Gifts for Gardeners

<v Speaker 1>Coming to you from Studio eight here at Proven Winners,
<v Speaker 1>Color Choice Shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified Podcast,
<v Speaker 1>radio and YouTube show with Stacy Hervella, me, Rick weisst
<v Speaker 1>and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, Stacey, I'm
<v Speaker 1>wearing my mister Rogers sweater, a wonderful gift I received
<v Speaker 1>from you and Adriana, and I think you know it's
<v Speaker 1>time to talk garden gifts a fun thing to talk about.
<v Speaker 1>And wow, I'm looking at for our YouTube viewers this
<v Speaker 1>beautiful gift on the table.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, this is an Adriana Robinson original and she presented
<v Speaker 2>it to me a few weeks ago, and it is
<v Speaker 2>a stained glass version of the show logo with the
<v Speaker 2>microphone and all of the flowers and leaves and things
<v Speaker 2>sprouting out of it. Isn't it great?
<v Speaker 1>She is so talented. I love that and I.
<v Speaker 2>Hate to break it to your listeners, but she is
<v Speaker 2>not available for personalized gifts. She is two full a
<v Speaker 2>ready this season.
<v Speaker 1>So well, I'll tell you what personalized gifts are wonderful
<v Speaker 1>And also for oh let's call them boomer gardeners like me,
<v Speaker 1>we have to learn to embrace new technology. And you know,
<v Speaker 1>I had somebody this past week say to me that
<v Speaker 1>that folks who are in the gen Z generation, they
<v Speaker 1>are digital natives. They don't know anything different than smartphones, computers,
<v Speaker 1>AI and all that type of thing, and so it's
<v Speaker 1>natural to them. But for us as gardeners, for example,
<v Speaker 1>cordless electric pruning shares, you know a pruning shares that's
<v Speaker 1>cordless and electric, are you kidding me? Or cordless electric
<v Speaker 1>mini chainsaws, or electric sprayers as opposed to those pressure
<v Speaker 1>tank sprayers that can be a real pain.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, all of.
<v Speaker 1>That kind of stuff is available to folks today. I
<v Speaker 1>mean you think about LED lights and LED technology outdoor
<v Speaker 1>lighting in your garden. Fabulous.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, such such great choices, and you can get solar
<v Speaker 2>powered so you don't need to make it a complicated thing.
<v Speaker 2>I'm glad you brought up the electric or cordless items
<v Speaker 2>because we just got a electric blower. So I'm not
<v Speaker 2>a big fan of blowers. You know, We've talked about
<v Speaker 2>blowers plenty on the show. But you know, I have
<v Speaker 2>a number of succulents in the garden, right, So I
<v Speaker 2>have a couple of different succulent gardens, and if there's
<v Speaker 2>one thing that doesn't mix with succulents. It's leaves. It's
<v Speaker 2>very easy for them to get smothered with foliage. And
<v Speaker 2>so my husband wanted to do something about it, and
<v Speaker 2>he got a battery operated blower that works on his drill.
<v Speaker 3>Battery.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, and it's super light. It's not loud and obnoxious.
<v Speaker 2>You know, it doesn't have like a combustion engine because
<v Speaker 2>it's electric and it is fantastic. It's easy to carry,
<v Speaker 2>It works with the batteries we already had because the
<v Speaker 2>battery is the biggest part of that. That would be
<v Speaker 2>a great gift for someone. I have to tell you
<v Speaker 2>right now. The best gifts wreck I think, are the
<v Speaker 2>ones that people don't know they want.
<v Speaker 1>Love that, love that. Why don't we just go to
<v Speaker 1>segment too.
<v Speaker 2>Because you just figure out the rest yourself. We've got nothing.
<v Speaker 1>Well, have I got a surprise for you?
<v Speaker 3>Then?
<v Speaker 1>But you're right, you know the electrical pet and the
<v Speaker 1>power that they have. You know, you see people using
<v Speaker 1>these rechargeable lawnmowers.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I've got that too.
<v Speaker 1>Amaze.
<v Speaker 2>We have a battery operated lawnmower that is fantastic. I
<v Speaker 2>love it because you're not looking like an idiot out
<v Speaker 2>there trying to pull your cord and the darn thing's
<v Speaker 2>not starting, and it's so quiet that it doesn't bother
<v Speaker 2>your neighbors. You know, you can actually hold a conversation
<v Speaker 2>while you're using an electric mower and it doesn't stink,
<v Speaker 2>no bad fumes. And I mean it really makes mowing
<v Speaker 2>the lawn of pleasure. I love it to.
<v Speaker 1>Make a lawn story short. It's a great way to
<v Speaker 1>go outdoor speakers that are solar charge and play music outside.
<v Speaker 1>Cork lined Italian clogs for her wancy. Yeah, I love that.
<v Speaker 1>I've gotten into again. I'm at that. You know, medicare
<v Speaker 1>retiree a the Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog slip on
<v Speaker 1>sketcher shoes. Oh and they're great. Never thought i'd wear them,
<v Speaker 1>but I'm wearing them. Harvest baskets. How many times have
<v Speaker 1>you gone into the vegetable garden and you've got armloads
<v Speaker 1>of peppers and beans and tomatoes and you drop half
<v Speaker 1>of them on the way back into the house.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, that is true. I have many harvest baskets that
<v Speaker 2>never seem to be in the garden when I need them,
<v Speaker 2>and therefore I do that despite the presence of harvest baskets.
<v Speaker 2>But it is a great gift because they are beautiful.
<v Speaker 2>I have one that kind of has like a wire
<v Speaker 2>mesh so you can just rint stuff off right outside
<v Speaker 2>in the garden. And I have some other nicer ones
<v Speaker 2>that are suitable for for a kitchen display, and that's
<v Speaker 2>a great gift too, if you really don't know like
<v Speaker 2>what someone wants, you know, sometimes I think some garden
<v Speaker 2>gifts are maybe just a little too personal. Like, you know,
<v Speaker 2>if you want to get a gardener some gloves, I
<v Speaker 2>would caution against it, like unless you know what kind
<v Speaker 2>of glove they get they like, and you are looking
<v Speaker 2>to get them like a year's supply of them or something.
<v Speaker 2>It's a very personal preference, it's true. But something like that,
<v Speaker 2>you know, like a beautiful basket, that's a great thing
<v Speaker 2>that they can use and you know, enjoy and think
<v Speaker 2>of you every time to use it.
<v Speaker 1>Sunglasses and hats would probably fall into that category also. Yeah,
<v Speaker 1>for me, based on the recommendations of our viewers and listeners,
<v Speaker 1>I'm going to get a hose link eighty two foot
<v Speaker 1>retractable hose. They're two hundred and fifty bucks. I'm gonna
<v Speaker 1>gift myself.
<v Speaker 2>I think you've earned it. And you know, anything that's
<v Speaker 2>one of those things that yeah, I mean everyone who's
<v Speaker 2>who has one of those raves about it. And you know,
<v Speaker 2>if you're like us and you really just despise the
<v Speaker 2>hose struggle, it's worth it. You know, the sanity that
<v Speaker 2>you will regain will pay for itself, like in the
<v Speaker 2>first day, or use it really, you bet you?
<v Speaker 1>And of course you guys know I'm a runner, and
<v Speaker 1>so I use a lot of these moisture wicking shirts
<v Speaker 1>that runners use. Cool, they're cool, they fight off UV rays,
<v Speaker 1>they stretch, they have anti microbial odor fighting technology. Why
<v Speaker 1>not use them in the garden. And the same as
<v Speaker 1>for tactical pants that have pockets, are lightweight, that stretch.
<v Speaker 1>I'm big into that in the garden. I want to
<v Speaker 1>mention that. Coming up in the fourth segment, we get
<v Speaker 1>to talk to doctor Allan Armitage who has written many books.
<v Speaker 1>And I still think books are a great gift. And
<v Speaker 1>I'm not being old fashioned here. Books are easy to
<v Speaker 1>wrap or ship, They entertain people. They are the ultimate
<v Speaker 1>regiftable gift. Books increase intelligence, They last forever. Books meet
<v Speaker 1>everyone's needs. Books offer variety, to gift giving. They're inexpense.
<v Speaker 1>I can go on and you can personalize a book.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, I will always welcome a book. And so I
<v Speaker 2>would have two book suggestions for our listeners. So you've
<v Speaker 2>heard me say this on the show before. If you
<v Speaker 2>are interested in getting some want a gardening book, like
<v Speaker 2>a practical gardening book, the best recommendation I can offer
<v Speaker 2>you is The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy Di
<v Speaker 2>Sabado Oust. It is an absolutely incredible volume of work.
<v Speaker 2>I've talked about how she basically sacrificed her own garden
<v Speaker 2>for years, experimenting with different perennial pruning techniques to either
<v Speaker 2>delay bloom or get stronger stems, all of these other things.
<v Speaker 2>And the great thing about that book in particular is
<v Speaker 2>it's not information you're going to find online. So many
<v Speaker 2>other books, you know, sure it's nice to have on
<v Speaker 2>your shelf, but ultimately it's just kind of duplicating stuff
<v Speaker 2>that you can find online. Tracy's book is not information
<v Speaker 2>you're going to find anywhere else, and perennial gardeners especially
<v Speaker 2>are going to love reading it. So that's a specific recommendation.
<v Speaker 2>If you don't know what kind of book to get someone.
<v Speaker 2>I love any kind of garden inspiration book, like if
<v Speaker 2>it's a colorful, you know, coffee table level picture book.
<v Speaker 2>Whether it's of a specific garden, say a famous garden
<v Speaker 2>in the UK or something like that, or a bunch
<v Speaker 2>of different gardens, you can't go wrong because, you know,
<v Speaker 2>especially in winter Christmas time, people are dying for some inspiration.
<v Speaker 2>They're ready for the spring again, and it's a great
<v Speaker 2>way to just inspire them and give them something really
<v Speaker 2>beautiful to look at.
<v Speaker 1>Great suggestions in today's digital age, at coffee table book
<v Speaker 1>still works, I think. So yeah, I'm gonna throw a
<v Speaker 1>few other suggestions at you. But Stacy, I'm going to
<v Speaker 1>have you open this up on air.
<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh, wow, watching on YouTube. We've got some
<v Speaker 2>sound effects here of the This.
<v Speaker 1>Is a personalized nostalgic.
<v Speaker 2>Gift for stag Oh my gosh, look at them, did you?
<v Speaker 3>Oh?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it is for our listeners who cannot see what
<v Speaker 2>I'm opening right now.
<v Speaker 3>It is a.
<v Speaker 2>Macrome lawn chair, the kind that Rick hates and is
<v Speaker 2>always make sure he's first of the buffet line so
<v Speaker 2>he doesn't come back and get stuck with the Macrame lawnchair,
<v Speaker 2>as he said in our nostalgia show, this is gorgeous.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and full disclosure, I did not make the chair.
<v Speaker 1>I am not talented like you, Stacey. I bought it
<v Speaker 1>on Facebook marketplace. Oh, this is great, slightly used too.
<v Speaker 2>I love it. I love it fantastic.
<v Speaker 1>But you know, giving gifts with meaning is important, even
<v Speaker 1>if you're giving gifts to gardeners. And so you know,
<v Speaker 1>I think seed kits are great. You can buy garden
<v Speaker 1>gloves now. I know you mentioned the garden gloves, but
<v Speaker 1>you can buy garden gloves now that have claws.
<v Speaker 2>Oh I like those. Actually, that is a gift I
<v Speaker 2>would welcome, yeah, because I do too much digging and
<v Speaker 2>then I wear out just like a couple fingers on
<v Speaker 2>the gloves. It's very annoying.
<v Speaker 1>And of course a gift card to your favorite garden
<v Speaker 1>center or greenhouse also a great idea. So there are
<v Speaker 1>many different things that you can give as gifts, and
<v Speaker 1>you know, put a little thought, a little meaning into
<v Speaker 1>it too. And that chair I might even sit in there.
<v Speaker 2>You only have to give it a try and see
<v Speaker 2>if you know changed your tune since back in the
<v Speaker 2>day when you really developed your dislike of the Macrimay
<v Speaker 2>lawn chair.
<v Speaker 1>Well, don't forget the gardener on your gift list. Let's
<v Speaker 1>see how Stacey ties this in with plants on trial
<v Speaker 1>that's coming up next here on the Gardening Simplified Show.
<v Speaker 2>Proven Winner's colored choice Shrubs cares about your success in
<v Speaker 2>the garden. That's why we trial and test all of
<v Speaker 2>our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they
<v Speaker 2>outperform everything else on the market. Look for them and
<v Speaker 2>the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greeting's
<v Speaker 2>gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show.
<v Speaker 2>Or the order of the day is gifts. And Rick
<v Speaker 2>just gifted me a wonderful vintage Macromay lawn chair. If
<v Speaker 2>you missed our nostalgia show, you should definitely go back
<v Speaker 2>and check that out. We talked about a lot of
<v Speaker 2>things from our past, and Rick expressed his disapproval for
<v Speaker 2>disapproval for the classic macromy lawn chair. Are you changing
<v Speaker 2>her tune?
<v Speaker 3>Now?
<v Speaker 1>I am changing my tune. You've converted?
<v Speaker 3>All right?
<v Speaker 2>Good, I'm I'm glad to hear it. And you know
<v Speaker 2>it's I think that gardeners. Anytime someone in your life
<v Speaker 2>has a passion like gardening. It becomes a lot easier
<v Speaker 2>to shop for them. You know, there's a lot of
<v Speaker 2>people in your life that are hard to shop for
<v Speaker 2>because either they buy everything that they want or they
<v Speaker 2>don't really have like a thing that they love to do,
<v Speaker 2>and it becomes very difficult to shop for them. So
<v Speaker 2>by having a gardener in your life, you're already halfway
<v Speaker 2>there because you know that they love something and there's
<v Speaker 2>a lot of different things that you can get them,
<v Speaker 2>And plants, I think are always a natural choice for gifts. Now,
<v Speaker 2>of course, December here in the Northern Hemisphere and certainly
<v Speaker 2>here in the Midwest and Northeast and much of the
<v Speaker 2>United States, plants are not the best gift to give
<v Speaker 2>at the holidays because it's winter and things are dormant.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and that's a great point, Stacy. Coming up next week,
<v Speaker 1>we'll talk about citrus plants, and that's a plant that
<v Speaker 1>could be given as a gift.
<v Speaker 2>Do definitely, And of course, you know, a point setta
<v Speaker 2>is a classic hostess gift if you're invited to someone's house.
<v Speaker 2>But I think a lot of people throughout the year
<v Speaker 2>actually really want to give plants as gifts for a
<v Speaker 2>variety of reasons. I mean, of course, plants are very
<v Speaker 2>very popular as something to commemorate a birth, a wedding,
<v Speaker 2>or to give to someone who has lost someone that
<v Speaker 2>they've loved as a kind of living memorial to them,
<v Speaker 2>and I think that those can be just such a
<v Speaker 2>good reason to give a gift. So knowing that you know,
<v Speaker 2>December is not the best time for giving most plants
<v Speaker 2>as gifts, except for houseplants, which I've definitely given houseplants
<v Speaker 2>to people for gifts before, and that's always a nice thing.
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to talk just sort of generally about what
<v Speaker 2>makes a plant suitable forgiving at any time of the year,
<v Speaker 2>because it's kind of a tricky thing. I mean, very
<v Speaker 2>often we're giving these to people that we know fairly well,
<v Speaker 2>but at the same time, we don't necessarily know how
<v Speaker 2>much space they have. We don't necessarily know, you know,
<v Speaker 2>how much sun they have, or where the sun, what
<v Speaker 2>the sun is like in the spot where they actually
<v Speaker 2>will eventually plant this thing. And you want to give
<v Speaker 2>them something that is beautiful and memorable and special but
<v Speaker 2>also not a ton of work.
<v Speaker 1>And you want it to work, Yes, you want it
<v Speaker 1>to work, because they're going to feel a degree of
<v Speaker 1>pressure to well, I got to take care of those planet.
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely. You know, of course that definitely becomes true if
<v Speaker 2>it is something that is tied to a life event.
<v Speaker 2>So you know, you don't want to get something that's
<v Speaker 2>like too boring in work a day and it's like, oh,
<v Speaker 2>this is just something they would buy themselves. You kind
<v Speaker 2>of want it. You want to be that like gifting
<v Speaker 2>superhero where you've found the perfect plant and it's something
<v Speaker 2>that they can really appreciate and enjoy. So I thought
<v Speaker 2>a lot about you know, what is the right kind
<v Speaker 2>of plant, and here are some characteristics I think it
<v Speaker 2>should have. Number one, it should be fairly small, because trees,
<v Speaker 2>of course are a classic choice. But a tree is
<v Speaker 2>a big commitment usually not just in terms of its lifespan,
<v Speaker 2>but also you know, it can be a lot more expensive.
<v Speaker 2>I mean, trees have come down since they're mostly container grown,
<v Speaker 2>but still they're going to cost a bit more, and
<v Speaker 2>you know, it's it's just a much bigger commitment. So
<v Speaker 2>you want something usually it's going to be a little
<v Speaker 2>bit smaller that it's easy for the person the recipient
<v Speaker 2>to fit into their yard and into their life and
<v Speaker 2>you want it to have at least one spectacular moment.
<v Speaker 3>You know.
<v Speaker 2>I think that that's really important too, is you don't
<v Speaker 2>want it to just be like, oh, yeah, they gave
<v Speaker 2>me this, you know you taxes, and it's like okay,
<v Speaker 2>you know, almost the same all year and it never
<v Speaker 2>really has that special moment where it does that purpose
<v Speaker 2>of you know, reminding the person either of you and
<v Speaker 2>the reason that you gave it to them, or you know,
<v Speaker 2>the reason that it was planted in the first place. Again,
<v Speaker 2>whether a wedding or you know, birth or something like that.
<v Speaker 2>So you need something something spectacular, you need something small,
<v Speaker 2>you need something adaptable. You need something that's going to
<v Speaker 2>be able to take almost any kind of soil that's
<v Speaker 2>going to be able to take you know, anything from
<v Speaker 2>part shade to full sun. Something that's going to be
<v Speaker 2>forgiving of course, because you know, again it needs to
<v Speaker 2>have some leeway there for people of varying skill and
<v Speaker 2>interest levels in gardening. So it's kind of a tall order.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it is a tall order. And you know, working
<v Speaker 1>in the garden center industry, Stacey, one thing that I
<v Speaker 1>dealt with often we're memorial plants, and you know, what's
<v Speaker 1>a good memorial plant or like you mentioned many times,
<v Speaker 1>they want this memorial plant to bloom around the time
<v Speaker 1>of the event, possibly somebody's passing, and it's you know,
<v Speaker 1>it's a big deal. And I always I was always
<v Speaker 1>very serious and took it to heart because it's important.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and it's it's it's very you know, meaningful. So
<v Speaker 2>I am going to give you for today's plants on trial,
<v Speaker 2>the ultimate all purpose, easygoing gift plant. Whether it's a housewarming, birth, death,
<v Speaker 2>wedding promotion. I don't know why you're given plant gifts,
<v Speaker 2>but here is the one that you can keep in
<v Speaker 2>your back pocket for any occasion. In vinceibel we white
<v Speaker 2>hydrange Wow. Now, now, of course hydrangeas are always great.
<v Speaker 2>You know, they're easy to grow, they're very floriferous. But
<v Speaker 2>this particular hydrangea is a native smooth hydrangea, so hydrangel arborescine.
<v Speaker 2>So that's always a good thing as well, just a
<v Speaker 2>nice little bonus to have, and so it checks all
<v Speaker 2>of these boxes. Basically, the easiest way to think about
<v Speaker 2>in vincibel we white hydrangea is that it is a
<v Speaker 2>dwarf version of the very famous and widely planted Annabelle hydrangea.
<v Speaker 2>So Annabel is a classic, a lot of people know it,
<v Speaker 2>a lot of people grow it. Beautiful plant, but it
<v Speaker 2>gets to be about five feet five to six feet
<v Speaker 2>tall and wide, and it flops. Anyone who's ever grown
<v Speaker 2>it will tell you one good summer thunderstorm in July
<v Speaker 2>and that thing is on the ground, never to recover
<v Speaker 2>until the following year. And in Vinceibel, we white hydrange
<v Speaker 2>resolves both of those issues. So compared to that five
<v Speaker 2>feet tall and wide for Annabel, it's going to be
<v Speaker 2>just one to two and a half feet tall and wide,
<v Speaker 2>So it's great. It's almost like a perennial really that
<v Speaker 2>that same kind of size, and it doesn't flop. It
<v Speaker 2>has very very sturdy stems. So this is not one
<v Speaker 2>of those plants it's going to wind up on the
<v Speaker 2>ground with the flowers all in the soil and looking
<v Speaker 2>sad and kind of making you taking away from the
<v Speaker 2>joy of why you planted it in the first place.
<v Speaker 1>It's smart choice, they sy because people love high ranges,
<v Speaker 1>and it being an Annabelle, you're taking away the pruning
<v Speaker 1>issue too.
<v Speaker 2>Right exactly. So that's the other good thing is that
<v Speaker 2>no matter if your gift recipient prunes it or doesn't
<v Speaker 2>prune it, it's going to flower. So it's kind of
<v Speaker 2>got that fool proof built in thing, because you know,
<v Speaker 2>if they don't know what to do and they don't
<v Speaker 2>do anything, it's good. If they think they know what
<v Speaker 2>to do, when they do something, you're still good to go.
<v Speaker 2>And of course, you know, as with all of the
<v Speaker 2>provens colored choice shrubs, it's going to come with a
<v Speaker 2>tag that has all of that information in it, but
<v Speaker 2>of course sometimes people lose those. It's also on our
<v Speaker 2>website and of course you can always reach out to
<v Speaker 2>us and will always help. But it has that kind
<v Speaker 2>of fool proof factor. So even if they never read
<v Speaker 2>the so called instruction manual all the you know, they're
<v Speaker 2>going to still be successful and not have to worry about,
<v Speaker 2>you know, that disappointment or that you have. You don't
<v Speaker 2>have to worry that you have given your recipient more
<v Speaker 2>work except for deer. Now, I do have to caution
<v Speaker 2>that this is one liability of this plant. I think
<v Speaker 2>that smooth hydranges and panicle hydranges, which are also a
<v Speaker 2>close second for the perfect gift plant, do you both
<v Speaker 2>have the liability of being very much beloved by deer,
<v Speaker 2>especially the flowers, so very often they will come along,
<v Speaker 2>they'll just eat the flower bud. They'll mostly leave the
<v Speaker 2>rest of the plant alone. In many cases, not so
<v Speaker 2>much on smooth hyde ranges I've seen in my garden,
<v Speaker 2>but back when I attempted to grow them, I'm done
<v Speaker 2>with that. If you know, deer or not an issue,
<v Speaker 2>this is an excellent, excellent choice. It's going to have
<v Speaker 2>white flowers that are proportional to the plant for us
<v Speaker 2>usually in about early to mid July, so really nice
<v Speaker 2>time for summer, and you know, everything is looking really great.
<v Speaker 1>So a couple questions for you, Stacy. One question would
<v Speaker 1>be the deer issue. Yes, but it's offset by the
<v Speaker 1>fact that generally smooth hydranges have a pretty wide heartiness zone.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, yeah, thanks for bringing that up, because no matter
<v Speaker 2>where pretty much your recipient is, they're going to be
<v Speaker 2>able to grow this invincibel white hydrange is hardy down
<v Speaker 2>to USDA Zone three, so very very cold tolerant, and
<v Speaker 2>heat tolerant through USDA Zone eight so also very very
<v Speaker 2>heat tolerant. So that's a good wide range, you know,
<v Speaker 2>for the plant to thrive in if they have off
<v Speaker 2>years where it does get really hot, it's still going
<v Speaker 2>to do great.
<v Speaker 1>And another question for you, I'm just curious, is it
<v Speaker 1>appropriate if you're giving this as a gift to add
<v Speaker 1>a soil amendment and some fertilize.
<v Speaker 3>Or not.
<v Speaker 2>So I get where you're coming from, Rick, and I
<v Speaker 2>think that, yeah, a lot of people, a lot of
<v Speaker 2>people will, you know, try to round it out and
<v Speaker 2>give that total package. But we actually do not recommend
<v Speaker 2>a mending the soil or really doing anything at all
<v Speaker 2>at planting time, especially for something like a smooth hydrangea.
<v Speaker 2>They really truly are going to be best planted in
<v Speaker 2>the actual soil, and our tags do say that, you know,
<v Speaker 2>but a lot of people just still think, you know,
<v Speaker 2>that they don't have to. And as far as fertilizer goes,
<v Speaker 2>you know, new plants don't use annuals aside, and vegetables
<v Speaker 2>of course don't need fertilizer. They have been fertilized to
<v Speaker 2>within an inch of their life by the grower before
<v Speaker 2>you get them, and so there's really no need for fertilizing.
<v Speaker 2>I think for the entire first year.
<v Speaker 1>That's good because it's tough to wrap a bag of
<v Speaker 1>potting soil and fertilis.
<v Speaker 2>That is true. And so if your recipient asks, because
<v Speaker 2>they're going to say to you, Hey, you're the gardener here,
<v Speaker 2>what should I do to site? Just plant it in
<v Speaker 2>the ground, find a good spot. I can help you,
<v Speaker 2>and you know, to really make a plant gift extra special,
<v Speaker 2>you can always volunteer to stay around and help for
<v Speaker 2>the planting, because giving your own time is always a
<v Speaker 2>welcome gift. We're gonna take a little break. When we
<v Speaker 2>come back, we're going to be opening up the garden
<v Speaker 2>mail bags to please stay tuned at proven winner's color choice,
<v Speaker 2>We've got a shrub for every taste and every space.
<v Speaker 2>Whether you're looking for an easy care rose and unforgettable hydrangea,
<v Speaker 2>or something new and unique, you can be confident that
<v Speaker 2>the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed and
<v Speaker 2>tested for your success. Look for them at your local
<v Speaker 2>garden center. Greetings, gardening friends, and welcome back to the
<v Speaker 2>Gardening Simplified Radio Show, YouTube show and podcast. Take your pick,
<v Speaker 2>although I always recommend the YouTube show because you get
<v Speaker 2>a lot of bonus content. It Arana puts a lot
<v Speaker 2>of time into the YouTube and then you get to
<v Speaker 2>see pictures of the plant on trial and all the
<v Speaker 2>other cool stuff we do, and photos that our listeners
<v Speaker 2>are sending in with the mailbag, because sometimes that's very
<v Speaker 2>important to understanding the problem when you're.
<v Speaker 1>Doing detective work. And coming up in segment four today
<v Speaker 1>more about garden gifts, an interview with doctor Alan Armitage
<v Speaker 1>and here's a gift for you. Alanarmitage dot net is
<v Speaker 1>the website you can see is wonderful books. I've read
<v Speaker 1>his books. You use promo code West. That's my last name,
<v Speaker 1>so it's spelled vuys t and he'll give you free shipping.
<v Speaker 2>Oh got all love that.
<v Speaker 1>There you go. So we'll talk to him about that
<v Speaker 1>in segment four.
<v Speaker 2>So you know, we are going to answer some gardening
<v Speaker 2>questions now and if you have a gardening question, we
<v Speaker 2>would be glad to help you. You can reach us
<v Speaker 2>at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. There is a
<v Speaker 2>contact form there, you can attach photos, you can describe
<v Speaker 2>your problem. And I also wanted to mention as we
<v Speaker 2>are coming into the winter season and questions do kind
<v Speaker 2>of slow down because you're not out there thinking what
<v Speaker 2>do I do about this? Or what what's going on
<v Speaker 2>with this? Is our plant panel videos, so I don't
<v Speaker 2>know if you've seen those on our YouTube channel, but
<v Speaker 2>you know, we always get a lot of questions from
<v Speaker 2>people asking like what should they plant, what should they
<v Speaker 2>do with this area? And those kind of questions are frankly,
<v Speaker 2>just really hard to answer on a radio show because
<v Speaker 2>there's a lot to talk about a lot of different things.
<v Speaker 2>So if we answered a lot of those plant recommendation questions,
<v Speaker 2>we wouldn't be able to get to any of the
<v Speaker 2>other gardening questions. So we have actually created a playlist
<v Speaker 2>called Plant Panel, and so myself, my colleagues Natalie and Christina,
<v Speaker 2>we get together and we look at pictures that people
<v Speaker 2>have sent in. They talk to us about their challenges
<v Speaker 2>and their hopes and their dreams for the space, and
<v Speaker 2>then we make different suggestions, not just of proven Winner's
<v Speaker 2>Color Choice shrubs, but all sorts of different things. And
<v Speaker 2>so it's been a lot of fun. It's been very
<v Speaker 2>well received, And if you would like to submit your
<v Speaker 2>garden for some plant recommendations, just visit Proovenminner's Color Choice
<v Speaker 2>dot com and you can click on the contact us
<v Speaker 2>and there is a form right there to do it.
<v Speaker 1>So who wouldn't want that gift? Yeah? Sure, to tune in.
<v Speaker 2>Free advice, love it, I mean free, very opinionated advice.
<v Speaker 2>I will give you this, but that's good love it.
<v Speaker 2>You know, we always have perspective, so you definitely have opinions.
<v Speaker 2>So anyway, Rick, what do we got in the mailbag today?
<v Speaker 1>Don writes to us, love your show. I'm in southern
<v Speaker 1>New Jerseys on seven B. This is a Japanese red maple.
<v Speaker 1>Don sent us a picture maybe blood good. Please can
<v Speaker 1>you tell me what causes this kind of damage? Six
<v Speaker 1>to feet six to eight feet off the ground. And
<v Speaker 1>then he says, our deer are short, so he has
<v Speaker 1>damage on the tree, but it's six to eight feet
<v Speaker 1>up the tree, and Don saying the deer they're in
<v Speaker 1>New Jersey are short.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, well, deer ken actually do damage higher than their
<v Speaker 2>height if you live in a snowy area, because the
<v Speaker 2>snow can definitely make them much taller than they would
<v Speaker 2>normally be. And I have seen that. But this is
<v Speaker 2>not dear damage. I don't have a definitive answer for you, Don,
<v Speaker 2>but I do have some thoughts. So when I was
<v Speaker 2>looking at this damage, I do believe that it is
<v Speaker 2>yellow bellied sapsucker damage. So yellow bellied sapsucker are birds.
<v Speaker 2>They're a relative of a woodpecker, and they actually do
<v Speaker 2>look quite a bit like a downy woodpecker, much bigger,
<v Speaker 2>so similar. So when you look at when you're like, whoa,
<v Speaker 2>that's way too big to be a downy woodpecker. And
<v Speaker 2>they do have a little bit of a flush of
<v Speaker 2>yellow on their bellies, but they're much more secretive. You
<v Speaker 2>don't usually see them as often as you see woodpeckers.
<v Speaker 2>And what the yellow bellied sapsucker does is not suck sap,
<v Speaker 2>but they peck holes into the wood of smooth barked trees.
<v Speaker 2>So magnolias, certain maples, pines can also be really susceptible
<v Speaker 2>to yellow bellied sapsucker damage. So they make a series
<v Speaker 2>of holes and then the sap flows out of those holes,
<v Speaker 2>and that attracts insects, and then they come along and
<v Speaker 2>pick off the insects out of this little sap trap
<v Speaker 2>that they have created. And so you will see this
<v Speaker 2>on trees all over. It's quite common, and it's just
<v Speaker 2>lines of very very neatly arranged holes through the bark
<v Speaker 2>of the tree. Now, the reason that I think this
<v Speaker 2>is yellow bellied sapsucker damage what's actually happening in Don's
<v Speaker 2>photo is the bark has gone almost completely in these areas,
<v Speaker 2>so not all over the tree, but just in these sections.
<v Speaker 2>But when I look at it, when I look at
<v Speaker 2>the edges, I see what really looks like it was
<v Speaker 2>probably round sapsucker holes, so kind of like the margins
<v Speaker 2>of the damage looked to me like it was very
<v Speaker 2>very much likely to be yellow bellied sapsucker. And that
<v Speaker 2>as that damage has recurred over and over again and
<v Speaker 2>the sapsuckers have made increasing lines, that moisture and so
<v Speaker 2>forth has gotten under the bark, it's kind of killed
<v Speaker 2>off that section and it's just fallen off completely, so
<v Speaker 2>you aren't seeing that kind of characteristic rhythmic lines.
<v Speaker 1>That is great detective work. I am impressed. That's fabulous.
<v Speaker 1>And yes I have seen that on smooth barked beach trees.
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, beach trees as well. Yeah for sure.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.
<v Speaker 2>Wow, So that's what I think. Do you have any thoughts?
<v Speaker 1>Well, the only thing that I thought is if it
<v Speaker 1>was not that, but I think you nailed it would
<v Speaker 1>be sun scaled. I mean, we have to bear in
<v Speaker 1>mind that, especially maples or a variety of trees, if
<v Speaker 1>there's temperature fluctuations just under the bark cold hot. Sometimes
<v Speaker 1>we'll get sun scaled, sometimes will lose bark that way.
<v Speaker 1>But based on the pictures, no, I think you nailed it, Stacy,
<v Speaker 1>I'd go down that road done so.
<v Speaker 2>In the case of yellow ellied sapsuckers, there's really nothing
<v Speaker 2>that you can do. And normally it's important to realize
<v Speaker 2>that sapsucker damage we call it damage, but I mean,
<v Speaker 2>of course, most trees have evolved to live with woodpeckers
<v Speaker 2>and sapsuckers and all of that, so it's not usually
<v Speaker 2>quite this dramatic, and trees can live with it just fine,
<v Speaker 2>because of course it's not in the sapsucker's best interest
<v Speaker 2>to go around killing trees because then it's going to
<v Speaker 2>lose its entire food source anyway. But of course certain
<v Speaker 2>things can happen through a different, you know, confluence of
<v Speaker 2>circumstances where it does remove entire portions of bark like this,
<v Speaker 2>But again, there's really nothing that you can do. If
<v Speaker 2>the sapsucker wants to feed there, it will.
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you know, it causes me to wonder hanging up
<v Speaker 1>a suet feeder with the woodpecker cakes if it would
<v Speaker 1>distract them or attract more of them. So yeah, that's
<v Speaker 1>probably not a solution yet.
<v Speaker 2>I'm not really sure how often they visit Sue, because
<v Speaker 2>I think they are very insectivorous, when of course woodpeckers
<v Speaker 2>are as well. And you know, I was I was
<v Speaker 2>reading something not too long ago where someone says, oh, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>you know, I tried putting out celt licks for the
<v Speaker 2>deer in the hopes that they wouldn't eat my plants.
<v Speaker 2>And I'm like, that will never happen. You know, deer
<v Speaker 2>aren't like, oh, how wonderful she's feeding us. Guess we
<v Speaker 2>won't eat the hydrangeas. They're just gonna be like, oh great,
<v Speaker 2>more food at my favorite.
<v Speaker 1>Restaurant, quid Pro exactly.
<v Speaker 2>So nothing you can do but maybe get a pair
<v Speaker 2>of binoculars and enjoy the behavior of the sapsucker because
<v Speaker 2>it is quite interesting to watch.
<v Speaker 1>Helen writes to us, We've been battling squash bugs for
<v Speaker 1>the last two years, and I'm thinking that they actually
<v Speaker 1>wintered over in the soil from last year because they
<v Speaker 1>were so prevalent in our garden area this past growing season.
<v Speaker 1>A gardening friend told me I should get a flame
<v Speaker 1>thrower yaigs and scortch the soil to eliminate them. Hey
<v Speaker 1>there's a garden gift idea of flamethrower? Is there another solution?
<v Speaker 1>We also had Mexican bean beetles for the first time ever.
<v Speaker 1>Will they winter over to next year? I've been a
<v Speaker 1>gardener for forty plus years and this is my first
<v Speaker 1>experience with these pests.
<v Speaker 2>Yikes. Yeah, those are two brutal pests for vegetable gardeners
<v Speaker 2>for sure. So I do you want to address the
<v Speaker 2>squash bugs first? I would not recommend the flame thrower
<v Speaker 2>simply because you know, there are a lot of garden
<v Speaker 2>pasts that will overwinter directly under their host plant. So
<v Speaker 2>a viburnum leaf beetle would be a great example. You know,
<v Speaker 2>they're really going to be right around that plant, whereas
<v Speaker 2>the squash bugs are not necessarily so you don't necessarily
<v Speaker 2>know that they are where you grew the squash last year.
<v Speaker 1>I agree. That's why many times to deal with square
<v Speaker 1>bugs we use floating row covers. Oh yeah, lay their
<v Speaker 1>eggs when they're moving.
<v Speaker 2>That's a good idea. The other thing, so you can't
<v Speaker 2>really so they are out there overwintering, you know, waiting
<v Speaker 2>for your zucchini to start growing. So a couple of
<v Speaker 2>things that you can do, uh, would be to monitor
<v Speaker 2>your plants. And squash bug eggs are clustered so they're
<v Speaker 2>very easy to see. They're also pretty bright red, So
<v Speaker 2>if you are at the time, I would recommend contacting
<v Speaker 2>your local cooperative extension find out the growing degree days
<v Speaker 2>or time frame when squash bugs begin to be active,
<v Speaker 2>and then just go ahead and start monitoring your plants.
<v Speaker 2>Turn the leaves over and what you will see is
<v Speaker 2>in the vs where the veins come together, a little
<v Speaker 2>cluster of kind of ruby colored eggs, and then you
<v Speaker 2>can either cut that leaf off entirely, or you can
<v Speaker 2>take duct tape, roll it around your fingers and just
<v Speaker 2>lift the eggs right off of the leaf. So, you know,
<v Speaker 2>I'm afraid that probably is the best way. I think
<v Speaker 2>the floating rope cover is also an effective way. The
<v Speaker 2>only thing about the floating roll cover on things like
<v Speaker 2>zucchini is then pollinating insects are also not getting in
<v Speaker 2>there to pollinate it. You can also try staggering your crop.
<v Speaker 2>You know, especially if you are growing zucchini, it's got
<v Speaker 2>a pretty short life cycle, so maybe try sewing it,
<v Speaker 2>you know, two, three, even four weeks later than you
<v Speaker 2>usually do, and see if that doesn't help to kind
<v Speaker 2>of miss their prime time. And that's also what I
<v Speaker 2>recommend about the Mexican bean beetles. Mexican bean beodles do
<v Speaker 2>start feeding quite early in the season. So if you
<v Speaker 2>are out there sowing bean speeds in May, they're like, oh, yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I got the tenderest spring leaves. This is what I
<v Speaker 2>live for. Whereas if you make subsequent sowings of beans,
<v Speaker 2>say later into June, that will again sort of avoid
<v Speaker 2>their main window of feeding.
<v Speaker 1>And it's those are great points stacy, because remember when
<v Speaker 1>it comes to IPM Integrated Pest Management, stacy, time is everything.
<v Speaker 1>So you've got to learn who your enemy is.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, and you know we are going to be talking
<v Speaker 2>a lot about timing in a future show when we
<v Speaker 2>talk about what we learned this year, because I learned
<v Speaker 2>a lot about timing in the vegetable garden and I
<v Speaker 2>am now a big proponent of trying different timings to
<v Speaker 2>evade all sorts of different pests. So I will put
<v Speaker 2>some resources on the website Gardeningsimplified on air dot com
<v Speaker 2>for you, Helen and anyone else who struggles with squash
<v Speaker 2>bugs and or Mexican bean beetles. We're going to take
<v Speaker 2>a little break. When we come back, we have got
<v Speaker 2>a phone call with the one and only doctor Ellen Armitage,
<v Speaker 2>so please stay tuned. The Gardening Simplified Show is brought
<v Speaker 2>to you by proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award
<v Speaker 2>winning flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested
<v Speaker 2>for your success so you enjoy more beauty and less work.
<v Speaker 2>Look for proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs in the distinctive
<v Speaker 2>white container at your local garden center.
<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show today in Branching News. Well,
<v Speaker 1>I gotta tell you this is a treat for me
<v Speaker 1>because this gentleman has been a mentor to me and
<v Speaker 1>an inspiration. I have read his books front to back.
<v Speaker 1>His name is doctor Allan Armatage. He's a Professor Emeritus
<v Speaker 1>of Horticulture, University of Georgia. Born and raised in Quebec
<v Speaker 1>and Ontario, and then later lived in East Lansing, Michigan,
<v Speaker 1>which is in close proximity to where we record here
<v Speaker 1>and Stacey. If you look over our shoulders for our
<v Speaker 1>YouTube viewers, it's snowing pretty good out there, and Alan
<v Speaker 1>knows what that's like. But he now resides in Athens, Georgia.
<v Speaker 1>He's worked with Gardner's landscapers, growers, retailers north and South.
<v Speaker 1>He travels the world. He has a passion for plants.
<v Speaker 1>He has what I call a great sense of humus.
<v Speaker 1>You should follow this gentleman on Instagram or Facebook or YouTube.
<v Speaker 1>He has an app Armatugees Great Garden Plants, and you've
<v Speaker 1>got to visit his website and check out his books.
<v Speaker 1>It's Alan Armitage dot net. And now I understand. On
<v Speaker 1>top of all of that, Stacey, we've got T shirts too.
<v Speaker 2>Oh yes, I saw the T shirts. They You know
<v Speaker 2>there needs to be more garden fashion, so I applaud
<v Speaker 2>the T shirts.
<v Speaker 1>Well, I'll tell you what, Alan, you are into fashion
<v Speaker 1>and I love it. Thanks for joining us on the
<v Speaker 1>Gardening Simplified Show.
<v Speaker 3>Hey, Rick, I love listening to this stuff. Of course,
<v Speaker 3>I was making you feel nice and people say good
<v Speaker 3>things about you, but you got to share that on
<v Speaker 3>this YouTube Thinger, if you're posting some pictures, you got
<v Speaker 3>to tell them that the model for the T shirts
<v Speaker 3>was just the last one they could find. So I
<v Speaker 3>gotta be maybe sending you guys up some so you
<v Speaker 3>can actually look a whole lot better in these T
<v Speaker 3>shirts than that model is doing. But anyway, thank you.
<v Speaker 3>It's great. Yeah, I just I just because love what
<v Speaker 3>you do and love what we do as gardeners and
<v Speaker 3>people who get their fingernails dirty. It's just it's just
<v Speaker 3>it's in your blood. That's great.
<v Speaker 1>Fun. Well, I have tremendous respect for you, Alan, and
<v Speaker 1>I'm serious. You were a mentor and an inspiration to me.
<v Speaker 1>I think what really got me going, Stacey was I
<v Speaker 1>read his book Herbaceous Perennial Plants, which now has a
<v Speaker 1>fourth edition, read it cover to cover and wore that
<v Speaker 1>thing out. No, I did not use it as a
<v Speaker 1>door stop, but it's big enough to use as a dostop.
<v Speaker 3>If you don't like the book, Rick. You know, I've
<v Speaker 3>also recommended to people that if they don't like it
<v Speaker 3>that much, they can use it, you know, for weight training,
<v Speaker 3>just one of those. But the part that book has
<v Speaker 3>been well that of course is that's got real good legs,
<v Speaker 3>just in the fourth edition, like you said, and each
<v Speaker 3>edition is go ten years, so that doesn't how long
<v Speaker 3>that thing went out. But it has. It has almost
<v Speaker 3>little cult following. It's it is a good book. I'm
<v Speaker 3>very proud of it and glad that you wore yours,
<v Speaker 3>and so we'll have to get you all the one. Well.
<v Speaker 1>It has a cult following because Alan has a real
<v Speaker 1>sense of humors and I love that. And you know,
<v Speaker 1>it's amazing being in this industry. Alan, I'm I just
<v Speaker 1>turned sixty five a couple of weeks ago, so I'm
<v Speaker 1>getting up there too. And you know, I was listening
<v Speaker 1>to you in an interview. I thought it was you
<v Speaker 1>were talking about gen Z's and I was thinking about
<v Speaker 1>the gen Z generation and it was mentioned that they
<v Speaker 1>are digital natives. All of this digital stuff is just
<v Speaker 1>second nature to them. But what's been fun to watch,
<v Speaker 1>Alan is their love for plants. There's huge enthusiasm and
<v Speaker 1>love for plants.
<v Speaker 3>You know, isn't it something? And again, you're sixty five, Uh,
<v Speaker 3>your old man here and you may catch meet one
<v Speaker 3>of these days. But the fact is that things I
<v Speaker 3>don't know a Jens the are verage. I was in
<v Speaker 3>the nursery and the garden center watching these mostly young
<v Speaker 3>ladies with their mothers in the ad who weren't covering.
<v Speaker 3>They were just with them having a grand time. And
<v Speaker 3>they were at in the house plant section, which is
<v Speaker 3>where they love to go. And I mean, they didn't
<v Speaker 3>want just a probing and I say, Prumby, you didn't
<v Speaker 3>want just a regular authors. They wanted to name variety.
<v Speaker 3>They wanted something they could take home and and couddle
<v Speaker 3>and give it a name. So they were looking for
<v Speaker 3>good stuff and it was really wonderful to see it.
<v Speaker 3>You know, I don't know how long this is going
<v Speaker 3>to last, but this this whole digital thing and everything
<v Speaker 3>is online that it's interesting that, believe it or not,
<v Speaker 3>people still are reading a book or two, so thank
<v Speaker 3>goodness for that, but they're the digital thing is certainly
<v Speaker 3>second nature.
<v Speaker 1>We mentioned during the first segment of today's show that
<v Speaker 1>I think books are still a great gift, and Stacy,
<v Speaker 1>I know you feel the same way. You personalize them,
<v Speaker 1>you can hold on to them. And uh, by the way,
<v Speaker 1>at Alan Armitage dot net, if you use promo Codevice
<v Speaker 1>that's my last name, it's spelled v u y st Alan.
<v Speaker 1>You're gonna give free shipping too. Merry Christmas, well Mary Christmas.
<v Speaker 3>Indeed, because and again I'm doing this for your listeners,
<v Speaker 3>right because if they're silly enough to listen to you
<v Speaker 3>and me at the same time, they need a bonus,
<v Speaker 3>they need something. I can make a T shirt that
<v Speaker 3>I survived the Hermitage. But but anyway, so the free
<v Speaker 3>postage is postage is getting to be such a terrible thing.
<v Speaker 3>It's expensive, and so the free postage thing I think
<v Speaker 3>twice about these days. But for you guys and for
<v Speaker 3>people who are listening, I'm happy to do it. And
<v Speaker 3>we talked about that, that that huge darn book onferennials.
<v Speaker 3>But the bargain me free posh.
<v Speaker 1>Kid, Well, you know, we whether you're gen z or
<v Speaker 1>into books or whatever it may be, Stacy, people love plants.
<v Speaker 1>People love plants, and that's the great thing about being
<v Speaker 1>in this industry. I was listening to Alan being interviewed.
<v Speaker 1>He had a great line because I was just chatting
<v Speaker 1>with Kevin heard about plant trials and how plants are
<v Speaker 1>put through trials. Same thing here at proven Winner's Color
<v Speaker 1>Choice Shrubs, and Alan said plant trials are Macy's on Thanksgiving.
<v Speaker 1>I thought that's a great one.
<v Speaker 3>YEA. Well, and you certainly and you know, just going
<v Speaker 3>to a plant trial or if you can't get there,
<v Speaker 3>talk to someone who's been or getting some data from
<v Speaker 3>online trials, you know, you can't help it learn something.
<v Speaker 3>And depending on what you're doing, if you're just my
<v Speaker 3>daughter just wanting to make her garden look better, it's
<v Speaker 3>nice to know that if you go find a plant
<v Speaker 3>that has a little bit of background, that you're probably
<v Speaker 3>going to be successful with it because people breeders or
<v Speaker 3>garden centers or whatever have actually, you know, filed these plants.
<v Speaker 3>And there's an awful lot of new plants out there,
<v Speaker 3>as you know, Rick, and not all of them are
<v Speaker 3>any better than what's out there five years ago. You know,
<v Speaker 3>it's good to have. It's good to have these things
<v Speaker 3>trial to be sure.
<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, I think that it also says a
<v Speaker 2>lot about why social media has helped garden grow, because
<v Speaker 2>it starts to become this third party endorsement. You don't
<v Speaker 2>have to take our word for it, you don't have
<v Speaker 2>to take down doctor Armitage's word for it. Universities are
<v Speaker 2>saying so, and your friends are saying so, and all
<v Speaker 2>of that social proof really just kind of builds the
<v Speaker 2>confidence that people need to actually take the plunge that
<v Speaker 2>maybe kept them from gardening earlier, before they could get
<v Speaker 2>this information.
<v Speaker 3>Well, we probably need to talk about some of those
<v Speaker 3>things that bolt gardeners become more successful, and a few
<v Speaker 3>things that are going on that are really happening making
<v Speaker 3>gardeners think twice. But here's my take, you guys, on
<v Speaker 3>what gardeners have that so few other people have. Why,
<v Speaker 3>you know, and again I don't want to go crazy
<v Speaker 3>here because I don't mean to be, but gardeners have
<v Speaker 3>something that hardly anybody else has, and that is there
<v Speaker 3>is always something to look forward to. Always. If you
<v Speaker 3>put a seed in the ground, you're looking forward to
<v Speaker 3>a German. You put a bolt in the fall, you're
<v Speaker 3>looking forward to the spring. You put a shrug in now,
<v Speaker 3>you're looking forward to the flowers. There is nothing we
<v Speaker 3>do that does not give us joy because we're looking forward.
<v Speaker 3>And I want to tell you don't get old when
<v Speaker 3>you're looking forward. It's really really cool. And it's not
<v Speaker 3>anything we do or did, it's just who we are.
<v Speaker 3>And I don't truly believe that.
<v Speaker 1>Is really well said Merry Christmas.
<v Speaker 3>I mean, and I'm gonna put that in my T
<v Speaker 3>shirt somewhere too, But I actually I do see that always,
<v Speaker 3>you know, And I don't know Rick or face. You
<v Speaker 3>probably have maybe not been to any one of my
<v Speaker 3>silly talks. But I often will will treface this by saying,
<v Speaker 3>you know, how many I've met many, many tired gardeners.
<v Speaker 3>I've met many sore gardeners. I've met many broke gardeners.
<v Speaker 3>But who I have never met is an old gardener,
<v Speaker 3>because you can't get old looking forward to the future.
<v Speaker 3>It just doesn't happen. So and again, we're healthier, we're
<v Speaker 3>certainly not wealthier. I don't think they're any wiser. We're
<v Speaker 3>out here and we smile a lot.
<v Speaker 1>I love that. I love that you made my day
<v Speaker 1>with that. You know, Stacey and I have have been
<v Speaker 1>talking about climate change, and you're very familiar with Michigan.
<v Speaker 1>And I've been looking through the records this past year. Alan,
<v Speaker 1>and by the way, we're chatting with doctor Allan Armitage.
<v Speaker 1>He's an author, a speaker, has done so much for
<v Speaker 1>the horticulture industry throughout the years, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture
<v Speaker 1>at the University of Georgia. I've been looking at the
<v Speaker 1>data and our garden seasons, our growing season. Doing this
<v Speaker 1>thing that we're looking forward to has certainly extended. I mean,
<v Speaker 1>if I go back to the seventies and eighties, I'm
<v Speaker 1>looking at growing seasons that were maybe one hundred and
<v Speaker 1>thirty days where we live here in West Michigan, and
<v Speaker 1>last year I think we got close to one hundred
<v Speaker 1>and eighty days. It's just incredible.
<v Speaker 3>It is incredible. And on the service that just sounds great,
<v Speaker 3>oh boy, more we can garden it, and in fact
<v Speaker 3>it's nice. But as you know, many of the plan
<v Speaker 3>that we grow, particularly those that are perennial, with the
<v Speaker 3>ie for vacious perennials, tree shoves, they benefit from cold,
<v Speaker 3>and they benefit from long periods of cold, and they're
<v Speaker 3>benefit from snow cover. And sometimes we're not getting as
<v Speaker 3>much as that as we used to. You know for sure, Rick,
<v Speaker 3>that when you were growing up in Michigan, you were
<v Speaker 3>probably out there ice skating on the pond. Heck, the
<v Speaker 3>pond probably doesn't even freeze anymore. Absolutely, things are certainly different, and.
<v Speaker 1>You you know, they're experience experiencing that also in Europe.
<v Speaker 1>My dad yesterday turned ninety five years old. He grew
<v Speaker 1>up in the Netherlands and he would ice skate the
<v Speaker 1>canals and now there's there's no ice on the.
<v Speaker 3>Canals and for us, you know, I'm from Montreal. Hey,
<v Speaker 3>that's all we ever did. That's the same was put
<v Speaker 3>on ice skating those skating and we used to we
<v Speaker 3>used to freeze in the backyard, put boards up. That's
<v Speaker 3>really not happening anymore. And and from the point of view
<v Speaker 3>of the garden side that it is good in that,
<v Speaker 3>you know, we don't want that much winter. I get it,
<v Speaker 3>but you know it's a little bit tougher for plants
<v Speaker 3>I think with this change in climate.
<v Speaker 1>Stacy, I'm still clinging though to the show that we
<v Speaker 1>did with Alan Armitage a few months ago, and make
<v Speaker 1>sure to look for it on podcast or on YouTube,
<v Speaker 1>where Alan just gave me encouragement. He said that it's
<v Speaker 1>easier to garden in the north than the south. Alan,
<v Speaker 1>because in the north, what was it you said, they're
<v Speaker 1>either doing great or they're dead, one or the other.
<v Speaker 3>Right in the they tend to linger. In the north,
<v Speaker 3>either beautiful or they're dead. But anyway, maybe maybe you've
<v Speaker 3>got a few lingerers as well. But no, it is
<v Speaker 3>actually easier to garden north. But most people don't believe
<v Speaker 3>you want to say that.
<v Speaker 1>Alan's gonna ask you for a few things a Christmas
<v Speaker 1>present for our viewers and for our listeners. So here
<v Speaker 1>we go. The first thing I'm going to ask you is,
<v Speaker 1>aside from a book, you have so many wonderful books.
<v Speaker 1>And by the way, folks, Alan reminded us also that
<v Speaker 1>the book Field Guide to Specialty Cut Flowers is a
<v Speaker 1>big seller and it's a testament to how people have
<v Speaker 1>really embraced cut flowers. But Alan, aside from a book
<v Speaker 1>as a gardener's as a gardener, what's something you'd want
<v Speaker 1>to get this Christmas as a gift you personally? What
<v Speaker 1>would you want?
<v Speaker 3>I'm the kind of a fellow that doesn't need anything,
<v Speaker 3>doesn't really want anything until I realize that I don't
<v Speaker 3>have something. So there's a couple a couple of things,
<v Speaker 3>like give me a great pair of leather gloves. Now,
<v Speaker 3>I know it's boring. I mean it's boring. I can
<v Speaker 3>tell you what the app and this other stuff. You
<v Speaker 3>give me a quick pair of leather gloves because I
<v Speaker 3>am I'm not a matchural guy. I am happy to
<v Speaker 3>put a pair of gloves on and I'm digging or
<v Speaker 3>whatever I'm doing, and and and they that's just that's
<v Speaker 3>just a great gift. And the reason I'm thinking about
<v Speaker 3>that now is because mine are you know, five years
<v Speaker 3>old and starting to get a little worn. And uh
<v Speaker 3>so that's that's one for sure. But I tell you
<v Speaker 3>if I had not, only if you're a gardener, would
<v Speaker 3>you ask for this? Okay? And and I don't expect
<v Speaker 3>too many of your people to ask this, But what
<v Speaker 3>I'd really like for Christmas is a big, big pile
<v Speaker 3>of compost with a big ribbon on the top. Bring
<v Speaker 3>me in trouble and I will be happy to spread it.
<v Speaker 3>But that is that is the key to any good gardening.
<v Speaker 3>But I'm not sure if the neighbors would appreciate the
<v Speaker 3>truck coming in with a bow on top. But the
<v Speaker 3>comp compost is compost is the key. But yeah, those
<v Speaker 3>are two gifts there, and you can you can work on.
<v Speaker 1>Your neighbors would have to maintain their composter. But I
<v Speaker 1>agree it's a great gift. And I I do have
<v Speaker 1>your address, so be careful there you go.
<v Speaker 3>Well, I live in I live in town, so to speak,
<v Speaker 3>in a very small garden sixty hundred and so I
<v Speaker 3>don't have room for a big compost pile that you
<v Speaker 3>know is making making one. I wish I could, and
<v Speaker 3>I would if I get out of the room. So
<v Speaker 3>we get composed every year and I put it on
<v Speaker 3>my garden. And if we have sell we have heavy
<v Speaker 3>play soils here, and so I just throw it on top.
<v Speaker 3>Most everything is dormant. I just throw things on top,
<v Speaker 3>and it's amazing. After you know, ten years or so,
<v Speaker 3>you've got soil, you got dirt, and that really helps.
<v Speaker 1>Well. Time flies when we have the chance to talk
<v Speaker 1>to you, and so I've got to ask you this
<v Speaker 1>question again as a gift for our listeners and our viewers.
<v Speaker 1>Give me two plants that you think everyone should have
<v Speaker 1>in their garden. Two plants that everyone should put in
<v Speaker 1>the ground. In twenty twenty five, According to Alan Armitage,
<v Speaker 1>what would those two plants be?
<v Speaker 3>Yellen, well, I'm going to give you. I'll give you
<v Speaker 3>one right off the top of my head is false
<v Speaker 3>indigo or Baptisia. And Baptisia is a perennial grows very
<v Speaker 3>fine in Michigan. It grows. Just put it anywhere. It
<v Speaker 3>gives you fabulous new growth when it comes out of
<v Speaker 3>the ground in the spring. Some of them actually a
<v Speaker 3>black black buds. It gives you mind foldage spectacular flowers
<v Speaker 3>and then good fruit and it is pregnal and it'll
<v Speaker 3>be twenty years and you will be touching a thing.
<v Speaker 3>So that's one plant that you just cannot go too
<v Speaker 3>wrong on and a second plant. I guess, you know,
<v Speaker 3>I guess I'm trying to stay away from the serbatous
<v Speaker 3>stuff all the time. But I would would, I would
<v Speaker 3>probably certainly. And I hate to say hydranges because I'm
<v Speaker 3>not a fan at all of the mophead hydranges, your
<v Speaker 3>grandmother's hydrange is. I'm not a fan at all. But
<v Speaker 3>the panicle hydranges there are spectacular ones that and they're easy,
<v Speaker 3>they tolerate sun and shade. They come back every year.
<v Speaker 3>You can you can walk into the ground if you wish.
<v Speaker 3>And those are two plants to just put any anybody
<v Speaker 3>who's listening will be successful with.
<v Speaker 1>His name is Alan Armitage. Now for our listeners and
<v Speaker 1>our viewers again radio podcast in YouTube. Gonna give you
<v Speaker 1>the spelling. Alan is spelled A L L A N
<v Speaker 1>and then Armitage A R M I T A G
<v Speaker 1>E dot net. Check out the books. She'll be glad
<v Speaker 1>you did. And now the T shirts use the promo
<v Speaker 1>code West and if you're watching on YouTube, I'm sure
<v Speaker 1>Adriana will put the spelling of my name up there
<v Speaker 1>for you. VU y s T. Happy holidays, Alan, It's
<v Speaker 1>always a pleasure to talk to.
<v Speaker 3>You, Rick Grig. I'm going to throw one more thing
<v Speaker 3>at you before you get rid of me, and that
<v Speaker 3>is if anybody wants to follow me every months they do,
<v Speaker 3>it's called my favorites. It's a plant, it's a book,
<v Speaker 3>not a garden book, but a book, a streaming series,
<v Speaker 3>a place to go visit in a great garden. Because
<v Speaker 3>they follow me, it's called armors. You's his favorites. Just
<v Speaker 3>have a great time and aubure a Stacey, Adriana, Rick,
<v Speaker 3>thank you for having me and I hope we can
<v Speaker 3>do this more often.
<v Speaker 1>Would love to do it. Happy holidays, Allen, and thanks
<v Speaker 1>so much.
<v Speaker 3>Thank you Allan, all the best, everybody take care now.
<v Speaker 1>All right bye bye, all right.
<v Speaker 2>Well, I hope that you have lots of ideas and
<v Speaker 2>inspiration for the gardener in your life this holiday. We
<v Speaker 2>wanted to do it right now so you'd still have
<v Speaker 2>time to order and shop for that gardener in your life.
<v Speaker 2>And so as you shop, we want to thank you
<v Speaker 2>for your time thank you Rick, thank you Adriana, and
<v Speaker 2>of course thank you doctor Armitage. Have a wonderful week ahead.