants in the proven Winner's line that came from a home gardener. 285 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,680 Awesome. Yeah, so we don't have a lot of those. I mean, 286 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,359 we certainly hear from people who get unusual things popping up in their yard 287 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:26,240 and they reach out and very often what happens is that those are what is 288 00:20:26,279 --> 00:20:30,640 called sports, and a sport is a branch mutation. So you've probably seen 289 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,759 this here and there before in your life where you'll be looking at a shrub 290 00:20:34,839 --> 00:20:37,279 or a tree and all of a sudden, one branch will just be doing 291 00:20:37,319 --> 00:20:41,599 something crazy. It'll be variegated, or it'll be like short and compressed, 292 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,240 or the flowers on it will be a different color. There's a lot of 293 00:20:44,319 --> 00:20:48,519 different ways this can look. And so basically what's happened is the genes in 294 00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:52,119 that part of the plant have just somehow switched and made that plant slightly genetically 295 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:57,759 different from the plant that it was growing on. And typically when a sport 296 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:03,279 like this an especially if it's variegated, it's not stable. It really can't 297 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,240 live off the mother plant. So they send it to us. You know, 298 00:21:07,319 --> 00:21:08,240 we say, hey, this is cool, let's trial it, but 299 00:21:08,279 --> 00:21:11,680 it can't make it through a trials because it can't live on its own. 300 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:15,640 And sugar Tip, for whatever reason, has the unique ability to survive completely 301 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,880 on its own with almost no reversions. I can't say I have ever seen 302 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:23,480 a reversion on the plants in our gardens. And it's slow growing, but 303 00:21:23,559 --> 00:21:27,759 it's still a good vigorous grower, so it resolves I think a lot of 304 00:21:27,799 --> 00:21:32,599 the problems that people have with roses of Sharon not that attractive outside of their 305 00:21:32,599 --> 00:21:38,599 bloom season two fest growing ceed Sugartip is a great choice if any or all 306 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:42,640 of those are your complaints about roses of Sharon. So we're gonna put all 307 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,960 the information and photos, of course of sugar Tip rows of Sharon on our 308 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,039 website, Gardening Simplified on air dot com. You can see it there, 309 00:21:49,079 --> 00:21:52,920 and of course you can also find a retailer if you would like to add 310 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,200 a sugar tip rose of Sharon to your garden. This season, we're gonna 311 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:57,119 take a little break. When we come back, we're opening up the garden 312 00:21:57,119 --> 00:22:07,640 mail Bag, so stay tuned at proven winner's color choice. We've got a 313 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,400 shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking for an easycare rose 314 00:22:11,599 --> 00:22:15,720 and unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, you can be confident that 315 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,359 the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. 316 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:26,440 Look for them at your local garden center. Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome 317 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,240 back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where we are devoting the rest of the 318 00:22:30,279 --> 00:22:33,759 show to the mailbag. You know, last week we had three amazing guests 319 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,960 and we were so excited to bring them to you, three hummingbird experts. 320 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,960 I learned so much, but we didn't get a chance to answer any listener 321 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,920 questions. And we are deep in listener questions in a season, are we 322 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,880 not, And so we decided to just double it up today and answer a 323 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,160 whole bunch of your questions. But before we get to them, well, 324 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:52,680 first of all, before we get to them. If you have a question, 325 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,839 you can reach us at help HLP at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, 326 00:22:57,079 --> 00:23:00,160 or just go to Gardening Simplified on anar dot com. There's a contact form 327 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:03,200 there where you can fill it out and reach out to us. You can 328 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:10,359 even attach some photos if you need some diagnostics or other assistance, and we 329 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,880 will do our best to help you. And if your question lends itself to 330 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,920 being read on air, we will certainly do that as well. But we 331 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,200 also love hearing from you when you don't have a question but just want to 332 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:26,359 celebrate something in love hearing from that. And we heard this week from Donna, 333 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,000 who a few weeks ago, I was talking about my solar fountain. 334 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,880 I said it was almost life changing. So I bought this little solar fountain 335 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,799 that floats in a bird bath. Yes, and I do. I love 336 00:23:37,839 --> 00:23:41,839 it. It's so cool, and you know, it was inexpensive, and 337 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,920 it transformed this bird bath that the birds didn't really like because it was way 338 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,319 too deep, into something that we really like. And now the birds really 339 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,480 like it too because it attracts them more because of the sound. They can 340 00:23:52,519 --> 00:23:56,200 actually perch on the little floating fountain itself. It's just win win when so 341 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:00,480 Donna writes, we love the little solar fountains and bought several before we gave 342 00:24:00,559 --> 00:24:07,799 up here in Pabulon, Nebraska, the raccoon insisted on chewing the floating material. 343 00:24:07,839 --> 00:24:11,440 I don't know if they witnessed that or if there was just like wet 344 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,759 footprints, wet raccoon footprints leading away from the bird bath. But the raccoon 345 00:24:15,759 --> 00:24:19,079 apparently chewed up the solar fountain, so they're going to try to figure out 346 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:23,559 a better solution. They have a pond with a waterfall that serves many creatures, 347 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,839 but the solar fund was very fun to watch. We wish you much 348 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:33,039 success. Enjoy and Donna shared a picture of her beautiful pond, which you 349 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:34,240 can see if you are on YouTube, and if you're not on YouTube, 350 00:24:34,279 --> 00:24:37,000 you can go to YouTube, or you can just go to Gardening Simplified on 351 00:24:37,039 --> 00:24:41,240 your dot com and we will put a picture of Donna's pond in Nebraska there 352 00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:45,359 for you to enjoy. And I would make a suggestion, and that is 353 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:49,799 that the raccoons were probably after the water and then in their evening we'll call 354 00:24:49,839 --> 00:24:55,240 it trash activities. They get up there and they find something to chew on, 355 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,160 which is what raccoons do. There are a lot of great YouTube videos 356 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:03,079 to watch, fascinating of how raccoons will approach a bird bath, put their 357 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:07,000 front paws on the bowl, and then lift themselves up to take a drink. 358 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,880 Well, if that bird bath isn't stable. I know, having worked 359 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:18,039 in the garden center industry, we've had a lot of customers who have replaced 360 00:25:18,039 --> 00:25:21,880 bird bath tops because of raccoon. Oh no, no, I'm worried. 361 00:25:22,039 --> 00:25:26,599 That would be my guest. I'm a little concerned about mine now, because 362 00:25:26,279 --> 00:25:30,039 if a raccoon tries to hoist itself up on this bird bath, it will 363 00:25:30,039 --> 00:25:34,319 certainly fall and break, and I would be very sad. We ran all 364 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:40,279 kinds of tests. At night, we set out deluxe pizza, hot dogs, 365 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:45,079 and Cajun chicken. And the next morning the Cajun chicken and hot dogs 366 00:25:45,079 --> 00:25:48,160 were left. But the raccoons ate the deluxe pizza. Was it because it 367 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,039 was deluxe? Like it was just a cheese pizza? They wouldn't have you 368 00:25:52,079 --> 00:25:56,000 know, maybe we should try that all right? What else? We got 369 00:25:56,039 --> 00:26:00,279 an mail bag Rick Randy's having trouble with some new hydrange I need your expertise 370 00:26:00,319 --> 00:26:06,559 about my proven winner's big band hydrangea. The first beautiful blooms are fading drastically, 371 00:26:06,599 --> 00:26:08,319 and I want to prune the blooms off. Should I do this? 372 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,119 And how do I do it? Yeah? So if you will put pictures 373 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:17,319 of that Randy sent of his proven winner's big band hydrangs, they are indeed 374 00:26:17,319 --> 00:26:19,559 looking really sad, And so what you'll see on these photos is that the 375 00:26:19,599 --> 00:26:23,559 blooms have really wilted dramatically. So the rest of the plant isn't really wilted, 376 00:26:23,839 --> 00:26:30,119 but the blooms are just really sad and weepy. And very often so 377 00:26:30,279 --> 00:26:34,240 when a bloom of hydrangea bloom ages naturally, what will happen is it just 378 00:26:34,319 --> 00:26:38,319 kind of dries out as it goes. It doesn't usually shrivel like this. 379 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,440 So to me, this almost certainly indicates water stress, I agree. And 380 00:26:42,519 --> 00:26:45,880 whether it was as a result of too much water or too little water, 381 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,039 I can't say, because it often does the same thing. And when I 382 00:26:49,079 --> 00:26:52,880 looked at the picture, I agree with you completely, Stacy. When I 383 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,000 looked at the picture in the garden center on a hot sunny day, and 384 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,759 if we have some watering issues in the garden center. That's where I first 385 00:27:00,799 --> 00:27:07,279 see it is in the flowers. Yeah, so Randy, before you cut 386 00:27:07,319 --> 00:27:10,559 them off, I would say, take a look at that root well, 387 00:27:10,599 --> 00:27:12,680 think about how much you have been watering it. If you feel like it 388 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:17,400 maybe has not been as much as it should be, I would recommend before 389 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:18,960 you cut them off that you just go ahead and fill up a big tub 390 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:25,039 with water and bottom water those plants to thoroughly saturate them, and those flowers 391 00:27:25,079 --> 00:27:30,319 could potentially recover. So I would try that before and then once you get 392 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,000 that root well thoroughly saturated again, hopefully the whole plant will perk up. 393 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,079 But do be aware again that if it was overwatered, which I think is 394 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:44,680 unlikely in a nursery container, that they might just be gone for good. 395 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,279 But if you want to prove deadhead a big leafhydrange, it's very simple. 396 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,599 So you just hold the flower in your hand and then trace the stemback to 397 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:56,319 where the first full set of leaves is emerging. So what you'll see if 398 00:27:56,359 --> 00:28:00,000 you look under the hydrange of flower is there's usually one sort of false set 399 00:28:00,079 --> 00:28:03,039 of leaves, two little leaflets underneath the bloom, and if you follow the 400 00:28:03,079 --> 00:28:06,240 stem back a little further, there is one full set of leaves, and 401 00:28:06,279 --> 00:28:10,079 you just want to snip that stem right above that and then with a reblooming 402 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,000 hydro angel like, let's stance, big band, you know, keep it 403 00:28:12,039 --> 00:28:15,319 growing vigorously, don't you know? Make sure it doesn't get any water stress. 404 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,839 Maybe a little bit of fertilizer as you're fertilizing your annuals, and you 405 00:28:18,839 --> 00:28:22,680 should start seeing new flower buds form within about six to eight weeks so you 406 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,119 have another chance to enjoy them. There you go. Doc asks, hey, 407 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,640 guys, I love your show. I never miss an episode. I 408 00:28:29,759 --> 00:28:34,839 garden in Central North Carolina seven B newly classified as eight B. I have 409 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:41,240 a question about my purple Veronica. I love this planet brings all sorts of 410 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:45,920 pollinators to my garden. This year has not been an exception. However, 411 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:49,519 I noticed that this spring has continued to flower nicely at the top, but 412 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,720 has a good deal of dead foliage at the base of the plant starting to 413 00:28:53,759 --> 00:28:57,680 look leggy. What gives? And Doc goes on to tell us it's been 414 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:04,759 a pretty mild winter, normal rainfall, nice spring, and asking if possibly 415 00:29:04,799 --> 00:29:10,759 like with tomato plants when you have the splashing soil on the foliage whether or 416 00:29:10,799 --> 00:29:15,200 not it's a fungus problem. And Stacey, I think Doc is definitely on 417 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,400 the right track with veronica there. Yeah, I agree. So he does 418 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:19,799 say it's in full sun, so that is very good, because of course 419 00:29:19,839 --> 00:29:23,400 it wasn't in full sun. That would be our first suspicion. And again 420 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,759 Doc also set pictures so you can see that the plants look gorgeous on top 421 00:29:26,799 --> 00:29:30,039 of the flowers look fine, but the base of the plant is all brown 422 00:29:30,279 --> 00:29:36,319 and bare. And I also suspect some sort of fungus here. It's telltale. 423 00:29:36,319 --> 00:29:38,799 It could be leaf spot fungus. It could be downy mildew, powdery 424 00:29:38,839 --> 00:29:45,079 mildew, gray mold, any of those that will cause that defoliation at the 425 00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:48,839 base of the plant. So I really think that there's also a rust that 426 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:52,240 veronicas can get. So ultimately, even though we just rattled off a whole 427 00:29:52,279 --> 00:29:56,839 bunch of different names of fungal diseases, it doesn't really matter which one it 428 00:29:57,079 --> 00:30:02,079 is all that much because they all have essentially the same treatment plan, which 429 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:07,880 is to say that you're going to want to remove any affected foliage now, 430 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,240 because by removing that foliage and discarding it don't compost it. If you have 431 00:30:11,279 --> 00:30:15,519 a compost pile, by removing it and discarding it, you are taking away 432 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,039 a lot of that material. The fungal spores themselves are going to emerge through 433 00:30:19,079 --> 00:30:23,519 that leaf, So by taking that away and discarding it, you eliminate the 434 00:30:23,519 --> 00:30:29,200 possibility or at least reduce it for that disease to continue to spread. And 435 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,279 so this is really important, especially going into fall. But it's not bad 436 00:30:32,319 --> 00:30:33,960 to do that now. Now the plant does look pretty healthy, and there 437 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,480 are plenty of fungal diseases out there that a plant can have and not really 438 00:30:38,519 --> 00:30:41,680 be you know, severely set back by right, they can walk it off. 439 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,200 Take it for me, Doc, I'm a fun guy, and let 440 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,680 me tell you. A good air circulation, try to avoid watering over the 441 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:52,400 top, and good clean up this fall. All three of those things will 442 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,400 make a big difference. And you know, in terms of air circulation, 443 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,519 that's a good point, Rick, because this is a big, beautiful patch 444 00:30:57,599 --> 00:31:02,279 of veronica that Doc has nerdured over the years, So it might be time 445 00:31:02,359 --> 00:31:06,279 to divide it and that would help all the plants that you can get out 446 00:31:06,319 --> 00:31:11,920 of that patch to get a little more air circulation and hopefully reduce this in 447 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,759 the future. But I don't think that that it's a death knell for your 448 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,880 Veronica. I just think you need to keep a little closer eye on the 449 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,559 foliage now and especially going into fall, and maybe put it on your spring 450 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,720 choor list to divide it next year. Every time I hear Veronica, I 451 00:31:23,759 --> 00:31:30,319 think of Veronica Lodge. She was the fashionista in the band The Archies. 452 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,960 Do you remember that the Archies. It was a cartoon. It was from 453 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,200 the sixties or seventies. Archie Yeah, Archie comics, Yeah, Veronica Love. 454 00:31:37,359 --> 00:31:41,279 I think of the Elvis Costello song. This might be a generational things. 455 00:31:41,599 --> 00:31:45,079 All right, let's move on to Laura. Says Hi, Stacey and 456 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,599 Rick, thanks for your cheery and encouraging advice. Is my rosa goner? 457 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:52,480 She sent us a picture. This mother of pearl rose was doing well, 458 00:31:52,519 --> 00:31:57,279 growing rapidly. Now it seems sick with yellowing leaves. So let's see if 459 00:31:57,319 --> 00:32:00,559 we can help Laura. Well, I think it is important that Laura goes 460 00:32:00,599 --> 00:32:04,279 on to say it's stems were too weak to support it, and it has 461 00:32:04,359 --> 00:32:08,839 since toppled, and you'll see that in these photos, and that to me 462 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:14,119 certainly implies that it's in too much shade, and a lot of people don't 463 00:32:14,119 --> 00:32:19,640 realize that shade sort of you know, it compounds over time. Sites tend 464 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,480 to become shadier unless you lose a tree, so trees grow surrounding plants grow. 465 00:32:23,839 --> 00:32:27,440 So I honestly think that this plant is in too much shade. I 466 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:30,640 think that the leaning is evidence of it, and the yellow spots that you're 467 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:35,839 seeing are the early signs of black spot. So I think that I would 468 00:32:35,839 --> 00:32:38,359 actually just go ahead and dig this thing up and put it in a sunnier 469 00:32:38,359 --> 00:32:42,319 spot. You know, while you're doing that, a lot of that infected 470 00:32:42,319 --> 00:32:45,920 foliage is just going to naturally shed just through the process of digging it. 471 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:49,200 And I think if you can find a full sun spot for this, I 472 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,279 wouldn't worry too much about the black spot. Just go ahead and clean up 473 00:32:52,279 --> 00:32:53,839 the leaves the best you can. I think if you get it back into 474 00:32:53,839 --> 00:32:57,640 some sun, it should probably be okay, especially if your other plants are 475 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,880 doing fine. I agree, and it's the tell tale sign of black spot. 476 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:06,480 We don't want to be the bearer of bud news, so I agree 477 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,000 with Stacy. Prune it back and move it. Yep, let's do it 478 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,160 all right, We're gonna take a little break and then we come back. 479 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:20,799 We've got more maldag questions, so please stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Show 480 00:33:21,039 --> 00:33:24,000 is brought to you by proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning 481 00:33:24,039 --> 00:33:30,039 flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy 482 00:33:30,079 --> 00:33:34,000 more beauty and less work. Look for Proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs and 483 00:33:34,039 --> 00:33:39,000 the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening 484 00:33:39,039 --> 00:33:45,480 Simplified Show. A bonus segment of your questions, and thanks so much for 485 00:33:45,519 --> 00:33:50,079 sending us questions and pictures. Keep them coming, send them to Gardeningsimplified on 486 00:33:50,359 --> 00:33:55,359 air dot com and Stacy. We got one from Brian in North Carolina. 487 00:33:55,559 --> 00:34:01,279 I love this. I love these before and after kind of pictures. These 488 00:34:01,319 --> 00:34:07,039 are from people that I endearingly call entremneurs, and that's a compliment. I 489 00:34:07,119 --> 00:34:13,000 call myself an entremneur. Also great pictures from Brian. Oh yeah, so 490 00:34:13,079 --> 00:34:15,159 good, got it. You gotta see this, so definitely take the time 491 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:17,119 to look at us on YouTube if you aren't already, or go to the 492 00:34:17,119 --> 00:34:22,159 website and see Brian's photos. Because they are just inspiring. Outstanding job, 493 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:27,639 Brian, you inspired us. So he says that he is in Zone eight 494 00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:30,519 A, North Carolina. He's been working on the transformation for about a year 495 00:34:30,599 --> 00:34:35,000 now. They moved into their house in June thirty, twenty twenty three, 496 00:34:35,119 --> 00:34:38,280 so he wasted no time. Love to hear that, Brian, and these 497 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:42,599 pictures were just taking this past May. He can't wait. He can't wait 498 00:34:42,639 --> 00:34:45,239 to see everything leap at year three and he's especially excited for his Rainbow Rhythm, 499 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:52,000 Daily's Little line Punch hydranges and of course Summarific Hardy Hibiscus to come into 500 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:57,000 bloom and he's going to give us another update in July. So amazing work, 501 00:34:57,039 --> 00:35:00,599 Brian. Love that you had before and afters. And if you're lacking 502 00:35:00,639 --> 00:35:05,039 in garden inspiration or motivation, definitely take a look at what Brian has accomplished. 503 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,000 And Brian, you're preaching to the choir because both Stacy and I are 504 00:35:08,079 --> 00:35:13,719 big fans of Summerrific Hardy Hyde business. You know it all right, Mike's 505 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:15,960 got a question. He bought two Let's dance can do Hyde ranges and immediately 506 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:20,519 put them into pots. They did well in their location, so he overwintered 507 00:35:20,519 --> 00:35:22,280 them, and they're showing a ton of new growth in buds. He says. 508 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:25,000 I know, I'm not supposed to prune these, being a hydrange of 509 00:35:25,039 --> 00:35:29,880 Macrophilis serrada hybrid, so an old wood blooming that you wouldn't prune. But 510 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:32,960 I wanted your opinion, based on the attached photos. Should I literally leave 511 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,559 them untouched? Will the new growth eventually hide last year's stems? I'm in 512 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:43,119 zone seven eight. I loved the picture and it clearly illustrates the dilemma that 513 00:35:43,639 --> 00:35:49,320 many people have with spent blooms on hyde ranges and stacy, I say, 514 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,079 go ahead and clip them off. You don't have to hack the plant all 515 00:35:53,119 --> 00:35:57,280 the way back, but doing some dead heading, I see no problem with 516 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,519 that. Oh, absolutely, So what you're seeing in Mike's photo here is 517 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:05,400 last year's stems that had some die back, and those didn't get cut back. 518 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:07,079 So now a bunch of new growth has come, It's covered in blooms. 519 00:36:07,079 --> 00:36:10,559 It's gonna look amazing. There's absolutely no reason to keep any of that 520 00:36:10,679 --> 00:36:15,280 old wood that is not alive on it anymore. It's just taking away. 521 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,360 Will the plan eventually overtake it? Yeah? Probably but why look at all 522 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,480 those dead sticks in the middle of all your nice plant right now. You 523 00:36:22,559 --> 00:36:24,280 could have done this, you know, back in April or May, when 524 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:29,199 your plant started leafing out and it was clear where it was alive and where 525 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:30,800 it wasn't. It probably would have been a little easier. So you're gonna 526 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,000 have to be a touch fIF finick year now than you would have been back 527 00:36:35,079 --> 00:36:37,280 then. But by all means, get those printers out, clean that thing 528 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,320 up, and start enjoying your hydrangea. You bet you, I agree. 529 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:44,920 Lauren's writing to us about yarrow. This is a plant that I love to 530 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,840 talk about. I love yarrow, so do I? All right? And 531 00:36:49,159 --> 00:36:52,280 uh so, now that we got that out of the way, everyone loves 532 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:55,880 y'all, but Lauren's Laura, a cat in neighbor in Lauren's neighborhood, especially 533 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,280 loves zerrow. She says, Hello, I have a yarrow bush that I 534 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:01,719 planted last year and it came back beautifully this year. We have a few 535 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:06,800 neighborhood cats running around that like to use it as their hideouts. They have 536 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,199 trampled all through my plant and the branches are bent over. Is it worth 537 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:14,199 cutting it back to see if it grows back this summer or should I let 538 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,239 it go? And if you look at the pictures that Lauren sent, it 539 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:22,280 literally looks like some cats just straight up made a bed in the middle of 540 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:24,920 her yarrow. I looked at the pictures and immediately I thought, you know 541 00:37:25,039 --> 00:37:30,039 the problem here, Lauren is you bought those plants from a cat a log 542 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:36,480 and that's why now it's kitten all over your face. Now that's frustrating, 543 00:37:36,519 --> 00:37:39,800 I'll tell you what, because they do a lot of trampling. Now. 544 00:37:40,039 --> 00:37:44,920 The first thing I thought about, Stacy when I saw the picture, aside 545 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:50,599 from those bad jokes, was the Chelsea chop, because I think, well, 546 00:37:50,639 --> 00:37:53,239 let's get this out of the way first. Yarrow is also known as 547 00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:57,519 achillea. Is that how you pronounce it? Yeah, I'd say achillia, 548 00:37:57,639 --> 00:38:00,480 okay, thank you. So with achillea, I think that that is one 549 00:38:00,519 --> 00:38:06,679 of the perennials that is a candidate for a Chelsea chop. Would you agree 550 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:10,199 with that or I would agree I think one of the So a Chelsea chop 551 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:14,599 basically just means that around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK, 552 00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:19,960 you cut your perennials back by about half and what this does is it 553 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,920 forces the energy down into the lower buds on the plant, so they bloom 554 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,719 a little bit later, but on more compact, stronger stems. And I 555 00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:30,519 think one of the challenges for people doing a chelsea chop on a yarrow is 556 00:38:30,559 --> 00:38:34,679 if we're doing the chelsea chop, now the thing looks beautiful, I mean, 557 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:37,599 except for Lawrence, the cats have flattened, so it can be kind 558 00:38:37,599 --> 00:38:42,480 of hard to bring yourself to do that, but they will rebloom. And 559 00:38:42,639 --> 00:38:46,239 yarrow is also known, especially older cultivars of yarrow, for being one of 560 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:50,320 those plants that splays out like this. Now, obviously the cats did not 561 00:38:50,519 --> 00:38:53,159 help, but it has been a breeding goal, like among the proven winners 562 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:59,559 yurow and newer varieties to not have that displaying tendency. So I don't think 563 00:38:59,559 --> 00:39:02,840 the cats alone are to blame for this. I would cut it back in 564 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:06,960 this case. The other thing that you can consider doing would be to stake 565 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:09,079 it. Yeah, you know, you could just kind of get some mistakes 566 00:39:09,199 --> 00:39:14,639 and you know, wrap it back up into kind of a bunch. It 567 00:39:14,679 --> 00:39:17,320 can go either way. I have certainly cut a yarrow back at this time, 568 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:23,639 and it did go on to rebloom just fine, I'm just questioning whether 569 00:39:23,719 --> 00:39:30,960 or not the cats are enjoying the medicinal herbal type of aura that this plant 570 00:39:31,039 --> 00:39:37,519 gives. I mean the plant has It's an old plant that has been used 571 00:39:37,519 --> 00:39:43,159 through the centuries for medicinal purposes. It has a long line of I'll column 572 00:39:43,199 --> 00:39:46,639 plant sestors, and You're right, some of the newer varieties are a little 573 00:39:46,679 --> 00:39:50,920 squattier. So I think you're gonna I think what you're gonna have to do 574 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,960 is you're gonna have to put your thinking cat on and find a way to 575 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:59,679 make that area less hospitable to cat well. I think probably one of the 576 00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,239 issues is that yarrow is a son lover. Cats are sun lovers, and 577 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:05,920 their cats like, oh hey, look at this nice, soft, fluffy 578 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,320 plant. I agree that I can just curl right on up in so Lauren, 579 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:14,039 I wouldn't give up. You can also try putting like curry powder or 580 00:40:14,039 --> 00:40:16,280 something in there. I've heard that that is effective. Just go to the 581 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:20,320 dollar store and get that. It's like a buck and you can just spread 582 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:22,360 that all over. May have to reapply after it rains, but I've heard 583 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:27,079 that that is effective against cats. Yeah, there are some repellents that will 584 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,559 cause them to head over to your neighbors anyway, that's heartbreaking. Sorry, 585 00:40:31,599 --> 00:40:36,119 Lauren, go ahead and try cutting it back, see if that helps, 586 00:40:36,199 --> 00:40:39,360 and maybe the cats will find another place to hang out while your yarrow is 587 00:40:39,559 --> 00:40:44,199 recovering. So poor Karen here is at her wits end. She's very upset. 588 00:40:44,639 --> 00:40:49,519 Viburnum leaf beetles dun'ta da have discovered her arrow leaf by burnum's and have 589 00:40:49,639 --> 00:40:52,320 nearly destroyed them. She's tried doing everything to get rid of them. She 590 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:55,559 can't do it. She's thinking that even if she was able to manage it, 591 00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:59,159 you know, if she could find something to do, she wouldn't have 592 00:40:59,159 --> 00:41:02,119 to deal with them every year. And can we recommend any viburnums that are 593 00:41:02,119 --> 00:41:06,880 resistant to the past She is ready to, as she says, throw in 594 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,159 the trowel. Well, oh, very good, thank you well, Karen. 595 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:15,400 My recommendation would be, I've been frustrated by these also with viburnums, 596 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:20,239 I would say that what you want to do is you want to avoid arrowwood 597 00:41:20,639 --> 00:41:27,079 viburnum or cranberry bush viburnums. Because I think Karen answered her own question here, 598 00:41:27,079 --> 00:41:30,840 and she hit the nail on the head. There are some viburnums that 599 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:37,199 are more resistant to this problem. Arrowwood and cranberry bush viburnums can be a 600 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:43,440 problem, and if it persists, I think spraying horticultural oil on the stems 601 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,760 before bud break also sometimes can help with this problem. Right, So it 602 00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:53,519 is an Asian past yes, So what generally occurs is that the native American 603 00:41:53,599 --> 00:41:59,639 viburnums are very susceptible to Viburnum leaf beetal damage and the Asian species are not. 604 00:41:59,679 --> 00:42:02,639 They've kind of evolved to live together. So of course, if having 605 00:42:02,679 --> 00:42:07,159 a native American species was important to you, that's not great news. But 606 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:12,719 Korean spice viburnum is resistant. Double file viburnum, which just finished blooming and 607 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:15,760 it was absolutely fabulous this year, is also resistant. But I have another 608 00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:20,559 great tip for you that I would recommend trying before you throw in that trowel, 609 00:42:20,639 --> 00:42:24,599 Like you said, Viburnum leaf beetles when they lay their eggs this a 610 00:42:24,599 --> 00:42:30,800 little bit later this summer, they leave very distinctive egg laying sites. And 611 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,320 you can look this up online and you'll see pictures, and of course we'll 612 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:37,280 put links in our show notes at Gardeningsimplified on Air Dot com but they look 613 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:40,599 like little pits that the adult beetle digs out and then fills back up with 614 00:42:40,639 --> 00:42:44,840 a mixture of beetlespit and sawdust. Okay, that sounds disgusting, but you 615 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:51,159 can't really see the beetlespit and it's very it shows it stands out really strongly 616 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,079 on the plant. And so what you can do is, you know, 617 00:42:54,280 --> 00:43:00,400 anytime after the plant goes dormant in like October November through late when or early 618 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:04,320 spring, before it leaves out, you can check your plan all over for 619 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:07,559 these egg laying sites and you can prune them out. Now that may end 620 00:43:07,639 --> 00:43:12,559 up meaning that you prune out quite a bit, which is unfortunate, but 621 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:15,880 it gives you viburnums. Can easily withstand that. It might look kind of 622 00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:20,639 crummy for one year. Yeah, but doing that it's not going to kill 623 00:43:20,679 --> 00:43:22,960 your plant. But by doing that, you're going to take out every single 624 00:43:23,039 --> 00:43:28,039 egg that those beetles laid over the last year. And it typically tends to 625 00:43:28,039 --> 00:43:30,800 be on the younger wood, so it's not way down on the thicker wood, 626 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:32,639 so you're taking the whole thing down. So again we're going to put 627 00:43:32,639 --> 00:43:37,400 those links so you can research what that looks like put it a reminder in 628 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:39,880 your calendar to get out there in November, December, maybe February, March, 629 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,039 something like that, when the plant is still dormant and you can see 630 00:43:44,079 --> 00:43:46,840 it well, get those pruners sharpened up, cut those stems out, and 631 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:52,360 send that beetle to the curb. Excellent advice. I like that, very 632 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:57,159 good, Stace. Thank you all right. So that's it for today's show. 633 00:43:57,199 --> 00:44:00,480 Thanks for all those questions and comments, appreciate it. Keep them coming 634 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:07,960 Gardening Simplified on air dot com. Make sure to send those pictures along too, 635 00:44:08,039 --> 00:44:12,800 because we want to see them. We want to thank you for watching 636 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:16,039 on YouTube, listening to our podcast, or listening to us on radio. 637 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:21,480 So keep those cards, letters, notes, emails, whatever they are, 638 00:44:21,599 --> 00:44:24,519 keep them coming to the Gardening Simplified Show. Thanks Stacy, thanks Rick, 639 00:44:24,639 --> 00:44:28,239 thanks Adriana, and of course thank you so much to all of you who 640 00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:29,599 listen and watch. Have a great week.