Who Ever Heard of a Chokeberry?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ato six thirteen ten, WIBA and every Day Outdoor Living
brought to you by the Bruce Company Online, Bruce Company
dot Com. It's all one work Bruce Company dot Com.
Of course they are right great data. Stop on in.
They're at a twenty thirty Parmenter Street. That's where'll find
the Milton Garden centered Bruce Company Online, Bruce Company dot Com,
Facebook and social media the Bruce Company. Joining us in
studio this morning is Lisa Briggs from the Bruce Company.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Lisa, how you doing today?

Speaker 3 (00:23):
I'm good? How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm doing fantastic. You remember Katie?

Speaker 1 (00:26):
I do remember Katie. You guys haven't seen each other
for a few weeks. I just want to make sure
everybody's on the same We have all the devices out
today and none of them are working.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
But that's for another day.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
You know what's great about gardening, Lisa, there's no computers involved.
If you don't want them to be involved, you're not
relying on technology. You can do it without any of that. Now,
there's plenty of gizmo's, gadgets and tech that you can incorporate.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, there are plenty of like handy dandy little apps
and sure that will help you out. But yes, there
is no computer yet or tablet or phone that will
dig holes for you.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
No, no, no, We've got fun stuff to talk about
as always, and also we've got a great opportunity if
you've got to question the phone lines, they are open
six SOH eight three two one thirteen ten.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
That's six SOH eight three two one thirteen ten. We'll
get you right on the air with Lisa Briggs from
the Bruce Company. Again, great day to get on end
as well as the Bruce Company, twenty thirty Parma Street,
twenty thirty Parment Street. We'll get Gail's tip also coming
up a little bit later in this program. But first
and foremost the weather, and I remember from years past
it seems to be a new thing. Canada uh starts

(01:35):
on fire every year with smoke and we always have
some air quality. And I think I asked you a
few years ago, does that affect things? You said, not
so much.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, I think that there's probably, like you know, long
term effector if you're close to the fires. Of course
there's ash falling in that kind of thing, but just
the the little bit of haze is not going to
affect your plants or growing cycles. But it will affect you,
so be careful if you're going to be outside today.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yes, good, good point. My eyes hate this stuff, like
they look all the bloods are I know maybe I
don't know, not really Okay.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
This morning, like I get up, it's like and we
were driving yesterday it was it was thick. Looking at
this forecast though, I see sun, some showers. We're good
on rain, right, we're good in that area.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
I think we're good. I haven't checked yet. I usually
do that when I get back to the store, kind
of look and see where we're at for accumulated rainfall.
June was good though it was close. It was super
close to average, just a little hair above.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Okay, so good shape there.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Yeah, yeah, for the season. I think we're in good
shape overall. Because summer and fall and winter we're so dry.
It might still be in the negative for accumulated for
you know, for the season, okay, but for the growing season.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right now, we're good, All good, all good.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
We're asking this morning, pondering about when the coworkers and
friends are going to start bringing into me. I think
we also touched on it last week as well. We're
getting pretty close. We're not quite there yet for all varieties,
but soon enough we're going to start becoming inundated with tomatoes.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Aren't we.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, and zucchini and all the rest of it. So
I think the giving gardener thing is going out this week.
So we've done this in the past. If you've got
extra produce, once you get through that first flush of
I'm so excited to see tomato, and then you get
to the place where, oh my gosh, if I have
to look at another tomato. So but you can drop
that extra produce off at the Bruce Company and we

(03:32):
will take it over to way Forward Resources. And I
think we gave I think together we donated I don't know,
over one thousand pounds of produce last year.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
That is amazing.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Yeah, so cool and the best produce too, I know,
grown with love, yes, And there is there is science
to back up that the stuff you grow.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Your own, on your own garden.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Tastes better than the stuff you get at the store.
Nothing against stuff at the store, but they do show
that the stuff to grow yourself, it's just more flavorful
and one of the cool things too. And I know
obviously can't be starting tomatoes now, can you do you
guys have little plants that you could.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
I think that we're starting to wind out on it.
So there might be a little bit of veg veggie
plants out there. They're on sale, so you know, stop
buy or email the plant dusk and see if we've
if you're needing something. In particular, what we are getting
close to is the time in the next probably probably
four or five weeks when you can do that second sewing.

(04:31):
Oh yeah, so it's still a little hot, but once
the temperatures start to moderate a little bit, you can
do a planting of short seasoned crops, so rash is
all the lettuces and spinach and that kind of stuff,
but also other things that you might have that don't
need a ton of days to mature.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
And I love the cooler temperatures there's.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yes, and as they as the temperatures drop, they can
handle that that kind of lower tenn thing.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
So with that, so for folks that may you know,
may not have you know, I'll talk about myself real quick,
may not have done their initial garden this year, it's
a good time to get in there and get the second.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Chance going in.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
So that's always it's always fun to do that and
of course great day to get into the Middleton Garden Center.
I was gonna say, can't really be starting tomatoes from
seed this time of year, but there are things you
can start from seed, and there are also things you
can if you got a little little plant you can
stick in the ground.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
And start start producing.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
So so it's a fantastic day to get it in
the Middleton Garden Center. Get those get those gardens filled
in and filled up so you've got a huge harvest.
And again I will talk a little bit too if
if you get a little overwhelmed with your tomatoes, which
can the great things you can do will remind you
place you can take take care of them and help
out folks as well. With the Bruce Company, well mine,
they're open six SOH eight three two one thirteen ten.

(05:51):
That's six SOH eight three two one thirteen ten. If
you've got a question for Lisa, we'd love to hear
from you this morning. And speaking of questions, I know
Gail helps kind of of eliminate or leave some of
the questions we may have this time here, because you know,
we tend to forget that things like fertilization and other things.
It's it's not just important in springtime. There are things

(06:13):
to be doing for for your lawn and garden this
time of year as well. When it comes to fertilization.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
Isn't there Yeah, certainly if you have got annuals and
you have them planted in containers, they were fertilized in
the greenhouses. And we talked about this kind of in
mid May, that it was maybe time to fertilize, And
now you really want to keep that going. So if

(06:38):
you have been applying a water soluble fertilizer every couple
of weeks, you want to keep on doing that. You're
also going to want to I had a thought and
I just went out of my head.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
I'm talking.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
It was good grief. It's Monday. So and if you
have you've if you've noticed that, you know the heat
that we had, a lot of plants are getting a
little heat stressed. If you have things that you have
planted and they're not establishing as quickly as you'd like,
you can certainly apply a roots to it. It's not

(07:16):
necessarily going to help them grow, but it will help
them be stronger. So you could apply a root stimulator.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
So and by the way, you we've talked a little
bit about that the roots stimulators in the past, and
it's really just it really the the I don't know
what is it, nitrogen, phosphorus, What is in there that
makes the roots?

Speaker 3 (07:35):
Really I can never honestly, it's no matter how hard
I study, I can never remember the difference. It's either
potassium or phosphorus. Okay, it's one of the PK it's
and p K is the thing. Nitrogen is the first
one that's easy. Nitrogen helps green growth develop. Oh okay,

(07:55):
So it's not something you want to do if you're
trying to get a plant established that it's it's green already,
it'll be fine. You need the leaves that are on
there to do photosynthesis and help the plant sort of establish.
But the rooting stimulator will help the fine roots grow,
which is what you want to do now. Certainly if
you're doing some kind of midsummer planting, which is fine,

(08:22):
you need to be aware of the watering issues. But
that also helps because plants take a certain amount of
time to establish and you really want them well rooted
in before the winter comes, so it's a good time
to do that.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
And the P is for phosphorus.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
P is for phosphorus and K is for potassium.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
And those are the three things you look for with the.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
With the but I can never remember which one is
for rooting and which were for budding. It's just the thing.
It's you know, everybody has a blind spot, right, sure
can't spell a certain word, no matter how hard to dry,
you get it wrong every single time availability comes.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
Tod You know, it's funny too, and there are those
certain words they have a heard time spelling, and you
like type it out and like you'll forget that you
need to double check it, and then you'll set something out.
You're like, yeah, you're like, by the way, with this
kind of just beautiful weather that I know, our plants

(09:18):
love it, But weeds love this stuff too, right, I mean,
the same stuff that gets your gets your plants super
excited to grow and start fruiting and flowering and other things.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Also, and you really want.

Speaker 3 (09:28):
To keep those weeds under control because weeds can harbor diseases,
they can harbor insects both beneficial and not beneficial, and
also they take up a lot of moisture and nutrients
from the soil. So when you have a garden, there's
a reason that our grandparents weeded their garden not just

(09:52):
because they were crazy about like order and cleanliness, but
because it's actually better for the plants that you want
to grow to not have them surrounded by weeds.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
There's competition out there out there.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
I think years ago, I think it was Michigan State
University did a study with fruit trees and they did
different kinds of plantings or different kinds of mulches and
that kind of thing underneath the trees to see what
the effect was on yield. Okay, okay, and so weeds
are really can affect yield in a negative way?

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Is it with this too as we talk about to
think about weed control mulch? Is it a good time
to add at a little fresh layer of mulchif you'
you can talk about.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Your mault especially if you didn't do that this spring.
My garden's kind of on a every two year sort
of cycle. I tapped dress. Be careful though with mulchif
you're using it around peonies or iris, because those are
really sensitive to how much matter is over the buds,

(10:56):
and sometimes it will it will cause them to not
set flower buds.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Used an industry term their top dress. Is that what
that's called when Yeah, you just put.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
A thin layer to sort of freshen it up. Yeah,
so when you have, you know, for for a flower garden,
I would say one to two inches of malts. For
trees and shrubs or a border withers and shrubs, you
go a little deeper.

Speaker 2 (11:17):
Okay, two to three.

Speaker 3 (11:19):
But for peonies and iris, they need the they have
a planting depth issue.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
Oh, I got a question for.

Speaker 1 (11:26):
You speaking of malotok Now, I knew there's something of
some so we were I came out and helped Christina
over the weekend take care of some of her some
of her garden beds and stuff.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
You know, she needs the wheelbarrow and the muscle guy.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
I just throw my weeds from the follows after me
later that I just say, there's a pile over there.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:46):
Typically goes with us white some of her what you
might call it the wood chips. The one wol drawn
a blank on the term right now that we're just
talking ready, it was it was like, uh like like
a fungus.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
Kind of I know, but it was a threat. That's
micro rising. That's good.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
So the garden center we sell this really cool product
called mic it which is short for micro riising. And
it's a beneficial bacteria that lives in your garden if
the soil, if the conditions are right. Okay, so it
and what it does is is it breaks down organic matter.
It creates spaces for roots to grow, for water to

(12:30):
get through, for heat, and all that kind of stuff.
It so you have good It's just a sign of
really good soil.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
I was thinking it was the opposite. I'm worried.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Micoriseing is good and it's kind of it's it's like
bright white and kind of thready. Yeah, yeah, no, that's
good stuff.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
Okay, good for you. This is why you ask those
questions because you don't.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
Put anything on there to kill it. It's actually very good.
It's good for your garden. It shows that you have
healthy soil.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
Oh, that's great to hear. And that's just speaking of
you know, having a healthy story soil. Having Lisa Briggs
there to answer your questions and help you guide you,
it's always great. That's why it's always a great day
to get into Middleton Garden centered the Bruce Company, twenty
eight thirty Parment Street.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
Also a great day.

Speaker 1 (13:12):
If you've got a question, have you joined us this
morning six so' eight three two one thirteen ten. That's
six soh eight three two one thirteen ten. Can you
grow beats in Wisconsin? And can you start them now?

Speaker 3 (13:22):
You might be able to do like small beats okay,
like probably the big ones. I've never grown them, so
I don't know how long it takes for that beat
to develop, Okay, but my guess is that you could
do like young like or harvest them as babies.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Okay, because this looks so cool. I always like beats.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
Do you like beats? Like we're watching like Master Chef Australia. Yeah,
and we've been binging it and they love They call
it beat root and honestly every challenge somebody does something
that features beatroot. Well, it's so apparently in like twenty sixteen,
because that's where we're at right now.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
We're in the series.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
Australians are crazy about beats.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
It does add some nice flavor, but some great color
and you can carve it. Oh, it's fair to talk
this morning with Lisa Briggs here at thirteen ten WIB.
If you've got a question for Lisa Loveda, have you
join us. It's more in telf for number six SO
eight three two one thirteen ten. That's six SO eight
three two one thirteen ten. We'll talk a little bit
about some of the stuff going on at the Middleton
Garden Center of the Bruce Company. Also talk a little

(14:21):
bit more about your garden and yard and take your
question as every Day Outdoor Living with the Bruce Company
continues right here at thirteen ten double UiB eight twenty
six thirteen ten WIBA and every Day Outdoor Living brought
to you by the Bruce Company online Bruce Coompany dot com.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
That's Bruce Company dot com.

Speaker 1 (14:38):
Great day to get on in Middleton Garden Center with
the Bruce Company right at twenty eight thirty Parmenter Street.
That's twenty eight thirty Partment Street.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
So I got time. If you've got a question, love
to have you join us.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
Get you on their at Lisa Briggs telephe number six
SO eight three two one thirteen ten. That's six SO
eight three two one thirteen ten. Lisa, we were talking
carbonated beverages during the break broadcasts in Men.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
Now you grew up in Michigan, I did.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
Fago is a big soda brand there and I'm a
huge fan of Fago. Here in Wisconsin. Ours was that
jolly good stuff.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
We only ever got fayo at my grandparents' house the
of us and you know, but it's not something my
mom bought.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
But get the glass bottles of.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
I don't remember that. I don't remember if they were
in bottles or cans, but.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Their grape soda hands down, I might have been.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
In cans because my grandmother had had a refrigerator down
in the basement and it had soda in it.

Speaker 1 (15:30):
You know that soda, whether it's fago or Jolly Good
or coke, is really good after you donate blood.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
Is you give a little blood and then you get your.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
I think they give you range juice. I think soda
has not as I see Singer with a giant bottle
coke fula, I think that, yes, not.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
I think you get juice, orange juice.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
Donate blood.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
And speaking of donating blood and juice and sweets and
a good good thing for good people is petals for
a pint.

Speaker 2 (15:59):
Very clever.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
So this is from this is from uh So. There's
a company called Impact Life and they have a mobile
uh blood donation thing and they're going to be at
the Garden Center on August second. Now, you do have
to sign up for this, so there's a QR code
on our Facebook page. It's been on our e blasts

(16:23):
a couple of times, so if you haven't signed up
for our e blasts, that's that's a good thing to do,
and you can sign up, make an appointment and then
you can come and donate blood. It's there's a summer
is a really critical time for blood donations. People are
really busy and doing other things and out of town,
and also people are out and about doing things that

(16:45):
causes injuries, and so it's a really important time and
and this is when supplies tend to run low. So
it's a great thing. So if you come to the
Bruce Company and work with this, then we give you
a flowering plant and then you get an electronic gift
card from Impact Life after you've given your donation.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
Oh that is fantastic. All the details up of course
on your Facebook, on the.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
Facebook page, on our website as well, so check it
out and if you've got the time and the inclination,
so then please sign up for a slot and we'll
see you on the second.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
It sounds like a great event.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
Again, you can learn more online Facebook page, The Bruce
Company Bruce Company dot com on the internet as well,
speaking of being on the Facebook page, suggestion on your
Facebook page, which was a great time of year to
plant trees and shrubs, And we haven't talked about planting
trees and shrubs yet today, and I thought, you know
what I should ask Lisa about planting trees and shrubs.
What a perfect time of year to be planting.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
Well, people often think that summer is not the best
time to plant, and on some for some things that's true.
You don't generally get regular rainfall, so Mother Nature is
not helping you out like she does in the spring
and then late in the late summer and fall. So
that means you have to be aware of the watering

(18:04):
needs of your plant. But are planting crews and landscape
companies all over They plant all summer long. It's just
a matter of you having to step up and be
responsible for that watering thing, which is really important. Plants
don't establish if you put them in the ground and
then just walk away.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
The water is important.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
They need some They need some care and some attendance.
The bigger the plant, the longer you'll need to do that.
But they usually at least for the growing season. For
small plants, you want to make sure that they are
water properly. Mulching is always good. We talked about the
root stimulator earlier as far as fertilizing its concerned. The
other really good reason to plant trees and shrubs now

(18:47):
is that things are on sale, and so every two
weeks we're changing some sales around. So right now we
have crab apple trees are on sale, lilac shrubs and trees.
What else, oh, Erronia or chokeberry, which is a great
native plant, beautiful fall color and great fruit for winter birds.

(19:11):
It needs to go through. It's not called chokeberry for
no reason. Very a stringent yes. And then a couple
other things are on sale as well, So it's a
good time to come into the garden center. You can save,
you can put something in the ground that you will
be able to enjoy for years to come. Great flowers

(19:31):
next spring, and.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
The other cool thing you mentioned, like chokeberries for example,
winter months and right am I right? They they tend
to linger along through like I have this.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
They do because no, because no creature on earth will
eat those berries until they've gone through a couple freezes. Okay,
that sort of takes They're they're very sour, but they're
also very astringent, you know, like so you get that
weird feeling in your mouth when you kind of dries.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
Out right away.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yes, okay, so, but ronia are a really good antioxidant.
You can buy it in pill form at the food Star.
So it's really good for you and also really good
for birds and things which will love it once it's
gone through a couple of freezes.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
I think of just how how like in the winter months,
and yeah, a little bit.

Speaker 3 (20:24):
Of but they get beautiful fall color for the most part.
They are aronia. Both forms, the the red berried and
the black buried one are native to the Midwest, and
there are lots of cultivars. We also call them native ours,
so cultivar varieties of a native that are that we

(20:47):
have that. They usually do this for reasons like to
control size or to up the ante on a feature
that you know, have better fall color.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
That kind of thing you sold me, Yeah, I'm gonna
have to get one today.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yes, But the important things that most of the for
the cultivated varieties, most of the things that we rely
on them for wildlife, are intact okay. Sometimes, like with
cone flowers, which are also a lot of varieties that
are native ours, some of the forms are not as

(21:22):
useful for pollinators as others.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
Interesting.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
Yes, so it's a good thing, but it's not always
what the native animals and pollinating insects one. But for
Ronia archie berry, all those features are.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
Intact twenty five percent off right now, you want to
yest there? Today is to day get in Middleton Gardens
and Bruce Company twenty to thirty Parman Street.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
It's twenty thirty Parment Street.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
Real quick, because we haven't mentioned fetch real quick kind
ofment on fetch up on a Facebook page.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
You get your adoptable pet of the weekndy. You guys
have done a few events for them.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
Real quick for folks that don't know the Bruce Company.
Every year you guys choose a charity and put a
lot of effort towards towards raising awareness and of course
getting getting funds and other things to those charities. And
this year fetch is your is your designated charity.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Yeah, so fetches a rescue and rehab. They don't have
a center all of their they deal pretty exclusively in dogs.
All of the puppies and adult dogs are fostered out
so they're acclimated, and they come every month and kind

(22:31):
of bring a couple of adult dogs and a litter
of puppies and they hang out in the stores, which
is always fun. They'll be here on the twenty if
I'm looking at your calendar, the twentieth of July, So
that's always fun.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Mark your calendar for that. I know Parker coming.

Speaker 3 (22:49):
Meet some puppies.

Speaker 2 (22:50):
The adoptable pedal of the week. He's a big guy,
fifty pounds.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
Yeah, some of the some of the you know, we always,
like I said, we always get a litter of puppies,
which is great because they I don't think that once
they go out of the kennel they bring up like
a gated kind of thing. Once they're out of that
for the whole two hours, they don't go back in
because they're in somebody's lap the whole time.

Speaker 2 (23:12):
Rough Life of a puppy, right, Life of a puppy.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
You learn more, of course, online with the Bruce Company's website,
also on Facebook social media the Bruce Company.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
It is a fantastic day.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
Get on into the Middleton Garden Center of the Bruce
Company right at twenty eight thirty Partment or Street. That's
twenty at thirty Partment Street. Gret day to think trees, shrubs,
other really great things, accessories and beautiful things for your yard.
Check on in they'd love to see again right at
twenty thirty Partment Street. The website Bruce Company dot com.
That's Bruce Company dot com. At least, it's always so
much fun and enjoy this great day you as well.
Shine Verne with the Madison Mallards. He comes your way
next right here afternoons on thirteen to ten.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
WIBA