WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.679 Coming to you from the historic halls of Studio A 2 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:08.919 here at proven winners, color Choice Shrubs. It's time for 3 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:14.240 the Gardening Simplified radio podcast and YouTube show with Stacy 4 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:20.559 Hervella Me, Rick Weist, and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, 5 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.199 the word nostalgia has its roots in the Greek language 6 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:30.640 and was translated in the eighteenth century as acute homesickness 7 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:36.200 or homecoming. Of course, today nostalgia is viewed as a natural, 8 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.880 common and even positive emotion. And then, of course you've 9 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:45.439 got the term vintage, which, boy, it can cover a 10 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:51.759 lot of gardening trends and designs and styles like architectural 11 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:57.719 gardens of Paris, the romantic winding paths of an Italian villa, charming, 12 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:01.280 wild and carefree designs of an English country garden. You 13 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:04.519 can go on and on. There's a vintage style to 14 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:09.319 suit every taste. But Stacy, we do know that homeowners 15 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:14.640 say that gardening makes them feel nostalgic, and I guess 16 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.400 gardening makes you feel nostalgic. It makes me it reminds 17 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:22.120 me of it, maybe a simpler time with family. I 18 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:25.799 remember my dad and my mom. They loved working out 19 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:28.680 in the garden. I loved the thought of a hot 20 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:32.920 Fourth of July day and sitting underneath a big shade tree. 21 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:38.760 Of course, people have all kinds of nostalgic remembrances of plants, 22 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:42.719 like lilacs or a vine that's growing up a wall, 23 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.079 you know, and even in television you think about the 24 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.799 Brady Bunch Show and that pathway leading up to the 25 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:55.239 welcoming doors. All of these things create this nostalgic feeling 26 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:59.719 for us, and gardens and plants can do a great 27 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.799 job of contributing to a nostalgic type. 28 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:06.359 Of feel absolutely, and I think a lot of people 29 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:10.759 do start gardening to bring back some of that magic 30 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:14.639 for themselves as well as to create some of that 31 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:16.800 magic for the next generation. I think as we get 32 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.719 a little bit older, we start to realize that, you know, 33 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.599 these shrubs are not going to plant themselves. And if 34 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.439 we want, you know, our children or neighbors or friends 35 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:28.919 or whatever to have these, you know, same kind of 36 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.479 experiences that we had. You know, someone had to have 37 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.360 planted those things and created a yard a space where 38 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.120 you wanted to be because it did have flowers and 39 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.319 it did have plants, and that that is what is 40 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:45.759 so you know, salient in your memory, and yeah, it 41 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.560 doesn't just happen. If you want that, you have to 42 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:50.919 get up and do it, and you can be the one. 43 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:56.120 Yeah, exactly. A mixed planting can create a real nostalgic 44 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.840 feel and stacy. You know a lot of people getting 45 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:03.840 into wild flows gardens, rambling wildflower gardens because of the 46 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:08.639 pollinator issue. But if you go beyond planting it for 47 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.039 bees and butterflies, a garden like that creates a real 48 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.719 cottage garden type of nostalgic feel. 49 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.879 Yeah, and you know it can I feel like thinking 50 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:21.319 about my own sort of nostalgia for plants that I 51 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.759 grew up with. It's interesting to me that some plants 52 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.599 that I remember from my childhood do not feel nostalgic, 53 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:34.319 while others do. So my mom always had a I 54 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:36.080 think I just figured this out and answering my own 55 00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:41.240 question here, had a big old lava rock or near 56 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:46.080 our front porch with hens and chicks planted in hens 57 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.080 and chick yeah. Yeah, So this of course was the 58 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:52.240 seventies early eighties, and I love hens and chicks. I 59 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:54.319 still grow them. I have a big collection myself, but 60 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.800 I don't think of those as nostalgic like to me, 61 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.319 even though I did discover them first as a little child, Like, 62 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.400 I don't have nostalgia for that, but I do have 63 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:04.840 nostlgia for other things my mom grew like bleeding heart. 64 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.560 Oh yeah, yeah, definitely a nostalgic plant for a lot 65 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:07.919 of people. 66 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:11.039 Yeah. For me, it was a neighbor who grew lots 67 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:13.719 of dianthus, So diale, that's cool. 68 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:16.839 That's a very definitely kind of more of an old fashion. 69 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:19.399 I mean in the proven Winn's line, there are tons 70 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:24.439 of new dianthus, but dianthas are definitely a plant that 71 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:28.680 are nostalgic from recent history as well as very old history. 72 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:32.279 I mean you see dianthos also known as pinks, you know, 73 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:35.040 in the unicorn tapestries and all sorts of medieval art. 74 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.279 But yeah, there was a time when they were quite 75 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:41.000 quite popular and then they kind of fell off the earth. 76 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.319 And now our partners at Walter's Gardens and proven Winters 77 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:45.959 Perennials are kind of bringing them back. 78 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.319 And it brings up a good point, whether it's proven 79 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:52.480 Winter's Perennials or proven Winters shrubs. What's been fun for 80 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.240 me to watch is I've been in the garden center 81 00:04:56.279 --> 00:05:01.800 industry since the seventies, and yes had a strawberry pot 82 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:05.000 with hens and chicksen n Okay, and I would have 83 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:08.720 to say I'm really not nostalgic about it either. However, 84 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:13.759 as far as shrubs are concerned or perennials, these plants 85 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:21.000 that give us that nostalgic feeling. Roses, hydranges, paeonies, lilacs, lavender, 86 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.680 all of these types of plants give you that feel. 87 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:29.160 But back then in the seventies in the garden center industry, 88 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:34.759 we didn't have the plants that we have today plant breeding. 89 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:37.240 As we've talked about being in the golden age of 90 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:42.040 plant breeding, I think it's bringing back some of this nostalgia. 91 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:47.959 And Stacey, I planted one of the reminiscent roses in 92 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:51.680 my landscape and I have to say it really gave 93 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:56.759 me a nostalgic feeling with a plant that's bred for 94 00:05:56.920 --> 00:06:00.399 today and is disease resistant and already. 95 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:04.079 I love seeing that, you know, And I'm going to 96 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.079 talk about this more when we get to the mailbang 97 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:09.439 and I'm sharing a listener story. It is amazing to 98 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.240 me to really get the perspective on what plant breeding 99 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.279 has done because people tend to think, oh, it's just 100 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.079 about having a new color of something, or you know, 101 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:19.959 it's a bigger flower, and that's actually not necessarily the case. 102 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.199 It really kind of all came home to me that 103 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.680 so much of what plant breeding is is to bring 104 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:27.399 gardening within reach of people. 105 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:27.879 Now. 106 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:30.160 You know, back in those days, it took a lot 107 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:34.040 of effort for someone to grow those dianthus. They needed 108 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.600 constant dead heading, they needed so much attention, they didn't 109 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:40.399 bloom very long. So you would put all this effort 110 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:43.199 into something that didn't actually give you all that much 111 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:45.079 of a display, you know, over the course of the 112 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:46.600 season for the amount of work you had to put in. 113 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:51.240 But now plant breeding has dianthus that bloom without you 114 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:52.560 don't need to dead head in them, and they're just 115 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:56.040 gonna bloom pretty much all summer long. And so what 116 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.399 plant breeding has done is not just aesthetic, but is 117 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:04.759 actually taken away a lot of the work that gardening 118 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:06.680 is associated. 119 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:11.879 With, exactly, and it has fed this nostalgia boom. You know, 120 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:15.480 I remember as a kid, mock orange just a huge, 121 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:21.120 unwieldy plant. Not so today. Bridal re spyriea for Scythia's. 122 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:24.839 Of course, you've got the show off for Scythia's today, 123 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:29.879 smooth annabelle, hydranges, garden flocks and creeping flocks, and of 124 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:34.000 course geraniums. They make me feel nostalgic too, only because 125 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:37.360 in the seventies that's basically all we sold. At least 126 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:41.240 it sure felt that way in the garden center. Spikes, vincavine, 127 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:51.040 and geraniums, but balsam ladies, slippers, sweet peas, nasturtium, shasta, daisies, hollyhawks, heliotrope, 128 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.079 all of these plants really create that feeling of nostalgia. 129 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:58.360 And then when you add to it in the landscape, 130 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:05.399 some antique or worn or weathered planters, cobblestone in pathways, 131 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:11.519 unfinished sculptures, and water features that don't have a painted 132 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:16.199 finish on them but just weather naturally wrought iron in 133 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:21.199 the landscape is charming and nostalgic. And a picket fence, 134 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.000 even if you don't have the picket fence up to 135 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:27.360 keep your neighbor out or whatever you're using it for, 136 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:32.799 the picket fence just really really gives you that nostalgic 137 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:37.480 feeling in the garden. Now, for me, one thing that 138 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:41.240 gives me a nostalgic feeling in the garden and I'm 139 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:44.799 going to talk about it in segment four, and that 140 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:51.600 is lawn chairs. An those rotten webbed lawn chair about them, 141 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:53.720 and we would sell them in the gardens. Oh, we 142 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:58.200 had packages of replacement. Have you ever been to a 143 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:01.240 family gathering where some one sat down in one of 144 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:04.919 those webbed lawn chairs and when they get up they 145 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:06.200 carry the chair with them. 146 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.639 Yeah, I've seen that before, or fallen. 147 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:12.320 Through the chair. Oh, my word. And we had these 148 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.120 trifolding jelly tube strap lawnchairs. 149 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:17.840 Now those are no good. Those are no good. The 150 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:21.120 old fashioned webbing one's school, the jelly roll one na. 151 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:25.759 And there is a certain lawn chair at family gatherings 152 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:29.639 again to get nostalgic that when you pick up your food, 153 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:34.080 your potato salad, your burger or whatever at this family gathering, 154 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:36.840 you don't want to be the last one because you're 155 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:41.200 going to be stuck with that chair. I'll talk about 156 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:45.919 it in non segment four. But there's something about patio 157 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:48.919 furniture and law and maybe it's because of my history 158 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:51.840 in the garden center industry that it does that. But 159 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:57.120 lawn chairs give me just this unbelievable nostalgic feeling. 160 00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:59.679 Well, you know, my husband and I collect lawnchairs, okay, 161 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:02.519 and we have an enormous not enormous, we have a 162 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:05.360 sizable collection. We only take ones that are all aluminum, 163 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:07.840 so I never had any wood or plastic. And they 164 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.279 have to be the type that have the replaceable webbing 165 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:13.000 where you can take out the screw and replace the webbing. 166 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:16.279 And yeah, you can pick them up at a state 167 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:18.480 sales for you know, two or three dollars and some 168 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:20.879 of them are really quite attractive and very comfortable. 169 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:22.559 So I feel you on. 170 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:25.679 That well, and I'm going to find out and segment four, 171 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:30.159 then if you have this notorious chairity that I'm referring to. 172 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:31.120 Me, sure to find out. 173 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:34.960 Stay tuned for segment four. First, we'll have plants on trial. 174 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:38.399 We'll see how Stacey ties this all together here on 175 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:39.960 the Gardening Simplified Show. 176 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:48.559 Proven Winn's Color Choice Shrubs cares about your success in 177 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:51.080 the garden. That's why we trial and test all of 178 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:53.679 our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they 179 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:56.399 outperform everything else on the market. Look for them in 180 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:01.399 the distinctive white container at your local garden Center. Greetings, 181 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.399 gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. 182 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:08.159 The order of the day is nostalgia. And yeah, I 183 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.559 mean I can't tell you. I don't have to tell 184 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:12.840 you because I'm sure that you when you were working 185 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:15.879 in the garden centers had people come up to you 186 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.919 and say, I'm looking for a plant that my grandmother has. 187 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.440 I'm going to ask you when people ask you that, 188 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.679 how many times out of ten on average was it 189 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:26.279 a whigela. 190 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.200 It was often a Wiejela. But I would truly have 191 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.440 to say that at the top of the list was 192 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:33.720 bridal rea Spyria. 193 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.159 For whatever Reasonspiria is very lovely. 194 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:38.120 I do like it. 195 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.679 I mean, the flowers last for like three days. 196 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:43.919 And they're gigantic. 197 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.480 But yeah, I mean that's a plant that I don't 198 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.080 I think you'd be hard pressed to find them nowadays. 199 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:53.399 They kind of have fallen out of fashion. You just 200 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:55.759 like see old hedges of them, you know, out in 201 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:58.799 the neighbors. But I think Wayjila is one of the 202 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:01.480 most popular, you know when people, and I think they're 203 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:03.559 more likely to ask about it because they don't know 204 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:04.039 what it is. 205 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:05.360 They just can't pronounce it. 206 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:09.159 They can't pronounce it, for one, and for two, yeah 207 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:11.320 they don't. They just remember that Grandma had this, you know, 208 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.000 big bush with trumpet flowers on it, lilac. 209 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:16.279 They know the name Roses. They know the name. 210 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:19.720 And today's plan on trial is not a white gla 211 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:23.440 because the point that I'm trying to make is that 212 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:28.399 most plants that are truly nostalgic for people do have fragrance, yes, 213 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:33.919 because it's not just the visual aspect of being around 214 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:37.679 the plant that makes it so nostalgic. And I don't 215 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:41.879 even if you aren't acutely aware of this fact, you know, 216 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:43.799 I think you still have a sense of it that 217 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:48.519 things that you can remember from scent bring back an 218 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.559 emotion like nothing else. Yes, you know, you can look 219 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.799 at things, you can touch things. All the other senses 220 00:12:55.399 --> 00:12:58.720 are pretty good. But when it comes to smell and memory, 221 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.080 I mean, and it's like you can be taken back 222 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:04.480 in time. You know, you can just go back right 223 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:05.440 to a moment. 224 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:08.639 And they say, if you have that scent as a 225 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:11.200 young child, it's imprinted on your brain. 226 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.080 Yes, And a lot of us that we were going 227 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:16.759 to a grandmother's house or a great grandmother's house, you know, 228 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.960 as young children. So I was thinking about all of 229 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:20.759 this and I came across a very interesting article that 230 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:23.440 I will link in the show notes at Gardening Simplified 231 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:26.200 on air dot com. This is from the Harvard Cazette 232 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.799 from Harvard University about smell and memory. Smell and memory 233 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:33.720 seem to be so closely linked because of the brain's anatomy, 234 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:38.720 said Venka Tshmurty, the Raymond LEO. Erickson Life Scientist, Professor 235 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:41.480 and Chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology 236 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:44.200 at Harvard. So this is not just us riffing on 237 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.840 the importance so sent and memory. We have credibility here 238 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:50.320 from an expert. He goes on to say smells are 239 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:53.360 handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front 240 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:55.919 of the brain that sends information to the other areas 241 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:59.679 of the body's central command for further processing. Odors take 242 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:03.399 a wrecked route to the limbic system, including the amygdulla 243 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:07.679 in the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory. 244 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:11.080 So it's not just a matter of that smell going 245 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:14.120 right into your brain, but that the parts of your 246 00:14:14.120 --> 00:14:18.360 brain that are processing that fragrance or smell are specifically 247 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:23.039 linked to emotion and memory, so it just becomes so powerful. 248 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:26.679 And when you know, even if we if someone experiences 249 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.039 plant blindness where they're really unaware of plants and that 250 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:31.799 there are different types of plants and the roles that 251 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.720 they fill around us. I think even them when they 252 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:39.159 have these fragrant memories of a lilac or whatever it was, 253 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:44.879 that they have that same, you know, immediate emotional and 254 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.120 memory type reaction. 255 00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:49.159 I think that's why lilacs are such a big deal 256 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:50.279 on Mother's Day. 257 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:53.000 Yes, absolutely, and the timing's perfect, so you kind of 258 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.440 can't argue with that. Although how much longer they. 259 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.519 Will be perfectly seeing. 260 00:14:57.759 --> 00:14:58.360 We don't know. 261 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:01.519 But so it's obvious now why fragrant plants loom so 262 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:04.440 large in our memories, even if there were other plants there. 263 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.759 And I think some old fashioned fragrant plants are never 264 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:09.440 going to go out of style. I don't think as 265 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:12.159 long as lilac can be grown in your area, people 266 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:14.840 will ever stop growing lilacs. They just they love them 267 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:19.320 too much. But some have almost disappeared from the market. 268 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:23.279 Some plants that were extremely popular, you know, a couple 269 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:28.279 decades ago, a century ago, are almost unheard of literally nowadays, 270 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:32.320 and one of those plants is Philadelphis, also known as 271 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:35.799 mock orange. As you might guess from the common name, 272 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.039 it has small white flowers that do indeed smell quite 273 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.799 a bit like an orange blossom. But this is a 274 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:43.840 perfectly hardy plant. 275 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:44.320 They are. 276 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.639 Actually there's species that are native to Canada and very 277 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:50.679 cold regions down to Zone three. Most are hardy down 278 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:54.120 to USDA Zone four and heat tolerant through USDA Zone eight. 279 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:57.440 It's not remotely related to citrus. It's actually more closely 280 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:00.559 related to hydranges than to citrus, which is in a 281 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:05.919 totally different family. But Philadelphis is a plant that, yeah, 282 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.639 I think for so many people, the fragrance automatically takes 283 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:10.879 you back. 284 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:11.039 Now. 285 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:16.120 The first time I encountered a truly magnificent memory stirring 286 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:19.919 philadelphis was when I lived in New York City and 287 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:23.720 we were walking down a street in the East Village 288 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.679 and there was an old, old, old, old cemetery, cemetery. 289 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:28.080 It was close to the public, but it was still 290 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:30.600 surrounded by walls and still had, you know, plants and 291 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.279 stuff from back in the day, and there was a 292 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:36.840 philadelphis there that was probably about fifteen feet tall, and 293 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:40.679 it had these like elegant arching branches that arched over 294 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:43.039 the wall, and the thing was in full bloom. And 295 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.679 you just turn down this street and you know, it 296 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:50.320 blooms in June, so the air is like warm and steamy, 297 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:53.399 and just that fragrance on the June air, I mean, 298 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:57.240 it was just it was mind blowing. But for all 299 00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:59.159 of those reasons, the fact that I just described a 300 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.960 shrub that was at least fifteen feet tall and wide 301 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:05.799 is one reason why it may have fallen our favor. 302 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.720 People don't have that kind of space, and a couple 303 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:11.119 of other things. Because it does bloom in June if 304 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:15.400 the weather's very hot, not unlike the bridal respyrriea, especially 305 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.960 older varieties, those blooms would just blast through it just 306 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.960 you wouldn't be able to enjoy them for very long 307 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.960 if it's hot and dry. And then finally, and this 308 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:27.000 is a weird characteristic, older varieties of mock orange have 309 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:31.559 very poor quality foliage. So what would happen is that 310 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:34.119 by you know, summer, the foliage would turn kind of 311 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:37.519 like a grayish, sickly green color and it would get 312 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.960 really tattered. So you know, by the time you're in 313 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:43.400 like mid to late summer, you've got a pretty crummy 314 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.839 looking plant on your hands, and it bloomed for you know, 315 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.720 maybe a week if you were lucky. And that's a 316 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:53.200 lot to ask for a relatively small reward. So I 317 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:56.880 think a lot of people stopped growing Philadelphis. But Tim Wood, 318 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:01.240 our director of new plant Development, loves Philadelphis and when 319 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.880 he set out to develop the first Philadelphis for the 320 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.319 proven Winner's color Choice line, which is today's plant on 321 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:13.240 trial Illuminati Tower mock Orange Philadelphis, he wanted to resolve 322 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:16.079 all of those issues and create a mock orange that 323 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.119 actually merits its spot in the garden. So the first 324 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:22.880 thing that makes Illuminati Tower different is that it lives 325 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.319 up to its name by growing as a tower like shape. 326 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:30.039 So it's very very narrow, it's very upright, and it 327 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.079 doesn't branch a lot, so you know, whereas most of 328 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:34.680 the time you think about a shrub and it's branching 329 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:36.400 all over and that gives it a lot of width, 330 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:39.720 this does not branch much, so it stays very calumnar 331 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:44.000 and narrow, and so compared to the old fifteen to 332 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:46.839 twenty foot Philadelphis that used to be grown. This is 333 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:49.519 going to reach five to six feet tall and just 334 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:54.000 three feet wide, so very small footprint, but still has 335 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:57.400 a lot of flower power and that tower habit becomes 336 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:00.640 even more dramatic when it flowers because the flowers are 337 00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:03.160 at the top and they just really accentuate this almost 338 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:06.960 four sided look that the plant has. It also has 339 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:11.359 very thick, very dark green, deeply ribbed foliage, and this 340 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.039 will hold up all season long, so you don't get 341 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:18.079 that tattered, sad look later in the season. Now, as 342 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.200 for the flower longevity, that is going to depend on 343 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:24.119 the conditions. It will certainly last longer because these other 344 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:29.079 qualities have to be brought about by having additional chromosomes 345 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:32.279 in the plant to cause them to be beefier and 346 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:35.880 stockier and have better quality foliage. That does typically have 347 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.960 a positive impact on the flowers where they have more 348 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.039 substance and can be longer lasting. But it has that 349 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:46.319 same beautiful, sweet fragrance. And so if you're in the 350 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:49.680 market to either redeem some of your own nostalgia or 351 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:53.480 perhaps plant some nostalgia for the next generation, I think 352 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.640 the Illuminati mock oranges are a great choice. Again, we're 353 00:19:56.680 --> 00:19:59.440 focusing on Illuminati Tower. I really love this variety because 354 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.279 it's a great space saver, and a lot of us 355 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.720 just don't have room to just have, you know, things 356 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:05.400 like they used to be. 357 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:08.000 A couple of years ago. You gave me one. Oh yeah, 358 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:12.519 I planted it. Wow, unbelievable and it's in a tight spot, 359 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:16.720 fits perfectly in there. And then this spring when it 360 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:20.920 came into flower, I posted pictures in social media. People 361 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:25.000 went nuts over it, asking what is that plant? And 362 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:29.240 my response to them was, you're just seeing the pictures. 363 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:32.200 If you could smell this thing, if this was smell 364 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:35.839 a vision, you'd be even more blown away. I love 365 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:37.119 that plant staste. 366 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:38.680 And I'm so glad you said that, because it is 367 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.759 a plant that you definitely again because it's fallen out 368 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:43.640 of favor and there's no longer this. Of course, you're 369 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:46.000 gonna have a mock orange, because everybody has a mock orange, 370 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.880 and it's a great way to extend the season beyond 371 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:51.359 the lilacs because they're not going to overlap. Typically, your 372 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:53.440 lilocks will be done blooming and the mock orange can 373 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:56.319 come in and take that over. It's deer resistant. You 374 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:59.359 probably have yours planet in the compound. But it is 375 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:04.759 a good, dear resistant plant, very attractive, full to parts 376 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:07.200 on is fine. Although the closer you get to USDA 377 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:10.559 Zone eight the end, the hot end of its tolerance, 378 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.880 the more shade that it is going to want. It 379 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:15.880 is drought tolerant, though of course when it's in bloom 380 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:17.480 you're gonna want to give it a little extra water 381 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:20.880 just to make sure those fabulous flowers last as long 382 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:24.440 as possible. So planting time is almost done for most 383 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:27.799 of us. But definitely put Illuminati Tower mock orange or 384 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:30.960 any of the Illuminati mock oranges on your planting list 385 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:34.880 for next spring, and you will be very very glad 386 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:36.720 that you did, as well the people who you are 387 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:39.440 trying to create nostalgia for. Next We're gonna take a 388 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.000 little break, and when we come back, we're opening up 389 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:41.920 the garden mail eggs. 390 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:42.640 I please stay. 391 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:51.920 Tuned at proven Winner's color choice. We've got a shrub 392 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:55.119 for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking for 393 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:58.799 an easy care rose, an unforgettable hydrangea, or something new 394 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:01.160 and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs and 395 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:04.279 the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. 396 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:09.480 Look for them at your local garden center. Greetings gardening friends, 397 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:11.880 and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. You know 398 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:14.640 we're going to answer your garden questions, whether they are 399 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:16.960 about something that used to be, or something that is 400 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.440 or something that will be. We're always happy to help, 401 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:22.480