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Speaker 1: Coming to you from just outside of studio A here

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at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. It's time for the

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Gardening Simplified Show, and not just any gardening Simplified Show,

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Episode one hundred.

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Speaker 2: Congratulations, congratulations Rick, and congratulations Adriana, and thanks to you

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for sticking with us for all of these episodes. Now,

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as much as I would love to stay out here

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and do the show from the garden, we're going to

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head inside and get started, all right, So here we are.

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It's our one hundredth episode. It is amazing. It's been

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less than two years. We've reached one hundred, so one

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hundred different episodes. You can see them all on our

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website at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com. So if you

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missed one you want to go back, you can find

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them all there. And as we look forward into the

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next one hundred episodes and beyond, we wanted to hear

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from you, and we wanted to hear what you think

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about the show and what you want to see more

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of on the show. Now I can tell you without question,

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Rick and I can sit here and talk to you

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about plants and gardening all day long. We'll tell you

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things you don't even want to hear about plants and gardening,

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but that's what you know. The whole point of the

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show is is you, and is the show serving you

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and helping you become a better gardener and serve your

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needs in the garden and with plants. So we would

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like to invite you to fill out The survey will

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be linked on our website at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com,

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as well as in the comments on our YouTube or

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in the caption on our YouTube video. You can just

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click that now. It is optional, but if you want

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to put an email address, we will draw a winner

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at random to get a proven winner's color choice swag bag.

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You'll get a hat and socks and notebooks and all

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sorts of fun stuff that we'll get from our swag

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at closet, so that'll be one winner at random. It

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can be completely anonymous. Your survey responses are anonymous. We're

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not going to say, you know, Rick Vice seven at

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whatever emailed and said the show is great, don't change

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a thing. We will not be able to connect you

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with your answers, but we will definitely value your time

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and responses to that, so we'd appreciate that if you

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have a moment to fill that out.

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Speaker 1: Tied into that survey, Today, Stacey, we talk about garden

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Topia and we've got a great interview coming up with

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Jan Johnson, an author, a designer who wrote a beautiful

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book called garden Topia that's coming up in our fourth

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segment and should be phoned. And you know what brings

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up the question is garden topia attainable? And tied into

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that survey, Stacy, I would say that I've learned that

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gardening is about continuing education. I'm amazed at how much

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I learn every day. I should say I'm amazed at

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how much I don't know. And that's the great thing

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about gardening, know how plants interact, how they live in

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the earth, who they live with, and how they share

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their resources. If you don't educate and learn, you're a laborer,

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not a gardener. So a true gardener is constantly seeking

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out new answers, you know.

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Speaker 2: And that's so true. And I people will often say, oh,

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you're a garden expert, and I always bristle at that

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because there are no garden experts. I mean, yes, I've

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been gardening a long time and I've definitely learned a

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lot of things and have an under some understanding. But

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I can tell you too. The longer I do this,

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the more I realize how much I don't know, the

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more I realize that plants are just weird and do

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strange things all the time that completely surprise you. And

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I think, you know, Thomas Jefferson really said it best

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because he said, though an old man, I am but

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a young gardener, and he was well into his seventies

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at that point. And you know, that is the attitude

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that you have to take as as a gardener. I

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think a lot of us, speaking from experience, kind of

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do our drawn to gardening because we're maybe a little

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bit of a control freak. We like to have our

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little area that we can control and maybe impose our

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will on. But then there's also this element of whatever

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nature throws at you is whatever you have to deal with.

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And that's how you learn, is the challenges. You don't

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learn by everything going well all of the time. You

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learn best with the challenges.

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Speaker 1: I've always found, Yeah, I agree completely, And when I

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go out and speak to groups, I know you do

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the same, Stacey. I always say to them, I'm not

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the gardening expert. I'm an experienced failure. That's what I am.

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And then when we share our stories and what we've learned,

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everybody benefits. And that's the basis of the Gardening Simplified show.

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You know. Again, we develop a relationship with our gardens,

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with our yards, and I always have to chuckle when

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somebody comes up to me and says, you know, my

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yard got away from me. No, your yard didn't get

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away from you. You got away from your ear.

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Speaker 2: It's true. And also I think that there is some

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something to be said about embracing the wildness. There are

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different approaches to gardening and some people you can certainly

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see this if you drive around any neighborhood. Some people

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are the maintain everything to within an inch of its life.

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Everything has to be trimmed, no plants can touch. Everything

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is a neat, little tough and that is an absolutely

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lovely and valid way to garden, if that's what you

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want to do. But I can tell you you know,

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my tendency is more toward the wild. I don't have

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a lot of weeds because I space my plants closely together,

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and I'd rather have my plants I'll grow in together

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and prune out some stems than to spend the whole

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day falling weeds myself. And of course, within that fast spectrum,

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there's a whole lot of other ways to garden. You

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can mix those two, and you know, I think people

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would be a little bit more interested. I mean, there's

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certainly lots of people are interested in gardening, but I

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think people would be more interested if they realized that

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there was so much more room for creativity and forgiveness

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in plants. Then they assume that there is.

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Speaker 1: That's well said, and also forgiveness on not being able

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to pronounce plant names. Now for episode one hundred, here Stacy.

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It's always a privilege to be able to sit next

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to you and do this show. Your knowledge is amazing

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and your ability to pronounce botanical names blows me away.

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So I thought for show number one hundred, I'd write

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a limb a rick for you called Liberties with language.

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Speaker 2: Ooh, I like it.

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Speaker 1: Today we are turning one hundred. Where did the time go?

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I wondered, It's been a successful run. Time flies, We're

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having fun. Lots of Latin names I've blundered. Thanks for

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listening and viewing our commitment. We're renewing botanical names can agast,

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So just say them really fast then pretend you know

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what you're doing. That's my approach.

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Speaker 2: I like, you know, it's a valid approach. There is

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nothing wrong with that. And you know I've said it

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on the show and I think and I will continue

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to say it, and that is that a scientific name

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is a great thing to know because it is universal.

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So if you were in another country out a botanical garden,

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you would be able to know what plant you were

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looking at. But at the end of the day, plant

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names serve primarily to get you what you want at

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the garden center, and as long as you are walking

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out with the plant that you wanted and hopefully a

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few more additional new friends to get to know, that's

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all that matters. Whether or not you pronounce it quote

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unquote correctly is really you know, people will think, oh, Stacy,

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she's such a you know, she's just so up on

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grammar and you have to say things right, and that's

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not true at all. For many, many years, I actually

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said hydrange up macro phila or macrophyla, and someone said,

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why are you saying macrophila. You don't say chlorophyle And

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he said, you're right, those are the same root words

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like the phyl And that's what I realized. It's just

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about consistency. So make up your mind how you're going

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to pronounce stuff. Try to interpret that consistently over all

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different parts of speech. Easier said than done, probably, but

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I you know, I again, I leave plenty of room

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for giveness when it comes to plant names out there.

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Speaker 1: I'll be consistent and just say I'm really fast. That's

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what I'm going to do. So, Stacy, we've had a

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lot of great topics through the first one hundred episodes.

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Of course, people have enjoyed us walking through the trial

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garden plants of the year, pruning specimen plants. I was

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amazed at how vines and clematis or clematis was such

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a popular topic. But again, to reiterate, I'm interested in

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hearing from our listeners, from our viewers who make this

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show the topics that you're interested in. Because, yes, one

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hundred episodes, but Stacy, I think we've just scratched the surface.

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Speaker 2: We have, and there's always so much more to talk

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about new topics as well as revisiting old topics with

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new context. Because you know, if we do a spring

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pruning show, that's going to have a very different kind

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of context and lean than if we were to do

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a fall pruning show or a winter pruning show. And so,

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you know, things never really get old. And here's the

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other thing, especially if you are a gardener who is

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very much still learning, as we mostly all are, it

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doesn't hurt to have things repeated a little bit to

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remind you and bring it back to top of mind.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, So today we'll talk about garden Topia. Is it attainable?

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A great interview coming up in our fourth segment. I

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like plants that celebrate the seasons, that give three or

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four seasons of interest, plants that are foundational, plants that

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put on a show, Plants that are low maintenance, enjoyed

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by wildlife, native of ours like proven winners, color choice shrubs,

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berry Poppins, winterberry or brandywine Vi Burnham. And then of course,

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one of our best topics during the one hundred shows

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was lering plants and positioning plants. That's a hot topic, Stace.

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Speaker 2: It's a hot topic. And you know that is one

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where I think a lot of people, and I talked

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about it on the episode. People think there's a right answer,

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People think that there are these formulas, and you can't

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veer out of them. I can tell you that even

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the most talented garden designers out there who make it

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look easy, they have not always gotten it right. They

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finally got it right, and we all keep experimenting. And

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I think that's really the key, is to keep a

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critical eye and give yourself room to not necessarily make mistakes,

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but to do things that maybe don't work out, and

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then you can almost always, i mean, short of planting

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like an oak tree, you can almost always move things

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and change your mind.

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Speaker 1: One of the favorite topics on The Gardening Simplified Show

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is the second segment Plants on Trial, and we can

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tap into Stacy's knowledge of plants, and that's coming up

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next here on our one hundredth episode. We'll see what

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plant Stacy has to share with us. That's coming up

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next here on The Gardening Simplified Show.

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Speaker 2: Proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs care about your success in

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the garden. That's why we trial and test all of

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our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they

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outperform everything else on the market. Look for them and

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the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greetings,

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Gardening friends. For the one hundredth time, it is my

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pleasure to talk to you about plants on trial, which

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is where we take a plant, one of the three

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hundred and twenty plus proven Winner's Color Choice shrubs, and

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tell you all about it, and you decide if you're

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going to put it in your garden. But before we

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get there, the bigger question is garden topia possible?

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Speaker 3: Now?

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Speaker 2: Of course I believe absolutely it is. It certainly is happening.

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For me. My garden honestly just looks so amazing right now.

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It is unequivocally a late July garden just by virtue

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of the plants that I have in it, you know,

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late July, early August, late midsummer garden, and everything is

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just so grown in. I can't see my neighbors anymore

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because you know, my big silphium cup plants are ten

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feet tall, and you know, everything is just lush and

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wonderful and full. And for me, that is garden topia,

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that feeling of just sort of being surrounded by this

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paradise of you know, diversity of plants, diversity of insects, birds,

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baby bunnies that are so cute. I have a set

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of two living in the garden right now, which are adorable,

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and you know, they help you rabbit proof your garden

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because you're not going to be able to have a

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garden and long if you've got a pair of baby

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bunnies and they eat everything. So for me, yeah, I

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think the garden topia is absolutely possible, and I think

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that I'm experiencing it, especially at this time of year.

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But I think the trick for most people when it

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comes to this notion of garden topia, this utopian you

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know garden that can it exist in your backyard, is

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that a lot of people don't know what that would

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look like for themselves.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think it's embracing the fact that a

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garden is a living thing. It's constantly changing. So when

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you talk about utopia, I mean a garden is never finished.

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That's why we have photography.

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Speaker 2: Right yes, absolutely, yeah, And.

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Speaker 1: So to reach utopia, I think it's like it's it's fluid,

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is what it is.

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Speaker 2: And our listeners miss Adriana's little uh hurah there for photography.

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Ada is also a videographer and photographer as well as

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our producer. So you know, figuring out what you want,

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figuring out what that ideal garden topia would look like

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for you. You know, that might be the you know,

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maintain all of the neatly prune shrubs. It might be

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a wild garden. It might be a mix of all

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of those things. But one element that I personally found,

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especially living you know, in a small city in a

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heavily residential area, one element that I think is very

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very crucial for a successful garden a utopian garden is

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a sense of enclosure, as you want some structure and

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something that makes your garden feel private. And it doesn't

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have to be, you know, a complete privacy edge, but

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this element of privacy I think for me is very

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very crucial to a successful garden because it makes you,

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as the gardener and person who enjoys your garden, feel

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like you have someplace to really escape to. And I mean,

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this is gonna sound kind of mean, but I'm going

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to go for it anyway. It kind of it kind

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of gives everybody else something to be jealous of that

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there's a space that they can't go in that you've created,

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and it really is like, oh, I wonder what's back

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there behind that hedge. You know, there's something very enticing

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about a closed gate, about a closed off hedge about

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a place that you can't enter, and I think that's

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just as important in someone's garden as it is like

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in a public garden or anything like that. So this

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sense of enclosure and creating that is really important. Now,

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open vistas are very important to you, and I'm sure

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our guests will talk more about this, and my garden

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has a little bit of both. You know. I give

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some great borrowed scenery, which is basically when you can

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see something off in the distance from your garden, and

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one of those is a beautiful, magical giant elm tree

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that somehow escaped Dutch elm disease, and that adds a

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lot of sort of permanence to the garden. It's not

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in my yard, it's off, but I can see it

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from my garden. So you kind of have this mix

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of enclosure created by tall plants and as well as

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this ability to see out. So I think these tall

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enclosing plants are a really crucial part of the garden

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and not something that I think most people think about

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including in their garden because most people are like, I

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want something short, I don't want to have to prune it.

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You know, they're thinking more about just things framing the

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window or again being very neat and tidy, and these

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taller plants that provide that enclosure are really really crucial

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now for most people if they're talking about a privacy hedge,

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an enclosure of some sort, some way to kind of

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screen off of you or to protect, you know, to

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create your own little protected area. The number one plant

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most people think of arborviting, right, I mean absolutely, it's

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kind of the go to hedge plant, and for good reasons.

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It's fast growing, it is inexpensive for growers to produce.

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It's an easy plant for them to grow, which makes

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it very inexpensive for you to buy, which is something

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that also usually if you're planting a hedge, kind of

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that cost comes into play because it's a lot of plants,

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it's native, it has a delicious, delicious smell. I love

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the smell of arboridy foliage. Pretty easy to grow, pretty durable,

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and pretty fast growing as well, but not extremely heat

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tolerant and as Rick and I can certainly attest, far

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from deer resistant. An arborvity would never last and it

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would be, you know, like a snowball in July in

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my garden. Because deer don't just eat it. They love it,

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that fruity fragrance. They adore it. So you know, for me,

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arborvity to create a sense of enclosure is just not like,

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not even something I could consider.

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Speaker 1: I'd add an element through the years in garden centers,

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watching people, the element of touch. Also, arbor vidy is

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is fun to touch, comparatively comparatively to let's say, juniper.

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Speaker 2: Huh oh, yes, that's for sure too. It's not prickly.

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It has a nice kind of smooth, waxy looking leaf.

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But again, not all of us have arborvide as an

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option for creating that sense of enclosure or screening off

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an insightly view. And another important aspect of this is like,

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you know, you're creating your garden topia and blamo, there's

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your air conditioner, Like not really bringing the romance when

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you see your noisy old air conditioner in the middle

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of your beautiful, romantic garden. So that might be a

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situation where you want to kind of screen that off

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from the area, you know, where you're spending time, so

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you don't have to see it and think about it.

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And so you're looking for these screening or hedging or

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privacy type of plants. Arborviti is not an option. Well,

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I do have an option for you. It is today's

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plant on trial, and it is this is just one

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piece of it. It's not the plant cedar rapids. Cama

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cipress love it. Yes, So Camma cipress is also known

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as false cypress. And you know, we could spend a

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whole show, probably one day, talking about the nuances and

340
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confusion between cypress and cedar and all of these different terms.

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But Camma cipress is known as false cypress and also

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known as hinoki cypress. So Hainoki cypress is a plant

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that I think a lot of people are familiar with.

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They may have heard the name. Technically speaking, Hainoki cypress

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is Cama cipress obtusa, and that is a very specific one.

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It tends to be very small and selected for having

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really unique foliage. They look like they were in a

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coral reef or something like really sculptural, beautiful foliage. They

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tend to be specimen plants, though slower growing because of

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this short.

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00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,680
Speaker 1: As it relates to arborvidi, great for hedging. As you

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00:19:02,759 --> 00:19:07,119
pointed out, camicipress just makes a great specimen plant.

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Speaker 2: That's true, except there are also Cama cipprus that can

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be used as hedges, and cedar rapids is one of them.

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So cedar rapids is a Cama Ciprius pacifera. So the

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00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:18,720
point that I'm making here is that there are a

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number of different species of Camma cipprus out there. So

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don't you say, hey, I've got this, you know, little

359
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Hinoki cypress. I've had it for twenty five years. The

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00:19:26,839 --> 00:19:28,759
thing is five feet tall. There's no way I'm making

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a hedge out of this. There are other types of

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Cama Cippus out there, fall cypress. Camma ciprius pacifera is

363
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what cedar rapids is. Fun fact, since we're talking about

364
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botanical names, the pacifera part of the name pisi fer

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comes from the Latin for p bearing like it bears peas.

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Speaker 1: But wow, you've given us all a head ucation.

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Speaker 2: I have, and it's not remol related related to peas,

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just the little tiny green fruits that it bears. Apparently

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to someone back in the day Linnaeus or whoever resembled piece.

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So Camma Cipus pacifica very different animal than the Hanoki cypress,

371
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also known as the Sowara cypress. So you might be thinking, wow,

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these names sound kind of Japanese, and you are correct.

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Most there are native Cama cipress to the US, but

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most of the ones we grow in our garden are

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native japan to Japan, and this is no different. But

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this plant is a fast growing Cama cipress, so faster

377
00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,119
growing than most Cama ciprus that you might be used

378
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to or have had in your garden, and that makes

379
00:20:32,599 --> 00:20:36,079
it a viable hedge plant. It naturally grows with a

380
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,960
dense pyramidal habit, so it's going to have that same

381
00:20:39,079 --> 00:20:42,200
kind of ice cream cone shape that people love upside

382
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,359
down ice cream cone shape that people love so much

383
00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,519
in most arbor idy. It's going to get to be

384
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about thirty feet tall and twelve to fifteen feet wide,

385
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so this is a bigger plant. It might not be

386
00:20:53,519 --> 00:20:56,440
a viable hedging option for your screening option for you

387
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,680
if you live in a smaller area, because that twelve

388
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to few fifteen foot range at the bottom is taking

389
00:21:02,559 --> 00:21:04,920
up quite a bit of real estate. But if you

390
00:21:05,079 --> 00:21:08,160
have more space, I think that sense of enclosure in

391
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,400
creating separate spaces for you to spend time in is

392
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,200
an even more crucial part of creating that garden topia,

393
00:21:14,319 --> 00:21:17,359
because how else are you going to you know, break

394
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,160
up your space and create those more intimate spaces than

395
00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:21,480
with some structure like this.

396
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,079
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I agree with you. It's all about space.

397
00:21:24,319 --> 00:21:27,759
And I love your concept of borrowed space. I'm sitting

398
00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:31,920
here thinking about my space, my enclosure, and then the

399
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:38,519
borrowed space, Lake Michigan, the dunes and my neighbor's outdoor shower.

400
00:21:38,799 --> 00:21:40,200
I got to do something about that.

401
00:21:40,799 --> 00:21:42,599
Speaker 2: Lake Michigan and the dunes is good. But yeah, the

402
00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,160
outward shower. Maybe time for a camma cipress or something

403
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,680
else like that. Now, Cama ciprus and cedar rapids specifically,

404
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,119
the branchlets are very soft and kind of almost feathery.

405
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:54,519
So I brought this one in and if you're watching

406
00:21:54,599 --> 00:21:56,839
us on need To, you can see they just have

407
00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,480
these almost featherlike branchlets that gives it a really elegant

408
00:22:00,599 --> 00:22:04,039
kind of soft to look nice, bright green foliage. And

409
00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:07,319
this is deer resistant. Now, it's not prickly like where

410
00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:08,720
you know, you can see me touching it. I'm not,

411
00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,079
you know, wincing in pain. Here, tiny bit of prickliness

412
00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:15,880
on it, But overall, camisippris is a great deer resistant

413
00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,880
alternative to arbor id, and it's a bit more heat

414
00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,519
tolerant as well. This can easily grow up to USDA

415
00:22:22,599 --> 00:22:25,240
Zone eight, a little less hardy. We're looking at USDA

416
00:22:25,319 --> 00:22:27,799
Zone four on this, whereas most arbor IDs are down

417
00:22:27,839 --> 00:22:31,960
to USDA Zone three. Did you touch It's nice and soft. Yeah,

418
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,559
so a really really nice choice. And I think it's

419
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,240
just good for people to know that. You know, when

420
00:22:37,319 --> 00:22:38,599
it comes to this, you don't just have to throw

421
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,200
up your hands and say I can't grow arborvidy. I

422
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:41,559
don't know what I'll do. I guess I'll just have

423
00:22:41,599 --> 00:22:44,160
to invest in a really expensive wall or something like that.

424
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,680
You can still create plant based solutions to building garden rooms,

425
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,279
to screening off unsightly views, and to creating that beautiful

426
00:22:52,319 --> 00:22:56,680
sense of privacy and enclosure in your garden with other plants.

427
00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:00,000
So check us out at Gardening Simplified on air dot com.

428
00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,519
You will see everything you need to know about cedar

429
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,680
rapids Cama ceprus and you can decide if it is

430
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,200
the right solution for your privacy and screening needs in

431
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,279
your garden. We've got to take a little break. When

432
00:23:10,279 --> 00:23:11,519
we come back, we're going to be opening up the

433
00:23:11,519 --> 00:23:13,680
garden mail bag for the one hundredth time, so stay

434
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:23,599
tuned at proven winner's color choice. We've got a shrub

435
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,799
for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking for

436
00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:30,480
an easy care rose and unforgettable hydrangea, or something new

437
00:23:30,519 --> 00:23:32,839
and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs and

438
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,960
the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success.

439
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:41,759
Look for them at your local garden center. Greeting's gardening friends,

440
00:23:41,759 --> 00:23:44,279
and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. You know,

441
00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:47,839
when we first started the show, we knew without question

442
00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,799
that we wanted to have some mailbag segment where people

443
00:23:50,799 --> 00:23:53,359
could write in with their questions because it's something that

444
00:23:53,359 --> 00:24:00,480
we really care about doing. Ooh, and so please to

445
00:24:00,599 --> 00:24:03,960
answer gardening questions for the one hundredth time and continue.

446
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,279
Even if you take a look at our survey and

447
00:24:06,319 --> 00:24:08,720
we look at making some changes as we move ahead

448
00:24:08,799 --> 00:24:11,359
with the show, it's always going to be important to

449
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,440
us to keep some opportunity to answer garden questions. Helps

450
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,599
everybody know what's going on. And you know, so often

451
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,200
if you have a question, other people have the same question,

452
00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:23,480
So it's a good opportunity so you can reach.

453
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,240
Speaker 1: I have questions like what's in Rick's coffee?

454
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:28,799
Speaker 2: I think I know now.

455
00:24:30,279 --> 00:24:30,799
Speaker 1: I'm sorry.

456
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:35,480
Speaker 2: Go ahead, so visit us at Gardening Simplified on air

457
00:24:35,599 --> 00:24:38,680
dot com. There you can reach us through the contact form.

458
00:24:38,759 --> 00:24:41,519
You can even attach a photo, and then you can

459
00:24:41,559 --> 00:24:44,359
also find a link to our survey which you can

460
00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:47,079
take and fill out with your thoughts on the future

461
00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:49,200
of the show as well as what you've liked so

462
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,680
far and if you would like be entered to win

463
00:24:51,799 --> 00:24:55,279
a proven winner's color choice swag package.

464
00:24:55,519 --> 00:24:58,160
Speaker 1: I just love that, Stacy, because we'd love to hear

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00:24:58,279 --> 00:25:01,799
what you have to say or if you have thought topics, boy,

466
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:02,799
let us hear about it.

467
00:25:02,839 --> 00:25:05,559
Speaker 2: Yeah, we love hearing about it. And you were sharing

468
00:25:05,599 --> 00:25:09,000
with me an interesting idea from a listener, Marv. Yeah, tomatoes.

469
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:11,799
Speaker 1: Yeah, Marv sent us some pictures. You're seeing it on

470
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,319
YouTube or you can go to our website, Gardeningsimplified on

471
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,079
air dot Com. Marv doing a great job with his

472
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,000
tomatoes and a great photo of how he pairs basil

473
00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:26,319
with his tomatoes. He grows basil at the base. I

474
00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:30,680
have always said that it is basil instinct to grow

475
00:25:30,839 --> 00:25:34,839
basil in close proximity to tomato plants because the tomatoes

476
00:25:34,839 --> 00:25:38,640
will taste better. I have no scientific evidence for that,

477
00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:40,160
but I believe it.

478
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,519
Speaker 2: Well, it's convenient in any case to have the basil intro.

479
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,160
There's no evidence, but it doesn't hurt and it does

480
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,240
look great together. And then you know when you're harvesting

481
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,039
your peak tomatoes for that, you know Ensalada cuprazy at

482
00:25:55,039 --> 00:25:57,640
the end of summer. The basil's right there. Now, what's

483
00:25:57,640 --> 00:25:59,680
interesting to me is that Marvis is growing a little

484
00:25:59,759 --> 00:26:02,240
leaf basil. I feel like most people grow the bigger

485
00:26:02,319 --> 00:26:05,039
leaf basils, but he's growing a little leaf basil sometimes

486
00:26:05,039 --> 00:26:08,200
called box basil, sometimes called Greek basil, and that's the

487
00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,680
main basil that he has. So that's an interesting take

488
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,759
as well. It gives it kind of a more formal look.

489
00:26:12,759 --> 00:26:13,799
But it's very, very pretty.

490
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:18,000
Speaker 1: It's beautiful. It's beautiful. Michael writes to us. This Bollywood

491
00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,640
variegated azalea has been in the ground a few years.

492
00:26:21,079 --> 00:26:25,119
It is a great little azalea with awesome showstopper blooms

493
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,279
in the spring. My concern is that it appears to

494
00:26:28,319 --> 00:26:31,799
have a girdling root, so we're looking at that picture,

495
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,720
and again we'll share that picture on our website. Also,

496
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,920
is this a problem and if it is, can anything

497
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,960
be done to secure the longevity of the shrub?

498
00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:45,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, a girdling root basically just means a root

499
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:49,160
that is growing around and around in circles and can

500
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,359
actually start to wrap around the plant and cut off.

501
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,559
You know, we've all seen a tree sort of grow

502
00:26:55,599 --> 00:26:58,640
into like a fence or something like that. Sometimes a

503
00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,759
tree winds, sometimes the fence winds. So what happens is

504
00:27:01,759 --> 00:27:03,559
these roots they grow around and around, and they can

505
00:27:03,599 --> 00:27:06,119
actually cut off the plant from the roots or cut

506
00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:08,839
off part of the cambium so that water and sugars

507
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,519
can't make their way through the plant. And sometimes this

508
00:27:12,559 --> 00:27:14,279
can be an issue of just how the plant was

509
00:27:14,279 --> 00:27:17,599
grown originally. Sometimes it just happens on its own just

510
00:27:17,599 --> 00:27:20,160
because of the way that the roots grow. But my

511
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,359
advice in Michael's case here would be to just go

512
00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:26,519
ahead and snip that root. You can see in the photo.

513
00:27:26,599 --> 00:27:30,799
It is a rather larger root. And azalea's overall are

514
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,960
pretty sensitive to anything going on with the roots. They're

515
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,359
shallow rooted. But you know, I think you do obviously

516
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,319
love this plant it's a nice established specimen. I think

517
00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,880
that just snipping that root, like right where it starts

518
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,119
to cross over the other root, because all of this

519
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:50,160
is happening above ground. So that's why Michael can tell

520
00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:52,720
I would just go ahead and snip that out with

521
00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:56,519
a nice, very very sharp, fresh pair of pruners and

522
00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,359
just kind of correct the problem. I think that's better

523
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,160
than having it potentially get worse and then not having

524
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:04,519
an opportunity to correct it.

525
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,799
Speaker 1: I would agree with clipping the root if push comes

526
00:28:08,839 --> 00:28:13,960
to shovel. I would suggest doing it in fall. Of course, fall,

527
00:28:14,039 --> 00:28:16,079
because the soil is nice and warm and there's no

528
00:28:16,079 --> 00:28:20,400
stress on the plant. Roots can redevelop at that time

529
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,799
of the year. Not that that's critical. I'm just saying

530
00:28:22,839 --> 00:28:25,640
from my experience that's probably when I would.

531
00:28:25,599 --> 00:28:27,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you're right, And the timing is obviously

532
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,160
perfect because here we are at the height of summer.

533
00:28:30,079 --> 00:28:32,920
Fall would be perfect again because the plant's already going dormant.

534
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:34,599
It's still going to have plenty of all of that

535
00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,720
root root growth time in the fall, So I would

536
00:28:38,759 --> 00:28:42,319
go ahead and snip that out. If this were a tree,

537
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:44,079
it would maybe be a little bit different that wouldn't

538
00:28:44,079 --> 00:28:46,319
be quite a straightforward, but since this is a small shrub,

539
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,039
I would say do that before it gets worse and

540
00:28:49,079 --> 00:28:50,920
the plant, you know, should be okay.

541
00:28:51,599 --> 00:28:55,319
Speaker 1: Stacy, you loved some beautiful pictures that Rebecca sent to us,

542
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,960
photos of an area where she's been hiking for years,

543
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,440
and all of a sudden that area is covered in mysterious.

544
00:29:01,759 --> 00:29:04,599
Speaker 2: Flower, right and now, I so when you sent these

545
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,119
pictures to me, I was maybe I immediately knew what

546
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,279
the plant was, But when I looked through the photos

547
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,039
that Rebecca sent, I can see how it would be

548
00:29:13,079 --> 00:29:18,480
pretty freaky because this plant is absolutely carpeting this area.

549
00:29:19,119 --> 00:29:21,400
And so you can look at the photo on YouTube

550
00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:23,759
or on our website at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com.

551
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,480
But just if you are in the car or whatever listening,

552
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,000
it's a forest here in Michigan and there is all over,

553
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:36,079
you know, literally thousands of these flowers coming up on

554
00:29:36,119 --> 00:29:40,400
say maybe a twelve inch stem, little ball starburst flower,

555
00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:41,759
you know, maybe about the size of a quarry. They

556
00:29:41,799 --> 00:29:44,880
look like alis, they look like aliums. They also could

557
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,160
look like in aralia, which was one of the first things,

558
00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:49,359
which one is one of the first things I thought,

559
00:29:49,359 --> 00:29:50,920
but then I said, no, no, I know what exactly what

560
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,960
this is absolutely carpeting the ground. I mean literally thousands

561
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,079
of them. I have never seen a site like this

562
00:29:57,799 --> 00:30:04,160
in my life. And what it is is ramps. Yeah, yeah, ramps.

563
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,480
So if you're familiar with ramps, they are a native

564
00:30:07,759 --> 00:30:12,119
Alium family member, so a native onion relative. They come

565
00:30:12,119 --> 00:30:17,440
out in spring with beautiful broad leaves and a purple stem.

566
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,200
They will give you, before worn, the worst onion breath

567
00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,440
you've ever had in your life, but it is more

568
00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,240
than worth it because they have such a unique and

569
00:30:26,359 --> 00:30:31,200
delicious flavor. And most people only think about ramps in

570
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,079
spring when you would actually harvest them or see them abundantly,

571
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,680
especially in moisture woods, so not so much dry woods,

572
00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,519
but in moisture woods you'll see them. Most people never

573
00:30:39,559 --> 00:30:43,640
see them flower because ramps flower what is known in

574
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,480
horticulture as naked, so that means that they flower without

575
00:30:47,519 --> 00:30:50,799
any foliage or other parts of the plant. So even

576
00:30:50,839 --> 00:30:52,839
though ramps come out in spring and that's when you

577
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,160
actually harvest the leaf and little bulb and stem there,

578
00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:01,079
the flowers bloom here in late July without a single

579
00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,319
shred of evidence as to what the plant is, so

580
00:31:04,359 --> 00:31:07,759
it's really kind of bewildering, especially to see it at

581
00:31:07,759 --> 00:31:09,400
the scale that this is.

582
00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:14,559
Speaker 1: Yeah, bewildering and beautiful. So we appreciate those those pictures.

583
00:31:14,759 --> 00:31:17,759
Doing a little research on that. To Stacey, what I read,

584
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:20,279
and I'm not sure if this is true, but I

585
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,960
read seven years for one ramp seed to emerge as

586
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,119
a shoot, Oh wow, and that would explain why she's

587
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,559
hiking in the area, had never seen it before, and

588
00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,799
now all of a sudden sees it. Ramps can be

589
00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:39,440
quite expensive, they're a delicacy, and they can also be

590
00:31:39,839 --> 00:31:41,200
over foraged.

591
00:31:41,359 --> 00:31:45,519
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, they can definitely be over foraged. It's Rebecca

592
00:31:45,559 --> 00:31:48,640
has not found an or over forged path, right, you

593
00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,000
know area of it because they are abundant. But yeah,

594
00:31:51,039 --> 00:31:53,440
you do have to be careful obviously, never harvest ramps

595
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,640
on property that is not your owner, that you don't

596
00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:59,160
have permission to harvest on. But that is why it's

597
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:02,200
a good point why all of a sudden, after hiking

598
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,119
there for many years, you see this explosion of ramflowers,

599
00:32:05,119 --> 00:32:08,559
and Rebecca, what you saw really is an anomaly. It

600
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,799
was very special and you should consider yourself lucky. And

601
00:32:10,839 --> 00:32:12,480
if you aren't Rebecca. You should definitely check out the

602
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,000
pictures because it is pretty magical.

603
00:32:14,079 --> 00:32:16,839
Speaker 1: It's gorgeous. And then Michelle sends us a photo of

604
00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:21,400
an echinasia with a split personality stage.

605
00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,359
Speaker 2: Yes, so this was a fun one and you're definitely

606
00:32:25,359 --> 00:32:28,279
going around look at a picture of this as well

607
00:32:28,359 --> 00:32:32,680
on Gardening Simplified on air dot com. And what you'll

608
00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:37,039
see is a regular echinaesia. So people are familiar with ecinaesia,

609
00:32:37,119 --> 00:32:39,400
usually it's purple, but this particular one is an orange

610
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:43,359
or yellow one. And what has happened to the plant,

611
00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,440
the flower itself is that it almost looks like someone

612
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,319
took painter's tape and made a line directly down the

613
00:32:50,319 --> 00:32:52,440
center of the flower. And half of it is bright

614
00:32:52,519 --> 00:32:56,480
yellow and half of it is distinctively bright orange.

615
00:32:56,559 --> 00:32:56,960
Speaker 1: Stunning.

616
00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,759
Speaker 2: It is very stunning, and it is a known as

617
00:33:01,799 --> 00:33:06,640
a chimera, and a chimera it's named for the ancient

618
00:33:06,799 --> 00:33:11,880
Greek creature fire breathing monster that was had a lion's head,

619
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,720
a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. Now some pictures

620
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,039
of a chimera. If you look it up, it's got

621
00:33:18,119 --> 00:33:21,079
the lion you know, head and forearms, it's got the

622
00:33:21,119 --> 00:33:24,960
goat head and back quarters, and then the tail and

623
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,839
the serpent's head, So it's all three animals crushed into

624
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:33,319
one kind of terrifying creature. How that translates botanically to

625
00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,759
what a plant chimera is is. It is multiple genes

626
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:43,160
manifesting within a single flower. This isn't like totally unusual,

627
00:33:43,319 --> 00:33:48,519
but it's not common. And the chimera mutation is basically

628
00:33:48,599 --> 00:33:52,759
just as the flower was developing that apical mara sem

629
00:33:52,799 --> 00:33:56,880
where the growth point comes from. It just whatever mutation happened,

630
00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,720
it caused those two genes to develop at similar rates.

631
00:34:01,839 --> 00:34:06,200
And it literally means that there are two different genomes

632
00:34:06,279 --> 00:34:09,280
existing within this single flower. Now, I will tell you

633
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:15,360
right now, chimeras are very complicated genetically, and I could

634
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,239
not possibly even pretend to explain to you what's actually

635
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,880
going on. But I did find some great resources that

636
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,239
I will post in our show notes at Gardening Simplified

637
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:27,119
on air dot com if you are interested in learning more.

638
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,840
There's no need to do anything if your plant does this.

639
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:32,800
I asked some of our plant breeders what they thought

640
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,079
if this would continue, if you would see this again

641
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,000
next year, and they said very likely you will, so

642
00:34:39,039 --> 00:34:40,880
no need to do anything. It's not a mutation. It's

643
00:34:41,199 --> 00:34:43,760
it's not a weakening mutation. It's a mutation, but it's

644
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,639
just you know, genes from the plant's past sort of

645
00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:48,679
making themselves known today.

646
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:53,159
Speaker 1: Accept compliments on the mutation. I think it's beautiful chimerism,

647
00:34:54,039 --> 00:34:57,360
something that I've seen often in Zenius.

648
00:34:57,519 --> 00:34:59,960
Speaker 2: Oh yes, yeah, there's some Some plants are more susceptible,

649
00:35:00,039 --> 00:35:03,159
and obviously the daisy family are ast racy, as we

650
00:35:03,199 --> 00:35:05,679
can see with zecond aisha. So if you find a

651
00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:08,119
k chimera, go ahead and send us a picture and

652
00:35:08,199 --> 00:35:10,679
patch yourself on the back. So we're going to take

653
00:35:10,679 --> 00:35:12,079
a little break. When we come back, we've got a

654
00:35:12,119 --> 00:35:20,039
special guest for branching news, so please stay tuned. The

655
00:35:20,079 --> 00:35:23,119
Gardening Simplified Show is brought to you by proven Winners

656
00:35:23,159 --> 00:35:27,039
Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens

657
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658
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659
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660
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661
00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:42,360
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, and today for

662
00:35:42,519 --> 00:35:47,440
branching news and interview. Looking forward to this along the

663
00:35:47,519 --> 00:35:51,679
subject of garden Topia, and if you're watching on YouTube,

664
00:35:52,079 --> 00:35:55,599
Stacy's holding up this beautiful book right now written by

665
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:59,239
Jan Johnson Now. Jan is an award winning landscape designer

666
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:03,440
and author and a speaker. She studied landscape architecture and

667
00:36:03,519 --> 00:36:10,400
received a graduate degree in planning. She's worked in New York, Honolulu, Japan, California, Washington,

668
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:15,280
d C. Of course, designs landscapes, and as I mentioned,

669
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:19,639
is an author the beautiful book garden Topia Designed Basics

670
00:36:19,679 --> 00:36:24,239
for Creating Beautiful outdoor Spaces. Of course, this follows the

671
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:29,039
other books she's written, The Spirit of Stone and Heaven

672
00:36:29,559 --> 00:36:34,960
is a Garden. I love following Jan on Instagram because

673
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:39,199
it's inspirational. Jan, Welcome to the Gardening Simplified Show.

674
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,079
Speaker 3: Well, hello everyone, Hi, Rick, thank you so much for

675
00:36:43,159 --> 00:36:43,960
that great intro.

676
00:36:46,079 --> 00:36:49,239
Speaker 1: Let me start here because it's our topic. And of

677
00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:52,039
course people right now are looking at your beautiful book,

678
00:36:52,119 --> 00:36:57,159
garden Topia. Garden Topia, you say, is that rare marriage

679
00:36:57,159 --> 00:37:00,320
of the art of landscaping and the technical knowledge of

680
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:04,039
how to compose a landscape? I should ask right off

681
00:37:04,039 --> 00:37:07,760
the bat, Jan, is garden Topia attainable?

682
00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:12,800
Speaker 3: Oh? Absolutely? And it doesn't matter how big a piece

683
00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:16,039
of property you have. I mean, it could be very small,

684
00:37:16,119 --> 00:37:18,519
like I have a very small backyard, but it is

685
00:37:18,599 --> 00:37:20,400
definitely my little sanctuary.

686
00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:28,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we were talking about space earlier. You mentioned sanctuary.

687
00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,800
That's one of the ideals as far as garden Topia

688
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:35,559
is concerned, is to create your space. And you know,

689
00:37:35,639 --> 00:37:38,800
this is episode one hundred. One of the most popular

690
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:42,400
shows we did was a show on layering, in other words,

691
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:46,719
how to place plants and where to place plants. I

692
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:52,360
noticed on Instagram that you recently landscaped a fire pit

693
00:37:52,559 --> 00:37:56,480
area and I thought it was just so beautiful because

694
00:37:56,519 --> 00:38:01,559
you simply used what was it hacking achlore, Japanese forest grass.

695
00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:05,760
Speaker 3: Exactly, Japanese forest grass that was a variety called all.

696
00:38:05,599 --> 00:38:09,079
Speaker 1: Gold, Okay, and that made for an amazing space.

697
00:38:10,639 --> 00:38:14,960
Speaker 3: Oh listen, Yeah, it was a very simple h terrace,

698
00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:18,960
you know, bluestone terrace that we made, and then how

699
00:38:19,039 --> 00:38:22,320
to kind of define it well the easy and in

700
00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,440
deer countries, you know, you always have to worry about

701
00:38:24,559 --> 00:38:28,599
the deer chomping on your plants, and so Japanese forest

702
00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:31,360
grass seemed to me to be a great solution. And

703
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:35,000
I bordered a good portion of the terrace with this

704
00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:41,239
beautiful yellow gold grass that just all grows in together.

705
00:38:41,639 --> 00:38:42,960
It's just lovely.

706
00:38:43,199 --> 00:38:44,639
Speaker 2: It is one of those plants that I think so

707
00:38:44,639 --> 00:38:48,360
many people have, you know, a big, tall, stiffness canthus

708
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,559
in mind when they think of ornamental grasses, and so

709
00:38:50,599 --> 00:38:54,760
when they see hakonakloa and it just has that like lush, soft,

710
00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:59,000
touchable texture, it really makes people rethink ornamental grasses. And

711
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,559
I'm sure that designer you know of your caliber who

712
00:39:01,559 --> 00:39:03,880
have that experience. You know, you can also use it

713
00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:09,079
to kind of visually simulate water and other different textures

714
00:39:09,119 --> 00:39:09,679
in the garden.

715
00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:15,119
Speaker 3: Yes, and it's also really good for erosion control, you

716
00:39:15,159 --> 00:39:17,199
can because it just like you were saying, it has

717
00:39:17,199 --> 00:39:19,639
that soft, kind of moundy look to it, which is

718
00:39:19,679 --> 00:39:22,400
so great. And so it works really well on a

719
00:39:22,519 --> 00:39:24,840
slope because you know, you're not looking up at a

720
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:30,119
stem necessarily, just all the soft breed bending over. Yeah,

721
00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:31,320
it's really wonderful.

722
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:35,280
Speaker 1: We're chatting with designer and author Jan Johnson her beautiful

723
00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:40,679
book garden Topia, and you mentioned Jan. Okay, so garden

724
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:45,280
Topia is attainable. In looking at your blog, I was

725
00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:49,480
interested in this quote that rare moment of reconnection can

726
00:39:49,559 --> 00:39:52,800
become more prevalent in your life if you take the

727
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:57,159
time to notice the natural world. Just as a wine

728
00:39:57,280 --> 00:40:01,480
connoisseur relishes that first sip on the tongue, you can

729
00:40:01,559 --> 00:40:05,840
learn to savor a flower, a rock, or even a breeze.

730
00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:11,039
Speaker 3: Isn't that so lovely And it's so true, isn't it.

731
00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:17,480
I mean, people just have to stop and be observant

732
00:40:17,679 --> 00:40:22,880
and just notice, in my opinions, how amazing nature is.

733
00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,119
And it's much more easily done if you have a

734
00:40:27,159 --> 00:40:30,719
little outdoor space that you can do that in. You know,

735
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,599
like it's hard when you're just being bombarded by all

736
00:40:34,639 --> 00:40:37,679
the stimuli. But if you're got a space, even if

737
00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:41,440
it's just a terrace and you have pots, you know,

738
00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,280
with flowers in them, at least if you have a

739
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,719
little place where you can stop and just take some

740
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:52,880
deep breaths and just see what's around you. I find

741
00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:57,480
that people once they learn to appreciate a flower or

742
00:40:58,119 --> 00:41:00,920
a texture of a plant or something like that, it

743
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:02,679
never leaves them. You know.

744
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:07,400
Speaker 1: I appreciate that, and jan you call them stop time moments.

745
00:41:08,199 --> 00:41:11,519
Of course, I've done years of radio and I was

746
00:41:11,599 --> 00:41:16,440
always taught to create what we call driveway moments where

747
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:18,079
you sit in the car and you're not going to

748
00:41:18,159 --> 00:41:22,280
leave the car because you're really listening to what's being

749
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,639
said on that show. But stop time moments. How do

750
00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:29,119
we create stop time moments in our landscapes?

751
00:41:30,199 --> 00:41:32,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I guess they should explain what that means.

752
00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,320
I certainly understand driveway moments. I have done that so

753
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:36,960
often when you sit in the car because you want

754
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,880
to keep hearing the podcast or whatever you're listening to.

755
00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:43,800
You just sit different finishing more minutes than that. But

756
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:49,360
I guess what it is is that we'll and I

757
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,000
write this, I think of myself. You know, I'm always

758
00:41:52,079 --> 00:41:55,840
rushing from here to there, get things done. Whatever. You

759
00:41:55,920 --> 00:42:01,039
just stop and one moment can almost feel like ten

760
00:42:01,079 --> 00:42:05,320
minutes because it's just that time where you, like I said,

761
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:09,000
you stop and you just kind of almost get lost,

762
00:42:09,079 --> 00:42:11,440
you know, you almost get lost in the thought or

763
00:42:11,559 --> 00:42:16,239
even like in a fragrance like I have. Every summer,

764
00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,039
I plant the garden you bush in a big planter,

765
00:42:20,599 --> 00:42:22,559
and I put it outside in my door, and I

766
00:42:22,719 --> 00:42:26,639
just go out there and I sniff the gardenias. I mean,

767
00:42:26,679 --> 00:42:30,760
that's my stop time moment, it's like, Okay, I get it.

768
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,960
You know, that's what I mean by that.

769
00:42:33,159 --> 00:42:35,079
Speaker 2: And I think, you know, so many people feel like

770
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,960
you have to know something about plants or about gardening

771
00:42:39,039 --> 00:42:41,679
to get there, and you know, so often I think

772
00:42:41,679 --> 00:42:44,360
if people just let themselves fall in love with something,

773
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,039
even if it is just one plant, and they put

774
00:42:46,039 --> 00:42:48,920
it on a container on their little terrace or near

775
00:42:49,079 --> 00:42:51,000
you know, on their back porch where they spend time.

776
00:42:51,559 --> 00:42:53,719
You know, as you spend time with a plant, and

777
00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:55,760
as you get to know it, and you see the

778
00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,480
light change, and you see the plant change through time,

779
00:42:58,559 --> 00:43:01,440
and you know, through the seas, and you watch insects

780
00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,239
interact with it. All of this that is really what

781
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:08,079
starts to I think, take you down that road. It's

782
00:43:08,159 --> 00:43:09,840
not the kind of thing where I think a lot

783
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,960
of people just assume, oh, you know, they've just already

784
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:13,719
had some sort of enlightenment and I'm never going to

785
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,639
get there, but that we've all found our way to

786
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:21,519
that level of enjoying an appreciation of plants and gardening

787
00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:24,440
through yes, single moments like that.

788
00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:28,039
Speaker 3: Yes, And also like you were just saying, and I

789
00:43:28,119 --> 00:43:31,400
agree with you totally, even if it's just one plant,

790
00:43:31,559 --> 00:43:34,360
you create a relationship with that one plant. You may

791
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:38,480
not know anything else, but you know the hellibores because

792
00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:41,480
Aunt Mary gave you this plant that you didn't know

793
00:43:41,519 --> 00:43:45,599
anything about. And now that you see that it's evergreen

794
00:43:45,719 --> 00:43:48,239
and it actually has a flower in early spring. I mean,

795
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:52,599
and then that's what gets you started on that path,

796
00:43:52,719 --> 00:43:55,360
you know, and you say hello boys, and go oh,

797
00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:56,960
let me tell you about my hellboy.

798
00:43:57,239 --> 00:44:01,079
Speaker 1: You know, that's exactly my point. Jan You develop a

799
00:44:01,159 --> 00:44:06,119
relationship with plants and with your landscape. If you don't

800
00:44:06,199 --> 00:44:09,079
take the time to develop that relationship, then you're more

801
00:44:09,199 --> 00:44:16,519
or less a laborer, not a gardener. And I apia right.

802
00:44:17,119 --> 00:44:21,400
Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, And I'm trying. What I try to do

803
00:44:21,519 --> 00:44:24,559
is design basics. Is because a lot of people love

804
00:44:24,639 --> 00:44:26,960
these plants and they'll go out and they'll get that

805
00:44:27,119 --> 00:44:31,760
beautiful uh let's dance hydrangea or something that they but

806
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:33,320
then they just kind of go, well, where do I

807
00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:35,599
put it? Where do I put it? It's and I'm

808
00:44:35,639 --> 00:44:39,000
saying no, no, no, let's think about that before you

809
00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:42,119
you know, buy the plant, make you know, get prepared

810
00:44:42,119 --> 00:44:45,400
a little bit beforehand. But I and I try to

811
00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:49,360
make it easy to follow. I say things like a

812
00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:52,800
pop of red and they you know, and like that's

813
00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:55,960
a great design. Kip, by the way, is that you

814
00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,960
know all these great artists like Sey Zon or Norman Rockwell,

815
00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:04,639
for a look at their paintings, they always have a

816
00:45:04,679 --> 00:45:08,639
little pop of bread in the painting. I used to

817
00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:12,039
I used to take my son when he was young,

818
00:45:12,559 --> 00:45:16,480
to the Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, and I used to

819
00:45:16,559 --> 00:45:18,639
tell them to look at the paintings and find the

820
00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:21,480
little dot of red for me, and he could in

821
00:45:21,519 --> 00:45:24,239
every single one. And it's the same thing in the garden.

822
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,440
You can just put a little dot of red, like

823
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:30,559
a little red coxco or or a red poppy or

824
00:45:30,599 --> 00:45:33,760
something like that, and it and it adds a little

825
00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:35,519
vibrancy to the scene.

826
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,199
Speaker 2: That's such a great piece of advice too, that you know,

827
00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:41,480
people don't people think, oh, I don't know enough about color.

828
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:44,039
I don't know enough about color theory to design a garden.

829
00:45:44,599 --> 00:45:47,320
And you know, in that case, don't you don't have

830
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:49,079
to be the expert. You know, let Paul Clay be

831
00:45:49,159 --> 00:45:51,880
the expert. Let Norman Rockweller says on be the expert,

832
00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:55,280
and take your inspiration from the color that someone like

833
00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:57,159
that has already. You know, if you connect with the

834
00:45:57,199 --> 00:46:00,719
painting or another piece of artwork, you know, how can

835
00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:04,400
you interpret those same kind of colors, you know, in

836
00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:07,679
plants in your own yard. There's just so many opportunities

837
00:46:07,679 --> 00:46:09,960
for inspiration. And honestly, Jen, that's what I really love

838
00:46:10,039 --> 00:46:12,800
about your Garden Topia book. I see the subtitle here

839
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:15,239
on the back is one hundred and thirty five Inspiring

840
00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:18,519
Tips to transform any backyard, garden or lawn. And this

841
00:46:18,639 --> 00:46:21,400
is exactly the kind of book that I love to

842
00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:24,079
have around, like on my coffee table, on my side table,

843
00:46:24,119 --> 00:46:26,280
and then whenever you need a little bit of garden inspiration,

844
00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:29,199
especially in the winter, you know, thinking about how I

845
00:46:29,199 --> 00:46:31,320
want to make this change, and I think this is

846
00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:34,719
just one of those books that is just so full

847
00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:38,360
of inspiration and then you know, actual practical information on

848
00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:41,559
how you can then interpret it in your garden. But

849
00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:44,000
you know, it's just I think it's really like I

850
00:46:44,039 --> 00:46:46,320
love a good informational book. I love a good book

851
00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:48,440
you can get into and read all about taxonomy and

852
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,840
all of this other stuff. But these good design books

853
00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:54,239
where you can just kind of let your imagination run wild,

854
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:56,679
and you know, ask yourself, what do I like about

855
00:46:56,679 --> 00:46:59,039
this idea, what would this mean in my yard with

856
00:46:59,039 --> 00:47:01,760
the materials you know, like out here in Michigan, we

857
00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:04,039
don't you know, bluestone re costs and arm and a leg,

858
00:47:04,119 --> 00:47:06,400
So you know, how can we use our materials to

859
00:47:07,079 --> 00:47:08,880
you know, interpret a lot of these ideas. And I

860
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,760
just think I really enjoyed looking through this book so much.

861
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,360
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. Yeah, And you know, people say

862
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:17,760
to me, well, out of all these tips, what's the

863
00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:21,159
most important tip. I've had that question, and you want

864
00:47:21,159 --> 00:47:25,760
to know what it is. Yes, it's called it's all

865
00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:31,320
about the soil. I think that's the one because if

866
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:35,880
you don't, if you don't create beautiful, beautiful soil, then

867
00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:39,639
you're already going to sail, you know what I'm saying.

868
00:47:39,719 --> 00:47:43,000
Like even like even in pots, right you have to

869
00:47:43,159 --> 00:47:46,440
plant it in potting mix, in a in a planter, right.

870
00:47:46,639 --> 00:47:49,159
Not you can't take the sell out of your yard

871
00:47:49,159 --> 00:47:51,880
and jump it in the planter because it's too heavy.

872
00:47:52,199 --> 00:47:55,840
But the same thing with planting. And I always say

873
00:47:55,880 --> 00:47:58,280
to people, you know, you don't have to buy the

874
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:02,199
seven gallon plant by the three down plants, but just

875
00:48:02,519 --> 00:48:05,000
put the money into making your soil beautiful.

876
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:09,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's great. We're chatting with Jan Johnson her

877
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:13,360
beautiful book Garden Topia. Jan is a speaker and author,

878
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:18,280
a designer, and Jan just recently adran Or Robinson got

879
00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:22,159
back from Cape Cod and her photography, of course, is

880
00:48:22,239 --> 00:48:25,400
always so beautiful. Her video. Oh yeah, but it looks

881
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,280
like the high Ranges were gorgeous. You just returned.

882
00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:32,719
Speaker 3: Also, Yes, every year, like clockwork, I spend a week

883
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:37,519
camping in Wellfleet, which is the northern part of Cape Cod.

884
00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:40,280
I wouldn't miss it for the world because it's just

885
00:48:40,599 --> 00:48:43,480
it is a gardener's paradise. I mean everybody goes, of

886
00:48:43,519 --> 00:48:46,960
course to sit on the beach, but the plants there

887
00:48:47,239 --> 00:48:50,760
grow like crazy, especially hydrange.

888
00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:55,679
Speaker 1: And of course you also recently traveled to Italy. Is

889
00:48:55,719 --> 00:48:56,800
that correct?

890
00:48:57,039 --> 00:48:57,239
Speaker 2: Oh?

891
00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,960
Speaker 3: Boy, was I lucky? Yes, I've never been there before

892
00:49:00,119 --> 00:49:03,239
and a family member got married and so of course

893
00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:06,239
we had to go, no matter what, we had to

894
00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:08,960
go to this wedding. Boy was I happy to do that.

895
00:49:10,079 --> 00:49:15,079
You know, Rennaissance gardens or something unusual, right not, you know,

896
00:49:15,159 --> 00:49:18,760
with all their statutory and everything, but they knew how

897
00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:22,920
to use design technique like nobody else. I mean, we're

898
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:29,239
still learning from them. They use statuary and plants together

899
00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:33,400
to create a marvelous environment. I highly recommend people to

900
00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:35,360
check out the gardens of Italy, and.

901
00:49:35,360 --> 00:49:37,719
Speaker 2: You know the fact that they have persisted. Of course,

902
00:49:37,719 --> 00:49:40,320
they've been changed, and you know, different owners have changed

903
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:43,000
them according to their whims over time. But you know

904
00:49:43,079 --> 00:49:46,079
the fact that these gardens have persisted for literally hundreds

905
00:49:46,079 --> 00:49:50,199
of years as a real testament to how timeless they

906
00:49:50,239 --> 00:49:54,199
are and how much we need gardens as humans, you know,

907
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:57,199
to enjoy. And yeah, I think Italy is it is

908
00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:01,679
definitely a bucket list trip for any gardener exactly.

909
00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:05,159
Speaker 3: And you know, it's interesting you say that, because, in

910
00:50:05,199 --> 00:50:10,440
my opinion, we need gardens and parks and common outdoor

911
00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:15,079
spaces more than ever. We have to make places where

912
00:50:15,119 --> 00:50:19,719
people can enjoy the outdoors, you know, especially with our kids.

913
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:23,000
You know, they're always staring at screens. You know, we

914
00:50:23,039 --> 00:50:25,840
need places that allow them to get in your little

915
00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:31,000
stream and play with it and just enjoy nature. And

916
00:50:31,039 --> 00:50:34,400
if nature's not nearby, then we have to create it

917
00:50:34,440 --> 00:50:37,519
in some form or other. That I feel so strongly about.

918
00:50:37,239 --> 00:50:38,360
Speaker 1: That I love that.

919
00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:39,000
Speaker 3: Well.

920
00:50:39,119 --> 00:50:43,840
Speaker 1: Jan your work has been featured in many publications and

921
00:50:44,079 --> 00:50:48,880
you have more than forty years of experience. You own

922
00:50:49,159 --> 00:50:54,320
New York based Johnson Landscape and Landscapes and Pools. So

923
00:50:54,320 --> 00:50:57,199
I'm going to ask you a very unfair question for

924
00:50:57,280 --> 00:51:00,840
the benefit of our listeners and our viewers, and that

925
00:51:01,039 --> 00:51:02,880
is do you have a favorite plant?

926
00:51:04,239 --> 00:51:08,360
Speaker 3: Wow? Yes, I do you have that? Depth? Oh? Yes,

927
00:51:08,679 --> 00:51:12,239
I do. It's the Oakley hydranger.

928
00:51:12,679 --> 00:51:14,000
Speaker 2: Yes, great answer.

929
00:51:14,119 --> 00:51:18,639
Speaker 3: I love Oakley hydrangea and all varieties. I mean, they're

930
00:51:18,639 --> 00:51:23,079
also its great varieties. And the reason I love that

931
00:51:23,159 --> 00:51:26,239
so much is, first of all, I love the old texture.

932
00:51:26,960 --> 00:51:30,639
I love the flowers and the fact that the flowers

933
00:51:30,679 --> 00:51:33,960
stay on the plant and they just get darker with age,

934
00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:36,920
and then of course in the fall it gets that burnished,

935
00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,840
dark red leaves. It's just I just love that plant.

936
00:51:40,159 --> 00:51:41,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd have to agree with you. It's one of

937
00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:45,280
my plants that I put into the category of three

938
00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:50,679
to four seasons of interest and that that plant makes

939
00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:55,760
for an ideal impact in landscapes. Her name is Jan Johnson.

940
00:51:56,480 --> 00:51:58,199
Her book Garden Topia.

941
00:51:58,360 --> 00:51:58,519
Speaker 3: Jan.

942
00:51:58,920 --> 00:52:02,480
Speaker 1: How do people learn learn more about you? Do you

943
00:52:02,519 --> 00:52:04,400
have a website you can share with us?

944
00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:05,199
Speaker 2: Sure?

945
00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:07,840
Speaker 3: Well, first of all, thank you for talking about my

946
00:52:08,039 --> 00:52:12,159
Instagram every day I post on Instagram every day and

947
00:52:12,239 --> 00:52:17,159
so that's the Instagram address is Johnson Design j O

948
00:52:17,360 --> 00:52:20,320
h N s e N. Designed. A lot of people

949
00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:24,119
don't realize that, but my last name is Johnson is Johnson.

950
00:52:24,639 --> 00:52:27,639
And then my I have a substack. Now I don't

951
00:52:27,639 --> 00:52:29,880
know if people know what that is. It's the platform

952
00:52:30,239 --> 00:52:34,719
for posts, and so my substack is Jan Johnson dot

953
00:52:34,760 --> 00:52:37,960
substack dot com. And of course the name of it

954
00:52:38,039 --> 00:52:43,639
is Gardentopia. And lastly my website which is Johnson Landscapes dot.

955
00:52:43,400 --> 00:52:48,679
Speaker 1: Com Johnson Landscapes dot com. So j O h N

956
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:53,280
s e n. The book is garden Toopia. And yes,

957
00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:57,719
I would agree, Stacey. When I get on Instagram, Jan's

958
00:52:57,760 --> 00:52:59,159
one of the first people I look for.

959
00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:00,519
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you.

960
00:53:01,199 --> 00:53:03,320
Speaker 2: It is so wonderful to have such a great source

961
00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:06,440
of inspiration. And we really appreciate you sharing your work

962
00:53:06,519 --> 00:53:09,800
and your perspective and making that a feel for anybody.

963
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:14,320
Speaker 3: And I really love proven winners plans just so you know,

964
00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:16,400
and all the great variety you guys.

965
00:53:16,840 --> 00:53:19,199
Speaker 2: Well, thank you well, it means a lot to us.

966
00:53:19,519 --> 00:53:22,159
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us today. Jan, We appreciate it so

967
00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:23,960
much and all the best to you.

968
00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:27,400
Speaker 3: Thanks again, bye now bye bye bye.

969
00:53:27,559 --> 00:53:29,440
Speaker 2: Well that was great. Now, if you didn't catch any

970
00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:31,400
of those links, we will have them all linked for

971
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:34,119
you so you can find Jan's Instagram, website and substack

972
00:53:34,480 --> 00:53:37,039
on our website, Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We

973
00:53:37,079 --> 00:53:38,920
want to thank Jan, I want to thank you Rick,

974
00:53:39,159 --> 00:53:41,199
I want to thank you Adriana, and thank you all

975
00:53:41,320 --> 00:53:43,840
so much for following us for the past one hundred episodes.

976
00:53:44,159 --> 00:53:45,920
Here's to the next one hundred. Hope you can take

977
00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:48,079
a moment to fill out our survey at Gardeningsimplified on

978
00:53:48,119 --> 00:53:50,000
air dot com. Thanks so much and have a wonderful

979
00:53:50,039 --> 00:53:50,519
week ahead.