33: Zinnia, Gregory Britt, Jumping Worms

The Plant of the Week was almost superseded by information about the not nearly as attractive Asian Jumping Worm, but both are worthy topics. I chatted with non-scientist Brad Johnson, an Instagram gardening friend (@garden.evolution) about what a regular gardener will come up against, and he has, dear me, with the AJM in his garden. But there’s another Brad who knows more than we do: Brad Herrick of the University of Wisconsin Madison Arboretum. Reader’s Digest edition of the AJW:

• very wiggly worms that rob the nutrients from the O level of your soil, rendering it far less healthy

• their activity make your soil look like coffee grounds, so they break down the structure and it won’t hold moisture

• they are traveling from state to state very easily (Wha—? they are worms!) via tiny egg casings (oh.)

• gardeners have 007 status— if you see them, bag them, throw them in garbage

If you want more info, here’s a charming (everything is relative) little news story with Brad, and here is a full-on hour long lecture on the topic. If you watch that one, I will be impressed.

Zinnia “Queeny Orange Lime, photographed by me in portrait mode to save your eyes from the mildewed chaos that reigns in the background.

Plant of the week is the Zinnia! Such a late season classic, and although mine are flopping, mildewing, and badly in need of deadheading, the vigilant gardener who hasn’t been traveling 3 of the last 4 weeks should be enjoying a bounty of all colors and sizes that attract pollinators and hummers. You may want to reserve seeds for next season now— this is such an easy, giving plant. And they don’t have to flop, and you don’t have to stake: there are dwarf varieties!

Guest

Gregory Britt is “that nice guy who creates epic floral artistry” and I went to visit him at his studio on the busy Gordonsville Road (sorry about the occasional zooming in the background!). We chat about everything from what it takes to match well with a bride (not from a groom perspective— from a floral/styling perspective), to Gregory’s garden, to his amazing indoor plants.

Gregory’s shop is expanding, and he will feature more plants, more antiques and garden decor, and even flower arranging classes.

His shop— where all the magic happens, including house plants for sale!

The Play List

• Order your bulbs (still)

• divide and move perennials at your whim—meaning, you can, but you don’t have to

• enjoy native grasses and if you don’t have the Little Blue Stem in your garden, shop

• start to bring in indoor plants—their vacation is ending!

Listener Catherine Dugan was kind enough to share info about two good public gardens near her in northern New Jersey: the Leonard Buck Garden, and the Cross Estate Gardens. And she also shared photos of her own lovely gardens (below)! I love the “woodland walk” look on the left (trying to do that sort of thing in mine), and her huge stand of Amsonia hubrichtii (blue star) on the right as it plays with other wonderful textures. Well done, Catherine!

Listen

More on our current darling, the Asian Jumping Worm! Episode 211 on the Joe Gardener Podcast. Joe interviews our current darling AJW scientist, Brad Herrick. I don’t even know Brad, and I am totally exploiting his expertise here. Hope he doesn’t mind!

32: The Pansy, Fall Containers with Steph Green, Rusty Gear Live

Pansy (photo credit: Missouri Botanical Garden) 

Plant of the Week

The lowly (as in short) but wonderful pansy is sure to make an appearance in my fall containers this year. As I describe the pansy, I’m literally talking about violas. Here’s some garden trivia for you: All pansies are violas, but not all violas are pansies… 

The pansy is a short lived perennial shrub that grows in zones 6-10. It reaches 6” tall and up to a foot across. The pansy comes in pretty much all the colors of the rainbow, including bicolors. Its habit is to bloom like crazy--it blooms best in full sun although it will still bloom for you in shade (just less), and it's not finicky about soil or water. You can even eat them--decorate your cake with them or throw them on your salad! Unfortunately, deer also like to eat them. 

Pansies do get leggy in the heat so you may want to hold off on these for another month or two. If you already have them, don’t worry! Just cut back your pansies post-warm spell. I always put them in my fall containers because they last from now until next June. They may even self sow for you too! Such a happy plant. 

Guest

Returning to the pod this week is Steph Green from Contained Creations in Richmond, Virginia. Take a look at her Instagram @contained_creations to see her fabulous arrangements. If you’ve been watering, fertilizing, and deadheading, you might not need to update your containers. Some of us less diligent gardeners were left with dry, crusty, and heat-sick plants. This calls for a fall container refresh! 

As a retailer, Steph has to consider weather and customer demand. With one eye on the farmer’s almanac and the weather report, Steph balances meeting the consumers’ needs and respecting the constraints of mother nature. Patience is key! Pansies, violas, and cabbages--those fall container favs--don’t fare well in 90 degree heat. Hold your horses if you don’t want rubbery cabbages and droopy flowers. 

Steph’s go-to fall container formula:

1. Thriller: ornamental grass

2. Spiller: a modest trailing plant

3. Cabbage (Steph recommends Osaka Red and the Nagoya Series)

4. Flowers (pansies, perhaps?) 

Steph’s go-to color combos:

1. The Classic: yellows, oranges, reds, and rusts.

2. The Blues: purples, plums, blues, and silvers (Steph’s favorite!) 

3. The Wine Series: everything burgundy (e.g., Dragon's Breath Celosia, red cabbage, red fountain grass, and burgundy pansies.)

Steph’s hack:

You’ve already completed your arrangement when you step back and realize your container is in need of a pop of color or there’s a gaping hole that needs to be filled. Fear not! Steph gave us permission to cheat a lil. 

By using corn husk pumpkins, moss covered lotus pods, pinecones, and more, you can improve the arrangement and multiply the whimsy.

Steph recommends using this sealant to protect your ornaments from the elements: https://www.krylon.com/products/clear-sealer/

Tune into the pod for even more tips and tricks from Steph (and some light chrysanthemum bashing--sorry not sorry!)

The Play List 

• Order your bulbs!!!

• Edit your perennials--spread what you like, ditch what you don’t

• Fall containers? At least start to think about it

• Leaves--enjoy them and talk to your landscaper, your spouse, or yourself about the possibility of letting them stay on garden beds as mulch. 

• Don’t let leaves pile up at the base of boxwoods or trees, particularly new ones, which need air circulation to remain healthy and continue developing. 

• Keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly. (Just wait till I tell you about the Asian jumping worm on next week’s pod… Yikes!)

Listen

Rusty Gear (writer of my theme song) graces the podcast at minute 41:40 with a live performance and mini-interview! 

Rusty’s website: https://www.rustygearmusic.com/

His latest EP extended play: https://www.rustygearmusic.com/my-songs

31: Begonia Grandis, Marianne Willburn, Spotted Lanternfly

Beware the Spotted Lanternfly

Source: http://www.invasivespeciesva.org/species/spotted-lanternfly

A quick PSA before we get to the pod: 

The spotted lanternfly has been spotted (ha!) in Albemarle county. This Chinese invasive is quite a menace, striking fear in the hearts of all farmers and gardeners. Please keep your eyes peeled for these guys—they’re not hard to identify given their striking spots. If you come across a spotted lanternfly, please follow these simple steps:

1. Kill it (Sorry, it’s a harsh world out there, folks!)

2. Report it here 

Plant of the Week

Begonia grandis is the perfect share plant. Also known as the hearty begonia, this perennial is a noninvasive native of China. It spreads by seed, although I’ve seen little bits survive in my compost pile just like a choleus might. It grows in zones 6-7, which seems narrow, but given the C-shape of the zone, this includes the Northeast down to the Carolinas, Tennessee, over to Arizona and even parts of the Pacific South West. I like Begonia grandis for its good-looking foliage—pale olive green and heart-shaped leaves. Don’t let “grandis” fool you, its flowers aren’t big or bombastic, but rather subtle and sophisticated small pink flowers. It will accommodate wet or dry soil, and anywhere from partial sun to full shade. Very easy to edit and share, keep an eye out for Begonia grandis at your next plant swap. 

Guest

This week, writer and gardener Marianne Wilburn joined me on the pod. She is a monthly columnist for the American Gardener Magazine, as well as a writer for Garden Rant. You can also find her personal blogs here. We talk about all things plant marketing, plant sharing, even the native vs. nonnative debate and the oh-so-controversial Lawn. I found her article “In Defense of Plants without Press” to be particularly inspiring. In the world of plant patents and marketing campaigns, what happens to those older plants without a publicity team? Wilburn and I discuss what is at stake in this new marketplace, and how we can preserve fantastic cultivars and species by being mindful consumers. 

We also discuss these two of her more controversial takes: “In Defense of Inclusive Biodiversity” and “In Defense of Lawn.” We debate whether vilifying nonnatives and lawns and moralizing gardening can deter would-be gardeners from participating, leading to less biodiversity and less food for our precious pollinators. Is perfect the enemy of the good, here? Listen in and decide for yourself! 

I had SO much fun chatting with Marianne Willburn. I could’ve talked to her for hours (really), but I spared you all. 

Find Marianne on Instagram @smalltowngardener and on Facebook at The Small Town Gardener. Oh, and do go and check out her books Big Dreams, Small Gardens and Tropical Plants and How to Love Them. 

The Play List 

I’ve got one thing and one thing only to say to you: Order your spring bulbs RIGHT NOW!

This is not a drill, they are running out as we speak! I recommend the Colorblends bulb catalogue. I like them for their nifty bulb collections and the fact that they use plain english, my favorite kind of english. I also like Brent & Becky’s Bulbs. 

Listen

Speaking of Brent and Becky, Brent Heath joined Joe Lamp’l on episode 224 of the Joe Gardener Show. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Order your bulbs now (seriously guys!) 

2. Don’t forget you can plant in pots. Your tulips will be safer from hungry deer on your porch than in your yard. 

3. Plant bulbs among perennials to hide the browning foliage.

4. Plant in full sun if you want your plants to perennialize. 

5. Treat tulips as annuals and you’ll never be sad, only pleasantly surprised. 

Listen in!

30: Snow on the Mountain, Peggy Cornett at Tufton Farm

Plant of the Week

Euphorbia marginata is a really unique plant! An annual native to North America, it really stands out at this time of year because of the fresh green leaves with white margins. You may see Snow on the Mountain (its common name), but I see the fresh green of spring. Reminds me of half of a preppy color combo from the Talbots catalogue in the 80’s. Get some seeds from The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, where I visited Peggy Cornett, Curator of Plants at Monticello.

This great photo shamelessly stolen from Wikipedia. i was having too much fun chatting with Peggy to remember to take photos, silly me.

Guest

Peggy Cornett was one of the early guests on the show last spring, and we talked a lot about Monticello. But this time I visited her at Tufton Farm, which is about 2 miles from Monticello, and was owned by Thomas Jefferson. This property is now home to the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. We had so much fun wandering around and talking about plants that caught our my eye (she was very patient with my questions), and some of the ones that we chat about are the Iris domestica (formerly Belamcamda chinesis—which Mr. Jefferson grew!), the Amsonia ciliata (Sand Hills Blue Star), and the Noisette roses. I almost typed in Nicoise. Huh, must be time for lunch cuz I’m pretty sure that’s a salad. But the Noisette roses were in good bloom, especially for central Virginia in August in drought, and they are good ones for you to look into because they are fairly disease resistant, repeat blooming, clearly drought tough, and historical! Here’s an article on TJ’s site outlining the history.

For more information on garden related events at Monticello, you can visit Peggy’s Monticello Farm and Garden Facebook page. Have a look!

The Play List

Have you seen that funny bit on the 12 seasons of Charlottesville Weather? Yeah, I sort of got caught in the False Fall thing, because as I was recording I was all ‘cooling down!’ and ‘move and divide your plants!’ but as I write this I am more ‘where’s the sprinkler’ and ‘oh lord, make it stop’ with 90 degrees coming in soon. This is life in Virginia, and maybe where you are too.
So if you do get a break on temps, or if you can make sure you are going to water, then yes, do…

• Divide and transplant things where you want them

• Shop for tatty perennials on sale. If the roots are good, take it home and the foliage will follow suit next season

• Oh gosh, I FORGOT to mention that you should be buying bulbs! Because everyone else is. Except me—we need to get on this now before all the organized people take the good stuff!

Listen

Such silliness, but there is an Aussie country tune called Snow on the Mountain. A cultural note, and I can say this because I have lived in Oz (I mean, not more than 17 months altogether, but still, more than most): Buddy Williams, the artist, doesn’t try to hide his accent like current recording artists with accents do. Laugh is “loff’, have is ‘half’, mountain is ‘montayne’. It’s pretty adorable.

29: Coleus, Dean Norton of Mount Vernon, Founding Gardeners

Plant of the Week

As I say on the pod, I cannot tell a lie: General Washington did not lend a hand in helping me choose the Plant of the Week. Chosen because the last several weeks’ weather stymied me in terms of the fun of shifting, dividing, moving, or planting, I turned to propagating, and I will (should!) have dozens of coleus to play with in the fall containers and borders. More about that on The Play List. Coleus is a wonderful foliage plant for the following reasons:

1. It has a ridiculously long botanical name (Plectranthus scutellarioides) but also the good grace to be called the same common name by everyone, so as not to confuse us.

2. It can be grown in sun (with new cultivars, sometimes full on scorching sun) and shade.

3. It can be pinched to take on the shape you need.

4. The pinchings can provide new plants

5. It comes in every color imaginable!

Guest

Dean Norton has worked at Mount Vernon since 1969, and there is no mistaking the pride he takes in, the fun he gets from, and the knowledge he has of this amazing place. When you watch the video below, it sounds like we are authentically in a stage coach or something, but that is just the golf cart rattling. Washington paid special attention to how his home would be revealed to visitors, and you can see the tiny Mount Vernon through the non-windshield in the photo. From there, the traveler would go back into the woods, then later come up over the rise to see it again, then go back into the woods. Next time the visitor sees the house, the visitor has arrived. The General had a flair for the dramatic, it seems!

There are few trees that survive from Washington’s time, but I got to see two Tulip Poplar specimens. One was growing on the side of a road, and the root system adapted beautifully and architecturally. The other is growing between the Bowling Green and the Upper Garden, below. There are only about 7 trees left from Washington’s time, and Dean and his crew look after them carefully. 

Can you see the dramatic appearance of Mount Vernon, looking tiny between the trees way back there?

One of the Tulip Poplars from George Washington’s time. This one’s root system adapted to being beside a road.

One of the famous fleur de lis in the Pleasure Garden. Buxus ‘Morris Dwarf’ 

Another of the ‘witness Tulip Poplars

The Play List

Not much to say except to keep watering until the weather breaks, but here is a photo that will help you understand the easy steps of propagating coleus.

1, Top left: snap the top of the plant off, just above a leaf node

2. Top right: admire your specimen, then remove most of the leaves

3. Bottom left: admire your new scalped specimen, happy in the knowledge that you have removed most of the foliage it would have to work hard to keep alive

4. Bottom right: plant the soon-to-be plant, and keep watering

Listen

Andrea Wulf has written lots of books that you should read, but the one that I will recommend this week ties in well with the General, and it is ‘Founding Gardeners’, which outlines the contributions of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison.

Into the Garden Week 28

Plant of the Week

Dahlias are the big, blowzy, look-at-me ladies of the late summer garden. Irresistible in their beauty and ostentation, almost everybody wants to grow them, but it’s not SO easy to grow them well! Here in Virginia, you can take a chance and let them stay in the ground over winter; low temps usually don’t kill them. But these tubers do not like to be moist, so digging them up and bringing them in is the safest bet. Willing to live dangerously, and also quite willing to shop, I leave mine in the ground. And where to shop? Have a look at the large and wonderful Swan Island Dahlias. Oh and hey, looks like they are having a sale… but there are also smaller purveyors, and I have had great luck with Frey’s, family-owned since 1982.

Bev Lacey amongst the bounty

Do you have a good source? Share it with me on IG and let’s spread the word!

Guest

I visited Beverly Lacey of Blue Heron Farm in Nellysford, VA and learned SO much about dahlias, from not planting them out until just the right time to digging them up at just the right time (carefully!) and everything in between. Have a look at this video—we are in one of her fridge rooms with all the cut flowers of the moment, and Bev is talking about how many dahlias she grows. Oh, right, you can’t really hear what she says because that’s a loud fridge room, but the answer is about 50 different types, and about 3k plants.

This next photo shows the initial cut—the first pinch. She doesn’t want a long, leggy thing with a few flowers at the end. She’s trying to make a living here! Lots of flowers needed. Seems to me the home gardener would have the same goal…

She would have made this cut in July. The side shoots will react and take on some substance. But she’s not finished pinching. Check out the video below. Now, she needs 18” stems and you probably don’t, but if you are okay with fewer, bigger flowers, then follow her lead.

If you want to know how to divide dahlias, the last video is for you. There’s something to it, but it isn’t too tough, and it sounds like use makes master—you will improve. Because of being able to see the ‘eye,’ this is easiest to do in spring. Bev and her crew can’t operate then because they are crazy busy. They get it done in the fall. The tuber she uses to show me is almost no longer viable. She literally keeps old ones around to be able to show people how to work the magic.

I had SUCH a fun visit to Blue Heron Farm, and was sent on my way with a beautiful bouquet, a fat yummy tomato, and tons of information and inspiration. Thanks, Bev!

The Play List

• Dahlias need LOTS of food and water. Needy little buggers.

• Prune low branches off of your azaleas, hydrangeas, and other shrubs if they are crowded at the bottom.

• Prune the ‘crazies’ coming off the top of your shrubs like bad hair, if only to remind the neighbors that you still live there.

• Pull your Hairy Crabweed, also called Mulberry Weed (Fatoua villosa). It’s a late season annual weed native to Asia with an insignificant-looking flower that has significant self-sowing abilities

Listen

Listen to me next week as I go Into the Garden with Dean Norton of Mount Vernon! But also listen either to a podcast named Tiny Vampires hosted by Raven Forrest Fruscalzo, or to the Joe Gardener episode #222 with her interview. Great information about mosquitos, even if it’s not totally cheerful. We just don’t have as much control as some pest services would have us believe. If you are considering hiring one, maybe ask them these two questions:

1. How does what you spray on my yard impact bugs that are not mosquitoes?

2. Does your spray control my neighbor’s mosquitoes too?

Into the Garden Week 27

The Plant of the Week is actually the Border of the Week

…and that would belong to my mother-in-law, Betty Taylor of Hilton Head, South Carolina. Her gardener, Karen Geiger, is a local talent and her business is Karen Creates.  Here’s a plant list of heat loving things that look good together and are all sunbathing up a storm by her pool. 

• Zinnias and Crossandra (which I forgot to mention on the pod, but they are good pops of different colors)

• Gomphrena, Madagascar vinca and Pentas in the front row

• Veronica and Artemesia, some lovely, delicate, light lilac perennials. 

•  ‘Powis Castle’

• Four types of Salvia! S. guaranitica ‘Black and Blue,’ S. ‘Amistad,’ S. farinacea ‘Victoria,’ and S. ‘Mysty’ (but it could be ‘Mysty Spires Blue’ (Mysty is more compact—maybe that is what I have because it’s only about 2’ and Betty’s is 3’

• The tropical back row: Plumbago auriculata and Ruellia simplex

Oh, you may want to know the story behind the statue, which we fondly call ‘The Humping Turtles’. I don’t think Betty calls it that. Betty’s mother, Sally, (b. 1897) was an inveterate shopper, and they came across a clay rendition at Alfred University years ago. Sally had 2 casts commissioned, and one has always been in Betty’s garden. The other was donated to the University.

This is one of the first things I ever saw, at age 20, when I met Jeff’s parents at their home in Wellsville, NY. It made an impression on me, though I was far more interested in Jeff than gardens at the time. 

Guest

Scott Beuerlein is the Manager of Botanical Garden Outreach at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Also, he writes articles that make me chortle. Find him here, his monthly Horticulture Magazine column here, and his amusing correspondence with Marianne Willburn on Garden Rant blog here. By the way, Marianne will be joining me on the pod in a few weeks!

In our chat, we discuss what to do about the August garden if it’s getting you down, and we don’t exclude the strategy of ignoring it all together. That’s an option. Others include looking around at what’s bad, swearing under your breath, daydreaming about how/what to improve, appropriating ideas from neighbors, botanical gardens, magazines—even your mother-in-law.

I think Scott has it all in good perspective, on this topic and others, and you should check out his writing.

The Play List

I got a little random on the pod in this section, but the basic takeaways are you CAN improve your August garden by means of:

• weeding, watering, removing browns and downs

• cutting back for new growth on annuals and perennials that have gone past

• giving up and going shopping

A couple of other random bits…

• Cats are the number one cause of birds’ deaths. Number one. Think about a bell for your adorable little savage

• How to prune a fig:

• - remove dead, diseased, interior or skinny branches

• - choose your main fruiting branches (4-8) and

• prune a different 1/3 of them every year to have constant production

• How to cook with figs. Go here. 

• Mugwort. Insidious stuff. Look how it has rambled through Peter Daniel’s Blue Star Juniper and Allium millenium. Ugh. Get busy pulling, Peter, and I hope you don’t have to dig it out and start again…

Listen

Pretty simple—Bunny Williams On Garden Style is available on Kindle!

Into the Garden Week 26

Plant of the Week

What’s in a name? In this case, not the cure that some people may have been looking for back in the day from the beautiful Lobelia siphilitica, or more pleasantly, the Great Blue Lobelia. Sorry about that. But it does cure many other ills by being deer-resistant, native to the Eastern US, a wonderful pollinator, attractive to hummers, and a pretty blue flower at a time of year when there is a bit of a lull, at least in my garden, of color. Tiny tubular flowers on a 2’ stalk can bloom in sun or some shade, and this perennial loves wet soil. And, it self-sows!

Guest

Bunny Williams is an icon of interior design, and as many of her fans know, her interest in gardens is deep and enduring also. Her book On Garden Style not only inspires one through gorgeous photos of her and others’ gardens but additionally it breaks down simple design elements for all to learn from. My chat with her was equally inspiring because of her simple philosophies such as letting nature lead you, dealing naturally with pests, and using symmetry and design elements to enhance your garden.

Photo by Sari Goodfriend

Sounds easy, but if you know Bunny’s work, you know that she has a gift for creating visual beauty that we can strive to emulate, but we may not quite get there. However, I feel closer to a higher aesthetic after chatting with her, and, after finding out that her manicurist laments her fingernails.

I hope you participated in the giveaway of Bunny’s book (running August 14th and 15th on my Instagram) by liking the Giveaway post, commenting on what you love about gardening, and tagging someone else that you think may be interested, but if you didn’t, or didn’t win, check out this great article on One King’s Lane on Bunny’s garden ideas. And here’s a link to Bunny’s blog—articles that deal specifically with gardening.

The Play List

• Spider Mites—you can make your plants quite inhospitable for them by using a hard hose, or even the kitchen tap on houseplants, to get rid of their little spider-mite webs.

• Brown grass may not mean dead grass. Remember, its roots may survive what the blades may not, and it will rain again, someday!

• Are your annuals flagging? Ugh, some of my petunias are woeful… here’s what to do:

  • pinch them for new growth

  • feed them for new growth

  • go shopping!  :)

Listen

Paul Tukey’s book The Organic Lawn Care Manual, which I have ordered and await, makes me want to end the understanding I have with Husband that the lawn is only his domain. I think our lawns, all of them, become everyone’s domain if the chemicals applied to them go on to impact nature outside of our property lines.

Listen to Tukey’s interview with Joe Lampel (Joe Gardener—I mentioned him on Episode 24 because of his work with Brie the Plant Lady) on growing a greener world here. He was recently on Tom Christopher’s “Growing a Greener World” talking specifically about what your lawn weeds may indicate about your soil. And here’s an interview with Molly Hill of Maison Pur sustainable living podcast.