1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Broadcasting from Iconic Studio a here at proven Winners, Color 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,880 Choice Shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show with 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,640 Stacy Hervella, me, Rick Weist, and our engineer and producer 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,760 Adrianna Robinson. Well, plants are like people and always do 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:25,359 best when supported by a circle of friends and companions 6 00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:30,120 don't have to necessarily be similar. Just like people, you 7 00:00:30,199 --> 00:00:34,600 can bring out the best in me as it relates 8 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,560 to the landscape and companions. I like to call it 9 00:00:38,679 --> 00:00:44,000 the buddy system. Get what I did, then I do it. 10 00:00:44,039 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 2: Took me a second. I'm not gonna lie, but yes, 11 00:00:46,039 --> 00:00:46,520 I get it. 12 00:00:46,799 --> 00:00:50,799 Speaker 1: The buddy system. I like it now. Opposites can be 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,920 great companions, like looking at complementary colors on the color wheel, 14 00:00:56,039 --> 00:00:59,840 and you can create a support system around your main garden. 15 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,920 And you know, companion planting is one of these things 16 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:12,640 that in gardening mixes folklore, science myths. But nevertheless, we 17 00:01:12,799 --> 00:01:16,319 know that plants are capable of benefiting from each other 18 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:21,920 in many ways. So the buddy system planting combines diverse 19 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,640 plants in an informed manner and everybody benefits. So it's 20 00:01:27,879 --> 00:01:35,319 embracing our diversity. For example, textures and foliage size while 21 00:01:35,359 --> 00:01:41,640 looking at things like similar light and water needs. I 22 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,120 like the concept, Stacey, of the buddy system in the garden. 23 00:01:46,599 --> 00:01:50,359 Speaker 2: You know, I think it's important because mostly a garden 24 00:01:50,439 --> 00:01:53,480 is not just one plant. You know, there's specimen trees 25 00:01:53,519 --> 00:01:56,280 and specimen shrubs and things that you can plant to specimens. 26 00:01:56,319 --> 00:01:59,359 But you know, ultimately a garden or a landscape is 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:05,400 a collector of plants. Yes, and there is some art 28 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,159 and science to putting them together. Though, you know, we 29 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,120 do want to clarify that as we're talking about companion 30 00:02:12,159 --> 00:02:15,520 planting today, we're not talking about the old you know 31 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:20,039 what is it carrot, Carrots, love Tomatoes or whatever that 32 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,639 silly old book is called. U. No, that's different. So 33 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,599 that those are supporting one another in a very physical way. 34 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,400 The three sisters planting of the you know, Easter and 35 00:02:31,479 --> 00:02:36,400 Native Americans that the squash shades the corn roots and 36 00:02:36,439 --> 00:02:40,000 the corn provides the structure for the beans. That's different. 37 00:02:40,039 --> 00:02:43,319 But there are people out there who, especially thanks to 38 00:02:43,319 --> 00:02:46,240 the thing a proliferation of social media and TikTok, will say, 39 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,879 you know, oh, plant well, we talked about it before 40 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:52,759 the show. Plant marigolds around your tomatoes to deter whatever, 41 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,159 And so that is not what today's topic is. Today's 42 00:02:56,159 --> 00:02:58,159 topic is more about combining other plants in more of 43 00:02:58,199 --> 00:03:02,719 an esthetic or supportive way, because you know, we can't 44 00:03:02,759 --> 00:03:05,400 really say very much about those old, kind of old 45 00:03:05,439 --> 00:03:10,159 wives tales of companion planting, because you know, insects don't 46 00:03:10,199 --> 00:03:12,240 have a kryptonite. They're not going to fly to your 47 00:03:12,319 --> 00:03:15,960 vegetable garden and go, oh shoot, they planted cabbage and 48 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 carrots together. Guess I better again fly away to someone 49 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,599 who didn't plant cabbage and carrots together. It just it 50 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,479 doesn't work that way. It would be nice to think 51 00:03:25,479 --> 00:03:29,120 that it did. And so it's not to deter you 52 00:03:29,199 --> 00:03:33,039 from trying or deter you from continuing to plant things 53 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,120 like that if it's meaningful to you. But there is 54 00:03:37,159 --> 00:03:39,599 an art and a science to combining plants in the 55 00:03:39,639 --> 00:03:41,759 gardener landscape, and that's really what we're covering. 56 00:03:41,879 --> 00:03:44,599 Speaker 1: And I like that and I agree completely, And there 57 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,400 is an art growing in vignettes, combinations of two or 58 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,960 three or five plants. It makes all the difference in 59 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:58,800 the world. Compatible buddies, in soil types, water needs, light needs, 60 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:04,159 and colors, complementary colors. I mentioned that you know you 61 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,479 make me look good when I'm around you. It's some 62 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:16,480 credible yellow sunflowers paired perfectly with supertuna vista petunias. And 63 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,040 I mentioned those two because they work well together and 64 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,560 our buddies. But when it comes to vigor, they have 65 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,759 similar vigor. Also, in other words, you don't want to 66 00:04:28,759 --> 00:04:32,680 plant that crowds out in other plants in a certain area. 67 00:04:33,399 --> 00:04:37,120 They become friends, they become buddies. So instead of it 68 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,079 takes a village in this case, it takes some tillage 69 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:46,480 on your part to make those beneficial matches, and you're 70 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,199 gonna have some negative space within your landscape for a 71 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,639 while until they acclimate and they grow together. But it's, 72 00:04:53,959 --> 00:04:56,319 you know, similar to people at a party. You know, 73 00:04:56,399 --> 00:04:59,279 you just kind of hang out in the background, maybe 74 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,720 you know, get a drink and kind of acclimate for 75 00:05:02,759 --> 00:05:06,879 a little while, and then pretty soon you realize, yeah, 76 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:08,680 this is kind of fun, you know. 77 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,439 Speaker 2: I that's so true. And I always am amazed, even 78 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,399 after so many years of gardening, at that moment when 79 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:18,199 you know you kind of at the end of May 80 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,519 kind of finished planting everything. Your vegetable gardens, mostly in containers, 81 00:05:22,519 --> 00:05:26,279 are planted up perennials are emerging, you've maybe moved some things, 82 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,279 and you're just like, there's just so much space here, 83 00:05:29,399 --> 00:05:32,439 and then you kind of think ahead until August and 84 00:05:32,439 --> 00:05:34,920 and you know, take that picture in May so that 85 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,360 when August does come along, you remember, because it's so 86 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,759 it happened so fast and so quickly, and it's just 87 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,399 so amazing to watch it, to watch the fruits of that. 88 00:05:44,439 --> 00:05:46,839 Because yeah, sometimes, especially with annuals, at the beginning of 89 00:05:46,879 --> 00:05:49,959 the season, you put two kind of little scrawny plants together, 90 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,000 you're like, hmm, not so sure about this right, And 91 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,600 the next thing you know, you're patting yourself on the 92 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:56,040 back like that was a brilliant move. 93 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: So here's some suggestions for the buddy system. Number one, 94 00:06:02,639 --> 00:06:07,439 many garden centers. Most garden centers have these great, big 95 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:12,079 flat carts and they're great for loading up plants. I say, 96 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,360 you use those carts at the garden center to play 97 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:21,360 with combinations and colors as you roll along. I mean, 98 00:06:21,399 --> 00:06:24,800 you know, curiosity in the garden never stops. So it's 99 00:06:24,879 --> 00:06:28,319 one thing to pick up individual plants at the garden center, 100 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,480 but if you're able to do that on the cart 101 00:06:30,639 --> 00:06:34,040 while at the garden center. It really helps when you 102 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,560 get home. Grouping multiples of the same plants in larger 103 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:47,000 garden beds for cohesive, more impactful effect, repetition and rhythm. 104 00:06:47,759 --> 00:06:51,839 And make sure you're combining plants with similar light, water 105 00:06:51,959 --> 00:06:56,000 and soil needs together, and think about height and layers. 106 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,720 Keep mature plant heights in mind when you're putting together 107 00:06:59,759 --> 00:07:06,639 your plant combinations. Foundation plants, by definition, are good companions 108 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:12,560 or buddies, providing support. Stacy grasses and evergreens are super 109 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,959 important for providing a foundation and a backdrop for maybe 110 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,360 some of the more colorful characters. 111 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,759 Speaker 2: That join the party right they bring a beautiful sense 112 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,160 of calm and most importantly, year round interest, because you know, 113 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,360 when you're combining plants in the landscape or garden, you know, 114 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:32,399 if you do all herbaceous perennials, you're going to be 115 00:07:32,439 --> 00:07:34,480 looking at a whole lot enough in for some of 116 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,439 the year. So it's important to mix things together in 117 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:39,480 a way that so you have these anchors kind of 118 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,480 and that those anchors are not just anchoring the landscape 119 00:07:44,519 --> 00:07:47,439 but really providing kind of a stage on which the 120 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,439 flashyar performers can shine while they just kind of hold 121 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:52,720 down the fort so to speak, you. 122 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,839 Speaker 1: Bet so if you want to look for some good 123 00:07:54,959 --> 00:08:01,519 buddies in the landscape. Ironically, using contrast and plant combinations 124 00:08:01,959 --> 00:08:06,839 is a key to companions. I'm talking about contrast and form, 125 00:08:07,399 --> 00:08:13,879 leaf size, texture, color and plant size and yes, opposites 126 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,600 on the color wheel known as complementary colors. And we've 127 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,399 got to keep in mind that in today's day and age, 128 00:08:21,439 --> 00:08:26,120 when a lot of great new cultivars and varieties are developed, 129 00:08:26,399 --> 00:08:30,040 some of these plants do that themselves. For example, an 130 00:08:30,079 --> 00:08:37,480 example plant lemon perfection is a nepeta or a nepeta 131 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,720 that has the yellow foliage and blue flowers on it. 132 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:44,840 One of the plants that I think about, Stacey, is 133 00:08:44,879 --> 00:08:50,039 the sunshine blue carryopters same kind of thing and using 134 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:54,320 that effect or putting purple and shartruse together like a 135 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:59,799 misviolet bud lea and lemony lace. So it's all part 136 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,559 of that strategy. Now, in addition to that, the buddy 137 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,320 system would involve taking a look at light. Maybe you 138 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,480 can put some taller plants in the landscape that provides 139 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:14,120 some shade at that tough time of the day one 140 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,759 two three o'clock in the afternoon for some plants that 141 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:22,799 can't quite handle that amount of light. So there's a 142 00:09:22,879 --> 00:09:26,240 variety of things to look at so that you have 143 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:30,080 good buddies looking out for each other in the landscape. 144 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,639 If plants could talk, If plants could talk, Limerick call 145 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,799 us birds of a feather, We ride out all kinds 146 00:09:36,879 --> 00:09:41,000 of weather, no matter the drama, like your favorite pajama 147 00:09:41,399 --> 00:09:45,000 night and day. We're in this together, a rooted, planted 148 00:09:45,399 --> 00:09:51,679 devotee through thick and thin, a company characteristic, supplied growing 149 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,480 side by side. You've got a friend in me. 150 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 2: Ahh, I like that. 151 00:09:59,399 --> 00:10:02,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's how I feel within the landscape. So I 152 00:10:02,279 --> 00:10:05,720 think that there's a real art to pairing plants and 153 00:10:06,159 --> 00:10:09,200 developing the buddy system within your landscape. And we'll talk 154 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,279 more about that in segment four. Up next, we'll see 155 00:10:12,279 --> 00:10:15,679 how Stacey ties it in in Plants on trial Here 156 00:10:16,159 --> 00:10:18,480 on the Gardening Simplified. 157 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 2: Show, beautify your home and community with proven winner's color 158 00:10:27,039 --> 00:10:29,919 choice shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique 159 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,159 varieties to choose from. There's a flowering shrubber evergreen for 160 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,399 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 161 00:10:36,399 --> 00:10:39,159 white container. Your local Garden Center or learn more at 162 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:44,519 proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Good Reading's Gardening friends, 163 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:47,279 and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where we 164 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,360 are talking all about how to combine plants in the 165 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,240 landscape or garden, or as Rick calls it, the bud 166 00:10:54,399 --> 00:10:58,039 e the buddy system, which is a very cute name 167 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,600 for it. Thank you, thanks, And you know, I think 168 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,000 this is an important topic because I will tell you 169 00:11:03,039 --> 00:11:05,679 in the many, many years, and I'm sure same for you, Rick, 170 00:11:06,159 --> 00:11:08,960 that I have been helping home gardeners in the garden. 171 00:11:09,919 --> 00:11:12,480 One of the most common questions that I have been 172 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:17,879 asked is what can I plant with X? Yes, And 173 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,600 I will tell you right now that I would rather 174 00:11:20,919 --> 00:11:25,399 answer a thousand plant diagnosis, what's wrong with my plant, 175 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:29,960 what's eating my plant? Questions, then one what can I 176 00:11:30,159 --> 00:11:34,879 plant with this question? And the reason why is because 177 00:11:34,879 --> 00:11:37,360 not because I don't have suggestions or I don't have ideas, 178 00:11:37,919 --> 00:11:41,879 but the reason that I, so you know, have have 179 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,720 difficulty answering this question is because my perspective is that 180 00:11:45,759 --> 00:11:48,840 it's so personal. Yes, you know, this is kind of 181 00:11:48,919 --> 00:11:51,080 like this to me. It's the same as if you 182 00:11:51,159 --> 00:11:54,000 came up to me and said like, Hey, Stacy, what 183 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,679 should I wear on Friday? You know? And I'm like, Okay, 184 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,600 I don't know you. I don't know your wardrobe, I 185 00:12:00,639 --> 00:12:02,519 don't know like your vibe, I don't know what you're 186 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,480 doing that day. So no, I can't tell you what 187 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,480 to wear on Friday because I don't know. That's totally 188 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:10,559 up to you. I can offer some suggestions, I can 189 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,120 tell you what I would wear on Friday, but I 190 00:12:13,159 --> 00:12:16,200 can't give you the answer to what you should wear 191 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,320 on Friday. And I really do feel like that. You know, 192 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,279 it's crucial for people to think about combining plants in 193 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,000 the garden as a way of personal expression, because of 194 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,399 course you can plant any plants together, you know. And 195 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,840 I'm going to first of all preface everything I'm about 196 00:12:32,879 --> 00:12:36,840 to say by saying that I'm I'm presuming that all 197 00:12:36,879 --> 00:12:39,279 of the plants that we're going to be pairing are 198 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:42,039 we've already selected them to have the same water in 199 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,080 sunlight conditions, right, And you know, water is a pretty 200 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,639 easy one because most plants are just drought tolerant or 201 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,480 moist soil tolerant. They don't really need it, you know, 202 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,960 they just kind of can tolerate it. So water is 203 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,440 pretty easy, assuming things are getting you know, a reasonable 204 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,679 amount of water. Sun Light, of course, is the more 205 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,519 crucial one, but if you're shopping at a local garden center, 206 00:13:01,919 --> 00:13:03,720 not really a problem because all the sun stuff is 207 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:05,600 grouped together, so you can just kind of shop in 208 00:13:05,639 --> 00:13:08,080 the sun section and put all that together right there. 209 00:13:08,159 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 1: So I love your analogy on you know, what should 210 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,840 I wear tomorrow? And a few weeks ago we learned 211 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,879 from Eric and Christopher that a good approach would be 212 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:23,440 to plant in vignette. Yeah, and then if you change 213 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:25,279 your mind, you can always rearrange. 214 00:13:25,279 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 2: You can always rearrange. That's that's the key here. So anyway, 215 00:13:28,759 --> 00:13:32,279 I find it a very difficult question to answer, and 216 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:34,679 aside from it being very personal, I don't think I'm 217 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:41,080 particularly good at it because I just my approach to gardening, 218 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,480 as we kind of talked about in our Unruly episode 219 00:13:43,519 --> 00:13:46,360 also a few weeks ago, is you know, I'm gardening 220 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,320 for the insects and the birds. So yes, of course 221 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:50,600 I want my garden to look good, and I want 222 00:13:50,639 --> 00:13:52,759 it to look less chaotic, and I want my neighbors 223 00:13:52,799 --> 00:13:54,879 to go, oh, that actually looks really nice instead of 224 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:59,240 like that looks like some sort of chaotic tangle of plants. 225 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,720 But you know, it's fine for the insects. So I 226 00:14:04,039 --> 00:14:06,039 do try to think about it, but not to the 227 00:14:06,039 --> 00:14:07,720 point where a lot of other people who want more 228 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,639 of that really well put together look goes. But all 229 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,120 of that, do you like this shirt? I do like 230 00:14:13,159 --> 00:14:15,360 that shirt. I like the shirt because it looks like 231 00:14:15,399 --> 00:14:18,399 it's knitted, like that print on it is trying to 232 00:14:18,399 --> 00:14:20,759 make it look like it's knitted even though it's clearly woven. 233 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,639 Speaker 1: Score sorry, go ahead, this. 234 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 2: Is quite interesting. But anyway, so yeah, I know a 235 00:14:32,039 --> 00:14:36,399 lot of times, because I get more plants than I 236 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,200 have room, for a lot of times my plant combinations 237 00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:44,000 end up being out of necessity rather than genuine, well 238 00:14:44,039 --> 00:14:46,720 thought out aesthetics, because I'm like, oh, a little space here, 239 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:48,879 I guess I'm just gonna jam this in and then 240 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,000 sure down the line things look great. Because I will say. 241 00:14:51,759 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: This, we all do it. 242 00:14:52,799 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 2: By and large, you can't go wrong. I mean, is 243 00:14:56,519 --> 00:14:58,240 there there are things that you might not like as 244 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,960 much or might not be as visually successful, But like, 245 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:03,799 I mean, come on, we're talking about putting together a 246 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,559 bunch of plants and flowers. There is no wrong answers. 247 00:15:08,399 --> 00:15:12,039 So but anyway, all that said, I am going to 248 00:15:12,039 --> 00:15:16,519 provide for today's plants on Trial some simple kind of 249 00:15:16,759 --> 00:15:20,240 guidelines to help you make this decision process and then 250 00:15:20,279 --> 00:15:23,480 you can kind of take this decision process and reiterate 251 00:15:23,519 --> 00:15:26,840 it across lots of different applications in your garden. And 252 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:30,039 this is something that really I started doing back earlier 253 00:15:30,039 --> 00:15:32,279 this year when we were talking about the Proven Winner's 254 00:15:32,279 --> 00:15:34,440 Perennials of the Year the Proven Winners Shrubs of the Year, 255 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,279 and during those episodes, all of my plants on Trial 256 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:42,080 were devoted to good companion plants for the Plants of 257 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,159 the Year. So I'm going to kind of go over 258 00:15:44,679 --> 00:15:49,120 the criteria that I would choose to choose those plants. 259 00:15:49,399 --> 00:15:53,200 So number one question to ask yourself do you gild 260 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,759 the lily or do you spread the love? By which 261 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:58,840 I mean are you going to So this is kind 262 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:00,840 of assuming that you already have some stuff in there. 263 00:16:00,639 --> 00:16:03,840 You're making a new combination. So are you going to 264 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,039 put things in that combination that are going to just 265 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,399 have one glorious moment in time and just be absolutely 266 00:16:10,399 --> 00:16:14,200 stunnying because everything's at peak all together, or are you 267 00:16:14,279 --> 00:16:16,519 going to combine plants in a way that kind of 268 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,440 spreads the love through the season, so you have something 269 00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:22,200 interesting to look at from the beginning till the end. 270 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: That's a great approach. 271 00:16:23,559 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 2: Right because and they're both valid, and you also don't 272 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:27,600 have to commit to one or the other, because you 273 00:16:27,639 --> 00:16:30,480 can have parts of your garden that gilbilii and parts 274 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,200 that spread the love. And you know, even in this combination, 275 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,480 you know you're kind of transitioning throughout the garden to 276 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,919 you know, these different areas that can exhibit these different things. 277 00:16:40,039 --> 00:16:44,879 So you know, I of course implement both abundantly in 278 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,120 my garden. I think a really simple example would be 279 00:16:48,519 --> 00:16:50,840 the bed that I have closest to my house, which 280 00:16:50,879 --> 00:16:57,440 combines Decadencepeptisia from proven Winner's perennials, which is a spring 281 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:03,159 blooming plant, big shrubby kind of perennial, and the summarific hibiscus, 282 00:17:03,159 --> 00:17:05,599 which is a summer blooming plant. So I don't really 283 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,240 gild the lily here. I have a beautiful spring moment 284 00:17:08,279 --> 00:17:10,880 when all of those baptisias are in bloom, and then 285 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:12,920 things are just kind of quiet and foliage e for 286 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,599 a couple of months, and then I have a huge 287 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,680 summer moment, So that is one way to look at it. 288 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:23,440 But then on the other hand, I have some combinations. Well, 289 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,880 another classic example I think that I don't actually have 290 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,039 because I can't grow either of these plants, would be 291 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:33,359 combining spring flowering bulbs with day lilies or hostas to 292 00:17:33,519 --> 00:17:36,359 kind of take over the you know when the foliage 293 00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:39,000 the bulbs start to go yellow and doesn't look as good. 294 00:17:39,839 --> 00:17:42,279 But in some cases it can also be both. So 295 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:45,759 I'm thinking about by lemony lace elderberry. I have some 296 00:17:45,839 --> 00:17:51,400 beautiful lavender and peach and cream colored hyacinths planted near 297 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,920 the base of that that looks just absolutely beautiful with 298 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,440 that lemony lace foliage. Those die back and then come 299 00:17:57,519 --> 00:18:00,720 July August I have blue fortune agastakil with it. So 300 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,960 that kind of lemony lace is anchoring a couple of 301 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,680 different moments through the garden because it has that super 302 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,759 fabulous foliage. It's kind of a plant that looks great 303 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,480 all its season long and gives you that opportunity to 304 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:18,200 play off it in multiple different ways. So h that's 305 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,279 one way you can think about it. Another one is 306 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,759 think about the height and width, and I think it's 307 00:18:23,039 --> 00:18:26,079 very easy, especially now, plant breading has brought us so 308 00:18:26,079 --> 00:18:30,039 many great choices, But also plant breading is kind of 309 00:18:30,319 --> 00:18:34,160 standardizing in some ways the height and width of certain 310 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,119 plants because things people want things to be shippable, they 311 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,599 want things to look really good on the bench, and 312 00:18:39,759 --> 00:18:42,839 in some ways this is disfavoring plants that are either 313 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,079 too small or too large, so you kind of need 314 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,319 to seek those out. A good garden, a good layered 315 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,079 garden with lots of visual interest, has a lot of 316 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,720 different heights, so you want to be careful to think 317 00:18:53,759 --> 00:18:57,400 about how you're combining plants to get that layered or 318 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,039 more in depth. Look now, the different between the heights 319 00:19:01,079 --> 00:19:03,319 can be very substantial. You can do kind of a 320 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,400 shoes and socks version where you just have a short 321 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,440 perennial at the base of a tall shrub, or a 322 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,920 tall perennial planted behind a short shrub. There's lots of 323 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,119 different ways to do this, and both of those are valid, 324 00:19:16,039 --> 00:19:18,519 but you really do want to look again at that 325 00:19:18,559 --> 00:19:21,440 mature height. As you said in segment one, we're talking 326 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:24,039 about making sure that things look good for the long term, 327 00:19:24,519 --> 00:19:26,920 not just when you do it. Another really good way 328 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,279 to think about This is kind of applying the thriller 329 00:19:30,279 --> 00:19:35,000 spiller filler approach to container planting to your actual garden bed. 330 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:37,920 Get those different heights and you're going to be able 331 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:42,160 to get that layered. Look now, you said my number 332 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,200 three point here in the first one. It's all about diversity. 333 00:19:45,559 --> 00:19:47,799 You need a lot of different plants. And this is 334 00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:51,319 something that I also struggle with because again I'm gardening 335 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,440 for insects, and I grow a lot of native plants, 336 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,400 and a lot of our native plants for dry soil 337 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,680 that are deer resistant are yellow daisy type plants, my Sylfia, 338 00:20:01,759 --> 00:20:05,440 my Rebeccia coreopsis, all of these kinds of things. So 339 00:20:05,519 --> 00:20:08,559 I end up with a lot of the same plants 340 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,039 that you know, you can't necessarily tell them apart, which 341 00:20:12,039 --> 00:20:13,720 again is fine, I don't have a problem with it, 342 00:20:13,799 --> 00:20:15,839 but it's probably not the look that most people are 343 00:20:15,839 --> 00:20:18,519 going for or why they're doing this. So I have 344 00:20:18,599 --> 00:20:21,440 a little trick here might seem a little advanced, but 345 00:20:22,319 --> 00:20:25,759 to make sure that you're getting a good diversity of plants, 346 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,119 look up or look on the tag for the plant 347 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,680 family that the plant is in. Okay, because plants are 348 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:37,680 divided into their scientific families or botanical families based on 349 00:20:37,799 --> 00:20:40,559 how they flower, what their flowers look like, how those 350 00:20:40,599 --> 00:20:43,759 flowers are arranged on the stems. So if you end 351 00:20:43,839 --> 00:20:46,480 up with a lot of plants within the same family, 352 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,359 you're going to end up with a lot of plants 353 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:49,880 that look the same and have a lot of very 354 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:54,799 similar kind of structure and flower presentation. So by including 355 00:20:54,839 --> 00:20:58,720 a number of different plant families and different species, you'll 356 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,359 get that look naturally without having to think too much 357 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:02,960 about it, because I think all of us kind of 358 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,079 graduate gravitate naturally towards plants that look a certain way. 359 00:21:08,319 --> 00:21:10,680 So for color, I think anything goes and this is 360 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:13,799 really I think where it gets the most personal. I 361 00:21:13,839 --> 00:21:16,680 am always amazed when I look at pictures of gardens 362 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:21,519 or visit a great garden that talented designers put together 363 00:21:21,559 --> 00:21:25,519 colors in ways that I would never because I'm just 364 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:27,839 kind of more conservative about how I use color in 365 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,680 the garden. And but you know, I was looking at 366 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:32,640 pictures as I was researching this, pictures of one of 367 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:34,720 my favorite public gardens that I've ever seen, even though 368 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,720 I haven't visited it yet, but that I've ever heard of, 369 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,960 Great Dixter in the UK, Christopher Lloyd's garden. I mean 370 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,559 the color combinations in that garden. No, I would never 371 00:21:44,599 --> 00:21:48,000 do them, but I take great inspiration from them and 372 00:21:48,079 --> 00:21:50,599 try to stretch. You know what I do in the 373 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,759 garden based on that. So look at garden pictures and 374 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:56,839 you know, and think about the colors that are them. 375 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,759 Don't just go, oh, that's a pretty picture. Think about 376 00:21:58,759 --> 00:22:02,720 how the colors have been comb in that way. All 377 00:22:02,759 --> 00:22:05,160 that matters really at the end of the day is 378 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,839 that you are happy and that you are best buds 379 00:22:09,319 --> 00:22:11,880 with your garden. So I could go on and on 380 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,000 and on about this, but we need to take a 381 00:22:14,039 --> 00:22:17,079 little break, so I will stop, and I hope you 382 00:22:17,079 --> 00:22:19,119 will rejoin us in a few moments when we open 383 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:29,000 up the MEBG. At Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs, we 384 00:22:29,079 --> 00:22:31,920 know that a better landscape starts with a better shrub. 385 00:22:32,079 --> 00:22:34,960 Our team of experts tests and evaluates all of our 386 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,960 flowering shrubs and evergreens for eight to ten years to 387 00:22:38,079 --> 00:22:42,480 ensure they outperform what's already on the market. For easycare, reliable, 388 00:22:42,599 --> 00:22:46,359 beautiful shrubs to accentuate your home and express your personal style, 389 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,200 look for Proven Winners shrubs in the distinctive white container 390 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:51,839 at your local garden center or learn more at proven 391 00:22:51,839 --> 00:22:56,920 Winner's Color Choice dot com. Goour readings, gardening friends, and 392 00:22:57,079 --> 00:22:59,599 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where it is 393 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,440 our place to help you with your garden questions, quandaries 394 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,720 and conundrums, of which I'm sure there are many. Spring 395 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,240 is probably the most conundrum. Ye time in the garden 396 00:23:11,599 --> 00:23:14,519 a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure. So if 397 00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:16,160 you have a question, please do reach out to us. 398 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,160 Gardening Simplified on air. Dot Com is our website. There's 399 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,640 a contact farm right there. You can even attach photos. 400 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,279 You can also ask questions on YouTube if you happen 401 00:23:24,279 --> 00:23:27,119 to be joining us on YouTube, we answer all of 402 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,440 those and sometimes we answer them on air as well, 403 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,440 So there's lots of different ways to reach us and 404 00:23:33,559 --> 00:23:36,119 get help. And you know, I get it people are 405 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:40,319 still going to write us for their companion plant recommendations, 406 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,480 but really, you know, I think it's kind of part 407 00:23:44,519 --> 00:23:46,799 of gardening is learning how to combine plants in a 408 00:23:46,839 --> 00:23:50,240 way that you like rather than a way that we like, 409 00:23:50,279 --> 00:23:53,000 because we'll just be giving you our own personal ideas 410 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,559 and sometimes they're good. Sometimes there's you know, classic combinations 411 00:23:56,599 --> 00:24:00,920 like nepata and roses for example. Yeah, lads, lavender and 412 00:24:01,039 --> 00:24:05,400 roses can't go wrong with that. But ultimately, you know, 413 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,319 it's it's a skill, and it's not just a skill, 414 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:12,119 but it's it's kind of like getting in touch with 415 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,480 your own personal gardening aesthetic and how you're going to 416 00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:17,279 play that out in your actual garden. 417 00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:20,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think I think one of the things 418 00:24:20,079 --> 00:24:21,920 to take a look at is whether or not you 419 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,599 can develop some type of rhythm within your garden. We 420 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:29,039 talk about that often, but I think it applies here 421 00:24:29,319 --> 00:24:32,599 in the Buddy method. Also, if you look, for example, 422 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,079 at interior design, I love looking through that and they've 423 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:41,839 got this seventy twenty ten rule a space take the approach. 424 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:48,160 You've got seventy percent warm earthy tones, twenty percent crisp whites, 425 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:54,440 ten percent rich moody accents. It's a recipe for let's 426 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,559 call it sophisticated drama. 427 00:24:56,799 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 2: Ah, sophisticated drama. 428 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,319 Speaker 1: And my opinion is, if interior designers can do it, 429 00:25:03,279 --> 00:25:05,039 we can do that out in the garden. Yeah. 430 00:25:05,039 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 2: I know, people are so much more comfortable interior designing 431 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,319 when a lot of those concepts translate directly to the outdoors. 432 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:14,680 But we're answering questions now, and one of the questions 433 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:16,960 that I have been seeing come up a lot, and 434 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,279 not surprisingly, and we kind of we're talking about this 435 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,759 back in January February, when the polar vortex hit all 436 00:25:24,799 --> 00:25:27,559 across the US in Canada, we were predicting that we 437 00:25:27,559 --> 00:25:29,279 were going to be hearing from a lot of people 438 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,480 who when the snow finally melted and the ground starts 439 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,880 to thaw, are like, what the heck just happens? And 440 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:40,119 it's not just limited to northern people, the southern, our 441 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,799 southern and warm climate fans. We're also subjected to some 442 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:46,680 extremely cold weather. So lots and lots of people are 443 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:52,680 writing saying, my holly completely defoliated, my arborvidy look totally fried. 444 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:54,079 What do I do? 445 00:25:54,599 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: Mm hm? 446 00:25:55,519 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 2: And what those plants need right now more than anything 447 00:25:58,279 --> 00:26:01,559 else is time, And I know that's hard. And I 448 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,400 know when your landscape is emerging and things are fresh 449 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,079 and green and you've got this sad looking evergreen and 450 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:12,440 especially broad leaf evergreens, t I M yeah, oh yes, time, yes, 451 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,359 not time. Not taking the herb, although there's no harm 452 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:18,440 in planting that as well, it will not help your 453 00:26:18,599 --> 00:26:23,279 evergreens and broad leaf evergreens. Yeah, so they need time 454 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,599 to show you the extent of the damage. And adron 455 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,920 On I did a video on this, it's on our 456 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,039 YouTube channel. But you know, people are really seeing things 457 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:35,799 that don't look like a normal winter, and they're seeing 458 00:26:35,839 --> 00:26:40,000 plants that normally weren't damaged that have become really damaged 459 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:44,079 this year because the cold was so intense and lasted 460 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:45,240 so long. 461 00:26:45,319 --> 00:26:48,799 Speaker 1: There's no question. And you know, I've always said there 462 00:26:48,839 --> 00:26:51,279 are three types of people in this world, those who 463 00:26:51,319 --> 00:26:54,079 make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those 464 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:59,039 who wonder what in the world just happened. And that's 465 00:26:59,079 --> 00:27:02,240 where we're at in early spring. And I think it's 466 00:27:02,279 --> 00:27:06,480 important to remember with evergreens, Stacey, that again we have 467 00:27:06,559 --> 00:27:11,079 to remind ourselves that in many cases the ground froze, 468 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,559 but the upper portion of the plant was exposed to 469 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,480 things like sun and wind and polar vortex. And if 470 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:22,480 the plant is unable to get moisture from the root system, 471 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,880 you're going to see the end result in March, April 472 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:26,240 and May. 473 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,559 Speaker 2: Yes, especially on evergreens, because of course they were yeah, 474 00:27:28,599 --> 00:27:32,200 they were giving offul water and photosynthesizing a bit through 475 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,119 the winter. So yeah, give them time. And I know 476 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,559 it's hard, but you really do need to give these 477 00:27:37,559 --> 00:27:41,759 plants more time to show you where they are alive. 478 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,880 And the further something was set back over winter, the 479 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:46,680 more time it's going to need because it's going to 480 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,920 take longer to recover and actually leave out than if 481 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,480 it had come through winter super healthy. So try not 482 00:27:53,559 --> 00:27:56,279 to panic yet. Give the plants some time. As the 483 00:27:56,359 --> 00:28:00,680 days get longer, as the temperatures get warmer, start to see. 484 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,559 If they're putting on new growth, they're probably gonna recover 485 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,880 pretty okay. If they aren't putting on new growth, then 486 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:08,920 you're going to start to wonder is this alive? Is 487 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,279 this dead? They might only be putting on new growth 488 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:13,359 towards the base of the plant where they were nice 489 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:16,119 and protected by snow or just you know, by being 490 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:19,039 closer to the soil. Now, if that's the case, and 491 00:28:19,079 --> 00:28:21,480 you're seeing, you know, the upper parts of the plant 492 00:28:21,519 --> 00:28:24,640 are dead and the lower parts are alive, then you 493 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,039 can go ahead in prune and let those living parts 494 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:29,279 take over. Get them some air, get them some sun, 495 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,119 and they will slowly take over. But please don't be 496 00:28:32,319 --> 00:28:35,079 especially after a harsh winter like we had. Don't be 497 00:28:35,079 --> 00:28:37,680 in too much of a hurry to take something out 498 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:39,200 if you want to keep it now, if you want 499 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:40,519 it to go, you're just like I don't even want 500 00:28:40,519 --> 00:28:42,000 to look at this thing anymore, and wait for it 501 00:28:42,039 --> 00:28:44,920 to show itself. That's perfectly fine. The garden centers are 502 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,400 teeming with wonderful choices to replace that. But if you 503 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,720 are holding out, definitely keep waiting. 504 00:28:52,079 --> 00:28:55,319 Speaker 1: My personal opinion and experience has been that there are 505 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,720 a couple of months coming up that are the perfect 506 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:03,960 months to fertilize evergreen. So we may disagree on this, Stacey, 507 00:29:04,039 --> 00:29:08,160 but I personally think fertilizing evergreens in May and June 508 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:10,359 is a good idea. You don't want to be doing 509 00:29:10,359 --> 00:29:12,599 it late in the season. You want them to harden 510 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,680 off for winter. So I think you've got an opportunity 511 00:29:16,039 --> 00:29:20,359 coming up to stimulate some new growth, some regrowth in 512 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:21,000 May and June. 513 00:29:21,119 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree. I actually think that. You know, if 514 00:29:23,519 --> 00:29:26,960 you are in a cool climate, now is the perfect 515 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,920 time to fertilize all sorts of woody plants and perennials. 516 00:29:30,519 --> 00:29:33,440 The soil is moist and so that will work to 517 00:29:33,559 --> 00:29:37,079 weather the fertilizer to become available to the plant, and 518 00:29:37,319 --> 00:29:39,359 just as the temperature starts to get even warmer and 519 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:41,799 the days starts to get even longer, that fertilizer will 520 00:29:41,799 --> 00:29:44,599 become available to the plants. And if you're really trying 521 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,039 to get something, obviously don't fertilize a plant that you 522 00:29:47,039 --> 00:29:50,200 think is dead. That's a waste. But if you are 523 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,000 trying to get something to really regrow and recover after 524 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,640 a harsh winter, I think a second application in mid 525 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,200 to late May is exactly what you need to do 526 00:29:58,279 --> 00:30:00,759 to give it that extra energy to to really grow 527 00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:02,279 out of the damage. 528 00:30:02,359 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: I agree. Hey, Stacy, Richard asked us and if I 529 00:30:06,279 --> 00:30:09,240 had a dime for every time I've been asked this question, 530 00:30:09,319 --> 00:30:13,759 and I'm looking forward to your answer. Richard asked, very simply, 531 00:30:14,319 --> 00:30:19,160 how do I prune a butterfly bush? I've been asked 532 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:20,359 that so many times. 533 00:30:20,359 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 2: You know, it's really hard. And I feel this one 534 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,240 very personally because I remember one of the first, if 535 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,279 not the very first thing that I had to do 536 00:30:28,319 --> 00:30:31,039 when I was in horticulture school on our rotations around 537 00:30:31,039 --> 00:30:33,400 the grounds on the New York Botanical Garden. It was 538 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,799 March and someone who was, you know, leading me around 539 00:30:36,839 --> 00:30:39,640 my rotation, said we have to prune this butterfly bush. 540 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,240 What do you do? And the reason that pruning butterfly 541 00:30:42,279 --> 00:30:46,279 bushes is so hard is because it's very difficult to 542 00:30:46,319 --> 00:30:48,680 tell where the buds are correct. You know, compared to 543 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,920 something like a panicle hyrangea, which you would also be 544 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,000 pruning now or rose, super obvious where the buds are 545 00:30:54,039 --> 00:30:56,400 and you cut just above a bud, no problem. With 546 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,559 a butterfly bush, it can be very not so obvious, 547 00:31:00,039 --> 00:31:03,119 and then it becomes really really difficult to decide where 548 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:05,160 to make that decision. Yeah, and couple that with the 549 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,680 fact that in especially in cold climates, butterfly bush already 550 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,720 gets damage, so you don't even know where's it alive, 551 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,839 where is it dead. So my answer for pruning a 552 00:31:13,839 --> 00:31:17,079 butterfly bush is wait for the plant to show you, 553 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,640 Just like I was saying with the evergreens, wait for 554 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,839 the plant to show you where it's alive. It will 555 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,440 do that by pushing out green buds at those points, 556 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:27,640 and then you want to go ahead and cut above 557 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:31,359 where one of those buds is emerging. Now, with butterfly bush, 558 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,000 I do recommend a hard prune which it means is 559 00:31:34,079 --> 00:31:36,559 that you're going to be pruning a lot off of it, 560 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,200 even if it had a lot of die back. If 561 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:43,200 you prune that butterfly bush back quite low, you're going 562 00:31:43,279 --> 00:31:46,039 to get a nice, full plant with flowers all over 563 00:31:46,079 --> 00:31:48,160 it instead of just way up at the tippy tops. 564 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,319 Don't so you don't have to be afraid of pruning 565 00:31:52,359 --> 00:31:55,519 it too much, as long as you are using the 566 00:31:55,559 --> 00:31:59,519 presence of those buds to show you when and where 567 00:31:59,640 --> 00:31:59,839 to p. 568 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:04,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, the plant will respond well to pruning. And Stacy, 569 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,839 I think your your answer there is spot on, and 570 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,480 the reason it's spot on is because die back with 571 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,240 bud Leah's is different every year. 572 00:32:14,359 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. 573 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:17,519 Speaker 1: So it's kind of a wait and see approach. 574 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:19,799 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so I think that's so true of anything 575 00:32:19,839 --> 00:32:21,559 in the garden. And you can kind of apply this, 576 00:32:22,319 --> 00:32:25,920 you know, it's it's totally understandable to you know, you 577 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:30,000 get some nice days, especially some nice weekends, a little sunny, 578 00:32:30,079 --> 00:32:32,000 a little warm, and you're like, I'm ready to get 579 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,039 out there and get some stuff done, and you know, 580 00:32:35,079 --> 00:32:36,640 you're thinking about all the things that are on your 581 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:38,359 to do list and the things you didn't get to 582 00:32:38,519 --> 00:32:42,200 in full, But there are so so many things right 583 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,240 now that really are just best left to wait and see. 584 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:47,880 Kind of goes back to my old saying when in doubt, 585 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:55,079 don't or at least don't yet don't get because you know, again, 586 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,079 if you wait for the plants to show you, they 587 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:01,480 probably will. And there's very aside from perhaps your own 588 00:33:01,519 --> 00:33:04,720 frustration of seeing something that's not looking at its best 589 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,880 in the garden when spring is springing, there's very little 590 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,880 downside to waiting. You know, you're really not gonna make 591 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,640 a mistake by waiting. You might get frustrated, you might 592 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,880 not want to look at the you know thing anymore 593 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,359 with all of its sad brown foliage or whatever it's doing. 594 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,160 But give it time, and you know, like we were saying, 595 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:27,000 by the time May June rolls around, you won't believe 596 00:33:27,039 --> 00:33:29,880 it was ever just a puny little thing. It'll be 597 00:33:30,079 --> 00:33:31,519 a beefcake off to the ridge. 598 00:33:31,759 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: Yes. 599 00:33:32,119 --> 00:33:35,039 Speaker 2: So on that note, we're going to take a little 600 00:33:35,039 --> 00:33:37,039 break and when we come back, we'll be continuing our 601 00:33:37,039 --> 00:33:42,119 conversation on companion plants, or the bud d system as 602 00:33:42,319 --> 00:33:51,119 Rick calls it. So please stay tuned. Thanks for listening 603 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,880 to the Gardening Simplified podcast brought to you by Proven 604 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:57,039 Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and 605 00:33:57,079 --> 00:33:59,880 evergreens are trialed and tested by experts with your sex 606 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:02,920 us in mind. Learn more at Proven Winners color Choice 607 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,240 dot com. 608 00:34:05,519 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Shows. We talk about 609 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:12,320 the buddy system in the landscape, Stacey. We can't ignore 610 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,599 the advances in plant material, whether it's I'm gonna say, 611 00:34:16,639 --> 00:34:20,840 like a short sterile bloomer like pugster bud Lea, which 612 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:24,280 is one of my favorite plants for a hot sunny 613 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:29,920 area that doesn't overwhelm the other plants and get huge, 614 00:34:30,519 --> 00:34:35,519 or advances in perennials like treasure trove Rudbecia, pardon my 615 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:42,119 selection of b balm and manarta and luminary tall garden flocks. 616 00:34:42,519 --> 00:34:47,960 These are all plants that can be afflicted by foliage diseases, 617 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:53,000 especially as it relates to watering practices. But now can 618 00:34:53,079 --> 00:34:58,239 handle group watering better then let's say the old cultivars. 619 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,039 So there is that factor. 620 00:35:00,039 --> 00:35:02,079 Speaker 2: That's a great point. There were definitely plants that you 621 00:35:02,119 --> 00:35:06,320 could not really combine very well before disease resistance was 622 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,440 introduced because combining them into what we consider it to 623 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:14,039 be a really nice combination. Would have meant close spacing 624 00:35:14,159 --> 00:35:17,039 and a lot of water and disease. 625 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 1: Exactly a plant like double play spyrhea. They make great 626 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:26,559 companions because they're always there. They're tough, a contrasting color, 627 00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:32,159 a continuous bloom without overpowering their counterparts. So I think 628 00:35:32,159 --> 00:35:34,559 that that's part of the buddy system. Now I want 629 00:35:34,599 --> 00:35:39,039 to throw I want to coin another phrase, facade plants 630 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:43,559 or facer plants. I think about plants that you're able 631 00:35:43,599 --> 00:35:47,920 to put in the landscape that kind of cover up 632 00:35:48,079 --> 00:35:53,880 the bare branches or the less beautiful areas of certain 633 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:58,000 plants in the lands in the landscape and create a 634 00:35:58,159 --> 00:36:01,760 like a visual transition and from the lawn to the 635 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:06,760 taller plants a form of layering that maybe along the 636 00:36:07,159 --> 00:36:12,559 edge or create a facade many different plants that can 637 00:36:12,679 --> 00:36:18,960 soften that transition, concealed bare stems for older leggier plants, 638 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,679 and kind of complete the look for this layered texture 639 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:28,000 or colored look. I think that that's something to look at. 640 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,639 And when you're looking at edging, looking at plants like lemon, 641 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:35,599 coral seedum or rock and round rock and low rock 642 00:36:35,639 --> 00:36:40,199 and grow seedoms can handle the heat, but would make 643 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:45,880 a great edge in that facade area or that transitional 644 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:49,960 area from the lawn to maybe larger plants. I think 645 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:51,880 that's all part of the buddy system too. 646 00:36:52,079 --> 00:36:56,679 Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, you know, I think I have a bit 647 00:36:56,719 --> 00:36:58,760 of advice here that I think you're going to like, 648 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,960 okay when in doubt at a grass. 649 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 1: Oh, I like that because you. 650 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 2: Know, it's the grasses. They're good buddies. And if you 651 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:13,760 have things like you know, flowering shrubs and perennials and 652 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,719 you're just not sure how to kind of break things up, 653 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:20,280 a grass is such a great way to do that. 654 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,239 And grasses can do so much in the garden. They 655 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:27,599 always add structure. Their color tends to kind of be 656 00:37:27,639 --> 00:37:30,440 blue or green, which is a great blender for various 657 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:34,039 different things. You can get grasses that are super lovely 658 00:37:34,119 --> 00:37:37,440 and misty when they flower, and as well as grasses 659 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,400 that have a much more you know, bold type of flower. 660 00:37:41,599 --> 00:37:43,440 So I feel like it's kind of, you know, like 661 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:47,239 the ultimate blending item for the garden. So whether it's 662 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:51,639 a facade planting or standard perennial garden, you know, if 663 00:37:51,679 --> 00:37:55,480 you're struggling to kind of make that transition. Chances are 664 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:56,519 it's time for a grass. 665 00:37:56,599 --> 00:38:00,280 Speaker 1: Now. I like that. And they're good buddies because they 666 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,320 give more than they take. Okay, they don't ask for 667 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:07,920 a lot, So boy, I really like that. Thank you. Okay, 668 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:12,280 here's another one. Ground covers by definition. Think about it, 669 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:17,599 ground cover, I've got you covered. There's a great buddy 670 00:38:17,679 --> 00:38:22,960 in the landscape. Groundcovers would cool the soil, help suppress weeds, 671 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,880 add to the aesthetics of a landscape. So if you're 672 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:33,800 talking about companion or buddy plants, groundcovers which reduce soil evaporation, 673 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,679 and as I said, block weeds, maybe a buffer zone 674 00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:41,039 between your ornamentals and the more or the weed whacker. 675 00:38:41,559 --> 00:38:45,400 Groundcovers by definition, are a buddy in the landscape. 676 00:38:45,559 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 2: Oh, they're a buddy from an esthetic standpoint as well 677 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,400 as a buddy from a maintenance standpoint, because they're going 678 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:54,840 to keep down weeds and conserve your soil and gradually 679 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,239 spread to be a super low maintenance plan. 680 00:38:57,559 --> 00:39:00,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. And I don't know why, but lately we've been 681 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,679 talking a lot about clover, and I think that there 682 00:39:03,679 --> 00:39:06,280 are people who want to grow clover. But if you 683 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:10,400 think about it again, a legume or a nitrogen fixing 684 00:39:10,559 --> 00:39:13,159 plant is a buddy in the landscape because they add 685 00:39:13,199 --> 00:39:15,639 to the nutrient value of the soil. 686 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:17,800 Speaker 2: So that's just yeah, I want to grow clover. But 687 00:39:18,079 --> 00:39:22,719 as we learned in our rabbit episode last week, between 688 00:39:23,199 --> 00:39:25,480 that and you know, all the rabbits I have, I 689 00:39:25,519 --> 00:39:30,440 am not going to be able to grow clover alas well. 690 00:39:30,519 --> 00:39:34,719 Speaker 1: Let me give a few examples here. You gave examples 691 00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:39,039 during Plants on Trial, so let's go down that road 692 00:39:39,159 --> 00:39:44,440 here a moment. For example, Chives and oregano great perennial 693 00:39:44,519 --> 00:39:50,039 companions in the landscape. Tomatoes love basil, or at least 694 00:39:50,119 --> 00:39:53,800 I love the tomato and basil combination because I think 695 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:59,000 if you plant a basil around tomatoes, the tomatoes taste better. 696 00:39:59,599 --> 00:40:04,559 No scientific evidence for that, but they make great buddies one. 697 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:06,719 Speaker 2: You know. And also in the summer, if you are 698 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:10,159 harvesting tomatoes, there's like a ninety eight percent chance you're 699 00:40:10,159 --> 00:40:12,000 also going to be harvesting basil. So you may as 700 00:40:12,039 --> 00:40:14,119 well make it easy on yourself and have them right 701 00:40:14,159 --> 00:40:17,000 there together rather than have one, you know, clear across 702 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:17,440 the garden. 703 00:40:17,519 --> 00:40:20,559 Speaker 1: Basil instinct, you know, I was at a greenhouse a 704 00:40:20,559 --> 00:40:25,079 few weeks ago chatting with a greenhouse grower and owner 705 00:40:25,519 --> 00:40:30,800 with a group of people and he was asked, what's 706 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:35,559 your number one selling annual? And he said, well, what 707 00:40:35,639 --> 00:40:37,840 do you think it is? And people were throwing out, 708 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:42,840 you know, impatiens, geraniums, supertunias, whatever it may be. He said, no, 709 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:48,199 it's basil by Skew number or by Skew number one 710 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:50,880 selling annual in his greenhouse. 711 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,000 Speaker 2: I thought that that was really that is interesting. I 712 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,960 think most people don't think of basil as an annual, 713 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:56,800 even though it is an annual. Right, think of it 714 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:59,039 as an herb. Right. But I also love growing basil 715 00:40:59,079 --> 00:41:01,159 from seed. Oh, yeah, you know, because you can get 716 00:41:01,199 --> 00:41:05,000 so many cool varieties from seed. I love Oh. I 717 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,239 have such a weakness for those giant leaf basals. 718 00:41:08,079 --> 00:41:11,679 Speaker 1: I agree. I agree, great plant in the landscape, so 719 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:17,519 roses in lavender. Here's a combination that I love. Colius 720 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:22,039 and cufia. Now I've got a theory on this. If 721 00:41:22,079 --> 00:41:27,000 I have bright foliage of a colius, my theory is 722 00:41:27,519 --> 00:41:30,800 it attracts hummingbirds to the landscape. They see the bright 723 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:34,079 color and then when they get there, the kufia is 724 00:41:34,079 --> 00:41:37,880 something that they just like vermilionaire. They just cannot resist it. 725 00:41:38,639 --> 00:41:40,760 And I have a number of pictures in my landscape 726 00:41:41,159 --> 00:41:44,719 of that. So combining Colius, now that you can grow 727 00:41:45,559 --> 00:41:51,239 Colius varieties in full sun, that combination, I think in 728 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:52,719 containers is fantastic. 729 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. I have a theory on this too. I think 730 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:56,079 it goes back to your love of crotons. 731 00:41:56,440 --> 00:41:58,920 Speaker 1: Oh. 732 00:41:59,039 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 2: I wasn't gonna break, but I'm just saying that's like 733 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:03,400 a croton like combination. 734 00:42:03,599 --> 00:42:14,039 Speaker 1: I love crotons. Yeah, okay, crotons. I'm thrown off. 735 00:42:14,199 --> 00:42:16,360 Speaker 2: Now what would you even Okay, so let's just pretend 736 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:20,320 for a second you can grow crotons outdoors. Crotons are 737 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:21,400 a loud plant. 738 00:42:22,039 --> 00:42:26,079 Speaker 1: Well I do grow crotons outdoors, but not just over. 739 00:42:26,159 --> 00:42:28,400 Speaker 2: Right right right. So if it was like a landscape 740 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:31,400 plant for you, you live in you know, Miami, what 741 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:32,320 are you combining it with? 742 00:42:32,599 --> 00:42:39,679 Speaker 1: Oh, impatiens love to grow impatients around crotons. I would 743 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:44,960 grow super benas, super tunias around crotons in the full 744 00:42:45,159 --> 00:42:48,159 hot sun. Oh yeah, I would love that. I really 745 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:51,599 would love that. I wish that they were a hardy plant. 746 00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:58,639 But yeah, anyhow, how about this hydrangers in boxwood one 747 00:42:58,679 --> 00:43:03,400 of my favorite combinations in the landscape is tulips and pansies. 748 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:07,440 Love to plant pansies in the fall, put the tulips 749 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,000 in the ground, then have the tulips grow up through 750 00:43:10,079 --> 00:43:13,960 the pansies in spring. Love that. I think that they 751 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:18,800 make the perfect buddies together in the landscape. Another perfect 752 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:23,760 buddy with tulips are red bud trees. Yeah, red bud 753 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:28,519 trees or virginia I mentioned I guess I have on 754 00:43:28,519 --> 00:43:32,360 my list grasses and flowering shrubs in general. I mean, 755 00:43:32,599 --> 00:43:35,920 look at what a grass like lemon squeeze can do. 756 00:43:36,159 --> 00:43:39,519 It can give you that color contrast, easy to grow 757 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:48,119 combining lemon squeeze with alien serendipity. Great combination. Don't forget 758 00:43:48,119 --> 00:43:51,480 of course, Annual Plant Recipes and Proven Winners on their 759 00:43:51,519 --> 00:43:57,519 website has many wonderful recipes at your disposal. Stacey, butterfly 760 00:43:57,599 --> 00:44:02,639 bush and panicle hydranges, panicle hydranges and rows of sharing 761 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:09,360 obvious combination hosta and ferns, kalladium and pullmon area. The 762 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:13,559 list goes on and on, and I'm getting excited about 763 00:44:13,559 --> 00:44:15,360 getting out there and planting. 764 00:44:15,519 --> 00:44:18,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, you know you are only limited by your imagination, 765 00:44:18,559 --> 00:44:20,280 and unfortunately budget. 766 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:25,320 Speaker 1: Well, let us be your good buddy and keep us 767 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:27,519 tuned in all spring along, because we're going to give 768 00:44:27,519 --> 00:44:30,320 you a good swift kick in the plants on YouTube, 769 00:44:31,039 --> 00:44:34,679 via our podcast, and of course the radio version of 770 00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:37,920 our show. Thank you Stacey, thank you Rick, Thanks Adriana, 771 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:40,000 and enjoy your week. Happy Spring.