Wood Chip Negatives, Open Garden Information, Carex Lawn, Winter Pruning, Garden Questions Answered

[@maryanne2666]

To the 12 year old wanting to get a gardening gig…that’s awesome! Maybe try to find some older gardeners in the neighborhood who physically cannot keep them up anymore. They may welcome some help. Ask if you can put your name in at the local senior center or with local garden clubs to let them know you are looking for work/volunteer opportunities.

[@freedomofreligion3248]

You are such a loving, kind doggie Dad & Mom. Truly kind-hearted people treat their animals w tenderness.

[@stephanyputnam]

We are so lucky to have them. Thank you!

[@katiekane5247]

​@@stephanyputnam😊 just spent money on a new heated blanket for the old dog who loves to be on the front porch love seat and a heat lamp for the box where the feral kitten I haven't caught yet sleeps

[@trishferrer8209]

Griffin and Holly are so cute!!! We viewers don't get to see him very often. I'm allergic to animals, so I just live vicariously through you and others who have fluffybutt family members.

[@bonniejackson7476]

Jim you are correct about the loss of our young people working. However my 12 year old grandson does rake yards and blow driveways for neighbors. I think part of this may be because parents don’t know the neighbors and feel uncomfortable letting their youngsters work for a stranger. Just my thought.😊

[@lilypad342]

No my youngest( who just turned 16) has been making things to sell on a table in our driveway when they were 10 and has been knocking on doors in this neighborhood since they were 13 asking to rake leaves and sho snow and nobody is biting. They worked at McDonalds when they were 15! So it’s not all young people.

[@josh.kaptur]

Thank you for the thoughtful answer to my question last week (Japanese maple that didn’t drop its leaves). I really appreciate your channel.

[@karlaplatt5538]

We had drainage / wet areas in our yard. I discovered there were a few contributing factors that have been an ongoing battle. The first was 5 layers of weed barrier that were trapping moisture. I would guess the last layer was likely placed ~25 years ago as it's thin plastic. Unfortunately this layer has been the most problematic and coming up in very small pieces. The second contributing factor was parts of the yard are sloped and a previous owner had put down pebbles as a means of controlling erosion that formed a thick layer that i found ~1 foot of soil. This has been an extremely painful process removing. One of the BEST and cheapest mitigating strategies that made a difference was wood chips. I added ~6 to 7 inches of chips in the extremely muddy areas. This was definitely a game changer. I used chipdrop for obtaining the chips. Other strategies were regrading and adding drainage boxes. We tried doing this ourselves and ended up hiring professionals for additional drainage boxes we added.

[@MickF04]

The double-shredded and composted hardwood mulch I use comes from virgin hardwoods (no pallets or recycled woods). As such, it breaks down a bit faster than the cheaper hardwood mulches. I am fine with having to replenish the mulch a bit more often. I like that this mulch is softer to walk on.

[@tomsmith9089]

When visiting your garden last summer, we saw a Nandina filaments 'San Gabriel'. Funny fact, I was in the nursery business in S. Californ ia and used to order from San Gabriel Nursery for my nursery all the time and was able to get them way back when. Can you tell me where you sourced the one we saw in your garden? See you in June! Once again, a big thank you for all you and Steph do, Congrats on the wedding and a Happy and prosperous New Year!

[@tomsmith9089]

Correction on the Nandina name: Nandina domestica 'Filamentosa'

[@myredrose45]

Hi Jim and Stephany, Holly and Griffen. I love you both. I'm still trying to catch up on watching your videos. Life has been busy. I planted some camilias this past fall, and the deer did sample them eating any buds that were on them, I guess I shouldn't worry as they are still getting established. Thanks for all your great videos 😊

[@janeb.6b]

Yes to more plant fam vids! Griffin looks like a cartoon 😆❤️

[@katiekane5247]

He's got wild hair! Such a cutie 🥰

[@debrabray8855]

I heard a comedian say that those of us born in the 1900's, have more in common with pilgrims than we do with a 12-14 year old.😂 So true. Most people my age did hustle for summer jobs. The new kids have online jobs.

[@MsAshmomma]

Jim you are so nostalgic. This is an instant society so the customers want their yard done rather quickly rather than what. it takes for just a kid and a rake. The young people have tech jobs and go to camps and quite frankly have youtube channels like you. They have a different hustle.

[@HandcraftedintheFoothills]

I see it starting to go back though...more and more kids are doing yard work at least where i live

[@Kylie4Queen]

34:00 I hear you, Jim. I think the hustle gave way to video games and allowances.

[@HandcraftedintheFoothills]

Its also led to very inactive unhealthy youth...I look around and see so many obese teens it breaks my heart

[@Megabomberman87]

Hi Jim, great Q and A as always, now my go to podcast to relax to and enjoy. A more general question/suggestion for you. I am currently in the process of planting a new large shrub bed and I am nearly finished planting my small/medium size trees and shrubs. In general I find there is a dearth of information on how to map out a mixed border that includes small trees such as redbuds/amelanchier etc. I think it could make a good topic for a video for you to show the planting around some of your limbed up mature shrubs and small trees. I have studied your garden walkthrough series to glean ideas but one hyper-focused on underplanting/arranging in and around these trees when freshly planted and then mature could be valuable. Thanks again as always.

[@erincolleen7436]

Thanks Jim and Steph! Have a nice week.

[@GuitarWatsonMusic]

Jim's neighbor needs a KZbin! 😅 Seriously, I did the same thing as a kid - snow shoveling and leaves. Made some serious cash.

[@cardunig1]

This is in response to the ditch question. I have a neighbor that has planted elephant ear bulbs in their roadside ditch. It is obviously shady there in the summer. It looks.... Interesting.

[@stephaniesharkey3538]

When we lived in Buffalo , NY I used to see tented shrubs done with “ sticks and burlap! And wind screens put up for larger areas! That would stop drifting snow and break the cold wind!

[@marshawilliamson8602]

Mt. Cuba named carex woodii as their top pick. Definitely visit the website. Also, Sam was interviewed on the podcast, “Away to Garden” by Margaret Roach. 🌸🐝

[@nadia_rem8511]

Michael Razzel fungi product. Lol at the captions. You have saved me lots of money Jim. From not buying the fungi starter stuff, bagged box store soils, fungicides, acidifiers, ect. Thanks for the great info as always.

[@SnappyR]

Hey Jim - I have a ton of leaves in the winter from trees from the woods in the back of my house. Is there ever a concern about leaves used as mulch in the winter having come from possibly diseased trees or insects etc. Nobody could ever really know or manage that - the leaves do protect my shrubs in the back yard, and I don't think there have ever been issues, but should I take advantage of this surplus and use it in my other garden beds or just leave things be where they fall naturally in the back of the yard? I think I read once that if a leaf comes from a diseased tree, once it is separated from the living tree, then the disease dies. This doesn't sound right to me - could you please address in general? Thanks!

[@chriscoogan2736]

Thanks for answering my question!

[@lisagreen7499]

I grew up growing tobacco! Many kids need to do it! My friend also grew it growing up. We are both fans of yours & love to garden. We always laugh about thinking we were gonna die in the tobacco patch from the heat & now we love it & grow stuff that makes no money🤣

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Griffin is so adorable!

[@sharonupchurch6734]

My dog, Ariel, saw Griffin this morning and wanted him to come play. She barked and wagged her tail. It was so cute. When Griffin left, she was disappointed and walked away. She has never noticed Holly. Maybe she understands that Holly is older. You have probably told us before but how old is Griffin? Do you know what breed he is? He has a friend in Missouri. Ariel is a 3 year old Springer/Standard Poodle mix. She is VERY high energy.

[@susanprytherch2301]

Yay - more plant family videos!😊

[@MsNanilee]

Thank you for the weekly garden Q&As, I'm a huge fun. I have a 4 ft wide strip of planting space between my driveway and paved backyard. What kind of deciduous tree I can plant to provide shade in the summer? I would like the tree to be big enough to provide shade, but roots not lifting the pavers on either side. I live in NJ zone 6b/7a.

[@susanpotter5795]

Hi Jim. I’d love to see a video comparing salvia varieties you have tried. I am interested in the Lake series -I think you added some last year or so. How do they compare to Summer Jewels and others. Would also like to know where to find them. Thank you!

[@kathowe2able]

I have planted roses this year in N TX zone 8b. All of them still have their leaves. Do I need to defoliate them? Does this apply to drift roses too? Thank you for all the knowledge you share.

[@GardeningSpirit]

Couldn't agree with you more on why aren't kids knocking on doors for side jobs. Our 16 year old has been working for 3 years and has held many jobs, currently working 2 jobs. He loves making money and we pushed him to work bc that's what we did too. It teaches the value of responsibility, work ethic and how to save. Alot if not most kids his age in our town don't work at all or a little bit in the summer months. We don't get it. And I hate leaf blowers!! Ok enough rant.

[@freedomofreligion3248]

AND, the triple-shred is better than anything else, imo.

[@donnajoy6951]

Another informative video ~❤

[@kclancy8128]

Hi Jim and Stephanie, Do you know 'Plant Vibrations with Devin Wallien'? He is in Eastern PA area and has menttioned Mt Cuba center on his channel. I enjoy learning about gardens and nature in your travel videos.

[@hazelnorman8102]

Jim, I wrote you 3 wks ago on Dec 18 about 2 small camelias about 36" tall. Helene uprooted big trees that were protecting them from full sun. I asked if I needed to move them or can they take the full sun ALL DAY LONG in Zone 8B Georgia. Your answer the following week was about LARGE trees that can take sun. These 36" trees have been in the ground for 2 winters. Do I need to move them for protection from the sun and when?

[@GardenDoodles]

We wrapped the trunks of all our small trees with burlap wrap in the fall. Wondering if we should remove them after winter or if we can leave them wrapped year round. They seem to prevent dogs from peeing on the trunk and trimmers from cutting the bark so we’d like to leave them all wrapped if there’s no harm.

[@pbandjayable]

When is the “repair pruning of your Vitex tree video and the “how you keep water on your lot video” going to be out there to watch? I am sort of dealing with both of those issues too and would love to see your ideas on how to handle them. As always, thanks for all of the great content✨ -from Greenwell Springs, LA zone 8b-9a

[@sherriianiro747]

I learned the hard way some of these guys with expensive equipment don't know a clematis from a weed so you need to check their credentials first. It's starting to get better here with the younger kids doing yard work but I noticed for some reason very few people will hire them.

[@rogerpruitt2097]

Is there a rule of thumb on how big of a circle to make when root pruning?

[@قناةطبخالمغربيالاصيل]

مسيرة مزفقةحفظك تلته ورعاك 💚💚💚💚🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@travisjones7830]

Zone 8a, Fuquay-Varina. I need to transplant 3 x 25# Carolina Sapphires that I planted 2 years ago. Should I root prune now and transplant in late Winter? Thanks!

[@anneedens3202]

???? In my constant battle against weeds, I decided l to lay sheets of cardboard topped with mulch this fall. So far, it has worked brilliantly. My question is this: Do I need to remove the cardboard if I want to add compost or fertilize this spring? I am still trying to improve my planting beds after ripping out old, overgrown shrubs a couple of years ago. I have one bed in particular that is mostly clay that I am trying to improve the soil. I put in a layer of wood chips (thanks Chip Drop!) two years ago. It now has a layer of cardboard with wood mulch on top of it. Any other tips for improving soil greatly appreciated. I'm in Summerville/Charleston, SC, Zone 8B. Thanks in advance.

[@makbruno1]

What's the ivy on the table?

[@johnheyer6087]

Hi Jim, I may have missed it, but I was wondering where and how you do the propagating of plants.

[@rosemarybushea3447]

To the question that mentioned "volunteer" specifically, perhaps there's a community garden that could use help or your local Habitat for Humanity. To Jim's point, I would say that personally, for years now, it has been nearly impossible to find teens willing to do manual labor/garden tasks, even when paying top dollar. I have, however, found many twenty-somethings who label themselves as "Landscape" companies, but don't know the difference between a valued plant and a weed. And the prices for simple services are very high because they have an overhead (truck, trailer, mower). Yeah, not great experiences here. . .I know I'm old school, but bring back the days when more kids were motivated to get out and earn extra money. And Kudos to the kids willing to volunteer and the parents teaching them to do so.

[@agmin2098]

😬🥹

[@zombiefukr626]

You wouldn't believe how many "Landscaper" jobs I've had to go fix!! Tons of them are a total scam. We basically have no real gardeners anymore.

[@katiekane5247]

​@@zombiefukr626two guys and a blower do not a landscaping company make!

[@sherriianiro747]

💯!!!!! They don't want to babysit or shovel snow either because the parents don't want them to work, not realizing these kids will never develop basic communication skills, responsibility, and making their own money which will give them confidence.

[@sherriianiro747]

​@@zombiefukr626I had one that totally destroyed all the buds of my deutzia with a leaf blower and killed my galanthus because he thought it was a weed - he had no idea what they were. Just a bunch of grass - cutters a dime a dozen in my opinion.

[@zombiefukr626]

That's freaking hilarious to sell them liquid fertilizer so they'll water the plant 😂

[@darlas4019]

New gardener in 6a West Virginia, I put in 4 encore azaleas and four juniper nanas in late spring last year, relatively small plants around one foot. Should I be clearing snow off of them or leave it for insulation?

[@heatherw.2751]

I have a couple fall planted things that I’ve covered with frost protection blankets but when I took it off the next day, there was frost on the leaves. What’s the use if frost can still reach the foliage and burn it?

[@katiekane5247]

It helps prevent dessication from the wind which causes a lot of winter burn damage

[@kimberly6123]

Hi! I live in Lynchburg, VA, zone 7B. Is it too late to plug aerate our lawn if the lawn is not frozen? We eventually hope to have less and less lawn, but what we do have is very compacted. Thanks!

[@MickF04]

We're looking for foundation plants in an area that's about 15-16' wide. The exposed foundation is 1.5' high, and the windows are 5' from the ground. We're in Central Texas (zone 8b), and this area gets full sun from 8am-4pm at the summer solstice. We're considering the Orange Rocket Barberry. It's 4' height would cover the foundation nicely, but with a 1.5' width, we would need several for this area. Given your aversion to mass planting anything, do you have any suggestions? How close can they be planted to the foundation?

[@lisamorgan9151]

Don’t see the ticket sales on website. Sorry. I’m sure it’s me. 😮

[@AnnPull]

Jim are you wearing a wedding ring? Did you and Steph get married?

[@seandelevan]

Yeah he talked about it in last weeks Q and A.

[@dawnb7457]

As kids we always had small jobs for spending money...my brothers would knock on doors like you Jim. Kids today don't seem hungry for that...often indulged, so no interest. Just my observation and opinion.

[@HandcraftedintheFoothills]

Uninterested, unhealthy and no ambition...sad the generation we are raising up

[@sherriianiro747]

The parents don't want them to work. It's everything from raking leaves, shoveling snow and babysitting.

[@HandcraftedintheFoothills]

@@sherriianiro747 that is even more sad....they are teaching them all the wrong things

[@CureRent]

New Congress HOTMA Guidelines effective 2025. CureRent helps landlords prepare. Happy Gardening!