1
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:06,839
Speaker 1: Broadcasting from Beautiful Studio a here at proven Winners, Color

2
00:00:06,919 --> 00:00:10,320
Choice Shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show with

3
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,320
Stacy Hervella, me, Rick weisst and our engineer and producer

4
00:00:14,439 --> 00:00:18,839
Adrianna Robinson. Today we talk about perennials, and perennials have

5
00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:23,480
seen long term popularity. It's not just a trend or

6
00:00:23,519 --> 00:00:29,359
a fad. Perennial allure is tied into emergence, something to

7
00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:33,479
look forward to that pops out of the ground every year. Value.

8
00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:39,759
They're affordable, personal choice, variety, shareable and easy to handle.

9
00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,719
I mean, who hasn't visited a greenhouse or a garden

10
00:00:42,759 --> 00:00:44,960
center and found a plant they love and the next

11
00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,399
thing you know, you're in your yard with a plant

12
00:00:47,439 --> 00:00:49,600
in one hand, the shovel in the other, trying to

13
00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,320
find a place to put it. And Stacy, you know

14
00:00:52,359 --> 00:00:55,200
what I've found out about perennials also, at least really

15
00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,799
realized in the past year, is that they are so

16
00:00:58,079 --> 00:01:02,000
popular they have now been become a target of AI

17
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,680
scammers like the Red, White and Blue Hostas you.

18
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,439
Speaker 2: Know, it's too early in the year for me to

19
00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:10,480
go off on a rant.

20
00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:11,120
Speaker 1: It is.

21
00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,719
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, but it's it's annoying because hostas. We are

22
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,040
at the pinnacle of choice among hostas, right, and there

23
00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,519
are so many incredible, actually available hostas, and some person

24
00:01:23,519 --> 00:01:25,159
has to get out there and paint them all these

25
00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,760
you know, ridiculous colors and trick people. And that's just wrong.

26
00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:29,400
Speaker 1: It's wrong.

27
00:01:29,519 --> 00:01:31,599
Speaker 2: They don't. First of all, hostas don't need it, and

28
00:01:31,719 --> 00:01:34,120
second of all, it's wrong to trick people. So yeah,

29
00:01:34,239 --> 00:01:37,719
it's uh yeah, that's they just And the truth is,

30
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:39,719
I was thinking, as you were, you know, talking in

31
00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,719
your intro. Perennials have come so far in the last

32
00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,200
couple of decades. I remember one of my earliest gardening books.

33
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,560
I used to go to Borders Books, you know, and

34
00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,760
go to the sale table there, and that was how

35
00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,040
really one of the earlier I learned to garden. I

36
00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:58,640
remember one of my early gardening books saying something like

37
00:01:58,879 --> 00:02:03,959
perennials tip bloom a maximum of two weeks, and boy,

38
00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,400
has that just been blown way blown away out of

39
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,639
the water. You know. Nowadays a perennial that bloom for

40
00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:12,719
two weeks would be like, okay, well what else you got,

41
00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,599
you know, And so perennials I've just you know, we're

42
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:18,439
really at We talk all the time about being in

43
00:02:18,479 --> 00:02:20,479
a new age of plant breeding, and we talk about

44
00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,400
with annuals, and we talk about it at shrubs, and

45
00:02:22,439 --> 00:02:24,120
it's just as true with perennials.

46
00:02:24,199 --> 00:02:28,599
Speaker 1: Absolutely agree. And to those AI scammers, I say, hasta

47
00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,080
la vista baby.

48
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:30,840
Speaker 2: Help you get root rot.

49
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,039
Speaker 1: That's right, you know. Last week I did our last

50
00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,960
week last year, I did a personal survey of perennial

51
00:02:40,039 --> 00:02:47,719
plants and a dormant no, no, okay, people buying perennial. Yes,

52
00:02:47,759 --> 00:02:51,639
I do talk to my plants, people buying perennial plants,

53
00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,800
and I got interesting answers because I had a project

54
00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,319
I was working on. One lady said to me, I

55
00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,680
buy perennials because they make me look like I know

56
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,400
what I'm doing. Another lady said, I buy perennials because

57
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:05,840
I'm in it for the long haul.

58
00:03:06,199 --> 00:03:06,599
Speaker 2: Love it.

59
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,240
Speaker 1: Another person said perennials, I buy them because they stand

60
00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,520
a chance. I thought that was humorous. And one lady

61
00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,159
I asked, I said, what's your favorite thing about perennials?

62
00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:18,639
She says they come back every year. I said, what's

63
00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,599
your least favorite thing about perennials. She says, sometimes they

64
00:03:21,599 --> 00:03:22,360
don't come back.

65
00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:27,439
Speaker 2: That's true, right, Yes, definitely, that does occasionally happen.

66
00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,199
Speaker 1: Now proven winners did a survey. Also, One thing that

67
00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:36,680
I found interesting, Stacy, is that spending on perennial plants

68
00:03:36,719 --> 00:03:41,080
on the part of gardeners is robust, and color and

69
00:03:41,199 --> 00:03:44,159
quality top the list of consideration.

70
00:03:44,439 --> 00:03:45,080
Speaker 2: Absolutely.

71
00:03:45,199 --> 00:03:45,439
Speaker 1: Yeah.

72
00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,520
Speaker 2: I mean, if a plant looks great on the shelf

73
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,719
at the garden center, you have good confidence it's going

74
00:03:50,759 --> 00:03:52,800
to look great in your garden. You bet it's important.

75
00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,759
Speaker 1: Now envelope please, twenty twenty six Perennial of the Year

76
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,680
is Dark Side of the Moon a still be Oh,

77
00:04:01,759 --> 00:04:04,960
this is a pretty pretty plant. We're looking at rich

78
00:04:05,039 --> 00:04:08,360
deep chocolate brown leaves. The new leaves are kind of

79
00:04:08,439 --> 00:04:12,039
yellowish with a dark margin, and then they turn completely

80
00:04:12,159 --> 00:04:16,439
dark as they age, and then raspberry buds open to

81
00:04:16,879 --> 00:04:20,959
purple flowers. So we're looking at in a Stilby here, Stacy,

82
00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,839
that has purple flowers and dark leaves.

83
00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,040
Speaker 2: It really is a very unique, very specialist Stilby. Do

84
00:04:27,079 --> 00:04:28,399
you grow a lot of Stillby You have a lot

85
00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:29,160
more shade than I.

86
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,920
Speaker 1: I grow some of it, however, not that much. And

87
00:04:32,959 --> 00:04:36,160
the reason for it is a lot of people believe

88
00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,439
like if you go into a garden center or a greenhouse,

89
00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,360
Stillby's always in the shade section.

90
00:04:40,519 --> 00:04:40,720
Speaker 2: Yeah.

91
00:04:40,759 --> 00:04:43,639
Speaker 1: Yeah, But I don't think it's about shade, because I

92
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,199
think a Stilby can take a fair amount of sun.

93
00:04:46,639 --> 00:04:48,560
It's about soil moisture.

94
00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,720
Speaker 2: It is definitely true. That is why I do not

95
00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,480
grow as Stilby even in my limited shade, because there

96
00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,120
is not enough soil moisture. But I do absolutely love them.

97
00:04:58,879 --> 00:05:01,160
They are so durable. You know, they have such a

98
00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:05,639
delicate look, but they are so durable. They're just so

99
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,480
beautiful when they bloom in the summer. And yeah, I

100
00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:10,879
mean they're just they're great plants.

101
00:05:11,199 --> 00:05:14,959
Speaker 1: Yeah, And you know, using something you would say, Stacey,

102
00:05:15,439 --> 00:05:19,480
some plants are tough. It's let's say, yeah, right, whereas

103
00:05:19,519 --> 00:05:21,800
in a Stilby is one of those plants that I

104
00:05:21,879 --> 00:05:26,639
consider an exclamation point or a statement plant in a landscape.

105
00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,519
Speaker 2: Now that is true. There are some very larger Stilby's

106
00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,560
with beautiful, long, elegant scapes that bear the flowers. The

107
00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:35,079
perennial of the year Dark Side of the Moon is

108
00:05:35,079 --> 00:05:38,439
Stilby is actually quite compact. Yes, it's under two feet

109
00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,839
tall and wide, so It's a nice small size, which

110
00:05:42,879 --> 00:05:45,639
is great to either mix in with all of those big,

111
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,879
old fashioned types of his Stilby's, or if you have

112
00:05:47,959 --> 00:05:50,720
limited space, or if you like the really tight and

113
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,680
dense look, this is the perfect plant for that.

114
00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,439
Speaker 1: And again the critical factor here, in my opinion, is moisture.

115
00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,439
So not having the plants sit in water, we don't

116
00:06:00,439 --> 00:06:04,079
want that, but moisture in the soil. I was looking

117
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,439
at a comment from someone in Oklahoma who tried some

118
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,360
a Stilby's, and this individual was saying, even though they

119
00:06:13,399 --> 00:06:18,000
were growing in shade, they became crispy, and this person

120
00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,319
surmised that it was due to the constant wind and heat,

121
00:06:22,759 --> 00:06:23,759
and probably true.

122
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, a stilby is not a drought tolerant plant. That

123
00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:31,079
is without question not happening for a Stilby's. So whether

124
00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,120
that means from watering or from wind or sun, all

125
00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,240
of those factors can combine in any climate to make

126
00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,120
it very unhospitable. So you really need that moist soil.

127
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,240
If you don't have moist soil or you don't water,

128
00:06:44,439 --> 00:06:47,240
you can try it, but it will not come back.

129
00:06:47,519 --> 00:06:49,360
It may not even make it through the summer. Be

130
00:06:49,439 --> 00:06:51,519
the incredible shrinking a stilby, which is what I have

131
00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,959
found is someone who does very little supplemental watering happens

132
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,639
when a plant doesn't get any of water, it just

133
00:06:57,759 --> 00:06:59,160
shrinks until it disappears.

134
00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,240
Speaker 1: Coming up and segment four, we'll talk more about dart

135
00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,319
Side of the Moon with Kayla Olsen from Walter's Gardens

136
00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:10,199
Proven Winters Perennials, and we'll get we'll dig a little

137
00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,079
deeper into that plant. The twenty twenty six Hosta of

138
00:07:14,199 --> 00:07:18,399
the Year the envelope please, and it is Shadowland Hope

139
00:07:18,519 --> 00:07:25,120
springs Eternal hosta Hope springs Eternal. I suppose Hope springs

140
00:07:25,199 --> 00:07:28,519
Eternal is a good way of putting it because it's

141
00:07:28,879 --> 00:07:30,199
hearty to Zonne three.

142
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,199
Speaker 2: As yes, and you know if you have dear and

143
00:07:33,319 --> 00:07:35,279
one hostas well help springs Eternal.

144
00:07:37,519 --> 00:07:40,160
Speaker 1: This is a rough oled hosta that will bring joy

145
00:07:40,639 --> 00:07:46,399
year after year, heart shaped, blue leaves, crisp, creamy white edges,

146
00:07:46,879 --> 00:07:51,199
and near white flowers. So I'm going to add another

147
00:07:51,279 --> 00:07:55,639
hosta to the mix. Boy. That's you know, there there's

148
00:07:55,639 --> 00:07:58,240
no shortage of cultivars. Well, it comes to hostage.

149
00:07:58,240 --> 00:07:59,800
Speaker 2: And you know the thing about hosta people is they

150
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,240
cannot have too many hostas are potato chips to them.

151
00:08:03,319 --> 00:08:05,920
They can never have just one. And I have to

152
00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,920
confess I do love the ruffled edges hostas that are

153
00:08:08,959 --> 00:08:12,079
coming out of proven Winner's Perennials. If I could grow them.

154
00:08:12,399 --> 00:08:14,600
I love the giant ones and I love the ruffled

155
00:08:14,639 --> 00:08:16,199
edges ones. It's just really cool.

156
00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:22,560
Speaker 1: I've spent time speaking to hosta groups, people who have

157
00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,759
a club, and they enjoy hostas and stacey. I find

158
00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:29,279
that they grow them in both sun and shade. And

159
00:08:29,319 --> 00:08:31,600
I suppose again, if you pay attention to the soil,

160
00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,200
you can successfully grow hosta.

161
00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,120
Speaker 2: You know, And I think it's worth mentioning for that,

162
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,279
and Proven Winner's Perennials certainly makes this clear with dark

163
00:08:39,279 --> 00:08:42,080
side of the Moon to still be, it all depends

164
00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,879
on where you are located. So if you are in

165
00:08:44,919 --> 00:08:47,799
a hot climate, they don't recommend growing me a is

166
00:08:47,799 --> 00:08:51,000
stilby or the hostas probably for that matter, in sun,

167
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,639
even if they do have sufficient moisture, it's just too much.

168
00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:56,480
But for those of us in the North are in

169
00:08:56,519 --> 00:09:00,639
cooler climates, i'd say, like roughly USDA Zone six or colder,

170
00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,200
you can definitely get away with growing both hostas and

171
00:09:03,279 --> 00:09:06,799
still be in the sun, provided you have that soil moisture.

172
00:09:06,759 --> 00:09:11,559
Speaker 1: Exactly envelope please. Twenty twenty six Landscape Perennial of the

173
00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:16,759
Year A favorite of your stacey and mind. Decadence lemon merangue,

174
00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:21,480
false indigo or Baptisia. I think this one's a no brainer,

175
00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,320
certainly for landscapers. It's a plant that gives you bright

176
00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,480
color and almost gives you the feel of a shrub

177
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,600
in an herbaceous permeer.

178
00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,840
Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, I have a number of the Decadencepeptisia

179
00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,600
in my garden. I love them all, but lemon merangue

180
00:09:38,799 --> 00:09:43,840
is by far the toughest, most robust, longest blooming. I mean,

181
00:09:43,879 --> 00:09:48,000
this thing is a powerhouse in the garden. And you

182
00:09:48,039 --> 00:09:51,039
know the great thing about I think that all perennials

183
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,120
are you know, you do think of them as an

184
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,960
investment in your garden. I mean, they'ren't super expensive, but

185
00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:58,360
you know that you're investing that money into something that's

186
00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,759
going to come back every year. I mean, this is

187
00:10:00,799 --> 00:10:04,799
like an ironclad investment because the lemon merangue baptisia is

188
00:10:04,879 --> 00:10:08,559
going to be coming back. It's going to outlive you. Your

189
00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:09,679
airrs are going to be like I remember when she

190
00:10:09,799 --> 00:10:14,480
planted that, and it's just it's colorful, it's beautiful, the

191
00:10:14,519 --> 00:10:17,720
bees love it. It's right now like my soul is

192
00:10:17,759 --> 00:10:19,919
just crying for spring when my decad ince lemon merangue

193
00:10:19,919 --> 00:10:21,279
deptisas are iron bloom.

194
00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:26,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, low maintenance native are and the vigor

195
00:10:27,159 --> 00:10:30,679
of that plant is simply amazing. And this is one

196
00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,559
of those plants I talked about an exclamation point plant.

197
00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,960
This is a plant that I like to say pops

198
00:10:37,399 --> 00:10:40,519
in the landscape because it does. It pops in the landska.

199
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,519
Speaker 2: So in my garden I have it combined kind of

200
00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:47,480
in a color gradient with pink lemonade and their pink

201
00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:49,360
variety I forget the name of it offhand. So it

202
00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:52,200
goes from the lemon a big cluster of the lemon merangue,

203
00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:55,000
to the pink lemonade, which is part yellow and part pink,

204
00:10:55,039 --> 00:10:58,000
and then to the pink and they are so beautiful together.

205
00:10:57,879 --> 00:11:02,759
Speaker 1: Gorgeous, gorgeous. All right, First limb a rick for twenty

206
00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,120
twenty six. It's got to be a perennial limb a rick,

207
00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:10,759
nothing temporary or even a biennial. Haven't been this excited

208
00:11:10,879 --> 00:11:14,039
for a millennial new plants to try that will grow

209
00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,919
knee high. I'm all in for a new perennial, new

210
00:11:17,919 --> 00:11:22,039
cultivars I have found. I've ordered in their inbound I

211
00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:27,080
wait with anticipation, a botanical sensation when they first pop

212
00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,639
out of the ground. Get going, hit the bricks. It's

213
00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:35,120
time to garden in twenty twenty six before in my garden,

214
00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:39,840
I perspire dreams of these plants will inspire lots and

215
00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:45,320
lots of new limb a rick or limericks coming in

216
00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,279
twenty twenty six. Plants on Trial is up next. We'll

217
00:11:48,279 --> 00:11:52,240
see what Stacy has to say about Perennials of the

218
00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,840
Year National Perennial Plants of the Year. That's next here

219
00:11:55,879 --> 00:11:59,279
on the Gardening Simplified Show.

220
00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,000
Speaker 2: Beautify your home and community with proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs.

221
00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,720
With over three hundred and twenty five unique varieties to

222
00:12:10,799 --> 00:12:13,679
choose from. There's a flowering shrub or evergreen for every

223
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,799
taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive white

224
00:12:16,799 --> 00:12:19,639
container your local garden center or learn more at proven

225
00:12:19,639 --> 00:12:25,039
Winner's Color Choice dot com. Creating's Gardening Friends and welcome

226
00:12:25,039 --> 00:12:27,559
back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where we're celebrating the

227
00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:31,159
Perennials of the year, and we'll be coming up with

228
00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,519
the annuals of the Year and so forth incoming episodes.

229
00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:36,879
And of course last week was Shrubs of the Year,

230
00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,559
so if you miss that one, do definitely check that

231
00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,600
out on YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform so

232
00:12:42,639 --> 00:12:46,039
you can hear all about the Shrubs of the Year. Now.

233
00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:51,240
I do absolutely love black foliage plants, like Dark Side

234
00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:54,039
of the Moon still be the twenty twenty six Perennial

235
00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,360
of the Year, I love them. When proven Winner's Perennials

236
00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,600
came out with that black pearl hugra a few years ago, man,

237
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,120
that thing, I was just like, wow, it is beautiful.

238
00:13:04,919 --> 00:13:08,440
And every time I have brought a black foliage plant

239
00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:13,120
back to my house and planted it, it's basically disappeared.

240
00:13:13,639 --> 00:13:16,120
Not because I wasn't watering it, although that has happened too,

241
00:13:17,039 --> 00:13:22,879
but because no, because unfortunately a lot of dark foliage

242
00:13:22,919 --> 00:13:26,679
plants really blend in with your maulturo soil and you

243
00:13:26,759 --> 00:13:28,039
have come in there and you think this is gonna

244
00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:30,919
be fabulous, this is gonna be so beautiful, and then

245
00:13:30,919 --> 00:13:33,039
you put it in the ground and if there's not

246
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:37,000
something around it to kind of help it pop. It

247
00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:39,679
does just kind of disappear, and you feel pretty sad

248
00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:42,120
about that because it's pretty great.

249
00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:43,519
Speaker 1: I see where you're going with this.

250
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:47,120
Speaker 2: So you need a companion, You need companion plants. Yes. Now,

251
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:48,840
of course, if you have it in a container, it's

252
00:13:48,879 --> 00:13:50,639
a lot easier because you're gonna have a lot of

253
00:13:50,639 --> 00:13:52,600
space around it and you're gonna have the color of

254
00:13:52,639 --> 00:13:56,799
the container itself to help make that pop. And I

255
00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,879
do think that as far as dark foliage plants go,

256
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:02,679
dark side of the Moon is definitely, as you said, Rick,

257
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,159
a little bit more on the chocolatey side than like

258
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,360
the the black purple side, like the black pearl hu

259
00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,759
Gral was, And that does I think give it some

260
00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,399
advantage over not blending in with a soil or mulch.

261
00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,840
But I do think that, you know, you definitely risk

262
00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,000
not having these types of plants show their best, uh,

263
00:14:24,039 --> 00:14:26,519
if they aren't properly positioned. And I will tell you something,

264
00:14:26,559 --> 00:14:29,360
as Rick, I think you just mentioned in your in

265
00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:31,720
your limerick. Uh, you know a lot of times we

266
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,240
get plants, we don't know where we're going to plants,

267
00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,120
and we're walking around like you know, yes this works here,

268
00:14:37,279 --> 00:14:40,559
this is not necessarily Black foliage plants are not necessarily

269
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,519
those that I would say just PLoP them in wherever

270
00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:44,919
and hope for the best. You definitely need to kind

271
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,679
of consider the surrounding a little bit of a plant.

272
00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:53,679
It could be a last minute plan. Well, you know,

273
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,159
it's it's not that it won't be beautiful, it's just

274
00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,399
that it won't. You know, you're not getting the full

275
00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,600
impact from the plant. And you know, again, I love them,

276
00:15:02,639 --> 00:15:04,960
but I think again, it takes a little bit of

277
00:15:05,039 --> 00:15:08,759
know how. So instead of just focusing on one plant

278
00:15:08,799 --> 00:15:11,320
on trial, where normally we would just talk about one

279
00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:13,320
of the three hundred and fifty plus proven winners color

280
00:15:13,399 --> 00:15:17,840
Choice shrubs, I have instead created a little list or

281
00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:22,879
a couple of short lists of some perfect companion plants.

282
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,720
Companion shrubs for Dark Side of the Moon still be brilliant.

283
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,600
Speaker 1: Now we're going to be planting ideas in our Yes.

284
00:15:29,639 --> 00:15:32,279
Speaker 2: Now, these are just my ideas. There are no wrong

285
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,159
answers here. And if you get a black foliage plant

286
00:15:35,159 --> 00:15:36,759
and you put it in the ground and it disappears

287
00:15:36,759 --> 00:15:39,320
and you still love it, that's totally fine. There are

288
00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,480
no rules here. This is just kind of some suggestions

289
00:15:42,799 --> 00:15:46,039
based on experience to help you make the best decisions

290
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,559
in your garden and get the best you know effect

291
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,320
once it is in your garden. Now, the shrubs that

292
00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:56,840
I'm going to share in this list are all shrubs

293
00:15:56,879 --> 00:16:00,679
for shade. Now, as we've just discussed, Bothasta and the

294
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,600
astilby can take sun, especially in cooler climates, provided that

295
00:16:04,639 --> 00:16:07,720
they have enough soil moisture. But you know, I was

296
00:16:07,799 --> 00:16:10,840
thinking a lot of people who have shade, you know,

297
00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:12,679
they feel like they're always getting the short end of

298
00:16:12,679 --> 00:16:15,799
the stick. They don't everyone know sun. This everything takes sun,

299
00:16:15,799 --> 00:16:18,000
and I can grow this list of plants that's like

300
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,440
this long. So for you shade gardeners, I am keeping

301
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:25,480
the list of companion shrubs to only shade only shade

302
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,399
tolerance shrubs. So if you're planning this in sun and

303
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:30,360
you want to mix it with sun tolerant or sun

304
00:16:30,399 --> 00:16:32,799
tolerant shrubs, you know, there's lots of things you can

305
00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,480
do on our website, Performer's Color Choice dot Com. Do

306
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:37,480
a sun search. You'll be spoiled for choice and you

307
00:16:37,559 --> 00:16:39,320
can just pick out your favorite. So all of these

308
00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,960
suggestions are based on shade. Now, the second thing that

309
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,000
I want people to know when you are thinking about

310
00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,799
companion planting in the garden, like pairing plants or creating

311
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,399
sort of a vignette in the garden. I feel like

312
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,000
there's two approaches that you can take. Number One, you

313
00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:01,039
can surround it with plants that are kind of holding

314
00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,599
down the fort. While that plant is not at its best,

315
00:17:05,039 --> 00:17:08,640
it still be goes completely dormant in winter, nothing left

316
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,240
there to see. So you may want to, for example,

317
00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:16,039
parrot with some evergreens or other shrubs that are going

318
00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:19,680
to provide interest in the winter or in spring when

319
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,640
it's just starting to emerge. Foundational plan foundational planting. Yeah,

320
00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,720
so it kind of carries the weight while the sylvie

321
00:17:26,799 --> 00:17:28,160
is emerging or dormant.

322
00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:28,799
Speaker 1: Makes sense.

323
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,920
Speaker 2: Second approach is gilding the lily. Total maximalist. Make everything

324
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,680
look amazing while it's in bloom, and it's still going

325
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:37,359
to look good at other times of the year too.

326
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,079
But you know, sometimes you just want to pour on

327
00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:42,039
the gas and just have like that really eye catching moment.

328
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:42,599
Speaker 1: You got it.

329
00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:44,240
Speaker 2: So that's how these two are divided. So I'm going

330
00:17:44,319 --> 00:17:49,000
to start with the interest outside of the estilby bloom time,

331
00:17:49,039 --> 00:17:52,039
these are shrubs for shade My number one pick is

332
00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:55,599
Paisley pop lukotha Wee bing go right, such a great plant.

333
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:56,400
Speaker 1: Love that plant.

334
00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,480
Speaker 2: And you know these decisions aren't simply based on the aesthetics,

335
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,759
although of course that is a major consideration. These will

336
00:18:01,799 --> 00:18:05,160
all take the exact same conditions where the is Stilby

337
00:18:05,319 --> 00:18:08,720
is thriving, so you know that you'll that they'll actually

338
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,599
grow together, not just look good together. Now. I love

339
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,039
Paisley poplucothwe It is variegated, and while its variegation is

340
00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:21,440
strongest uh sort of in fall before it goes dormant

341
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:23,640
and it's evergreen, but it still kind of goes dormant.

342
00:18:24,759 --> 00:18:28,240
It still keeps some variegation and some splashy color. And

343
00:18:28,279 --> 00:18:32,279
I love the way that those pinks and creams and

344
00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:36,960
greens can provide some extra pop against that dark a

345
00:18:37,039 --> 00:18:39,960
Stilby foliage and their I think their habits are really

346
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,599
complementary as well. So in Paisley pupplucothe Wee blooms in

347
00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,440
early early spring with these pretty little lily the lily

348
00:18:47,559 --> 00:18:50,799
of the valley type flowers, so it gives you plenty

349
00:18:50,799 --> 00:18:56,119
of interest outside of the stillbey bloom time. Second one,

350
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,160
I'm not always one to go for like the extreme

351
00:18:59,279 --> 00:19:04,160
contrast where you know you started with a uh, you

352
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,559
started with purple, like the dark purple foliage of the astilby,

353
00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,640
and then you're going like blamo bright yellow. Not always

354
00:19:11,759 --> 00:19:14,119
my approach, but I think there's a lot of value

355
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,200
in it. So for that reason, uh, Anna's magic ball.

356
00:19:17,079 --> 00:19:19,400
Speaker 1: Arborviting nice choice foundation.

357
00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,079
Speaker 2: Right, such a great plant, and I think it's it's

358
00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:25,119
a nice tidy round arbor. Vid grows about two to

359
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,440
three feet tall and wide, perfect scale to go with

360
00:19:28,759 --> 00:19:32,559
the estilby, and it's not such a screaming bright yellow

361
00:19:32,599 --> 00:19:34,720
that you know you're going to be like you know

362
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,519
in contrast city, I think, and I feel like the

363
00:19:38,519 --> 00:19:42,039
foliage is very complimentary with the color with the texture

364
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,720
of the A Stilbey foliage as well. And then finally

365
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:49,759
another evergreen, sweet and low sarco coca sweet box uh,

366
00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,440
beautiful ground covering plant. So again, nice complimentary habit. I

367
00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,640
think the geometry in the sarco coca goes really nicely

368
00:19:57,799 --> 00:20:01,519
with the way that the estilby grows, and the sarcococa

369
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:03,480
is one of the earliest plants to bloom in the

370
00:20:03,559 --> 00:20:06,880
preven winter shrub line. If not the earliest. It flowers

371
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:11,480
for us, probably starting about early March, tiny funny, little

372
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:13,720
white flowers that are powerfully fragrant.

373
00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,160
Speaker 1: Stacy, you taught me to appreciate this plant. Oh, I'm

374
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,480
glad and I appreciate the plant because I just like

375
00:20:20,559 --> 00:20:23,079
to say sarcoca.

376
00:20:22,279 --> 00:20:23,799
Speaker 2: Sarcococa, sar cocca.

377
00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:25,759
Speaker 1: It is fay to say.

378
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:27,559
Speaker 2: You know, and it goes on like that, because the

379
00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:33,519
entire scientific name of sarcococa is sarco coca hook reana

380
00:20:33,559 --> 00:20:34,519
of our humulus.

381
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:35,440
Speaker 1: I love that it is.

382
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:38,279
Speaker 2: It's a good one. So let's switch it up briefly

383
00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,440
to plants that are going to be at their best

384
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,319
when the stilby is obviously, I think vanilla spice clethra

385
00:20:45,799 --> 00:20:48,160
and sent Landia it ta are the two that come

386
00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,359
immediately to mind for me. Still be for us. Blooms

387
00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:55,160
in Michigan probably about mid July, at the exact same

388
00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:57,680
time that these are also going to be in flower.

389
00:20:58,039 --> 00:20:59,720
And even if you live in a milder climate and

390
00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,400
they'll be blooming earlier, these plants will typically bloom all together.

391
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,400
Some a stilbees are fragrant. I don't know whether Dark

392
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,480
side of the Moon is or is not, but it

393
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,319
doesn't hurt to have a little more fragrance in there.

394
00:21:10,759 --> 00:21:14,079
And both vanilla spice and cint Landia are extremely fragrant

395
00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:20,039
plants that offer nice structure, good for pollinators, and I

396
00:21:20,079 --> 00:21:25,599
think good in scale and shape together, is easy to grow, yeah,

397
00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,160
and loves that moist same moist soil that the AA

398
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,039
Stilby does. Here's a little bit of a different choice.

399
00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:35,119
Steady Eddy Viburnum one of my favorites in our line.

400
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,759
It is a reblooming viburnum and usually it starts to

401
00:21:38,759 --> 00:21:41,359
rebloom pretty well for us by about mid to late July.

402
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,559
It is taller than the other plants that I have mentioned,

403
00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,880
but it would be a beautiful choice for a hedge

404
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,039
or you know, kind of anchoring a larger planting because

405
00:21:51,079 --> 00:21:53,880
it's going to have those waves of beautiful white flowers.

406
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,000
And I also feel like the texture. This has beautifully

407
00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,799
textured corrugated foliage that I think goes beautifully with the

408
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:07,079
kind of rugged looking foliage of the still be interesting

409
00:22:07,519 --> 00:22:10,759
if you really want to go bananas. I was thinking

410
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:17,839
mimone whigela. Hmmm, now that boy, it would be interesting.

411
00:22:18,279 --> 00:22:21,480
So mymone most wigila are not shade plants, but mimone

412
00:22:21,519 --> 00:22:24,640
is a shade plant because it is a variegated whigela.

413
00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:25,680
Speaker 1: And it won't overpowered.

414
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,480
Speaker 2: It would not overpower it, especially in cooler climates. It

415
00:22:29,519 --> 00:22:32,279
gets a lot of nice pink tones on the foliage,

416
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,240
and I thought it would be a really nice foil

417
00:22:35,759 --> 00:22:38,480
to kind of the dark chocolatey purple of the stillby.

418
00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,079
It's not going to be in bloom. It only blooms

419
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,279
in spring, as other Whyjela do, but I thought that

420
00:22:44,319 --> 00:22:46,599
the variegation could be really interesting, and if you were

421
00:22:46,599 --> 00:22:49,519
in a milder climate, you could try one of our

422
00:22:49,599 --> 00:22:54,359
variegated abelia like Trace and Migos Brilliantina or Muccho Gusto

423
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,400
Abelia for a very similar effect.

424
00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:58,279
Speaker 3: Love it so.

425
00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:01,200
Speaker 2: I hope that gave you some inspiration for incorporating the

426
00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,759
twenty twenty sixth perennial of the year. Dark Side of

427
00:23:03,759 --> 00:23:05,720
the Moon is still be in to your garden with

428
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,160
some Proven Winner's shrubs. You can find all of these

429
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,680
plants at your local garden center this spring, or learn

430
00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,400
more on our website, Proven Winner's Color Choice dot com.

431
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:14,920
We're gonna take a little break when we come back

432
00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:24,680
we're opening up the mailbag, so stay tuned. At Proven

433
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,880
Winners Color Choice Shrubs, we know that a better landscape

434
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,079
starts with a better shrub. Our team of experts tests

435
00:23:31,079 --> 00:23:33,920
and evaluates all of our flowering shrubs in evergreens for

436
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,319
eight to ten years to ensure they outperform what's already

437
00:23:37,319 --> 00:23:41,559
on the market. For easycare, reliable, beautiful shrubs to accentuate

438
00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,480
your home and express your personal style, look for Proven

439
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,319
Winner's Shrubs in the distinctive white container at your local

440
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,200
garden center, or learn more at Proven Winner's Color Choice

441
00:23:50,279 --> 00:23:55,039
dot com. Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome back to the

442
00:23:55,079 --> 00:23:57,720
Gardening Simplified shob, where it is our pleasure at this

443
00:23:57,799 --> 00:24:01,799
point to help you with your gardening questions and conundrums.

444
00:24:02,519 --> 00:24:03,839
If you want to reach out to us, you can

445
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,240
do so at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. There's

446
00:24:06,279 --> 00:24:08,920
a contact form tab. You can even send us pictures there,

447
00:24:09,839 --> 00:24:11,359
and we would love to hear from you because I

448
00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,440
know you know spring is still a little ways away.

449
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,640
We're not maybe wondering too much about what's going on

450
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:19,279
yet because it may be covered in snow or ice,

451
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:22,400
or who knows what's happening. But if something occurs to

452
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,000
here we have some concerns or want to celebrate something

453
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,440
that happened to you last year, or run some ideas

454
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,920
by us, you can, uh, You're welcome to reach out

455
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,599
to us any time. Now, I do have to warn

456
00:24:33,799 --> 00:24:37,359
everybody that today's mailbag is going to be a little

457
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,359
bit different. I am going to be devoting it primarily

458
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:44,440
to one listener's question. And when I read her question,

459
00:24:44,519 --> 00:24:46,240
I'll tell you my heart broke.

460
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,400
Speaker 1: Because yeah, I looked at it too. So I'm here.

461
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,799
Speaker 2: Yeah, So you know, Rick and I come here every

462
00:24:52,839 --> 00:24:56,640
week and we talk to you about our experience gardening

463
00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,160
in Michigan, because Michigan is mostly where we've gardened, and

464
00:25:01,319 --> 00:25:03,920
I think that we, you know, and we both have

465
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,279
pretty good gardening conditions right now. I mean we garden

466
00:25:06,319 --> 00:25:09,200
in sand, but it's like pretty easy, right you know what,

467
00:25:09,319 --> 00:25:12,240
if you can get things that will thrive without the water,

468
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:13,640
you're in pretty good shape.

469
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,759
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can matter.

470
00:25:17,279 --> 00:25:20,200
Speaker 2: But I think that when we do this, we kind

471
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,319
of alienate a huge portion of our listenership and of

472
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,720
gardeners out there across the country who are dealing with far,

473
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:32,400
far less than ideal conditions. Dealing with conditions that I

474
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,160
don't know if I would wish even on those AI

475
00:25:35,279 --> 00:25:39,920
plant scammers, although maybe I would wish it on them.

476
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:44,359
So we're going to spend most of this time answering

477
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:45,279
Amy's question.

478
00:25:46,039 --> 00:25:50,279
Speaker 1: Amy writes to us, Hi, Rick Stacey, and Adriana Texas

479
00:25:50,319 --> 00:25:53,079
gardener here. I love watching your show on YouTube, and

480
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,279
I have learned a lot. I know y'all up north,

481
00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:00,759
so appreciate when you talk about plants for southern gardens. However,

482
00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,839
here in Central Texas Zone eight B, I garden in

483
00:26:05,039 --> 00:26:10,240
callechi soil. If you aren't familiar, it's known as Nature's cement.

484
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,839
It's incredibly difficult to dig in and creates very alkaline soil.

485
00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:18,000
In addition, our summers are hot and dry. I watch

486
00:26:18,079 --> 00:26:21,279
a lot of gardening shows, but I rarely hear about

487
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:26,240
plants that will work in my difficult conditions. Can y'all

488
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,559
recommend some plant shrubs for I'm saying that because it

489
00:26:29,559 --> 00:26:33,359
says that she wrote right. Yeah, thank you very mulch oh.

490
00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,200
I love this. Thank you Amy for writing to us.

491
00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,680
By the way, I had a landscape here in Michigan

492
00:26:39,759 --> 00:26:42,920
that was blue clay, and that was some of the

493
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:48,079
worst stuff ever. But as Amy notes, here, yeah, she's

494
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:52,039
dealing with Texas conditions and the heat. Wow.

495
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:54,480
Speaker 2: Right, So I don't think a lot of our listeners,

496
00:26:54,559 --> 00:26:56,720
especially since many of them do tend to be here

497
00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,519
in Michigan, have probably ever even heard of the word kalechia,

498
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,759
or much less know what it is. So strap yourself

499
00:27:04,799 --> 00:27:08,720
in because colliche soil is like the worst soil you

500
00:27:08,759 --> 00:27:13,240
could possibly have for gardening. So basically it's most common

501
00:27:13,279 --> 00:27:14,039
in arid.

502
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,279
Speaker 1: Climates to build a pickleball court.

503
00:27:16,319 --> 00:27:19,960
Speaker 2: No, and and so it's common in arid climates, and

504
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,880
as Amy said, nature cement. Other common names used for

505
00:27:25,599 --> 00:27:31,920
collich include this one I loved Dura crust that was

506
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:33,160
on the USDA website.

507
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,519
Speaker 1: So it sounds like a bad bezza.

508
00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:40,200
Speaker 2: Right right. If you've ever been to the Southwest, and

509
00:27:40,279 --> 00:27:43,880
particularly the Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona, there is

510
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:48,400
a beautiful ruins of a Native American dwelling there that

511
00:27:48,559 --> 00:27:52,920
was built entirely of colliche. So colliche, as as Amy said,

512
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,559
nature's cement. If it gets wet, you can kind of

513
00:27:55,599 --> 00:27:57,759
sort of mold it like clay, but once it's hard,

514
00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:03,119
it is basically concrete. It is literally calcium carbonate, and

515
00:28:03,519 --> 00:28:06,720
so it's it's almost impossible to work with from a

516
00:28:06,799 --> 00:28:10,640
natural perspective. Now, it's not like everywhere there are just

517
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,440
fields of coliche. There are certainly places like that. But

518
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,960
the tricky thing is that you could have a garden

519
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,640
that you could you know, maybe more or less dig in,

520
00:28:20,039 --> 00:28:21,759
and then all of a sudden there's just like this

521
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:26,079
area of coliche soil or you know, you dig down,

522
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,000
you're like, hey, this is going pretty great, and then

523
00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,960
coliche and you cannot get through it. It is literally

524
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,880
like concrete and it is a naturally occurring soil. As

525
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:40,240
Amy then pointed out, it is extremely alkaline, so uh,

526
00:28:40,279 --> 00:28:43,519
you know, it's also causing you know, major pH issues.

527
00:28:43,759 --> 00:28:47,079
Plants will get iron deficiency because you know that because

528
00:28:47,119 --> 00:28:49,680
of the high pH and then add on top of

529
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:51,759
it that it's an arid climate that is, you know,

530
00:28:51,839 --> 00:28:55,720
actually making the caliche even more coliche because it is

531
00:28:56,039 --> 00:28:59,680
so hard. And if you're wondering, colliche is a Spanish

532
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,960
where it derives from the Latin word for lime because

533
00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,359
it is basically limestone. So just a tough, tough situation

534
00:29:07,559 --> 00:29:10,240
all around. And you know, a lot of times when

535
00:29:10,279 --> 00:29:14,759
we talk about gardening in clay soil here, my number

536
00:29:14,759 --> 00:29:17,680
one piece of advice is to start with smaller plants.

537
00:29:18,039 --> 00:29:20,440
You know, most clay soils. If you start with a

538
00:29:20,519 --> 00:29:22,759
small plant so you don't have to dig a huge hole,

539
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,079
typically most plants will be able to find their way

540
00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,519
through that clay, be able to bust it up with

541
00:29:28,559 --> 00:29:31,519
their roots, and be able to grow in there. If

542
00:29:31,559 --> 00:29:35,920
you have cliche, they recommend removing it for the entire

543
00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:40,160
mature root system of the plant that you are growing. Wow,

544
00:29:40,319 --> 00:29:43,519
mature the mature root system. So like if you want

545
00:29:43,519 --> 00:29:45,759
to plant a tree, like, I mean, what.

546
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:46,799
Speaker 1: Do you what do you do?

547
00:29:48,519 --> 00:29:49,400
Speaker 3: You can? Yeah?

548
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,240
Speaker 2: I mean these people who have cliche, their main gardening

549
00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:54,759
tool is a pick axe. Like, that's not even an exaggeration.

550
00:29:56,279 --> 00:29:58,599
They garden with a pick axe at the ready because

551
00:29:58,599 --> 00:30:01,799
they got a pick axe their way through. So just

552
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:08,279
an extremely extremely difficult situation. So they also have a

553
00:30:08,279 --> 00:30:10,759
different I thought this was interesting too. They use a

554
00:30:10,759 --> 00:30:14,680
different drainage test for coliche soils. Now we've talked before

555
00:30:14,759 --> 00:30:17,000
to just listeners too. You know, are wondering if a

556
00:30:17,039 --> 00:30:19,440
soil site is well drained enough for them to plant in,

557
00:30:20,119 --> 00:30:22,759
dig a hole, fill it up with water if it's

558
00:30:22,839 --> 00:30:24,519
drained in a half an hour, you have good enough

559
00:30:24,559 --> 00:30:26,160
drainage and you don't have to worry about it, or

560
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,319
an hour or whatever. With a coliche soil, the drainage

561
00:30:29,359 --> 00:30:32,519
test is you dig the hole, you fill it part way,

562
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,160
and if the water drops four inches and four hours,

563
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,359
you have sufficient drainage to plant. So, I mean, this

564
00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,839
is just a totally different world than what we're used

565
00:30:41,839 --> 00:30:44,400
to dealing with. But let's not just be doom and

566
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,720
gloom about coliche, because of course there are things that

567
00:30:47,839 --> 00:30:51,079
will grow in coliche. And if you have a unique situation,

568
00:30:51,119 --> 00:30:55,000
whether it's coliche or something else, your best bet is

569
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,160
really to look to your native plants. You know, those

570
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:01,400
are really going to the plants that are adapted. And

571
00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,039
people throw that term adapted around with native plants all

572
00:31:04,079 --> 00:31:06,920
the time. It's not as important for us here in Michigan.

573
00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:09,519
There's all sorts of plants that are adapted to our environment.

574
00:31:09,559 --> 00:31:12,519
But for you, it's really going to be those plants

575
00:31:12,559 --> 00:31:15,519
that are native and grow in those areas that are

576
00:31:15,519 --> 00:31:18,799
going to be able to tolerate growing in those conditions,

577
00:31:18,839 --> 00:31:20,559
especially the alkaline soil and low water.

578
00:31:20,799 --> 00:31:24,720
Speaker 1: I agree, and you know my comment to Amy, would

579
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:29,000
be maintain your composture, don't throw in the trowel. Their

580
00:31:29,519 --> 00:31:32,880
natives was going to be one of my suggestions. For example,

581
00:31:33,279 --> 00:31:38,039
in the Plain States, panicum grasses going to do well

582
00:31:38,359 --> 00:31:41,720
and I think will work for you. A plant that

583
00:31:41,759 --> 00:31:44,680
we're going to ask Kayla about for you. And segment four.

584
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,599
I love some of the new yukas that are available,

585
00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,759
and there's one called dragon Slayer.

586
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,359
Speaker 2: I'd give it, maybe hopefully.

587
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,400
Speaker 1: Give it a try. That's one thing you can do.

588
00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:00,160
And then I have two words for you, Amy. I

589
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,599
dealt with the blue clay, which was not as bad

590
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,480
as what you're dealing with, so I acknowledge that. But

591
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:11,960
broken pottery, broken pottery. I would pick up broken pottery

592
00:32:12,079 --> 00:32:16,480
or pots cheaply from garden centers or greenhouses or when

593
00:32:16,519 --> 00:32:19,319
I ran a garden center, and then I sink them

594
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:22,799
halfway quarter of the way three quarters of the way

595
00:32:23,079 --> 00:32:26,519
into the ground using the pickaxe as you described, and

596
00:32:26,559 --> 00:32:30,319
then using a better soil within those pots in order

597
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,079
to grow some of the plants that I wanted to grow.

598
00:32:33,559 --> 00:32:36,759
So I think the combination of things like dragon slayer

599
00:32:36,839 --> 00:32:40,519
yukka and a panicum like totem pole or niagara falls

600
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,920
or shy in sky and then combine it with some

601
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,039
of these containers into the ground. It worked for me.

602
00:32:47,519 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, that makes sense. You don't really have to worry

603
00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:54,240
about the rain usually and a huge issue either. And

604
00:32:54,279 --> 00:32:56,839
I think, yeah, Yucca is a great choice. And again

605
00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,240
if you can start with a smaller one. Yuka is

606
00:32:59,319 --> 00:33:03,079
native throughout this Southwest, so you in, boy, does Yucka

607
00:33:03,119 --> 00:33:05,440
have a powerful root system or what it can definitely

608
00:33:05,519 --> 00:33:08,519
work its way through all sorts of things. Yucko would

609
00:33:08,519 --> 00:33:11,519
be a great choice. I do think grasses are going

610
00:33:11,599 --> 00:33:14,920
to be a huge friend to you, and that may

611
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:16,720
sound dull, but I think that there are a lot

612
00:33:16,759 --> 00:33:20,640
of interesting grasses that you can look at. One thing

613
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,319
that I found repeatedly when I was looking into gardening

614
00:33:23,359 --> 00:33:26,519
and collieche Soil was a company in Texas called Native

615
00:33:26,559 --> 00:33:30,200
American Seed. Their website is seedsource dot com and they

616
00:33:30,279 --> 00:33:34,799
specialize in seeds for these types of environments and they

617
00:33:34,799 --> 00:33:37,759
have a really cool website where they show you their

618
00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,599
where sort of the intro video on their website is

619
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,480
their seed fields of all this you know, fabulous native

620
00:33:44,519 --> 00:33:47,720
stuff and just hummingbirds flying all around. It's it's really

621
00:33:47,759 --> 00:33:50,400
lovely and you can grow a lot of great hummingbird

622
00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:54,319
plants in caliche. So Salvia and penstemann and verbina are

623
00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,920
three fabulous plants that are recommended for colliche soils that

624
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,880
are going to give you tons of wonderful flowers and

625
00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,400
and be able to eventually, you know, work their way

626
00:34:05,559 --> 00:34:08,039
into into the ground there.

627
00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:10,000
Speaker 1: Now, I don't know if you've done this, Amy, and

628
00:34:10,199 --> 00:34:15,039
you probably have. But the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers Center also.

629
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, such a great website, great website. I've never been there.

630
00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:24,199
I would love to go, but yeah, i'd go crazy anyway. Amy,

631
00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:26,960
You know, thanks for humbling us and reminding us that,

632
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,119
you know, the grass is always greener on the other side.

633
00:34:30,119 --> 00:34:32,760
Turns out the grass is greener on our side this time.

634
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,639
But it's a good reality check for us to realize that,

635
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,440
you know, it's not all a bowl of cherries out there.

636
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:42,519
So I hope that was a little bit helpful. And

637
00:34:42,599 --> 00:34:45,360
at least now you have, you know, several other people

638
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:46,480
who feel your pain.

639
00:34:46,679 --> 00:34:47,679
Speaker 1: You have our support.

640
00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,280
Speaker 2: Thank you for that. We're going to take a little break.

641
00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,920
When we come back. We're talking the perennials of the year,

642
00:34:54,000 --> 00:35:04,800
so stay tuned. Thanks for listening to the Gardening Simplified Podcast,

643
00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,679
brought to you by Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our

644
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:10,760
award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens are trialed and tested

645
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,719
by experts with your success in mind. Learn more at

646
00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,960
Proven Winners color Choice dot com.

647
00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,320
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show as we talk

648
00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:25,599
about national Plants of the Year today, perennials and some

649
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,519
beauties on the list. And to help us talk about it,

650
00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:33,199
Kayla Olsen joins us. Kayla is with Walters Gardens Proven

651
00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:38,519
Winners Perennials. She's a regional product manager. And Kayla, we've

652
00:35:38,519 --> 00:35:40,800
had you on the show before. It's always great to

653
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:42,800
have you on the Gardening Simplified Show.

654
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,039
Speaker 3: Well, thanks for having me back. I had a great

655
00:35:45,079 --> 00:35:47,440
time the first time. I'm happy to chat about some

656
00:35:47,519 --> 00:35:48,400
new varieties again.

657
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,599
Speaker 1: So let's talk about the Perennial of the Year, because boy,

658
00:35:52,679 --> 00:35:56,199
this one is a show stopper. Dark Side of the

659
00:35:56,199 --> 00:35:59,320
Moon stillby. I think you're going to have a lot

660
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:02,000
of people lining up for this plant.

661
00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been very popular. Our growers have been going

662
00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:09,400
crazy trying to get access to this plant as well,

663
00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:11,760
because I think that they know how much demand there

664
00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,000
is in the garden for this really nice dark foliage

665
00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,760
that you get seasoned round interest with. And it's the

666
00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:20,800
only dark leave to still be on the market that

667
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:24,280
has those rosy pink flowers right now, so it's really

668
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:25,599
unique in the marketplace.

669
00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:29,239
Speaker 2: I would think that's a huge boon to retailers garden

670
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:32,239
centers because you know it's still bes a late blooming plant,

671
00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:34,480
and you know, it's a similar condition that we have

672
00:36:34,599 --> 00:36:38,039
with hydranges here. You know, by the time when people

673
00:36:38,079 --> 00:36:40,320
are shopping in the spring, most to still bees don't

674
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,559
necessarily look all that great. So you've got dark Side

675
00:36:42,559 --> 00:36:45,719
to the Moon looking absolutely fabulous with that foliage, you know,

676
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,559
makes it a lot more enticing in that spring shopping.

677
00:36:48,199 --> 00:36:51,599
Speaker 3: Season, absolutely, and it looks really great in a container,

678
00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,400
and it looks great in the landscapes throughout the season,

679
00:36:55,519 --> 00:36:59,000
so customers are put somems are nice to look at

680
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,480
no matter what it's time of year it is, and

681
00:37:01,599 --> 00:37:04,280
it does create really a nice mound, so you can

682
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,840
always contrast it with other things that are blooming at

683
00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:08,239
different times throughout the season.

684
00:37:08,599 --> 00:37:12,239
Speaker 1: In your opinion, Kayla, what should our listeners and viewers

685
00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:15,960
know about this plant as it relates to growing it,

686
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:21,400
how are they going to achieve optimum success with this plant?

687
00:37:21,559 --> 00:37:25,320
Speaker 3: So this is a Tranemphis type of stility, and so

688
00:37:25,639 --> 00:37:29,000
those are typically known for being more drought tolerant than

689
00:37:29,119 --> 00:37:31,880
other acilities. However, I think that's a little bit of

690
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:35,639
a misnomer. It's just better than others, not necessarily a

691
00:37:35,679 --> 00:37:38,840
super drought ality plant. And so I think the key

692
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:43,360
to really being successful with this is consistent moisture while

693
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:47,320
it's establishing. Once it gets established, it does fantastic, But

694
00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:49,519
if you think about where it likes to live, it

695
00:37:49,679 --> 00:37:52,360
likes to live in part shade, and typically you're having

696
00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:56,960
cooler soils with prolonged fil moisture compared to maybe some

697
00:37:57,039 --> 00:38:00,119
of the sites that are full sun all day that

698
00:38:00,199 --> 00:38:02,800
those soils dry out a little bit more. So you

699
00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:05,360
can certainly plant this in full sun in the north.

700
00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,159
It can definitely tolerate that, but it's going to need

701
00:38:09,199 --> 00:38:11,960
a little bit more moisture just to make sure that

702
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,960
those leaves don't crisp up. If you do see some

703
00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:16,960
of that on a plant that maybe got a little

704
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:19,239
dried out and it got a little dramatic and decided

705
00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:21,719
to tell you it wasn't happy. You can simply prove

706
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,400
those off and continue to water it and that it

707
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,360
should bounce back from that. So you're going to see

708
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:31,920
the most success with consistent moisture in the spring or

709
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,159
while you're establishing that plant, for especially the first season

710
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,880
after that, it should be pretty hardy and pretty drop tolerant.

711
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:42,920
Speaker 1: Taylor twenty twenty six Hosta of the Year, Hope springs Eternal.

712
00:38:43,119 --> 00:38:45,639
That's exactly what happens to me when I look out

713
00:38:45,639 --> 00:38:47,000
the window this time of year.

714
00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:49,840
Speaker 3: Yes, we all need a little hope in our lives

715
00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:53,719
that the spring is coming, and I think that this

716
00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:57,800
is a great option for that. For those that love hostas,

717
00:38:58,159 --> 00:39:01,880
they're really going to appreciate that pie crust ruffled edging

718
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,440
on this plant along with that heart shaped leaf. And

719
00:39:06,599 --> 00:39:09,159
it's a nice moderate size, it's not going to get

720
00:39:09,159 --> 00:39:12,400
too big, and it's a nice differentiation from some of

721
00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:17,559
the standard variegated hostas that you've seen in everybody's backyard

722
00:39:17,639 --> 00:39:22,960
and forever. So it's a nice interesting hosta and you

723
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,599
still get some great contrast with that creamy white margin

724
00:39:25,639 --> 00:39:26,480
on the edge.

725
00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:30,840
Speaker 1: Twenty twenty six Landscape Perennial of the Year decadence, lemon meringue,

726
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,679
false Indigo baptisia. I'd have to tell you, Kayla, that

727
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:38,159
for both Stacey and I, this is a favorite of ours.

728
00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:42,280
Speaker 3: Absolutely well, it's a favorite of mine too. Those cheery

729
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:48,000
yellow flowers definitely are a welcome addition to the spring

730
00:39:48,039 --> 00:39:51,920
garden when customers see this on the shelves when it's

731
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,440
in full loom. It's really hard to keep them in stock,

732
00:39:54,679 --> 00:39:56,559
and they're such a long love perennial that you're going

733
00:39:56,599 --> 00:39:59,119
to get to enjoy this year after year. We really

734
00:39:59,199 --> 00:40:02,159
like the decondency is because they're nice in compact. Some

735
00:40:02,199 --> 00:40:06,280
of the native species of Vacpsia can get very large,

736
00:40:06,599 --> 00:40:08,480
and this is nice little and three feet by three

737
00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,719
feet and it's kind of really vase shape. So that

738
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,559
means that you can plant around it and still have

739
00:40:14,679 --> 00:40:17,119
room for a plant that is this large in your

740
00:40:17,119 --> 00:40:19,599
garden and you still get season long interest with those

741
00:40:19,639 --> 00:40:23,280
really nice blue green leaves and charcoal stems.

742
00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:25,599
Speaker 2: I love the color of the stems so much.

743
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,800
Speaker 1: Absolutely so. There are some new perennials also, aside from

744
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,079
the National Plants of the Year, there are some new

745
00:40:33,119 --> 00:40:37,239
perennials coming along now for me, as it relates to

746
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:42,960
deer resistance and long season blooming. I've always loved nepetta,

747
00:40:43,639 --> 00:40:47,719
and I've always loved the combination of yellow with blue

748
00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:51,960
and now a long comes lemon perfection. I've got to

749
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:53,480
have this plant my landscape.

750
00:40:53,559 --> 00:40:55,719
Speaker 3: Kala Well, I think you're going to love it. It

751
00:40:55,800 --> 00:41:01,280
is definitely bright and cherry. It's fantastic contrasts those lemonade

752
00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:05,480
shark truth leaves and that really nice purple lavender flowers.

753
00:41:05,599 --> 00:41:08,960
And it really doesn't stop blooming once it starts in

754
00:41:09,039 --> 00:41:12,559
the spring. It just kind of keeps continuing a really

755
00:41:12,639 --> 00:41:16,400
light trim. If most of them have stopped flowering, we'll

756
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:21,159
definitely recharge it. But we've definitely seen this bloom from

757
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:24,599
early summer all the way through early fall without much

758
00:41:24,679 --> 00:41:28,119
management to it. And this really contrasts nicely with so

759
00:41:28,199 --> 00:41:31,159
many other plants in the garden. It's anything else that

760
00:41:31,199 --> 00:41:34,280
you've got the purple or some the even dark green

761
00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:36,440
leaves really makes this pop.

762
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:41,599
Speaker 2: So a lot of golden foliage plants sometimes are more

763
00:41:41,639 --> 00:41:45,000
shade tolerant then you know. Of course, nepoda is considered

764
00:41:45,119 --> 00:41:48,800
a sunny plant, but sometimes when something has a golden foliage,

765
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,039
it indicates it can take a little bit more shade.

766
00:41:51,079 --> 00:41:53,360
Is that the case with this one.

767
00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:56,440
Speaker 3: Nope, this is full sun all the way. If you

768
00:41:56,559 --> 00:41:59,119
put grow this in shade, it it'll be okay, but

769
00:41:59,199 --> 00:41:59,960
it'll get really late.

770
00:42:00,119 --> 00:42:00,360
Speaker 1: Eat.

771
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,559
Speaker 3: This is fantastic in full sun. It's not going to

772
00:42:03,599 --> 00:42:06,400
burn out. And I think that it really looks best

773
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,159
when you've got it paired with other plants. I think

774
00:42:09,199 --> 00:42:11,800
if this is just alone in the mult by itself,

775
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:13,400
you're going to kind of lose it because it is

776
00:42:13,599 --> 00:42:15,719
a nice small plant. It's only about ten to twelve

777
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:20,039
inches tall. So definitely pair this with other things in

778
00:42:20,039 --> 00:42:22,079
the front of the border so that it's got some

779
00:42:22,119 --> 00:42:25,719
contrast with it. But it'll love full sun. It doesn't

780
00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,760
need a lot of fertilizer or management. Is it really

781
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:31,480
hands off plant.

782
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:34,960
Speaker 1: So we talked about Dark Side of the Moon still

783
00:42:35,039 --> 00:42:39,719
the perennial plant of the year. A dark foliage introduction

784
00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:43,119
for next year, as I understand it is sultry night

785
00:42:43,639 --> 00:42:49,159
coral bells or Hucara. Boy, this one looks really sharp.

786
00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:53,440
Speaker 3: To me, it really does. You know, for dark leaves hugara,

787
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,559
sometimes they can brown out a little bit, and especially

788
00:42:56,559 --> 00:42:59,880
when you've got more sun conditions this one really key.

789
00:43:00,199 --> 00:43:04,639
It's almost black foliage throughout the entire season, even as

790
00:43:04,679 --> 00:43:07,360
it emerges. What I really like about it too, is

791
00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:10,119
when you look closely at the leaves, you can see

792
00:43:10,119 --> 00:43:13,559
that it's got this purple overlay, so you get a

793
00:43:13,599 --> 00:43:15,840
two toned effect with it. Even though it's still a

794
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,559
mat and the leaves are so roughughle, you get a

795
00:43:18,599 --> 00:43:21,119
lot of movement and texture. One thing that I think

796
00:43:21,159 --> 00:43:24,280
most people don't necessarily always think of with hugara is

797
00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:27,199
their flower display. And this was a really nice, lovely,

798
00:43:27,719 --> 00:43:31,199
wavy pink flower that I think contrasts really nicely with

799
00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:31,880
this plant.

800
00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:34,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree. It's amazing how many people just kind of,

801
00:43:35,199 --> 00:43:37,480
you know, don't even think about the flowers on hugra.

802
00:43:37,559 --> 00:43:39,840
And I know, you know, you've done at Walters, have

803
00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:44,159
been focusing a lot on flowers and your hugra a breeding.

804
00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:46,440
But the thing that I think, you know, people miss

805
00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:48,679
out on when they don't, you know, plant hugra for

806
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:51,400
flowers is they are so attracted to hummingbirds.

807
00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:54,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, they really are, which is surprising you wouldn't think so,

808
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,400
especially for a plant that enjoys part shade full shade.

809
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:02,280
This can tolerate full run in the North, I would say,

810
00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:04,239
if you're living in the South, definitely you're going to

811
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:06,679
want part shade. The other thing I think that's important

812
00:44:06,679 --> 00:44:10,840
to mention about the Dolcease series is that this was

813
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:16,559
average water needs for a hugra, but it's fairly drought tolerant,

814
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:20,320
so it can handle a little bit more extremes in

815
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:22,719
terms of water. He doesn't need to have consistent moisture

816
00:44:23,599 --> 00:44:27,239
without sacrificing cold heartiness. This is still very hardy to

817
00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:30,039
cold for, which is I think really important when we're

818
00:44:30,039 --> 00:44:32,119
talking about hugras. Not all of them have the same

819
00:44:32,159 --> 00:44:36,000
genetics underlying, and this is pre native to North America,

820
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:38,119
which I think a lot of people don't realize either. Yeah.

821
00:44:38,599 --> 00:44:41,119
Speaker 1: I love the comment you made Stacey about the hukra

822
00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:44,920
and flowers, because in that survey I did of perennial

823
00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,960
customers in the garden center, I did talk to some

824
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,960
customers who said the way I pick out my perennials

825
00:44:51,039 --> 00:44:53,880
is I go to the garden center and I look

826
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:57,559
for plants that pollinators are visiting, and that's how I

827
00:44:57,599 --> 00:45:02,039
buy my perennials. So I thought that that was pretty neat. Kayla,

828
00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:06,320
We've got to talk about treasure trove black eyed Susan rubekia.

829
00:45:07,199 --> 00:45:10,239
This plant looks to be real, promising.

830
00:45:10,199 --> 00:45:14,639
Speaker 3: So promising. We are so proud of this introduction because

831
00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:18,119
it is such a standout in the landscape. Everyone who's

832
00:45:18,159 --> 00:45:21,280
come by the gardens has just stopped in their tracks

833
00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:24,599
to look at this plant. Now, Rebeccias are nothing new

834
00:45:24,639 --> 00:45:26,719
to the market. We're all very familiar with them. They're

835
00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,000
a North American natives. But what's really been a show

836
00:45:30,039 --> 00:45:36,400
stopper is how disease resistance this plant is. The sceptoria resistance,

837
00:45:36,559 --> 00:45:38,840
it's just off the charts. We have this in the

838
00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,760
garden for about seven years and have not seen any

839
00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:44,599
sceptoria on it at all. We've even planted this in

840
00:45:44,639 --> 00:45:47,679
front of some sprinkler heads. We really haven't seen any

841
00:45:47,679 --> 00:45:50,920
power milu on it. So, in terms of disease resistance,

842
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:54,239
which is the bane of a lot of Rebeccia's existence,

843
00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,199
by late season they're starting to look a little sad.

844
00:45:57,760 --> 00:46:02,559
This plant still has fantastic green foliage and it's still

845
00:46:02,599 --> 00:46:05,679
flowering like crazy. The branching on this is just exceptional.

846
00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:08,760
Speaker 2: So you know, in short, someone doesn't need to know

847
00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,320
what septoria is or whether they've even had it on

848
00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:15,760
their red mechia to know that this is just an

849
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:20,519
just an extraordinary improvement over the myriad other you know,

850
00:46:20,559 --> 00:46:23,159
black eyed Susans. This is your classic black eyed Susan

851
00:46:23,639 --> 00:46:25,840
in the marketplace. I mean, it's it's kind of a

852
00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:28,360
no brainer. Even if the other ones are less expensive,

853
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:30,239
you know, why would you choose them when you have

854
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:32,559
this one that is just going to be so much

855
00:46:32,559 --> 00:46:35,599
more vigorous, so much more floriferous, and just a much

856
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:37,360
much better use of your time and money.

857
00:46:37,559 --> 00:46:40,000
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's a great value and you're just going to

858
00:46:40,079 --> 00:46:42,280
enjoy the plant a whole lot more in your garden.

859
00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:42,920
Speaker 2: For sure.

860
00:46:43,639 --> 00:46:47,320
Speaker 1: We're chatting with Kayla Olsen. She's with Walter's Gardens, Proven

861
00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:52,800
Winners Perennials, a regional product manager and Kayla. Previous to

862
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:56,920
this segment, we were going through the mail bag. Got

863
00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:01,079
a letter from a listener by the name of Amy

864
00:47:01,079 --> 00:47:04,320
who lives in Texas struggles with the soil, and so

865
00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:06,320
I thought I would ask you about a couple of

866
00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:10,039
tough plants, or at least plants that are marketed as tough.

867
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:16,960
One there's a Prairie princess iron weed that says it's

868
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:21,320
a perennial that's as tough as iron and a native

869
00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:28,519
of North America, and then also dragon slayer yucka those

870
00:47:28,599 --> 00:47:31,960
two plants. Can you comment on those for Amy and

871
00:47:32,159 --> 00:47:34,000
for our listeners and viewers.

872
00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:39,599
Speaker 3: Absolutely so. I think iron weed vernonia is definitely a

873
00:47:39,639 --> 00:47:42,599
species that is well known to the people that are

874
00:47:42,639 --> 00:47:45,760
really into natives, but everybody else might not have heard

875
00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:48,320
of this plant before. Not typically because a lot of

876
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:52,119
the native species get really really tall. There's lots of

877
00:47:52,159 --> 00:47:54,639
different kinds of them out there. But we've been working

878
00:47:54,679 --> 00:47:57,119
on breeding to get this plant a little bit smaller

879
00:47:57,119 --> 00:48:01,239
and more manageable for the home gardens. And so what's

880
00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:04,239
fantastic about this is you've got that late season bloom,

881
00:48:04,239 --> 00:48:06,079
which it's like a whole lot of plants that are

882
00:48:06,119 --> 00:48:09,239
really putting on a huge show in late summer and

883
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:12,199
early fall. This is part of the astor family, and

884
00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:16,079
so the flowers are very similar, so this plant will

885
00:48:16,119 --> 00:48:20,800
just be absolutely covered in pollinators come late summer. And

886
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:25,239
it's really really dropped tolerant, really really moisture tolerant as well.

887
00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:27,920
It can handle a lot of different type of growing conditions.

888
00:48:28,079 --> 00:48:31,599
It's got great mildy resistance. And one of the key

889
00:48:31,639 --> 00:48:34,639
things is even when this isn't blooming earlier in the season,

890
00:48:35,039 --> 00:48:37,519
you have a really nice, fine textured foliage. It's not

891
00:48:37,559 --> 00:48:40,280
going to get any diseases like pottery mildew, so it's

892
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,199
going to look good all the time. Yeah.

893
00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:44,480
Speaker 2: I love them. I think this is a great opportunity

894
00:48:44,519 --> 00:48:47,519
for it to start reaching a much more mainstream audience.

895
00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:51,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think so too. We're working on a

896
00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:53,960
number of these, so this is our first one that

897
00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:56,920
we've introduced and we're really excited about it. And then

898
00:48:56,960 --> 00:48:59,800
you asked about Yucca as a dragon player, So this

899
00:48:59,920 --> 00:49:03,679
is a variety of the commonly called Adam's needle. To

900
00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:05,960
people in Texas, they are going to be very, very

901
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:09,000
familiar with this plant. We really like this one because

902
00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:12,679
it's very durable. It's going to do great in Texas.

903
00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:15,360
This one has a really nice blue green color to

904
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:19,159
the leaves. They are kind of land shaped, so it's

905
00:49:19,199 --> 00:49:22,239
got a really nice habit to it. The other thing

906
00:49:22,280 --> 00:49:25,159
we really like about this is the flowers are lovely.

907
00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:28,440
When it does bloom, they're nice, creamy white. It's got

908
00:49:28,440 --> 00:49:31,320
a proportionate scale to this plant, so it's not going

909
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:34,400
to get too large in your garden. It's perfect for

910
00:49:34,519 --> 00:49:38,559
residential garden, and it's going to continue to live for

911
00:49:38,639 --> 00:49:42,599
a very long time with really no care. It is evergreen.

912
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,320
So even for those of us that live in the Norse,

913
00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:47,599
this is tardy up the till zone five. This can

914
00:49:47,679 --> 00:49:49,920
stay in the garden all the time and you're always

915
00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:51,280
going to have seasonal interest with it.

916
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:55,119
Speaker 1: You know, the yuck as I have in my landscape. Tough, durable,

917
00:49:56,119 --> 00:50:00,079
and then when they bloom, yeah, it's rather exciting. But

918
00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:03,119
it only takes one night. The deer come along and

919
00:50:03,159 --> 00:50:05,239
they just chop it right off. It's amazing.

920
00:50:05,280 --> 00:50:06,880
Speaker 2: They wait, yeah, they wait.

921
00:50:07,039 --> 00:50:10,199
Speaker 3: They wait right, they wait for the flowers. They won't

922
00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,159
nibble on the foliage. They don't like the foliage. But yeah,

923
00:50:13,159 --> 00:50:17,880
sometimes the ballooms, they can't resist saying what's this, Especially

924
00:50:17,920 --> 00:50:21,559
those displays, it almost looks somebody described it as like

925
00:50:21,599 --> 00:50:24,519
a candelabra. What's the bully blooming? I think that's a

926
00:50:24,519 --> 00:50:25,599
great discripsion of it.

927
00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,440
Speaker 2: Yeah, they remind me of you know, some sort of

928
00:50:28,599 --> 00:50:32,920
giant mutin and asparagus. And you know, it's funny because

929
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:36,079
it's in the lily family or was anyway, uh, you know,

930
00:50:36,119 --> 00:50:39,280
which so is asparagus. But I think it's important. You know,

931
00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:41,840
when we talk about yucca, a lot of people may

932
00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:44,880
hear or see, especially with uh, you know, the more

933
00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:48,920
conventional type of yucca that when your yucca quote mother

934
00:50:49,039 --> 00:50:52,760
plant flowers, it does die, right, but it leaves behind

935
00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:54,679
a ton of babies.

936
00:50:55,559 --> 00:51:00,000
Speaker 3: Correct, So you're the nice thing about this plant is

937
00:51:00,119 --> 00:51:04,119
you're going to see a lot of pups as we

938
00:51:04,239 --> 00:51:08,199
call them, the little baby plants, growing up alongside the

939
00:51:08,239 --> 00:51:12,559
mother plant as it's starting to bloom. So you might

940
00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:16,719
be losing that mature main plant, that mother plant, but

941
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,440
you're going to have one that's replacing it in the

942
00:51:19,480 --> 00:51:24,239
exact same spot immediately after. So it keeps replacing itself.

943
00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:26,519
So that's why we say that this is long lived

944
00:51:26,599 --> 00:51:29,239
because it's going to continue to flourish in your garden

945
00:51:29,239 --> 00:51:30,360
even when it's done blooming.

946
00:51:30,519 --> 00:51:33,599
Speaker 2: And it's really a fascinating process to watch, you know,

947
00:51:34,079 --> 00:51:36,880
and people maybe get concerned. But then next spring, you know,

948
00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,800
and how long does it take for one to typically

949
00:51:39,800 --> 00:51:41,880
get to a flowering age because they don't do it,

950
00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:44,280
they don't flower every year. They have to reach a

951
00:51:44,280 --> 00:51:46,400
certain point of maturity.

952
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:49,239
Speaker 3: They do. I don't have the exact age on how

953
00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:52,360
long it takes, because you know, some of these plants,

954
00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:54,920
because they're rather slow growing, can take a long time

955
00:51:55,039 --> 00:51:58,840
to even get to the consumer on a retail shelf.

956
00:51:59,599 --> 00:52:01,480
But I would say you're probably going to be seen

957
00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:05,960
in your garden for at least two years if you

958
00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:08,800
do purchase a plant that already has some puffs with it.

959
00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:11,719
I think that's also a good guarantee that if it

960
00:52:11,760 --> 00:52:15,159
does flower that season, you already have replacements coming alongside

961
00:52:15,159 --> 00:52:17,880
of it, so it's still a valuable plant, and then

962
00:52:17,880 --> 00:52:20,320
you get extra so if you want to move them around,

963
00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:22,440
you can have everything more well.

964
00:52:22,440 --> 00:52:24,320
Speaker 2: I think most people who have grown yuca can attest

965
00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:26,039
it's a pretty unstappable plant.

966
00:52:27,559 --> 00:52:28,079
Speaker 3: It is.

967
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:32,159
Speaker 1: It is, Kihl. Congratulations to you and all the wonderful

968
00:52:32,159 --> 00:52:36,960
people at Walter's Gardens. Proven winners, perennials. The cultivars that

969
00:52:37,079 --> 00:52:40,960
you're making available to gardeners across the country across the

970
00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:45,400
world in the coming year are truly exciting. Do you

971
00:52:45,440 --> 00:52:49,599
have anything that you want to add As far as cultivars.

972
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:54,639
Speaker 3: Are concerned, there are two that I think are pretty outstanding.

973
00:52:55,199 --> 00:52:58,320
One is a new Hibiscus garnet globe.

974
00:52:58,320 --> 00:53:00,400
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, this is a.

975
00:53:00,320 --> 00:53:03,920
Speaker 3: Really lovely red variety. Red is so popular because it's

976
00:53:04,119 --> 00:53:08,880
got that tropical feel with a party perennial hybiscus, not

977
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:10,719
a woody one, so it does dive back to the

978
00:53:10,719 --> 00:53:13,719
ground every year. But those plants can also be rather large.

979
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:17,440
We've been working on shrinking these and so this one

980
00:53:17,519 --> 00:53:19,559
is only three feet tall by three feet wide, and

981
00:53:19,599 --> 00:53:21,639
you have a real really large flowers. The flowers are

982
00:53:21,639 --> 00:53:25,599
about seven inches. They do bloom in late July and

983
00:53:25,639 --> 00:53:28,800
into August, so they get that nice tropical feel when

984
00:53:28,840 --> 00:53:31,480
it's starting to get really nice and toasty outside. But

985
00:53:31,599 --> 00:53:35,320
this is a fantastic bloomer with really dark green olive leaves,

986
00:53:35,519 --> 00:53:37,840
so it's going to look nice even when it's not blooming.

987
00:53:38,199 --> 00:53:41,559
Speaker 1: The key point here, Kayla, is that it's compact.

988
00:53:41,519 --> 00:53:44,920
Speaker 3: Very compact, nice mounded shape, and it's sat flowers that

989
00:53:45,039 --> 00:53:46,960
will cover the entire plant all the way down to

990
00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,039
the ground, so it's going to look good no matter

991
00:53:49,079 --> 00:53:52,079
where it is. And then, last, but not least, a

992
00:53:52,159 --> 00:53:56,039
new Delfinium that we're introducing its little violets and blue

993
00:53:56,920 --> 00:53:59,199
You know, I think it really tugs on your heart strings,

994
00:53:59,199 --> 00:54:02,760
a nostalgia of Delphinium's in your granma's garden, or if

995
00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:05,920
we all love that cottage garden. Look, this is a

996
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:09,079
nice mid size at thirty to thirty six inches tall.

997
00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:12,559
And so the big problem I think we've always had

998
00:54:12,559 --> 00:54:15,079
with Delfinium is they tend to get floppy when they're

999
00:54:15,239 --> 00:54:18,159
so tall, those nice big flower stems get really heavy.

1000
00:54:18,679 --> 00:54:23,440
This one has really fantastic strong stems. Obviously, if you're

1001
00:54:23,480 --> 00:54:25,840
in an area that's going to get some wind, we

1002
00:54:26,280 --> 00:54:30,039
recommend staking, but for the most part, this is a

1003
00:54:30,079 --> 00:54:32,119
lot sturdier than a lot of the other ones on

1004
00:54:32,119 --> 00:54:34,719
the market. And the other thing that I think is

1005
00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:38,639
really fascinating that I've really appreciated is the rebloom on

1006
00:54:38,719 --> 00:54:42,880
this plant. Of how floriferous it is. I would even

1007
00:54:42,920 --> 00:54:45,480
say it's a heavier rebloom than the first one. The

1008
00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:47,880
flowers might be a little bit smaller, but it's going

1009
00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:50,360
to bloom in early summer, it's going to bloom again

1010
00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:52,400
in late summer, and if you turn it back, it'll

1011
00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:55,639
bloom into early fall. So you've really got a long

1012
00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:59,400
floral display with a nice sturdy stem for this classic

1013
00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:00,239
blue delpin.

1014
00:55:00,519 --> 00:55:04,199
Speaker 2: So you're really turning the old reputation there of Delphinium's

1015
00:55:04,239 --> 00:55:06,559
being fussy and difficult to grow on it's ear.

1016
00:55:08,119 --> 00:55:10,159
Speaker 3: We are, yeah, and I think that's part of the

1017
00:55:10,199 --> 00:55:12,079
breeding work that we've been working on with a lot

1018
00:55:12,119 --> 00:55:14,400
of these plants, of making sure that they're easier for

1019
00:55:14,440 --> 00:55:17,840
gardeners to use, they sit in the landscapes that they have,

1020
00:55:18,119 --> 00:55:21,280
and they have a level of maintenance that they can

1021
00:55:21,519 --> 00:55:24,480
really spend the time doing and still enjoy their garden

1022
00:55:24,480 --> 00:55:27,079
without being frustrated by how much work it is. So

1023
00:55:27,679 --> 00:55:30,320
we're happy to see this old favor come back again.

1024
00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:34,920
Speaker 1: Fantastic Well, Kyla, thanks for joining us on the Gardening

1025
00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:39,639
Simplified Show. A lot to look forward to, and happy

1026
00:55:39,679 --> 00:55:41,800
new year. Twenty twenty six is going to be a

1027
00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:42,320
great year.

1028
00:55:43,280 --> 00:55:45,320
Speaker 3: It's going to be a fantastic year. Thank you for

1029
00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:46,920
having me on and happy gardening.

1030
00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:51,079
Speaker 2: Thanks Caylea, thank you, Cama. All Right, well I'm ready

1031
00:55:51,079 --> 00:55:51,519
for spring.

1032
00:55:55,960 --> 00:55:58,599
Speaker 1: You're spring loaded today, I know.

1033
00:55:59,440 --> 00:56:01,719
Speaker 2: Oh you know, thinking about all of those great new

1034
00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:05,639
plants definitely has me in the mood for gardening. I

1035
00:56:05,679 --> 00:56:08,199
hope it does for you too, So thank you so

1036
00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:10,960
much to Kayla from Walter's Gardens for all of that

1037
00:56:11,039 --> 00:56:14,360
great information. Thank you, Rick, thank you, thank you Adriana,

1038
00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:15,800
and thanks so much to all of you. We hope

1039
00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:16,840
you have a wonderful week ahead.