WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:06.599 Broadcasting from Studio A Here at proven Winners, Color Joy Shrubs. 2 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:10.640 It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hrvella, 3 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:15.000 me Rick Weist, and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. 4 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:18.559 Today we talk about big plants. What a great topic. 5 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:22.920 Go big or go home, big shots, the big picture, 6 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:26.559 speak softly and carry a big stick, too big for 7 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:30.320 one's breeches. You get the idea. Ever, put a landscape 8 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:33.759 plant in the ground and it gets much bigger than 9 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.719 you expected, or an dissipated. 10 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:42.079 Uh yes, because I live in a fantasy world where 11 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:44.399 I can plant whatever I want and ignore the spacing. 12 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:47.439 So yes, that has happened to me many times. 13 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:50.560 And I believe you are not alone. I think about 14 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.359 the movie Big with Tom Hanks. Loved that movie, and 15 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.640 you know he wishes that he was big, and then 16 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:02.640 he visits what was it? I put it down here Zoltar, 17 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:07.840 the fortune teller machine, the antique fortune teller machine, and 18 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:11.400 suddenly he gets what he wished for. What a great movie. 19 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:15.519 But big landscape plants, it's all relative. Of course, we 20 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.280 can talk about big trees, but this is about big 21 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:24.000 landscape plants with big characteristics and size, something that's out 22 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:27.439 of the routine, so to speak. Now, it's not a 23 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:31.159 definitive list. This is just a conversation because Stacy, I 24 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:34.200 think you and I could probably do three four, five 25 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:36.599 six shows on big plants. 26 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:39.439 Because I love them. I am going to come right 27 00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:41.359 out and say, yeah, we're not talking about like, you know, 28 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:45.280 the giant sequoias out in California, which are obviously extremely 29 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:49.640 amazing and impressive, but like their tree, you know, they're gigantic. 30 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.079 For me, what this show is about are those plants 31 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.719 that basically go from nothing in spring where there's nothing 32 00:01:56.760 --> 00:01:59.719 above ground, and the next thing you know, by the 33 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:03.680 time summer rolls around, they're five six, seven, ten feet tall. 34 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:08.759 And watching that process of something going from nothing to 35 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.840 just this massive plant, it just never gets old from me. 36 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:14.400 I absolutely love it. My garden is full of these 37 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:17.919 types of plants, and yeah, the more I can get, 38 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:19.400 the better I agree. 39 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:24.919 And no garden is too small for a large leafed plant. 40 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:28.080 The key is knowing how, where and when to use it, 41 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.520 all of which depends on the impression that you want 42 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:34.000 to make. But you can punctuate. You can make an 43 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:38.039 impression with big plants. I mean I think off the 44 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.439 top of my head. Stacey, we've talked about El Nino 45 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:43.199 desert orchid. 46 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:45.000 Sample definitely a great example. 47 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:48.280 The cup plant that you love, and we should talk 48 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:52.240 about that today callicanthus sweet shrub. Any of those types 49 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:55.840 of plants in a shady spot, A hosta is a 50 00:02:55.879 --> 00:03:00.840 great example. You have the Shadowland Empress woh Sta hybrid, 51 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:07.159 you have shadow Land Gigantisaurus Hasta hybrid, and of course, Stacey, 52 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.719 the old standard summon substance. 53 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.520 Yeah, I love those hostas. Now. Of course I don't 54 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.159 have them because I have deer and very little shade 55 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:18.120 and I don't water, and that's how you're going to 56 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.400 get the truly impressive results on those is. Yes, plenty 57 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:24.280 of moisture. But boy do I love seeing a well 58 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:27.719 grown giant hosta. Just fills me with envy. 59 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:31.919 Yeah, it's fantastic. It's like they're saying, stop here, look 60 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:35.520 at me. It's great. And then you can take it 61 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:39.719 to the next level. Plant in mass for impact, where 62 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:43.439 space is not constrained. You take some of these dramatic 63 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:46.719 plants and then plant them in mass I think of 64 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:49.439 the airport here in West Michigan in the entrance where 65 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:54.039 they have a viburnum placatum double file and they get 66 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:56.599 so large and when they bloom and they're in the 67 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:58.759 ent entrance in a drift. 68 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:02.960 I've never knowniced that. I guess I've never flown out 69 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.840 in late spring, but I will have to make some 70 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.680 arrangements and see this legendary planting. Yeah, I mean, I 71 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:13.840 think that a lot of people think that big plants 72 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.879 are bad because they don't have space. But the fact is, 73 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:21.279 I think that big plants are extremely useful in low 74 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.319 maintenance gardening because if you plant one very large plant 75 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:29.120 and you cite it, well, it's basically no work. Sure, 76 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:32.959 you know, it's like you can just transform an area 77 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:35.040 of your yard from something that you have to mow 78 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:38.560 or trim or whatever and just plant something large and 79 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.600 it kind of just takes care of itself. It makes 80 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.839 a bigger impression. And you know, I think that in 81 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:48.519 many ways, big plants are getting harder to find. There 82 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:53.480 is a prevailing assumption in the horticulture industry right now 83 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:56.240 that people want smaller plants, and it is true that 84 00:04:56.279 --> 00:04:59.920 people very often have smaller yards, but that doesn't mean 85 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.319 is not place for big plants. And you know, a 86 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:05.720 well chosen big plant can make all the difference, especially 87 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:06.439 in the small yard. 88 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:10.399 Exactly. It can be explosive. But you know what, again, 89 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:16.279 big is relative. You can find big in something like bulbs. 90 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:19.399 You look at bulbs. I was always excited in spring 91 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:22.399 when the big elephant ear bulbs would come in and 92 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.639 then you look, you know, there's big as softballs, and 93 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.000 you think, wow, the potential that lies in this plant 94 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:34.120 or alium gigantium, or the fritile areas or whatever it 95 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:36.920 may be. I shared with Adriana a picture of met 96 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:42.199 at Koekenhoff trying to fill my big European shoes for 97 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:46.839 YouTube listeners and viewers. But I'm always on the lookout 98 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.519 for something bigger, better, more unusual. I'm a fan of 99 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:54.279 plants with big, tropical showy leaves, so you know I 100 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:59.480 love canas colocacia bananas. I mean, you take something like 101 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:04.639 Mussa bajou, which is the hardy Japanese fiber banana. Even 102 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:07.240 though in the north and I'm in Zone six B, 103 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.279 it dies back to the ground if you're able to 104 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.199 keep it alive. The amount of growth, like you said 105 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:18.120 at the outset, Stacey, is quite inspiring that you get 106 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.360 in one season have. 107 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.600 You been able to successfully elul Oh, that's cool. How 108 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:24.319 old is yours? Then? 109 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:29.360 Well, I had one for numerous years until I moved, 110 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.160 and now this spring I just planted one, so I'm 111 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:34.120 gonna try again. 112 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.160 So what's your secret to overwintering this? Just keeping it dry? 113 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:42.680 Okay, Soltz, you've got a mulch. The plant needs a 114 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.439 fair amount of water during the growing season in order 115 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:49.639 to produce that growth. But for winter good I'm talking 116 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:50.560 mounded mulch. 117 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:53.079 Okay, yeah, big. You know, make sure that that that 118 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:55.759 rise them under there is well buried exactly, And then 119 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.160 of course you can't risk uncovering it too late, because 120 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:02.319 then you could earth plant right exactly. But it's worth 121 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:04.800 it to have a hardy banana exactly. 122 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.079 One of my favorite big plants in the landscape is rhododendrons, 123 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:11.519 and I think part of the reason for that is 124 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:16.519 because the root system is small proportionately to the top 125 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.959 of the plant. And I went out yesterday shot a 126 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:25.040 couple pictures for YouTube viewers of just some neighbors who 127 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:29.079 have gigantic rhododendrons. Well, again, we live on the lake 128 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.680 shore here in West Michigan, and the conditions allow us 129 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:39.000 to grow rhododendrons that need moisture and yet need good drainage. 130 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.759 If they sit in water, they're not going to do well. 131 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:47.279 And then you think about rhododendron maximum or great laurel 132 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:50.120 or wild rhododendron. You see a lot of that in 133 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:56.519 the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These things get absolutely huge. 134 00:07:56.759 --> 00:07:59.399 Yeah, rhododendron can be very You know the one that 135 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.079 goes that meme that goes around about the This is 136 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:05.360 the one hundred year old rhododendron with a lady who 137 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.959 planted it. So she apparently planted it as an infant. 138 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:12.040 But it's a good example of how of the truly 139 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:14.040 epic proportions rhododendron can reach. 140 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:18.519 Yeah, if the conditions are right, you bet rhododendri Rhododendron 141 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:25.639 Dell is a great landscape showcasing all the rhododendrons at 142 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:30.399 Arnold's Arboretum. And I went arnold Arboretum and I went 143 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:35.200 there this past year. Four hundred and forty six rhododendrons 144 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:39.159 in that collection. I think about full speed a hedge 145 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.919 and arbor vitie that gets very, very tall and yet 146 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:44.559 in the garden center. I see a lot of people, 147 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:48.879 Stacey who opt for Thuya placata, which is the green 148 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:54.200 giant or great Western cedar because of deer pressure. 149 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:57.279 Right, so green giant is actually a hybrid between Placata 150 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:01.639 and Standiscia. Is im a Asian species. But green Giant 151 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:04.440 lives up to its name. It is a big it's tall, 152 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:06.639 but it's also very broad at the base, so it's 153 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.000 really it's good for privacy hedging if you have a 154 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.559 lot of ground space. Otherwise, something like full Speed Hedge 155 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.080 or north Pole from proven Winners are great choices because 156 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:18.639 they take up less ground real estate but can still 157 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:20.000 give you the privacy. Do you have to space them 158 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:22.039 a little bit more closely, of course to make up 159 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:25.720 for that. But green Giant is a household name, but 160 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.279 it is definitely not for every yard. But it's cool, 161 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:30.360 all right. 162 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:32.879 I'll give you a big plant, Limerick. And by the way, 163 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.279 we're going to continue to talk about big plants in 164 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:40.240 segment for it will also be interesting to see Stacey's 165 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:44.320 plant on trial that is chosen this week as we 166 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:48.679 talk about big plants. Here's my limb rick. I need 167 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.960 a plant colossal, not something dainty or docile, something downright 168 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.039 large that shows it's in charge, as big as a 169 00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:00.600 dinosaur fossil. I want a plant that's big, a leafy, robust, 170 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:05.559 large fig. A plant that's substantial and really consequential, not 171 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:10.240 a wimpy, modest twig. To big plants, I'm deferential that 172 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.799 fill my lot residential. Nothing that is passive. Make it 173 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:20.960 really massive with foliage, substantial, something that is enormous. Tell us, 174 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:25.879 please inform us of a plant with impact that isn't compact. 175 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.679 It's got to be ginormous. 176 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:30.080 Nice. 177 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:35.000 We'll see what kind of impactful plant Stacey shares with us. Next. 178 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.240 In Plants on trial here on the Gardening Simplified. 179 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:47.679 Show, Beautify your home and community with proven Winner's Color 180 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:50.639 Choice Shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique 181 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.879 varieties to choose from. There's a flowering shrubber evergreen for 182 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:57.120 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 183 00:10:57.120 --> 00:10:59.879 white container your local garden center or learn more at 184 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:05.200 proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Greetings gardening friends, and 185 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:08.519 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. We're talking about 186 00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:11.639 one of my all time favorite topics as well as 187 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.600 plants to put in the garden, and that is big plants. 188 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:19.919 I mean, I like small plants. Let's like, not pretend 189 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:22.120 that's not true. I have tons and tons of small plants. 190 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:25.480 I have tiny little seedum's, tiny little supervivum, and I 191 00:11:25.559 --> 00:11:27.679 love those as well. But there is just something to 192 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:32.720 me that is so inspiring about something like smarific hibiscus, 193 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:36.360 which you know, comes spring, not a thing to be 194 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:40.000 found in the ground, no signs of life whatsoever. And 195 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:42.919 then you know, late May, couple little tiny shoots start 196 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.840 to poke up and you're like, okay, and then you know, 197 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.879 by July you've got a five foot tall plant covered 198 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:51.799 in flowers, and you're just like, how did that happen? 199 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:56.480 It's exciting, it's explosive. Not only a big plant, big flowers, 200 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:57.159 big flowers. 201 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:00.679 Yeah, so I love that. I also love, you know, 202 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:04.080 any number of native plants. Like one of my favorites 203 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:08.000 that I have is Agastaki nepatoides. So this is the 204 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:11.080 green hissip and nepatoides means it looks like catnap, which 205 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.080 it kind of does, except that it gets to be 206 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.759 eight feet tall and it puts on these amazing candelabra 207 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:21.600 type branches and again, I just love seeing that go 208 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:25.039 from like where where even is that plant? To just 209 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:28.559 this massive presence in the landscape. It never it never 210 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:30.960 gets old for me. And you know, when it comes 211 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:32.960 to shrubs, of course, there's lots of big shrubs. If 212 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:35.000 we were just talking about plants that reach epic proportion 213 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:37.679 as well, I could still go on all day. But 214 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:42.159 there the shrub version of this ability to go from 215 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:46.480 virtually nothing to just a massive in bloom plant I 216 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:48.600 think is best epitomized by butterfly bush. 217 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:48.960 Yeah. 218 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:52.559 Now, especially older varieties of butterfly bush. As I said, 219 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.720 the industry is largely under the operating under the belief 220 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:00.080 that people want smaller plants, and there's definitely been a 221 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:04.279 tendency to breed smaller and smaller butterfly bush compared to 222 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:06.759 back in the day, when you know, good luck finding 223 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:09.720 a butterfly bush it's under six feet. Now it's more 224 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:12.240 like good luck finding a butterfly bush that's over six 225 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:16.360 feet anymore. And I think there's still a place for that. 226 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:19.519 But no matter what size butterfly bush you have, they 227 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:22.200 all share this ability to kind of come out of 228 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:27.000 winter looking like they're dead, nearly dead. It's one of 229 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:29.240 the plants that I think people are most likely to 230 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:33.159 give up on because they just look so ghastly, you know, 231 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:38.480 in late winter, early spring, and next thing you know, 232 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:41.840 they're growing and you think, okay, well, I guess it 233 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:44.519 were covered from that winter damage, but it's not going 234 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.519 to flower. And then like a week later it's covered 235 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:50.679 in flowers. I mean, it's amazing, blamo blamo exactly. So 236 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:53.360 today's plan on trial is one of my favorite of 237 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:57.720 our butterfly bush and that is Miss Violet. Oh my gosh, 238 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:00.399 this is a plant that you know, I like Budi. 239 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.840 I am definitely choosy about what I put in my garden, 240 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:07.240 but my neighborhood a Miss Violet, and that made me 241 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.399 want a Miss Violet because it was so pretty that 242 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:14.279 I just love the deep purple flowers sow. The Miss 243 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:18.840 series of butterfly bush are developed to be about four 244 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.840 to five feet tall and wide and to have kind 245 00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:24.799 of a more elegant habit than your average budlia. So 246 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:28.039 some butterfly bushes can have like a really uh, let's 247 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.000 just say habit is not their strong suit, especially some 248 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.000 of those older varieties where these really do have like 249 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:36.039 kind of an elegant, vaselike habit and that four to 250 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.320 five foot you know, size is nothing to sneeze that 251 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.480 that's still quite an appreciable size, but much more versatile 252 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:44.679 than some of those older ones that would you know, 253 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:46.559 just get really really huge. 254 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.399 Yeah, and I'd love that Miss series. It was Adriana 255 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:52.840 who got me excited about Miss Molly. Put it in 256 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:53.559 my landscape. 257 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:55.720 Love that that's our favorite plant in the whole proven 258 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:59.480 winner's line. Miss Molly is her number one pick. Now, 259 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:03.440 I I have seen the Miss series of butterfly bush 260 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.000 undergo this exact same phenomenon that I'm talking about in 261 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:09.559 my own garden. So at my previous home, I had 262 00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:11.720 planted a Miss Molly butterfly bush. So this is all 263 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.559 from the same breeding series. A breeder named doctor Dennis 264 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.960 Warner out of North Carolina State University. He is now retired, 265 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.960 but he was really really passionate about butterfly bush and 266 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:26.360 he devoted the latter part of his career to developing 267 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:29.919 non invasive butterfly bushes because at that point, in certain 268 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:32.840 milder climates, butterfly bush was starting to spread by seed 269 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.360 sure it was getting banned, and he really did not 270 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:38.480 want to see that happen. So he devoted his resources 271 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:40.960 into the Low and Behold series. So some of the 272 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.480 earlier Low and Behold butterfly bush, which of course are 273 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:47.320 are low, small growing butterfly bushes, and my favorite the 274 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.919 Miss series. So I planted a Miss Molly. It was full. Now, 275 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.320 I generally do not recommend that you plant butterfly bush 276 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.320 in full. So now that we're here in late spring 277 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:00.360 early summer, especially if you're in a cold clam and 278 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:02.519 you're thinking about adding a butterfly bush to your garden, 279 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:04.399 now is the time to do it. You want to 280 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.399 make sure that it has a nice long season ahead 281 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.279 to develop a good root system to help it come 282 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:13.200 back from you know, any damage that it's going to 283 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:15.360 get in winter. So you know, but I work in 284 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.919 the industry, so I get free plants. And when you 285 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:19.759 get free plants, you don't just you know, you plant them. 286 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:22.200 And I worked in the garden center industry, and if 287 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:25.360 you get bargain bin plants in October, you plant them 288 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:27.200 exactly and hope for the best. 289 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:30.720 Exactly, can't beat the price. So I planted this Miss Mollie, 290 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:32.879 and you know, it looked great at that fall, and 291 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:36.440 then come the following spring, other butterfly bushes that are 292 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:39.200 planted near it coming back without a problem. I'm like, 293 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:42.279 all right, cool, and this Miss Mollie is showing not 294 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:45.440 a sign of life, not a single sign of life 295 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.000 now again. And I do have pretty good conditions, but 296 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.960 there's a lot of different things that could happen. So, 297 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:53.639 you know, I kept waiting because I know that butterfly 298 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:56.720 bush are always late to emerge, and the colder or 299 00:16:56.759 --> 00:16:59.679 harsher your winter is the harder the slower they are 300 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:01.840 to come back from. That so especially true for people 301 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:06.400 in USBA Zone five and six. So I'm waiting. Still nothing, 302 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:10.480 still nothing. Finally, the second weekend in June rolls around 303 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.680 and I think that's it. This thing is not coming back. 304 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.039 I'm going to just pull it out. So I lean over, 305 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.240 bend over to pull it out with my bare hands, 306 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:20.759 because this is something you can do when you have 307 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:24.680 very sandy soil. It's really quite a fun benefit. Not everything, 308 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.160 but some things. So I reach down to pull it 309 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:32.000 out and I see just this tiny little shoot coming 310 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.400 out of the ground, and I thought, all right, all right, 311 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:37.160 we'll give it a whirl. We'll see what you can 312 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:41.039 do from this tiny, little, you know, one inch shoot 313 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.039 and I am not even joking. Three weeks later the 314 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:45.680 thing was fully grown and in bloom. 315 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:46.200 Wow. 316 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:49.759 I mean it was insane. It was absolutely amazing and 317 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.640 plants just you know, it's one of those plants that 318 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:56.160 just has this ability to, I guess, summon the extensive 319 00:17:56.240 --> 00:18:00.279 resources in its roots to come back from even a 320 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:02.599 really really harsh winter, and it's just so amazing to 321 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:03.960 see that kind of comeback. 322 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:07.000 Yeah, it's true. I have a Missviolet. Two years ago 323 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:10.200 we had a very mild winter, hardly any die back. 324 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:14.559 This past winter, Stacey mine pretty much had. I had 325 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.799 die back to the ground, but it's really recovering quickly. 326 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.559 That's the crazy thing is they do recover quickly. And 327 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:24.039 all butterfly bush, especially in colder climates or if you 328 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:26.960 have clay soil and you get cold winters, that is 329 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.599 their death knell. They hate that. They will definitely be 330 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:32.880 sat back, if not die. But the thing is, yes, 331 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:34.759 you do have to have faith with these plants because 332 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:38.400 they can come back in such an amazing way. So 333 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:41.240 a couple more tips for success, whether you're growing today's 334 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:44.079 plan on trial Miss Violet with its fabulous purple flowers 335 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.640 or any butterfly bush. Again, plant it sooner than later, 336 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.559 especially if you are in a cold climate or you 337 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:54.519 are planting it in less than ideal conditions. So that 338 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.200 would be like clay soil, poorly drained soils. You don't 339 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:58.599 want to put it in any soil of its wet. 340 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:01.119 It will not make it. You can plant them in 341 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:03.799 clay soil, but they definitely need a longer time to 342 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:06.960 get established. Because it's not even so much winter that 343 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.319 will take out a butterfly bush. It's being cold and wet. 344 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:15.039 So really the danger times are kind of that late 345 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.759 fall where the ground hasn't frozen yet, it's not cold 346 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.799 enough to actually like snow or freeze, but we're getting 347 00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:24.319 a lot of rain that's terrible for it. And then 348 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:25.839 the same thing happens on the other end of the 349 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.640 season in early spring, when you know we're kind of 350 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:30.519 past the worst of the cold, but we get a 351 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:32.599 lot of rain and the soils cold and wet. They 352 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:37.200 absolutely hate that, so plant early, plants high. If you 353 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:39.240 have a drainage issue, make sure this you're putting it 354 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:41.920 so that's a little bit above the soil surface rather 355 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:46.319 than even with the soil surface and make sure you 356 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:50.079 prune these things. So this is so important. Butterfly bush 357 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:53.279 is one of those plants that you definitely want to 358 00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:56.440 prune to make sure it stays nice and compact, maintains 359 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:59.559 that really nice habit and flowers from top to bottom, 360 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:03.319 because that amazing ability to regrow that we were just 361 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:07.039 discussing also means that if a butterfly bush is not trimmed, 362 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:08.640 it's just going to keep going up and up and 363 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:12.720 up and up and get really tall, really lanky, look 364 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.960 super weird, and then you don't even get to enjoy 365 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:16.480 the flowers. 366 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:19.680 Prune hard and it helps stimulate blooming lass it does, 367 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:21.240 and it's just yeah, it's important. 368 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:22.920 And if you don't know where to prune it, the 369 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.279 best thing to do is to wait until it starts 370 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:27.359 to grow, because then the plant is going to tell 371 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:30.799 you exactly where it is alive. You can cut back 372 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:33.480 to just above there, and then all the energy that 373 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:36.400 the plant has will grow into those you know, remaining 374 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.799 shoots or buds, and the plant will start to grow 375 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.400 and again and bloom so fast you will not even 376 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.680 believe it's possible. I wouldn't have believed it if I 377 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:49.920 saw it myself. So a fascinating plant to have great 378 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:53.079 summer color, NonStop flowers. You know, that's one of the 379 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.279 things I loved about seeing the one in my neighbor's yard. 380 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:59.000 Just that purple, that deep true purple, looks so good 381 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:01.799 with all of summer's colors, all the reds, all the yellows, 382 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:03.440 all that kind of stuff I have in my garden. 383 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:05.839 And of course it attracts butterflies. 384 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:09.880 Yeah, the butterflies exactly a magnet for and hummingbirds. 385 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:13.920 So a great plant with unique color and a plant 386 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:17.799 that will, I think inspire you, whether it survives winter 387 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.200 without any damage, or for those winters where it might 388 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:23.880 get a little damage but will redeem itself shortly. So 389 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.160 you can find it at your local garden center. If 390 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.240 you don't know where your local garden center is, visit 391 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:30.519 proven Winter's Color Choice dot com. We've got a list 392 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.240 of retailers for you right there. We're going to take 393 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:34.839 a little break. When we come back, we're opening up 394 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:44.240 the mailbanks. If these stay tuned at proven Winter's Color 395 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:47.480 Choice Shrubs, we know that a better landscape starts with 396 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:50.880 a better shrub. Our team of experts tests and evaluates 397 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:53.279 all of our flowering shrubs and evergreens for eight to 398 00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:57.000 ten years to ensure they outperform what's already on the market. 399 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:01.359 For easycare, reliable, beautiful shrubs to scentuate your home and 400 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.279 express your personal style, look for Proven Winners shrubs in 401 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:07.240