WEBVTT 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.