Beautiful Eco-Friendly Landscaping-ELY104

00:00:00 – 00:05:04

What’s up I’m Ben Hale and this is the easy living yards podcast. Creating Beautiful Yard should be easy. Let’s jump in create the Dream Yard. You deserve so you can enjoy more time doing what you love. Welcome to episode one hundred and four of the easy living yards podcast. Hey guys. I’m super excited for today’s show. As usual I mean I’m pretty much excited for every show and pretty much. Say That for every show too. It’s kind of like my standard intro. Right well I am super excited because today I’m welcoming on two members of the easy living yards membership a husband and wife team who are committed to creating positive change in their landscape in a positive change in our world because of it so if you guys are super interested like me to hear what Jenning Gerry have to say a stay tuned Guys if you’re listening to audio version the podcast of this. I also recorded video. We had an awesome video chat together. So if you WANNA watch the video chat as well Lincoln the show notes to the Youtube Video. And if you guys are watching on Youtube comment for sure love to hear what you guys have to say about this show so today. We talk about a ton of different topics. But there are some overarching themes that come out as well so some of the topics. We talked about our native plants. Providing Wildlife Habitat Jen has this. Awesome background from an Like this environmental studies background. And so she kind of leaves that into a lot of her personal practice in her landscape. And so it’s really exciting to see Jen is one of my. She’s my founding member. She’s an all star member And so it’s been so fun to watch her journey as they’ve left the they basically did some quick tweaks when they first joined the membership to to transform their landscape that they were selling at their home in Florida and now they’ve moved to northeast. Ohio in they’re trying to create this beautiful space for their family. And so it’s really exciting to see that progress so yeah we talked about some themes like a wildlife gardening like I said pollinator habitat a butterfly. Gardening Fruit Trees Bonsai It’s it’s cool stuff. It’s it’s a merging of all these cool concepts into something that I hope it turns out to be really amazing and really fun as well. It’s incredibly unique to as as Jen and Gary tried to kind of combined. Some of their interests into a design that that overall helps fulfill some of their dreams of their landscape individually and brings together to something that really makes something that’s a wonderful expression of their relationship together so stay tuned for that Also I wanNA highlight that Jenin Gary are members of the. He’s living yards membership. And so this is one of the perks of being a member. Is they get to do this. Awesome one on one interaction with me to work through their landscape. If you want some help like that La- going over to the easy living yards membership at easy living yards dot com slash membership and and become a member. Today guys have dropped the price in the membership to ten bucks a month This year You know as we’re dealing with all this crazy corona virus stuff. I WANNA make my membership in. My help is accessible to you as possible. So this is my way of trying to Kinda help things along there and help us all make a positive difference so again themes we talk about ego landscaping food production of bonsai gardening and really the the over arching theme with all this stuff is taking all these combined interests in turning them into something that that can really Become cohesive because when you have a lot of different spaces or ideas that you’re talking about It’s it can be very difficult. Or there’s a huge risk of of creating a design. That’s really scattered in disjointed. And so the big focus here is to to help Jenin. Gary kind of bring that together into some sort of a cohesive design that has all these different elements to it but but has a good flow in connection between. So that’s one of the themes. The other is preventing overwhelm. They have all these awesome ideas tons of energy to make all these changes in their landscape and in the risk here is for one becoming burned out into becoming overwhelmed so it’s been so much time and effort money and energy on stuff that you can become burned out right. It can be a lot of work changing your landscape especially when you’re really trying to make it into something beautiful. And that provides a positive environmental impact. So secondly with that Becoming overwhelmed so many different projects across a huge space can really cause You to be overwhelmed. And so We talk about strategies and things that Jenin Gary can do to prevent over one and likewise in the membership.

00:05:04 – 00:10:02

I also talk about that too. I have course videos that talk about prioritizing projects and avoiding overwhelm and setting the right goals and vision for your landscape and so those are training videos that can really help Jenin Garin and and their process and can also help us well so we talk about those concepts in today’s videos so all right. Let’s transition over to our chat. Hey everybody welcome to easy living yards. Podcast excited to welcome Jen. Gary today to talk about their yard. They have exciting new place and so. Jena Gary Welcome to the show so tell me about your place. Tell me about yourselves. What part of what part of the states from wall as what? You’re looking to maybe get out of our discussion. We’re in northeast. Ohio in we moved into our house in the fall in so we’ve been eagerly waiting all winter to get to spring so we can actually start growing in previously. We lived in Florida so this is our first gardening season in Ohio. Congratulations on multiple fronts. Banks I also WANNA share with everybody that Jen is essentially our all star member. She’s the founding member of easy living yards membership. And she’s been a superstar. She is always asking questions in Has Been Super engaging from when they lived in Florida to now their new place in Ohio says just so fun to to watch you in your journey with your family. Is You guys? Move to new places in trying really make a positive impact in the space guys have so thanks for being part of easy living yards. It’s been great. Yeah thanks yeah and I appreciate. You always answer the questions. I’m glad I can be helpful. So you’ve taught me so much about a Florida ecosystems which is really cool. So thank you all right. So let’s hear about your space in kind of what you know. This is a speaking over audio. It’s Kinda tough to paint a picture. But if we kind of zoomed out and looked at your Google maps version of your property. What would it look like in? Kind of what? What are you thinking about your space? So we have Two lots and so the obviously the house sits on one Cited is is Bacon and And in the driveway Goes up the side of the house. So the garages behind the House. So on that That is empty right. Now it’s just a gist grass in the previous owner. Like most of the people on the street need mow the lawn and just kept it as as grass in. That’s it and we also have a grassy area in front of her house which is flat for a little while and then has a pretty steep drop down to the sidewalk and then we have the strip of land between the sidewalk and the street at that. As far as I know a lot to landscape that to okay the some people call that the the health and how large trees in front of some houses but ours is empty. And about the for the both lots than you’re talking about about. How much property size wise I I could look it up. I don’t recall a ton of my head is probably May Be Point. Three point. Four Acre thinks quite point. Four is probably point three acre. Okay but a pretty sizable piece of property. Yeah Yeah it feels like feels. It was like okay. That sounds really nice. So congratulations on your new space. Do you guys have any sort of goals as far as what you want with the space or are you still trying to figure that out ahead? Okay well my main goal is to create ecological habitat for the Allies so I- researching host plants that the caterpillars for the butterflies need and I’ve also been researching bees. Because I thought all along we need to garden for the butterflies so that they have their host plants in found out that there are specialist fees in. They can only eat all in from specific plans.

00:10:02 – 00:15:12

And that’s probably not as law known as the host plants for the butterflies. So I’ve been researching what specialist species would eat. And what also Bumblebees The bumblebee numbers are declining. So I’ve wanted make a large part of our property for Bumblebees in specialist fees. But then also those also benefit butterflies too because a lot of those plants are ones that the caterpillars eat in the butterfly. Get Nectar from right. Wow this is this is fascinating. So congratulations on your goals. Sounds alerts some goals. I might have so. That’s really cool. Though in that front yard in front of the House I WANNA do garden focused on Bumblebee plans mostly and then where I need. Other colors are mark plans to fill in than been looking at butterfly. Host plants in the in the the side lot is long narrow in the middle part. We want to do a prairie in Gary planted. Some trees there will him talk about what we want eventually. Turn that into a prayer with really tall. Plants like prairie dock at once ten feet tall thin world. Yeah and then in front of that next to the sidewalk. There’s a tree. Let Gary Talk about that. He’s it will probably do a little kind of foresty under story there and then in the back. I’m doing thicket though where we are in Ohio. It’s not naturally a prairie predicted ecosystem. But I know that those are helpful for the animals and those are also declining especially the tickets so I ordered nine plants and put those back in and they’re small. They’re probably at the tallest five feet tall right now. Except for the corollary. Those sucker sell. They’ll send up more trunks as they grow some of them so that should be pretty. Nice back okay okay. So now I’d love to hear what Gary has to say as far as your goals well mine. My goal started out I’m working on three things in the yard and my My first thing that I started out doing this when we bought the house there was a kind of a dilapidated Picnic like area is like a Picnic. Table is like a covered picnic table is essentially what it was with the brick. Foundations can stuff but it was definitely very very old while. That’s so yes so I got rid of the the pygmy table in the cut cover over it. I got rid of all of that and then I thought well what can I do this break area and so I decided to Pull up all the bricks and turn it into a bonsai garden in which What is essentially do there is? I start Trees in the ground in order to a get their trunks to a diameter aware they’re suitable material to Start Abon Zai with and so on all winter long. I’ve been just like every time we go to a park around sidewalk. Or whatever if I find seeds that have fallen from trees a scoop. Mops I’ve been throwing scenes by the H- I’ve probably throughout the winter of thrown a thousand seeds in there so on I’m waiting for it to really warm up and see what’s going to sprout WISCON- Germany Outfit amount is go. But in the meantime I was really interested since you know. This is our In my first time in a not tropical environment I thought wow. I’d really like to grow fruit trees so I found a place that has When they call them heirloom yeah heirloom fruit. So this isn’t like a type of stuff you buy at a grocery store So I I started out wanting to get An apple a pear in Cherry And so I was going through their online catalogue them. Most of the apple trees said that you have to buy a second apple tree of a different variety in order to get this win. So I’m my I now I gotta buy two of these in to those. And then it started the cost of his started really adding up very quickly and then I found one or two where that’s not required it can. It can pollinate its own self so I bought that so have an apple out there a single payer cherry and then it was only after that fact that it dawned on me that I could have started some apple trees in the bones I garden to go inside them and and utilize them as kind of a way to cross pollinate a tree.

00:15:12 – 00:20:01

But but I’m happy with the the tree I’ve got out there so I bought the apple two pair in the Cherian. They came bare root in in shipped in a box. And there maybe a four the three or four feet tall okay. So so. That’s exciting in looking forward to being able to pick some apples and that can stuff okay at the front When we first bought the house and I was looking at the at the yard. I had this this picture. In my mind of how cool it would be if in that big area on the side yard if we could have like at Christmas time if we had a huge Christmas tree right there that we could decorate and light up at Christmas time and all the people driving street would see this and so you know me being the person that I am. I love trees and so I would a couple of weeks ago. We had some severe weather and it knocked over a couple of streets over knocked over a blue spruce Across power lines knocked out power. To All these houses Alec Stop so a crew came with their chainsaws and cut it up. And meanwhile they left blue. Spruce counts all over the street side high. You know this person’s GonNa Christmas tree. I picked up all these blue spruce cones and took them home started pole. Nc Data on. I planted a bunch of seeds out there and obviously this is kind of a long haul objective. But you know I mean in four years. Maybe the be big enough to start hanging decorations on. So we’ll see. Okay wow so you. I’m almost overwhelmed by thinking about all the work. You guys have done as well as a plan to do so. This is amazing. I love your enthusiasm and I love the the various goals you guys have. That’s really cool. It’s clear that you guys love the idea of having her landscape at least to me. That’s what speak so so Kudos to you guys for that Unsupervised energize to see the progress. You guys make so I I wanna I wanNA thank you for that. I have a couple of thoughts and I’m going to. Actually you know what I should probably drop these down so I don’t forget them in in some questions too so I The stuff you were sharing areas freshest in my mind so maybe we’ll start there So the Bonsai Garden. That’s such a cool idea. I I noted out in eighth grade Gut like every bonsai book. I could imagine finding the Public Library because I thought it was going to be this. Bonsai all star at the time you know what every eighth grader about Jerem. And I don’t know about done. A single clipping formation of any sort of Work since but it’s such a cool idea. So yeah well really. I mean the the magic of making a small tree look large is really boils down to the trunk because the trunk if if you have just a little twig it just doesn’t doesn’t have those proportions as so the the way in which to make trunk big is to let it grow in the ground rather than in a pot and so he started in the ground until it gets to a size that is reasonable and then you transferred to the bones. Pie Okay. I’m here this opportunity is not only to allow it to allow these trees to start off in the ground but also By doing so I can also is starting to do some initial Shaping and bending and Adam it trunks have some curves and stuff like that so okay might just buy discounted throwing like handfuls of seeds into the ground. It also allows me to have a choice of what you know what like what trees healthiest and strongest than I can just stand out. The ones that are weak in won’t work. Well okay. So is the is the concept than you’ve kind of answered some questions were already then is your plan is to do. Transfer PROCESS WON’T BE IN GROUND BONSAI. It’ll down it’s like a nursery bed for selecting the ones you want correct. Yeah okay in. I guess than the concept.

00:20:01 – 00:25:09

You’re starting with this kind of wild and crazy scattering and you’ll become more and more focused on this specimen is actually okay. I- opinion is I don’t want to put a whole lot of work into trying to like scientifically germinate seeds. And whatever else I just want. Nature is take his course I just threat like literally just throw seeds on the ground on the inside. This is area okay. And so you’re not necessarily looking for like a like specific Like you said specific traits of a specific type of you’re just taking -ever’s available right. I don’t have specific traits but I do have specific trees like You know I’m very interested in conifers rather than Broadleaf trees although I have thrown seeds of both Into the garden but Once they start to germinate where there is an evergreen next to a deciduous. I would probably remove the situation in retain the air. Okay so that comes to my next thought in in. You may be more expert here than I am But specifically you were talking about that blue spruce up front As well as if you’re doing evergreens for your bonsai A lot of times require fire to Germany. The seeds ’cause they’re built on a That sort of forest ecosystem where there’s periodic fires that are supposed to happen to to bring about the young. So maybe you’re aware of this already I have. I was aware of that but I am not aware of which species require that. I know that there are some that becomes themselves will not open until they are heated by fire right but that that is That’s worked around by me. Manually opening cones with a pair needle nose pliers and whatnot okay. That’s a bet as far as which sees require fire for germination no and so you know if I’ve thrown those into the bones. I Garden in Germany. You know there’s some other species there that will and so I’ve probably thrown season air from probably ten or twelve different species of trees and I collect these collins like when we go to a park or or even in the neighborhood I have found even if you pick up a cone off the ground. There’s always at least two or three or four seeds that are still in the column that probably back the the the scales on the pine cone. You find this one started. I did so yeah so on the blue spruce ones I I watched a couple of youtube videos. I soaked them in water and one started Putting out a route So I mean it was tiny. I had to look at these. Seeds are like stand ready to look under under magnifying glass to see it but so then I went out there in the area. Okay great so it sounds like you guys may be done your homework. You’re already so that’s what I was gonNA suggest is. We might want to check for the for the ones you’ve collected. Those require some sort of special like kind of scarification type process to get started but it sounds like at least for the screws he sell. Some starting Germany’s let’s because he I don’t know off the top of my head which types of conifers require that in what form if it’s just opening the cone or if it’s some sort of heat or whatever so okay great okay. I have another thought in I don’t want to send critical and kind of being inquisitive. Is here the Christmas tree idea which I love by the way I’ve thought about? Like maybe we start little decorative. Christmas trees back can property. Hear the bone sidepiece which is kind of like a a a fortuitous little spark based on the picnic area that was already there right so utilize existing structure rights. It sounds like too too helpful to help along your entailed by the way let me just throw in for your audience. That makes them after. I tore down the picnic area. I then found out that We’re paying additional property taxes on that as being an improvement to the property caused me to realize that we probably were supposed to permit a permanent.

00:25:09 – 00:30:10

Jared down we probably have to go to the To the county auditors incur correct error. I don’t know if will have to pay some sort of fine or something. I have no idea but yet well for one. It’s it’s it’s awesome that you caught that but yet usually for those big projects. I’ve kind of come across this blunder on on our own work as well But yes is check to see if you have existing structures that are didn’t even occur to me until I was looking at like our tax statement. And it showed like that vacant lot on the side of our house and it showed that it had this Structural improvement and I was like. What’s on that Stetson Improvement? Right and Oh yeah like even to put a wooden Pergola up. You have to get a permit. A lot of those types of even for offense or something. A lot of times requires a permit. The Nice thing is that it’s usually not too expensive in my experience In than it really depends on the the municipality you’re in but also if you come across a blender in you talk to them they it depends upon the person right about who’s the auditor in that sort of thing but they might. They might be okay with it. It’s lousy look at remove this I realize now probably should have had a permit to do it I don’t know if you need to come. Assess it or whatever and they might just say okay You know we can will offer. I take out books and I’m sure to get forgiveness for tearing something gown building something something right now yes. I’m actually while we’re on that topic to since you brought it up. Another big thing to check is easy. It’s too when you’re building to make sure you fit within the required east because that’s where it really can get a little bit of a hassle if you do something in his fault that you’re not supposed to do so. Yeah okay so so. Yeah you have the the bonsai garden. The Christmas tree have the Orchard Than the thicket the prairie and the pollinator DART. Okay I just WanNa make sure I got it all into the. I think that is all amazing and I. I applaud your energy and enthusiasm. I hope you guys are able to make the Meet divisions that you guys have multiple business here The potential risk is with these varied visions. There’s there’s a couple of risks one that you guys might be in. This is why this is a blender. I’ve made continue to make on our own. Properties is with multiple different visions. That may not be incredibly cohesive at all points is that they can really strain your energy especially if outside of your landscaping your life gets a little A little stretch through whatever. So so that’s GonNa be a potential potential concern if you say like. You’re halfway through your prairie in Sleigh Shen and suddenly life happens and you don’t have the time or the energy or the funds to complete the installation and you have the weed problem that pops up or something or your same with like the bones or something like that so Trying to figure out a little bit of a structure to To which projects might come before the other which phases of the projects it or what spaces might get focused on. I might help Rain in that a little bit so you can say okay. Well maybe we’LL PUT AT MRS. Just an example. They we’ll put the The bumblebee space on. Hold for a little bit in order to focus on the prairie in the bone ciphers. And then maybe then we’ll stays in. Okay what’s the next priority? Maybe it’s the thicket or the Christmas Tree Orchard In the sounds like you guys already have some of the plants so the plants you have obviously are the the first Around them but that might be a suggestion. I have just to to to prepare for the potential distractions of ice in this involved with find out after we’ve invested a bunch of money into new plants. That were overwhelmed by the work. Yes exactly so yes. So that’s one thought on in so just take maybe time to digest that and see if that fits for you guys in in maybe how that especially with if you have house projects or whatever Which things may be can wait in which things are more pressing which are big desires that you have on your you can that you want to prioritize verse.

00:30:11 – 00:35:08

The second thought I have with all of these different goals is that it can Once you implement them it can appear haphazard if you have a lot of different things across your space that it doesn’t feel as cohesive potentially in so it’s just something to kind of keep in the back of your mind if you have. It’s okay to have multiple goals or have multiple add desired outcomes for your space but being conscious of that potential Mrs Moore Blake Artistic Design thing right is is like thinking of like the curb appeal thing right so it depends on how much you want out of that space but at the same time you want it also to not feel so disjointed that it feels It almost takes the energy out of you looking at all this different stuff in thinking about these different spaces you want to feel like this is our space this kind of combines or multiple interests right which is great in. This shows. A Nice cohesive way. It’s almost like an expression of of your relationship I hope I’m not going too far there. But it’s like it’s like an expression of as as you right as the Gary Jen space. We’ve brought all these things together in. It’s in a beautiful way. That really Jell together in and so just kind of thinking about that and being conscious about a front might help. That happened in. Maybe it’s not. You know maybe appear disjointed with the League as have that so not being critical of the spatial array of what you guys are thinking about right now but just something to think about as you put things together. We’ll look good and cohesive together. Is that Kinda makes sense. Yeah good point because I think what we tend to do is just get really excited about you. Know maybe maybe we read an article about pollinators. And we’re like Oh. Yeah let’s do that. And and so all of a sudden. We’re all these things going on. I know I want degree plant like we have to have every plant so he can help out. Every I know not possible end Then you tell me a while ago you thought I would like new perennial design so I looked up a little bit about that. Never really quite understood what it was but then I found out about something that grew out of new perennial design the naturalistic planting look and I found out about a minor. Who’s in and he makes. These amazing garden beds using Nigel. Dunnett found us. Have you heard Alex his website as much information on his nineteen in their beautiful and he said some are he does like all the time but in a lot of his planning he focuses on just two or three colors or like flowers. Coming out at a time so that It really just POPs out guess in it just really makes an impression because I’ve been looking at plan sin trying to plan you know. What would it look like if we did something like that in different parts in just like every time like every month when new flowers are blooming if we have a focus on maybe three different flowers in space? Yeah that’s great. I’m glad that resonated with you. It’s it’s more again. It depends on how much how much aesthetics you want out of the space versus the natural benefit right to the reality is. It’s a human space right in so planning for some of the human element is usually helpful rate especially for people that might be walking down your street as well it something that catches the eye an serves a natural benefit at habitat restoration or helping rare pollinators like those are awesome goals in in doing it away where. People WanNA stop and look at the plants to it’s. It’s a win win situation at least to me so so. I will say that when we were in Florida there was an organization in our town. That really did a lot with native plants. And they had this annual tour. Where what you would do is they would give you a map and you would drive to these various peoples homes. These people would be members in their club in and these individuals would have landscape their yards with native plants. And some of the people really made it look. Beautiful and like you’re describing. It’s a human space and so it’s like you can walk on some little stone steps and you can see.

00:35:08 – 00:40:28

The plants is really beautiful and then we would go across town to somebody else’s and the neighbors hated them. It looked like an abandoned house is like really early wild and and but but she was like all his native plants in Bursar. Yeah they can’t stand her. Yeah so we definitely do not want to be the person that the neighbors cannot stand. And since I’m so big into promoting native plants than I wanNA start some community projects here. I would like to eventually get native Plants Yours. Happening in our community in our house would be one location in so. I WanNa make sure it looks good when people come like oh I can see how this can be beautiful. Not a mess. The Not wild name that they would want great. I love your goals. You guys are. She doesn’t make me so happy right now. Okay then I think Jen. We’ve talked offline about this before is because looked up as their local wild ones chapter in your area. I have not looked of wild ones isn’t organization that supports native native homeowner landscapes in in various areas and so a lot of municipalities. Have a wild ones chapter. That’s kind of like a a regional municipal kind thing. You know the Greater Metro area of each pretty pretty sizable town. I can’t remember if there’s one in your area or not. You Might WanNA check that out but they usually have programs tours just like you guys are talking about That goes to different people’s homes Speakers in in that sort of thing so it might be something guys might interested in your area. Or if you don’t have one you guys might be able to get started start. We left starting. Maybe maybe let’s get your landscape started. I but yeah I mean the other thing too is This is something. I’m learning with with our spaces. While is you know it’s it’s just the two of you right now. You don’t have a giant construction company helping you as far as they know at least in a giant nursery next door giving you a free plants and so this is a time process. You guys probably know this. But it’s an investment right in in it takes time in investment not only only money but also time in energy and focus so I certainly Built the pain of overstretching myself with trying to do too many things at once with too many different goals for example on our landscape by one provide native habitat spaces for my kid things I talked about all the time on the show right in also edible landscaping in it would like perennial based food systems on my landscape plus a have to repair everything in my house in the greater landscape because it was damaging our foundation all that sort of stuff too so the reality is it’s a long term process as what I’m experiencing. I would imagine you guys might feel the same and so just know that. Don’t over pressure yourselves with my guidance. To say you guys like it burned out to see that that you know you become frustrated with the space that you have so much ambition for they WANNA start with getting the shrubs and trees in that we want in there. We’re getting three more trees tomorrow and the other. There’s that like six Martry I wanna get in then. I think he’ll be telling the story about the three burglary so our neighbors behind US had. They had a tree line at between our house in their house. Right at the edge of the fence. The trees were narrow. It didn’t give a lot of visuals block but it was a nice. I look out the window in German. I would see a tree line. Will they were growing up into the power lines and so that might be why they cut them down with the customer down yesterday the now and we look out the window. Instead of seeing trees. We see driveway in the garage in their house in their garbage. Can I want a nicer so I was like? We have to get trees so I looked through. My family tree book found out. Red Bud would be the best one to fit the small state and local our ten minutes away. I’m going to get three. Red Buds tomorrow will Was the book mentioned Sibley Findlay. I’ve never heard that. S I B. Ally -ociety L. E. Y. Okay I six North American trees okay. Yeah and he writes down. It’s so I WANNA get some flowering dogwoods and some service varies a beautiful trees Just because they take so long to establish I really wanted to get the treason soon but then the garden that I’m focusing now is we didn’t talk about it but it’s right next to the house on the side is edible garden or it’s well caterpillars at garden okay.

00:40:28 – 00:45:01

This is Biz on her and I’m putting in at one job and then some ferns and flowers do want to any of the For everybody listening you WANNA share any of the plans you’ve found in nyu yeah so It’s the smallest garden space so I decided to start with that one so I could complete that one sooner in. We’re only GONNA get maybe a quarter or a third of it done this year because of our budget spent on my birthday money. Happy Birthday. So I’m I’m trying. What’s called a matrix planting and you can use grasses or stages or ferns and you just make a random matrix with spaces. Between with that and then plant the perennials inbetween Do some scattered or grouped shrubs on one tribe which is called a Snow Berry and I picked that one because it has white berries in down really pretty. There is a Shrub in Florida. That Way Peiris that I liked a lot. You also called Snow Gary but a different plant and it also is a host for the clear. Winged Butterfly Mock. So maybe we’ll get those here too and then I picked out Sensitive fern because it can grow in full sun so I got three of those and then I picked out lower so that I’d have a focus on two to four of them throughout the growing season every time. New Ones they’re blooming. They’re fading away so the first ones to blame will be spider war which adds three Purple pedals on it. Down actually is edible. Spider was edible. Yeah those really an and then we’re getting I don’t know what order they bloom in getting bone set which is a cluster of small white flowers. Common milkweed which looking at the gram requirements for different milk. Wade’s which is the host Vermont. Butterflies I found out. That’s the only one from a grower I purchasing from that would actually grow in our soil awkward for Milkweed in. We’re getting Zigzag Goldenrod in then I can’t remember and I just deleted the list of local I didn’t mean to quiz you. I was just curious what you had in different heights. The plants in one thing I actually doing. I’m not just looking at plants that are native to the US native to my state actually going to the USDA website and looking at. What’s native to my county though. Not Everything planting his but a lot of what glancing is native to the county. You have your own mini National Park. Okay Great Yeah. I found that that point really really interesting because I’ve always just said. Oh is this you know native to Ohio. I mean their own could have a plant. That only grows in western Ohio. We’re all the way over here in Eastern Ohio. And maybe doesn’t grow here so it’s an interesting thought that that there could be native plants all the way down to the county level. Run-up up for me. Is that if the plant is native here than there are probably insects that use it in the plans not native here there may or may not be insects that can use it. The Snow Berry actually isn’t from this county. I don’t believe I could be wrong but I don’t believe it is but that moth is here so I figure he’s full gear. The those are I mean. That’s all great to share because it goes back to your goals your goals supporting local native pollinators insects. That might be struggling right and so going back to that in having a clear reason for what you’re selecting it’s great and like you said. Yeah. I mean it makes sense to like a lot of times. I default to its eastern. Us native right or something like that. But the reality is even from me in southwest Ohio to southeast South southwest. Yeah mixing stuff up. You guys are northeast Ohio right and so. I’m I’m below the glacial Moraine. That’s you know in Ohio in you. Guys were in a glaciated area.

00:45:02 – 00:50:12

Several thousand years million years. I can’t do my math. Apparently but yeah. There’s there’s huge differences and you guys get lake effects immature with your weather And so all of those differences factor into what plans do well in your area. So that’s great. I don’t WanNa take up too much time. I just looked at the clock here guys. I’m loving our discussion so I hope because they’re getting some value out of this. I had one thought about the plants. You mentioned Just one general caution is that common milkweed has a tendency to overrun other things. I had heard the same. Might need to just keep an eye on it. It’s it’s a beautiful plant in. Its smells wonderful when it’s in bloom in it’s just covered with insects that love to apparently But yet does have a tendency to KINDA SHOOT OUT. runners in Kind of takeover. In so just something you might want to look at in. You might have to Kinda tend that one a little bit. It just depends on what he went out of the space I. I’ve always felt that like with regards for the benefit of the of the monarchs that whoever named it really did a disservice that they named it a we’d the lay persons not wanted in their yards. Right you there’s so many beautiful plants that have the common name of weed in them. Okay well before we wrap up. I also wanted this year If there’s any kind of for one if you guys have any plants that aren’t yet in the ground that need to get planted So there’s one question in the other was I wanted to hear Gary about your your fruit trees and to understand if you had any questions about them or what kind of what you were planning on doing with them as well so I you guys have. Any plant said. Need emergency planting Not Emergency we have at our coming in. May the second week doesn’t the ones to the butterfly garden and I wanNA make a dense planting so I’ve been wondering Johnny to follow the spacing guidelines they gave or should I plant them closer together than the you can go little denser. You’ll fill in faster. Obviously he’ll you’ll reduce we’d pressure until you will of course also get more competition between the plants Generally speaking a lot of like you mentioned Nigel. Done it earlier A lot of these naturalistic plants. People they do would denser planting pattern for those reasons it reduces competition between unwanted plants versus the planes. He planted although there is increased competition between the desired plants. You some every once in a while you get a reduced mature size of the plants or some of them struggle a little bit but overall most of actually fair pretty well out. Because you have such varied species in denser setting in so if you think about spacing guidelines a lot of times that’s based on ornamental desires or just the mature size of the plant. It was planted by itself only or if you think about typical gardening right how to how to space your green being. Your Bush said they don’t compete with the same species within you know a giant row. But here we’re talking about like you said the Matrix planting in so when you have densely planted like that you have some that have tap roots in some that produce Kind of underground rising that shoot laterally out some with very fibrous roots instead of all these different in of course above to you like spider wort which has very slender leaves in. So it’s not really like densely out competing everything in that space. Then you have your firm that comes in with like deviled shave next to rate in something that has a bit of a Bushier appearance. Or something denser growth pattern and so all these different plants mixed together really actually usually do pretty well. Because even other densely planted they’re not directly competing with each other. That makes sense. Yes Oh thank. He said he basically almost plants. The plant on top of each other space is always filled. At No matter. What’s blooming right right and so yeah. It feels on a bit faster but of course it’s been more expensive too so it’s kind of interplay between your budget you new resources What’s mature size of the plants are in that sort of thing? So what about the orchard? Is that what you’re calling it or the fruit trees Yeah the I would love to have a big orchard. No these I guess my main Vision for these is just simply You know have my own fruit That’s something that you know.

00:50:12 – 00:55:05

In in Florida really the only a fruits are are citrus in coconuts. I mean that’s that’s about all you get so for me. It’s exciting to be able to Plant Apples Pears and cherries and whatever else so okay. Okay great and so. You’ve already planted several of these. I planted three one one apple one pair and one cherry in the fair has leaves in. We’re hoping the other ones okay so I do have here southern Ohio. I do have Right now it’s late April I at all I have a charity. You said cheery appear in apple rate All three of mine have lied down. So one thing you can check Is We also had a very warm late winter here? So I don’t know if it’s been the same for you guys up north a little bit So that could affect things in you. Said they were dormant to right. So that’s during in shoot route so Alabama Beirut to okay so yes that’s what I’m sharing. That is totally irrelevant. Because they have wake up from their cold storage basically on. I’m sure there’s probably going to be some shock from waking up from wherever they were shipped in all said Narran Ohio. They’re probably right so it might take some time. I wouldn’t be too worried in your last frost date. I’M GONNA GUESS AROUND PUT MID. May is that right generally speaking. I don’t know when it is. I just now The native plant nursery around here at our wilderness center. They start selling in. May so I think may a safe to plant. Yeah I would guess it down here. It’s early May and so I think you guys are zone five A. I’m not sure but yeah so it’s okay if you don’t know I’m just trying to get my head but yet you’re still probably not in a stage where you need to be concerned or worried about the trees I would say give him time and once they start to warm up they’ll probably wake up in it because you’re planting in spring generally speaking it’s actually best to plant Woody plants in the fall just because it gives them time to. The roots are still active as long as the grounds not frozen in in so it gives them time to establish before the crazy. You know Crazy spring growth happens in than the intense heat of the summer. In drought of the summer happens instead of the only. It’s not necessarily bad planted there now. It’s just more that. Make sure you guys keep an eye on them to make sure they’re not getting to stress and so it’s make sure for one they’re not over watered Saddam. Sit Out there and water more time but ensure they get a good deep watering. It’s been a little dry for example And if they need a top dressing of compost or something or or something similar Might be helpful if they’re looking a little stress And that’s that’s great at the other thing too. Generally speaking the of fruit trees Even though you picture in orchard in rows of Apple Trees these wide lanes you can drive your you know your your hayride downright to go pick your apples in. It’s it’s all grassy right. This orchard grass well a lot of fruit trees actually do best with without grass right underneath them within their zone because they actually generally compete with each other in so at because the grasses secrete chemicals that suppress tree growth in some trees. I don’t know if Fruit trees do some trees do the opposite secrete chemicals to reduce grass growth. In and so that stresses the plants both directions basically in so few under plan with Some deciduous or basis type plans. They they tend to do a little better and so we can talk more offline about if you guys are interested in what types of plants you might be interested in that area that we could put under. The trees grow better. I was GONNA put bigly stemming panic grass that I might not work now I mean. Let me read up on that more to but in general. That’s that’s the IT. It comes from the permaculture spaces like generally you. You plant mixture basis theses under the trees in partly for that reason. Yeah and how would the root systems go far outweighed need up through the trees? Yeah generally speaking again.

00:55:06 – 01:00:05

This is general but for most orchard. Tight trees you’re talking the plant the tree so if you’re talking about it Through quite a few years it’s GonNa be pretty small it as they mature. That’s that’s base is. GonNA GET BIGGER YEAR IN. Depends on if you’re putting them intending so yeah well. I guess before we wrap up. Is there any other questions you guys have that you talk about right now? I just had a question about soil because I know you know about it. And I’m kind of intimidated Now if we put our grass our soil it’s like complete. Klay like you could do an art project with an a lot of the spring ephemeral. ‘s need what kind of slowly finding a forest more rich soil. I’ve saw I saw that. Some will grow on clay but I know that Ohio to be adaptable to. I WANNA put some spring ephemeral back in again area at some point. Is the soil going to be a problem? Do I need to do something? So they grow cutter Are there certain types are? Are there specific ephemeral? You’re thinking of right now or are you just talking more? In general in general I think I could say for example. I don’t know if I’m gonNA PLANT THE SAMBA. Columbine I think that needs more of a sandy loamy soil is from the top of my head. That seems really direct. Yeah okay trillion. So those those do generally prefer Richer Humzi soil organic matter but So what we’ll do is Alright a few thoughts. Let’s talk also in the form about that. But the quick recommendation for something like trillium for example. That definitely requires a good healthy. Organic rich soil is is. You could do a layering of compost mulch. There basically of good good Good quality than not like the bad stuff that died at the store but some fresh In a dense layer that you might not be able to plant something like trillions in the first year in that but give it even just a year In in that layer of wood mall. Especially if you have or you can do wooden mock you could do Chopped leaves as well back there. If you guys get a lot of leaf drop in your area so my wife. Kinda roles are is every year but I. I picked up our little utility trailer. I drive around the neighborhood. Every all it took up people’s bag leads and I bring him back and run amok with us the lawnmower in the they they add tons of organic matter to the slow. So you could. You could build up that class. Or they’re pretty quick. That’s what I’d done. With our annual garden area a there was no topsoil there at all it is the same as you get soon as you put up the grass. It was it was super dense clay and by adding some some some of this chopped leaves there over the course of about two years in a bunch of Mulch. It turned into six inches of dark like really dark brown soil. That was great for for planting so takes a little time to to create or sure but if you put the raw materials they’re the microbes will do the job for you in it’s really great so before something like trillions which definitely requires it. You Might WanNa do that combines. I’ll have to look that up again but I don’t know if there is. They might be a bit more forgiving. So it depends on certainly depends on November on. You’re talking about. I read that Virginia bluebells will grow in Clay. Okay those can at least a Marnie jealous of your property you guys. It’s it’s so amazing so I love your energy yet. Let’s so I’m super excited to keep talking with you guys throughout the season so make sure you reach out with any questions and I’m happy to chat. We can always reconnect on a video. Chat like this or or in the forum or just shoot me an e mail whatever is most convenient to you all right so thank you guys so much for joining today. I really appreciate it. Thank you thanks. Ourika has I don’t know about you but that was awesome. I love talking with Jen and Gerry. I’m so energized energy. They have in the progress. They’ve made already is amazing Just Jennifer she’s like a great crazy knowledge base to of all this cool stuff. She so much. Passion for for native plants in for wildlife and stuff in the to see how she can bring that into her own landscape and to To create you know how driven she is to create positive space.

01:00:05 – 01:04:50

She’s teaching me stuff too. So it’s really cool and seeing Gary’s Pasha for all these you know more diverse interests is really cool to Boone size something. I had this. You know like five million hobbies or a desired hobbies reality is. I don’t have the time for it. Right we’ll bonsai was one of the things that just I’ve always found fascinating so It’s really cool to see what Gary is trying to do with that space. You know basically something. That was a problem. He’s turned into a really creative Outlet for for one of his hobbies which I think is super cool so anyway guys again the themes for this You know that I’ve I’m seeing emerging here is is one to to create a design that kind of merges everything together and I’ve already had some follow up discussion with Jen in the forum. The community form for the membership and Jen Is Weaving kind of between their front yard garden and their side guard in the Front Yard Garden. She’s calling the be garden. The side garden is The Butterfly Guard in so between those spaces. There’s some by merging some of the similar plants and similar blooms times and and Lay Out Like a style between the two spaces it kind of brings a cohesiveness to it. And so that’s a wave to you. Know take all these different elements but still bringing together from a design standpoint to make it feel fluid to make their feel like there’s flow between the spaces to make it feel like one cohesive property as opposed to a bunch of disjointed pieces that don’t necessarily flow together don’t necessarily marry well together and so this is a really big thing when people are you know we us. We are creating our landscapes his if we have different ideas How to how to bring it together in the same space to feel like a good quality design so that’s a key here Something that will continue to work on a I’ll continue to work on which Jennifer Gerry To make sure we’re continuing to do that. Secondly the other piece is with all these crazy ideas Crazy in a good way. All these crazy ideas and all these different ideas across the whole space of their landscape notes that entire transformation of landscape right. And so how do you do all that without becoming completely overwhelmed and that’s where you know? Taking pieces step-by-step finding the right priorities The right timing to do things the based on your time. Your budget resources. You have the urgency of each project. A really helps determine the prioritization of things. And how to get things done so again? If you’re transforming your landscape make sure you’re aware that stuff too also if you WanNa jump start your landscaping process. You want to help you know. Figure out how to have the right design like this out work through the process how to prevent becoming overwhelmed. That’s what the easy living yards. Membership is four how to select the right plants for your space as well. So if you’re considering a making this major transformation to create a positive change in your landscape head on over check out the easy living membership at easy living yards dot com slash membership become a member today just ten bucks a month. Super cheap super affordable. And that’s my purpose to help as many people like you to make positive change in your landscape so head on over. Check it out. I’ve got all the links in the show notes as well or in the notes below if you’re watching the video So check those out Awesome books I’ve referenced there as well so if you if you’re looking for some resources on there some great books bringing Nature Home Awesome Book on Perennial I’m sorry a perennial plants mostly But to sustain wildlife in to really support insects and birds that are beneficial for wildlife And for Habitat is will so secondly the no maintenance garden by Roy? Dib Lick awesome book for providing awesome templates of these perennial plans Native Plants Beautiful Native Gardens That you can do in your landscape so on another awesome book there Planting a new perspective is a great book by Noel Kingsbury and out of bunch of inspirational design photos that are throughout the book. It’s Kinda like halfway between a textbook in a coffee shop book. I find it super entertaining. I don’t know if you will but it’s also very informative and has a lot of inspirational photos. That are very helpful. Check out those books. Awesome books guys. Thanks for staying tuned in this show and I look forward to seeing you in the membership cheers and of course. Let’s sign out properly right. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure you live with passion and make tomorrow better than today.