WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.360 Coming to you from Studio A. It's The Gardening Simplified 2 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.320 Show with Stacey Hervella me, Rick weisst and our engineer 3 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:14.519 and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, Stacy, my experience in the 4 00:00:14.519 --> 00:00:19.239 garden center industry is that December through February, the popularity 5 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:24.359 and demand for citrus plants, well, it's soars for the homeowners, 6 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.839 and you know, it's it's something that people will buy 7 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:30.399 as a houseplant and then as we get to spring 8 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.280 and summer, put out on the patio or on the deck. 9 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.640 And of course it's also associated with the lunar New 10 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.520 Year coming up this year Wednesday, January twenty nine, twenty 11 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:45.799 twenty five. It's a symbol of prosperity. I looked it 12 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:50.439 up this year as the Year of the Snake. Ooh yeah, 13 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:50.840 you know. 14 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:52.399 How I feel about your favorite year. 15 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.200 But if you're gonna get yourself a citrus plant, it's 16 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:00.000 a thorny issue, so be careful. I always remember receiving 17 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:03.960 even citrus plants at the garden center and the green 18 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:09.560 foliage so glossy, the aroma of the blossoms just oh, 19 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:13.879 just so beautiful. But be careful you stick your hand 20 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:17.359 in that box, you're about to get poked, because they're very, 21 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:22.599 very thorny. And the reason for it if you do 22 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:25.200 get one of these citrus plants is that they're grafted 23 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:29.319 to a hardy rootstock. So I looked up the botanical 24 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:36.079 name Stacey. It says Poncerus trifoliata or trifolia orange or 25 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:40.359 hardy orange, a citrus relative that's generally used as a 26 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:43.519 hedgerow or as a hedge is very thorny. But it 27 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.400 makes a really great rootstock for the citrus plants that 28 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:47.280 we grow at home. 29 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.439 It makes a really good rootstock for edible citrus. It 30 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:53.719 also makes an excellent garden plant on its own. And 31 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:57.040 I was just telling you Adriana this morning how much I. 32 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:59.719 Love this plant. Awesome, Oh my gosh. 33 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.680 I I could go on and on about it. But 34 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.040 the first time I ever saw this plant, pon Cyrus triflia, 35 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:07.879 which is now known as Citrus trifoliata, was at Wave 36 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:10.479 Hill Gardens in New York City, just up there in 37 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:14.199 the Bronx, and it just stopped me in my tracks 38 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:16.039 because I mean, of course, I'd never seen anything like it, 39 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.680 and it is truly hardy. Actually, pont Cyrus is considered 40 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:20.759 hardy to USDA Zone five. 41 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:21.199 Wow. 42 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.199 So imagine that an orange relative that you can grow 43 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:29.560 outdoors even in USDA Zone five, and it has green 44 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:32.520 stems and green thorns and so it's green all year, 45 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:35.159 and it's just it's the texture on this plant. Now, 46 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:37.719 the thorns are brutal. I mean, the thorns are nothing 47 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:39.360 to mess around with. But on the other hand, the 48 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:41.800 deer won't mess around with them, so that's pretty great. 49 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.919 And then it has beautiful, fragrant white flowers in spring, 50 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:50.039 and if it gets pollinated, you're gonna get round fruits 51 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:53.400 in late summer and winter that will stick around. They 52 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:56.599 are edible, but quite acidic. But they're just such a 53 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:01.360 cool conversation piece. And there's a cultivar actually available called 54 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:05.360 flying dragon yes where that yeah, where the thorns are 55 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:08.039 curved like little dragon claws, and it is such a 56 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:11.400 cool plant. I am one thousand percent adding upon cyrus 57 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:13.680 to my garden in spring twenty twenty five. 58 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:16.960 That's fantastic. I love that. So the plants that we 59 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:22.159 would bring in lime lemon, like a myer lemon, orange 60 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:27.560 Kalimandan orange, they would be grafted to this rootstock. And 61 00:03:28.039 --> 00:03:29.639 you know, if you think about it. When the plant 62 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.800 is young and vulnerable, it's probably good that it has 63 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.719 those thorns to deal with predators. And then as a 64 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:39.520 citrus plant gets older than the thorns are not as 65 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.520 much of an issue. Now you'll also notice as they 66 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:45.560 come into the garden center, maybe the consumer notices it too. 67 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:52.800 There's all sorts of USDA labeling and permissions, let's call them, 68 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:56.840 or inspections, and that can make sometimes. I know that 69 00:03:56.919 --> 00:03:59.719 when I was purchasing foliage plants for the garden center, 70 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.039 it was tough to get the citrus plants. You can't 71 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:07.360 ship them between states that grow citrus. The major ones 72 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:11.639 in the US, of course, Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and 73 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:15.520 interestingly enough, what's been fun for me to watch is 74 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:19.879 the growth of the citrus industry in Georgia. That has 75 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.959 you know, you think Georgia peaches and peaches in Georgia, 76 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:24.160 but that's really taken. 77 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:25.519 Off to I didn't know that. That's interesting. 78 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:29.639 Yeah, there's been tremendous growth in Georgia. Now. Of course, 79 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:35.879 these USDA approvals, inspections, warnings, et cetera, et cetera are 80 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:41.040 very very important because there are citrus diseases in the 81 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:45.839 United States. There's citrus greening and it has this long, 82 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:50.279 horrible word, but I looked up the pronunciation. They call 83 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:54.439 it yellow dragon disease or one long one long bin, 84 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:57.519 I believe, so they just call it HLB. 85 00:04:58.040 --> 00:04:58.839 That's convenient. 86 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:02.439 That was the Yeah, that was the pronunciation I was given. 87 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:05.480 But so we're going to go with citrus greening. But 88 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:09.360 this can cause serious problems to citrus crops, of course, 89 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:16.759 citrus canker, citrus black spot, sweet orange scab, citrus variegated chlorosis. Right, 90 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:18.600 it goes on and on and on, and of course 91 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:23.000 these types of diseases of high concern and citrus growing 92 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.160 regions of the United States. So there's a lot of 93 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.879 control put over the shipping of these plants across state 94 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:32.839 lines or let's say, up into areas where people just 95 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.120 want one plant and grow it on their deck. 96 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:37.600 Yeah, and you know that adds a lot of cost. 97 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:40.800 And so I would I highly encourage anyone who has 98 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.160 a nice, very sunny, cool spot in their home who's 99 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.000 interested in growing citrus to do so. But they are expensive. 100 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:49.319 These are expensive houseplants, and you're really going to want 101 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:51.720 to make sure that if you're going to you know, 102 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.120 try to grow one that you're giving at the best 103 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.399 possible conditions. And you know, to me, trying to grow 104 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:59.839 citrus in a cold climate like ours, it's a non negotiable. 105 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:02.800 It needs to go outside in the summer. Absolutely just 106 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:05.879 doesn't ever recover the vigor, you know, unless you've really 107 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:09.560 got great conditions for growing it indoors. But if you 108 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:11.480 can do that, I would say it's absolutely worth the 109 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:15.199 investment because you know, a citrus plant in bloom in 110 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:17.759 winter in your house is just I mean, that is 111 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:19.360 the care for the winter time blues right there. 112 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.480 It's what you're right, it's wonderful. So aside from those 113 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:27.439 serious concerns for citrus growers on the part of the 114 00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:31.680 USDA and all of us, for the person who's growing 115 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:36.519 it indoors, it's usually yellowing of foliage and dropping of leaves. 116 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:41.240 That is the concern. Deficiencies in nitrogen. And it's kind 117 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.439 of interesting that if there are deficiencies in nitrogen or 118 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.839 magnesium or iron or sulfur, they can all kind of 119 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:52.920 look alike on the plant. And then you'll find people 120 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:57.480 online who are recommending epsom salts for the magnesium. But 121 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:00.360 the problem with that is that to be able to 122 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:03.800 grow this fruit, you also need calcium. And so if 123 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:08.040 you have an imbalance, just using EPSOM salts isn't necessarily 124 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:11.879 something I recommend. Again, coming from the garden center industry, 125 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:16.800 I would recommend something like aspoma has citrus tone and 126 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.920 that has calcium in it has magnesium in it to 127 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:22.720 help green the leaves. But it's going to be in 128 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:26.079 the proper proportions so we don't get imbalanced stacy. 129 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.199 Yeah, and you know the other thing about EPSOM salts. 130 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:30.560 People throw up some salts around like it's you know, 131 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:34.680 going out of style, but they are salts, and particularly 132 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.040 when you are growing something indoors and it's not going 133 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:41.879 to get that nice full, you know leeching effect of 134 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:44.360 frequent rains. That salt is going to build up in 135 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:46.319 the soil. It's going to cause all sorts of problems. 136 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.839 So I would also not recommend EPSOM salts on containerized 137 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:53.959 citrus instead. Yeah, EPSOM or sorry, isoma citrus tone is 138 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.160 such a great choice. I have the most successful indoor 139 00:07:57.199 --> 00:07:59.560 citrus I have ever seen. That is how she grew 140 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:00.000 her play. 141 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.199 Okay, she had kind of. 142 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:03.959 Like one of those you know, sun rooms that they 143 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:05.959 put on a lot in the seventies and eighties that was, 144 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:07.399 you know, off the side of your house, and she 145 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:10.439 had gorgeous citrus in there. But of course the trick 146 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:12.800 with the Aspeoma citrus tone is that it does it's 147 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.639 not really sold in areas where citrus is not widely grown, 148 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.560 so you might have to order it by mail, but 149 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:21.160 it is worth it because, yeah, best lemon indoor citrus 150 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:22.199 I've ever seen was grown with that. 151 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:26.279 Wow. Yeah, it makes me think of Monticello and Thomas 152 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:30.399 Jefferson visiting there and in the sunroom. Just beautiful citrus 153 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.919 and it's inspiring in the winter. You know, we're talking 154 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:37.519 about lemon trees like Meyer lemon, Dwarf Eureka lemon. Of course, 155 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:42.519 the beautiful ornamental citrus, the Kalamandan orange, and boy talk 156 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:44.039 about the scent on those. 157 00:08:44.279 --> 00:08:45.960 Yeah, and that's that pretty. That's one of the easier 158 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:46.960 ones to grow indoors. 159 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:48.799 Yeah, so that's a good choice exactly. 160 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:55.320 And we would sell orange, kumquat, lime, grapefruit on standards 161 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:58.799 or as bushes, and we even had them in hanging baskets. 162 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:02.120 So there's a variety of ways you can get the citrus. 163 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.120 If you're able to locate some. Here's a citrus limb, 164 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:09.519 a rick. I have a thought, a feeling citrus is 165 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:12.919 both a snack and self healing. To be a lemon, 166 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:18.600 you can't be thin skinned. Your horticultural wonderkinned both thick 167 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.919 skinned and appealing. My friend, it's not hyperb believe that 168 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:27.320 citrus is treasure grown on a tree. Boy, this is 169 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.159 a stretch stacy. So come on, take a big gulp 170 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:34.840 of those cellulose fibers and pulp. You'll benefit from vitamin C. 171 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:38.679 So if you're trying to grow some citrus indoors, good 172 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.960 drainage the soil's important, drainage holes in the pot. We 173 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.480 talked about the fertilizer. The Aspoma citrus tone is something 174 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:50.000 that we recommend lots of light, keep it away from 175 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:53.759 a heat register. And your watering practices are going to 176 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:57.519 be important. Too much water or too little water is 177 00:09:57.600 --> 00:09:58.759 going to cause problems. 178 00:09:58.840 --> 00:09:59.039 Yep. 179 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:01.159 And you do need to fertilize. You know, they are 180 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:04.600 definitely very hungry plants. Usually we don't recommend going too 181 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.039 crazy in winter with a fertilizer, but you're going to 182 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:10.440 want to keep a steady diet on your citrus another 183 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:14.039 thing I've learned from that great citrus grower. And yeah, 184 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.279 so they are a challenge but so rewarding. And I 185 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.720 think people also, as in so many other cases, need 186 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:22.759 to have reasonable expectations. You are probably not going to 187 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.159 have enough lemons to share with your friends and family 188 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:28.039 on your citrus street, but I honestly think it's worth 189 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:29.679 it just for how beautiful they are, and of course 190 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:30.840 the fragrance of the flowers. 191 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:34.000 Absolutely, And of course if you're growing them as houseplants 192 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:37.879 bringing them out in summer, don't go cheap on the pot. 193 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:40.480 Make sure the pot's big enough. As Stacy mentioned, they 194 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:43.519 do need fertilizer, they do need water in summer, and 195 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:45.840 you want those roots to have some room to grow. 196 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.799 So if you're looking at it as a house plant, 197 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:52.720 let's not let that plant get riot bound. Let's see 198 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.840 how Stacey ties this in in Plants on Trial that's 199 00:10:55.879 --> 00:11:10.480 coming up next here on the Gardening Simplified Chill. 200 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:07.919 Prooven Winter's Colored Choice Shrubs cares about your success in 201 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.399 the garden. That's why we trial and test all of 202 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.039 our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they 203 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:15.759 outperform everything else on the market. Look for them and 204 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:20.759 the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greeting's 205 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.879 gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. 206 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:26.720 It's the Citrus Show. If you're not growing citrus, you're 207 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:28.679 eating citrus at this time of year. It's a little 208 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.960 something to help you through the dreary winter. And of course, 209 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:34.080 I feel like, you know, back in the day, like 210 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:36.639 I used to read all these books and it was 211 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:38.279 like a big deal for a little girl to get 212 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:40.679 an orange in her Christmas stocking right in the toe. 213 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:41.879 That was like a big thing. 214 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:44.840 We'd get an orange and a candy bar. And then 215 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:47.200 of course as kids, we drank a lot of tang. 216 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:50.559 Yeah, that was the thing that you did. 217 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:55.519 Because yes, of course, but you know, we would be 218 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:59.639 remiss to have a citrus show and not mention David 219 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:04.000 fair tid David Fairchild is he was actually born in 220 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:07.840 East Lansing, like our guests last week, doctor Ellen Armitage. 221 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:09.759 He was born in East Lansing, Michigan, but he grew 222 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:14.519 up in Kansas and he ended up becoming an economic 223 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:17.840 botanist who brought some of the most important food crops 224 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:21.799 to the United States. He is responsible for having different 225 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:25.000 hops in the United States. The list of crops that 226 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:27.639 he brought to the US goes on and on and on, 227 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:31.279 but probably one of his most iconic and important contributions 228 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:34.480 was citrus, and so he brought that over and he 229 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:37.720 really developed the techniques of grafting citrus and is the 230 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:40.399 reason why at one point Florida was really the citrus 231 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:43.120 capital of the United States. I know that has changed 232 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.559 a bit, but he is a fascinating person. I was 233 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:49.799 lucky enough to visit his estate, which is down near Miami. 234 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:53.039 It is open to the public by appointment, and you 235 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:55.399 can actually see at his estate, which is known as 236 00:12:55.440 --> 00:13:01.240 the Kampong Kampong, the very firm citrus plants that were 237 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:04.639 ever brought into the US. They are actually growing outside 238 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.639 his house and it's a fascinating garden, a beautiful thing 239 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.320 to see. So if you're in Miami, it's definitely worth 240 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:13.679 checking out. If you're not going to be in Miami 241 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:16.639 and you want to learn more about David Fairchild, I 242 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.159 highly recommend the book The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone, 243 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:24.080 which goes into his life and just the incredible things 244 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:27.080 that he was able to accomplish and the way that 245 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:29.519 he changed the way that we eat and grow food. 246 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:33.200 So really interesting story there, good gardening gift if you're 247 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:35.759 looking for a last minute gift for someone on your list. 248 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:40.279 And I do have a plant on trial, but I 249 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.759 have to kind of continue on a citrus related tangent. 250 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:46.320 I can't help it. We don't have anything in the 251 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.279 citrus family in the proven Winter's Color Choice line, as 252 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.600 much as I personally would like to have upon cyrus 253 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:54.519 because I just think they are the coolest plants. I 254 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:57.440 don't think covered in huge green thorns is quite the 255 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:01.000 selling point that we're looking for plants in the proven 256 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.320 Winner's line, so I think its outlook to eventually be 257 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:07.000 introduced is is low. But that doesn't mean there aren't 258 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.799 some really cool citrus relatives that we can't grow here 259 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.840 in Michigan. And that's kind of surprising, right Like people 260 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:15.519 think of these as very very tender plants. But I 261 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:18.159 wanted to mention a plant that I grow abundantly in 262 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:21.480 my garden because it does self so quite abundantly, and 263 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:25.120 that is rue Rudi graviolins and it is in the 264 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:29.440 citrus family, and it's called rue r r u e 265 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:34.720 and ruta. The scientific name is actually the namesake of 266 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:37.919 the entire citrus family, the rue tasi. So it's kind 267 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:42.120 of the archetype of this of the family. And it's 268 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.759 just a beautiful Mediterranean herb with kind of bluish green foliage. 269 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:48.080 It has a very pungent and unique smell. The deer 270 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:52.240 never ever touch it. I had a very mature rue 271 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:53.559 that I just had to move, so it had some 272 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:57.759 die back, but that thing bloomed for us here in 273 00:14:57.799 --> 00:14:59.200 Michigan all winter long. 274 00:14:59.320 --> 00:14:59.600 Wow. 275 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:02.399 It was covered in snow and it was still putting 276 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:03.200 out flowers. 277 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:03.639 Wow. 278 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:05.559 I mean not, you know, NotI covered in flowers, but 279 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:08.039 there were still flowers on it, still creating fresh flowers, 280 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.360 still attracting pollinating insects. A good reason to grow roo 281 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:16.600 also is that it is a food source for swallowtail butterflies. 282 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.360 Got to love that, so, you know, another food source 283 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:22.559 for them. And so I love this plant. Itself sows 284 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.679 in its garden, in my garden, all over the place. 285 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.519 It's not really that edible. You'll see some things if 286 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:29.840 you look online for people say, oh, you can do 287 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:31.440 this with it, you can do that with it. Apparently 288 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:34.480 it was very popular as an edible way back in 289 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:35.960 the day during Renaissance times. 290 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:37.200 I had always heard. 291 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:41.879 That Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci attributed their creative powers 292 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.840 to rue. How exactly they consumed to this room I 293 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:46.840 have yet to discover. But you know what, if it 294 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:49.600 was good enough for them, just having it in my garden, 295 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:52.480 I feel like is a little bit closer to that 296 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:55.080 level of genius. 297 00:15:55.360 --> 00:16:00.440 Now, the Roo family is rather large and has a 298 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:04.279 great history, but would you say that Citrus is probably 299 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.000 the most dominant, probably the best known. 300 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:08.720 That's probably the best known for sure. 301 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:11.840 But there is another really cool member of the citrus 302 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.919 family that is actually native to Michigan. Uh huh, believe 303 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.799 it or not, and that is hold on to your 304 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:23.679 seats Xanthosylum americanum. And this is such a cool plant. 305 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:24.159 Oh my gosh. 306 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:26.279 Okay, So it's sometimes known as prickly ash. 307 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:27.240 It is. 308 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:29.720 It sounds like it's going to be super rare, But 309 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.759 it is abundant here in West Michigan. And in fact, 310 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:36.799 I could walk just less than a mile down here 311 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:39.279 from Studio A and show you or some is growing 312 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.279 wild in a park near here. So it's not uncommon 313 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.399 at all. And it is a relative of the sescheuon peppercorn. 314 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:48.919 So if you like to eat Chinese food or experiment 315 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:51.360 with Chinese cooking, or have ever eaten really hot and 316 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:56.120 spicy seshuon food, the sesshuon peppercorn is very characteristic of this. 317 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:59.480 This is a relative of that. I have not tried 318 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:02.039 any pepper from it yet, but it is a very 319 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:06.039 very cool and interesting citrus relative native to Michigan. Also 320 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.640 attracts a ton of swallowtail butterflies. And it's just one 321 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:11.559 of those like cool plant facts. 322 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:14.119 That is fantastic, really cool. And you know, I was 323 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.519 going to say, some people might guess when you were 324 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:20.559 saying what type of plant it was, some people might 325 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:24.559 guess osage orange. But osage orange, of course, is in 326 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:26.759 a different fam I think it's in the mulberry family. 327 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:29.000 Yes, that would make sense based on the fruit. So yeah, 328 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.440 osage orange is just a total misnomer. But speaking of misnomers, 329 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:35.440 that is how we are getting to today's pulllant On trial, 330 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:38.640 one of the three hundred and twenty plus proof of 331 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:40.519 winners colored choice shrubs that you can decide if you 332 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:43.160 want to put in your garden, and today's plant on 333 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:47.839 trial for the Citrus Show, Juiced orange Cystrum. Yeah, so 334 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.000 not in the citrus family. It is actually in the 335 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:52.559 tomato family, and it is a shrub, which a lot 336 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.079 of people don't think of shrubs being in the silanasia 337 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:57.920 or tomato family, but of course with a name like 338 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:02.359 juiced orange, perfectly for the citrus show. So this is 339 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:07.240 a Cesstrum also known as jessamine. It is a flowering shrub. 340 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.440 It is native to sort of Central and South America. 341 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.359 And as you might guess based on that and the 342 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:16.000 fact that you probably have not heard of this genus before, 343 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.960 not the hardiest plant, hardy down to USDA seven B 344 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:24.839 and heat tolerant through USDA Zone ten. So really more 345 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.960 of a plant for hot climates, although I will say 346 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.759 for those of us in cold climates, a great container 347 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.119 plant that will bloom for you all summer. I have 348 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.599 grown it myself like that because it's so beautiful, as 349 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:40.160 you might have guessed from the name, sort of orange yellow, orange, 350 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:44.640 juice colored flowers, and they're like little miniature trumpets, but 351 00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:49.240 they're clustered together in these kind of round globs that 352 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:52.599 just cover the plant. And it's one of those warm 353 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:54.880 climate plants that just blooms and blooms and blooms and blooms. 354 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:55.039 You know. 355 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.480 It's not one that just says, okay, well, I've had 356 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:00.200 my two week blooming period and now I'm done. In 357 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:05.200 the summer, this plant does flour continuously without any kind 358 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.319 of maintenance or dead heading or anything like that. It 359 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:11.440 attracts tons of butterflies and hummingbirds. So I think this 360 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:16.839 is a plant that's really worth growing as a seasonal annual, 361 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:18.279 even though it's going to cost a little bit more. 362 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:20.119 You're probably gonna need to get it in mail order, 363 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.920 you know, and spend maybe twenty twenty five dollars for it. 364 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:27.440 But it really does have the flower power, and it's 365 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:31.640 just it's just a really really neat and interesting plant. 366 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.079 The deer in my yard did not touch it, so 367 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:37.480 that's always a good thing for any of us. Loves 368 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:41.480 the sun, loves loves loves growing in hot, sunny areas, 369 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:45.680 and juiced orange is a little bit different than other 370 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.720 cystrum that are on the market in that it is 371 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:51.920 more compact, which does make it more suitable for growing 372 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:55.680 in seasonal containers than you know, a larger plant that's 373 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:57.119 going to be kind of rangy. So this one's going 374 00:19:57.160 --> 00:19:59.559 to stay nice and compact, not really going to need 375 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:02.319 any proof not get an eating dead heading. I did 376 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.640 fertilize mine in the same time that I fertilized my 377 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:09.319 other annuals, and again I was rewarded with flowers, you know, NonStop, 378 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:12.079 basically from beginning of June until frost. 379 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:14.559 And when we've talked about this plant before. The thing 380 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:17.480 that I think is the reward and you mentioned it, 381 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.880 are the trumpet like flowers great for pollinators. Wow, it's 382 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:23.720 just stunning. Any lusters up. 383 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:26.319 Yeah, really like nice round clusters. It just has a 384 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:29.359 very unique look. And of course anytime you've got trumpet 385 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.440 shake flowers, you know, my ears perk up because I'm 386 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:36.359 thinking hummingbirds. And indeed they did really visit and enjoy 387 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.480 this plant. So juice orange comes from the color, not 388 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.480 from its relatives. It's very drought tolerant. Although this is 389 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:46.000 a situation where if you are growing it as a 390 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.559 container plant, you're not really gonna want to push that 391 00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:51.079 too much because you're gonna want the best possible performance 392 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.400 from it, so that you're getting all of those flowers 393 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:55.759 that make it worth the little bit of extra cost 394 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.839 that it has, and you know the time that you're 395 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:00.880 gonna put into it, but you can always try to 396 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:03.920 bring it indoors and grow it as a houseplant. I 397 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:06.400 would suspect I did not try that myself. I don't 398 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:10.160 have a great house for houseplants, but I would suspect 399 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:13.279 that it would probably be easier to grow indoors than 400 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:15.920 your average citrus plants, so it would at least be 401 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:21.119