1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:04,919 Speaker 1: Coming to you from Studio a A. Here at proven 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,880 winner's color choice shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified 3 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:14,320 Radio YouTube and podcast show with Stacy Hervella me, Rick 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:19,000 weisst and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, Stacey, 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,440 we have a lot of ground to cover today. We're 6 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,839 going to be well grounded as we talk about ground covers, 7 00:00:25,719 --> 00:00:31,640 and therein lies a dilemma. Groundcovers can well, they can 8 00:00:31,679 --> 00:00:37,039 be a problem because anything that usually fills in quickly 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,640 and a space many times will spread where you don't 10 00:00:40,679 --> 00:00:41,479 want it to go. 11 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 2: That is definitely a risk. Yes, they are plants, like groundcovers, 12 00:00:45,679 --> 00:00:49,920 are obviously selected because they spread to some degree of quickness. 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,840 Some are quite slow. But yeah, that once something has 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,240 the ability, the inherent ability, and the conditions to spread, 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,840 it can occasionally be difficult to stop said spread. 16 00:01:00,119 --> 00:01:03,679 Speaker 1: Yes, well, we run the risk of playing with the 17 00:01:03,679 --> 00:01:08,760 word invasive. So when we talk about ground covers, we 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,120 have to think about in what situation does this particular 19 00:01:13,239 --> 00:01:19,400 plant spread aggressively? How hard is it to remove if 20 00:01:19,439 --> 00:01:24,920 you have second thoughts or buyer's remorse, and is it native? 21 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:29,239 Is it suited to wet or dry areas, so groundcovers 22 00:01:29,359 --> 00:01:33,439 kind of have this stigma of what is one man's 23 00:01:33,519 --> 00:01:37,200 trash is another man's treasure. I mean, who hasn't dug 24 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,680 up a little pot of something and shared it with 25 00:01:39,719 --> 00:01:41,760 a friend and then regretted it. 26 00:01:42,359 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 2: Right. But on the other hand, you know, it can 27 00:01:44,719 --> 00:01:46,760 go the other way where people say, oh, I really 28 00:01:46,799 --> 00:01:50,079 admire your beautiful planting of X and I have similar conditions, 29 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,680 and you know, then you have a little you know, 30 00:01:52,799 --> 00:01:55,000 testament that it's going to do okay for you. I've 31 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,159 found in my time that people's bigger complaint about groundcovers 32 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,079 is usually that the aren't growing fast enough because they 33 00:02:02,159 --> 00:02:05,159 want that coverage right now. And you know, a lot 34 00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:09,560 of groundcovers, especially very popular one's like Pacissandra, always befuddles me. 35 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,080 It's a slow growing groundcover, and of course once it's 36 00:02:12,159 --> 00:02:14,599 established it looks great. But I mean, how much time 37 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:17,360 do you really have to devote to getting your pacissandra established? 38 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: Yeah? Very true. And that groundcover, of course can be 39 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,520 important in our landscapes because it's a great alternative to 40 00:02:24,599 --> 00:02:28,439 bear earth, which is not a natural condition, or because 41 00:02:28,439 --> 00:02:33,280 something's going to grow or sometimes mulch. But yeah, I 42 00:02:33,319 --> 00:02:37,039 appreciate that comment, Stacy, because I look at my landscape 43 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,240 and I have larape as a groundcover in my landscape. Now, 44 00:02:41,599 --> 00:02:43,879 there are some people who will say I would never 45 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,960 plant larope number one, it's not native. Number two, it 46 00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:52,199 can get kind of invasive. But when you dig deeper 47 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,240 and you do your research, you know there's one area 48 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,919 where I have Lara pe spacata and that one can 49 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,280 be rather rise otomous and a little bit invasive, but 50 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,439 it is on a south facing slope of solid beach 51 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,080 sand where nothing else will grow, and it does great. 52 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:16,000 I also have a loriope big blue, which is a 53 00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:21,199 clumping type of loriope, different from the spacanta. So my 54 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,520 whole point there with that, Stacy, is that if you're 55 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,520 going to pick a groundcover, you do have to do 56 00:03:25,599 --> 00:03:26,240 your homework. 57 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:27,879 Speaker 2: Well, I have to ask you a question. Do you 58 00:03:28,159 --> 00:03:30,840 like larape so much because it looks most of the 59 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:32,120 year like an ornamental grass? 60 00:03:32,159 --> 00:03:32,479 Speaker 1: It does? 61 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 2: It? 62 00:03:33,439 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: Does? It looks like a grass, especially big blue? I 63 00:03:36,599 --> 00:03:37,000 love it. 64 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, I figured that might be one. And of course 65 00:03:39,159 --> 00:03:41,080 it loves the sun and it's der resistant, So yeah, 66 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,560 if you have those conditions, it's a useful plant for sure. 67 00:03:43,719 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: You bet. And when we talk about groundcovers, of course, 68 00:03:46,159 --> 00:03:50,000 there's a lot of popularity in meadow scaping, whether it's 69 00:03:50,039 --> 00:03:56,120 growing wild flowers or even turf or lawn grass. Well, 70 00:03:56,319 --> 00:04:00,000 arguably it's a groundcover. Yeah, And there are many different 71 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,000 types of seed mixes available now that you can use. 72 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,879 I've often used tall turf type fescue lefted on mode 73 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,159 as a groundcover in some tough utility areas, but you 74 00:04:13,199 --> 00:04:18,560 can get shorter fescues now, and whenever you say fescue 75 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,480 in a grass seed mix, fescue is generally both shade 76 00:04:22,519 --> 00:04:26,439 and sun tolerant and also drought tolerant, so it may 77 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:31,160 be an option for you. Or possibly clover nitrogen fixing 78 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,160 even micro clover. 79 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 2: Love a good glover lawn, if only I could have one. 80 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,800 I've tried to establish some clover, but the rabbits had 81 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,000 other plans, so I don't know if that's going to 82 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:43,399 happen in my yard. But yeah, I mean, I would 83 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,000 argue that turf is a groundcover, and that when we're 84 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:51,160 talking about groundcovers, very often what people want is that similar, 85 00:04:51,439 --> 00:04:55,519 very cohesive look that turf has without the mowing, right, 86 00:04:56,399 --> 00:04:58,639 and that's perfectly valid reason. I think that's one reason 87 00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:01,879 why people do like leiopies much, because it can quite 88 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:03,839 look like a lawn. Un most of course it's in 89 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,480 flour and then you've got all those fabulous purple spikes. 90 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: Everywhere, and it's steppable, and it is very. 91 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,879 Speaker 2: Steppable because not every groundcover, and I think that's a 92 00:05:10,879 --> 00:05:12,959 really important thing about what we're going to be talking about. 93 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:18,519 Not every groundcover is very foot traffic tolerance correct, And 94 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,160 a lot of times that is why people want grass 95 00:05:21,199 --> 00:05:23,720 in the first place, because grass does cover the ground, 96 00:05:23,759 --> 00:05:27,240 it does outcompete weeds, it does tolerate a lot of 97 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:31,240 foot traffic from pets and people, but it does come 98 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,360 with the responsibility to morow. But I think you make 99 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,000 a great point about the lawn mixes. Not enough people 100 00:05:36,079 --> 00:05:40,639 realize that turf grass is actually a very diverse group 101 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,639 of plants. And sure, if you just go to your 102 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,519 local box store, you're going to be very limited on options. 103 00:05:47,519 --> 00:05:49,000 But if you are able to go to like a 104 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:54,000 feed store in your town or specialty suppliers online, you 105 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,600 will find that there are so many different grass mixes 106 00:05:56,639 --> 00:05:59,839 with varying you know, levels of maintenance that they require. 107 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: Yes, and if it's predominantly fescue. That's where I say 108 00:06:03,199 --> 00:06:05,920 you're going to have some success. Don't look at the 109 00:06:05,959 --> 00:06:08,160 pretty picture on the front of the package, turn it 110 00:06:08,199 --> 00:06:10,959 around and take a look at the content, yes, ingredients 111 00:06:11,079 --> 00:06:14,839 in the package. Right, here's my limb a rick for 112 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,920 groundcovers this week because with groundcovers, of course, they help 113 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,240 capture dust, they help with erosion issues. They play a 114 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,720 real role in the landscape. Erosion has made my slope steeper. 115 00:06:29,079 --> 00:06:32,560 I need an invader, not a sleeper. But that sounds 116 00:06:32,639 --> 00:06:36,360 kind of scary. Things could get rather hairy. Do I 117 00:06:36,519 --> 00:06:40,040 really want a creeper? Look out? I could be a 118 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,120 runner overstep my bounds. That's a bummer, a planting that 119 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:49,360 could backfire and eventually require a new zip code by 120 00:06:49,439 --> 00:06:53,839 the end of summer. And of course, Stacey, some groundcovers 121 00:06:53,879 --> 00:06:58,959 are great for that notorious strip between the sidewalk and 122 00:06:59,079 --> 00:07:02,160 the street and coming up in segment four. We got 123 00:07:02,199 --> 00:07:05,199 some feedback from our listeners and viewers and I did 124 00:07:05,199 --> 00:07:09,160 a little research. Also pretty interesting what people call that. Yes, 125 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:10,759 that's difficult are yeah? 126 00:07:10,839 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 2: I agree, I am looking forward to that. And you 127 00:07:13,839 --> 00:07:17,079 know there's when it comes to groundcovers. Yes, of course, 128 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,360 You're going to probably pick on the esthetics first. Then 129 00:07:20,399 --> 00:07:22,600 you're going to look and say, hey, is my you know, 130 00:07:22,639 --> 00:07:26,079 site sufficiently sunny or shady? Because also groundcovers are a 131 00:07:26,079 --> 00:07:28,199 great solution if you have a very shady yard and 132 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,199 have trouble getting turf grass, growing groundcovers can be a 133 00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:34,040 great solution to that. But a lot all of them 134 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,279 have some drawbacks. And I mean that's true of most plants, 135 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:40,199 but for example, a lot of people are attempted to 136 00:07:40,279 --> 00:07:45,000 plant ivy English ivy as a groundcover or a lawn alternative, 137 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,040 and it can look pretty great, but I can tell 138 00:07:49,079 --> 00:07:53,680 you from experience it is a haven for mice and rats. 139 00:07:53,759 --> 00:07:56,560 So if you live in an urban area or you 140 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:01,720 have rat populations at all, please stay away from ivy 141 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:04,879 as a groundcover. Trust me, I have lived through it. 142 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,959 I have felt the rats running over my boots when 143 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,720 I lived in New York City and we had an 144 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,120 area that was covered in ivy. They love it. It's 145 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:13,680 like the perfect environment where it's something like you know, 146 00:08:13,759 --> 00:08:15,680 a pacasandra, and I know I keep coming back to that, 147 00:08:15,759 --> 00:08:18,720 but sweet woodrooff they create more of a maze and 148 00:08:19,279 --> 00:08:22,480 they aren't as a dense like the ivy forms like 149 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,680 almost like a canopy that they can live under. 150 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: M hm, no, that's very true. Many people would just 151 00:08:27,639 --> 00:08:31,199 simply say, don't plant ivy because of that face of nature. 152 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,399 Speaker 2: So yeah, but we tend not to have that problem 153 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,120 in the Midwest. You know, ivy is extremely invasive out west. 154 00:08:37,639 --> 00:08:39,360 In the Midwest, a lot of people are like, shoot, 155 00:08:39,399 --> 00:08:41,039 I can't even get the darn thing to grow in 156 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,399 the first place, so they don't really realize it. But yeah, 157 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,200 if it is happy, it is one of those groundcovers 158 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,240 like you've described, it will be way too happy and 159 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,320 need a new ZIP code by Yeah this summer. 160 00:08:50,879 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: You know you mentioned sweet woodruff. I've planted that in 161 00:08:53,399 --> 00:08:54,840 my landscape. But I love it. 162 00:08:54,879 --> 00:08:57,279 Speaker 2: I love it too. It's my favorite groundcover, is it really? 163 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,399 I think it's so pretty. It is. It can be 164 00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:01,799 a little bit aggressive in some areas. Of course, I 165 00:09:01,799 --> 00:09:03,200 don't have to worry about that because I have neither 166 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:05,720 the shade nor the moisture to grow it. But I 167 00:09:05,759 --> 00:09:08,360 think it is one of the prettiest and most elegant groundcovers. 168 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:09,279 I just I love it. 169 00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:13,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's herbal, it's aromatic, pretty flowers on it. In Germany, 170 00:09:13,919 --> 00:09:16,919 they have a lot of uses for it. Yes, it's 171 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:17,639 quite fascinating. 172 00:09:17,639 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 2: You can even if you go to a German restaurant 173 00:09:19,759 --> 00:09:22,799 in the spring, you could even get a PLoP of 174 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:25,519 the syrup in your beer because they use. 175 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: The Yes, put it in beer. Yeah, you're right, and 176 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,799 they'll float the flowers on wine. As I understand, it's 177 00:09:31,879 --> 00:09:33,879 used as a flavoring for a lot of things. So 178 00:09:34,639 --> 00:09:37,000 that's that's a great groundcover and I love it. I 179 00:09:37,039 --> 00:09:40,879 also recommend to people often people will not think of this, 180 00:09:41,039 --> 00:09:45,559 but using annuals as a groundcover, Yeah, you may consider 181 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,240 that to be too expensive, but boy, it fills in 182 00:09:48,279 --> 00:09:52,000 a pocket quickly. If you have many Vista petunias or 183 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:57,000 Mojave portcha laca. It's beautiful, it's gorgeous. You'll enjoy it 184 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:00,600 all season long and not have the maintenance you can 185 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:02,759 have with the perennial groundcovers. 186 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 2: And it also negates any issues you might have of 187 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,200 snow storage and snow removal because you're not going to 188 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,519 have anything there because your annuals dive back and then 189 00:10:11,519 --> 00:10:13,000 you can start all over again next spring. 190 00:10:13,279 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: So there are multitude of options when it comes to groundcover, 191 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,120 and we're going to move that list of groundcovers into 192 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,200 segment four. We'll touch on that, go down the list 193 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,320 of some of those plants, and I'm sure Stacey has 194 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,879 a good one in store for us too in Plants 195 00:10:29,879 --> 00:10:32,639 on Trial, and that's coming up next here on the 196 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:34,600 Gardening Simplified. 197 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 2: Show, Beautify your home and community with proven Winn's Color 198 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,120 Choice Shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique 199 00:10:46,159 --> 00:10:49,320 varieties to choose from. There's a flowering shrubber, evergreen for 200 00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:52,600 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 201 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,320 white container your local garden center or learn more at 202 00:10:55,360 --> 00:11:00,440 proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Creating's gardening for and 203 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,200 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where the order 204 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,120 of the day is groundcovers and we're trying to get 205 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,000 this at a time where you might be thinking about 206 00:11:08,039 --> 00:11:12,720 transforming part of your yard or garden into groundcover instead 207 00:11:12,759 --> 00:11:15,200 of whatever you have right now. And now is a 208 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,080 great time to go in and dig in and do 209 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,679 that research and make sure that you're choosing a plant 210 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:21,679 that not only will thrive in your conditions, but a 211 00:11:21,919 --> 00:11:26,080 that you like, because that's important too, and you know, 212 00:11:26,159 --> 00:11:28,519 b that won't become a nightmare. And we're going to 213 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,320 talk more about groundcovers in segment four. But I think 214 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,879 anybody who has listened to the show, probably for any 215 00:11:33,919 --> 00:11:37,720 appreciable amount of time, has heard the first hand horror 216 00:11:37,759 --> 00:11:42,200 stories from multiple listeners on chameleon plants. Who Tunia. We 217 00:11:42,279 --> 00:11:44,840 just had one last week in fact, and I know 218 00:11:44,879 --> 00:11:46,919 when I sent Adriana the pictures, she was like, whoa, 219 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:50,759 You weren't kidding. She loved at that poor woman's yard. 220 00:11:51,879 --> 00:11:56,440 So as you research your groundcover choices, absolutely avoid whutunia. 221 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,919 And you might just also want to check your states 222 00:11:59,799 --> 00:12:04,879 invasive innoxious weed list. You know, not all invasive innoxious 223 00:12:04,879 --> 00:12:08,080 weeds or groundcovers, and not all groundcovers are invasive innoxious weeds, 224 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:10,799 but there's definitely some overlap there, and you know, it 225 00:12:10,799 --> 00:12:12,559 would be impossible for us to sit here and tell 226 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:14,039 you what they are because it varies so much by 227 00:12:14,039 --> 00:12:15,720 state exactly. 228 00:12:15,759 --> 00:12:17,639 Speaker 1: And that's part of the reason I said, Stacy that 229 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:19,879 when you're looking to put in a groundcover, not only 230 00:12:19,919 --> 00:12:21,840 are you going to have to live with it, but 231 00:12:21,919 --> 00:12:25,840 it's important to do that research because it's so variable. 232 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, and the nice thing about the groundcover that you 233 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:29,720 and I mentioned that we like so well sweetwoard druff, 234 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,960 which can be a bit aggressive if it's very happy, 235 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,080 very easy to pull out. Some thing is just gone, 236 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:36,720 but some you know, you need to do a lot 237 00:12:36,759 --> 00:12:39,600 of digging. But anyway, I don't think a lot of 238 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,759 people think about shrubs as groundcover. I don't think a 239 00:12:42,799 --> 00:12:44,720 lot of It's like not the first type of plant 240 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:46,919 that comes to people's mind. Yeah, And whether they're thinking 241 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:47,799 of groundcover. 242 00:12:47,519 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: That's interesting to me because I have, you know, whether 243 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,320 it's a juniper or whatever it may be. I'm always 244 00:12:53,399 --> 00:12:54,240 thinking shrubs. 245 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that they make a great groundcover. And 246 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,799 last week's plant on trial, which was low skate mound erroonia, 247 00:12:58,879 --> 00:13:01,799 is one of those great choices. Juniper is also a 248 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,799 great choice. I know a lot of people really dislike 249 00:13:03,919 --> 00:13:07,559 juniper because it does have the unfortunate habit of letting 250 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,519 some grass grow where the light gets through. You've been there, right, 251 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:12,480 oh my word. 252 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 1: Yes. And in the garden center industry, we sold so 253 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,960 many of those what were they called blue rug. 254 00:13:18,159 --> 00:13:20,799 Speaker 2: Blue rug the name's right there in the name. It's 255 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,360 a full yeah. Yeah, And then you got to like 256 00:13:24,399 --> 00:13:26,799 get a rake under there, your hands are getting all 257 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:32,039 scratched up. Yeah, but you know that said that's that's 258 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,399 a great evergreen ground cover. And like I said, everything 259 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:36,360 has a little bit of give and take care. You know, 260 00:13:36,399 --> 00:13:40,080 nothing is going to be the perfect plant for your groundcover. 261 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:44,519 But shrubs are very much worth considering. And yes, well 262 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,840 they may have a little bit higher you know, initial cost, 263 00:13:47,919 --> 00:13:50,440 because very often with the herbaceous groundcovers that I think 264 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,759 most people think about for groundcovers that we were talking 265 00:13:52,799 --> 00:13:55,480 about in the first segment, you can get a great 266 00:13:55,519 --> 00:13:57,639 deal on those, like in a big tray, you know, 267 00:13:57,759 --> 00:13:59,799 so you're not buying a bunch of one gallons or 268 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:01,840 something like that. War's with the shrubs, you know, you 269 00:14:01,879 --> 00:14:04,559 are starting with a one, two or three gallon plant. 270 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,879 But they do fill in really nicely. And of course 271 00:14:06,919 --> 00:14:08,639 the great thing about like a juniper is you get 272 00:14:08,639 --> 00:14:11,399 evergreen coverage, right and you don't have to worry about 273 00:14:11,399 --> 00:14:13,360 that worse. 274 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: They see some people will do that with vines. 275 00:14:15,799 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, vines. So some vines that'll work on because 276 00:14:19,039 --> 00:14:22,720 like the ivy that I mentioned, some vines say, for example, 277 00:14:22,879 --> 00:14:26,519 you are thinking I love climbing hydrangeas, I want to 278 00:14:26,559 --> 00:14:29,679 grow climbing hydrangea as a groundcover. You're probably I don't 279 00:14:29,679 --> 00:14:32,679 want to discourage you from trying it, but you're probably 280 00:14:32,679 --> 00:14:36,240 not going to be super successful because some vines they 281 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,000 just want to grow up exactly, they don't. They will 282 00:14:39,039 --> 00:14:42,320 refuse to grow horizontally and they'll just try growing up 283 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,600 and if they don't grow up, they become very unhappy. 284 00:14:44,639 --> 00:14:46,600 And also, climbing hydrange just tend to be a little 285 00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:49,559 slow as it is not a great choice. But by 286 00:14:49,559 --> 00:14:52,480 all means, experiment, do your research, But tell me this 287 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,080 has ever happened to you? Rick? Okay, you go out 288 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:57,639 and you buy like a pair of shoes or a 289 00:14:57,679 --> 00:15:01,639 piece of clothing, and you wear it a couple times 290 00:15:01,879 --> 00:15:04,440 and you love it and you're like, you know what, 291 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,799 I'm going to get that in every color, or I'm 292 00:15:06,799 --> 00:15:09,159 going to also get the one that's kind of you 293 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:11,320 know that was like that but had a zipper, or 294 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,559 you know, like you love it. You're like, this is 295 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,279 it and then you know you go back and it's 296 00:15:16,279 --> 00:15:18,320 too late because you didn't realize you loved it until 297 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,559 and that's a very frustrating thing. Well, running shoes, running shoes, 298 00:15:21,559 --> 00:15:23,399 that happens to you. Yeah, they probably like circle through 299 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:26,320 running shoes, cycle through running shoes very quickly in the marketplace. 300 00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:28,519 So you got but but you don't know how many 301 00:15:28,519 --> 00:15:30,759 you want to buy until you've run in them for 302 00:15:31,039 --> 00:15:33,919 you know, a couple dozens' expensive too, Yeah, so you 303 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,080 can't stock up. So anyway, we know that feeling at 304 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,799 proven Winter's Colored Choice shrubs, and that is why when 305 00:15:40,879 --> 00:15:45,120 we have a plant that people absolutely love, we try 306 00:15:45,159 --> 00:15:50,360 to find ways to develop additional versions of it that 307 00:15:50,519 --> 00:15:54,440 work in more situations makes sense. And the perfect example 308 00:15:54,559 --> 00:15:57,679 is today's plant on trial, spilled wine white gla. 309 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: You like it, like it a plant? 310 00:16:01,039 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 2: So spilled wine white Gela is basically a dwarf form 311 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:08,879 of the very first proven Winner's color Choice shrub back 312 00:16:08,879 --> 00:16:10,799 then it was just a color choice shrub without the 313 00:16:10,799 --> 00:16:14,039 proven winners, wine and Roses whyeula. So do you remember that? 314 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,759 Do you remember when wine and Roses came out? Yeah, 315 00:16:16,799 --> 00:16:19,360 I mean it's so wild to think now, like you know, 316 00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:21,039 it was so it was the first if you're not 317 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,559 familiar with it, it was the very first dark leafed 318 00:16:24,759 --> 00:16:26,200 white gula with pink flowers. 319 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:27,200 Speaker 1: It was a deal. 320 00:16:27,399 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 2: It was a huge deal. I mean, nothing like that 321 00:16:29,559 --> 00:16:31,799 had really ever been out in Whigela were an old 322 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:35,360 fashioned favorite. People love them, they remember them from Grandma's 323 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,200 house and all of this. And then along comes wine 324 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,039 and roses and it looks like no other whitejela that 325 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,720 certainly anyone in North America had seen up until that point, right, 326 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,799 And it was a great plant. It was an instant success. 327 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,120 But it's a pretty big plant. It gets to be 328 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,080 four to five feet tall and wide. And so people 329 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,759 love that, you know, bright combination of the dark foliage 330 00:16:57,759 --> 00:17:00,600 and bright flowers. But they're like, t room do I 331 00:17:00,639 --> 00:17:04,000 really have for this? You know, five by five shrub 332 00:17:04,039 --> 00:17:07,559 which is pretty big. So we started very early on 333 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:11,039 in this process looking for ways to get this same 334 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:15,160 combination of great foliage color and great flower color but 335 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:18,279 in different types of habits that you can use in 336 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,480 new ways. And spilled wine was the very first answer 337 00:17:21,519 --> 00:17:25,079 to that. Actually, So unlike wine and roses, which is 338 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:28,160 going to be five by five, spilled wine gets to 339 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:31,039 be just two to three feet tall and three to 340 00:17:31,079 --> 00:17:33,440 four feet wide. And that is kind of the ideal 341 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,039 groundcover habit. You want something that is wider than it 342 00:17:37,079 --> 00:17:43,279 is tall typically, and it's just it's a great groundcover, sure, 343 00:17:43,279 --> 00:17:46,599 and you can imagine now now, just if you have 344 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,319 the reference for this, like, imagine groundcover planting of like 345 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:54,839 say Pakassandra green looks pretty good, but now imagine a 346 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,440 groundcover planting of spilled wine wigela, especially when it's in 347 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,440 bloom and it is just a field of purple foliage 348 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:02,599 with bright pink flowers. 349 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,119 Speaker 1: Fantastic, and it's doing what you want it to do. 350 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,039 It's shading the ground, cooling the ground, it's keeping weed 351 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:14,160 seed from germinating while looking absolutely marvelous. 352 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 2: Yes, and as you mentioned, keeping down dust helping to 353 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,920 prevent erosion. And you know if you put mulch down 354 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,359 when you plant them, that will help even more because 355 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,200 the multiple of course decompose more slowly, and you won't 356 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,480 need to replace it anyway because the plant will cover 357 00:18:29,559 --> 00:18:32,799 it all up. So I also wanted to mention that 358 00:18:32,839 --> 00:18:36,640 when you think about shrubs as groundcover, you do kind 359 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,599 of I think need to detach a little bit from 360 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,240 this mentality of carpet, because a plant like spilled wine 361 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,960 can function as a groundcover without taking You know, you 362 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,960 don't need to plant fifty of them. If you plant 363 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,880 three in a garden bat or in a landscape, bad 364 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,839 they're still going to have that exact same kind of 365 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:58,119 effect in all of those benefits. So it's not an 366 00:18:58,160 --> 00:18:59,720 all or nothing. I'm not saying go out and plant 367 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,640 fifty you know, spilled wine and transform your yard from 368 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,000 a grass yard to a white gela yard, because that 369 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:11,680 sounds interesting. But you know, just know that when you 370 00:19:11,799 --> 00:19:15,599 plant shrubs with this type of habit, this low growing, 371 00:19:15,759 --> 00:19:18,880 wider spreading habit, that you are getting all of the 372 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,119 benefits of a groundcover just in one single plant. 373 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, and getting back to that criteria on ground cover, 374 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,640 we want it to be easy to grow but not. 375 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 2: Invasive, absolutely, and you don't have to worry about that. 376 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,359 Whydelia does not self sow, and it is very easy 377 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,480 to grow. And I think that you know, when whenever 378 00:19:37,519 --> 00:19:39,799 you think about a plant that has long been popular, 379 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,680 like Whygela, it's got to be easy to grow, right 380 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,480 because if people were struggling, they wouldn't persist, and they 381 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,000 wouldn't remember her at Grandma's house, and you know all 382 00:19:48,079 --> 00:19:50,359 this other stuff. So Whyjella is such a great example 383 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,519 of a flowering shrub that is extremely easy to grow. Basically, 384 00:19:54,799 --> 00:19:57,400 you just give it son, don't let it dry out too. 385 00:19:57,319 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: Much at it's it's easy to grow, just difficult to pronounce. 386 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,240 People call them wiggles and wiggle's and all that kind 387 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:06,519 of thing. 388 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,039 Speaker 2: Yes, But again, as always, as long as you're walking 389 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,559 out of the store with the shrub that you wanted, 390 00:20:11,599 --> 00:20:16,359 whether you said wigla or vigela or any of the 391 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:18,599 other numbers of pronunciations that you and I have heard 392 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,240 over the years, Rick, we're all happy, you bet. But yeah, 393 00:20:22,279 --> 00:20:24,920 full sunplant. This is definitely a full sun plant. And 394 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,160 even though we do sell some white Gela in the 395 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:31,079 Proven Winter's brand, like Mimnet, for example, which is variegated 396 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:32,960 and has quite a bit of white, that is that 397 00:20:33,039 --> 00:20:36,799 makes it more shade tolerant overall, Whygela are full sun plants. 398 00:20:36,839 --> 00:20:39,039 They're going to want at least six hours of brights 399 00:20:39,079 --> 00:20:42,319 on every day, hardy down to USDA Zone four, heat 400 00:20:42,319 --> 00:20:45,319 tolerant through USDA Zone eight, so a nice little range there. 401 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,720 You know, when it gets too too hot in the south, 402 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,480 they lose their foliage color, they don't flower as well. 403 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,440 These are a plant that wants some cold treatment during 404 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,599 winter in order to bloom well, So that kind of 405 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,319 caps off that southern limit for whyejela to do really 406 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,880 really well, very dear resistant. 407 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:06,319 Speaker 1: You deserve a break today, so. 408 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 2: That's always a good thing. And in long blooming, so 409 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,799 we do have reblooming Whyjela in the Sonic Bloom series, 410 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:15,880 spilled Wine is not really reblooming, but the great thing 411 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,000 about it is because it has that nice dark foliage, 412 00:21:18,079 --> 00:21:22,079 it keeps your landscape looking fabulous all season long. So 413 00:21:22,599 --> 00:21:24,519 the only thing you need to know is and this 414 00:21:24,559 --> 00:21:26,200 is good no matter what why Jela you have in 415 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,240 your yard. Why Jeila are quite late to emerge in spring. 416 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,920 So if other stuff is growing and you're sitting there 417 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,079 looking at your Ydela wondering if it's dead, it's probably not. 418 00:21:34,759 --> 00:21:37,400 Just needs a little more time, because you know, sometimes 419 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,799 we all need a little more Look for spilled Wine 420 00:21:40,799 --> 00:21:43,400 Why Gela in your garden center the spring. It is 421 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,079 a great choice for all sorts of landscape challenges, and 422 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,200 of course you can learn more at Gardenings Simplified on 423 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,119 air dot Com Ante Pictures. In the YouTube version of 424 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,480 the show, we're gonna take a little break. When we 425 00:21:53,519 --> 00:21:55,160 come back, we're opening up the garden mail bags, so 426 00:21:55,160 --> 00:22:05,440 please stay tuned at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. We 427 00:22:05,519 --> 00:22:08,359 know that a better Landscape starts with a better shrub. 428 00:22:08,519 --> 00:22:11,400 Our team of experts tests and evaluates all of our 429 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,359 flowering shrubs and evergreens for eight to ten years to 430 00:22:14,519 --> 00:22:18,880 ensure they outperform what's already on the market. For easycare, reliable, 431 00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:22,759 beautiful shrubs to accentuate your home and express your personal style, 432 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,640 look for Proven Winner's Shrubs in the distinctive white container 433 00:22:25,799 --> 00:22:28,240 at your local garden center or learn more at proven 434 00:22:28,279 --> 00:22:34,039 Winner's Color Choice dot com. Greeting's Gardening friends, and welcome 435 00:22:34,079 --> 00:22:36,799 back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where it's our chance 436 00:22:36,839 --> 00:22:40,400 to answer your garden questions, quandaries and conundrums. And if 437 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,240 you have one of those as we approach the season, 438 00:22:43,319 --> 00:22:45,279 remember the first piece of advice is when in doubt, 439 00:22:45,279 --> 00:22:48,079 don't prune. And the second piece of advice is you 440 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,480 can email us at help EHLP at Gardeningsimplified on air 441 00:22:51,519 --> 00:22:54,000 dot com and we'll get your question and if you 442 00:22:54,079 --> 00:22:56,279 need an answer sooner than that, because of course we 443 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,759 only recorded one show a week. You can also go 444 00:22:59,799 --> 00:23:02,279 to every Winner's Color Choice dot com and ask question 445 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:06,519 and we will get back to you personally. So a 446 00:23:06,559 --> 00:23:10,079 couple of weeks ago, we had a question in from 447 00:23:10,079 --> 00:23:13,640 some local listeners step and Mary, and they had a 448 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,920 crate myrtle in their yard that there was a mystery there. 449 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,559 It suddenly was cut down to nubs. They wrote us 450 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,839 and we talked about it in the show and they 451 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:29,319 created quite the controversy in the YouTube comments on the show. 452 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,519 Everyone was like, I'm invested in the Stephen Mary mystery. 453 00:23:32,599 --> 00:23:35,599 I'm wondering what's going on. And so, you know, we 454 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,440 put out the call. We said, step and Mary, people 455 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,559 want to know what's going on, and so we've got 456 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,039 a little more information for you now on the Stephen 457 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:48,680 Mary situation. Yes, so they bought this center stage red 458 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:51,160 crape myrtle at a nursery in south Haven after hearing 459 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,160 about it on the show. Love to hear that. It 460 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,119 was a great place and they were very informative. Also 461 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:57,119 loved to hear that. So we had a spot where 462 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,920 there was a white fence, but first a tree had 463 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:00,599 to be removed. It was cut down a couple of 464 00:24:00,599 --> 00:24:02,440 summers ago, but we had to wait until the next 465 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,640 spring to have the stump removed. I know this pain. 466 00:24:05,559 --> 00:24:07,759 So we put the plant into a new larger pot 467 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:09,640 built at the nursery. Said that we needed to know 468 00:24:09,759 --> 00:24:12,119 to keep the plant in a pot in a place 469 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:14,279 that would not allow the pot to freeze, because crape 470 00:24:14,279 --> 00:24:17,519 myrtle is fairly hardy. For us here in Michigan were 471 00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:21,240 kind of on the edge of its hardiness. But you know, 472 00:24:21,279 --> 00:24:22,920 certainly if it's in a container, you're going to want 473 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,200 to take extra precautions, and if it was in the ground. 474 00:24:27,039 --> 00:24:30,480 And so finally the spring comes, the stump gets ground, 475 00:24:30,839 --> 00:24:33,200 they're ready to plant the crape myrtle, but they can't 476 00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:36,680 get the stump ground down far enough. So Steve then 477 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,720 plants the crape myrtle kind of with soil mounded around 478 00:24:39,759 --> 00:24:41,279 it on what is left of. 479 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: The stump's important clue. 480 00:24:43,279 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 2: Yes, so then he put a bunch of mault around 481 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,200 it so the dirt wouldn't be exposed. And that year 482 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:50,880 it bloom was beautiful. And this is a beautiful crape myrtle, 483 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:53,960 black foliage, red flowers. You have to see it to 484 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:57,680 believe it. So then this past late January or early February, 485 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,480 Steve was looking at it one day and could not 486 00:24:59,559 --> 00:25:02,799 believe what he saw. It was cut down to almost nothing. 487 00:25:03,799 --> 00:25:05,519 We're about to get the big clue that we've all 488 00:25:05,559 --> 00:25:08,039 been waiting for here. I did notice that none of 489 00:25:08,039 --> 00:25:10,519 the bark was chewed on, but I also noticed a 490 00:25:10,519 --> 00:25:14,839 lot of rabbit cocoa puffs around the area. Dun dun, 491 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,240 dun dum. They must have had a feast. Yeah, So 492 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,640 the only thing I would say is rabbit and deer droppings, 493 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:24,559 and believe me, I know, because I have so many 494 00:25:24,599 --> 00:25:28,240 of both in my yard look very similar. Yes, so 495 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:30,680 rabbits are round and deer are kind of a little 496 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,640 bit more oval. They can even be fairly similar in size. 497 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:37,319 So but it does make sense that this would be 498 00:25:37,319 --> 00:25:40,519 a rabbit because what we were seeing in the original 499 00:25:40,519 --> 00:25:42,079 photos that they sent is it looked like it was 500 00:25:42,079 --> 00:25:45,240 in the container, and actually when the damage happened, it 501 00:25:45,319 --> 00:25:47,440 was in the ground with kind of a little you know, 502 00:25:47,519 --> 00:25:49,400 like you see those old dairy barns where they had 503 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,359 the ramp for the horses with like that built in 504 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:54,599 further rabbits. So then all of a sudden, all the 505 00:25:54,599 --> 00:25:59,279 pieces kind of have fallen into place. So Steve has 506 00:25:59,279 --> 00:26:01,759 since put a fence around it, and he's wondering if 507 00:26:01,799 --> 00:26:04,000 the rabbits could chew the branches when they were that thick, 508 00:26:04,039 --> 00:26:07,400 And I think that, Yeah, definitively. Now we have our answer. 509 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,839 Speaker 1: Absolutely if you do a little bit of research. First 510 00:26:10,839 --> 00:26:13,480 of all, rabbits when they chew on a branch, it's 511 00:26:13,559 --> 00:26:17,960 usually just a clean forty five degree angle on the branch. 512 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:22,039 The other thing is, as far as crape myrtle is concerned, 513 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,400 I've found in my research that rabbits love crape myrtle. 514 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,240 Oh really, we thought it was just burning bushes and 515 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:32,640 that sort of thing, But they love crape myrtle well. 516 00:26:33,319 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 2: So Steve is then asking do we think this plant 517 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,920 will survive? And I'm happy to say that yes, I 518 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,920 do think it will survive. Crpe myrtles are an interesting 519 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,039 plant because they are the crpe myrtles that we offer 520 00:26:44,079 --> 00:26:46,400 through premit runners are shrubby, so in the south you go, 521 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:48,920 they're trees big, some of them are quite large trees. 522 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,079 The ones that we offer and the ones that we 523 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:55,640 typically recommend for colder climates are these shrubby types because 524 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,319 they're lower to the ground and they can come back 525 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,119 and still grow. Whereas if it was a tree and 526 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,680 the whole thing dies, the trunk's dead, you're not gonna 527 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,200 have a crepe myrtle anymore. Whereas with these shrubby types 528 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,480 because they are multi stemmed. What happens if we have 529 00:27:07,519 --> 00:27:10,400 a very harsh winter, and even if they die all 530 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,160 the way back to the ground, they will actually come 531 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,480 back from the roots and go on to flower later 532 00:27:15,519 --> 00:27:16,680 in the spring, act. 533 00:27:16,559 --> 00:27:17,880 Speaker 1: Like an herbaceous perennial. 534 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,519 Speaker 2: Right, So you got a complimentary pruning of your crate myrtle, 535 00:27:22,279 --> 00:27:27,920 and I think it should be fine. Definitely you're going 536 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,599 to want to keep this mulched. And if you know, 537 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,039 the important thing is and we have found this repeatedly 538 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,920 in our trials here in West Michigan, if a crate 539 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,720 myrtle does die all the way back to the ground, 540 00:27:39,799 --> 00:27:42,480 it does take some time for it to re emerge, 541 00:27:42,559 --> 00:27:45,519 So be patient, don't give up on it too early. 542 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:48,000 And I do want to address something that I said 543 00:27:48,039 --> 00:27:50,839 when we first answered Steve and Mary's question, and that 544 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,839 was that rabbits don't typically leave behind the parts that 545 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,599 they bid off unless they don't like the plant. I 546 00:27:57,640 --> 00:27:59,160 did add that because I said that they do that 547 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:03,200 to my my aliums pharacephalons. Well, I was happily walking 548 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:09,000 around the garden this past sunny weekend, and what these 549 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:14,880 rabbits did was they nibbled off stems of my lavender. No, 550 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,359 they didn't take a single bite. They were like, oh crud, 551 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:19,279 this tastes awful. 552 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:21,319 Speaker 1: They were testing you and the plant. 553 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,759 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. So I'm walking through the garden and I 554 00:28:23,799 --> 00:28:27,839 see these little lavender plants and there's like three stems 555 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,480 just sitting next to it, cut at that perfect forty 556 00:28:30,519 --> 00:28:32,960 five degree angle, and I was like, what are you 557 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,759 guys doing? So you know they're bored. They're bored. I 558 00:28:35,759 --> 00:28:37,680 think that's it. Yeah, they're just like, might as well 559 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,200 taste this? Might as well taste this? Oof, that's terrible. 560 00:28:40,319 --> 00:28:44,000 Just gonna leave this behind. So anyway, Stephen, Mary, I 561 00:28:44,039 --> 00:28:46,920 think that your plant should be okay, be patient with it, 562 00:28:47,359 --> 00:28:49,240 and once it does start to grow, don't be afraid 563 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,039 to fertilize it to give it a little extra boost 564 00:28:51,079 --> 00:28:55,119 to help it outgrow the numerous stresses it has encountered 565 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:56,039 and it's short life. 566 00:28:56,599 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: Fantastic Karma has a question about her peach tree. Help, 567 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,880 what's going on with my peach tree? Something jellish is 568 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,680 all around the base of my peach tree. Not jealous 569 00:29:07,039 --> 00:29:10,119 gel is. Yes, it just showed up the spring when 570 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:11,839 I cleared around the tree. I hope you can see 571 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:13,400 it in the picture. What is it? What do I 572 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,240 need to do? If anything, it's a very moist and 573 00:29:16,319 --> 00:29:20,480 squishy like solid gel. I haven't looked at the pictures Stacey, 574 00:29:20,519 --> 00:29:22,319 but I can tell you exactly. 575 00:29:22,119 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 2: All right, what is it? 576 00:29:23,759 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: Peach bor? You get this guy material at the base 577 00:29:28,279 --> 00:29:31,039 of a tree, usually the larva a working at the 578 00:29:31,079 --> 00:29:33,680 base of the tree, underneath the bark, and when they 579 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,480 do their damage, that's the end result. We always called 580 00:29:36,519 --> 00:29:37,359 it gumosis. 581 00:29:37,519 --> 00:29:41,559 Speaker 2: I love that word, gomoses, gumosis. I was very excited 582 00:29:41,599 --> 00:29:45,559 to share that word with our listeners today and it 583 00:29:45,599 --> 00:29:51,000 is gumosis. It's such a funny word, but gumosis. And 584 00:29:51,039 --> 00:29:52,960 I'm going to have a great link in the show 585 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:54,880 notes at Gardening Simplified on air dot com, and of 586 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:56,960 course it will be in the YouTube caption as well. 587 00:29:58,319 --> 00:30:01,400 There are a number of potential causes of gomosis on 588 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,319 peach trees and stonefruits in general. So if you have 589 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,519 a plum, you know, any of these other ones, it 590 00:30:05,519 --> 00:30:09,599 can also happen on those. But it can be due 591 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,200 to a number of different insects. It can be due 592 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,759 to environmental conditions. But yeah, Rick, like you said, when 593 00:30:15,759 --> 00:30:18,000 it is happening at the ground level, it's almost one 594 00:30:18,079 --> 00:30:21,160 hundred percent that it's the peach borer. So that's what 595 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,400 you've got, karma. There are pictures at the link that 596 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:26,319 we're going to be sharing that show how you kind 597 00:30:26,319 --> 00:30:28,720 of need to get in there and clear out the 598 00:30:28,759 --> 00:30:32,000 gunk that the larva has caused with its boring. 599 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 1: That sounds peachy. 600 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 2: Kill the larva, Yeah, it's a little bit gross. It's 601 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,799 not for the squeamish. Yes, putting that out there. Find 602 00:30:40,839 --> 00:30:43,039 those little larva in there. You're going to be shocked 603 00:30:43,119 --> 00:30:45,480 at what a lot of damage such a little wormy 604 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:49,200 fella can do. But you got to kill it, squish it, 605 00:30:49,319 --> 00:30:52,640 feed it to the birds, whatever, and then be vigilant 606 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,200 about it in the future. 607 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: And one of the ways to be vigilant from my 608 00:30:57,119 --> 00:31:00,119 past experience is you can put sticky traps out in 609 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,440 June July when the adults are active, and it will 610 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,440 help you identify exactly what the problem. 611 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 2: That's a great suggestion. So the link that I'm going 612 00:31:08,319 --> 00:31:11,319 to share is from Utah State, so the exact dates 613 00:31:11,359 --> 00:31:14,039 and timing is based on Utah, whether or not Michigan. 614 00:31:14,039 --> 00:31:16,559 But you can always contact the Michigan State Cooperative Extension 615 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,319 to find out exactly what you need to do for 616 00:31:21,119 --> 00:31:24,000 your particular gummosis situation. 617 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,759 Speaker 1: Stacy Shawna has an issue with a weedy, invasive groundcover. 618 00:31:28,119 --> 00:31:30,880 Bought a house on two acres here in Oklahoma a 619 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,000 year and a half ago. This is my second spring. 620 00:31:33,039 --> 00:31:36,640 I'm still learning about landscaping, but my yard appears to 621 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:41,759 be filled with a bulbous species. You're correct, Star of Bethlehem, 622 00:31:41,839 --> 00:31:44,359 as evidenced by the flowers it produces in spring. I 623 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:46,480 can't seem to get rid of it. I've had my 624 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:52,039 lawn treated, et cetera, et cetera. Am I doomed? Help? 625 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:56,039 Speaker 2: So this is definitely so it's not really a true groundcover, 626 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,240 but once it gets established, it basically grows like a groundcover. 627 00:31:59,799 --> 00:32:01,440 And I wanted to bring this up for a couple 628 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,599 of reasons. First of all, if you have it, do 629 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:06,839 not go, oh, look at this pretty little bulb that 630 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:10,039 just volunteered in my yard. Dig that up and take 631 00:32:10,079 --> 00:32:12,279 care of it so you don't end up like poor Shauna. 632 00:32:12,359 --> 00:32:15,519 Because this is an extremely aggressive bulb and the flower 633 00:32:15,599 --> 00:32:17,519 is actually kind of pretty. So I couldn't blame people 634 00:32:17,559 --> 00:32:19,680 for you know, potentially thinking they should keep it. 635 00:32:19,759 --> 00:32:22,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot of people do mistake it for wild onion. 636 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 2: Yes, it does look a bit like that. And also 637 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:27,839 people could mistake the foliage for crocus because it does 638 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,400 also look like crocus foliage when it emerges, but it 639 00:32:30,799 --> 00:32:33,319 doesn't usually have the white stripe. It's a little bit 640 00:32:33,359 --> 00:32:36,400 more softer and grassier, and you can actually have the 641 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,240 bulb for quite a while without it flowering, so you 642 00:32:39,319 --> 00:32:42,839 might have it. So it is a very difficult weed 643 00:32:42,839 --> 00:32:45,240 to control shauna. So I don't have good news for you. 644 00:32:45,279 --> 00:32:47,880 I'm afraid. First of all, if you're researching it, make 645 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:50,720 sure you're researching the right species, because there are ornamental 646 00:32:50,839 --> 00:32:54,160 ornithogolums out there that you can grow, and make sure 647 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,359 you're not reading about those. Do not allow this to 648 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,920 go to seed, So if it flowers, mow it down, 649 00:33:00,359 --> 00:33:02,559 chop it down. Make sure that you're not letting it 650 00:33:02,599 --> 00:33:04,519 go to seed, because it spreads by seed as well 651 00:33:04,559 --> 00:33:09,279 as bulblitz underground. Consistent mowing can help because it will 652 00:33:09,279 --> 00:33:12,079 help weaken the plant, but it will not resolve your issue, 653 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,279 and you can't out compete it with groundcovers or anything else. 654 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:18,240 Speaker 1: And I'm afraid you know Oklahoma can get really hot, 655 00:33:18,319 --> 00:33:21,039 but the plant is native to hot regions of southern 656 00:33:21,079 --> 00:33:25,400 Europe northern Africa. I'm afraid that we in the garden 657 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:28,720 center industry years ago carry some of the blame because 658 00:33:28,759 --> 00:33:32,480 we were busy selling them as minor bulbs. Once it's established, 659 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:34,920 I would say this, if you were going to try 660 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:38,319 the herbicide route, you're only going to be successful if 661 00:33:38,359 --> 00:33:41,480 you rough it up first. In other words, as Stacy mentioned, 662 00:33:41,559 --> 00:33:45,240 just you know, chop it and then apply the herb beside. 663 00:33:45,279 --> 00:33:47,400 It's going to help, but it's very bulbous, so it's 664 00:33:47,559 --> 00:33:48,079 so hard. 665 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:49,960 Speaker 2: To come Yeah, and there's so many little bulbs that 666 00:33:50,039 --> 00:33:52,160 aren't going to have foliage. This is going to be 667 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:56,519 a multi year process and it's not going to be easy. 668 00:33:56,519 --> 00:33:58,839 But again I will put some resources for you in 669 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,000 the show notes at Gardening Some Fight on air dot Com. 670 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,759 Going to take a break. When we come back, we're 671 00:34:02,799 --> 00:34:12,159 talking more groundcovers. Thanks for listening to the Gardening Simplified podcast, 672 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,000 brought to you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our 673 00:34:15,039 --> 00:34:18,079 award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens are trialed and tested 674 00:34:18,119 --> 00:34:21,039 by experts with your success in mind. Learn more at 675 00:34:21,079 --> 00:34:24,760 proven winners Color Choice dot Com. 676 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. Okay today for 677 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,119 branching news. Let's start off with this. You started it, now, 678 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:33,760 let's finish it. And that is that area between the 679 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:37,079 sidewalk and the road. And I found stacy that this 680 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:42,360 is highly variable between what municipality or part of the 681 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,800 country you may live in. Here's some of the ways 682 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,440 people describe that area right of way. If you call 683 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,840 it a right of way, odds are you're a city 684 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,760 planner or you're into zoning or that sort of thing 685 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,719 makes sense. A lot of people call it the hell strip, 686 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:07,079 the devil strip, parkway easement, verge, boulevard, city strip, no 687 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:12,719 man's land, the dog toilet. In Michigan, you get a 688 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:20,119 lot of snowplow disease in that area. Road verge, nature strip, swale, 689 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,760 the beside walk. Oh. 690 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:23,679 Speaker 2: I like that one. 691 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,320 Speaker 1: That's a good one. 692 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 2: I want to make sidewalk happen, as. 693 00:35:28,639 --> 00:35:33,400 Speaker 1: I understand it's civil engineer. Some call it the furniture 694 00:35:33,599 --> 00:35:36,719 zone because that's where all the utilities fair. 695 00:35:36,599 --> 00:35:38,880 Speaker 2: Fair yeah, and where you put your furniture out for 696 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:40,880 the garbage man if you want to get rid of it. 697 00:35:42,199 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: The old folding larger. Yes. Uh. And then as I 698 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,159 understand it, and maybe some folks can help us with this, 699 00:35:50,559 --> 00:35:53,920 they say, only in Cleveland they call it the tree lawn, 700 00:35:55,199 --> 00:35:58,880 and in New Orleans they call it the neutral ground. 701 00:35:59,119 --> 00:36:00,599 Speaker 2: Right, So I thought the new shore grounds in New 702 00:36:00,679 --> 00:36:04,119 Orleans were more the things in the boulevard. But either 703 00:36:04,159 --> 00:36:05,239 way we'll find out. 704 00:36:05,639 --> 00:36:07,159 Speaker 1: I'm sure we're gonna get a lot of comments. 705 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,639 Speaker 2: Yes, I mean, that is an impressive list. I am 706 00:36:10,679 --> 00:36:13,320 very impressed you compiled all of that. See, I had 707 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,239 never heard the term parkway, which apparently is the preferred 708 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:19,599 term out here in West Michigan. And last summer, my 709 00:36:19,639 --> 00:36:21,639 neighbor had a bunch of people over from the neighborhood 710 00:36:21,639 --> 00:36:23,599 and we were all sitting around chatting, and of course 711 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:26,639 the topic came up to the deer, and everyone was 712 00:36:26,679 --> 00:36:30,639 grousing about the deer, and one of the neighbors said, yeah, 713 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:33,760 you know, not all that long ago, everyone's parkway was 714 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:39,840 planted with daffodils or with daylilies, and I know, And 715 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,360 I was like, like Central Park and he was like, no, 716 00:36:44,599 --> 00:36:46,559 you know, the parkways. And it was the first time 717 00:36:46,559 --> 00:36:47,719 I had ever heard that term. 718 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,559 Speaker 1: Wow, Well, you know, a lot of people consider that 719 00:36:50,679 --> 00:36:52,400 area a parking space. 720 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:56,480 Speaker 2: That's true. So and I can see that, you know, 721 00:36:56,639 --> 00:36:58,920 especially if you did have a neighborhood all get together 722 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,239 and everything was planted the same, that it could look 723 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,719 very park like in like a parkway. And I know Hellstrip, 724 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:11,559 of course was developed or introduced by a gardener back 725 00:37:11,599 --> 00:37:14,440 in probably the nineteen nineties who started gardening that area 726 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:17,679 and said it was in Colorado, so very very dry, 727 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,239 low water, and that was where the name Hellstrip came from. 728 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:22,159 I don't think they're quite so hellish for us here 729 00:37:22,159 --> 00:37:22,719 in Michigan. 730 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:24,800 Speaker 1: Not too bad except for the snowplow. Damn. 731 00:37:25,039 --> 00:37:27,880 Speaker 2: The snow can be bad, right, all right. 732 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,079 Speaker 1: List of groundcovers thumbs up, thumbs down Stacey Lysimachia The 733 00:37:32,119 --> 00:37:33,679 Creeping Jenny money. 734 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:39,880 Speaker 2: Work, Huh's Aesthetically it's a thumbs up. But growth wise invasiveness, 735 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:40,880 it's all thumbs down. 736 00:37:41,119 --> 00:37:42,559 Speaker 1: I like to put it in containers. 737 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,039 Speaker 2: It is cute, though. I like still coin like leaves. 738 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 1: Creeping flocks. 739 00:37:47,199 --> 00:37:50,599 Speaker 2: Oh, I like it, but I think a lot of 740 00:37:50,639 --> 00:37:51,719 people have trouble growing it. 741 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:54,519 Speaker 1: Well, creeping flocks. I don't care for it because it 742 00:37:54,559 --> 00:37:57,719 looks good one week out of fifty two weeks. 743 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:01,480 Speaker 2: But it looks pretty darn good when it does one week. 744 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,840 Speaker 1: We already determined both you and I like sweet wood 745 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:10,360 grow love it. Wild strawberry or fregaria. Now this is 746 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:14,280 a native plant. It occurs in all the US states. 747 00:38:14,679 --> 00:38:15,880 We can be neutral on it. 748 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:20,079 Speaker 2: If we can be neutral, I've had a wild strawberry 749 00:38:20,079 --> 00:38:22,480 that did not suffer the not World senior, the barren 750 00:38:22,519 --> 00:38:24,800 strawberry that I planted in my yard, and it was 751 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:27,119 a nightmare to get rid of. Okay, but it can 752 00:38:27,199 --> 00:38:28,159 look kind of interesting. 753 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:32,039 Speaker 1: Okay. I like to put lamium in hanging baskets, but 754 00:38:32,119 --> 00:38:35,679 not necessarily as a groundcover. Yeah, some people would disagree. 755 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,360 Speaker 2: It's you know, I think people see it's one of 756 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:41,519 the few really common and easy to grow plants with 757 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,800 truly silver foliage. You know, the foliage when you look 758 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,440 at it, the silver spots on it, they look metallic. 759 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:50,480 It's really bizarre, and that does make it quite nice. 760 00:38:50,559 --> 00:38:54,159 But they can be very aggressive, and if so, it's 761 00:38:54,239 --> 00:38:56,320 kind of one of those situations where like if they're 762 00:38:56,480 --> 00:39:01,159 happy enough to be growing well, they go everywhere, but 763 00:39:01,199 --> 00:39:04,239 they never really look good. You know, they don't have 764 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:08,440 that liken full mounded look where everything, because when you 765 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,599 see an individual sound of it, you're like, ooh pretty. 766 00:39:10,679 --> 00:39:14,320 But then in reality there just does not. In my experience, 767 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:16,840 I've not seen any patch of lamium or lamy astroum 768 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:18,280 live up to the hype. 769 00:39:18,519 --> 00:39:21,199 Speaker 1: Some people refer to it as dead nettle. If you 770 00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:24,960 want to try a proven winners variety, pink shab leis 771 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:29,320 might be a good one for you to try. Perennial geranium. 772 00:39:29,679 --> 00:39:33,360 Here's a steppable two thombs up, all right, all right, 773 00:39:34,079 --> 00:39:40,280 a steppable Irish and Scotch moss, which are not true mosses, 774 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:42,639 but they are a steppable. 775 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,679 Speaker 2: They're beautiful, but you know, good luck growing them well. 776 00:39:47,039 --> 00:39:49,960 And they look there are so there's somewhat steppable now 777 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:51,800 I have seen. I actually had a roof up garden 778 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,679 when I was a roof up gardener in New York 779 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,320 that had a fake lawn of these and it was 780 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:02,719 really lovely. And you know, the people whose whose apartment 781 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:04,840 it was did walk on it and let their dog 782 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:07,320 walk on it, and it was a never ending maintenance litmre. 783 00:40:07,679 --> 00:40:10,719 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, I know I'm going to get a 784 00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:12,920 thumbs up on this one. Low skate pernia. 785 00:40:13,199 --> 00:40:14,679 Speaker 2: Love it. Yeah, yeah, good choice. 786 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:19,519 Speaker 1: I love using annuals Minivita petunias, sweet potato vine like 787 00:40:19,639 --> 00:40:22,400 sweet caroline, you got a hot spot. I think it 788 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:24,360 makes a great groundcover. Mohavey yea. 789 00:40:24,639 --> 00:40:27,360 Speaker 2: I do want to mention on the sweet potato vine. 790 00:40:28,119 --> 00:40:31,119 It's an interesting plant because it came out gosh, I 791 00:40:31,119 --> 00:40:35,199 don't remember how long ago people loved it, and it 792 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:38,280 is so aggressive in a good way. You know, it 793 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:40,599 really fills up and people were finding sweet potatoes in 794 00:40:40,639 --> 00:40:42,760 their containers that they emptied at the end of the season. 795 00:40:43,559 --> 00:40:46,039 So a lot of companies, including proven winners, that have 796 00:40:46,079 --> 00:40:50,360 been working on breeding less aggressive sweet potato vines specifically 797 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,039 for containers. Yes, so that you get all of that 798 00:40:53,119 --> 00:40:56,400 great foliage color without you know it taking over your 799 00:40:56,519 --> 00:41:01,800 entire container, nay, your whole neighborhood. And it's not invasive 800 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:05,000 like it's not like, but it's very vigorous. So if 801 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,440 you are growing a sweet potato vine as a seasonal 802 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:09,760 groundcover and you want that coverage, make sure you're going 803 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,360 for one of those old fashioned, older varieties and not 804 00:41:13,519 --> 00:41:16,280 one of the newer ones. Just look at the size 805 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,679 that's on the tag, because you might be very disappointed 806 00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:21,239 when you buy a proven winner's variety that was intended 807 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,800 for just being a nice accent and a container, and 808 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:25,639 then you plant it in the ground and it goes 809 00:41:26,079 --> 00:41:26,599 very little. 810 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,320 Speaker 1: It's good point. Good point. You might give this one 811 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,320 a thumbs down. But steakis the big years, you know, 812 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,840 the big years lamb oh. I love that. Okay, I 813 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:40,000 do too. And the deer leave it alone anything any 814 00:41:40,079 --> 00:41:44,119 kind of time, creeping time, wooly time, lemon time. Oh, 815 00:41:44,199 --> 00:41:47,519 I love it and comes back year after year. Oregano 816 00:41:47,679 --> 00:41:50,199 as a groundcover, and I grow it for the flowers. 817 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:51,000 Speaker 2: I got plenny. 818 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: There you go. 819 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,880 Speaker 2: It's definitely a very happy ground cover in my yard. 820 00:41:55,639 --> 00:42:00,840 Speaker 1: There's an orange carpet, hummingbird trumpet or California fue yusha for. 821 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:06,440 It's native to the Western US. Tolerates deer, drought, erosion, 822 00:42:06,559 --> 00:42:11,000 dry soil, shallow rocky soil. I have not personally grown. 823 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:12,840 Speaker 2: I don't know if it's hardy enough for US. 824 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:14,079 Speaker 1: Okay, I don't think it is. 825 00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:15,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, I would be surprised. 826 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:18,679 Speaker 1: He probably zone seven or warmer zone eight, something like that. 827 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:20,679 Barren Strawberry, I'm not a. 828 00:42:20,559 --> 00:42:24,639 Speaker 2: F weld Senia, so wald Senia was our silver bullet 829 00:42:24,719 --> 00:42:28,639 solution when I was a rooftop gardener for the areas 830 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:32,639 outside of apartment buildings where people who have dogs get 831 00:42:32,679 --> 00:42:36,400 down and their dog is immediately like, oh, finally, wald 832 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:40,400 Senia was the one groundcover that we could consistently count 833 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:43,360 on center shade. I believe it, no matter what, to 834 00:42:43,559 --> 00:42:48,119 stand up to repeated dog urine, I believe it. 835 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,760 Speaker 1: So there is that I think it's non native. I'm 836 00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:51,280 pretty sure. 837 00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:54,199 Speaker 2: I don't think it's native. But it is called barn strawberry, 838 00:42:54,199 --> 00:42:55,559 and it does look a bit like a strawberry. 839 00:42:55,760 --> 00:43:02,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. Vinca minor or myrtle thems down in many parts 840 00:43:02,159 --> 00:43:05,360 of the country. It's considered an invasive yes. 841 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:07,559 Speaker 2: And it's you know, yeah, my dad. 842 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,360 Speaker 1: Loved Vinca minor. It was something he could grow really well. 843 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:12,280 He just loved that m well. 844 00:43:12,199 --> 00:43:14,679 Speaker 2: And you know, to be fair. When it's in flower, 845 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:17,760 the flowers are quite pretty. The color is really lay 846 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:18,400 and pretty. 847 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh so easy roses of course. 848 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:23,679 Speaker 2: No traffic but yes. 849 00:43:23,519 --> 00:43:27,639 Speaker 1: No, no, not a steppable exactly. Here's an interesting one, 850 00:43:27,719 --> 00:43:29,119 low growth sumac. 851 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:31,599 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love it, you love it, Yeah, I love it. 852 00:43:31,599 --> 00:43:35,719 Speaker 1: It's a native plant. You find it a lot in 853 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:40,280 parking lots ye right, yep, in their parkways or whatever 854 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:45,079 they call those things the islands. I have some in 855 00:43:45,119 --> 00:43:47,880 a very sandy area does really well, but it gets 856 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:53,280 loaded with bladder warts, call them bladder warts, just covered 857 00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:56,159 with them. It's caused by a mite that over winters 858 00:43:56,199 --> 00:43:59,119 in the branches, and it doesn't kill the plant. It's 859 00:43:59,199 --> 00:44:03,559 just real pumpy. I think both you and I like 860 00:44:03,599 --> 00:44:04,880 prickly pear cactus. 861 00:44:05,079 --> 00:44:08,760 Speaker 2: Yes, I do have it. It is definitely a groundcover 862 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:12,559 that needs to be managed, and it's not a fun 863 00:44:12,599 --> 00:44:14,639 plant to manage this, I can tell you if you 864 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:16,840 have it and you need to manage it. What we 865 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:21,199 have started doing is taking barbecue tongs. One person holds 866 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:23,159 up the paddles that we want to take off. The 867 00:44:23,199 --> 00:44:26,239 other person takes like looppers or a pruner or sharp 868 00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:28,119 shovel and cuts it off. And then you have to 869 00:44:28,159 --> 00:44:32,239 put it right into the you know, lawn bag or 870 00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:35,280 the garbage or whatever. And make sure, for the love 871 00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:37,440 of the poor person who has to pick up that 872 00:44:37,519 --> 00:44:41,000 bag that it is labeled prickly pair cactus or put 873 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,000 in your garbage. Just don't make someone else have to 874 00:44:43,039 --> 00:44:43,679 deal with it. 875 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:47,519 Speaker 1: Teamwork there you go two more quick ones. Would you 876 00:44:47,679 --> 00:44:49,840 use Doutsia as a ground Yes. 877 00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:52,320 Speaker 2: I would. I thought about making it a plant on 878 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:54,599 trial today, but I figured I hadn't done a why 879 00:44:54,639 --> 00:44:55,280 deal in a while. 880 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,360 Speaker 1: And I love Seatum's, I love rock and low. 881 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:01,039 Speaker 2: Rock and grow our thumbs up on this one. 882 00:45:01,119 --> 00:45:03,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, because it's perfect for a hot, sunny spot. So 883 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:05,920 there you have it, Stacey. We covered a lot of 884 00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:06,840 ground today. 885 00:45:06,639 --> 00:45:08,760 Speaker 2: Well, we did cover a lot of grand today, and 886 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:12,719 one last thing before we go Okay, next episode, we 887 00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:16,719 are covering plants we hate. As you can imagine, opinions 888 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,320 will be had, they will be strong, and we would 889 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,079 love to hear from you. So leave a comment on 890 00:45:22,119 --> 00:45:25,039 YouTube or visit Gardeningsimplified on air dot com and write 891 00:45:25,119 --> 00:45:27,960 us with the plant or plants that you hate. We 892 00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:30,760 will compile everyone's answers and see if we're all on 893 00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:31,400 the same page. 894 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:33,000 Speaker 1: I promise to bring my a game. 895 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:35,760 Speaker 2: I love it all right, So thank you Rick, thank you, 896 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:37,840 thank you Adriana, and thanks so much to all of 897 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:40,360 you for listening. We hope you have a fantastic week ahead.