Protecting beehives through the winter

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Our toll free number eight hundred eight two three eight
two five five. Good morning. I am Ron Wilson, your
personal yard boy talking about yard you don't forget our
website at Ron Wilson online dot com. And I have
so much fun when we have our bee keepers on
the show. Of course, Barbie Bletcher has been on with
us so many times over all these years, keeping us

(00:21):
up to a date with the with the b situation,
not only in Ohio but all around the country. And
she's a she's a part of a trio. I call
them the Three Stingers. And the other two are Teresa
Parker and Nina Begley and what's it and and they're
all beekeepers and very unique ladies. And trust me, if
you ever want to contract a crowd at your business
or your party, have these three show up at your

(00:43):
business or party, and they will draw in a huge
crowd because they are so entertaining. But nevertheless, it's always
fun to have Nina on because Nina is actually a
queen bee breeder. As a matter of fact, she's a
professional designer, seamstress, master bee. She's been doing this for
over twenty two years. Specializes in urban beekeeping and raising

(01:05):
queen bees. Obviously, she's an author for the Bee Culture
magazine and she created If you're a beekeeper, you may
be interested in this. She designed and created the Winter
Beehive cover to help protect hives from the harsh winters
and wins in Ohio and have every need you know,
everything needed to help keep the bees warm and happy
and keep you successful as well. You can go to
her website ohioqueenbee dot com. That's Ohio queenbee dot com.

(01:30):
And Nina Bagley is with us this morning. Good morning, ma'am,
good morning. Oh oh your fans. Did you know you
had that many fans?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
No? I feel like Rita now, Rita.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Rita has a lot of fair Everybody loves Rita.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
So yes, I know I'm following her footsteps.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
I'm loving it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, hey, listen, seriously, we're glad you got you on
this morning to talk about a very interesting thing that
from one of the slides shows that you or slies
that you sent me this week on the text. But
first of all, I want to so people understand, you know,
you're not only a bee keeper, and of course you
do you still do like the Ohio State House. And then.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes, I'm still the Franklin County be Inspector and I
still have bees around Columbus, Ohio in the area.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
All right, So so yes, yes, heavily involved obviously, But
you also are a queen breeder. So briefly, kind of
explain to folks what is a queen breeder.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well, I'm actually not like I raise queens, okay, and
I have very good stock up queens, so I breed
them in the spring and sell them, and the same with.

Speaker 4 (02:44):
With my nukes.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
I just have very good stock that I developed over
the years, and I'm proud of it.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Well you know, do do do queen?

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (02:54):
So if you're not a queen breeder, it's you just
you raise queen.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
I raise queen Okay. There Lashaw would be the breeder,
doctor Lackshaw, and he artificially inseminates them. Yes, I am
a breeder off of my stock, so yes, I would
say I am.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
So you do it all basically because what it boils
down to, yees. So, how many of these queen bees
do you raise every year for other people?

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Well, this year I did probably about forty.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
I didn't do that many. But what I've been doing,
like I had.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Told you, before I'm starting these classes in the spring,
teaching people how to raise their own queens so that
they can be sustainable, so that they don't have to
rely on queen people to sell them queens that they
don't know what the genetics are, so they can be
sustainable and grafted off of a good stock that they have.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Right So, somebody's listening saying, okay, great, So how do
I develop a queen bee from the bees that I
have right now?

Speaker 2 (03:59):
You would have to raft. So if you have a
good hive that survives, say two years, and does very well,
her genetics are probably good, so you would probably want
to graft off of her, and you would go in
and take a frame and grasp from her.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
Day old eggs.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
What does that mean? From her?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
You're taking a tool and you're going into the cells
and pulling out a day a day old egg to
two days old and putting it into a cell cup
and then putting it on a bar, and then you
put that into a hive that is queenless. And because
with a lot of nurse bees and because they know

(04:44):
they're queenless, they'll start making cells for you and you'll
have a bunch of those peanut shells going across the.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
Bar if you grafted the larvae the right state.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
Dumb question for you, an, how do you know that
the the hive you're working with is a queenless hive?

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, because she's probably really mean and she's probably roaring,
and when you go in, they're running and scattered and
you don't see any brute or any eggs. So that
would be my first indication that this is this hive
is queenless. So I would go take some brood from
another hive that I have with eggs and larvae on
it and put it in there to calm her down.

(05:25):
So now they think they've got a queen in there,
and they're calm down until you can put a new
queen in got it.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
So when you put those in the new hive, then
do the workers automatically tend to them as as the
new queens?

Speaker 4 (05:45):
The cell?

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yes, yeah, if I put this cell in the hive,
they'll finish it off until she comes out and they'll
take care of her until she gets made it.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Is that the royal jelly that you're always talking about
that they feed them?

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, they'll feed her the royal jelly and they she'll
get most of the royal jelly. They decide which one
wants to become the queen, and they feed her the
royal jelly, and that's what develops her into the queens.

Speaker 4 (06:12):
She gets more of the royal jelly.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
Got it? So if I came to, you know, and
the winter is over and I'm inspecting my hives, I've
either lost everything or I don't have a queen. So
I get a hold of Nina Bagley and I say, Nina,
I need a new queen. What what do I get?
What do I get from you? An actual queen? And
how do I get it?

Speaker 2 (06:32):
You actually get a really cool, wonderful, big beautiful queen
with five attendants and a little cage and a tiny
little plastic cage with a tube on it that has
sugar fond it packed in it so that when you
put it in the hive, the bees in the hive

(06:54):
will start eating that sugar from one end of that
little plastic cage. And the bees in the cage are
tending to the queen and they're also eating the sugar,
and they're smelling her pheromone, and they're getting to like her.
So when she does release and come out, they'll start
caring for her and taking care.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Of her, And so the beekeeper determines when they release
her from the cage.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Well with the tube is probably about an inch long,
sort of take about two to three days for them
to eat through that sugar. Now, if it's a really mean, mean,
mean hive, they might kill her. So I usually put
a piece of tape on the end of it so
they can't get.

Speaker 4 (07:36):
To that sugar too fast.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
Follow me, I want them to get to know her better,
so to understand her pheromone better, and then I'll come
take the tape off and then let them have their
four days to release her. And usually she's released better
than if I just would have thrown her into a mean,
mean hot hive.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
Oh my gosh, I'm Aliebel. When I get to talk
to you and Barb and Teresa, I learned, I mean,
I hear this stuff and it's just phenomenal the way
these bees work. And of course that you guys know
them like the back of your hand.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
Uh being, I'll never know them like that. We still
have a lot to.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
Learn, I know, but you do know a lot about them,
and all three of you do, and it's great that
you share the information that you do know, and you're right,
you know. I continue to learn, and it seems like
you guys always present new information as we do in
this industry, in the gardening industry as well, you learn
something new all the time. And I know with the
bee keeping, you know that new new research and new
studies are going on, which is rightfully so, uh, to

(08:33):
learn more about them and of course to protect them
from the the mites and et cetera, et cetera. But
this queen bee thing, raising queen bees to give to
other people, to sell to other people just phenomenal. I
just that's crazy how that works. Anyway, you've been sending
me this fall, you've been sending me uh, and you've
been posting on YouTube. I guess that the videos of
you harvesting the honey and Teresa and all of you

(08:55):
harvesting honey. Uh, it's been extremely warm, sweat, and your
butt off to get this honey out of there. It
seems like you had a really good honey crop this year.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
I did, but I won't now until the spring. It's
kind of an interesting year because usually in August and
September we're in a dirt and we're feeding our bees
sugar water to get them ready for the winter, and
giving them room so that they can lay enough winter
bees to make it through the winter. But this year,
towards the end of July, when I'm getting them ready

(09:30):
for winter, I noticed they were bringing in this really
thick honey like my lasses, really really different, different flavor,
different color, and I mean hoarding it. I couldn't keep
up with them, and I didn't know what it was
because I've never seen it.

Speaker 1 (09:46):
But when I don't tell us, spection, don't tell us.
We're going to save that for after the break, I.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Won't, okay, right, But when I was going inspections, I
started noticing it in Central Ohio, got it and.

Speaker 4 (10:00):
Keeping me, keeping me busy.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
And you have been now. You sent me a picture
last week where you made one of your hives a
little upset in arc can be defensive even though you
take care of them. And you got stung a few times.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
Oh, I had the wrong socks on. Apparently. Yes, it
was awful.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
I think my right leg they nailed me about twenty
five times, my left ankle about fifteen, and they actually
bruised me and put big old.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
Welts on me.

Speaker 2 (10:32):
But I believe in APPA therapy for sure. Now, because
I was walking after I got stung, So there's something
to be said about that.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yeah, so I got I get this picture with all
these beast things, and she said, but the good thing
about it is my knees don't hurt and my legs
don't hurt, and I feel great.

Speaker 3 (10:48):
So I do it again.

Speaker 1 (10:52):
I guess I'll do it again. If it's going to
make me feel this good. I will pass on that one.
I don't know something about that.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
All right, we're.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
Gonna say it made you feel good.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Well, okay, I want to let I'll believe you, and
I'll save that for you. Anyway, Let's take a break
and we come back. Nina was talking about this unusual
honey and she sent me a picture of this. Has said,
any idea what this she knew, but any idea where
this came from? Very unusual a source of nectar to
make this late honey in the season. We'll find out
what it is after the break. Talking with Nina Begley

(11:24):
her website, Ohio Queenbee dot com. Here in the Garden
with Ron Wilson. Welcome back Here in the Garden with
Ron Wilson, we're talking with Nina Begley. She is an
urban beekeeper and of course she specialized as in raising
queen bees as well. Got stung multiple times last week
because she wore the wrong socks. I can't believe you
did that, but said, when it was all said and

(11:46):
done and she stopped crying, she walked better. So there
you go, more proof about the stinging of bees. No,
I don't recommend it.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, now, I think the people on the highway got
a kick of watching me roll around in the field.

Speaker 4 (12:03):
It was crazy.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
Uh, that would have been fun. So when you and
when you and Teresa and Barbie get together and you're
collecting honey, you're doing whatever you're doing, you guys just
laugh the whole time.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
All the time.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
I can imagine all the time I can imagine. I
can't No, I can't imagine being a I just someday, someday.

Speaker 4 (12:23):
Barb with her dry sends a humor. It's hysterical.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
I can I can only imagine anyway, talking to things
that go ahead out of your mouth, right, Yeah, exactly. Uh,
talking with a Baguley, Ohio. Queenbead dot Com is her website.
Be sure and check it out. So Nina sent me
a picture of this past week and they've been collecting
this honey and it's a really unusual looking, dark colored honey,

(12:51):
told me, she said, even has someone of a smoky
flavor to it, and trying to figure out where it
came from. So folks understan and when the bees go
out and collect the nectar that they make the honey with,
depending on what flowers are collecting it from, does help
determine what the flavor of the honey is going to be.
In the color of the honey right, right, so when

(13:12):
they're like when black locusts are in flour, you guys
kind of like it when black locus are in flower, right,
that's a really sweet, great honey. Yes, And like I'm
I like the darker honey, so you know, collecting up
for the darker honey almost tastes like sorghum. I love that. Well,
this one looks the same way, so not sure where

(13:34):
it came from. So Nina did a little investigation and
what did you find out?

Speaker 4 (13:39):
Yeah, it was quite interesting.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
In August, I pulled it off and it tasted like
the buckwheat molasses, maple dried fruit, very citrusy, but very
very very smoky. So I called around and started asking questions,
and I found out that if I had spotted lantern

(14:02):
fly in my area, it is most likely the honeydew from.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
The spotted lantern fly.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
Now I wouldn't have believed it, but I had seen
it the week before I spoke to these people, and
I just thought wow.

Speaker 4 (14:16):
So I called Robin Underwood.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
Barb told me to call Robin Underwood at the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania. They've been dealing with it since
twenty fourteen, and she said, you know, you're that's probably
what it is. So I called Ohio State and they said,
you know, they noticed something strange in their hives. So
we started taking samples. Tia at Ohio State is gonna

(14:42):
She sampled it out, and yeah, we have the spotted
lantern fly, honeydew, honey and columbus. Now, I'm finding it
more prevalent in the city here than like in Hilliard,
Upper Arlington in those places.

Speaker 4 (14:56):
But it's coming. It's that's the fairgrounds.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah that yeah, we've got it. I mean southern Ohio.
I mean it's it's really spread throughout the state. And
of course it's it's moving its way across the Midwest,
and everybody's going to wind up seeing this thing down
the road. And it's probably one of the most beautiful
insects that you can see him as gorgeous insects, But
like I've always told folks, it's like an aph and
on steroids. So they produce a tremendous amount of honey honeydew,

(15:21):
which is that sweet sweet spotted lantern fly poop. So
the bottom line is the bees, it is kind of
it's their excrement. Don't call poop, I know, but I
thought it was kind of funny because it's s you know,
the slf s spotted lighterfly poop, and they're turning it
into really cool honey from the spotted lanternfly. So we

(15:43):
got this thing coming through that we don't like having.
But guess who's taking advantage of it, and that would
be the honey bees and making honey, especially late in
the season.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
Yes, yes, and it could be a double ed sword.
I'm not sure what's gonna happen. It's good because I
don't have to feed my bees where most beekeepers are
putting sugar water on their bees now. But the problem
is they bring it in their hoarders. They bring it
in so fast they're filling up my food space for
her to make winter bees. And because of the fact

(16:14):
that they bring this honeydew back and they converted the
bees converted in to the honey, they.

Speaker 4 (16:21):
Take out some of the sugars, so it has.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
A high as content and it's a little bit more watery.
So I hope my bees don't get dysentery. That's one
of the effects that can happen, and I would have
to I've got to keep an eye on that, so
I don't I'll know in the spring. But for the
beekeepers out there, if it's coming your way, you really

(16:45):
have to pay attention.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
And it's called the spotted lantern fly. And of course
you can find information about that on our website. You
go to the ODA the byg L dot OSU dot
e du learn more about it. Of course we talk
about on our show as well. But I just thought
that was so interesting that that spotted lantern fly. I'm sorry,
poop turned into a great honey. Dina Bagley, always a pleasure.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
I appreciate it, all right, I'm gonna give you.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
I'm looking forward to it. Here in the Garden with
Ron Wilson. Yes, he is with us again. We are
so privileged to have this young man join us here
in the garden. I'm not gonna go through the long
introduction because you know who I'm talking about. He's a
renowned horticulturist and author. He's written a million different books.

(17:30):
He's got a new one I think coming out maybe shortly,
and his Gardening Update, which is rated the best gardening
app out there. All right, it's just been updated, so
if you haven't done it, we'll talk more about that
as well. Armatage is great Garden Plants by the one,
the only Ladies and gentlemen, Doctor Alan Apple, Armitage.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Man.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Your fan base just gets bigger and bigger every time
you're on this show.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
I didn't have something to do with you, Ron. How
you doing?

Speaker 1 (18:02):
I am great? The question is have you gotten over
the jet lagger? Dos that happen?

Speaker 3 (18:07):
Even in Oh? It definitely happens? And the answer is
a unqualified maybe qualified no. I am. I got up
this morning at four o'clock because that's I just got
in I don't know last night, two nights ago, and
but anyway, it's the way it is. I sound kind
of croaky Horsey and all that other stuff. But life

(18:28):
is good and I'm standing here looking at my garden.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
Oh thought I thought you. I thought you sounded the same.

Speaker 3 (18:35):
I feel a whole lot better than I sound, in
case anybody out there wonders. Anyway, it's where I'm so
happy to be home and happy to be speaking with you.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
By the way, the doc was touring on up and
down the Danube for the last ten days. So how
was the weather.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
The weather was actually quite warm and we had lovely
If you're traveling, you don't want rain. If you have
a garden, you do. But so we had a really
wonderful well almost two weeks. We spent some time in
Munich at the beginning, spent some time in Budapest at
the end, and had a nice seven day cruise down
the Danube. So it was very lovely. But it was
really cool.

Speaker 1 (19:11):
You uh know. Probably no apples were involved and no
alcohol involved.

Speaker 3 (19:17):
I tell you what, you're in Germany or Austria or Slovenia.
Apples strudel run. I mean the apple strudel was well,
apple scrutle, that's the way it's supposed to be. So
it was great and of course you know casual boss
of wine, just to wash down the scrudle. Of course,
we're very fortunate. It was very a very fine, very

(19:37):
fine trip.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
Well, we're glad to have you back. And I wasn't sure.
I hated even Buggy last night because I was like,
did you make it back? Okay?

Speaker 3 (19:44):
Just well that you know, like anybody who travels if'sually overseas,
you know, you're at the mercy of the airlines and
all we came back klm the you know, the Dutch airline,
and of course weren't they going on strike, so we
just again dodged the bull that they want to strike
the eighty four. We came back and got it all
taken care of, I think. So we got back anyway,

(20:06):
all as well, and here we.

Speaker 1 (20:08):
Are and now you're backing ready to go. So while
you're on a trip like that, I mean, you know, obviously,
mister plants been do you do you actually take time
to look at the plants in Europe as you're traveling.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
Through Well, you know, the idea is, as I'm traveling
with my wife, my four wife, Susan, and my brother
and his wife from outside Toronto, and they don't want
to get too much of this plant stuff, but we did.
We did go to Munich Botanical Garden that was really
quite lovely. We and you just can't help with the
Europeans do lots of things, well I shouldn't say better

(20:41):
than anybody, but better than certainly we do here with
their park plantings. And they have a lot of pedestrian
areas where you know, shops are but they're always planted
with something, so you know, I take note of that,
and I wish we could do a bit more of
that here. But anyway, yeah, I do, but I didn't.
I didn't say anything. I really didn't know. But what

(21:01):
I did find is this stuff makes people happy. And
I said, well known fact did these shops and everything else.
If you have plants out there look nice, people spend
more money. There's just no doubt. So anyway, so that's
what I did with the plant stuff, and I got
some I got some cool things good.

Speaker 1 (21:20):
I'm sure we're gonna hear about them. Of course, you
can sign up and get doctor Armity just newsletter that
he sends out. Go to his website is Alan Armitage
dot net and get signed up for that. And then
every now and then you'll get some really cool recommendations
on book readings and plants and places that he's been.
And I'm sure we'll learn more about this the slatest
trip up and down the Danube and upcoming. And as

(21:42):
I learned on your website, your uh, your new app
as a new your app has a new update. It's
Armity just great garden plants. And if you don't have
that app, you should because now you can carry doctor
Armitage around in your pocket and anytime you have a question,
he's right there to help you out. But you know what,
I didn't realize how many how many partners you have

(22:05):
in that app that help you out as well. That's phenomenal.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Well, it's good we you know when this thing first starting,
This app has been around for a while now. Technology
is one of these things that you know, you never
keep up with it. So but also so is information
in the garden world. My goodness, gracious ron as you
well know you talk about new plants or recommended plants,
it goes on forever. So I had to make this

(22:31):
app readable otherwise it would be go on forever. So yeah,
I'm updating that kind of stuff as best I can.
And the partners, the people who grow the plants and
the people who sell the plants. Yeah, they've been very
helpful to So it's it's it's as I say, it
takes a village.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
Even Maria Zampini.

Speaker 3 (22:50):
Oh my goodness, I love Maria. She's terrific. If you
don't know Maria, it's just as there is Beanie. She's
terrific and we have a good time together.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
I always call hers Ampy. So next next, next time
you see her, callers zampy. And she'll know who told
you to say that.

Speaker 3 (23:07):
Well, I'll be talking with her very soon. I'll let
her know.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
All right, go ahead by talking with doctor Allan Armitage again.
His website is Alan Armitage dot net. We're gonna take
a break and we come back. While you were gone,
I took a tour of your garden. Uh yeah, And
I walked through and chase the deer away that we're back.
And then I picked out a few plants and I

(23:30):
think we're kind of standouts, and I want to kind
of walk you through some of these and you can
explain to folks what they are. Are you surprised that
I walk through your garden?

Speaker 3 (23:38):
Nothing about you? Who surprises me anymore, Ron, So just
come in, come in. If I'm not here, just you
keep chasing those deer away. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
By the way, you did get the Rita's Apple moonshine recipe?

Speaker 3 (23:50):
I did? I did? I appreciate that. Yeah, the apple
and the moonshine, they go well together. I have to
try that this week. I haven't done it yet.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
All right, we're gonna take a quick break. We come
back more with doctor Allen Armitage his website Alan Armitage
dot net. Here in the Garden with Ron Wilson. Welcome back,
Here in the Garden with Ron Wilson's special guest this morning.
The doctor is in the house, Doctor Alan Apple Armitage.
His website is Alan Armitage dot net. And I just
got back from a nice trip over to Europe and

(24:18):
it'll be able to share some things that he's seen
over there in a couple weeks with us as well.
Don't forget his app is a gardening app. It's updated.
If you've had it, you need to get the updated version.
It's all of about four ninety nine. So it's a
great bye trust me. But it's called Armitages Great Garden
Plants by Alan Armitage and you will totally enjoy all
the information that's on there. So in a surprise to you,

(24:40):
I came down to the Georgia area and I took
a walk through your garden and I chased all the
deer away, and I went through and I kind of
took a look, and I said, I'm gonna pick some
standouts from the Armitage garden. And what's nice about what
you do? And this is kind of a tip for
everybody else. You label everything, even though you're the doctor.

(25:00):
You label everything that's in your garden.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
Except the ones that the deer, squirrels, chipmunks and anybody
else eat and take away.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
And then yeah, take them away from there, chew them up.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
So I have no idea what I got here anymore,
but I.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
Thought it was well marked. So I was able to
recognize some of these, and I think most of them
are kind of newer plants. But some of the standouts
I saw as I walked around, And you can kind
of fill the sentence Aptenia, Uh, the golden cascade.

Speaker 4 (25:32):
Isn't that cool?

Speaker 3 (25:33):
That's a plant that nobody knows wrong and it's and well,
probably because it's not that easy to find atinia. It's
it's a great you know for those people who like
to do containers and the whole you know, fillers and
thrillers and spillers thing. This is a great spiller. It
falls out of the container and has little red flowers.
But the one you mentioned has golden foliage. I love it.

(25:55):
I've got it here, I'm looking at it right now.
So a good, good choice, that's one. And I wish
we could get into the hands of more people, and
they have to do it online or a good garden
center will carry it.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
We grow that and we do the variegated variety. I
haven't seen the golden one, but I'll have to take
a look at that one after I saw the one
growing there and your container there. I know you're a
big Dahalia fan. And the one I picked out was
the Venti pink burst.

Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, not cool so dallias. That's some of those plants
that people just love, and they love them mostly for
the cut flower value, the big suckers, and I got
some big suckers in here. I'm sure you saw them.
But that is a dwarf form. I call it almost
like a betting dahlia, and the betting dalias have kind
of been disappointing, especially in an area where it gets

(26:42):
hot and no rain and nadda YadA YadA. Dahalias do
really well with cool temperatures. So this one you just
mentioned that VENTI, this is a new one, and it
was quite quite wonderful. In fact, they do and if
they struggle during the summer bit, they often come back
like really really well in the fall. So that one

(27:03):
is one that I'm really quite excited about because it's
a dwarf form that seems to work. Most others I
have not had that same success with.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
So if they turn into let us a little bit
in the summertime with the heat and all, just hang
with because they'll come back with them and bud back up.
And I did like the blue salvia right next to it.
I don't know what the variety was, but I love blue.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
Salveay you know, I tell you what salvy is wrong
if you were here, and this is of course now
we're in where are we late September again, Some of
these perennial salvius are at their best, but even some
of the annual salvius, any of the blue Salvius, I say,
any of the Most of the blue salvias are perennial
and they look good, but they also flower lay crazy
in the fall. And I don't know if you saw

(27:43):
the yellow one called the Forciitius Sage, but the Forciitius
Sage is an annual. But oh my goodness, wrong, it's
going through the roof right now, and it's just it's
ForCity because it's yellow, but it's it's it's a good
four or five feet tall here, but it's taken over
the I it's taken over meaning visually, it's taken over
the garden because it's so pretty right now.

Speaker 1 (28:04):
Why was the Victoria that light blue and an annual here?
But I have had her over winter and pop back
up from the roots again in the springtime. Kind of
a tough plant, but man, the pollinators absolutely loving that.
Oh absolutely, you had great, great selections there. I know
you're you like more of the paniculatas the flocks is

(28:25):
that are out there. You've got that Caple pink growing
the series.

Speaker 3 (28:31):
Yeah, yeah, they've done well. Caple is actually relatively new,
what two years for years maybe at most, and they're
I say dwarf meaning knee high, and they stay flower
for a long period of time. The thing about all
these flocks is they they tolerate lots of sun, so
if you put them in too much shade, they still grow,

(28:51):
but they don't flower terribly well. So I've got and
in my gardeners. You know, he's got a lot of
shade and sun and the likes of the regular old garden.
So where happened and sun? They've done very very well.
I love them, great plant, native pollinator, everything you can
ask for.

Speaker 1 (29:05):
Now, you've been talking a lot about this perennial evergreen
for us and nevergreen for you obviously groundcover type Perennial heliboris.
And the icon roses. Yeah, yeah, that things.

Speaker 3 (29:20):
Yeah, if they had to put up with us for
any time, Ron they know that we both love the
Lenten roses. And the new Lenten roses compared to the
old Lenton roses, are are They don't receive, they don't
go anywhere, They just get bigger and better. And and
the nice thing about these new ones is the flowers
are straight up. You see them, you don't have to

(29:40):
bend over, and the foldage stays beautiful essentially all season.
And I'm looking at mine right now and they look
very very nice. So ic and roses is just one
group of them. There's a number of great groups of
helibores that I love, both for foliage and for flowers.
So yeah, you can't go wrong. And they're gonna flower

(30:02):
early spring. I don't care where you are, Cincinnati, here,
it happens. They're going to flower early spring as soon
as the temperatures warm up. In fact, they're probably putting
up buds right now probably, So that's a cool thing
about it. Yeah, they're really great.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
Well, you just look so good because the foliage right
now looks so nice. And I think that's the interesting
you know, you got the early late winter, early spring colors,
but then the rest of the season, the foliage is outstanding.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
Yeah, and with most hellibores, they can go downhill the
old ones. And I said, you have nothing wrong with
the old ones. They're just there's better stuff out there.
And so if I'm going to buy a hellib or,
I'll rather spend the money or something that's you know, truly.
Perennial three looks good all season, gives me great flowers,
and I can look at it in September, I can
look out in April. It's still wonderful.

Speaker 1 (30:46):
Talking with doctor Allen Apple. Armitage's website is Alan Armitage
dot and i'd be sure and check it out, and
you can find all of his great books on there
as well, including that Great Garden app Armitage's Great Garden Plants.
Be sure and download that one Mexican giant.

Speaker 3 (31:03):
Ye makes these names? What the hell's are hissop? It's
you know, some people call it hissop or agastache, which
is no easier.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
A lot of people don't know the agasta.

Speaker 3 (31:20):
If you're really But anyway, these have been fairly new, uh,
and and I think that they're they're really good. Uh.
There's been some bunch of these augustache or hysup or
whatever that has come out for a while. But uh,
you know, you look at some of the new ones
and I really like them, and I you know, they're

(31:41):
they're still flowering for me right now. They have that
great fragrance, not so much the flowers but the foliage.
So the so all you got to do is put
them somewhere where you might even brush by them. You say, oh,
I've lent them too close to the path, But then
every time you walk by you get that smell and
it's really good. I really love these things, and you
know you had it.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
There's a garden lily growing off to the side there
with the petunias in the front. Look, the petunias are great,
and that kind of hides the garden lily folio U
with you know, no flower, but that's all right. But
that's that's the way you plant things like that.

Speaker 3 (32:15):
Well, I happen to like planting things very very densely.
You do already sort of they duke it out, I guess.
But that garden lily is one called Forever Susan, and
it's one of my favorites.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
Of course because it's Susan.

Speaker 3 (32:27):
It's name. It's named for my good wife. But I
think you'd like it anyway. And it flowers well. I've
had it for years and it comes back every year.
That's cooling.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
I got one that I got one more for you
that's really coming on strong. And we were selling a
lot as a fall annual as well. Great show, and
of course that would be straw flowers.

Speaker 3 (32:48):
Oh my goodness, round straw flowers you can sell in
a spring and they look great, but you know, sometimes
they get to their native Any of these are natives
to Australia and uh you know they yeah, you know, they.

Speaker 4 (33:00):
Come and they go.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
They are definitely an annual. But I would think if
you put it out in the like right now, they're
gonna look fabulous until you get frost. And I love
the straw flowers are called out of course, and so
you would bring people to the garden and they get
bored and they're yawning. Just tell them to touch the
flowers and they almost jump back in surprise because they
truly feel like straw. And uh so they're they're beautiful.

(33:24):
Plant to hit me the yellow one. I like the
yellow one the best, but they're all they're all lovely.

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Is that a petite knockout rose by the yellow one?

Speaker 3 (33:32):
No, it's it's it's a mini rows. I had that
for years, okay, and it really is a good rose.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
How about this particular plant that really stuck out the
blackstone grille?

Speaker 3 (33:45):
Ah yeah, I have to get back at that now
that I'm home, I'm going to be cooking up a storm.
So we got you know, it's it's that time of
year right in in Ohio where football is king at times,
and certainly down here as well as football season, so
big games this weekend when I get the grill out
with some smash burgers on there while I enjoy the garden,

(34:05):
enjoy the.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Game, don't forget the bacon.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
Oh yeah, can't go wrong with bacon. No, you can't.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
Doctor Allen Apple armedies with us this morning. Alan armonist
Net is the website. So last time we talked, you
said something about just kind of threw it out there
that there may be another book in the works from
doctor Armitage.

Speaker 3 (34:26):
Oh boy, yeah, well there there there will be, and
I'm really excited about it. Ron. I sort of asked
you to take a look at the idea. And it's
whenever I give talks and you do too, or whether
people are walking the garden with you or whatever, they
always ask the same questions and they're always confused. The
one thing about gardener's passion and confusion, it just goes

(34:48):
goes together. So I wrote this new book called The
Common Sense Gardeners, and it is Gardening with Common Sense.
And it's less than one hundred pages long. And as
they say, one of the least common things is common sense.
So hopefully I've put it down and it's going to
come out. It's going to be pre sale will be
before Christmas, but the book itself probably will come out

(35:09):
until January or February. Okay, but I think people are
gonna love it. I think they really are easy to read.
And yeah, I hope good no good ideas and good
things to do, common sense.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
All your books are easy to read and they're always enjoyable.
So I'm looking forward to it. And again, if you
want to learn more about it, go to his website,
sign up for his newsletter. It's Alan Armitage dot net.
That's Alan Armitage dot net, Doctor triple A. Get some
rest and we'll talk to you in a few weeks.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
All right, Ron, thank you so much everybody, and enjoy
the day.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
All right, take care doctor Allan Armitage again Alan Armitage
dot net. Will take a quick break to me come back.
Phone lines are going to be open for you. Eight
hundred eight two three eight two five five. Don't forget
our website. It's Ron Wilson online dot com, Facebook page
in the garden with Ron Wilson, got lots of tips
to share with you, and of course coming up in
our next hour, Gary Sullivan with some home and of
course at the bottom of the hour, the one, the

(36:02):
only buggy joe bugs and it's all happening here in
the gardens with Ron Wilson