September 13, 2025 • 43 mins
Landscape designers can have a hefty list of features they require in a plant for it to be used in their projects. Durability, reliability, low-maintenance, structural, and most importantly, they have to be beautiful! Discover the plants that landscape designers love to use and why they love to use them.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Broadcasting from Studio A Here at proven Winns 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 Stacy.
Today we talk about designer plants, designing with plants. One
of the characteristics I love of certain plants to design
(00:25):
with would be big leaves. Love big leaves. You can
make a real impact. There's great variety in leaves. And
it's interesting to me how monsterra became a designer plant.
How monstera came along and everybody used it in their marketing.
(00:47):
But it was a popular houseplant back in the nineteen seventies.
I remember that when we had lava lamps and shag
carpet in the house and we had a Monsterra. The
NBC television show Golden Girls featured a giant monster a
plant right in the sets living room, right in the
middle of the living room, and the plant became a star.
(01:10):
I guess what I wanted to say by this, Stacy,
is that I believe Instagram and social media has created
these stars and has created something we now know as
a designer plant.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
That's a good point.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, And we're not just talking about interior plants here. Obviously,
when you talk about designing, most people's you know, minds
immediately go to the interior. The interior design and plants
are certainly a part of interior design in a way
that they weren't even twenty years ago. But afteroor, designing
with plants is just as important. And I think it's
so crucial that people realize that if someone is a
(01:51):
garden designer, they almost certainly did not just come to
it with some sort of you know, sixth sense of
combay plants. Anytime someone is a quote good designer with plants,
they've gotten it by learning. I mean, some people will
have a natural instinct or they'll see plants in the
oh that will look good with that. But really, I
(02:13):
have found I do not consider myself a designer by
any stretch, but I have found that any design skills
that I have acquired have simply come from being around plants,
getting to know them, thinking about how they look, how
things can look with each other. It's not like a
special you know, knowledge that people are just imbued with
(02:36):
and then you know, I have to go out there
and you know it takes experience to become a good
designer with plants, just like it would be to be
good interior designer.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I agree with you, and that's what's been interesting for me.
I've mentioned previously my neighbor who's great at interior design
and flipping houses and that type of thing. He goes
out in the landscape, knows nothing about plants, but has
a feel for putting them together within a landscape, and
it's something you get from experience. I've also mentioned in
(03:08):
a previous show that interior design is somewhat universal. I mean,
you've got whether you're in Calgary, Canada or Miami, Florida,
you've got a ceiling and you've got walls, right, But
the concepts of design like balance, unity, rhythm, emphasis, scale, proportion,
all of those things come into play within a landscape.
(03:31):
The three five seven rule working with the odd numbers,
or the seventy thirty rule in interior design, as I
understand it, basically, you take a dominant design element for
seventy percent of the room and a contrasting complementary element
for the remaining thirty percent. Whether or not you apply that,
(03:54):
the point is that whether it's interior design or exterior design,
all of those issues like repetition come into play. So
if you find a good designer plant that you really
really like and is beautiful in your landscape. I saw
someone do it last week with allocacia, where they used
(04:19):
it repetitively throughout the landscape. So if you can repeat, repeat, repeat,
it makes a real impact and kind of ties everything together.
You do the same thing with groundcovers. Groundcovers, of course
help suppress weeds that sort of thing, but a good
groundcover can tie a whole landscape together.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know. There's a great lesson in there for people
who like to shop for plants and typically don't have
an idea of what they're going to do with them
when they get home, which you are in good company.
Every plant lover is like that. But if you are
in love with a plant, like unless it's a great
big tree or shrub or something like that, don't just
buy one. Buy three. You will find that you have
(05:04):
so many more options for what to do with them
when you do get home, because a group of three
typically looks way better than just a single plant, unless you're,
you know, using it as a specimen. If you buy
three plants, you save yourself a return trip to the
garden center, which you almost certainly want to do. And
you know you can plant those three together as one grouping,
or you can you know, do a theme in variation
(05:25):
thing where it's reoccurring throughout your garden.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, exactly. It's all about the esthetic characteristics of plants.
So we talk about form, texture, contrast, size, and color
even before you talk about the specific plants that you're
going to utilize for that purpose. I found a great
thing from the University of Florida. Will put the link
(05:51):
at our website, but it addresses exactly that focal points.
For example, Stacy, when you're going to pick out a tree,
and let's say you're going to buy three of them,
what are you going to go for? They shape, columnar, round, weeping,
or pyramiddle. You have all of those options available to you.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Right, I'm probably picking on flowers more than anything else
in space. There you go, but it is nice to
know then I have all those options, and probably I
have most of those options represented in trees and shrubs
in my garden, I think pretty close.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Speaking of shrubs, you could pick from arching, irregular, cascading, upright, spiky, rounded, mounding,
they shaped, again, all these different types of choices, and
then if you pick that form or that shape, if
you're able to repeat it through the landscape. I really
(06:46):
do think that that creates an incredible landscape almost this
spatial feeling within the landscape where you feel comfortable to
be in it. It's not a hot mess, so to space.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Right, it brings a lot of you know, direction and cohesiveness.
And I'll tell you, if you feel like your garden
is a hot mess, you're in good company. But taking
a tip like that helps a lot to make sense
of the hot mess. So that's why I've done things
like imposed hedges around my herb garden, which is a
hot mess inside, which I like it that way, it's
(07:19):
supposed to be that way. But just implying a little
bit of structure or these kind of overarching design principles
in some areas lets you get away with so much
more in the rest of your guard Again.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, so a landscape designer will love diversity. We've got
a lot of plants at our disposal, and yet most
of them have a go to list, plants that have
performed for them that give long season interest, diversity, seasonal longevity,
so to speak. That's their their go to list, and
(07:53):
of course some projects that they work on they have
jurisdictions with approved plants. You can only use certain kinds
of plants, So when they find a good one to
create that cohesion, they'll use that plant repetitively throughout the landscape.
And I think that that makes a world of difference
(08:16):
for the structural value of your landscape. I've got a
limb a rick to share with you, a designer, Limerick,
and I want to encourage people who say, you know,
I can't design, you can. There are some basic things
that you need to do. Dare to be a designer.
(08:39):
Not all woe is my landscape winer. You're in charge
around your home. If the looks you bemoan, transform them
into something finer, planting ideas in your head for technique
for a subtle but intriguing tweak. You're just like your plants.
You need to take a stance and remember that you're unique.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Oh I like that. Yeah, I mean you have every
right to design with plants in a way that makes
sense to you and you enjoy as much as you
do with your throw pillows and rugs and home accessories.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
There are no right or wrong answers. It's all what
you like. And the great thing about gardening, much like
your throw pillows, is you can always dig stuff up
and move on. Of course, you don't have to dig
up your throw pillows, but you know that's why I
reckon and I are moving stuff around, because you don't
necessarily get it right the first time. And it's not
short of a tree, it's not a life sentence. You
(09:35):
can move things around.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
It's more fun that way. I think it's much more,
much more fun. How do you feel about the ratio?
You'll you'll go out there and see design advice and
you'll see, okay, the ratio should be thirty percent evergreen,
seventy percent deciduous. How do you feel about ratios like that?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I mean, I think it's a good starting point for
someone who maybe is inclined to go too much one
way or the other. But of course, if you live
in like the South, you kind of can't not have
an ever If you live an hot, mild climate, you
kind of can't not have an evergreen. So there are
still deciduous plants, but you would obviously have much more
evergreen stuff in a mild climate than you would in
(10:18):
a gold climate.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We'll see how Stacey ties this in and plants on
trial and segment four we'll talk more about designer plants
and designer aspects in your landscape. That's all coming up
here on the Gardening Simplified Show.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Beautify your home and community with proven Winn's Color Choice
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proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Creating's Gardening friends, and
(10:58):
welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where or the
order of the day is all about designing with plants,
designer or plants and being a plant designer. And I
did want to mention, you know, there's a lot of
different terms that go around with all of this. So
someone might call themselves a landscaper, That to me kind
of means that they will do installation, but they're you know,
(11:20):
also providing regular maintenance type of services, right trimming your shrubs, weeding, mulching,
maybe even lawns and that kind of thing. Then you've
got a garden or landscape designer. These are also just
kind of general terms that anyone can call themselves. To me,
this means that they focus more on the planting side.
They're not necessarily going to do like a lot of maintenance.
(11:40):
They might have like a container maintenance program, but they're
more about getting you the garden that you want and
then you do most of the care for it. And
then there's landscape architects. And landscape architects are a totally
different thing. You have to go to school, a lot
of schooling. You have to pass tests to be a
landscape architect. So if you're just looking for plants a
planting design don't call a landscape architect. They also are
(12:05):
very not often not They are often not super well
versed in plants. You know, they might have a small
but usually they're relying a small palette that they that
they use, but usually they're relying on more planting designers
within their firm to help them out with the plant stuff.
And they're more concerned about drainage and structures, and you
know a lot of the stuff that you know, to
(12:25):
be honest, doesn't really appeal to me that much. You know,
like landscape architects have like entire semesters devoted to drainage.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You know, it's true, and retaining.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Ones and retaining walls all right.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Retaining walls is a big one and patios, Stacy, While
you were talking there, I was thinking about a garden
center owner who's a friend of mine and I talked
to him this spring. He said he's amazed at the
number of customers that come walking in, some who just
want native plants. Other people that he refers to as
(12:59):
his designers. Okay, they're just into design. In other words,
don't bore me with the science on these plants, and
you know, chlorophyll, bora, phyl that kind of thing. I
want this color and I want that shape, And you know,
they're designers and that's what they like to do. Put
plant material together, make it appealing.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
They're both very valid ways to go through life. I
think if you're missing out on the science part, you're
missing out on a lot myself, because I find that fascinating.
But today's Plants on Trial is going to be a
little bit different because I wanted to, instead of just
focusing on one plant, talk about some of the proven
winner's color choice shrubs that have become staples for garden
(13:39):
and landscape designers across the country. You know, typically when
someone is designing a garden for someone or installing a landscape,
you know, they don't necessarily want something. They want everything
to be predictable. They want to know how everything is
going to perform. They don't want calls from the client saying,
oh this looks weird, please come back, or is this normal?
(14:01):
And then they have to say, well, I don't know
if it's not normal because I've never grown it before.
And the result of all of this means that they
tend to have they can have a very narrow focus,
and you keep using the same plants yes, over and
over again. And then what happens. Someone calls a landscape
designer to do their house. They do an amazing job.
The neighbor says, oh, hey, your lawn looks your yard
(14:22):
looks great. Who did you call? And then they call
that person and now this person takes their palette and
reconfigures it for the next door, and then you end
up with these, you know, very same landscapes. So we
have a full time landscape outreach manager and her job
is to really help people in the landscape industry, whichever
(14:43):
of those levels that I just went through, that they
are at to understand how our plants are different and
can make their jobs easier and make them look like
superstars at their job.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
The genetics are important.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
So I think the perfect example of one has really
upended the landscape design industry is Incredible Hydrangea. So everyone
knows Annabel, we've talked about it before. You know, it
was a very common plant because it was reliable, it's beautiful.
People love those big flowers right in the middle of
summer when they're spending the most time outside. But Annabel
(15:17):
flops as soon as we get a big summer storm.
Those flowers are on the ground, and you know, landscape
designers probably get pretty tired of hearing from clients that
they want them to come out and stake them or
do something about it, when it's really just an inherent
liability of the Annabel hydrangea. So Incredible was really the
first smooth hydrangea so like Annabel to come out that
(15:39):
had stronger stems and bigger flowers, and so it really
solved a problem as much as it solves a problem
for homeowners, like you know, the gardeners who listen to
our show. It also solved a problem for landscape designers,
and now it is probably in our top five go
to plants for landscapers. Landscape designers of all stre have
(16:00):
switched from Annabelle to Incredible because it really again resolves those.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Liabilities and maintenance is easy.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Another great example, if you ever go down south, you
will see Laura pedlum, also known as Chinese French flower everywhere.
It is such a staple of warm climate landscapes. And
we brought over jazz Hands variegated Laura pedalum. So really
in the US there hadn't been a variegated Laura pedalum.
(16:28):
We brought that over from a very talented breeder in Japan,
and you know, again, it just completely took the Southern
landscape industry by storm because it's so different. So instead
of just being purple, it has this variegated foliage all
through the season. It's really splashy. It's really different, and
that has given people that landscape designers another plant in
(16:52):
their palate for when they want to do something a
little bit different, mix it up. It's a great choice.
Same thing with double plate candy corns, Spyria. Now, if
there is a plant that is a landscape designer staple,
it's probably spyria, and for good reason. You know, they're
very pretty, they're very appealing. They have that, you know,
tidy rounded look, so that when a landscaper does a job,
(17:16):
they leave that plant in the ground and the home
owner says, oh, look how nice and tidy this is.
I can't wait. This is colorful. So double play candy
corn spiria is the most colorful spiria. It's smaller than
most The color on this thing you really have to
see to believe. It may even be dare I say
too colorful for some people because it is that colorful.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
They're very reliable, very reliable. And I would say that
those spireas are to flower and shrubs what nepetta is
to perennial. Oh yes, same kind.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Of Definitely, Neputa is like the go to for landscapers
in the perennial world. And similarly to double play candy corn,
double play doozy again a plant that people are familiar
with Japanese spiria, but it's sterile, so no worries about
its spreading seed and it reblooms, so it's going to
keep flowering. So these are plants that were pretty easy,
(18:08):
you know, for a landscaper to make the switch. Another
good example, though, is low scape mound or the low
scape arronias in general. So landscapers were already using a
variety called Viking. It was a go to plant. You
see it in parking lots a lot and they you know,
it was popular and it was good, but it didn't
(18:29):
have optimal flowering, it didn't have optimal fall colors. So
along come the low scape arronia series. We've got new forms,
we've got new shapes, we've got improved color, improved flowering,
improved fruit set as a result of that improved flowering,
and you know, the lowscaper ronias have really in some
areas dethroned. Grow low sumac, which was sort of like
(18:52):
this ultimate parking lot plant. You could just plant it
and let it go and it would do its thing
and it was virtually indestructible, but tended to be pretty
expensive because it was hard to propagate and slow growing,
whereas the erronia's easy to propagate, fast growing, so it
makes it a much more cost effective substitute. So sometimes
the plants that landscaper professionals. Gravitate towards aren't even necessarily
(19:14):
the same kind of thing, but they do serve a
similar role in the landscape. So, you know, when limelight
hydrangea came out, of course it changed everything. And that's
why there's limelight everywhere because homeowners and professional landscapers alike
have planted it everywhere. But much like going back to
what I was saying about incredible, it has some liabilities.
(19:37):
It's late blooming, so it doesn't you know, you could
have a cool summer here in Michigan and it doesn't
even start putting on flowers until late August. And you know,
because it was one of the earliest selections of panicle hydrangeas,
the stems were not optimally strong like we have now
with limelight prime. So now, even within a plant where
(19:58):
limelight had changed the industry, Limelight prime is upending that
part of the industry along with all of our dwarf
panicle hydranges. You know, for years people might have wanted
to use a panicle hydrangea in a project, but they
didn't have anything small enough, you know, because they're big plants.
They get to be ten twelve, twenty feet as they mature.
So having a huge variety of dwarf panicle hydranges like Bobo,
(20:23):
like little lime, like little lime punch, a little quick
fire has also really changed the industry. Not it's a
plant that they already loved using and now they're able
to use those in new ways. So there's lots of
these kinds of you know, I guess features that we're
looking at to expand the selection for professionals, which of
(20:45):
course then expands the selection for all of us who
look at the landscapes that they design. So I am
going to give Adriana this little list. I worked with Jane,
our landscape design manager, on this list of the plant
that landscaper is like the best. We will make sure
to include it in the YouTube version, so please do
check that out, and of course look for Proven Winner's
(21:08):
Color Choice shrubs at your local garden center. We're going
to take a break. When you come back, we're opening
up the mailbags, so please stay tuned at Proven Winners
Color Choice Shrubs. We know that a better landscape starts
with a better shrub. Our team of experts tests and
(21:28):
evaluates all of our flowering shrubs in Evergreens for eight
to ten years to ensure they outperform what's already on
the market. For easycare, reliable, beautiful shrubs to accentuate your
home and express your personal style. Look for proven Winner's
Shrubs in the distinctive white container at your local garden center,
or learn more at proven Winner's Color Choice dot com
(21:50):
readings Gardening friends, and welcome back once again to the
Gardening Simplified Show wherever you are joining us, whether that
is through radio, podcast, or YouTube, where we're so glad
you're here and we would be happy to help you
out with your garden questions, quandaries and conundrums, or of
course celebrations. If you just been dying to tell someone
who is on your same wavelength when it comes to
(22:12):
plants and gardening, you can reach out to us with
those as well, or leave them as comments on YouTube,
just as it Gardening Simplified on air dot com. That's
our website, and click the contact button to send us
a message. It's just that easy. And I know there's
a lot of stuff going on right now, like this
question from Tom.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Tom writes to us, I have a four year old
Jane tulip magnolia in Baltimore, Maryland' zone seven. It has
started to have dry gray stuff on the tops of
some of the leaves. Then the leaves get dark brown
turn yellow. We've never fertilized it. It's in well draining soil,
lives next to a false cypress and perennial flowers and shrubs.
(22:52):
It had two blooms this year. Any suggestions, love listening
to your podcasts inspirational.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
So Tom did include some photos of what he is
seeing on his magnolia, so you can check those out
on YouTube. And you know, I wanted to answer Tom's
question today because I think that what Tom is seeing
on his magnolia is something that people are seeing on
their magnolias as well as all sorts of different plants,
which is simply that at this point in the season,
(23:20):
the stresses have piled up, you know, all of the
things that kind of went wrong in terms of plant health,
whether that was a very hot and dry period or
a very very wet period, or any number of things
that can happen to a plant during the course of
the growing season. They've all accumulated now. And I find
(23:43):
that very often leaf spots become much more noticeable in
full some for some in some cases that's simply because
that's what has had. That's enough time for the fungal
leaf spots, which actually make the leaf spot. The fungus
is in the leaf, not leaving any signs of its presence,
(24:04):
but then by the time fall comes around, it's like,
oh hey, I'm you know, a fruiting body now and
making those leaf spots. I think the gray on magnolias
that they sometimes get at this point in the year
are just it's just stress, just from you know, drying heat, whatever.
It's not a problem. I mean, plants get stressed, just
like we get stressed. We can still be happy and
(24:26):
healthy and undergo various levels of stress throughout our day
for all sorts of different reasons, but it doesn't mean
that there's something like actually wrong with us. So I
don't think that that's any cause for concern. Again, you're
gonna see this happen on all sorts of plants. I mean,
I think the tar spot on Norway maple is a
classic example that a lot of people see. So don't
(24:46):
be alarmed when you see spots coming onto your foliage
in full. Fungal diseases are not in the plant, they
are on the plant. So once that foliage drops, it
doesn't have that fungus anymore. And the best thing you
can do as a gardener is just to do your
best to remove and discard any infected foliage. Just try
to put it, you know, in the garbage instead of
(25:09):
in a compost pile where those funkal lese wars can
potentially you know, proliferate and spread. But it's really that
simple and trying to reduce the stress for the plant. Now,
why your plant isn't flowering super well, I don't know.
It looks very healthy, you know. Again, there's pictures of
the close ups of the spots that you're seeing as
well as the whole plant. I have seen that it
(25:31):
does have buds on it right now, because magnolias start
to set their flower buds for next year in late summer.
So when you see all those nice fuzzy kind of
buds on the plant, that is all flowers for next year,
and you're you know, from some of the pictures that
you included, Tom, I could see it does have some
good flowers. Some plants very often have off years, you know,
(25:53):
they'll bloom relaiers like a mass year with acorns. They
just will have some years where they're just super abundant.
Probably the biggest issue with magnolias if they don't bloom well,
is very often because they get a frost. Magnolias bloom
early and are very susceptible to cold and frost and
ice in that early spring time period when they bloom,
(26:18):
and there are times where, yeah, if the buds are
just open enough to show color and you get a
really bad froster freeze, it can fry the entire bloom for.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
The year, not only the blooms, but the foliage. Also,
when the foliage is tender in early spring, we get rain,
cold weather, that's when those spots will start. But they're small.
You really don't see it. As you approach fall, they
coalesce and actually start to become one big space. Yes,
and the foliage is unsightly, So I would agree with you,
(26:49):
Agree with you, Stacey, and I would recommend that if
this tree is getting rather large, maybe look at possibly
doing some pruning. And when I say pruning, I'm talking
about taking out some branches completely to open up the
light and air penetration into the canopy. If that's necessary.
(27:11):
I'm not saying that's the case here and then typical
of any magnolia trees, make sure you check for scale.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yep, for sure.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
If there are lichens growing on the tree. The lichens
are not a problem. I love lichens, but it can
exhibit to us that there's slow growth on that tree.
So there's all kinds of things to be looking at.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Ye, But it's healthy. Yeah, And you know, sometimes plants
just have leaf spots and it's just the way that
it is, and it's not usually a big cause for concern.
So and soon enough that village will be gone and
you'll have a fresh crop within you know, eight months.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Look at this a question specifically for you. Stacy Lori writes,
I have a question for the Hydrangea queen'stening the Hydrangeer queen.
I've received multiple answers from my extension off local nurseries.
I have a seventeen I have seventeen three year old
beautiful bobo hydranges eastern exposure. They get sun until about
(28:10):
three pm and bloom beautifully until the beginning of August
every year, at which time the blooms start browning. I
water and dripped for sixty minutes a day. They don't
feel dry. They get hit by a sprinkler overspray every
other day for about fifteen minutes. No one can help
me point to why these are browning when the soil
(28:34):
is adequately hydrated.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Help.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Here are a few pictures. It's pretty easy to tell
when they were healthy in July versus August.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Right, So thank you Lauri for your question, And yeah,
you're right, Laurie. The number one reason that a panicle
hydrangel like Bobo will not develop pink or red color
is usually it dried out too much during its flower's
blooming season. If you live in a warm climate, then
the better reason would The reason most likely is because
(29:04):
the nights are too warm. But it is also possible
for panicle hydrangels even in well watered conditions, which is
obviously one of to have browning on the flowers. And
I think that you stated the answer right there in
your sprinkler overspray, because what happens with these plants that
I have seen even our own in our own trial
(29:25):
garden where we have everything on irrigation. We are right
on the Grand River, and I think a combination of
heavy mist, heavy humidity, and or sprinkler overspray when that
moisture sits on the flowers that delicate petal tissue when
the moisture is just sitting there, and then you know
that hot summer sun comes up over the horizon and
(29:48):
it just fries them. It's almost like a kind of
rotting effect. So it's not dry and crispy like a
plant that didn't get enough water. It's just kind of like,
I don't want to say mushy. It's not that, but
it's almost like the blooms are kind of rotting. And
so yeah, I have definitely found that humidity plays a
big part of that. If you can adjust those sprinkler
(30:10):
heads to not overspray your bobos, I think that you
will be golden. But that is also something that's sometimes
easier said than done. Although you know a screwdriver. Most
sprinkler heads are adjustable with a screwdriver, and so you
could see can you change the angle slightly or you know,
make it not go up as high so it's maybe
not covering the bobos. But I've definitely seen it here
(30:32):
where humid areas or anytime moisture sits within those blooms,
and especially with panicle hydrangels, they can hold on to
so much moisture because the blooms are so big because
of the problem.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
If you want to determine whether or not overhead irrigation
and that humidity is a problem for future years, just
plant a few cucumber plants. They'll tell you real quick
what's going on?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Yes, right, yeah, boy, speaking of leaf spots at this
point in the year. Please do not look at my computer,
my cue my computers. Please do not look at my cucumbers.
Whatever you do, they are looking extremely, extremely sad.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So Laura writes to us. In one of the episodes
Rick and Stacey, we're discussing hydranges and if they are
beneficial for pollinators. I can't find the episode. Would you
be able to tell me which episode the discussion was, Uh, right.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
So I don't know offhand because we've talked about hydrange
is so much. But I did want to answer your question, Laura,
because my answer would be the same in any episode,
and that is lace cap hydranges. So if you can
find any type of hydrange, whether it's a macrophilla, a panicle,
a smooth hydrangel like Annabel, and incredible if you find
the lace cap version where those small sterary where those
(31:50):
small starry fertile florets are more visible. They're not hidden
by those showy sterile florets. You can see those fertile florets.
That's where the nectar is, that's where the pollen is,
that's where the bugs want to get to. So anytime
you find a lace cap version, you are going to
have pollinators, no matter what type of plant that is.
The mopheads do tend to be more popular, and in fact,
(32:13):
I think we had a hot take comment on YouTube
where someone said why would anyone ever plant a lace cap?
But you yourself said it here, Laura. The best reason
to plant a lace gap is because they are beloved
by pollinators. So just look at the label or do
your research before you go to the gardens center. But
pick a lace cap and as they say, if you
plant it, they will come.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Lace caps are landing pads for pollinators.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
They sure are, and I happen to like them quite
a bit. Sure, but different strokes for different folks. So anyway,
thank you all so much for your questions. We're going
to take a little break. When we come back, we're
continuing our conversation on designer plants. Stay tuned. Thanks for
(32:58):
listening to The Gardening Simplified brought to you by Proven
Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and
evergreens are trialed and tested by experts with your success
in mind. Learn more at Proven Winners color Choice dot com.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. As we talk
about designer plants, Stacey, an annual plant that I have
watched through the years become a designer choice. A designer
plant has been Colius. When you look at the new
cultivars of Colius available today, the color Blaze, Colius proven winners,
(33:36):
and I'm thinking specifically Wicked Witch. You will see them
in containers out in public places, a variety of areas.
Now that it has the sun tolerance that it has
has a tendency not to bolter go to seed. That
has become a real designer plant in my mind.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Well, you know, as far as designers go, you know
there's times where you're like, oh, if only I had
something with like this color and you know these colors
in it, And chances are you will find that in
Colius these days. Because there is just such a huge range.
I just I truly wish I could grow them. But
the deer love them. It is like a deer a
(34:18):
parateief for the rest of the garden if I at
least it's functioned that way when I've tried to grow them.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
But yeah, I have them in the compound. You're right.
You mentioned elderberry earlier, and I would agree with you.
Japanese maples, of course a go to plant for designers.
Anything foliage that has a tropical feel, in my mind
is a designer plant. Emerald isle, alocacia, of course, my
(34:44):
beloved cannas, but any type of you know, cordillines, tropical plants,
foliage plants, and of course I've got to throw grasses
into the mix also. And I have a friend who
has recently retired and was hired by a gol golf
course to fix up their landscape areas, and his go
(35:06):
to designer plant is hack and a cloaw.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Oh, that's a nice one.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
And it is, and I think you will see a
lot of designers use hack and a kloa to a
large extent for some color, or if they have a tough,
shady area they want to add something in with ferns
and hosta hosta. Again, some people don't like them. Some
people do, but there's great variety, and Stacey again, the
(35:31):
size and impact of the texture of the foliage makes
hostas a designer plant.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Well, you know, the great thing about Hakkonakloa also known
as Japanese forest grass, is it is one of the
only somewhat shade tolerant grasses. So it's great on a
place like a golf course where you are going to
probably have some of those landscape areas with some shade
because it gets hot and sunny out there on those
golf courses. I'm guessing I don't know, I've never been
on one. Seems like it in golf, and then it
(36:00):
will help to tie in all of the other, you know,
ornamental grasses that are being planted around because you know
they have to be derresistant because you know, you can't
fence off a golf course. You know, it's a lot
of space. So it's a good unifier that way that
they can kind of carry through from the sun to
the shade.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
So he said that grasses and things like nepeta, Russian sage,
those types of plants were go to for those types of.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Well, ne but is another great choice because you know
all those golfers they come at different times of the season.
None of them want to see the landscape looking less
than spectacular as they stroll the greens. I think it
makes some of them probably notice you know that that
you know, the golfers love the azaleas at that golf
tournament in the spring. So the masters, Yeah, the masters.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
The masters, Augusta, Yes, that one, Yeah, that one phisocarpis.
Of course, we see a lot of box would used
by designers. But again to your point earlier, Stacey, if
a landscape designer is going to put a plant in
a landscape, they need it to perform, and they need
(37:09):
it to perform not for just one week, but they
need it to perform all season long reliably.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Yeah. The boxwood, Oh my gosh. When I worked as
a rooftop gardener in New York and took care of
a lot of buildings, boxwood is such a go to.
And it's partly because it is such a classic plant.
I mean, you can't go wrong with boxwood. Pretty much
always looks classy unless it's you know, half dead. But
they're also such a great problem solver for the city
(37:36):
because light can be very uneven. You want to have
a match set of something, but one side is shady,
one side is sunny. And boxwood. You know, it has
that classic look, but it's durability has helped it to
maintain that that stature. And I love them. I mean
my garden would be lost without boxwood.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Absolutely, river birch. You'll see a lot of river birch used.
In addition to that, juneberry, ferns, foam flour. And here's
two perennials that have really elevated themselves in the area
of go to plants for designers. And one would be
(38:17):
Achinasia because of all the variety and long lasting blooms,
the other being Baptisia. Those two I think have really
elevated themselves on that list of go to plants for design.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Yeah, you know, Baptisia. A good specimen is basically a
shrub in the landscape. They can be so big and
contribute so much texture and structure before they go dormant.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I love broad leaf evergreens for designing. Of course I
love rhododendrons. But Stacey the Paisley popp dog hobble, Now
that plant I would consider that a designer plant and
acts like a broad leaf evergreen.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
It is a broad leaf evergreen yep. And so that
is a lukothawe and a native North American native plant,
but variegated purple and white green variegation not like anything
else you've ever seen, and just a really fun take
on it. But also because this is a very shade
tolerant plant really brightens up the shade. That variegation. You know,
(39:18):
it looks great if you plant a green variety, of course,
but the variegation really just helps to light up areas
under trees, which is where that plant is happiest.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
You bet, sweet and low sweet box would be along
that same line definitely, and I think has to be
on that list of go to plants. Loria pee as
a groundcover, some people will shake their head and say no,
not for me. But you know, groundcovers can get a
bad rap because some tend to get a little bit
(39:51):
out of.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Hand, and Lariopi's one of those. It's not really a
problem for us too much in Michigan, but in milder
climates it can be. But you know, it looks like grass,
but you only have to cut it back, you know,
once a year in spring, and then it has these
great purple flower spikes. That pollinators love and it's der resistant,
So in some ways, you know, it's all about Designers
(40:12):
have to solve problems, just like home gardeners have to
solve problems, but designers have the additional responsibility of doing
so beautifully. So that's why they're so good to listen
to you is because they've really kind of discovered what
these solutions are in a plant that will make even
finicky homeowners happy.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
No, I agree, many choices. So like any interior designer
or a designer of landscapes, I think one of the
things you have to do is you have to look
at your own quirks. I mean, who hasn't put some
plants in place and the following year been surprised by, Wow,
(40:54):
that's really nice. I mean, that's that's happened to me.
Put tulip bulbs in the ground over a bed of
pansies than that I planted and fall and then when
the tulips grew up through the pansies, it was just
absolutely gorgeous and it was like I knew what I
was doing all along, but actually I didn't.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
But you know, there, I think there's a case to
be made by having some instinct at play there. But
you know, honestly, what I have found. If there is
one sort of thing that I have discovered in all
my years of gardening, it's kind of that if you
put a lot of plants together, they're gonna look pretty great.
I mean it's you know, there's definitely levels of greatness
(41:34):
visual greatness within it. But if you just like plant
a bunch of stuff together that you like and it's
different heights and different shapes, which you know typically they
are going to be, it's gonna look awesome. I mean
there's you know, designers can pass it off as natural
all they want, but you know, really it's just a
(41:54):
to me very much critical mass plays a role.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
I like that and I had that on my list.
Lean into the proportions. Oh and just like interior design lighting,
Oh yeah, think about it, the tree canopy, filtered shade,
night lighting. These are all things that you can use.
We talk about structures, whether it's a pergola or an archway,
(42:20):
but basically they add dimension to your landscape. Can your
landscape tell a story? I mean I can walk people
through my landscape and tell stories about the plants as
you walk along. It all adds to the interest of
the landscape. I can say, hey, that one right there,
I pulled out of a dumpster behind a box stove.
(42:40):
They dumped it, so I put it in the land Now,
look how beautiful it is.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
And then you got all the fun scientific facts. You know.
If you like we were talking about last week with
the Osa Grange, you got an osage orange on your property,
you can tell everyone that visits that it's the seed.
It was dispersed by mammoths. Yeah, love the exact to it.
That's why I share them so that you can wow
people with your knowledge of your plans.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
So if you think you didn't go to school to
become a designer, I want to encourage you to experiment.
And there are so many great choices. Like my good
friend Jill would always say to me, Rick, fake it
until you make it right now, and you have free
reign to do that in the landscape. I said you
can do that.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I say you can do it too, Stacy.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
It's been fun fun. Thank you, Thanks Adriana. Thanks to
you for watching us on YouTube, finding us along with
your other favorite podcasts, and listening to the show or
listening to us on our radio version. Have a great week.
Broadcasting from Studio A Here at proven Winns 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 Stacy.
Today we talk about designer plants, designing with plants. One
of the characteristics I love of certain plants to design
(00:25):
with would be big leaves. Love big leaves. You can
make a real impact. There's great variety in leaves. And
it's interesting to me how monsterra became a designer plant.
How monstera came along and everybody used it in their marketing.
(00:47):
But it was a popular houseplant back in the nineteen seventies.
I remember that when we had lava lamps and shag
carpet in the house and we had a Monsterra. The
NBC television show Golden Girls featured a giant monster a
plant right in the sets living room, right in the
middle of the living room, and the plant became a star.
(01:10):
I guess what I wanted to say by this, Stacy,
is that I believe Instagram and social media has created
these stars and has created something we now know as
a designer plant.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
That's a good point.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, And we're not just talking about interior plants here. Obviously,
when you talk about designing, most people's you know, minds
immediately go to the interior. The interior design and plants
are certainly a part of interior design in a way
that they weren't even twenty years ago. But afteroor, designing
with plants is just as important. And I think it's
so crucial that people realize that if someone is a
(01:51):
garden designer, they almost certainly did not just come to
it with some sort of you know, sixth sense of
combay plants. Anytime someone is a quote good designer with plants,
they've gotten it by learning. I mean, some people will
have a natural instinct or they'll see plants in the
oh that will look good with that. But really, I
(02:13):
have found I do not consider myself a designer by
any stretch, but I have found that any design skills
that I have acquired have simply come from being around plants,
getting to know them, thinking about how they look, how
things can look with each other. It's not like a
special you know, knowledge that people are just imbued with
(02:36):
and then you know, I have to go out there
and you know it takes experience to become a good
designer with plants, just like it would be to be
good interior designer.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I agree with you, and that's what's been interesting for me.
I've mentioned previously my neighbor who's great at interior design
and flipping houses and that type of thing. He goes
out in the landscape, knows nothing about plants, but has
a feel for putting them together within a landscape, and
it's something you get from experience. I've also mentioned in
(03:08):
a previous show that interior design is somewhat universal. I mean,
you've got whether you're in Calgary, Canada or Miami, Florida,
you've got a ceiling and you've got walls, right, But
the concepts of design like balance, unity, rhythm, emphasis, scale, proportion,
all of those things come into play within a landscape.
(03:31):
The three five seven rule working with the odd numbers,
or the seventy thirty rule in interior design, as I
understand it, basically, you take a dominant design element for
seventy percent of the room and a contrasting complementary element
for the remaining thirty percent. Whether or not you apply that,
(03:54):
the point is that whether it's interior design or exterior design,
all of those issues like repetition come into play. So
if you find a good designer plant that you really
really like and is beautiful in your landscape. I saw
someone do it last week with allocacia, where they used
(04:19):
it repetitively throughout the landscape. So if you can repeat, repeat, repeat,
it makes a real impact and kind of ties everything together.
You do the same thing with groundcovers. Groundcovers, of course
help suppress weeds that sort of thing, but a good
groundcover can tie a whole landscape together.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know. There's a great lesson in there for people
who like to shop for plants and typically don't have
an idea of what they're going to do with them
when they get home, which you are in good company.
Every plant lover is like that. But if you are
in love with a plant, like unless it's a great
big tree or shrub or something like that, don't just
buy one. Buy three. You will find that you have
(05:04):
so many more options for what to do with them
when you do get home, because a group of three
typically looks way better than just a single plant, unless you're,
you know, using it as a specimen. If you buy
three plants, you save yourself a return trip to the
garden center, which you almost certainly want to do. And
you know you can plant those three together as one grouping,
or you can you know, do a theme in variation
(05:25):
thing where it's reoccurring throughout your garden.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, exactly. It's all about the esthetic characteristics of plants.
So we talk about form, texture, contrast, size, and color
even before you talk about the specific plants that you're
going to utilize for that purpose. I found a great
thing from the University of Florida. Will put the link
(05:51):
at our website, but it addresses exactly that focal points.
For example, Stacy, when you're going to pick out a tree,
and let's say you're going to buy three of them,
what are you going to go for? They shape, columnar, round, weeping,
or pyramiddle. You have all of those options available to you.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Right, I'm probably picking on flowers more than anything else
in space. There you go, but it is nice to
know then I have all those options, and probably I
have most of those options represented in trees and shrubs
in my garden, I think pretty close.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Speaking of shrubs, you could pick from arching, irregular, cascading, upright, spiky, rounded, mounding,
they shaped, again, all these different types of choices, and
then if you pick that form or that shape, if
you're able to repeat it through the landscape. I really
(06:46):
do think that that creates an incredible landscape almost this
spatial feeling within the landscape where you feel comfortable to
be in it. It's not a hot mess, so to space.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Right, it brings a lot of you know, direction and cohesiveness.
And I'll tell you, if you feel like your garden
is a hot mess, you're in good company. But taking
a tip like that helps a lot to make sense
of the hot mess. So that's why I've done things
like imposed hedges around my herb garden, which is a
hot mess inside, which I like it that way, it's
(07:19):
supposed to be that way. But just implying a little
bit of structure or these kind of overarching design principles
in some areas lets you get away with so much
more in the rest of your guard Again.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, so a landscape designer will love diversity. We've got
a lot of plants at our disposal, and yet most
of them have a go to list, plants that have
performed for them that give long season interest, diversity, seasonal longevity,
so to speak. That's their their go to list, and
(07:53):
of course some projects that they work on they have
jurisdictions with approved plants. You can only use certain kinds
of plants, So when they find a good one to
create that cohesion, they'll use that plant repetitively throughout the landscape.
And I think that that makes a world of difference
(08:16):
for the structural value of your landscape. I've got a
limb a rick to share with you, a designer, Limerick,
and I want to encourage people who say, you know,
I can't design, you can. There are some basic things
that you need to do. Dare to be a designer.
(08:39):
Not all woe is my landscape winer. You're in charge
around your home. If the looks you bemoan, transform them
into something finer, planting ideas in your head for technique
for a subtle but intriguing tweak. You're just like your plants.
You need to take a stance and remember that you're unique.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Oh I like that. Yeah, I mean you have every
right to design with plants in a way that makes
sense to you and you enjoy as much as you
do with your throw pillows and rugs and home accessories.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
There are no right or wrong answers. It's all what
you like. And the great thing about gardening, much like
your throw pillows, is you can always dig stuff up
and move on. Of course, you don't have to dig
up your throw pillows, but you know that's why I
reckon and I are moving stuff around, because you don't
necessarily get it right the first time. And it's not
short of a tree, it's not a life sentence. You
(09:35):
can move things around.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
It's more fun that way. I think it's much more,
much more fun. How do you feel about the ratio?
You'll you'll go out there and see design advice and
you'll see, okay, the ratio should be thirty percent evergreen,
seventy percent deciduous. How do you feel about ratios like that?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I mean, I think it's a good starting point for
someone who maybe is inclined to go too much one
way or the other. But of course, if you live
in like the South, you kind of can't not have
an ever If you live an hot, mild climate, you
kind of can't not have an evergreen. So there are
still deciduous plants, but you would obviously have much more
evergreen stuff in a mild climate than you would in
(10:18):
a gold climate.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We'll see how Stacey ties this in and plants on
trial and segment four we'll talk more about designer plants
and designer aspects in your landscape. That's all coming up
here on the Gardening Simplified Show.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
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proven Winner's Color Choice dot com. Creating's Gardening friends, and
(10:58):
welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where or the
order of the day is all about designing with plants,
designer or plants and being a plant designer. And I
did want to mention, you know, there's a lot of
different terms that go around with all of this. So
someone might call themselves a landscaper, That to me kind
of means that they will do installation, but they're you know,
(11:20):
also providing regular maintenance type of services, right trimming your shrubs, weeding, mulching,
maybe even lawns and that kind of thing. Then you've
got a garden or landscape designer. These are also just
kind of general terms that anyone can call themselves. To me,
this means that they focus more on the planting side.
They're not necessarily going to do like a lot of maintenance.
(11:40):
They might have like a container maintenance program, but they're
more about getting you the garden that you want and
then you do most of the care for it. And
then there's landscape architects. And landscape architects are a totally
different thing. You have to go to school, a lot
of schooling. You have to pass tests to be a
landscape architect. So if you're just looking for plants a
planting design don't call a landscape architect. They also are
(12:05):
very not often not They are often not super well
versed in plants. You know, they might have a small
but usually they're relying a small palette that they that
they use, but usually they're relying on more planting designers
within their firm to help them out with the plant stuff.
And they're more concerned about drainage and structures, and you
know a lot of the stuff that you know, to
(12:25):
be honest, doesn't really appeal to me that much. You know,
like landscape architects have like entire semesters devoted to drainage.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
You know, it's true, and retaining.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Ones and retaining walls all right.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Retaining walls is a big one and patios, Stacy, While
you were talking there, I was thinking about a garden
center owner who's a friend of mine and I talked
to him this spring. He said he's amazed at the
number of customers that come walking in, some who just
want native plants. Other people that he refers to as
(12:59):
his designers. Okay, they're just into design. In other words,
don't bore me with the science on these plants, and
you know, chlorophyll, bora, phyl that kind of thing. I
want this color and I want that shape, And you know,
they're designers and that's what they like to do. Put
plant material together, make it appealing.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
They're both very valid ways to go through life. I
think if you're missing out on the science part, you're
missing out on a lot myself, because I find that fascinating.
But today's Plants on Trial is going to be a
little bit different because I wanted to, instead of just
focusing on one plant, talk about some of the proven
winner's color choice shrubs that have become staples for garden
(13:39):
and landscape designers across the country. You know, typically when
someone is designing a garden for someone or installing a landscape,
you know, they don't necessarily want something. They want everything
to be predictable. They want to know how everything is
going to perform. They don't want calls from the client saying,
oh this looks weird, please come back, or is this normal?
(14:01):
And then they have to say, well, I don't know
if it's not normal because I've never grown it before.
And the result of all of this means that they
tend to have they can have a very narrow focus,
and you keep using the same plants yes, over and
over again. And then what happens. Someone calls a landscape
designer to do their house. They do an amazing job.
The neighbor says, oh, hey, your lawn looks your yard
(14:22):
looks great. Who did you call? And then they call
that person and now this person takes their palette and
reconfigures it for the next door, and then you end
up with these, you know, very same landscapes. So we
have a full time landscape outreach manager and her job
is to really help people in the landscape industry, whichever
(14:43):
of those levels that I just went through, that they
are at to understand how our plants are different and
can make their jobs easier and make them look like
superstars at their job.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
The genetics are important.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
So I think the perfect example of one has really
upended the landscape design industry is Incredible Hydrangea. So everyone
knows Annabel, we've talked about it before. You know, it
was a very common plant because it was reliable, it's beautiful.
People love those big flowers right in the middle of
summer when they're spending the most time outside. But Annabel
(15:17):
flops as soon as we get a big summer storm.
Those flowers are on the ground, and you know, landscape
designers probably get pretty tired of hearing from clients that
they want them to come out and stake them or
do something about it, when it's really just an inherent
liability of the Annabel hydrangea. So Incredible was really the
first smooth hydrangea so like Annabel to come out that
(15:39):
had stronger stems and bigger flowers, and so it really
solved a problem as much as it solves a problem
for homeowners, like you know, the gardeners who listen to
our show. It also solved a problem for landscape designers,
and now it is probably in our top five go
to plants for landscapers. Landscape designers of all stre have
(16:00):
switched from Annabelle to Incredible because it really again resolves those.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Liabilities and maintenance is easy.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Another great example, if you ever go down south, you
will see Laura pedlum, also known as Chinese French flower everywhere.
It is such a staple of warm climate landscapes. And
we brought over jazz Hands variegated Laura pedalum. So really
in the US there hadn't been a variegated Laura pedalum.
(16:28):
We brought that over from a very talented breeder in Japan,
and you know, again, it just completely took the Southern
landscape industry by storm because it's so different. So instead
of just being purple, it has this variegated foliage all
through the season. It's really splashy. It's really different, and
that has given people that landscape designers another plant in
(16:52):
their palate for when they want to do something a
little bit different, mix it up. It's a great choice.
Same thing with double plate candy corns, Spyria. Now, if
there is a plant that is a landscape designer staple,
it's probably spyria, and for good reason. You know, they're
very pretty, they're very appealing. They have that, you know,
tidy rounded look, so that when a landscaper does a job,
(17:16):
they leave that plant in the ground and the home
owner says, oh, look how nice and tidy this is.
I can't wait. This is colorful. So double play candy
corn spiria is the most colorful spiria. It's smaller than
most The color on this thing you really have to
see to believe. It may even be dare I say
too colorful for some people because it is that colorful.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
They're very reliable, very reliable. And I would say that
those spireas are to flower and shrubs what nepetta is
to perennial. Oh yes, same kind.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Of Definitely, Neputa is like the go to for landscapers
in the perennial world. And similarly to double play candy corn,
double play doozy again a plant that people are familiar
with Japanese spiria, but it's sterile, so no worries about
its spreading seed and it reblooms, so it's going to
keep flowering. So these are plants that were pretty easy,
(18:08):
you know, for a landscaper to make the switch. Another
good example, though, is low scape mound or the low
scape arronias in general. So landscapers were already using a
variety called Viking. It was a go to plant. You
see it in parking lots a lot and they you know,
it was popular and it was good, but it didn't
(18:29):
have optimal flowering, it didn't have optimal fall colors. So
along come the low scape arronia series. We've got new forms,
we've got new shapes, we've got improved color, improved flowering,
improved fruit set as a result of that improved flowering,
and you know, the lowscaper ronias have really in some
areas dethroned. Grow low sumac, which was sort of like
(18:52):
this ultimate parking lot plant. You could just plant it
and let it go and it would do its thing
and it was virtually indestructible, but tended to be pretty
expensive because it was hard to propagate and slow growing,
whereas the erronia's easy to propagate, fast growing, so it
makes it a much more cost effective substitute. So sometimes
the plants that landscaper professionals. Gravitate towards aren't even necessarily
(19:14):
the same kind of thing, but they do serve a
similar role in the landscape. So, you know, when limelight
hydrangea came out, of course it changed everything. And that's
why there's limelight everywhere because homeowners and professional landscapers alike
have planted it everywhere. But much like going back to
what I was saying about incredible, it has some liabilities.
(19:37):
It's late blooming, so it doesn't you know, you could
have a cool summer here in Michigan and it doesn't
even start putting on flowers until late August. And you know,
because it was one of the earliest selections of panicle hydrangeas,
the stems were not optimally strong like we have now
with limelight prime. So now, even within a plant where
(19:58):
limelight had changed the industry, Limelight prime is upending that
part of the industry along with all of our dwarf
panicle hydranges. You know, for years people might have wanted
to use a panicle hydrangea in a project, but they
didn't have anything small enough, you know, because they're big plants.
They get to be ten twelve, twenty feet as they mature.
So having a huge variety of dwarf panicle hydranges like Bobo,
(20:23):
like little lime, like little lime punch, a little quick
fire has also really changed the industry. Not it's a
plant that they already loved using and now they're able
to use those in new ways. So there's lots of
these kinds of you know, I guess features that we're
looking at to expand the selection for professionals, which of
(20:45):
course then expands the selection for all of us who
look at the landscapes that they design. So I am
going to give Adriana this little list. I worked with Jane,
our landscape design manager, on this list of the plant
that landscaper is like the best. We will make sure
to include it in the YouTube version, so please do
check that out, and of course look for Proven Winner's
(21:08):
Color Choice shrubs at your local garden center. We're going
to take a break. When you come back, we're opening
up the mailbags, so please stay tuned at Proven Winners
Color Choice Shrubs. We know that a better landscape starts
with a better shrub. Our team of experts tests and
(21:28):
evaluates all of our flowering shrubs in Evergreens for eight
to ten years to ensure they outperform what's already on
the market. For easycare, reliable, beautiful shrubs to accentuate your
home and express your personal style. Look for proven Winner's
Shrubs in the distinctive white container at your local garden center,
or learn more at proven Winner's Color Choice dot com
(21:50):
readings Gardening friends, and welcome back once again to the
Gardening Simplified Show wherever you are joining us, whether that
is through radio, podcast, or YouTube, where we're so glad
you're here and we would be happy to help you
out with your garden questions, quandaries and conundrums, or of
course celebrations. If you just been dying to tell someone
who is on your same wavelength when it comes to
(22:12):
plants and gardening, you can reach out to us with
those as well, or leave them as comments on YouTube,
just as it Gardening Simplified on air dot com. That's
our website, and click the contact button to send us
a message. It's just that easy. And I know there's
a lot of stuff going on right now, like this
question from Tom.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Tom writes to us, I have a four year old
Jane tulip magnolia in Baltimore, Maryland' zone seven. It has
started to have dry gray stuff on the tops of
some of the leaves. Then the leaves get dark brown
turn yellow. We've never fertilized it. It's in well draining soil,
lives next to a false cypress and perennial flowers and shrubs.
(22:52):
It had two blooms this year. Any suggestions, love listening
to your podcasts inspirational.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
So Tom did include some photos of what he is
seeing on his magnolia, so you can check those out
on YouTube. And you know, I wanted to answer Tom's
question today because I think that what Tom is seeing
on his magnolia is something that people are seeing on
their magnolias as well as all sorts of different plants,
which is simply that at this point in the season,
(23:20):
the stresses have piled up, you know, all of the
things that kind of went wrong in terms of plant health,
whether that was a very hot and dry period or
a very very wet period, or any number of things
that can happen to a plant during the course of
the growing season. They've all accumulated now. And I find
(23:43):
that very often leaf spots become much more noticeable in
full some for some in some cases that's simply because
that's what has had. That's enough time for the fungal
leaf spots, which actually make the leaf spot. The fungus
is in the leaf, not leaving any signs of its presence,
(24:04):
but then by the time fall comes around, it's like,
oh hey, I'm you know, a fruiting body now and
making those leaf spots. I think the gray on magnolias
that they sometimes get at this point in the year
are just it's just stress, just from you know, drying heat, whatever.
It's not a problem. I mean, plants get stressed, just
like we get stressed. We can still be happy and
(24:26):
healthy and undergo various levels of stress throughout our day
for all sorts of different reasons, but it doesn't mean
that there's something like actually wrong with us. So I
don't think that that's any cause for concern. Again, you're
gonna see this happen on all sorts of plants. I mean,
I think the tar spot on Norway maple is a
classic example that a lot of people see. So don't
(24:46):
be alarmed when you see spots coming onto your foliage
in full. Fungal diseases are not in the plant, they
are on the plant. So once that foliage drops, it
doesn't have that fungus anymore. And the best thing you
can do as a gardener is just to do your
best to remove and discard any infected foliage. Just try
to put it, you know, in the garbage instead of
(25:09):
in a compost pile where those funkal lese wars can
potentially you know, proliferate and spread. But it's really that
simple and trying to reduce the stress for the plant. Now,
why your plant isn't flowering super well, I don't know.
It looks very healthy, you know. Again, there's pictures of
the close ups of the spots that you're seeing as
well as the whole plant. I have seen that it
(25:31):
does have buds on it right now, because magnolias start
to set their flower buds for next year in late summer.
So when you see all those nice fuzzy kind of
buds on the plant, that is all flowers for next year,
and you're you know, from some of the pictures that
you included, Tom, I could see it does have some
good flowers. Some plants very often have off years, you know,
(25:53):
they'll bloom relaiers like a mass year with acorns. They
just will have some years where they're just super abundant.
Probably the biggest issue with magnolias if they don't bloom well,
is very often because they get a frost. Magnolias bloom
early and are very susceptible to cold and frost and
ice in that early spring time period when they bloom,
(26:18):
and there are times where, yeah, if the buds are
just open enough to show color and you get a
really bad froster freeze, it can fry the entire bloom for.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
The year, not only the blooms, but the foliage. Also,
when the foliage is tender in early spring, we get rain,
cold weather, that's when those spots will start. But they're small.
You really don't see it. As you approach fall, they
coalesce and actually start to become one big space. Yes,
and the foliage is unsightly, So I would agree with you,
(26:49):
Agree with you, Stacey, and I would recommend that if
this tree is getting rather large, maybe look at possibly
doing some pruning. And when I say pruning, I'm talking
about taking out some branches completely to open up the
light and air penetration into the canopy. If that's necessary.
(27:11):
I'm not saying that's the case here and then typical
of any magnolia trees, make sure you check for scale.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yep, for sure.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
If there are lichens growing on the tree. The lichens
are not a problem. I love lichens, but it can
exhibit to us that there's slow growth on that tree.
So there's all kinds of things to be looking at.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Ye, But it's healthy. Yeah, And you know, sometimes plants
just have leaf spots and it's just the way that
it is, and it's not usually a big cause for concern.
So and soon enough that village will be gone and
you'll have a fresh crop within you know, eight months.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Look at this a question specifically for you. Stacy Lori writes,
I have a question for the Hydrangea queen'stening the Hydrangeer queen.
I've received multiple answers from my extension off local nurseries.
I have a seventeen I have seventeen three year old
beautiful bobo hydranges eastern exposure. They get sun until about
(28:10):
three pm and bloom beautifully until the beginning of August
every year, at which time the blooms start browning. I
water and dripped for sixty minutes a day. They don't
feel dry. They get hit by a sprinkler overspray every
other day for about fifteen minutes. No one can help
me point to why these are browning when the soil
(28:34):
is adequately hydrated.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Help.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Here are a few pictures. It's pretty easy to tell
when they were healthy in July versus August.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Right, So thank you Lauri for your question, And yeah,
you're right, Laurie. The number one reason that a panicle
hydrangel like Bobo will not develop pink or red color
is usually it dried out too much during its flower's
blooming season. If you live in a warm climate, then
the better reason would The reason most likely is because
(29:04):
the nights are too warm. But it is also possible
for panicle hydrangels even in well watered conditions, which is
obviously one of to have browning on the flowers. And
I think that you stated the answer right there in
your sprinkler overspray, because what happens with these plants that
I have seen even our own in our own trial
(29:25):
garden where we have everything on irrigation. We are right
on the Grand River, and I think a combination of
heavy mist, heavy humidity, and or sprinkler overspray when that
moisture sits on the flowers that delicate petal tissue when
the moisture is just sitting there, and then you know
that hot summer sun comes up over the horizon and
(29:48):
it just fries them. It's almost like a kind of
rotting effect. So it's not dry and crispy like a
plant that didn't get enough water. It's just kind of like,
I don't want to say mushy. It's not that, but
it's almost like the blooms are kind of rotting. And
so yeah, I have definitely found that humidity plays a
big part of that. If you can adjust those sprinkler
(30:10):
heads to not overspray your bobos, I think that you
will be golden. But that is also something that's sometimes
easier said than done. Although you know a screwdriver. Most
sprinkler heads are adjustable with a screwdriver, and so you
could see can you change the angle slightly or you know,
make it not go up as high so it's maybe
not covering the bobos. But I've definitely seen it here
(30:32):
where humid areas or anytime moisture sits within those blooms,
and especially with panicle hydrangels, they can hold on to
so much moisture because the blooms are so big because
of the problem.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
If you want to determine whether or not overhead irrigation
and that humidity is a problem for future years, just
plant a few cucumber plants. They'll tell you real quick
what's going on?
Speaker 2 (30:57):
Yes, right, yeah, boy, speaking of leaf spots at this
point in the year. Please do not look at my computer,
my cue my computers. Please do not look at my cucumbers.
Whatever you do, they are looking extremely, extremely sad.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So Laura writes to us. In one of the episodes
Rick and Stacey, we're discussing hydranges and if they are
beneficial for pollinators. I can't find the episode. Would you
be able to tell me which episode the discussion was, Uh, right.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
So I don't know offhand because we've talked about hydrange
is so much. But I did want to answer your question, Laura,
because my answer would be the same in any episode,
and that is lace cap hydranges. So if you can
find any type of hydrange, whether it's a macrophilla, a panicle,
a smooth hydrangel like Annabel, and incredible if you find
the lace cap version where those small sterary where those
(31:50):
small starry fertile florets are more visible. They're not hidden
by those showy sterile florets. You can see those fertile florets.
That's where the nectar is, that's where the pollen is,
that's where the bugs want to get to. So anytime
you find a lace cap version, you are going to
have pollinators, no matter what type of plant that is.
The mopheads do tend to be more popular, and in fact,
(32:13):
I think we had a hot take comment on YouTube
where someone said why would anyone ever plant a lace cap?
But you yourself said it here, Laura. The best reason
to plant a lace gap is because they are beloved
by pollinators. So just look at the label or do
your research before you go to the gardens center. But
pick a lace cap and as they say, if you
plant it, they will come.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Lace caps are landing pads for pollinators.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
They sure are, and I happen to like them quite
a bit. Sure, but different strokes for different folks. So anyway,
thank you all so much for your questions. We're going
to take a little break. When we come back, we're
continuing our conversation on designer plants. Stay tuned. Thanks for
(32:58):
listening to The Gardening Simplified brought to you by Proven
Winners Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and
evergreens are trialed and tested by experts with your success
in mind. Learn more at Proven Winners color Choice dot com.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show. As we talk
about designer plants, Stacey, an annual plant that I have
watched through the years become a designer choice. A designer
plant has been Colius. When you look at the new
cultivars of Colius available today, the color Blaze, Colius proven winners,
(33:36):
and I'm thinking specifically Wicked Witch. You will see them
in containers out in public places, a variety of areas.
Now that it has the sun tolerance that it has
has a tendency not to bolter go to seed. That
has become a real designer plant in my mind.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Well, you know, as far as designers go, you know
there's times where you're like, oh, if only I had
something with like this color and you know these colors
in it, And chances are you will find that in
Colius these days. Because there is just such a huge range.
I just I truly wish I could grow them. But
the deer love them. It is like a deer a
(34:18):
parateief for the rest of the garden if I at
least it's functioned that way when I've tried to grow them.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
But yeah, I have them in the compound. You're right.
You mentioned elderberry earlier, and I would agree with you.
Japanese maples, of course a go to plant for designers.
Anything foliage that has a tropical feel, in my mind
is a designer plant. Emerald isle, alocacia, of course, my
(34:44):
beloved cannas, but any type of you know, cordillines, tropical plants,
foliage plants, and of course I've got to throw grasses
into the mix also. And I have a friend who
has recently retired and was hired by a gol golf
course to fix up their landscape areas, and his go
(35:06):
to designer plant is hack and a cloaw.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Oh, that's a nice one.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
And it is, and I think you will see a
lot of designers use hack and a kloa to a
large extent for some color, or if they have a tough,
shady area they want to add something in with ferns
and hosta hosta. Again, some people don't like them. Some
people do, but there's great variety, and Stacey again, the
(35:31):
size and impact of the texture of the foliage makes
hostas a designer plant.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Well, you know, the great thing about Hakkonakloa also known
as Japanese forest grass, is it is one of the
only somewhat shade tolerant grasses. So it's great on a
place like a golf course where you are going to
probably have some of those landscape areas with some shade
because it gets hot and sunny out there on those
golf courses. I'm guessing I don't know, I've never been
on one. Seems like it in golf, and then it
(36:00):
will help to tie in all of the other, you know,
ornamental grasses that are being planted around because you know
they have to be derresistant because you know, you can't
fence off a golf course. You know, it's a lot
of space. So it's a good unifier that way that
they can kind of carry through from the sun to
the shade.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
So he said that grasses and things like nepeta, Russian sage,
those types of plants were go to for those types of.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Well, ne but is another great choice because you know
all those golfers they come at different times of the season.
None of them want to see the landscape looking less
than spectacular as they stroll the greens. I think it
makes some of them probably notice you know that that
you know, the golfers love the azaleas at that golf
tournament in the spring. So the masters, Yeah, the masters.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
The masters, Augusta, Yes, that one, Yeah, that one phisocarpis.
Of course, we see a lot of box would used
by designers. But again to your point earlier, Stacey, if
a landscape designer is going to put a plant in
a landscape, they need it to perform, and they need
(37:09):
it to perform not for just one week, but they
need it to perform all season long reliably.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Yeah. The boxwood, Oh my gosh. When I worked as
a rooftop gardener in New York and took care of
a lot of buildings, boxwood is such a go to.
And it's partly because it is such a classic plant.
I mean, you can't go wrong with boxwood. Pretty much
always looks classy unless it's you know, half dead. But
they're also such a great problem solver for the city
(37:36):
because light can be very uneven. You want to have
a match set of something, but one side is shady,
one side is sunny. And boxwood. You know, it has
that classic look, but it's durability has helped it to
maintain that that stature. And I love them. I mean
my garden would be lost without boxwood.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Absolutely, river birch. You'll see a lot of river birch used.
In addition to that, juneberry, ferns, foam flour. And here's
two perennials that have really elevated themselves in the area
of go to plants for designers. And one would be
(38:17):
Achinasia because of all the variety and long lasting blooms,
the other being Baptisia. Those two I think have really
elevated themselves on that list of go to plants for design.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Yeah, you know, Baptisia. A good specimen is basically a
shrub in the landscape. They can be so big and
contribute so much texture and structure before they go dormant.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
I love broad leaf evergreens for designing. Of course I
love rhododendrons. But Stacey the Paisley popp dog hobble, Now
that plant I would consider that a designer plant and
acts like a broad leaf evergreen.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
It is a broad leaf evergreen yep. And so that
is a lukothawe and a native North American native plant,
but variegated purple and white green variegation not like anything
else you've ever seen, and just a really fun take
on it. But also because this is a very shade
tolerant plant really brightens up the shade. That variegation. You know,
(39:18):
it looks great if you plant a green variety, of course,
but the variegation really just helps to light up areas
under trees, which is where that plant is happiest.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
You bet, sweet and low sweet box would be along
that same line definitely, and I think has to be
on that list of go to plants. Loria pee as
a groundcover, some people will shake their head and say no,
not for me. But you know, groundcovers can get a
bad rap because some tend to get a little bit
(39:51):
out of.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Hand, and Lariopi's one of those. It's not really a
problem for us too much in Michigan, but in milder
climates it can be. But you know, it looks like grass,
but you only have to cut it back, you know,
once a year in spring, and then it has these
great purple flower spikes. That pollinators love and it's der resistant,
So in some ways, you know, it's all about Designers
(40:12):
have to solve problems, just like home gardeners have to
solve problems, but designers have the additional responsibility of doing
so beautifully. So that's why they're so good to listen
to you is because they've really kind of discovered what
these solutions are in a plant that will make even
finicky homeowners happy.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
No, I agree, many choices. So like any interior designer
or a designer of landscapes, I think one of the
things you have to do is you have to look
at your own quirks. I mean, who hasn't put some
plants in place and the following year been surprised by, Wow,
(40:54):
that's really nice. I mean, that's that's happened to me.
Put tulip bulbs in the ground over a bed of
pansies than that I planted and fall and then when
the tulips grew up through the pansies, it was just
absolutely gorgeous and it was like I knew what I
was doing all along, but actually I didn't.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
But you know, there, I think there's a case to
be made by having some instinct at play there. But
you know, honestly, what I have found. If there is
one sort of thing that I have discovered in all
my years of gardening, it's kind of that if you
put a lot of plants together, they're gonna look pretty great.
I mean it's you know, there's definitely levels of greatness
(41:34):
visual greatness within it. But if you just like plant
a bunch of stuff together that you like and it's
different heights and different shapes, which you know typically they
are going to be, it's gonna look awesome. I mean
there's you know, designers can pass it off as natural
all they want, but you know, really it's just a
(41:54):
to me very much critical mass plays a role.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
I like that and I had that on my list.
Lean into the proportions. Oh and just like interior design lighting,
Oh yeah, think about it, the tree canopy, filtered shade,
night lighting. These are all things that you can use.
We talk about structures, whether it's a pergola or an archway,
(42:20):
but basically they add dimension to your landscape. Can your
landscape tell a story? I mean I can walk people
through my landscape and tell stories about the plants as
you walk along. It all adds to the interest of
the landscape. I can say, hey, that one right there,
I pulled out of a dumpster behind a box stove.
(42:40):
They dumped it, so I put it in the land Now,
look how beautiful it is.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
And then you got all the fun scientific facts. You know.
If you like we were talking about last week with
the Osa Grange, you got an osage orange on your property,
you can tell everyone that visits that it's the seed.
It was dispersed by mammoths. Yeah, love the exact to it.
That's why I share them so that you can wow
people with your knowledge of your plans.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
So if you think you didn't go to school to
become a designer, I want to encourage you to experiment.
And there are so many great choices. Like my good
friend Jill would always say to me, Rick, fake it
until you make it right now, and you have free
reign to do that in the landscape. I said you
can do that.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I say you can do it too, Stacy.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
It's been fun fun. Thank you, Thanks Adriana. Thanks to
you for watching us on YouTube, finding us along with
your other favorite podcasts, and listening to the show or
listening to us on our radio version. Have a great week.
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Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.