WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:06.599 Coming to you from Studio A here at Proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. 2 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:13.359 It's time for the Gardening Simplified radio podcast and YouTube show. It's kind of 3 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:17.679 like a combo meal at lunchtime and for dessert, we offer you a website, 4 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:23.480 Gardening Simplified on air dot com with Stacyhirvella, me Rick Weist, and 5 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:29.160 our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, you've heard the phrases easy come, 6 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.640 easy, go, take it easy, easy does it, easy as 7 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:37.679 pie, easy on the eyes, easy as falling off a log. And 8 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:43.759 I remember those commercials from the nineteen seventies and eighties, the Calgon commercials where 9 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.960 a lady is just frustrated with the traffic, the boss, the kids, 10 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:53.200 the dog, and then she finally screams, Calgon, take me away. 11 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:59.039 I remember those commercials too. Yeah, lose yourself in luxury bathbeads or whatever 12 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:02.759 those things were. But you know, we're all looking for easy, and 13 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:07.359 I really believe the key is letting go of trying to control things. I 14 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:12.840 guess, and that's much easier said than done. And spend time creating. 15 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:19.000 Trade a portion of your consumption time for creating, and you'll start to see 16 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:25.040 the world differently. Everything is inspiration, and the same is true in gardening. 17 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:30.400 Now, Stacy, I'm familiar with garden center customers who will come up 18 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:34.040 to me and they say, I need a plant that will grow to four 19 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:38.319 feet tall and then stop. I want it to be able to grow in 20 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.200 both sun or shade. I want it to flower, and I don't want 21 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:46.560 to have to do any maintenance. Oh, and don't forget it also has 22 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.640 to withstand the dog going on it all the time. And ideally a wile 23 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.319 flower every single day of every single year for the rest of eternity. You 24 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.000 got it. So I wrote a little limb, a rick, a real 25 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:01.560 short one in this regard. I don't want a plant that looks cheesy or 26 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:06.719 is so sick it makes me queasy. I want to set it and forget 27 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:10.080 it. Don't want to have to sweat it. Easy, peasy, lemon 28 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:14.080 squeezy. Oh that's great, and that's what people are looking that is what 29 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:16.479 they're looking for. Yeah. Now, my Florida friends who say after storms 30 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:23.840 are rain zephyr anthes bust out into bloom or rain lilies, this is a 31 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:27.879 bulbous perennial. In the Amarillis family, but it's one of those plants that 32 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:35.159 is easy peasy, And of course, one person's bulletproof easy plant is another 33 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:39.840 person's invasive plant. I think of must carry grape hyacinths or Siberian squill. 34 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.800 That can be the case. Yeah, you know, I think it really 35 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:49.960 is a matter of here's what I think. All plants are potentially easy to 36 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.439 grow, Okay. The difference is you need to plant them in the right 37 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:55.919 place so that you don't have to work hard to make them look great. 38 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:00.919 And therein lies the trouble. And that's why, you know, someone can 39 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.000 say, oh, I can't get delphiniums to grow it all down here in 40 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:07.240 Florida, and you can go up to Maine and delphiniums are growing all over 41 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:12.000 the place looking fabulous. It really is about the right plant in the right 42 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:15.800 place and knowing what your conditions are. But as simple as that may seem 43 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:20.840 to just say, the reality is a little bit different. Yah, It's 44 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:23.479 very true. It's well said. You know a plant that comes to mind 45 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:29.960 for me, Stacey, are the oh so easy roses. Now. I 46 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.080 think that this plant is really well named because it's just gorgeous and so easy 47 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.280 to grow. But I think back to the seventies and eighties when I was 48 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:43.759 working in the garden center industry. We would have this group of people called 49 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:46.960 the rosarians. Ah yes, and they would come into the greenhouse or the 50 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.719 store, and these were the magicians, these were the scientists. These were 51 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.520 the people who knew how to grow roses and knew exactly where to cut them 52 00:03:55.560 --> 00:04:00.800 and how to treat them and overwinter them. And everyone depended on the rosarians. 53 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:05.800 Now we have these landscape roses like, oh so easy, and well, 54 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:10.240 it's easy, it is easy. And you know, roses are such 55 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:15.599 a great example because they do have this old vestigial reputation of being so difficult 56 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.360 to grow, and they needs break and they need prenny, and they need 57 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:19.600 dead heading, and they need this and that and the other. They need 58 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:24.839 to be dusted and coddled. And the fact is that's not necessarily how roses 59 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:30.120 were. Inherently, there were always easy care roses, But it's the hybrid 60 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:33.879 t roses that became so popular in the twentieth century that kind of developed this 61 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:38.839 mentality for people. And those are still around, but even those have improved. 62 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.800 Even those are easier to grow than they were back in the day, 63 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:47.319 and so yeah, it's about your expectations and of course getting the right plant 64 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:50.759 in the right place. Well, I'm glad you're recording Adriana because that was 65 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:55.439 really good. And that was all off the top of her head. That's 66 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:00.600 really good. Now, is there anything easier stacy than landscape workhorses, hammer 67 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:05.519 acalys or day lilies? I think of the rainbow rhythm day lilies. I 68 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:10.079 don't think there can there's much else in the landscape that is more of a 69 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:15.399 workhorse and easy than daylily. Well, I feel like daylilies and hostas are 70 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:18.319 like the sun and shade, you know, components of one another. They're 71 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:23.959 both like can't miss, easy to grow plants. But on the other hand, 72 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:27.199 as more and more of us have to deal with deer and those are 73 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:32.079 two of deer's top to all time favorite comfort foods, you know, we 74 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:36.240 do start looking at different plants to replace those. What else can we grow 75 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:40.720 that's just as easy? And I think you know one strong contender for the 76 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:45.800 replacement of dailies if you have deer is Nevada campment exactly, another very very 77 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:49.759 easy plant, yep, and another plant that like you see in municipal plantings. 78 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:54.360 I think that's a great indicator, right, if you're seeing a plant 79 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.560 in city plantings. Not to say they don't have a staff, but that 80 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.720 staff does not have the time or inclination and to go and you know, 81 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:04.959 dust and fuss over perennials and shrubs and make sure everything's growing well. They 82 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:11.480 want stuff that just looks great and makes the town look great with minimal time 83 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:15.199 inputs. O very true. That's why you see often see Russian sage. 84 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:17.879 Yeah, another great choice for sure. Yeah. When it comes to trees, 85 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:24.279 I've got to mention the inconspicuous hop horn beam or ironwood, a tough 86 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:28.000 understory tree. And what I love about this tree is that it's native and 87 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:32.639 you find it all the way from Canada as far south as the Honduras. 88 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:39.000 So this is a hard, tough, strong tree that doesn't get a lot 89 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:43.639 of press, doesn't get a lot of attention, but certainly is one of 90 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:48.079 those trees that I would classify as easy. Of course, herbs in general 91 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:55.000 are easy and forgiving. If you think about chives or oregano or creeping time 92 00:06:55.160 --> 00:07:00.040 come back year after year and stacy really easy to grow. Herbs are so 93 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:01.879 so easy to grow and you know, that's one of the great things about 94 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:05.639 them. My herbs self, so so I always have an abundant, you 95 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:11.600 know, supply of them to cook with. And yeah, herbs are blessedly 96 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.519 easy. We're very, very fortunate to have such useful and easy to grow 97 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:20.680 plants. Attractive, blessedly easy. All right, let's just run through a 98 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:25.240 few quick ones then. I still find ornamental grass is to be very easy, 99 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:30.759 whether they're miscanthus panic comes the hack ina kloa Japanese forest grass carrects. 100 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:36.279 You've mentioned that a number of times, Stacy, aliens serendipity, aliens. 101 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:41.800 I love aliens. I think they're so simple to grow. The amazing daisies 102 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:48.279 like banana cream, baptizia seedum agistachi, smooth high ranges. I don't know 103 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.759 if you agree with me or not, Stacy, but I think they're easy 104 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:53.759 to grow. They're easy to grow if you don't have deer. Yeah, 105 00:07:53.839 --> 00:08:00.279 yeah, right, exactly. You mentioned nepetta or nepita, however you lot 106 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.199 to pronounce it right, Potentilla. We've talked about that. Oh yeah, 107 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:07.000 one of the absolute easiest, especially if you live in a cool climate. 108 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:15.839 Exactly, spyrea ita, brunera, Virginia heliopsis. I find heliopsis, especially 109 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:18.759 in sunny spots, to be so easy to grow and so rewarding. Yeah, 110 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:22.480 it's a big time. It's a flower powerhouse that one. Yeah, 111 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:26.639 exactly great for cut flower gardens. And then you know, I have to 112 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.639 have iris on my list too. And I think part of the reason I 113 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:35.840 have iris on my list, Stacey, is because generally the deer and rabbits 114 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.960 leave the iris alone, and I find them pretty easy to grow, at 115 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.240 least if you don't have iris borer issues. Yeah, and even if you 116 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.440 do have iris bor that's actually a fairly easy pest to manage overall. And 117 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:50.360 you know, the cool thing about iris is that they look like they're hard 118 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:52.279 to grow. You know, you grow on some of these iris with these 119 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:56.120 crazy color combinations, and you look like you're some sort of you know, 120 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:00.639 mad scientists, But really all you did was plant the thing the right depth 121 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:03.799 and the right spot and you just get to sit back and reap the rewards. 122 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:07.600 Absolutely like Siberian iris love it. And if you don't have deer pressure, 123 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.799 Hosta is amazingly simple to grow, in my opinion, if you have 124 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:18.159 a little bit of shade and you don't have deer. I think it's because 125 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:22.919 the root system is just so tubrious and aggressive. Yeah, it's a very 126 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.120 robust root system. And you know, aside from slugs, hostas are pretty 127 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:31.399 much pest free, and even slugs are relatively easy to manage if you know, 128 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.639 you know what you're doing. Yeah, exactly. And then I've got 129 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.960 to throw Yucca color guard in there. And some people are gonna cringe because 130 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:43.360 you know, if you plant a yucca, you're making a lifetime commitment. 131 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:50.120 Plastic explosives probably won't even remove it ten years. Hence, but I tell 132 00:09:50.159 --> 00:09:54.799 you what, in a dry sandy area where I'm at, the neighbors at 133 00:09:54.879 --> 00:10:00.000 least really seem to love Yucca color well color guard. That's a variegated one, 134 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.840 and that's a little bit better behaved than just the straight green one, 135 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:07.360 which of course does grow everywhere. You know, I actually have some yucca 136 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:11.200 that I have removed, attempted to remove, and it was easier than I 137 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:16.000 thought in our sandy soil. If you have glay soil, I'm sorry, 138 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:20.320 I don't know what to tell you. Well, let's see what Stacy thinks 139 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:26.120 is easy peasy lemon squeeze in plants on trial and that's coming up next here 140 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:37.360 on the Gardening Simplified Shop, Prooven Winter's Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your success 141 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:39.639 in the garden. That's why we trial and test all of our shrubs for 142 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.519 eight to ten years, making sure they outperform everything else on the market. 143 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:50.480 Look for them in the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greeting's 144 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:54.360 Gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where we are 145 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:56.559 about to put a plant on trial. That is to say, we're going 146 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.279 to tell you all about one of the proven Winner's Color Choice shrubs and you 147 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:03.039 get to decide if you're going to put it in your yard or not. 148 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.320 And of course today's plan on trial is going to be an easy shrub. 149 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:09.679 But before I get into it, I want to add another kind of concept 150 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.679 to the easy to grow discussion, okay, the low maintenance discussion, and 151 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:18.159 that is, you know, I think what different people consider to be easy 152 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:22.279 or low maintenance does vary. You know, there really aren't any plants that 153 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.480 you're going to be planting in your garden that are like completely hands off. 154 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.159 I mean, there are some, but you might not be happy with the 155 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:33.159 results. So what are your expectations for the plant based on what you are 156 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:35.960 willing to put into it. And you know, as I'm embarking on this 157 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:41.759 adventure of removing my lawn and replacing it with plants, a lot of people 158 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:43.440 are looking at me going, oh, that's going to be a lot of 159 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:48.039 work, and I'm looking back at them going, look at your lawn exactly. 160 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.919 You know, people think of like they don't think about the maintenance that 161 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.600 they have to put into their lawn, Like that's different. Whereas you know, 162 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:58.679 with shrubs, perennials, bulbs, a lot of the things that we're 163 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:05.039 talking about, maintenance commitment that you have is really really minimal. Pretty much 164 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:07.720 anything you would grow as long as you are planting it in the right place 165 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:11.919 and not constantly trying to play catch up with Oh the water it needs and 166 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.480 the soil is not right, so every single year I have to amend the 167 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.639 soil, or I have to change the pH r I have to do this 168 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.679 or that or the other. You know, as long as you are putting 169 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:22.720 the right plants in your yard that once or twice a year where they might 170 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:28.159 need some pruning or you know, something like that, or fertilizing. That's 171 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:33.120 very, very minimal compared to what most people are dealing with in their lung. 172 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.759 That's well said Stacey. Good point, and it's a great way to 173 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:41.639 springboard and say as a show note that we have breathed the plant lady coming 174 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:46.240 up in our fourth segment today, and we're going to check in with her 175 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.159 too to get her interpretation of what an easy plant. You know. And 176 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.600 I'm a horticulturist, of course, you know, I have a lot of 177 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.200 knowledge about a lot of different plants and a lot of different aspects of plants 178 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:01.120 in this noggin. But even I don't want a high maintenance garden. Like 179 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:05.360 I have realized over time that what I'm looking for in my garden or from 180 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:11.039 my garden is not something that like forces me to do a bunch of stuff, 181 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:15.320 Like my plants work for me. I don't work for my plants, 182 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:20.919 and so I don't have, like, through the process of attrition, things 183 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:22.559 that I said, Oh, I'm really now I have a house. I 184 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:24.759 really really want to grow this, and I've been over backwards to try to 185 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.120 get it. If the deer ate it, if it turned out it was 186 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:30.799 too dry, turned out it was too sunny, I just let it go. 187 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.480 I like that approach. You're the boss apple sauce. That's right. 188 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:37.840 So anyway it what is low mains? I think when you're looking for low 189 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:41.159 maintenance plants, easy care plants, easy to grow plants, you do need 190 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:46.559 to define for yourself what is it you're willing to put in. What are 191 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:50.600 the reasonable expectations for that plant with the work that you're going to put in 192 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.759 and where you're going to plant it. But you know, I know when 193 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:56.480 people ask me, hey, like, what's any easy to grow shrub? 194 00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:00.639 What is the easiest, proven winner's color choice shrub that I I can grow? 195 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.399 You know, that's not an easy question to answer because it does depend 196 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:07.360 on a lot of factors like the light, and not everyone is able to 197 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:11.039 just like say, oh, yeah, the spot is full sun or the 198 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:16.279 part of the spot is parts on or whatever if something if pH is an 199 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.240 issue, say like, you know, I'm not going to recommend an azalea 200 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:24.320 if they aren't sure that they have acidic soil. So when people ask me 201 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:26.799 and I don't have all those details, there is one plant that I come 202 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:31.720 back to again and again and again, and the reason for it is because 203 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:35.919 it's very versatile, it's very durable, grows everywhere, and most importantly, 204 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:39.039 for the little bit of work you're gonna have to put into it, it 205 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:43.879 is going to give you huge rewards because that's what people want ultimately, right. 206 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:46.840 They don't want to just say I want a low maintenance plant, but 207 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:50.200 it looks creddy, or it's really dull, really boring, it doesn't do 208 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:52.559 anything but just like sit there. They want a plant that's going to look 209 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:56.799 great and they don't have to work hard for it. And that plant is 210 00:14:56.120 --> 00:15:01.799 panicle hydrangees. I love that. I love that the flowers last for a 211 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:05.559 long part of the season, Stacy. And when people walk up to me 212 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:09.720 in the garden center or greenhouse, generally I'll walk them over to the panicled 213 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:13.000 hydrange Yeah. And so people think hydrangees are difficult to grow because all these 214 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.720 different hydrangeas, there's six main types of hydranges that we grow in our gardens. 215 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:22.720 They all get lumped together into one big, confusing pile, and people 216 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:26.039 don't understand that there are different hydranges and that of those hydranges, in my 217 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:31.919 opinion, panicle hydrangees are the easiest to grow, the most versatile, the 218 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:37.159 most adaptable. So whatever conditions pretty much that you have, except for poorly 219 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:41.799 drained soil that is like the one thing they really can't take, they can 220 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.759 grow in any of that. They can grow in USDA Zone three, they 221 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:48.120 can our heat tilert up to USDA Zone eight, even zone nine in the 222 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:52.720 case of limelight Hydrangea, and they just look amazing. I mean, there 223 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:58.519 are few other plants that make such an impression all year round, but especially 224 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:02.759 in summer then a panicle hydrange And the other beauty Stacey is that you don't 225 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:07.320 necessarily have to pick a color because they tend to change color over the course, 226 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.159 so you get that exciting you know show. So we have fourteen different 227 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:15.360 panicle hydrangees in the proven Winner's color Choice line. And so the hard part 228 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:18.799 when I'm talking about easy to grow plants for me is picking which of those 229 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:23.679 easy to grow panicle hydranges I am going to cover in this particular episode of 230 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.759 Gardening Simplified. So I thought long and hard about it. I looked at 231 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.360 what I've already covered in terms of panicle hydranges. Some of my absolute favorites 232 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:37.759 have already been covered, like puffer fish, like Bobo, and so I 233 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.480 went with Little Quickfire HYDRANGEF for today's plant on Trial. Love it. I 234 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:47.159 love it too, And the reason that I picked this particular one is because 235 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:51.840 it's right there in the name Little Quickfire. So older panicle hydranges, you 236 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:56.600 know, certainly back in the day when PG was really the only one that 237 00:16:56.679 --> 00:17:00.159 was around, are tard of a Those are huge plants. You know. 238 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:03.799 You can easily find mature PG hydranges in your neighborhood, possibly if it's an 239 00:17:03.839 --> 00:17:11.119 older neighborhood, that are fifteen even twenty feet tall, whereas these newer varieties 240 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.400 like Little Quickfire reach only three to five feet tall and wide. So not 241 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:18.200 only are they just as easy to grow as other panicle hydranges, they're a 242 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:22.839 lot easier to use in your landscape because you don't have to worry about them 243 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:27.759 overgrowing your dining room windows, are growing up to your roof or outgrowing the 244 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:33.200 space. They stay really nice and tidy, and that smaller size also gives 245 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:37.240 them a lot of versatility in the landscape, so you can go ahead and 246 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:40.279 add them to your flower garden if you have a perennial garden or something like 247 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:42.440 that, you can use them in your landscaping, in your front yard as 248 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:47.759 a low hedge, as a specimen. They're just a really really versatile plant, 249 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:51.359 so that you can get that easy care, you know, without having 250 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:53.000 to think too much about like where am I going to fit? Yeah, 251 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:56.480 sure it's easy care, but I don't have space for a ten foot by 252 00:17:56.519 --> 00:18:00.759 ten foot plant. You know. I love your choice, though, Stacey, 253 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:07.519 because I chose this plant, Little Quickfire, for my backyard because my 254 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:11.240 daughter was going to be getting married in the backyard in June and I felt 255 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:15.720 it was reliable to be in bloom by the wedding day. Yes, that's 256 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:21.359 so. Little Quickfire is a dwarf version of Quickfire, and quick Quickfire is 257 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:23.119 a variety that we have offered for many, many years. It came to 258 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:26.759 us from Mark Bulk, a wonderful plantsman in the Netherlands. He has a 259 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:32.599 nursery in boss Coop, the big nursery district in the Netherlands. But it's 260 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:36.200 a beautiful plant and it is the earliest blooming so for us here in Michigan, 261 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:38.880 Quickfire Hydrangeas are typically in bloom by fourth of July. Okay, if 262 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:41.319 you live in a warmer climate, that's going to be a little bit earlier. 263 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:44.359 If you live in a much colder climate, that's going to be a 264 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.799 little bit later. But it reaches about six to eight feet tall and wide, 265 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:51.440 so not huge, but definitely the kind of plant that you can't just 266 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:55.519 impulse purchase and say, oh, I'll just find a place for this rather 267 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:00.759 large shrub. So in comes a little quickfire that was tier by our new 268 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:06.279 plant development team, and it reaches just three to five feet tall and wide, 269 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:10.519 so really nice, versatile size. And it still has that very early 270 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:15.119 bloom time, so blooming by early July for US. And this early bloom 271 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:18.519 time has a couple of advantages that I think a lot of people may not 272 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:22.599 realize. Number one is that if you live in a very cold climate, 273 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:25.119 so it's hardy down to USDA Zone three, So if you're in the USD 274 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:29.519 Zone three, for even USDA Zone five, if you live like up North 275 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:34.319 Mackinaw Island or out east in a cooler area, sometimes if the summer is 276 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:38.400 especially cool, it might your panicle hydrangers might not flower until the end of 277 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:41.759 August. Kids are going back to school, you're thinking about moms and pumpkins, 278 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:45.599 and here comes your panicle hydrange like it's summertime. Let's party, and 279 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:49.400 you're like, wait what. So the nice thing, especially if you live 280 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:52.160 in a cold climate, is that you're going to have that early bloom time. 281 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.440 You're gonna be able to enjoy it more for the summer. And not 282 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:00.480 only that, but because it's blooming earlier, it's going to change color earlier. 283 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:06.039 So panical hydrangeas are the type of hydrangea that start out white and then 284 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:08.720 they take on various shades of pink, red, burgundy, or a combination 285 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:14.720 of all of those as the season progresses. So the earlier your panicle hydrangea 286 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:18.680 blooms, the longer you're going to be able to enjoy the color aspect of 287 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.519 that hydrangea. And so that's another really big advantage, especially if you live 288 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:26.160 in a colder climate. And I love the color of both quick Fire and 289 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:30.759 Little Quickfire. It's a deep red and I love the pinks. You know, 290 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.119 I'm not generally a pink person in my garden, with a couple of 291 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.400 exceptions like el nin yoch Talpa, which I adore, But this is a 292 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.759 nice deep red. It's also a lace cap flower. I was going to 293 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.839 say that lace cap fabulous for Pollinators. The Fabulous for Pollinators just has a 294 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:48.799 beautiful informal look that I personally love. And here I have been talking so 295 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:52.119 much about how much I love the little Quickfire, I didn't even get to 296 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:55.680 talking about how easy it is to care for. And we're out of time, 297 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:59.000 but we have lots of information about that, and of course I will 298 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.480 put it all in the show now, but take it from me, it's 299 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:03.759 easy to grow, it's versatile, full sun parts Son here in the North, 300 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:07.039 no problem parts Son in the South. Will put all the details at 301 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:10.880 Gardeningsimplified on air dot com. Right now, we're going to take it break. 302 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:18.759 When we come back, we're answering your garden questions at proven Winner's Color 303 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:23.000 Choice. We've got a shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're 304 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:27.759 looking for an easy care rose and unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, 305 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:32.079 you can be confident that the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed 306 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:34.759 and tested for your success. Look for them at your local garden center. 307 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:41.920 Creating's Gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. It's time 308 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:45.160 for us to answer your garden questions. The season is in swing. I'll 309 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:48.400 let people have questions. I even have questions when I'm out there. What 310 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.960 I do if I have a question is I don't do anything. I wait 311 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:55.000 until I can find out the answer. I don't act on impulse. Well 312 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:56.759 sometimes they do, but I try not to. I talk to myself. 313 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:00.880 That works, Yeah, I do. Do you give yourself getting I asked 314 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:03.759 the question and then I answer my question. Well, sometimes that does work. 315 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:07.279 It's like you just pretend you're here in studio A, and you're and 316 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:11.000 you know we're talking, and yeah, that's true. Sometimes you can talk 317 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:12.880 yourself up, talk yourself through a problem. But if you do have a 318 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:18.200 garden issue, you can reach us at help HLP at Gardening Simplified on air, 319 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:22.960 or just go to Gardeningsimplified on Air dot com click the contact tab there. 320 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:26.720 Also, we don't just take your questions, we take your garden celebrations 321 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:30.599 and accomplishments as well. And we got a great one this week. We 322 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:37.079 heard from a listener named Colin in Usdazo nine B. I love it. 323 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.000 I know you love that. I'm sure you're jealous. So he's in Central 324 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.480 Florida and he sent four fabulous pictures which you're gonna be able to see if 325 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:47.240 you're watching YouTube, or of course you can go to Gardening Simplified on air 326 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.279 dot com to see the photos that Colin shared with us. And here's what 327 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:53.279 you have to say. I would love to share pics of my first banana 328 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:59.839 harvest on my beautiful banana tree. One harvest gave me one hundred and twenty 329 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:03.519 bananas. Oh man, and I have a fresh new bunch coming along next. 330 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:12.960 You could say it's going bananas as Beethoven would say, banana wow. 331 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:18.119 He'd be proud of them. Yes. So, with annuals being planted all 332 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:19.680 over the country this time of year, I also wanted to share picks of 333 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:26.200 my super Tunia Vista bubblegums that I planted back on December twenty sixth twenty three. 334 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:30.680 Yes, they are winter annuals here in Florida, and they flourish. 335 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:34.000 They still look great. So here's some more bananas and blooms over the summer. 336 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:41.480 You know, Proven Winters does trial annuals in Florida in winter just for 337 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:45.680 that purpose. So December twenty six that's fantastic. While everybody's returning gifts at 338 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:52.559 the department store, Colin is planting supertunias and those bananas. Right, you 339 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:57.160 would think he was living in Banana Stan or New Peeland, but he's in 340 00:23:57.240 --> 00:24:02.799 Florida, Central Florida. I want to talk to yeah, So maybe we'll 341 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:06.039 set something up, Colin, if you're open to it. The thing I 342 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.279 love, bananas are very cool plants, and a lot of people don't realize 343 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:12.440 how bananas grow. And you can actually see this in the picture that Colin 344 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:17.480 sent. So they have these long flowers that come down on these long stems, 345 00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:22.759 and the petals kind of peel back and reveal the over or the banana 346 00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:26.640 fruit, and those get pollinated and turn into the bananas. So Colin's pictures 347 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:33.000 are a great example of how unique bananas actually form within their flower and how 348 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:36.359 beautiful they are. So can you even imagine have it like just going out 349 00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:38.680 to your backyard and being like, guess I'll get a banana for breakfast. 350 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.400 They're growing right here on my tree. So you know that one's for all 351 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:48.079 the warm climate gardeners who wish they could grow lilacs or peonies or whatever thing 352 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.759 we can grow up here. We are jealous of your bananas, and Stacey, 353 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:56.680 the pictures of the yard and the super tunias beautiful. Oh my gosh, 354 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:57.839 did you see the one is like he's got like a it looks like 355 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:02.440 a sunshine. The gust drum and one of the supertunies is creeping up to 356 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:06.400 the top of that because they're so robust down there, Colin, he's not 357 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:11.319 monkeying around. He's doing a great job there in central Florida. And thank 358 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:14.960 you for listening watching the show too, Yeah, definitely, so definitely want 359 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.799 to take a look at those. It really goes to show you what a 360 00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:22.359 different world it must be gardening in Florida versus gardening up here. Right, 361 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.599 Oh, you got it, So what do you got in the mailbag? 362 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:29.839 Traying sends a question, probably an issue for a lot of people. Hello, 363 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.839 Stacey and Rick, help the dreaded rose slug is back. Besides spraying? 364 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:37.839 What can I do to protect my roses? Are there natural predators that 365 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:42.400 prey on them? I've tried blasting them off with my watering hose, but 366 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:47.200 they're still very small. I'm not so sure it's effective. And of course 367 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:52.160 we're talking here about the dreaded rose slug, but it's not really a slug 368 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:55.440 in that sense of the word, right, now now it's just called a 369 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:59.200 rose slug. It's actually well, I guess technically it would be considered like 370 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:04.119 a maggot because it is the fly a softly larva. But they have the 371 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:11.319 unique characteristic of turning the identical color to your rose foliage. They are very 372 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:14.839 hard to spot at first, especially when they're very small, as Treang says 373 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:19.960 that hers are. And uh, but you find them not necessarily looking for 374 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:25.359 them. But when they're very small, they make this very distinctive window like 375 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:29.839 damage on your rose because they are so small, they're little worm jaws or 376 00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:33.799 little softly jaws can't get through the full leaf tissue, and so they end 377 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:37.000 up making a window because they only get through part of it, so it 378 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:41.519 doesn't go all the way through it. They can't their jaws aren't big enough 379 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:45.240 yet, so it's very distinctive. You can recognize that. And then when 380 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:49.400 you start seeing those little windows appealing appearing on your rose leaves, then you 381 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:52.960 go, oh, better turn those over because the softlies do feed from the 382 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:57.759 underside typically, and then if your eyes are good, the light's good, 383 00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:03.640 you will be able to identify that little rose slug and you can just handpick 384 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:07.240 them hands squish them, depending on how severe the infestation is. However, 385 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:11.200 that may be much easier said than done, because they are where there's one 386 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:15.160 rose slug, there are many rose slugs. Slugs and a little bit of 387 00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:18.920 a rose slug infestation. Your rose is going to be able to be fine, 388 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:22.119 it's not really going to harm it. But I have seen very very 389 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:25.960 severe ones that basically eat all the foliage off a rose, and even really 390 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:29.440 vigorous landscape roses aren't going to be able to withstand a whole whole lot of 391 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.400 that before it starts to severely weaken them because I can't quoto synthesize they have 392 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:36.599 no leaves, so a couple of things. You know, it always helps 393 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:41.680 to take the IPM approach and to learn about the life cycle of the of 394 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:44.680 the passage we're trying to manage. And in the case of the rose softly, 395 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:51.599 what happens is these softlies are going to metamorphosize next. So they're going 396 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:56.640 to overwinter under your rose in the soil as a pupa or kind of like 397 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:59.920 you can think of it as like a coon if you're not familiar with this 398 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:03.880 stage of an insect life cycle. So the overwinter is pupa in the soil 399 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.160 and then next spring they burst out. They may they let eggs on your 400 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.440 rose. It's just emerging and the cycle is repeated. So one of the 401 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:17.799 things that you can do is simply to cultivate around the base of your row. 402 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:19.920 So if you have mulch, you know, clear that away, fluff 403 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:22.839 it up, and then use like a rake to our a you know, 404 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:26.759 little hand cultivator to kind of lightly rough up the soil. And what that's 405 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:32.720 going to do is expose the cocoons that are that are down there. So 406 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:37.039 you want to do this probably more like in the July, August September time 407 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:38.519 frame. Do that, you know, maybe once a month, just go 408 00:28:38.599 --> 00:28:42.240 out there, mix it all up. Birds et cetera will take care of 409 00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:45.519 any cocoons and that can help a lot. When I was researching this, 410 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:49.119 that's what I saw over and over again in university websites. I agree one 411 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:52.920 hundred percent. And if you do it at that time of the year, 412 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:56.240 Stacey the roots. If you do any root damage, you shouldn't, but 413 00:28:56.279 --> 00:29:00.079 if you do some root damage, the rose can easily recover. For yeah, 414 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.519 that's a great point. And you know roses we often talk about plants 415 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:07.279 that are shallowly rooted. Roses aren't a terrible offender that way. They aren't 416 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:11.799 like really shallow where you're going to be hitting a bunch of roots. I 417 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:15.000 will put some links in the show notes trying so you can do some research 418 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:18.319 and read more on this life cycle. But do be aware if we have 419 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:22.519 listeners from warmer climates. I don't know exactly where trag is located. There 420 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:27.000 are some species of rose slugs or in warmer climates they have two generations a 421 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:30.279 year, so this timing will only work if you're in a cooler climate and 422 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:36.000 are dealing with a one generation a season rose slug. But to my knowledge, 423 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:40.359 no, there's no specific natural predator. If a bird can see it, 424 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:44.000 it will certainly eat it, just like it would any other little crater 425 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:47.599 that it found on a plant. But you can't always count on that. 426 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:53.119 So sounds good, all right. Myra planted two gentlemen lace Russian sage two 427 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:56.480 years ago. I loved that plant. They both did wonderfully last year, 428 00:29:56.519 --> 00:30:00.279 but this year one of them came back all ten looking, it's half the 429 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:06.720 size of the other one, and the third year being in the ground instead 430 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:10.759 of leaping it's all rough and woody on the bottom like its cousin lavender. 431 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:15.960 That's a good analogy, right, What can I do? Can it be 432 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:21.039 replanted elsewhere? I did want to mention a programming note here, Stacey, 433 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:26.279 that in my research I always thought that Russian sage was named after the great 434 00:30:26.440 --> 00:30:33.599 General Leonoid Petrovsky. He was instrumental in dealing with the German invasion of the 435 00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:38.079 Soviet Union, and part of the reason they named the plant after him was 436 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:44.480 because the pungent smell of Russian sage smelled like the boots of Russian soldiers. 437 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:48.160 Well, I guess I was wrong. No, it's not the case. 438 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:56.720 It was named by a Russian botanist around eighteen forty after Perovsky, the Turkestani 439 00:30:56.839 --> 00:31:00.720 governor of the Russian province of Orenburg. So if you ever have one of 440 00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:07.160 those Cliff Claven cheers moments and somebody asks you, now you know there you 441 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:10.680 go? Okay? I did not know that, So Mayra send pictures. 442 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:14.240 Mayra did send pictures of her Russian sage, So that is always very helpful 443 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:18.000 when we're diagnosing issues. So overall, I don't think that the plant looks 444 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:22.960 too bad. Russian sage is what is considered a subshrub, and I'm glad 445 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.920 that she mentioned lavender because lavender is also a subshrub. So basically what that 446 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.640 means is that they have a bit of a woody base but herbaceous on the 447 00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:33.119 top, and so that's totally common. So you mentioned the woody basse, 448 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:37.519 that's totally within the regular behavior of this plant. So that's nothing to be 449 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:41.480 concerned of in and of itself. And when I look at the plant, 450 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:45.759 I do see that it's a bit stunted compared to its neighbor. But I 451 00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:48.319 did notice something else in the photos, and that is that there is landscape 452 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:53.039 fabric, and so there's landscape fabric under the mulch, and what that does 453 00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:57.880 is that keeps a lot of moisture around the plant. And Russian sage is 454 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:02.839 a very drought not just drought tolerant, but it wants really dry and well 455 00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:07.640 drained conditions. So if it's getting overly wet, especially if it's wet in 456 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:13.039 the winter or the spring when it's emerging, if you had very heavy clay 457 00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:15.119 soil and it was very cold climate, the plant would just die. So 458 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:19.960 it's kind of even amazing that it's staying alive and has lived as well as 459 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:22.359 it has under those conditions. So Myira, I think that the best thing 460 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:27.599 that you can do is to brush back that mulch, cut away the landscape 461 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:30.519 fabric for a good eighteen inches around the plant, and then put the mulch 462 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:34.839 back. That's fine, but the landscape fabric really makes a difference in how 463 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:37.519 much moisture it holds into the soil perfectly so ye, So that's what I 464 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:40.720 would do. If you do want to transplanet, that's perfectly fine too. 465 00:32:42.119 --> 00:32:45.400 You can do that now, but ideally I would wait until next spring or 466 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:47.079 this fall when it is dormant. We got to take a little break. 467 00:32:47.079 --> 00:32:50.240 When we come back, We've got a special guest for branching news, so 468 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:59.319 please stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Show is brought to you by proven Winter's 469 00:32:59.319 --> 00:33:04.640 Color Choice. Our award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested 470 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:08.400 for your success so you enjoy more beauty and less work. Look for Proven 471 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:13.559 Winners Color Choice shrubs and the distinctive white container at your local garden center. 472 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:21.519 Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. Branching news Here on the show and 473 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:28.279 for today's Branching News in interview with a wonderful lady, Breathe the plant Lady. 474 00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:30.079 We're going to talk to her. And by the way, her website 475 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:37.680 bree grows dot com, so that's Burie grows dot com. And I was 476 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:42.240 thinking, Stacy, if we were going to talk about easy plants, we 477 00:33:42.279 --> 00:33:45.279 should talk to Breed for a number of reasons. Number one, of course 478 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:51.640 she knows her stuff. Number two, she's down there in hot North Carolina. 479 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:58.000 And number three, talk about an energetic and enthusiastic person who plants all 480 00:33:58.119 --> 00:34:00.839 kinds of stuff. I can't keep up with her, and I think she's 481 00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:05.200 the perfect person to ask about easy plants. Well, you know, the 482 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:08.559 busier the gardener, the more they need some easy plants, otherwise they won't 483 00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:14.639 have time for anything exactly. So, Bri, welcome to the Gardening Simplified 484 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:16.719 Show. And I got to mention right off the bat, I noticed that 485 00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:24.599 you just got an award Club Horticulture Commendation for the Garden Club of America. 486 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:30.639 Now that's really cool. What a great recognition for you. Oh, thank 487 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:35.559 you so much, it thinks for having me back. Yes, it was 488 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:40.760 such a surprise and an honor to receive that. I love the Garden Club 489 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:45.119 of America for all that they do, and they're horticulture outreach and well, 490 00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:51.960 I have it hanging probably on my wall right by my diploma. It is 491 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:57.280 much deserved, Bri, and you are one of the most enthusiastic gardeners that 492 00:34:57.440 --> 00:35:00.440 I know, and I encourage people to go to your website Brie grows dot 493 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:04.960 com. And of course Brie has also written some books, so make sure 494 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:07.800 to take a look at that also. So, Brie, is there anything 495 00:35:07.920 --> 00:35:14.360 easy to grow down there? I'm saying down there because we're broadcasting from Michigan, 496 00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:16.400 but down there, and of course you would know, Bri, you 497 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:22.239 are a Michigan native, right, that's right. I'm a former Mischigander. 498 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:25.639 You know. I've been in North Carolina now twenty two years, and we 499 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:30.920 actually have a lot of Michiganders living here in the Raleigh area, so I 500 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:37.679 feel like I'm in good company. This is a challenging environment to grow in 501 00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:43.960 because frankly, everything that you do in the North is upside down down here. 502 00:35:44.039 --> 00:35:46.320 You know, we have a twelve month growing season and a lot of 503 00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:52.840 the plants that you would grow as summer annuals in Michigan are winter annuals here, 504 00:35:52.599 --> 00:35:57.840 and that takes a lot of effort to navigate figuring out the seasonality of 505 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:02.360 plants. The plantags don't give you that detail, right, Yeah, I 506 00:36:02.360 --> 00:36:06.360 mean they're for the whole country, not just you know, regional plant tags 507 00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:09.960 as you no doubt no would drive this industry crazy. So it does take 508 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:15.320 you know, that regional expertise to really be able to maximize those unique opportunities. 509 00:36:16.519 --> 00:36:21.519 It does, and I feel and endlessen no of job security as more 510 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:27.840 Northerners moves south but want to continue to garden. And for sure, I 511 00:36:27.880 --> 00:36:35.000 should say my favorite easy plant for the summer is mangve. I am mad 512 00:36:35.239 --> 00:36:40.000 about mangove, like irrational, I am trying to collect every variety they have. 513 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:45.400 I think I currently have a live wall filled with mangove. Wow. 514 00:36:45.800 --> 00:36:50.880 Actually I'm going to divide them so that both sides of the wall are planted 515 00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:54.320 with them, because that's what rational persons would do. And I think I 516 00:36:54.400 --> 00:37:00.639 have almost one hundred individual plants. No, I don't know that our listeners 517 00:37:00.679 --> 00:37:04.480 know what a mangave is, and they're probably sitting there going is she's saying 518 00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:09.239 mangave I know agave, I don't know mangave. So for the enlightenment of 519 00:37:09.239 --> 00:37:15.440 our listeners, can you tell them what a mangave is. Well, mangave 520 00:37:15.880 --> 00:37:21.280 was actually bred and created up near you at Walter's Garden. And it's an 521 00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:25.320 ener generic hybrid, which for plant people that's super special. That's like putting 522 00:37:25.320 --> 00:37:32.039 a cat and a dog together. And it's a Manfreda agave hybrid. And 523 00:37:32.199 --> 00:37:37.320 what you end up with is this agave structure that isn't prickly, that has 524 00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:43.320 really cool colors and textures. And some of the varieties have spots and some 525 00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:47.079 are stripes, and some get really big and some are perfect for pots and 526 00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:52.760 they're really amazing. They don't need a lot of water, which is the 527 00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:57.719 main thing. They just look fabulous and the dear leave them alone. So 528 00:37:58.320 --> 00:38:02.719 if there's all these reasons to collect mangave's, they're not reliably party in the 529 00:38:02.760 --> 00:38:07.440 winter here that they make great house plans. So it's one of those plans 530 00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:12.960 that you can bring inside and enjoy during the cool season and then put outside 531 00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:17.239 and forget it all summer long. It's just everybody needs mangave, period. 532 00:38:17.320 --> 00:38:22.400 That's fabulous. Where Brie, where do you store yours in winter? Is 533 00:38:22.440 --> 00:38:25.880 it an unheated shed? Where do you put them? I actually with them 534 00:38:25.880 --> 00:38:31.039 in the carall space with grow lights. Wow. Wow. And actually they're 535 00:38:31.079 --> 00:38:35.679 really fun to show people at dinner parties because then it just makes you seem 536 00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:40.320 that much more insane, the underneath of your house completely full of magha. 537 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:45.360 So what's your oldest mangave, then, the one that you've had the longest. 538 00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:51.920 I have had Kaleidoscope was my very first, okay, and it's ups 539 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:54.480 pretty readily. So it's one of those that every year when I pot it 540 00:38:54.559 --> 00:39:00.239 up, I can divide it and share it with people. And I was 541 00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:05.400 fortunate, you know, I worked with hands Hanson, well, worked with 542 00:39:05.519 --> 00:39:08.679 him loosely when I was the production manager at Plant Delight, and he's a 543 00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:14.119 longtime friend. He's the breeder of the mangavis, and he sent the to 544 00:39:14.280 --> 00:39:16.960 trial just to see if this is part of the original trial pack, and 545 00:39:17.519 --> 00:39:22.599 I really just I cherished in so many ways. Hands down, they are 546 00:39:22.719 --> 00:39:29.119 the plant that every visitor asks about because they're so dynamic and interesting that you're 547 00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:31.239 not going to poke your eye out with them. And I don't grow any 548 00:39:31.280 --> 00:39:37.440 agave at all because I'm afraid I'll hurt myself. Sure, yeah, myself 549 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:40.320 full permission to grow all the manngavis. And a lot of people are even 550 00:39:40.360 --> 00:39:43.360 afraid, you know, if you're not going to hurt yourself. They're afraid 551 00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:45.920 of their pets, cats, you know, dogs, kids. There's a 552 00:39:45.920 --> 00:39:49.320 lot of reasons to be concerned. Now, I would think that most people 553 00:39:49.360 --> 00:39:52.719 are surprised that you can grow them so successfully in a human climate like North 554 00:39:52.719 --> 00:40:00.000 Carolina and they just thrive. It's incredible. They really don't require desert conditions, 555 00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:06.719 and that's partly the Manfreda you know tendencies coming out. It is. 556 00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:10.320 They are just they're vigorous and well, they're just amazing. And actually when 557 00:40:10.320 --> 00:40:15.199 they flower, the flower spikes are really impressive, just like in agave. 558 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:19.679 You know, they might go eight to ten foot tall. They attract so 559 00:40:19.800 --> 00:40:24.519 many different pollinators. It's really really a site to behold. Wow, Yeah, 560 00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:29.880 I understand what you're saying about the agave and herding yourself. We used 561 00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:36.119 to ship them up from Florida up here to Michigan and then unpackaging them bore 562 00:40:36.159 --> 00:40:39.039 you reach into that box. There are times when you, yeah, especially 563 00:40:39.079 --> 00:40:43.400 you could poke your eyes out with that thing. It's like the the BB 564 00:40:44.360 --> 00:40:47.920 Christmas story, right, Yeah, exactly, now, Brie, we were 565 00:40:47.960 --> 00:40:52.800 talking also about the fact that Stacey and I both feel that herbs would probably 566 00:40:52.840 --> 00:40:59.239 be a good plant to put in the easy category. Would you agree, 567 00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:01.880 and if so, which of the herbs do you think are easy to grow? 568 00:41:04.039 --> 00:41:07.880 I absolutely agree, and I always say herbs are the gateway of food 569 00:41:07.960 --> 00:41:14.800 scaping. But my hands down, without hesitation, favorite herb is a maslbasil. 570 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:20.840 That is a game changing plant. It's incredible. It thrives through the 571 00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:24.199 summer. You can make enough pesto to feed your entire county because it's so 572 00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:30.440 vigorous, you know, and it's just it's delicious, it's disease free. 573 00:41:30.519 --> 00:41:35.599 I just love a masalbasel. It's the one dasel that I think no one 574 00:41:35.599 --> 00:41:37.519 can live a happy life about. I agree, yeah, And you know, 575 00:41:37.559 --> 00:41:40.280 it's so popular. Honestly, I have been looking for it. I 576 00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:45.000 think it's since it's got such a reputation for all of that disease resistance and 577 00:41:45.039 --> 00:41:47.199 everything. You have to snap it up when you find it because otherwise it 578 00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:52.039 will sell out. Yeah, it's a no brainer. I call it basil 579 00:41:52.199 --> 00:42:00.320 instinct. Bree grows is the website Brie grows dot com the Plant Lady look 580 00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:06.239 for on YouTube. Of course, she speaks all around the country and has 581 00:42:06.320 --> 00:42:10.039 written books, and of course I got to know Brie based on the food 582 00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:15.440 scaping book Brie. If you were to pick, other than herbs, a 583 00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:20.639 vegetable plant that you like to grow, that you think is easy peasy, 584 00:42:21.280 --> 00:42:24.519 what do you think? Oh? Well, I wish I could say tomatoes, 585 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:29.519 But tomatoes in the South break your heart in a thousand different ways, 586 00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:32.079 and so they keep you humble. So I guess they're I guess they're good 587 00:42:32.079 --> 00:42:37.639 for one thing. But really I think I'm torn between eggplants and peppers. 588 00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:45.000 I like how productive they are, how heat tolerance. I have this terrible 589 00:42:45.079 --> 00:42:51.800 tickborn illness called alpha gal where I'm anaphylactically allergic to everything from a mammal. 590 00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:57.559 So I grow a lot of vegetables just because I eat more vegetables than the 591 00:42:57.599 --> 00:43:00.800 average person, because it's kind of all I'm left with to be able to 592 00:43:00.840 --> 00:43:06.119 eat. And I like how reliable eggshants and peppers are that I can go 593 00:43:06.199 --> 00:43:08.679 out and harvest every day. I don't have a store a whole bunch in 594 00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:14.920 the refrigerator and you know, we're just getting into that season. I also 595 00:43:15.039 --> 00:43:19.519 kind of live on zucchini, so we're just getting into the season where zucchini 596 00:43:19.559 --> 00:43:23.360 will start producing. And you know those are those are three vegetables that are 597 00:43:23.599 --> 00:43:27.559 your daily staples for me. And when I don't have to buy them from 598 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:30.559 the store, it feels so much better, but also a luxury to be 599 00:43:30.599 --> 00:43:35.559 able to go in your backyard and get them. It's like the stores in 600 00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:39.880 your backyard and exactly, and it saves a lot of space in your refrigerator. 601 00:43:40.360 --> 00:43:44.920 You know, we've been laughing. I eat like five heads of cauliflower 602 00:43:44.960 --> 00:43:53.800 a week, and that's like having five basketballs, right. I grow cauliflower 603 00:43:53.920 --> 00:44:00.000 in the winter season just because there's not room in the refrigerator for my cauliflower. 604 00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:05.159 Have it, Brie? Are you like me where I especially when we 605 00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:10.559 get to summer, I absolutely crave stuffed peppers. I love stuffed green peppers, 606 00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:15.280 yes I do. And I of course can have them with ground turkey, 607 00:44:16.039 --> 00:44:21.440 so I don't have to be completely deprived. Even though I'm mammal free, 608 00:44:21.559 --> 00:44:28.239 I'm unfortunate that I can still eat fish and poul frey safely. I 609 00:44:28.320 --> 00:44:30.840 love stuffed peppers, all right, So in the heat of summer. You 610 00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:36.679 need some shade there in North Carolina. Brie, how about a tree that 611 00:44:36.760 --> 00:44:40.239 you think is really rewarding and easy to grow, or maybe one on your 612 00:44:40.280 --> 00:44:46.360 property that you really enjoy. What do you think, ooh, a tree 613 00:44:46.559 --> 00:44:52.760 for shade. I immediately went to Hydransas for shade because I just watched and 614 00:44:52.880 --> 00:44:58.000 cound my yard and realize I have fifty seven coldivars. Wow, And I 615 00:44:58.039 --> 00:45:06.599 told myself that I wasn't a hide your person happen? What is going on? 616 00:45:07.679 --> 00:45:14.800 But a tree? Well, I'm really encouraged by the plant breeding that's 617 00:45:14.840 --> 00:45:19.880 being done at Empty State through doctor Tom Rainey. And this year he gave 618 00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:27.400 me the new hybrid dogwoods. It's three quarters native one quarter KUSA and it 619 00:45:27.480 --> 00:45:32.440 has really great disease resistance and you know it's going to just long term be 620 00:45:32.760 --> 00:45:38.400 the option to have because disease is wiping out our native dogwoods. And I 621 00:45:38.519 --> 00:45:44.920 just really appreciate his proactiveness in breeding for the future and recognizing the problems. 622 00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:49.679 And I feel honored to have one of the very first ones to be planted. 623 00:45:49.760 --> 00:45:54.519 And every day I like go out and talk to it. I do 624 00:45:54.639 --> 00:46:00.079 have it planted instade it's too young. It didn't bloom this year, but 625 00:46:00.199 --> 00:46:05.079 it's I think settling in well, and I do think it's a plant that 626 00:46:05.880 --> 00:46:10.320 will be a pretty dominant fixture in the industry in years to come, so 627 00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:14.800 be on the lookout for it. I don't think it technically has a name 628 00:46:14.920 --> 00:46:19.320 yet. We got a little steak for you here. Well, we do 629 00:46:19.400 --> 00:46:22.440 sing Doctor Rainey's praises on the show all the time. Of course, he 630 00:46:22.639 --> 00:46:30.239 is an absolutely brilliant plant breeder and problem solver, and we're so here in 631 00:46:30.280 --> 00:46:35.840 North Carolina. We feel very fortunate to claim his and claim him as ours 632 00:46:37.079 --> 00:46:42.760 in He's making the world a better place every single day. It's amazing how 633 00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:46.239 his breeding has touched so many people's lives and gardens. For sure, you 634 00:46:46.280 --> 00:46:51.960 are one of the most enthusiastic gardeners I know, and even one hundred degree 635 00:46:52.079 --> 00:46:57.280 humid heat in North Carolina isn't going to stop you. So tell our listeners 636 00:46:57.320 --> 00:47:00.800 and our viewers, Brie, what are you excited about this year? What 637 00:47:00.840 --> 00:47:06.960 are you really looking forward to? Well, I went down to a nursery 638 00:47:07.039 --> 00:47:15.360 near Wilmington and brought a prius load of rock and fuchia sow you and I 639 00:47:15.400 --> 00:47:20.440 am here rationally excited about this plant. So they're already in full bloom. 640 00:47:20.440 --> 00:47:24.400 They're only going to get bigger and better. And the hummingbirds have recently arrived 641 00:47:24.920 --> 00:47:30.079 and they love this plant so much they do. I'm actually going back down 642 00:47:30.159 --> 00:47:34.800 next week and I think I'm going to get another previous load. So which 643 00:47:34.840 --> 00:47:38.400 is your favorite color of the series. I'm curious. Well, I love 644 00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:44.480 them all, but the one that I keep gravitating towards is fusia. And 645 00:47:44.519 --> 00:47:49.719 it's really funny because I didn't think of myself as a pink person. Now 646 00:47:49.719 --> 00:47:53.400 I have this like entire front border that's just like right pink, and it 647 00:47:53.559 --> 00:47:59.880 looks awesome. It looks beautiful with my blue house. And I also got 648 00:48:00.079 --> 00:48:04.400 a bunch of the white proven winner Klaomis, you know that are sterile, 649 00:48:04.880 --> 00:48:08.280 and they just are so reliable blooming. It's that fusia and white together. 650 00:48:08.880 --> 00:48:15.679 It's gorgeous. It's like drop dead, stop in your tracks. My neighbors 651 00:48:15.719 --> 00:48:19.400 stop and come over and take pictures and they're like, well, you just 652 00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:23.639 please label more so that we know what to buy. You also like a 653 00:48:23.719 --> 00:48:29.119 QR code in your front yard and like stand for the plant list. I 654 00:48:29.239 --> 00:48:32.639 really do you need. What I need is a tech savvy intern. Anyone 655 00:48:32.679 --> 00:48:37.760 out there that's tech savvy, get interested me. That's great. You know, 656 00:48:37.800 --> 00:48:40.320 I'm with you on that hummingbird thing. The rock and fuchia. I 657 00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:45.000 put them in pots all the way leading up my front steps, and uh, 658 00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:49.719 you'd be happy to hear on the lake shore here in Michigan just this 659 00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:53.320 past week. Yes, mine are in bloom two and I saw hummingbirds already, 660 00:48:53.360 --> 00:49:00.199 so it's fantastic. Oh that's so exciting, you know that. And 661 00:49:00.400 --> 00:49:06.000 that vermillionaire cufia that is one of mine. Must have every year too. 662 00:49:06.119 --> 00:49:10.000 Yeah. Me, that's actually been hearty. So it's really win because they 663 00:49:10.079 --> 00:49:15.239 come back it must get huge. Then that's really cool. I plant the 664 00:49:15.519 --> 00:49:17.480 die all the way down, but they do, they get like three by 665 00:49:17.559 --> 00:49:22.360 three. I love it. I planted one this year, Bree, based 666 00:49:22.360 --> 00:49:28.480 on Stacey nudging me on that plant. She loves that plant, and so 667 00:49:28.480 --> 00:49:30.920 I'm giving it a try this year. I'm looking forward to it. Oh 668 00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:36.360 you will not be disappointed. But I always joke I don't want to be 669 00:49:36.440 --> 00:49:38.880 the person who just like plants the same annuals every year, but I have 670 00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:43.199 turned into that because I love that plant so much. I just I simply 671 00:49:43.239 --> 00:49:46.719 can't have a summer without it. I totally agree, And to be honest, 672 00:49:46.760 --> 00:49:52.599 I hope more breeding continues with kufia because there are a lot of species 673 00:49:52.679 --> 00:49:57.480 that really haven't been explored, and they're so reliable that they bloom for the 674 00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:02.280 entire growing season. There's so many colors and shapes and forms. And I 675 00:50:02.280 --> 00:50:07.760 would love to see kufia bread for hanging baskets so they can dangle down. 676 00:50:07.920 --> 00:50:10.760 And you know, I have I have all these dreams for plant readers. 677 00:50:12.760 --> 00:50:16.960 So if anyone's listening exactly, can you just call me and we'll go over 678 00:50:17.039 --> 00:50:25.519 my whistles brie uh. Both Stacy and I really like the summerrific hibiscus, 679 00:50:27.239 --> 00:50:31.159 the dinner type dinner plate type hibiscus uh in North Carolina. With all the 680 00:50:31.239 --> 00:50:35.960 sun and heat that you have, how does a plant like that do there? 681 00:50:37.440 --> 00:50:42.599 They do really well that we do have some pretty serious insect problems. 682 00:50:43.559 --> 00:50:47.760 A lot of times they will just almost look like lace because become no foliage 683 00:50:47.800 --> 00:50:52.800 left. And in part that's because I don't I don't spray any testicides. 684 00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:58.679 It's kind of like, well, it's still a flower. A lot of 685 00:50:59.119 --> 00:51:02.000 I'm very sticky when I'm taking the pictures of my high biscus. There's almost 686 00:51:02.280 --> 00:51:08.000 no green on the leaves, but the flowers are amazing, and you know, 687 00:51:08.119 --> 00:51:14.000 I like to underplant those with different colors of colias, different varieties of 688 00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:21.480 colius like Elbrido and dipped and wine and proven Winners has really done the most 689 00:51:21.480 --> 00:51:25.039 incredible job with their colius collection. And I know a lot of these are 690 00:51:25.039 --> 00:51:30.320 coming from doctor Dave Clark out of Florida, which means they're really good performers 691 00:51:30.559 --> 00:51:35.360 for me, because you know, they like heat and humidity, and they're 692 00:51:35.400 --> 00:51:39.719 just so reliable for providing that ooms that you want. Even in the hottest 693 00:51:39.800 --> 00:51:44.400 days of the summer. They don't lose their color and vigor. Wow, 694 00:51:44.519 --> 00:51:47.320 that's saying something too. Yeah, you bet so. As we enter the 695 00:51:47.360 --> 00:51:52.119 heat of summer. Before we let you go here, Bri give our listeners 696 00:51:52.280 --> 00:51:58.280 viewers some advice on dealing with the heat. I'm not talking about us personally, 697 00:51:58.320 --> 00:52:04.039 but I'm talking about as gardeners having success in the heat of summer. 698 00:52:05.280 --> 00:52:09.519 How do you approach it? What's your go to strategy in the heat of 699 00:52:09.559 --> 00:52:16.400 summer? Soil prep without even I'm glad you said that the more time you 700 00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:22.000 send adding organic matter to the ground you grow in, the easier the experience 701 00:52:22.039 --> 00:52:24.280 will be, the less irrigating you have to do, the stronger your plants 702 00:52:24.280 --> 00:52:29.239 will be. I mean not to say that you're going to go without watering, 703 00:52:29.280 --> 00:52:31.920 because the weather is usually not that reliable. It gives you the rain 704 00:52:32.039 --> 00:52:36.679 exactly when you need it. But when you put your time and energy into 705 00:52:36.719 --> 00:52:43.280 soil, every other part of gardening becomes more fun. Add more organic matter, 706 00:52:43.960 --> 00:52:49.440 always and forever, no question about it. She is Breathe the Plant 707 00:52:49.719 --> 00:52:53.679 Lady. Look for on YouTube, of course, her website bree grows dot 708 00:52:53.719 --> 00:53:00.280 com. Look for her books Breed. Just greatly appreciate your enthusiasm and again 709 00:53:00.719 --> 00:53:08.639 congratulations on that award Club Horticulture Commendation from the Garden Club of America. But 710 00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:15.079 I really think it suits you well because you're enthusiasm for gardening and what you 711 00:53:15.119 --> 00:53:20.039 do for the industry is much appreciated by many, ourselves included, and we 712 00:53:20.079 --> 00:53:23.639 appreciate you joining us on the Gardening Simplified Show. Well, you are so 713 00:53:23.800 --> 00:53:28.519 welcome, and thank you so much. I love catching up with you and 714 00:53:28.559 --> 00:53:31.360 talking about playing. Thanks so much for it's always a pleasure. Good luck 715 00:53:31.360 --> 00:53:37.920 gardening this year, Ah Houston, The ship is at stable one. Those 716 00:53:37.000 --> 00:53:42.159 were the words of Jim Lovell An Apollo thirteen. Today's show feels like a 717 00:53:42.239 --> 00:53:46.119 rocket ship to me. It's so much information packed in and stacy. Always 718 00:53:46.360 --> 00:53:51.199 a privilege and pleasure to do the show. Likewise, Ray and thanks so 719 00:53:51.280 --> 00:53:53.519 much, Adriana, thank you, and most of all, thanks to you 720 00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:58.599 thanks for tuning us in. Again a reminder, we are a podcast, 721 00:53:58.719 --> 00:54:04.119 we are a radio show, and we are a YouTube show. So pick 722 00:54:04.159 --> 00:54:08.159 which one you like or pick all three. We'd love that and have yourself 723 00:54:08.159 --> 00:54:09.280 agreeable. Thank you.