Coming to you from Studio A at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella me Rick weisst and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, Stacey, We've had some comments and some questions from folks who watch us on YouTube or listen to the podcast or listen to us on radio about the fact that they have wet spots in their garden. We've done some shows on drought, but today I think we've got to help
out these folks who have plants that have wet feet. You know, it happens a lot, and certainly it's less common for you and I out here by the lake shore, where our soils really sandy and really well drained. Even if we were to get some sort of torrential downpour, it's usually going to drain out pretty quickly because sandy soils drain well. But especially people who have clay soils or people who have a shallow water table, they can have
naturally wet soil and that can feel really limiting for people. Absolutely, and of course we know that plants need oxygen as much as they need water, or taking a plant and planting it too deep. Again, roots need oxygen in order for the plant to thrive. So rainfall is a good thing, but sometimes it can pose challenges, and today we'll talk about that here on the Gardening Simplified Show. And by the way, when a plant's under stress
due to too much water, stacey disease can quickly become a problem. Well, sure, a lot of diseases. When people talk about root rot and that kind of thing, those things don't happen to healthy plants that are in well drained soil. They happen when there is a lot of moisture and the
plant can't get oxygen to recover from all of that of that water. Yeah, and I've also seen situations in landscapes where folks are struggling primarily because they are an irrigation set it and forget it individual, and there's a rain button there on the clock for you. Irrigation. Just pay attention to that. Weather patterns change and so you're going to have to adapt to it with your irrigation. Now, stay see a few different ways to deal with it.
Number one, raised beds elevate planting areas above the surrounding soil level to improve drainage and prevent water logging. That's one way. Swales are another way to create shallow, gently sloped ditches to divert excess water. Drainage ditches, I guess in a worst case scenario, you may want to install a drainage ditch or a French drain. And then the other thing that I think is really important in these wet areas is to add organic material. Many times the wetness
is due to dense soil particles like clay. Soils avoid the temptation to add sand. Sand plus clay equals concrete bethinking organic material well, and the organic material is going to be a lot easier to haul around and incorporate into your garden compared to sandwhich is extremely extremely heavy. I think another really important part of this equation is determining what is the cause of that excess moisture in the
first place. Because those solutions that you just listed, you know, which of those is going to be best for you really depends on what is the culprit in the first place. And so many of us you know out here it's common for the water table to be very high, but i've certainly you know, been in places where there's just natural water features or you know, drainage is naturally poor, and in that case, there's probably less you can do with it. If it's a stormwater runoff issue, like with your house,
then a French drain might be the solution. You might be able to get new gutters or downspouts and change that so that you can actually, you know, manage where that water is going. But once you determine that cause, then you can look at the solution. And some solutions might be inexpensive. Some solutions might be very expensive if they require a lot of like regrading and reworking of your area, and some solution can actually be really fun.
And I was glad that you mentioned about the swales because one thing that's so popular right now is rain gardens. Yes, and that is a great plant based solution to a wet area that is maybe super wet when it rains and then dries off a little bit in the summer, like when we're sort of
in between, and rain garden plants are specifically adapted to those conditions. Great points made their Stacey, And of course, where you're with your plants around your home, take a look at the gutters, take a look at the down spouts. It's a pretty easy fix to be able to move or at least move the water from the down spouts into another direction. And you're right. In some situations, we have plants that are underwater part of the year and dry and that boy, that's tough, tough on plants. Let me
give you a limerick on the subject. I want a lovely retreat, but high water my efforts deplete. I live in a floodplain. The water just won't drain. I constantly have wet feet. My yard is under a flood. My soil type is mud. I'm feeling under the weather. We're all in this together. My landscape is a dud. You know, this is a tough situation to deal with. It is and you know, again going back to like the difficulty aspect, if you have what soil, it's hard
to dig. It's going to be difficult to get those plants in there. But the good part is that if you are doing a plant based solution, like a rain garden or like plants that simply tolerate wet soil, you invest that time and effort once and then your plants should be good to go. And you know, on the bright side, you never have to worry about watering. Yeah, that's true. Look at the bright side. I like
that. Let's talk about some of those plants that can handle the water, because I think that that's a great solution is plants that are tolerant to having wet feet. And one grass that I just love is switch grass or panic and generally we think about them in dry areas or grasses being drought tolerant,
but I've found that switch grasses can handle it quite well. Papyrus like the graceful grasses, TUTS series, fiber optic grass is really great, the Juncus, the blue mohawk or curly whirly juncus, and then of course stacey. Also your sedges. I love sedges like the toffee twists sedge. Any of those are a situation where we can use a grass like plant in a wet
area. You know, Sedges are also known as carrecks botanically, and I have to confess that my absolute most favorite carrecs out there are all wet soil carrects. Okay, I mean there's really nice dry soil carrecks that can you take it dry and are very versatile, but my most favorite ones are absolutely for wet areas, so you know, it's a typical gardening situation. The grass is always greener on the other side, you know, very good.
Another great water in tolerant place is your favorite cannas. Yes, cannas can handle it. I appreciate you bringing that up. And while we're on the subject of foliage plants that can handle water, how about iris, Siberian iris, Japanese iris. You know, Siberian iris are almost semi aquatic and they can really handle wet feet and bloom beautifully for you. So if you've got a wet area, I would certainly look at Siberian iris. Ligularia bottle rocket.
Yeah, I love that plant, and that if you do see that it is a native species. If you see that growing in the wild, you're absolutely going to see that in those wet, deeply forested areas, just sitting there doing its thing and looking amazing. Also, another great perennial would be cardinal flower cardinal lobilia. There's some great varieties there that you can pick
from. And when we move on to shrubs, I don't want to steal your thunder because stay tuned in segment two and Stacey always gives us a great plant in plants on trial, So I'm not going to steal your thunder on the shrubs, although I do want to say you're an individual who really got me excited about chokeberry erronia, and I think that that's a great plant. Clethras summer sweet vanilla spice is another one, and we'll see what Stacy has
up per sleeve in segment four. And then of course trees. You know, we want to try to grow trees in wet areas. Many people do struggle with it. I think that there's some great choices there. Red maple's a great choice, Juneberry river birch. Hackberry willow, of course is an obvious and swamp oak. The species that was used at the nine to eleven
memorial site in beautiful, beautiful, really amazing native oak. And of course, even though it's not as common to grow out here, we cannot forget the bald cypress yes growing in the cypress swamps of the South and really just one of the most beautiful and interesting plants. We do have some in our trial garden here. I mean they're fascinating. They grow these knees, these woody outgrows when they're in a lot of standing water that will definitely trip you
if you're walking through the woods or anything. But they're so beautiful and so interesting, and they're a deciduous conifer. They are a conifer, but they actually lose their leaves every fall, which is why they're called bald cypress. But we have so many amazing American native trees that can take this kind of conditions, So you know, you're really spoiled for choice. Even though your initial you know, reaction might be, oh man, what can I grow
nothing? I'm just gonna be living in a swamp over here. There are actually a number of really interesting, beautiful plants that you can grow that have seasonal interests. They're not just something that will simply grow there and you'll just be like, okay, yeah it's there. I mean, you'll actually get a good show. I agree. So if you've got a wet spot that you're dealing with, don't throw in the trowel. There's a lot of options for you. Oh Zelkova tree, I was thinking about that too, So
don't throw in the trowel. I just wet my plants. You can do it and be successful in wet areas. We'll find out what plant Stacy has in mind. Coming up next in Plants on Trial here on the Gardening Simplified Show. Proven Winner's Color Choice Shrubs cares about your success in the garden. That's why we trial and test all of our shrubs for eight to ten years, making sure they outperform everything else on the market. Look for them and
the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where it is our pleasure to be the first, maybe the first to welcome you to spring. Yes, it is officially meteorological spring. That means that if you measure the seasons by the month rather than the actual astronomical dates, when the equinox or solstices happen,
that it's spring. So meteorological spring is March April May. And that means that just yesterday we started meteorological spring the way I'm going to measure it, Stacey, March one spring start. The earlier, the better for you. Earlier. Well, we're celebrating it here with a new backdrop. If you haven't seen it on our YouTube show, you can see that there we'll be
looking at this for the next three months. Will it is meteorological spring, and we are definitely very happy about it, even though this year's weather has definitely made it seem like spring came a lot earlier. Wow, February strange, very strange. I have had my snow crocuses in bloom for about a week two weeks now, the earliest they've ever bloomed in the entire time I've grown them in, you know, fifteen years, glory of the snow snow
drafts which Hazel hellibores goes on and on. They're they're in bloom now you're in Michigan, so it's a good opportunity for you to document that through your social media. It's always good to look back and see those dates, just like a meteorologist would. But speaking of spring, today's plant on trial is actually a summer plant, so I'm getting way ahead of myself. Today's plant
on trial is sugar shack button bush. Sugar shack button bush, that's correct, and it is not a plant that you're going to see doing a whole lot until summer rolls around. But of course I picked it to match with today's show, and it is absolutely positively one of the most wet tolerant, wet soil tolerant shrubs that we offer. A I figured that's why you picked it, and you know that's what we do on this show. You introduced the plant and then I simply repeat it like Ed McMahon on the Johnny Curson,
just like that. So I want you to leave that in Adriana. I know Ed McMahon from Star Search, not this night shot. I was not allowed to stay up that late during those years. But anyway, this is a very interesting plant. So before I get in to its ability to tolerate what so, I want to just kind of paint a mental picture of it for you. It is a plant that is native to North America,
and its main attraction is by far its flowers. And its flowers are such that if you were to see them in a book or a picture on Instagram or something like that, you would think it was some sort of crazy exotic plant. The flowers, when it blooms in about mid to late July, are these perfectly round spheres that look like a pincushion with pins coming out all
around them. Now, they're relatively small, probably about this a little bit bigger than a quarter, So I know, sometimes you can't really tell the scale, but they just look like something from out of this world. And in fact, one of the first varieties of button bush that was selected and available on the market was actually called Sputnik, oh, after the Soviet spacecraft, because it resembled that that sort of circular, spiny looking thing. The
other thing about the flowers just the most incredible fragrance. And you know, I often find that when a plant has incredible fragrance and it's summer blooming, there's just something about that combination of those hot, humid days and that amazing fragrance coming off the plants that is really just makes your day. So let me let me ask you a quick question a minute, Stacy, I can see button bush based on how the flowers look. But here at proven Winter's
color choice shrubs, how'd you settle on sugar shack. Well, that's a very good question, and I'm afraid I don't really have a very good answer. Oh. I distinctly remember the conversation wherein we named it sugar shack. But very often so what we're doing when we're trying to name plants is we're thinking about, Okay, this is this is a native North American plant.
We want something that kind of implies that it's you know, related to sort of these vernacular traditions, like a sugarshack, even though it blooms in summer and it's pretty hearty. So this plant is hardy from you USDA Zone four and heat tolerant all the way up to USDA Zone ten. So it's actually one of the broadest hardiness range of any of the plants that are in the
proven Winter's Color Choice line. And I think that we just kind of liked that name because of the sweetness, you know, of the flowers, the sweetness of the fragrance, and it also just kind of just kind of stuck and it's out in the woods where you might find a sugar sheck. I think it's right. So I think when people see the flowers again, they
think that it's something exotic, but I have seen native button bush. Cephalanthis occidentalis is the scientific name, growing right downtown Grand Rapids, right along the river there. Wow, would you say that botanical name again, cephalanthis occidentalis. Wow, that's really impressive. Well, cephalanthis it means like a head like flower, so that's where that roundness comes. And occidentalis actually means eastern because this plant is native to the entire eastern half of North America, so
that's where the botanical name comes from. But this is a plant that is far from exotic, far from unfamiliar. And again, if you are walking along the river, walking downtown Grand Rapids by the gerald Ford Museum, you will actually see wild button bush growing along the river beautiful. And if you certainly if you go up north, you'll find it growing along any kind of like large pond, small lakes. It will also grow like in Grand Rapids,
along running water, so along rivers. And I always just find it's so interesting that when something looks and feels so exotic to find out that it's actually really ubiquitous if you're just in the right kind of environment for it. Ubiquitous and a native plant. And the botanical name is as tough to say as meteorological spring. I actually find Cephalanthus accidental. It's a little easier speaking for rolls off your tongue. So this is again a very easy plant to
grow. Now, it does want a lot of water, and this is a case that you're going to find that typically though more tolerant of wet soil, something is the less tolerant it will be of drought or dry soil. There are a couple of exceptions out there. I think you mentioned Erhonia. That's one that can can kind of take those extremes. Although it will definitely start to suffer if it's too dry, it won't suffer if it's too wet. So this is not a plant for drought. I have tried to grow
it in my garden. I cannot too well drained, not enough water. But if you have an area you know, again clay soil, high water table, if you have like a live on a river or a pond or something like that, this makes such a beautiful choice. Now, what is the reason that we selected sugar shack specifically out of all of these button bushes that you can find all over Michigan. Is we were looking for a way
to make this plant more friendly to growing in home gardens. Now, if you were to see a button bush out in the wild, it could be anywhere from you know, eight to ten or twelve feet tall and wide and typically and this certainly includes the ones in Grand Rapids. Not a great looking plant if you see the flowers, you're like, oh, that's kind of
neat, But you know the plants, they're kind of scraggly. You know, they've had a lot of damage just from you know, the river raging by and having things, you know, float by and break branches and so forth. So it's not necessarily a plant that she would recognize so well if you were to see it in the wild and it's bloom period again is only in sort of that like mid to late July time frame. But it does have some other distinguishing characteristics, very glossy foliage, and I think that that
is that makes this plant really attractive well outside of its blooming season. So we've got it down to about a four to five foot tall and wide size, so you can't actually use it in your home landscape and enjoy those flowers.
Another distinctive characteristic that we selected it for is after those flowers fade, what's left is sort of this round, almost a little bit like a plane tree or a sycamore seed pod, sort of like that, but they turn red, and so the other ones in the wild after that flower fades, i'll just kind of turn brown or take on a little bit of red.
With sugarshack. We were selecting for that remaining fruit to be a really nice bright red and you can see this in our show notes at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, and you can look at the pictures also on our Instagram and of course if you're watching on YouTube, you'll see everything. And it really gives this plant a lot more season of interest, which is another thing that people are going to want when it comes to including it in their landscape.
Rather than just appreciating it. They want it to be a size that works for their landscape and they want to have that longer season of interest, and we want to give it to them. Yeah, so, Stacey, more seasons of interest. But I think the other selling points as you've mentioned a native plant, yes, and then I'm looking at your description the honey scent, the sugar shack element of it. I would think this thing would attract pollinator. Oh my gosh, it is a buzz with pollinators in the summer.
It's something you really have to see to believe it. Almost it's one of those plants. I love this. I'm sure a lot of people are probably recoiling at the mirror idea, but I love standing next to a plant like this when it's in bloom on a summer day, and it's just like throbbing with life, just like buzzing and noisy, with all of the insects with you. I think that's a thrill. I love that. I'll stick my hand right in there. It's fabulous. Yeah, it's great. Hopefully
you don't get stune. But the insects will actually, and this is true, the insects will be so busy, you know, feeding off. The plants are not interested in you. You really got to go mess with them to try to distract distract them from the wonderful nectar of sugar. Shehck button bush. So as I said, very wide hardiness range, hardy USDA zones four through USDA Zone ten, so very cold tolerant as well as very heat tolerant, very useful, four to five feet tall and wide summer bloom time.
And one last thing, oh two less things actually very deer resistant. Ah. So this is a plant that you don't have to worry about the deer getting So great if you have more of an unmanaged property and are just looking to get more interesting plants in it. And it was recently awarded the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society Gold Medal. I see that. That's that's a big deal.
It's a very big deal. It's a very prestigious award. We have a couple of other plants that have earned it, but definitely one that we were very proud of to get that. So we thank the people at PHS for that, and hopefully you will take that as an additional recommendation to add sugar shack button bush to your landscape. You can get all the details at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We're going to take a little break. When we come back, we're opening up that garden mail bags, so please
stay tuned. At proven Winner's Color Choice, We've got a shrub for every taste and every space. Whether you're looking for an easy care rose and unforgettable hydrangea, or something new and unique, you can be confident that the shrubs and the white containers have been trialed and tested for your success. Look for them at your local garden center. Greeting's Gardening friends, and welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. You know, I do love to help people with
their garden questions. I never really get stumped, but you can certainly try. Oh and if you have a gardening question, whether or not you think it'll stump us. If it's stumped you, you can certainly reach out to us any time at help HLP at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, or just
visit Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We've got a handy contact form there that you can fill out and send us, and we would be happy to offer our experience and expertise and perspective on your problem, as we're going to do for these gardeners Stacy, as I always say, that gets my stump of approval. Chuck writes to us, we live in Zone seven A north of Atlanta, Georgia. We also live in deer country, which forces us
to purchase deer resistant shrubs. I went heavy with daisy gardenas about twenty of them. Two years have passed and no blossoms. My pH is between six point five and seven with a fertilizer for acid loving plants, just do the trick or do I add extra salt for in spring? I read pH of five to six is optimum, but can't get my pH. Lower bushes are green and growing great, but no beautiful white blossom. Well, that is very disappointing because it is you know, gardenias are beautiful, their foliage is
attractive, and their habit is typically very attractive. But you know, let's face it, we're growing it for the flowers. So I certainly can understand Chuck's pain. And one of the reasons why I really wanted to get this one out here is because whether or not you can grow gardena, I think that this hints at a common misconception about plant health, and that is that soil pH will If the soil pH is an issue, it's not necessarily going
to manifest as a lack of flowers. What you're going to see is unhealthy foliage exactly. And so if you're not getting flowers, my first thought would not be to blame the soil pH. If, as you say, the plant is growing green and looking healthy, then the pH is almost certainly not the issue. Yeah, because is if the pH was a problem, it's going to be evident in the veining of the foliage and the color. Yeah, you're going to see a lot of yellow leaves especially. You know,
new growth is going to be slow to come out. When it does come out, it's going to look sickly and unhealthy. And you know we've talked about this on the show before, but soil pH is the reason that plants have specific soil pH needs is not because of the acidity of the soil and oh my roots can take in an acidic environment or a less acidic environment.
It's because the soil pH controls the availability of nutrients to the plants. So all of the nutrients in the soil are minerals, their elements, and a chemical reaction has to take place for them to become free from the soil bond and be taken up for the plant. And that is going to happen differently under different soil conditions. And this is why if you do have a soil pH issue for your plant, again, it's not likely going to manifest itself
through a lack of flowers. So certainly it can be you know, nutrients starved enough that that is the issue, but it that would not be the only symptom you're seeing. You're also going to see yellow foliage, weird sort of veining foliage. There's a lot of different nutrient deficiencies that can happen, so chuck, if your soil is really about a six point five to seven.
That's probably a little bit higher than Guardina's would want. But as long as your foliage is still nice and green, I wouldn't worry about that. I would start turning my attention to different explanations for the lack of flowers. And there's a couple of possible reasons. So number one is potentially maturity. So these plants have only been in the ground about two years. Normally this isn't a huge issue for Guardinas, but it is something to consider certainly.
You know the whole sleep, creep leap. The first year a plant sleeps, the second year it creeps and grows, and then the third year it leaps, so that could be an issue. And whenever something's not flowering, you know what, we've got to ask. You're gonna say it. I'm not gonna say it, You're going, okay. We got to ask if you're prumned it and if so, win, because pruning is probably the number
one reason certainly when it comes to hydranges can be for anything else. The number one reason that a plant wouldn't bloom guardinas because they bloom in early spring, bloom on old wood. So basically that means that if you prune your guardena at any point from say September, until it would be blooming the following spring, you would be cutting off the flower buds that the plant had already formed. It's making those flower buds in fall and winter and then just opening
them in spring. So if you need to prune your guardina, the only time you can safely do that without removing flowers is immediately after it flowers. Yeah, I agree completely on the pruning thing. I think in addition to that, taking a look at available light. Also when we're having difficulty with pruning, I think we've got to take a look at the amount of sunlight that those plants are, yeah, for sure, and too much shade.
Although gardinias can definitely tolerate some light shade, and the hotter your climate, the more shade they can take. It's certainly worth considering because yeah, in deep shade, pollinators are not as active, and so the plant is less likely to flower because it's not getting the energy, and why would it when there's no pollinators, And ultimately, as much as enjoyment, As much as we get enjoyment from the flowers, the flowers do exist only to make seeds.
So if it's not going to be able to do that, then a lot of times the plant won't just won't put the energy into blooming. I just let you do your thing with that answer, and I'll do the Ed McMahon thing again. You are correct, man. I like it because I really have nothing else to add. You nail it. Yeah, So anyway, Chuck, don't worry too much about the pH unless you start seeing the yellow foliage. If you have been pruning, and I know when someone has
miss prune something, the urge to kick yourself is very strong. But on the bright side, if pruning is actually the solution, that's a very easy thing to fix. You know, if the issue is shade, that's not so easy to fix, because then you might have to move the plant or change something around. At least with pruning, you can modify your behavior and not prune it and get back to beautiful, fragrant Grdemia flowers hopefully this year, if not next. It's a kick in the plants, all right.
Genny's asking us about powdery mildew. What causes it to form on plants? Does it spread to other plants in the garden? If not treat it. How do you get rid of it and treat it? Can I deal with it in spring before disease begins? Should the disease plant be cut back or
removed? You know, Jenny, great questions. And let me say right off the top, Stacey, that coming up next week we'll talk about IPM, and this is a great question as it relates to that, and anytime that we're looking at issues like powdery mildew, I think we've got to remember what we learned in school a long time ago. Whenever we have a disease, it's like a triangle. You have a pathogen, you have a host, and you have an environment that's suitable to it growing. And I think
you know my comment would be on powdery mildew that fungal spores travel. Yes, they sure do. They're very small, they can easily travel on the air. And I found that Ginny's questions were all really really good questions. So to answer the first question, what causes it to form on plants, It's exactly what Rick said. The fungal spores are in the air. Certain plants are more susceptible than others, and they thrive in conditions where a plant
is alternately wet and dry. So they can't really live well on a plant that's always dry. They can't really live well in a plant that's always wet. But if you have say a sprinkler system, and it pelts all your plants first thing in the morning, they spend all day drying, and then the next day boom happens all over again. That is ideal conditions for powdery mildew to develop. Now, as far as it's spreading to other plants,
this is interesting. As much as it can seem like powdery mildew is a ubiquitous disease, powdery mildew is always specific to the plant that it's on. So the powdery mildew that would impact some thing like a rose is not going to be the same powdery mildew that would affect something like a coreopsis. They
are specific to those genera or the genus that you're growing. So the idea that it would spread to other plants in your garden, yes, it will spread to similar plants, so other roses or other choreopsis, but that same type of powdery will not crop up on other plants. If other plants get it, it got another strain or species of the powdery mildew fungus. I like that and fungal spores are fun. Guys like me just kind of hang out and wait until the environment's right. And you know, you mentioned the
irrigation issue. If you're watering, you know, try to water at the base. The other thing I've found, Stacy, is if you're overfertilizing your plants, that can be an issue. Yeah, well, anytime there's that fresh new foliage. What happens when a plant leaves out is as that foliage matures, a wax cuticle develops and then it's less susceptible to those fungal diseases. But when it's fresh in spring, when it is moist, when there is a lot of fungal spores fresh on the wind, it's really easy for
them to land on that foliage. And I think this is sort of one of the big gotchas of powdery mildew is that by the time it starts showing up in your garden in you know, June, it actually infected your plants probably two months prior, and so preventative is really has to happen in spring. But I will say overall, powdery mildew can be very unsightly, and in extreme conditions it can be extremely unsightly, But overall I encourage people to
just kind of take it with a grain of salt. My standard advice. If it's a branch that you can easily cut off without really harming the plant or you know, ruining its overall appearance, I would say, just snip it out and throw it away. That reduces the inoculum or amount of fungal spores out there and the other thing. And this is definitely one of those easier said than done types of pieces of advice. But try to clean up all of the foliage from the plant after it, because what happens with this
plant and its life cycle. Those leaves had powdery mildew on them, They're going to fall below the plant. They're going to sit there with those fungal spores on them, and then the following spring, if conditions are right, which they very often are, they're just going to go right back up and reinfect that plant and it's new foliage. By removing that foliage from the base of the plant, you can really do a lot to reduce it. Of course, the fungal spores are still on the wind it's not foolproof, but
it is something and you know, every little bit does help. And this is sort of the crux of IPM as we're going to talk about next week. I think it's well rooted advice. All right, thank you all so much for your questions. If you do have a question for us, again, reach us at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. We're going to take a break when we come back Branching News. The Gardening Simplified Show is brought
to you by proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens have been trialed and tested for your success so you enjoy more beauty and less work. Look for proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs and the distinctive white container at your local garden center. Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. It's time for branching news and Happy Leap Year. February twenty We get an extra day this year, or we had an extra day, and I try
to make I try to make the most of it. Get up early in the morning Leap Day, I go to ihop, have breakfast, you know, kind of cool. So three hundred and sixty five days to a year twenty four hours a day, but it actually takes the Earth three hundred and sixty five point four nine zero days to orbit the Sun. That just kind of blows my mind. Who's counting? Who's counting exactly? Well, I'll
tell you who's counting. The reason that we have this leap day or extra day every four years is because centuries ago people kept track of the Sun's position. They couldn't watch whether people on the news or whatever it may be. They didn't have the digital advantage advantages we have today, and so they kind of looked at that sort of thing to know when to plant or harvest, and so it was a big deal to them. But I just try to take that extra day and make the most of it, really pack a lot
in that day because I feel like I'm getting a bonus. Yeah you are, I guess, Yeah, I guess. So. So anyhow, I start off the day by going to the I hop like anyone would on leap Day. And it's unbelievable. So I hope you enjoyed it. Did you drink a happy beer? Oh? Yes, I do, a very happy one in IPA. All right, I say, eat more plants. Us adults found many feel either tired, frustrated, or even sad by the time their day is done. Now that's really sad. I'm looking at a survey
here, and but here's the point. Many people credit their diet for making them feel that way, either frustrated, sad at the end of the day, or tired. One in five Americans said they don't even have the slightest idea where their food comes from. So the top motivators to buy sustainably sourced foods or maybe this year put a vegetable garden on your docket and grow some vegetables at home is to eat healthier overall, improve their heart health, weight
management, boost their energy, or manage their stress levels. Again, we see surveys over and over again the advantage of growing your own food in your own yard and taking advantage of that this year. Make a resolution to do that in twenty twenty four. And you know, I think so many people think, oh, well, vegetable garden. That sounds like a lot of work. But really it can be as simple as just growing one tomato plant or just growing one basil plant. And I think, you know, you
don't have to just dive into the deep end. If you want to great, but you don't have to. And I find that, you know, it's very encouraging and addicting when you do start to have that little bit you know, Oh, I just you know, put a little bit of homemade, homegrown basil on this. You know, I just harvested some homegrown tomatoes. And once you get that feeling, you want more. So it can
start small, and even that makes a big difference. Yeah, if you can chop up some slices of green pepper and throw them in a little tupperware container and then midday while you're at work, you could munch on those, Yeah, and just casuals. Yeah, I agree with these. Anyone anyone else? Anyone want? Anyone want to know about my homegrown green pea. Come over here, look at my peppers. Yeah, you've got it.
Anyhow, I like to talk about fresh food and how important it is and that you know, not only does it help us physically, but it also helps us mentally. And I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. If you can show your fellow co workers that you know, I grew this in my garden, it it feels good. So have you heard about the restaurant on the moon. No great food, no atmosphere. You know what, I can always tell whether or not you like one of my puns by
your sigh. I have a I call it my seismograph. So there you go. All right, here's a sad story. Let's move to a sad story. Duke University has decided to close its herbarium. No, that's sad. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right, Stacey, but I think I am. It's an herbarium. So it's a collection of eight hundred and twenty five thousand specimens of plants, fungi, algae. They've been collecting them for a century. So an herbarium is like a library, but it differs
in that the information is stored in a biological form. So it's a collection of plant specimens. They preserve them, they label them, they store or them. Maybe they're pressed on paper, flattened, dried, mounted, some of them maybe are seeds or microscopic slides, DNA extractions, whatever it may be. But of course, yeah, I can you know, I can certainly consider the fact that it's very expensive to keep an herbarium going, and
yet a lot of people are very upset about this. And understandably so because in today's day and age with DNA, they you know, they're able to go back and pull important data as far as these plants are concerned, and issues like climate change or how plants are adapting to the climate or the area where they're at. So, and in defense of Duke University, they've stressed
that their plan is to move the herbarium someplace else. They're saying, we're not destroying anything, but boy, what an archive after one hundred years and they've decided, you know, they're not going to fund it anymore. I'm hoping they can find a new home for it, you know, I hope
so too. Arberia are very interesting and important aspects of research, so usually you know, associated more with museums or large institutions, which is kind of surprising that a big university like Duke would actually get rid of theirs or move it. It sounds to me like the herbarium needs a marketing campaign, Like we need to get some like museum exhibits going so people can get interested in herbaria and you know, start to care more about the preservation and what we
can learn from the preserve specimens. Yeah, that's great. And I'm sure it's a budget issue. And if you want to read more on this and educate yourself on this, the New York Times did a great article and we'll put the link there at Gardeningsimplified on air dot com, so check that out. Wow, while we're on the subject of depressing news, and I didn't want to bring this up, Stacy, but just over a year ago,
we talked about Flacco, the owl. I did hear about this in New York, who fled the Central Park Zoo enclosure after it was vandalized and he died. Yeah, he collided with a building in Manhattan, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced, And it made me really sad when I saw that, because
boy, people were really rallying around Flacco. They were enjoying bird watching, learning more about bird watching as he flew about Central Park and they're in New York and they would post updates on Twitter about his eating habits, that sort of thing. And he died, So yeah, kind of sad. I mean, window strikes are always so sad, and especially when it is you know, a bird of prey, which is of course, I mean, it's tragic anytime, but especially when you have something that is relatively rare or
uncommon, like a bird of prey. But you know, this is why it's so important people keep their lights off at night to try to minimize it. I mean, we'll never be able to completely get rid of bird strikes because sometimes the sun can just hit a window at a certain angle and the birds get confused. But any little bit that we can do if you frequently have bird strikes. I remember we did a branching news story once on how the deca had to be on the outside. If you put it on the
inside, it didn't work. Any little thing you can do can help, and you might not know how it helps. But yeah, we have to do the best that we can with what we have. Absolutely, by the way, it causes me to think, how was superb Owl Sunday? It was good. I did not see any owls, not for a lack of looking, but I personally did not see any owls superb or otherwise. At least you were out there birdwatching, Yes, definitely, all right, I love it. And then you ever like to go just to websites that are
selling homes like Zillow. I like to do that. And we're going to post a picture of one that I spotted in fullsome Lake California things an entertainers paradise. It's not that the house is so big, but the backyard landscape just is unreal. You got to see it to believe it. The hedges back there spell out the word Margaritaville. Oh my, and it's hilarious to take a look at in California. So you got to take a look at
that, because that is huge fun. And it brings up the point that our landscapes and our plants and outdoor our living areas give us a chance to enjoy entertaining folks or just enjoy it for ourselves and have some fun with it. In this home boy, they took it the extra mile. Well, you know, it is important that we look at our gardens as opportunities for
self expression. I mean, I can't say that spelling Margaritaville would be my choice for hedgewords, but you know, if you love Margarita's and you love Jimmy Buffett, then I guess that's what you're going to spell with your hedge. A term. I walks into a bar, he sits down and says, hey is the bartender. With that, we'll end our show today.
It's been fun The Gardening Simplified Show. Look for us on Instagram, look for our website, the Gardeningsimplified Show on air dot com, and of course watch us on YouTube or radio, or look for us wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Stacey, thanks so much, Thank you, Adriana, and thanks most of all to you, thanks for tuning in The Gardening Simplified Show.