I have a fun update for you Jim. Around a year ago I wrote in that the 2 'Stellar Ruby' magnolias sent to me by wilsonbrosgardens (wonderful mail order with a dangerously awesome catalog) were blooming yellow instead of red. You suggested it may have been the wrong plants sent, and they independently said the same thing and sent 2 replacements (1 year after planting them!). Mind you, I'm just north of OKC in Edmond Oklahoma. While we may be zone 7b now, the last 15 years avg out to be zone 7a. Even still, I find that 7a plants are very marginal (should have a difficulty rating of Hardcore Mode) and it's better to shoot for zone 6 unless you like to gamble with plants, like me. I had potted the original yellow blooming ones up (they took serious winter damage from 22-23 winter) to let them recover and put the 2 replacements in the ground. This year, both potted plants are blooming ruby red! Additionally, one in the ground in a fairly wind sheltered space took almost no winter damage, and the one I planted as part of a very young mixed screen lost 60% of its leaves and is blooming yellow and leafing out vigorously. So, I think it is safe to say that Stellar Ruby has potential in OKC, may take some significant damage the first winter or two in exposed sites, and may bloom yellow if a winter is especially hard on the plant.
For seed starting I use coconut coir and perlite and sometimes throw a little vermiculite in it. I buy the coir in blocks. Very economical and no fungus gnats!
I ran across a video in which someone recommended a mix of 7 parts coir to 1 part perlite. I just started using that a few weeks ago and it seems to be working well. I got an 11 lb. compressed block of Viagrow coir for about $13 from Home Depot online, shipped free. I think it's going to last me quite a while, since I'm only using it for seed starting.
Excellent video! Question; Which direction does your house face and what direction do harming winds come from? It would help me understand where to put similar shrubs etc in my own landscape. Thanks!
I love seeing Holly. Dogs are just not with us long enough. She’s looking pretty good for such an old lady. I’m enjoying the learn to garden series. I’d like to see some Women’s tees maybe with a v neck.
Zone 8. Can I plant a pink dogwood in the front yard as the centerpiece of an island? Do the roots seek water and may cause a problem with the sewer and water lines?
Hi. Just wanted to report about planting crimson clover in November instead of mulching a huge space where i removed some Zoysia grass. I'm in Raleigh. The planting exceeded expectations (I actually didn't know it would get two feet tall!) 15x30 feet2 of honey bee heaven!
Glad your dad is on the mend! I’m in Concord, Nc and starting an ornamental garden in some previously compacted soil (newly built house). Previous video mentioned adding nitrogen to help break down chips since no plants were present. Should I fertilize the chips simply as an insurance policy for accelerated composting since I don’t plan to start planting until next spring?
Glad to hear Pappa Putnam is doing well! Thanks for the second week in a row for addressing my question. I'm so excited to hear your answer about the roots on the native Red Maple. Just to clarify, this tree wasn't planted as part of the landscape. While I'm in a development, my property backs up to a protected, wetland area, although it's basically dry much of the year, but water does flow and pond after major rain events. Thank you again. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your content, especially since your garden is relatively close to mine. Cheers!
Thanks to whoever commented on The Masters. My husband and sons attended for the first time ever. They said TV “photos” don’t do it justice. Very interesting about its origin, Jim. Curious to know how accurate the color is on the vibrant deep pink azaleas that they feature on TV.
I'm from the area and miss the spring flowering period there... And the winters are never bad... I've been gone two years, but the winters make it feel like ten... When it is too cold to even shower, I think the wrong move has been made... 😂
I have finally found triple shredded hardwood mulch around me. Only $17 a yard. Its considered contractors blend. The double shredded in $36 a yard. It looks very similar. Im not sure that there is any difference. Anyway this is good stuff.
I use Evergreen brand shredded hardwood mulch. It has no dyes, but it is not shredded very fine. t seems to be improving the soil much more than the dyed stuff.
Part of what we need to do is save natural spaces. Nature knows what is needed for our birds, bees, pollinators. We can help revitalize our spaces somewhat but leaving nature is part of the solution. Admire the diversity of form, not everything needs to flower forever to be interesting, just look at Hosta! I'm helping my neighbor with a bed initially installed with some basic shrubs into just terrible soil. We're trying to decide if we can improve area's of a big bed or just spray out the weeds and mulch. Harder to fix a poorly done bed than to do it right the first time! What perennials would you recommend for lousy soil, full sun, north of Atlanta?
Stokes Aster is a great one and evergreen. North Georgia Native Plant Nursery has some great perennials in small pots. Worth a visit if it’s close to you.
New shirts look great! I’ve used brown mulch for years and agree it takes awhile to break down. It becomes very dry in the sun too. Hoping to go a different route when its time to mulch again.
Another fun Q and A video to enjoy with my Sunday morning coffee! Thank you! My question this week is how to create mulched bed space for established trees in an established lawn? I have some large camellia japonica with grass growing right up to the trunks. Can I just mulch over the grass or do I need to manually rip the grass out?
We used to live surrounded by woods at our old house and some areas that we cleared to garden had active termites ! They took down wooden bird feeder stands in days ( it seemed!) My late sister in law did her phd in biology on a ecosystem of decaying logs( trees) I’ve always had a great respect for nature and as gardeners - it’s hard to control nature! We try!?! Love your channel Jim - thx
Hi Jim. We are zone 7a in MD on heavily sloping woodland. We are attempting to execute an erosion control plan and would like to use native understory trees and shrubs to repopulate the woodland floor that has become empty due to tree felling, water inundation tree fall and an overwhelming deer population. Do you have any suggestions? We will be creating partitioned areas where deer cannot access to allow everything to take hold. A dry creek bed is currently being constructed to help with soil retention and hollowing out. Are there some native species that are particularly great at holding it all together? You play an important role in our gardening journey in the past few years and we are thankful for all that you share 🌻
About 2-3 years ago I regraded by hand a very large section of my lawn (double digging to get rid of most of the rocks, SOO MANY) then I layered cardboard and a good 6+ inches of mulch (I had a chip drop to use up so it was fresh mulch) the soil before was your standard 70 year old compacted loam lawn of mostly weeds. But now two years later I've got this VERY tough crust that my foxtail lilies and tulips just kind of break a chunk and flip it over. googling didnt seem to bring up much info. under this very tough crust reveals good broken down chips underneath but even the mulch I disturbed last year is starting to mat up again. Wondering what's going on. Zone 4b MN. It seems like a super effective weed barrier but worried some plants can't grow through it or widen as they mature.
my 3 yr old flamethrower redbud also died over the winter here in zone 6b also and it never got below zero this winter. mine got morning sun only, next to a happy oak leaf hydrangea.
Have you ever liked a new plant a lot in the beginning, then at some point 4-5 years down the line started losing interest? That's where I am at with our Coral Drift roses. The past couple of seasons the Drifts have been coming out of dormancy earlier, and this has increased the amount of leaf spotting. I suspect they'll work their way through it as we head into hotter weather, at least they did last year, but I've grown tired of the maintenance on plants touted as "lower maintenance".
I planted a Hansa regosa rose last year from a seedling. It is growing like crazy this spring! It is hard to find my favorite plants in a store. We also bought some unique clematis seedlings online. Excited to see how they grow.
We love your channel and watch almost every day. We live in Zone 5b and drool over the beautiful plants you can grow there in Raleigh. Are there any advantages that you can think of to living in a colder zone like ours in Wisconsin? We can grow some plants that you discuss such as salvias as annuals but shrubs are a different challenge. Sadly, Encore Azaleas and camellias will never be hardy for us here. Our gardening season is just getting started here with only spring bulbs and ephemerals blooming so far.
Hi Jim - love your channel, it's an inspiration to us as we landscape our first home! We planted a Leyland Cyprus last year on our border as a part of a screen and a deer did significant damage to the central leader scraping it's antlers on the tree. It stripped the bark off around the entire leader so we ended up cutting off the top. I've read that you can still grow the plant as a bush/shrub, but I was wondering what you would recommend. Should we remove the plant and start over, maybe move it to grow as a shorter shrub, or might it still work in place for the screen? Any suggestions are appreciated.
? I have seen a "tip" to growing bigger onions is to "ring" sweet onions which is supposed to help them grow larger. As I understand it ringing is done when the bulb begins to grow you clear the dirt around the bottom of the bulb ("ringing") so that it is sitting on the top of the dirt with pretty much just the roots underground. No experienced gardener I have spoken with has heard of this. Have you heard of doing this or have you done this with onions? I bought a set of candy onions to plant; I am new to vegetable gardening and trying to figure out how to best plant and take care of them. Thank you for any information you can share on this. I am in NC, was zone 7b before the zones were recently changed. My plan is to plant these in grow bags because I am not able to plant edibles in the ground where I live.
Here's a ChipDrop question for those using it. I live in a rural crossroads 20-30 minutes from the towns where most arborists are working. I put up a notice over a week ago saying I'd pay $20 and increased that to $40 several days ago. Still nada. I wonder if instead or in addition, I need to add in my request text that I'll tip the driver? The way the optional payment is formally set up via credit card, the money would seem to go to the company. Maybe it skirts the driver or the workers making the decision where to go?
Hi Jim, what’s the best way to direct sow seeds (like zinnia) into a mulched bed? Remove the mulch first and wait until the seedlings are tall enough before putting the mulch back?
Question: I created raised bed 8-10 feet away from Bald Cypress trees. I covered some of the Cypress roots? Is this going to be problematic for the trees? And will my raised bed plants be able to handle being near the Cypress?
Help! 8a ATL. Last fall planted a White Wedding hydrangea. It wintered well and leafed out beautifully. Yesterday I found 1/3 of the plant laying on the ground, crown and all. I am trying to save that piece separately, but more importantly save what’s still in the ground. It hasn’t wilted, but honestly it just doesn’t feel very sturdy now. Do you recommend I stake it for protection against wind? I have no idea what could have caused this kind of damage. Animal? wind?? I am so disappointed; I looked so forward to its blooms. Thanks for your advice. No other new shrubs damaged 😢
Hi Jim... I'm in Central Florida zone 9B / 10A. My question is....I have a boxwood hedge that has gotten too tall for my liking. Can I cut the top about halfway down to shorten it and if so when is the best time to do it?.. Thanks. Love the channel.
Hi Jim, another great video. I'm glad to hear that your Dad is doing better. A question about your loropetlum : How much is it receiving, and what is good to plant with it for wind protection? I'm in zone 7a. Thanks.
Hi Jim, I need your advice. I am in zone 7b/8a Greensboro. I have a 3ft by 3ft north facing planting space just under by window on a new construction. The area gets blasted with sun in the afternoon during the summer but is mostly shaded during the winter. What evergreen shrub do you suggest. Thanks for your help, and I have learned so much gardening in my area because of you. Thank you😊
Hi Jim. I'm in ga (8a). I have some video requests: 1) A video on lasagna layering bulbs in the yard? 2) On what to plant in the hellstrip area around the mailbox? Thank you!
Do you ever perform a postmortem examination of a plant's roots or wood to help determine an unexplained or puzzling death? If so what are some of the things that can be learned? Thanks. Carrboro, NC, 8a.
I'm in Zone 8a Central Arkansas with many rabbits enjoying my garden. I continue to look for plant material that is compatible with them. I want to garden without feeding the rabbits. I have moved toward growing Iris, roses, Lilies, mixed with some herbs and alliums. I'm opening up space in the back wildflower area for daffodils. I prefer perennials. Any thoughts of additional plant material would be appreciated.
Sounds like a video about landscaping at the national would make a great video. If you're ever in the Augusta area I've got a home garden or two you can tour. I still owe yall some before and after pictures
I have some annual salvias already starting to bloom in zone 8a CLT, NC. They are still really small and only 4-5” tall. Should they be deadheaded and/or should I go ahead and cut them back asap to encourage more full plant?
I am starting to add ground covers to my garden. I have a large poplar and two large water oaks that drop a ton of leaves. I mulch every other year since the leaf cover every year is so much. However with the ground covers, is there such a thing as too many leaves? I have "uncovered" my smaller lorepetalums and azaelas. They seem to be losing leaves where the leaves have coveres them up.
QUESTION: sorry if you’ve answered this recently but THE CICADAS ARE COMING!! Remind us what needs to be covered? I just planted 2 lovely 7 feet tall Rosy teacups kousas (SO EXCITED!!) I also have a 6’ young gorgeous ruby falls, various container plants, maples and such - should those pots go inside in my sunroom? THANK YOU 🙏 ps my dog LOVES to eat cicadas, we call ‘em chicken nuggets haha - does Holly and your other dog (sorry forgot their name) feast on them as well?
I have a couple hibiscus tosca I purchased online as seedlings. Hybrid H paramutablillis and rose of sharon. We live in wake forest, nc. I had one in Colorado which was a large bush with lots of flowers. In the second year here, they are about four feet tall with three and four stalks. They are not growing into a bush. I did not prune this past winter on two of them. One I cut to the ground because it had one stalk like a tree. It is growing back with several stalks. My question is, should I cut them to the ground in fall? I never did amything in Colorado. I just do not want tall bushes but more rounded bushes. There is literally no info anywhere. Thx
What would be a good process to naturalize a meatballed shrub? I have distylium and sunshine ligustrum in my landscape that are too well manicured. I'd like to return them to something more natural looking. Do I cut them way back and selectively prune as they grow out? These shrubs are well established so should be able to take a hard pruning. How far to cut them back and how long do you think they would look ugly?
What plant is in the back of your frame. Chartreuse, upper left, behind your gorgeous contoured Japanese Maple. Fantastic frame by the way, love the layering, the textures, and the colors.
Thanks, Jim! I planted a Bradford pear tree before I knew any better in Austin, TX. Five years old, just saw fire blight start on half the branch tips. 15’ tall tree. Can it be saved?
Great video. Appreciated the last question about the timing of mulching and it got me wondering if you used a bark blower when you were landscaping or did you mulch by hand? What about for very large properties? Thank you.
Question. I’m wanting to widen my flower beds around my foundation to eventually plant some foundation plants. Obviously widening the beds will take me out to Bermuda grass. What is the best way to deal with said grass and other weeds in the beds from neglect to give the shrubs a good environment to get established. I feel like I’m overthinking or in fear of the work involved to get rid of grass. Thanks for your help!
Don’t know what zone you are in, but in my Louisiana zone 9b garden, I extended my garden beds by no-dig method of laying down cardboard and adding compost, grass clippings, bagged pine bark mini nuggets and sand. I started it in the fall (September) and by April, I through in some PlantTone, mixed up the top layer and planted. I mulched with bagged pine bark mini nuggets. I didn’t have any issues with weeds; the weeds that grew, I was able to pick out as babies. I added additional gardens by piling up leaves, grass clippings, and Chip Drop wood chips. I let that sit for about a year before I planted it. Don’t know if this will help.
Hi Jim, Zone 7 I have 5 year old Tamukeyama Japanese Maple and the top half didn’t leaf out and seems dead? The lower half has leafed out beautifully. What could cause this? I have another bout 8 feet away that looks perfect! If it never leafs out should I cut the main leader below the dead part? Thanks.
Thank you Jim! I have a Coral Bark Japanese Maple that had a large wound in the trunk and canopy that took out about 25-50% of the caliper in spots (initially 1.5” thick). I staked to help with winds and plan to let tree heal itself, but do you think this may never recover? The tree has been in the ground for 15 months, originally a 7 gallon. I’m in zone 8A, southwest of Atlanta, tree is in part sun. Thank you!
Hey Jim. I have been underplanting a lot of my shrubs and trees with groundcover sedums because it looks nice and works as a sort of "living mulch". But my question is, do I need to worry that these shrubs and trees won't be getting enough organic matter over time because there is no regular mulch to break down? The sedum is very dense so I don't see how I could get any mulch in there. Thanks
Not a nerd, but I would like to be. Aceae! Question on a camellia japonica in z10b SoCal, the buds are very large but not fully opening and/or deformed and turning brown. My other camellias, both japonica and sasanqua performed beautifully.. any thoughts?
We have several Holly ferns that have light yellow leaves and others that stay dark green. What do I need to do to help them? We live in coastal South Carolina Zone 9a.
I have 2 Black Dragon cryptomeria in Ohio, now zone 7. They are about 6' tall and have been in the ground about 6 years. I have clay soil, so they are planted up on a berm. Every year, sections brown out and dry up. I'm constantly pruning out the unsightly needles. Is this normal behavior for this tree? Spider mites, perhaps? I never see this tree growing anywhere in my area. Maybe the wrong choice for my area. They never seem to have that lush green look. Thank you for your help!
Unrelated question. What do you do if you get a tree or fruit tree in the spring or summer? While not ideal what can be done to care for it and keep it from dying?? Is it better to keep it well watered in a pot or well watered in the ground? (FYI gardening zone 7b/8a Georgia northwest area near ATL)
My neighbor has three big maple trees that drop a ton of helicopter seeds every year into my garden beds. Am I better off waiting to mulch after or before they drop? Should I try to remove them before mulching? Are they even possible to rake out?
Hey Jim. I’m in Zone 8A here in the Piedmont and have a Chinese Snowball Virburnum that’s about 20 years old and 15 foot high. The issue is sapsuckers have ringed most of the main branches and entire limbs are dying. How far back can it be hard pruned after flowering or am I can to lose it altogether? Thanks!
My husband and I enjoy watching your videos. We just bought a new house in northeast Mississippi and are planning on putting in a new flower bed and garden in what is currently a grassy field area. We want to plant next spring. Do we need to cover the grass with cardboard and mulch to kill the grass before we till in compost or do we just till the compost into the grass and then cover with mulch?
I covered my dahlia beds with thick layers of hay (like feeder hay not straw) last Winter to protect them … should I remove that or leave it as a food source to break down over the summer for the soil??? I put down a layer of compost under that … they are mostly all up about a foot they are coming thru it … thanks!!!
Question - I've got a Foolproof Gardenia that has been anything but foolproof so far. It has been in the ground about a year, and it looks like half of the plant is dying (some limbs already dead and the rest have thinning yellow leaves on every branch). The dead half is wobbly like there is a split just above the root ball just under ground level. Can I saw the dead half off at ground level and reset the rest of the plant (which looks fine)? And, if so, when should that be done? I'm in Zone 9A Central Florida. Thanks!
Is there a certain temperature you should wait for to move seedlings you've grown inside to move outside after the last frost date? for example: I have some strawflowers, lantana, delphinium, snapdragons and black-eyed-susan vine I grew from seed. We have no more frost, but temperatures look like 40F at night and 50-60F during the day for the next 10 days. Should I wait to plant them out? (I have started hardening them off just in case)
Question: I live in upstate SC zone 8a and I have two 120+ yr old magnolia trees in front of my house. The roots are above soil level, can I cover with mulch or wood chips? I want to create shade beds underneath the trees but unsure if the roots will hinder anything I put under the trees.
Jim! Do you have any experience with the "mini" dwarf crape myrtles that are now available? They are marketed as under 5" tall and sound kind of cute. (9b north Bay Area, CA)
I need a plant to help hide the ugly meters against the house. A small tree or taller shrub that can withstand full shade. About 6ft tall but could be taller. It’ll be close to the foundation but could put it in a large pot. NC zone 8a.
The shirts are located in the store link at the top of the horttube.com page. Thanks for watching!
..so, I’m very fussy about fabric…can you tell me if the tees are a certain brand. That label looks favorably familiar..😂
I have a fun update for you Jim. Around a year ago I wrote in that the 2 'Stellar Ruby' magnolias sent to me by wilsonbrosgardens (wonderful mail order with a dangerously awesome catalog) were blooming yellow instead of red. You suggested it may have been the wrong plants sent, and they independently said the same thing and sent 2 replacements (1 year after planting them!).
Mind you, I'm just north of OKC in Edmond Oklahoma. While we may be zone 7b now, the last 15 years avg out to be zone 7a. Even still, I find that 7a plants are very marginal (should have a difficulty rating of Hardcore Mode) and it's better to shoot for zone 6 unless you like to gamble with plants, like me.
I had potted the original yellow blooming ones up (they took serious winter damage from 22-23 winter) to let them recover and put the 2 replacements in the ground. This year, both potted plants are blooming ruby red! Additionally, one in the ground in a fairly wind sheltered space took almost no winter damage, and the one I planted as part of a very young mixed screen lost 60% of its leaves and is blooming yellow and leafing out vigorously.
So, I think it is safe to say that Stellar Ruby has potential in OKC, may take some significant damage the first winter or two in exposed sites, and may bloom yellow if a winter is especially hard on the plant.
Happy Average Date of Last Frost, it's 90 degrees out!
Glad your Dad is doing better ❤
Jim’s new shirt idea: K.I.S.S.: Keep Improving Soil Slowly. 😂
Thanks! Love your Q&As!
For seed starting I use coconut coir and perlite and sometimes throw a little vermiculite in it. I buy the coir in blocks. Very economical and no fungus gnats!
I ran across a video in which someone recommended a mix of 7 parts coir to 1 part perlite. I just started using that a few weeks ago and it seems to be working well. I got an 11 lb. compressed block of Viagrow coir for about $13 from Home Depot online, shipped free. I think it's going to last me quite a while, since I'm only using it for seed starting.
Excellent video! Question; Which direction does your house face and what direction do harming winds come from? It would help me understand where to put similar shrubs etc in my own landscape. Thanks!
Good question. I am same zone as Jim and no way can we do zone 8 plants and expect them to come back. North MS
I love seeing Holly. Dogs are just not with us long enough. She’s looking pretty good for such an old lady. I’m enjoying the learn to garden series.
I’d like to see some Women’s tees maybe with a v neck.
I'm watching this video while I'm drinking my morning cup of java. Great way to get prepped for the Masters.
Zone 8. Can I plant a pink dogwood in the front yard as the centerpiece of an island? Do the roots seek water and may cause a problem with the sewer and water lines?
Hi. Just wanted to report about planting crimson clover in November instead of mulching a huge space where i removed some Zoysia grass.
I'm in Raleigh. The planting exceeded expectations (I actually didn't know it would get two feet tall!)
15x30 feet2 of honey bee heaven!
So much great information. I feel like I’m in college every Sunday with Jim.
Glad your dad is on the mend! I’m in Concord, Nc and starting an ornamental garden in some previously compacted soil (newly built house). Previous video mentioned adding nitrogen to help break down chips since no plants were present. Should I fertilize the chips simply as an insurance policy for accelerated composting since I don’t plan to start planting until next spring?
Somehow missed about your dad. Glad he is doing well.
Glad your dad is doing good. I need help in planning a flower garden
I’m in zone 5-6
Wow Jim! What a gorgeous garden. You both must work hard on it. Outstanding.
Thank you for educating us each week, Jim.
We appreciate you! 🌿
Glad to hear Pappa Putnam is doing well! Thanks for the second week in a row for addressing my question. I'm so excited to hear your answer about the roots on the native Red Maple. Just to clarify, this tree wasn't planted as part of the landscape. While I'm in a development, my property backs up to a protected, wetland area, although it's basically dry much of the year, but water does flow and pond after major rain events. Thank you again. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your content, especially since your garden is relatively close to mine. Cheers!
Can you make some more feminine shirts? V-neck, for instance. Thanks.
Your setting (surrounding plants, shrubs, trees) looks great! The variety of colors...reds, shades of greens, chartreuse is very picturesque.
Thanks Jim and Steph!
Great video! Good to hear your dad is doing better. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Thanks to whoever commented on The Masters. My husband and sons attended for the first time ever. They said TV “photos” don’t do it justice. Very interesting about its origin, Jim. Curious to know how accurate the color is on the vibrant deep pink azaleas that they feature on TV.
I'm from the area and miss the spring flowering period there... And the winters are never bad... I've been gone two years, but the winters make it feel like ten... When it is too cold to even shower, I think the wrong move has been made... 😂
Thanks Jim for answering my question regarding my Japanese Maple that I’m shaping! Love watching your channel!
I have finally found triple shredded hardwood mulch around me. Only $17 a yard. Its considered contractors blend. The double shredded in $36 a yard. It looks very similar. Im not sure that there is any difference. Anyway this is good stuff.
I use Evergreen brand shredded hardwood mulch. It has no dyes, but it is not shredded very fine. t seems to be improving the soil much more than the dyed stuff.
Glad your Dad is doing well. Thanks for answering my question about the new maple.
Part of what we need to do is save natural spaces. Nature knows what is needed for our birds, bees, pollinators. We can help revitalize our spaces somewhat but leaving nature is part of the solution. Admire the diversity of form, not everything needs to flower forever to be interesting, just look at Hosta!
I'm helping my neighbor with a bed initially installed with some basic shrubs into just terrible soil. We're trying to decide if we can improve area's of a big bed or just spray out the weeds and mulch. Harder to fix a poorly done bed than to do it right the first time! What perennials would you recommend for lousy soil, full sun, north of Atlanta?
Stokes Aster is a great one and evergreen. North Georgia Native Plant Nursery has some great perennials in small pots. Worth a visit if it’s close to you.
TY...
Ooohh I need that Conifer Collector shirt!!👀💕
New shirts look great! I’ve used brown mulch for years and agree it takes awhile to break down. It becomes very dry in the sun too. Hoping to go a different route when its time to mulch again.
Another fun Q and A video to enjoy with my Sunday morning coffee! Thank you! My question this week is how to create mulched bed space for established trees in an established lawn? I have some large camellia japonica with grass growing right up to the trunks. Can I just mulch over the grass or do I need to manually rip the grass out?
Love my Sunday coffee, with some warm sun and tuning in to learn!
I just rip out another 6 in so I can mulch a little area underneath. Seems to be working just fine.
Thank you, Jim! 😊
We used to live surrounded
by woods at our old house and some areas that we cleared to garden had active termites ! They took down wooden bird feeder stands in days ( it seemed!)
My late sister in law did her phd in biology on a ecosystem of decaying logs( trees) I’ve always had a great respect for nature and as gardeners - it’s hard to control nature! We try!?! Love your channel Jim - thx
This yr the landscape at the Masters is the best we’ve ever seen!🌸just beautiful🌸
Hi Jim. We are zone 7a in MD on heavily sloping woodland. We are attempting to execute an erosion control plan and would like to use native understory trees and shrubs to repopulate the woodland floor that has become empty due to tree felling, water inundation tree fall and an overwhelming deer population. Do you have any suggestions?
We will be creating partitioned areas where deer cannot access to allow everything to take hold. A dry creek bed is currently being constructed to help with soil retention and hollowing out. Are there some native species that are particularly great at holding it all together?
You play an important role in our gardening journey in the past few years and we are thankful for all that you share 🌻
YES! A Clem shirt for us collectors. I own 3 older -ACEAE shirts and love them (had no problem with quality). LOVE the new ones too.
The maple looks GREAT❤❤❤
About 2-3 years ago I regraded by hand a very large section of my lawn (double digging to get rid of most of the rocks, SOO MANY) then I layered cardboard and a good 6+ inches of mulch (I had a chip drop to use up so it was fresh mulch) the soil before was your standard 70 year old compacted loam lawn of mostly weeds. But now two years later I've got this VERY tough crust that my foxtail lilies and tulips just kind of break a chunk and flip it over. googling didnt seem to bring up much info. under this very tough crust reveals good broken down chips underneath but even the mulch I disturbed last year is starting to mat up again. Wondering what's going on. Zone 4b MN. It seems like a super effective weed barrier but worried some plants can't grow through it or widen as they mature.
It's amazing to see my peaches and blueberries forming after 2 straight years of late frost
Me too! Zone 7
In our area sw Ohio we are told to plant our trees, shrubs & perennials in a mix of pine bark with the soil.
my 3 yr old flamethrower redbud also died over the winter here in zone 6b also and it never got below zero this winter. mine got morning sun only, next to a happy oak leaf hydrangea.
Cocoa coir, perlite and fine vermiculite is a best I’ve used. (If you’re a peat lover, you can use that instead of the cocoa coir.)
Have you ever liked a new plant a lot in the beginning, then at some point 4-5 years down the line started losing interest? That's where I am at with our Coral Drift roses. The past couple of seasons the Drifts have been coming out of dormancy earlier, and this has increased the amount of leaf spotting. I suspect they'll work their way through it as we head into hotter weather, at least they did last year, but I've grown tired of the maintenance on plants touted as "lower maintenance".
Mulch cost more every year if you do creeping Jenny you don’t have to reapply every year. Creeping Jenny is less expensive and keeps weeds out
I planted a Hansa regosa rose last year from a seedling. It is growing like crazy this spring! It is hard to find my favorite plants in a store. We also bought some unique clematis seedlings online. Excited to see how they grow.
We love your channel and watch almost every day. We live in Zone 5b and drool over the beautiful plants you can grow there in Raleigh. Are there any advantages that you can think of to living in a colder zone like ours in Wisconsin? We can grow some plants that you discuss such as salvias as annuals but shrubs are a different challenge. Sadly, Encore Azaleas and camellias will never be hardy for us here. Our gardening season is just getting started here with only spring bulbs and ephemerals blooming so far.
I definitly need that swamp loving buttonbush for my swampy front yard, zone 9b.
I am thinking it might look nice with my udbeckia which have worked very well in my swampy island bed.
Would LOVE to hear the history of Augusta National. Are you able to link the radio program you did on next Sunday's Great Garden Questions?
I agree, please link the radio program!
Interesting you say that about bagged mulch as I’ve used them and can put 4-5 inches and by the following spring there’s hardly anything left
Hi Jim - love your channel, it's an inspiration to us as we landscape our first home!
We planted a Leyland Cyprus last year on our border as a part of a screen and a deer did significant damage to the central leader scraping it's antlers on the tree. It stripped the bark off around the entire leader so we ended up cutting off the top.
I've read that you can still grow the plant as a bush/shrub, but I was wondering what you would recommend. Should we remove the plant and start over, maybe move it to grow as a shorter shrub, or might it still work in place for the screen? Any suggestions are appreciated.
? I have seen a "tip" to growing bigger onions is to "ring" sweet onions which is supposed to help them grow larger. As I understand it ringing is done when the bulb begins to grow you clear the dirt around the bottom of the bulb ("ringing") so that it is sitting on the top of the dirt with pretty much just the roots underground. No experienced gardener I have spoken with has heard of this. Have you heard of doing this or have you done this with onions? I bought a set of candy onions to plant; I am new to vegetable gardening and trying to figure out how to best plant and take care of them. Thank you for any information you can share on this. I am in NC, was zone 7b before the zones were recently changed. My plan is to plant these in grow bags because I am not able to plant edibles in the ground where I live.
Do you have any videos please of your mulching process? What sort of machine do you use besides the lawn mower?
Here's a ChipDrop question for those using it. I live in a rural crossroads 20-30 minutes from the towns where most arborists are working. I put up a notice over a week ago saying I'd pay $20 and increased that to $40 several days ago. Still nada. I wonder if instead or in addition, I need to add in my request text that I'll tip the driver?
The way the optional payment is formally set up via credit card, the money would seem to go to the company. Maybe it skirts the driver or the workers making the decision where to go?
What should we mulch vegetable gardens with? (Zone 8b)
Hi Jim, what’s the best way to direct sow seeds (like zinnia) into a mulched bed? Remove the mulch first and wait until the seedlings are tall enough before putting the mulch back?
Zone 8 - Do I need to plant my new eastern redbud high to encourage drainage?
The mulch discussion was v instructive. Thanks for that.
Question: I created raised bed 8-10 feet away from Bald Cypress trees. I covered some of the Cypress roots? Is this going to be problematic for the trees? And will my raised bed plants be able to handle being near the Cypress?
I watch all HortTube videos and I discovered today that I am not a plant nerd. When I saw the t-shirt, my first thought was what does that stand for.
Help! 8a ATL. Last fall planted a White Wedding hydrangea. It wintered well and leafed out beautifully. Yesterday I found 1/3 of the plant laying on the ground, crown and all. I am trying to save that piece separately, but more importantly save what’s still in the ground. It hasn’t wilted, but honestly it just doesn’t feel very sturdy now. Do you recommend I stake it for protection against wind? I have no idea what could have caused this kind of damage. Animal? wind?? I am so disappointed; I looked so forward to its blooms. Thanks for your advice. No other new shrubs damaged 😢
Hi Jim... I'm in Central Florida zone 9B / 10A. My question is....I have a boxwood hedge that has gotten too tall for my liking. Can I cut the top about halfway down to shorten it and if so when is the best time to do it?.. Thanks. Love the channel.
Hi Jim, another great video. I'm glad to hear that your Dad is doing better.
A question about your loropetlum : How much is it receiving, and what is good to plant with it for wind protection?
I'm in zone 7a.
Thanks.
Oops, I meant how much sun it is getting ?
Hi Jim, I need your advice. I am in zone 7b/8a Greensboro. I have a 3ft by 3ft north facing planting space just under by window on a new construction. The area gets blasted with sun in the afternoon during the summer but is mostly shaded during the winter. What evergreen shrub do you suggest. Thanks for your help, and I have learned so much gardening in my area because of you. Thank you😊
Hi Jim. I'm in ga (8a). I have some video requests:
1) A video on lasagna layering bulbs in the yard?
2) On what to plant in the hellstrip area around the mailbox?
Thank you!
Do you ever perform a postmortem examination of a plant's roots or wood to help determine an unexplained or puzzling death? If so what are some of the things that can be learned? Thanks. Carrboro, NC, 8a.
I'm in Zone 8a Central Arkansas with many rabbits enjoying my garden. I continue to look for plant material that is compatible with them. I want to garden without feeding the rabbits. I have moved toward growing Iris, roses, Lilies, mixed with some herbs and alliums. I'm opening up space in the back wildflower area for daffodils. I prefer perennials. Any thoughts of additional plant material would be appreciated.
Sounds like a video about landscaping at the national would make a great video. If you're ever in the Augusta area I've got a home garden or two you can tour. I still owe yall some before and after pictures
I have some annual salvias already starting to bloom in zone 8a CLT, NC. They are still really small and only 4-5” tall. Should they be deadheaded and/or should I go ahead and cut them back asap to encourage more full plant?
I am starting to add ground covers to my garden. I have a large poplar and two large water oaks that drop a ton of leaves. I mulch every other year since the leaf cover every year is so much. However with the ground covers, is there such a thing as too many leaves? I have "uncovered" my smaller lorepetalums and azaelas. They seem to be losing leaves where the leaves have coveres them up.
QUESTION: sorry if you’ve answered this recently but THE CICADAS ARE COMING!! Remind us what needs to be covered? I just planted 2 lovely 7 feet tall Rosy teacups kousas (SO EXCITED!!) I also have a 6’ young gorgeous ruby falls, various container plants, maples and such - should those pots go inside in my sunroom? THANK YOU 🙏 ps my dog LOVES to eat cicadas, we call ‘em chicken nuggets haha - does Holly and your other dog (sorry forgot their name) feast on them as well?
Question: Does foliar feeding actually work, if so what can be used for foliar feeding?
A Holly shirt 3x
I have a couple hibiscus tosca I purchased online as seedlings. Hybrid H paramutablillis and rose of sharon. We live in wake forest, nc. I had one in Colorado which was a large bush with lots of flowers. In the second year here, they are about four feet tall with three and four stalks. They are not growing into a bush. I did not prune this past winter on two of them. One I cut to the ground because it had one stalk like a tree. It is growing back with several stalks. My question is, should I cut them to the ground in fall? I never did amything in Colorado. I just do not want tall bushes but more rounded bushes. There is literally no info anywhere. Thx
Hi. I live in zone 10a South Florida. What is a good ground coverage that does not need a lot of water. We are on strict water schedule
What would be a good process to naturalize a meatballed shrub? I have distylium and sunshine ligustrum in my landscape that are too well manicured. I'd like to return them to something more natural looking. Do I cut them way back and selectively prune as they grow out? These shrubs are well established so should be able to take a hard pruning. How far to cut them back and how long do you think they would look ugly?
What plant is in the back of your frame. Chartreuse, upper left, behind your gorgeous contoured Japanese Maple. Fantastic frame by the way, love the layering, the textures, and the colors.
Ha! Still Watching video- it just got answered 28:54
Thanks so much!
Thanks, Jim! I planted a Bradford pear tree before I knew any better in Austin, TX. Five years old, just saw fire blight start on half the branch tips. 15’ tall tree. Can it be saved?
While rain water is best, is there any reason to have concern over using water collected from the AC condensation drain?
Great video. Appreciated the last question about the timing of mulching and it got me wondering if you used a bark blower when you were landscaping or did you mulch by hand? What about for very large properties? Thank you.
Question. I’m wanting to widen my flower beds around my foundation to eventually plant some foundation plants. Obviously widening the beds will take me out to Bermuda grass. What is the best way to deal with said grass and other weeds in the beds from neglect to give the shrubs a good environment to get established. I feel like I’m overthinking or in fear of the work involved to get rid of grass. Thanks for your help!
Don’t know what zone you are in, but in my Louisiana zone 9b garden, I extended my garden beds by no-dig method of laying down cardboard and adding compost, grass clippings, bagged pine bark mini nuggets and sand. I started it in the fall (September) and by April, I through in some PlantTone, mixed up the top layer and planted. I mulched with bagged pine bark mini nuggets. I didn’t have any issues with weeds; the weeds that grew, I was able to pick out as babies. I added additional gardens by piling up leaves, grass clippings, and Chip Drop wood chips. I let that sit for about a year before I planted it. Don’t know if this will help.
Hi Jim,
Zone 7 I have 5 year old Tamukeyama Japanese Maple and the top half didn’t leaf out and seems dead? The lower half has leafed out beautifully. What could cause this? I have another bout 8 feet away that looks perfect!
If it never leafs out should I cut the main leader below the dead part? Thanks.
Thank you Jim! I have a Coral Bark Japanese Maple that had a large wound in the trunk and canopy that took out about 25-50% of the caliper in spots (initially 1.5” thick). I staked to help with winds and plan to let tree heal itself, but do you think this may never recover? The tree has been in the ground for 15 months, originally a 7 gallon. I’m in zone 8A, southwest of Atlanta, tree is in part sun. Thank you!
Hey Jim. I have been underplanting a lot of my shrubs and trees with groundcover sedums because it looks nice and works as a sort of "living mulch". But my question is, do I need to worry that these shrubs and trees won't be getting enough organic matter over time because there is no regular mulch to break down? The sedum is very dense so I don't see how I could get any mulch in there. Thanks
I mulch but the color is darkish. If I want to cool roots especially in the warmer months is covering the area around plantings with burlap overkill?
Not a nerd, but I would like to be. Aceae! Question on a camellia japonica in z10b SoCal, the buds are very large but not fully opening and/or deformed and turning brown. My other camellias, both japonica and sasanqua performed beautifully.. any thoughts?
We have several Holly ferns that have light yellow leaves and others that stay dark green. What do I need to do to help them? We live in coastal South Carolina Zone 9a.
I have 2 Black Dragon cryptomeria in Ohio, now zone 7. They are about 6' tall and have been in the ground about 6 years. I have clay soil, so they are planted up on a berm. Every year, sections brown out and dry up. I'm constantly pruning out the unsightly needles. Is this normal behavior for this tree? Spider mites, perhaps? I never see this tree growing anywhere in my area. Maybe the wrong choice for my area. They never seem to have that lush green look. Thank you for your help!
Unrelated question. What do you do if you get a tree or fruit tree in the spring or summer? While not ideal what can be done to care for it and keep it from dying?? Is it better to keep it well watered in a pot or well watered in the ground? (FYI gardening zone 7b/8a Georgia northwest area near ATL)
Are the T-shirts going to come in other colors?
My neighbor has three big maple trees that drop a ton of helicopter seeds every year into my garden beds. Am I better off waiting to mulch after or before they drop? Should I try to remove them before mulching? Are they even possible to rake out?
Hey Jim. I’m in Zone 8A here in the Piedmont and have a Chinese Snowball Virburnum that’s about 20 years old and 15 foot high. The issue is sapsuckers have ringed most of the main branches and entire limbs are dying. How far back can it be hard pruned after flowering or am I can to lose it altogether? Thanks!
Do you ever plant caladium bulbs?
My husband and I enjoy watching your videos. We just bought a new house in northeast Mississippi and are planning on putting in a new flower bed and garden in what is currently a grassy field area. We want to plant next spring. Do we need to cover the grass with cardboard and mulch to kill the grass before we till in compost or do we just till the compost into the grass and then cover with mulch?
I covered my dahlia beds with thick layers of hay (like feeder hay not straw) last Winter to protect them … should I remove that or leave it as a food source to break down over the summer for the soil??? I put down a layer of compost under that … they are mostly all up about a foot they are coming thru it … thanks!!!
Question - I've got a Foolproof Gardenia that has been anything but foolproof so far. It has been in the ground about a year, and it looks like half of the plant is dying (some limbs already dead and the rest have thinning yellow leaves on every branch). The dead half is wobbly like there is a split just above the root ball just under ground level. Can I saw the dead half off at ground level and reset the rest of the plant (which looks fine)? And, if so, when should that be done? I'm in Zone 9A Central Florida. Thanks!
Can you moved a shrub after 3 years? I’m afraid I’ll kill it. How much root can be disrupted or damaged before it will die? Zone 9b
Hi! Can sea shells, rocks, or bricks be used to mulch around plants?
Is there a certain temperature you should wait for to move seedlings you've grown inside to move outside after the last frost date? for example: I have some strawflowers, lantana, delphinium, snapdragons and black-eyed-susan vine I grew from seed. We have no more frost, but temperatures look like 40F at night and 50-60F during the day for the next 10 days. Should I wait to plant them out? (I have started hardening them off just in case)
Question: I live in upstate SC zone 8a and I have two 120+ yr old magnolia trees in front of my house. The roots are above soil level, can I cover with mulch or wood chips? I want to create shade beds underneath the trees but unsure if the roots will hinder anything I put under the trees.
Jim! Do you have any experience with the "mini" dwarf crape myrtles that are now available? They are marketed as under 5" tall and sound kind of cute. (9b north Bay Area, CA)
I need a plant to help hide the ugly meters against the house. A small tree or taller shrub that can withstand full shade. About 6ft tall but could be taller. It’ll be close to the foundation but could put it in a large pot. NC zone 8a.
You might try an acuba. They love shade and can grow to about 6 ft