WEBVTT 00:00.434 --> 00:01.635 >> Hi, there, I'm Tom Spencer. 00:01.635 --> 00:03.637 This week on "Central Texas Gardener," 00:03.637 --> 00:06.640 explore beneficial plants with Jay Beard from Lone Star 00:06.640 --> 00:07.641 Nursery. 00:07.641 --> 00:10.177 From hibiscus tea to native milkweeds, 00:10.177 --> 00:12.412 see what grows organically. 00:12.412 --> 00:16.216 On tour, meet the Compost Pedallers who cycle around to 00:16.216 --> 00:19.987 recycle your household scraps and nourish local urban farms. 00:19.987 --> 00:23.323 Daphne makes her pick of the week and explains how to prune 00:23.323 --> 00:26.660 coral honeysuckle, plus John Dromgoole has your Backyard 00:26.660 --> 00:27.761 Basics tip. 00:27.761 --> 00:30.898 So, let's get growing, right here, right now! 00:30.898 --> 00:33.300 >> "Central Texas Gardener" is sponsored by the Austin Area 00:33.300 --> 00:35.736 Garden Center in Zilker Botanical Garden, 00:35.736 --> 00:38.772 home of 31 local garden clubs and the Zilker garden festival. 00:38.772 --> 00:41.842 Zilkergarden.org. 00:41.842 --> 00:45.679 [Music]. 00:55.822 --> 00:58.558 >> There's a lot of household waste beyond food scraps that 00:58.558 --> 01:00.994 can go into a compost pile to nourish our plants, 01:00.994 --> 01:04.431 but if you don't have room or time to do it the Compost 01:04.431 --> 01:07.668 Pedallers can cycle by to recycle for you and nourish 01:07.668 --> 01:09.870 urban farms. 01:09.870 --> 01:11.238 >> My name's Dan. 01:11.238 --> 01:13.907 I'm a pedaller with the East Side Compost Pedallers in 01:13.907 --> 01:14.908 Austin, Texas. 01:14.908 --> 01:19.846 We pick up residential and commercial organic waste stream 01:19.846 --> 01:23.517 basically to divert it from landfill. 01:23.517 --> 01:25.519 >> We're about to break about 100, 01:25.519 --> 01:30.057 000 pounds composted all without burning any diesel fuel. 01:30.057 --> 01:34.795 >> We love the Compost Pedallers because they do such a unique 01:34.795 --> 01:40.000 service for our community by literally driving around picking 01:40.000 --> 01:43.503 up food scraps on the back of their bikes and taking it to 01:43.503 --> 01:46.306 places that need that for compost. 01:46.306 --> 01:48.675 >> The material that we collect we call it scrapple. 01:48.675 --> 01:52.346 And scrapple is anything that you can compost with the Compost 01:52.346 --> 01:55.048 Pedallers, and obviously that includes fruit and veggie 01:55.048 --> 01:56.049 scraps. 01:56.049 --> 01:58.218 >> Some of the things that can go in are tea bags. 01:58.218 --> 02:03.824 Just put it right in your bucket, the whole tea bag. 02:03.824 --> 02:07.294 >> If you compost four pounds it turns into about a pound of 02:07.294 --> 02:08.528 finished compost. 02:08.528 --> 02:10.697 >> The dryer lint definitely. 02:10.697 --> 02:12.766 And a couple of other things around the house that people 02:12.766 --> 02:16.269 might not think about, pencil shavings, toilet paper rolls. 02:16.269 --> 02:21.008 When you're done with a roll, just put it in your compost bin. 02:21.008 --> 02:23.410 It helps to tear it up a little bit into smaller pieces so it 02:23.410 --> 02:24.711 composts more quickly. 02:24.711 --> 02:26.713 >> We do have two kitchens in our building. 02:26.713 --> 02:28.715 One is the staff kitchen upstairs. 02:28.715 --> 02:31.952 On the first floor is a teaching and a commercial kitchen and the 02:31.952 --> 02:36.023 bulk of what we're generating goes in those compost bins. 02:36.023 --> 02:38.025 >> Sometimes I go through my spice drawer. 02:38.025 --> 02:42.496 I know I found these bay leaves that are very old and they can 02:42.496 --> 02:45.899 all go in the compost and you can recycle the bag. 02:45.899 --> 02:47.901 I want to talk about junk mail, right? 02:47.901 --> 02:48.902 We all get tons of junk mail. 02:48.902 --> 02:54.875 So, if it's shiny paper like catalogs, 02:57.210 --> 02:58.545 that goes in recycling. 02:58.545 --> 03:00.981 Shiny paper is for recycling. 03:00.981 --> 03:04.084 Magazines, these cardboard inserts, 03:04.084 --> 03:06.219 these are great for composting. 03:06.219 --> 03:08.488 Tear them up, throw them in. 03:08.488 --> 03:12.959 And then as far as junk mail, if it's shiny or has a plastic 03:12.959 --> 03:16.997 window, go ahead and recycle that. 03:16.997 --> 03:20.734 But the contents are all perfectly good to throw in your 03:20.734 --> 03:21.735 recycling bin. 03:21.735 --> 03:23.737 >> I was really surprised to see, 03:23.737 --> 03:26.406 even in a very progressive city like Austin, 03:26.406 --> 03:30.343 that there's so many people who have no idea what composting is 03:30.343 --> 03:34.815 or why someone would think of doing anything but throwing it 03:34.815 --> 03:37.084 all in one container and putting it at the curb. 03:37.084 --> 03:39.753 >> And so I just saw this beautiful connect between the 03:39.753 --> 03:43.256 amount of waste that we create and all the people who are 03:43.256 --> 03:46.193 starting to get interested in growing their own food. 03:46.193 --> 03:49.796 >> We're promoting that seed-to-table approach. 03:49.796 --> 03:53.700 Part of the entire food system is always what ends up back in 03:53.700 --> 03:56.736 our soil and the best thing for our soil is compost. 03:56.736 --> 03:57.737 And where do you get that? 03:57.737 --> 03:59.739 You get that from your food scraps. 03:59.739 --> 04:02.175 >> So I had this idea for the Compost Pedallers and it was 04:02.175 --> 04:05.278 really just kind of a pipe dream idea really until I met Eric 04:05.278 --> 04:07.414 Goff who's now my business partner. 04:07.414 --> 04:09.716 >> I've always loved gardens, that's what we got me interested 04:09.716 --> 04:13.620 in it is, like, my experience doing gardening and stuff. 04:13.620 --> 04:16.957 So doing that you stop being squeamish about composting and 04:16.957 --> 04:19.226 you start, like, really loving it. 04:19.226 --> 04:22.763 >> Not everyone has the space or really the time to cultivate a 04:22.763 --> 04:24.264 compost pile. 04:24.264 --> 04:27.834 Since 2012, East Side Compost Pedallers cycles to the rescue 04:27.834 --> 04:30.537 through five neighborhoods to collect residential and 04:30.537 --> 04:33.173 commercial compostables. 04:33.173 --> 04:37.177 Residential customers pay just $4 a week to spare the landfill 04:37.177 --> 04:41.515 and nourish their neighborhood farms and urban microgrowers. 04:41.515 --> 04:46.286 >> I wanted to have a real direct environmental impact on 04:46.286 --> 04:47.287 my neighborhood. 04:47.287 --> 04:49.422 I just kind of like the solitude when I'm riding around early in 04:49.422 --> 04:50.757 the morning. 04:50.757 --> 04:55.462 I enjoy listening to podcasts while I do my work and I think 04:55.462 --> 04:56.463 that's pretty nice. 04:56.463 --> 04:58.465 I like that it's a physical job. 04:58.465 --> 05:01.668 I spent time -- before doing this job I spent time working in 05:01.668 --> 05:07.641 an office for several years and I was very happy to start doing 05:07.641 --> 05:12.145 something physical that just made me sort of feel alive, 05:12.145 --> 05:13.146 I guess. 05:13.146 --> 05:15.215 >> For efficiency and neighborhood connectivity, 05:15.215 --> 05:18.318 pedallers pick up and drop off within a few miles. 05:18.318 --> 05:21.254 Some neighbors donate their garage to store the Metrofiets 05:21.254 --> 05:22.889 cargo bikes and supplies. 05:22.889 --> 05:25.392 >> And the pedalling's not bad. 05:25.392 --> 05:27.394 It's not hard to ride these bikes, 05:27.394 --> 05:30.163 even when there's several hundred pounds in them. 05:30.163 --> 05:32.365 >> What we do is we provide a bin, 05:32.365 --> 05:35.635 which is a bin which is a five-gallon bucket with a lid. 05:35.635 --> 05:38.672 >> And the vacuum, all the pet hair that you vacuum up when you 05:38.672 --> 05:41.441 brush your cats or dogs, put the pet hair in the bucket but 05:41.441 --> 05:44.845 certainly any of your vacuum contents, right into the bin. 05:44.845 --> 05:49.549 >> They fill it throughout the week and I come by on the bike, 05:49.549 --> 05:52.686 stop, pick up their bucket. 05:52.686 --> 05:55.655 So what I'm doing now is I'm just going to weigh my bin. 05:55.655 --> 05:59.192 >> So as a member you're able to go on the website and look at a 05:59.192 --> 06:03.530 score card that shows you in realtime updated each week how 06:03.530 --> 06:05.865 much you've composted to date. 06:05.865 --> 06:07.867 >> They sanitize with organic soap. 06:10.370 --> 06:16.109 >> Because we put a paper bag in the bin every week, 06:16.109 --> 06:19.879 I tear it up just so that it breaks down a little more 06:19.879 --> 06:20.413 quickly. 06:20.413 --> 06:22.582 I like to write little encouraging notes. 06:22.582 --> 06:28.588 Well, maybe not with this one. 06:35.195 --> 06:37.564 30% of the residential waste stream is compostable, 06:37.564 --> 06:39.666 but if you're talking about the commercial waste stream in 06:39.666 --> 06:43.169 restaurants, it's more like 50% to 80%. 06:43.169 --> 06:45.805 >> We have a lot of vegetable scrap and instead of it going 06:45.805 --> 06:50.277 into a dumpster it goes back into soil and our local 06:50.277 --> 06:53.613 community and gets more food for everybody. 06:53.613 --> 06:57.784 >> We've been doing recycling the whole time and we're -- we 06:57.784 --> 06:59.319 actually won an award from the city. 06:59.319 --> 07:01.755 >> The fact that we're taking several hundred pounds of waste 07:01.755 --> 07:04.991 out of the landfill I think more than makes up for the small cost 07:04.991 --> 07:06.326 that we pay. 07:06.326 --> 07:07.794 >> We get more customers because we do it. 07:07.794 --> 07:13.934 We also changed the way our box looks. 07:14.801 --> 07:17.637 >> You sort of do your route so that once you get to a point 07:17.637 --> 07:19.873 where you're loaded up, then you're right there at your drop 07:19.873 --> 07:21.007 site. 07:21.007 --> 07:23.009 >> We drop them here or we drop them at local gardens, 07:23.009 --> 07:25.512 community gardens where they have the same sort of bay set up 07:25.512 --> 07:26.513 here. 07:26.513 --> 07:28.782 >> And Dustin said he was even able to break up, like, 07:28.782 --> 07:32.986 a lot of the paper plates are pretty large and when you chop 07:32.986 --> 07:35.522 them into smaller pieces then that's always going to help as 07:35.522 --> 07:36.523 well. 07:36.523 --> 07:38.491 >> You don't want to put shredded paper in your recycling 07:38.491 --> 07:39.492 bin. 07:39.492 --> 07:43.096 It can jam up the recycling machines so this is really great 07:43.096 --> 07:44.097 for your compost bucket. 07:44.097 --> 07:46.099 It helps absorb a lot of the moisture. 07:46.099 --> 07:48.501 Dannea has a bill -- and this is a good idea -- credit card 07:48.501 --> 07:49.769 offers or junk mail. 07:49.769 --> 07:54.641 You're not going to have to worry about ID theft. 07:54.641 --> 07:57.877 >> So this is the end of my route or part of my route. 07:57.877 --> 08:02.082 What we do is we partner with a number of farms, 08:02.082 --> 08:07.454 community gardens, and just local growers, microgrowers, 08:07.454 --> 08:12.092 and we provide our scraps to them. 08:12.092 --> 08:14.728 >> We get probably a couple of hundred pounds of compost from 08:14.728 --> 08:20.433 them a week and then we're able to break that down and we have 08:20.433 --> 08:24.371 multiple stages in our hot composting bays and a bay for 08:24.371 --> 08:25.305 all of our finished compost. 08:25.305 --> 08:27.640 >> We compost at over 20 different urban farms, 08:27.640 --> 08:29.642 community gardens, and back yards. 08:29.642 --> 08:31.678 >> Their margins are relatively thin, 08:31.678 --> 08:35.382 and so being able to provide a resource and to help those 08:35.382 --> 08:39.486 growers by providing nutrients is also really attractive to me. 08:39.486 --> 08:43.757 >> Waste is also a manmade convention, right? 08:43.757 --> 08:45.225 Waste in nature does not exist. 08:45.225 --> 08:48.027 If you go walk around in the woods there's no such thing as a 08:48.027 --> 08:49.028 landfill. 08:49.028 --> 08:53.466 And at the end of the day we've diverted tons and tons of 08:53.466 --> 08:56.970 material from the landfill and used that to empower people to 08:56.970 --> 08:58.371 grow more food. 08:58.371 --> 09:00.373 >> Thanks for sharing your garden with us. 09:00.373 --> 09:02.976 Now we're going to be turning to different groups of plants that 09:02.976 --> 09:05.879 have benefits for you and benefits for garden visitors, 09:05.879 --> 09:06.880 like butterflies. 09:06.880 --> 09:08.948 I'm joined by Jay Beard from Lone Star Nursery. 09:08.948 --> 09:10.950 Jay, welcome back to the program. 09:10.950 --> 09:11.951 >> Thank you. 09:11.951 --> 09:13.953 I appreciate you having me back. 09:13.953 --> 09:15.955 >> Yeah, and it's a real pleasure. 09:15.955 --> 09:17.957 You've brought an interesting group of things with you and 09:17.957 --> 09:23.196 we're going to start by talking about some plants that have 09:23.196 --> 09:25.198 medicinal or edible properties that a lot of us are unaware of. 09:25.198 --> 09:28.468 And some plants that are kind of new to the area altogether, 09:28.468 --> 09:31.604 including tea tree, which is famous here locally, 09:31.604 --> 09:33.606 or worldwide, I guess, for tea tree oil. 09:33.606 --> 09:34.607 >> Yep. 09:34.607 --> 09:36.609 So tea tree oil, also called melaleuca alternifolia. 09:36.609 --> 09:42.615 It grows great in Austin. 09:45.518 --> 09:51.591 It's an evergreen and, yes, it's famous all over the world for 09:51.591 --> 09:54.761 its anti-septic as well as anti-bacterial. 09:54.761 --> 09:56.095 >> Anti-fungal. 09:56.095 --> 09:57.097 >> Anti-fungal. 09:57.097 --> 09:59.265 >> Yeah. 09:59.265 --> 10:01.334 >> And it's heavy in the oil. 10:01.334 --> 10:05.071 So growing the plant, you can -- you'll have massive amounts of 10:05.071 --> 10:07.006 oil. 10:07.006 --> 10:08.007 >> So how do you harvest it? 10:08.007 --> 10:08.641 I'm curious. 10:08.641 --> 10:10.276 The plant is beautiful, by the way. 10:10.276 --> 10:10.977 >> It is. 10:10.977 --> 10:11.444 It's nice. 10:11.444 --> 10:14.247 It's got a nice white bloom in the springtime. 10:14.247 --> 10:17.050 The harvest can be cold pressed with the leaves -- 10:17.050 --> 10:18.051 >> Okay. 10:18.051 --> 10:19.052 >> Bark. 10:19.052 --> 10:22.422 You can also make, like, poultice, 10:22.422 --> 10:25.859 which is taking the leaves and actually putting them directly 10:25.859 --> 10:26.860 on -- 10:26.860 --> 10:27.861 >> Right. 10:27.861 --> 10:30.096 >> -- problem areas in your hair. 10:30.096 --> 10:30.997 Those kind of things. 10:30.997 --> 10:34.100 Or how it's commercially available is distilled, 10:34.100 --> 10:35.835 which is a little more complicated. 10:35.835 --> 10:36.936 >> Right, right. 10:36.936 --> 10:38.938 >> A little more for the home gardener, but it can be done. 10:38.938 --> 10:39.739 >> Yeah. 10:39.739 --> 10:41.241 Well, anyway, it's a beautiful plant. 10:41.241 --> 10:43.476 I knew they were from the tropics but I didn't know they 10:43.476 --> 10:44.611 would grow in Austin. 10:44.611 --> 10:46.813 >> It does magnificent here. 10:46.813 --> 10:51.851 In fact it, you know, it's supposed to be sort of a desert 10:51.851 --> 10:52.519 shrub. 10:52.519 --> 10:53.720 I mean, that's kind of what it is. 10:53.720 --> 10:54.687 >> Okay. 10:54.687 --> 10:58.024 >> But it can take just about everything Austin has including 10:58.024 --> 11:01.461 rain, cold, so it's a champion. 11:01.461 --> 11:04.330 >> Well, right next to it is ginkgo, which is, again, 11:04.330 --> 11:08.401 a botanical that is used medicinally or herbally 11:08.401 --> 11:11.704 worldwide. 11:11.704 --> 11:13.673 And these are beautiful trees. 11:13.673 --> 11:15.742 There's some beautiful old specimens that can go around 11:15.742 --> 11:16.376 Austin too. 11:16.376 --> 11:21.381 >> Yeah, especially on campus there are a few really old 50, 11:21.381 --> 11:22.649 60-year-old ginkgos. 11:22.649 --> 11:26.252 There's also a few in the botanical gardens. 11:26.252 --> 11:30.356 But, you know, it's kind of -- it's got a bad, sort of bad rap, 11:30.356 --> 11:35.161 I guess you would say, just because of the male/female. 11:35.161 --> 11:37.931 One of those, I believe it's the female -- 11:37.931 --> 11:39.666 >> Female, the fruit. 11:39.666 --> 11:42.669 >> -- puts out massive amounts of fruit that can be messy. 11:42.669 --> 11:43.670 >> Right. 11:43.670 --> 11:46.973 >> Kind of like pecans and all of the other natives that we 11:46.973 --> 11:48.174 grow around here. 11:48.174 --> 11:48.608 >> Right. 11:48.608 --> 11:51.945 >> That just, I guess, maybe it has a little more smell to it. 11:51.945 --> 11:54.380 >> It's malodorous, to put it politely. 11:54.380 --> 11:55.181 [Laughter]. 11:55.181 --> 11:57.183 >> I've never actually smelled it, so I don't know. 11:57.183 --> 11:59.485 >> I come from the northeast and there was a female ginkgo in our 11:59.485 --> 12:00.486 neighborhood, yeah. 12:00.486 --> 12:01.554 >> Everyone knew about it. 12:01.554 --> 12:02.555 >> Yes. 12:02.555 --> 12:04.557 >> Well, the leaves are medicinal. 12:04.557 --> 12:05.558 >> Right. 12:05.558 --> 12:07.560 >> You know, it's a great plant. 12:07.560 --> 12:09.562 If you've ever dabbled in Chinese medicinal herbs, 12:09.562 --> 12:12.165 it's one of the main plants. 12:12.165 --> 12:13.166 >> Right. 12:13.166 --> 12:15.301 Well, and beautiful color. 12:15.301 --> 12:16.302 Stunning color. 12:16.302 --> 12:17.303 >> Yes. 12:17.303 --> 12:18.304 And it does great here. 12:18.304 --> 12:20.540 As we said, there's some specimens around town, 12:20.540 --> 12:21.608 if you look for them, so. 12:21.608 --> 12:25.678 >> Now you also brought in this grouping some Canna lilies. 12:25.678 --> 12:28.715 And I was thinking Canna? 12:28.715 --> 12:29.248 Edible? 12:29.248 --> 12:29.882 Botanical? 12:29.882 --> 12:31.618 What's going on with the Canna lilies? 12:31.618 --> 12:36.656 >> Well, it's a Canna from South America. 12:36.656 --> 12:38.524 Last time I was here I brought some other South American 12:38.524 --> 12:39.492 tubers. 12:39.492 --> 12:42.729 This also is a root tuber. 12:42.729 --> 12:45.832 The leaves on this one are also edible. 12:45.832 --> 12:51.004 It's called Canna edulis, which we -- likely is because of the 12:51.004 --> 12:53.439 edibility of the entire plant. 12:53.439 --> 12:57.310 It's been used for thousands of years in South America. 12:57.310 --> 12:59.012 >> Well, I love Canna lilies. 12:59.012 --> 13:02.382 They're easy to grow, full sun, grow rapidly. 13:02.382 --> 13:05.184 You know, almost pest-free. 13:05.184 --> 13:06.552 All the good stuff, right? 13:06.552 --> 13:08.454 >> And it's very ornamental. 13:08.454 --> 13:13.126 It has a very similar bloom to ones that your grandmother grew. 13:13.126 --> 13:14.927 >> Right. 13:14.927 --> 13:15.762 >> So it's a nice one. 13:15.762 --> 13:16.796 >> Your grandma's Canna. 13:16.796 --> 13:17.997 All right. 13:17.997 --> 13:19.599 Well, grandma never ate Cannas. 13:19.599 --> 13:21.200 >> She didn't, right. 13:21.200 --> 13:24.303 That would be shocking if you could do that. 13:24.303 --> 13:28.808 >> Well, you also, speaking of edibles and plants for -- I 13:28.808 --> 13:31.611 mentioned garden visitors. 13:31.611 --> 13:33.112 You brought some butterfly plants, 13:33.112 --> 13:35.014 including some of the native milkweeds. 13:35.014 --> 13:37.350 We're going to start by talking about Frostweed though, 13:37.350 --> 13:39.285 which is a fantastic butterfly plant. 13:39.285 --> 13:40.453 >> It is. 13:40.453 --> 13:45.425 And we brought Frostweed specifically for the monarch 13:45.425 --> 13:46.626 migration. 13:46.626 --> 13:47.593 >> Right. 13:47.593 --> 13:50.963 >> And more specifically the fall migration. 13:50.963 --> 13:53.666 You know, it's important to feed the butterflies with the 13:53.666 --> 13:55.568 milkweeds or the caterpillars with the milkweeds. 13:55.568 --> 13:56.636 >> Right. 13:56.636 --> 14:00.039 >> But what's also important is to keep them going and this is a 14:00.039 --> 14:01.941 plant that does it with the nectar. 14:01.941 --> 14:03.209 >> Right. 14:03.209 --> 14:07.680 And this, mass volumes of blooms in the fall in time for the 14:07.680 --> 14:08.381 butterfly migration. 14:08.381 --> 14:09.415 >> Exactly. 14:09.415 --> 14:10.049 Yes. 14:10.049 --> 14:11.617 And they're beautiful. 14:11.617 --> 14:14.320 You could put it in a perennial bed, you know, 14:14.320 --> 14:16.723 where you're growing other natives. 14:16.723 --> 14:19.192 Sort of a wild garden plant. 14:19.192 --> 14:21.160 >> It's kind of a rambunctious plant, right? 14:21.160 --> 14:24.564 >> It can -- you know, we let it go to seed in some of our pots 14:24.564 --> 14:28.134 and every single perennial's got a Frostweed growing with it, 14:28.134 --> 14:29.268 which for us is not a bad thing but -- 14:29.268 --> 14:29.836 >> Right. 14:29.836 --> 14:31.237 Right. 14:31.237 --> 14:34.907 Well, you know, there's a place for those kinds of aggressive 14:34.907 --> 14:35.575 plants. 14:35.575 --> 14:36.275 >> Yes, exactly. 14:36.275 --> 14:42.448 You donate an area in your garden that is the wild side of 14:42.448 --> 14:43.750 Austin. 14:43.750 --> 14:45.685 >> I think that's important for every garden. 14:45.685 --> 14:46.419 >> Sure. 14:46.419 --> 14:48.721 >> You also have a small Maximilian sunflower plant 14:48.721 --> 14:51.390 there, which everybody knows in Texas. 14:51.390 --> 14:54.160 Those big, tall spikes in the fall with the gorgeous 14:54.160 --> 14:55.595 sunflowers on them. 14:55.595 --> 14:56.462 Man, they're amazing. 14:56.462 --> 14:57.196 >> They are. 14:57.196 --> 14:58.865 Everybody knows them but for some reason you can never 14:58.865 --> 15:00.199 actually buy one. 15:00.199 --> 15:03.302 So this year we're going to be offering those. 15:03.302 --> 15:06.038 When you see the yellow Maximilian sunflower blooming, 15:06.038 --> 15:08.875 you know, there's a resource. 15:08.875 --> 15:10.877 >> Yeah, that's a great resource for the butterflies for sure. 15:10.877 --> 15:11.511 >> Exactly. 15:11.511 --> 15:13.513 >> And everybody's been talking about milkweeds, 15:13.513 --> 15:15.515 planting milkweeds for the monarchs. 15:15.515 --> 15:18.951 There are lots of different form of milkweed but the ones native 15:18.951 --> 15:24.791 here are often called, like, Snow on the Mountain or antelope 15:24.791 --> 15:26.259 horns or things like that. 15:26.259 --> 15:27.593 And you brought antelope horns. 15:27.593 --> 15:33.633 >> Yes, so we grow two of the most common native milkweeds, 15:33.633 --> 15:36.469 antelope horn and green antelope horn. 15:36.469 --> 15:38.304 Today we brought green antelope horn. 15:38.304 --> 15:39.138 >> Okay. 15:39.138 --> 15:42.375 >> They're almost indistinguishable by the bloom 15:42.375 --> 15:46.212 and it is the sole food source for the caterpillar of the 15:46.212 --> 15:48.548 monarch. 15:48.548 --> 15:52.084 >> So if you want -- if you really want to feed the larva. 15:52.084 --> 15:53.619 >> Yes. 15:53.619 --> 15:58.090 And this plant is very hard to find. 15:58.090 --> 15:59.459 >> Very, very hard to find, right. 15:59.459 --> 16:03.896 >> We have thousands of them and we'll be moving them at the 16:03.896 --> 16:07.466 Natural Gardener is where we will be selling those. 16:07.466 --> 16:08.868 >> They're very striking plants, I think. 16:08.868 --> 16:09.769 >> They are. 16:09.769 --> 16:10.436 They're beautiful. 16:10.436 --> 16:15.675 The blooms are -- not only is the plant a foliage plant for 16:15.675 --> 16:18.711 the butterfly, it's also -- they get nectar from the blooms. 16:18.711 --> 16:19.545 >> Right. 16:19.545 --> 16:25.184 >> So there's the viridis, the green antelope horn and also the 16:25.184 --> 16:25.618 antelope horn. 16:25.618 --> 16:27.820 And we'll have both of those. 16:27.820 --> 16:30.523 >> We have, of course, some nectar plants for the monarchs 16:30.523 --> 16:33.626 as well, Salvia farinacea and Gulf Penstemon. 16:33.626 --> 16:34.627 >> Yep. 16:34.627 --> 16:36.996 And these are also nectar plants, like you said, 16:36.996 --> 16:41.767 for more specifically for the spring migration of the monarch. 16:41.767 --> 16:47.073 Again, they need -- they come in the spring. 16:47.073 --> 16:50.843 In fact, they left, I think the date was March 28th they left 16:50.843 --> 16:51.844 Mexico. 16:51.844 --> 16:52.845 >> Oh, really? 16:52.845 --> 16:57.116 >> Yeah, which was a later -- you know, 16:57.116 --> 17:01.254 it's later migration than normal because of the cooler winter. 17:01.254 --> 17:02.655 >> Yeah. 17:02.655 --> 17:06.058 >> So they should be in Austin now. 17:06.058 --> 17:06.926 >> They're on their way. 17:06.926 --> 17:08.527 They're winging through. 17:08.527 --> 17:09.295 >> Exactly. 17:09.295 --> 17:10.196 >> Right. 17:10.196 --> 17:11.397 Well, those are great plants. 17:11.397 --> 17:14.700 I love both the Gulf Penstemon and the Salvia farinacea. 17:14.700 --> 17:15.735 >> Yes. 17:15.735 --> 17:17.503 >> There's some other cool things that you brought. 17:17.503 --> 17:20.439 Let's start by talking about this one. 17:20.439 --> 17:22.308 And you told me the name. 17:22.308 --> 17:23.476 Aztec spinach. 17:23.476 --> 17:24.610 >> Yes. 17:24.610 --> 17:26.412 >> So obviously I'm thinking edible here. 17:26.412 --> 17:28.581 >> Yes. 17:28.581 --> 17:33.886 It's in the Chenopodium family, which is in the same family as 17:33.886 --> 17:35.621 lamb's quarters. 17:35.621 --> 17:36.489 >> Okay. 17:36.489 --> 17:38.257 That's what I thought it was, lamb's quarters, right? 17:38.257 --> 17:41.060 >> Yes, which, you know, some gardeners hate, 17:41.060 --> 17:44.864 some don't really know about, and others are, you know, just, 17:44.864 --> 17:47.199 I guess, eat it. 17:47.199 --> 17:50.236 But this would be one and the same family. 17:50.236 --> 17:54.006 Again, another South American staple food. 17:54.006 --> 17:58.611 The leaves are eaten like spinach cooked in a tortilla or 17:58.611 --> 18:00.446 however you can eat it, raw. 18:00.446 --> 18:06.852 But it's sort of our -- we're trying to promote people doing 18:06.852 --> 18:08.154 more than the tomato and the pepper. 18:08.154 --> 18:09.689 >> Sure. 18:09.689 --> 18:11.958 Well, and I'm sure it's packed with minerals and lots of other 18:11.958 --> 18:12.758 good things. 18:12.758 --> 18:13.726 >> Exactly. 18:13.726 --> 18:14.594 Very nutritious. 18:14.594 --> 18:15.494 >> Yeah. 18:15.494 --> 18:17.663 Unfortunately we've run out of time. 18:17.663 --> 18:19.865 We have a lot of other cool plants we could talk about, but 18:19.865 --> 18:22.702 we really appreciate you being a part of the program, Jay. 18:22.702 --> 18:24.704 Thank you so much for being here. 18:24.704 --> 18:25.705 >> Well, thank you, Tom. 18:25.705 --> 18:26.706 And thanks for having us. 18:26.706 --> 18:27.707 We really appreciate it. 18:27.707 --> 18:29.709 >> All right, well happy foraging. 18:29.709 --> 18:30.710 There's lots to forage on here. 18:30.710 --> 18:31.711 >> Yes, definitely. 18:31.711 --> 18:32.712 >> Okay. 18:32.712 --> 18:33.713 All right. 18:33.713 --> 18:36.015 Well, coming up next is our friend Daphne. 18:36.015 --> 18:39.919 [Music]. 18:39.919 --> 18:41.253 >> Hi, I'm Daphne Richards. 18:41.253 --> 18:43.956 Our question this week is on pruning flowering vines. 18:43.956 --> 18:47.126 Kathy Fall, from Moody, sent us these pictures of her lovely 18:47.126 --> 18:51.564 coral honeysuckle, which has been going gang-busters this year. 18:51.564 --> 18:53.065 The vine was a gift from a generous bird, says Kathy, 18:53.065 --> 18:56.736 and she transplanted it to this location on her patio. 18:56.736 --> 18:59.805 Each year the hummingbirds flock to the nectar of its flowers, 18:59.805 --> 19:01.874 and it becomes home to nesting birds, 19:01.874 --> 19:04.210 including cardinals and mockingbirds. 19:04.210 --> 19:07.213 When deciding when to prune, Kathy carefully balances the 19:07.213 --> 19:10.249 needs of the wildlife with her own needs to have a beautiful, 19:10.249 --> 19:12.084 well-kept landscape. 19:12.084 --> 19:14.987 Pruning only lightly, and when absolutely necessary, 19:14.987 --> 19:17.690 Kathy illustrates a great point. 19:17.690 --> 19:21.293 As with most vines, coral honeysuckle does require regular 19:21.293 --> 19:25.231 pruning to keep it in check, but when and how will depend not 19:25.231 --> 19:28.234 only on the plant's growth, but on your personal preferences. 19:28.234 --> 19:32.204 You can either leave the vine shrubby and a bit wild for most 19:32.204 --> 19:35.908 of the growing season, or you can shear it back into shape 19:35.908 --> 19:38.944 regularly to give it a more refined appearance. 19:38.944 --> 19:42.148 It's best to do any hard pruning in the late fall or winter, 19:42.148 --> 19:44.683 once flowering is done and the birds have eaten most of the 19:44.683 --> 19:45.818 berries. 19:45.818 --> 19:48.854 As they move into dormancy, winter is the best time to get 19:48.854 --> 19:52.124 flowering vines back into shape and prepare them for new spring 19:52.124 --> 19:53.726 growth next season. 19:53.726 --> 19:56.395 By their very nature, vines are rampant growers, 19:56.395 --> 19:59.865 so you'll need to stay on top of any errant runners and offshoots 19:59.865 --> 20:01.701 in the early spring. 20:01.701 --> 20:04.203 Just prune those all the way back to the ground if you don't 20:04.203 --> 20:07.873 want your vine taking over any new garden real estate. 20:07.873 --> 20:11.610 Vigorous vining plants such as coral honeysuckle also produce 20:11.610 --> 20:14.413 offshoots all during the summer, so if you want to keep your 20:14.413 --> 20:17.216 vines in bounds, you'll need to make a regular visit to the 20:17.216 --> 20:19.185 garden with your pruning shears. 20:19.185 --> 20:21.987 This is the price we have to pay in exchange for all that 20:21.987 --> 20:25.524 boundless expansion of plants that grow this easily, because, 20:25.524 --> 20:28.294 they'll quickly take over if you don't watch out. 20:28.294 --> 20:32.565 Our plant this week is Almond verbena, Aloysia virgata. 20:32.565 --> 20:36.102 This large, shrubby plant is an absolute must for anyone who 20:36.102 --> 20:38.137 loves fragrance in the garden. 20:38.137 --> 20:41.807 Almond verbena should be planted in full sun or only light shade 20:41.807 --> 20:44.176 and given plenty of room to grow. 20:44.176 --> 20:46.979 This plant does get very tall, usually very quickly. 20:46.979 --> 20:50.549 My experience has been in the range of 10 to 12 feet tall and 20:50.549 --> 20:52.651 about 3 to 4 feet wide. 20:52.651 --> 20:56.122 Listed as hardy to zone 8 in most warm climates, 20:56.122 --> 20:58.124 almond verbena will be deciduous, 20:58.124 --> 20:59.391 especially in mild winters. 20:59.391 --> 21:01.961 But even if it doesn't die back to the ground, 21:01.961 --> 21:04.663 it will perform best if you treat it as you would other 21:04.663 --> 21:07.933 root-hardy perennial shrubs, shearing it back to the ground 21:07.933 --> 21:09.335 in late winter. 21:09.335 --> 21:12.771 This hard pruning forces almond verbena to put on all new 21:12.771 --> 21:16.742 growth, making it fuller, greener, and bushier. 21:16.742 --> 21:20.146 Be sure to plant near a patio or porch to get the full effect of 21:20.146 --> 21:23.949 its strong, but lovely, delicately sweet fragrance. 21:23.949 --> 21:25.951 Almond verbena is a repeat bloomer, 21:25.951 --> 21:28.854 usually from late spring all the way through fall, 21:28.854 --> 21:31.323 maybe taking a break during the hottest time of an extremely 21:31.323 --> 21:32.324 hot, dry summer. 21:32.324 --> 21:35.094 And when in flower, bees, butterflies, 21:35.094 --> 21:38.264 and hummingbirds will be attracted to it like magnets. 21:38.264 --> 21:40.833 A little light pruning in mid-summer can reinvigorate the 21:40.833 --> 21:42.601 plant for fall growth. 21:42.601 --> 21:45.237 Plant almond verbena in a well-drained soil and water 21:45.237 --> 21:46.672 sparingly, but regularly. 21:46.672 --> 21:48.774 Once a week watering should be fine, 21:48.774 --> 21:50.743 and fertilizer is not needed. 21:50.743 --> 21:53.913 Our Viewer picture this week is from Charlotte Trussell near San 21:53.913 --> 21:57.082 Antonio, who's overwhelmed with excitement to have this pair of 21:57.082 --> 21:59.185 beautiful bluebirds nesting in the yard. 21:59.185 --> 22:00.686 Thanks Charlotte! 22:00.686 --> 22:03.389 For timely garden tasks and monthly to-do lists, 22:03.389 --> 22:05.825 and to send us questions and pictures from your garden, 22:05.825 --> 22:09.361 please check out our newly designed website at 22:09.361 --> 22:10.963 klru.org/ctg. 22:10.963 --> 22:12.665 We'd love to hear from you! 22:12.665 --> 22:13.666 >> Thanks, Daphne. 22:13.666 --> 22:16.635 Now, let's check in with John Dromgoole for Backyard Basics. 22:16.635 --> 22:20.139 [Music]. 22:20.139 --> 22:21.373 >> Hello gardening friends. 22:21.373 --> 22:23.609 Welcome to Backyard Basics, I'm John Dromgoole. 22:23.609 --> 22:26.378 So, you want to build the soil, you don't want to buy a 22:26.378 --> 22:27.813 truckload of compost? 22:27.813 --> 22:28.981 It's easy enough to do. 22:28.981 --> 22:31.317 The farmers do this, the organic farmers do this, 22:31.317 --> 22:33.319 and they build their soil with plants. 22:33.319 --> 22:35.754 They grow plants out there specifically to build a healthy 22:35.754 --> 22:36.755 soil. 22:36.755 --> 22:40.025 And, so, some of the plants include buckwheat, 22:40.025 --> 22:41.860 many types of beans and peas. 22:41.860 --> 22:44.763 Here's some peas that we like to use quite a bit out in the 22:44.763 --> 22:45.764 garden. 22:45.764 --> 22:48.334 You know, lots of times we're shutting down for the summer 22:48.334 --> 22:50.936 these days, it's too hot, it's not productive out there, 22:50.936 --> 22:53.706 it's too much water, and so what we want to do is cover the 22:53.706 --> 22:56.175 ground with something called a biomass. 22:56.175 --> 22:59.745 A biomass is the plants that you grow out there and they are just 22:59.745 --> 23:03.816 pure organic matter, and then they cover the soil over time 23:03.816 --> 23:06.018 and then when they break down later on, 23:06.018 --> 23:08.587 when you break them down, you've got some good organic matter to 23:08.587 --> 23:09.588 work in. 23:09.588 --> 23:11.924 But what it most important about some of these legumes is the 23:11.924 --> 23:15.628 fact that they fix nitrogen from the air, lots of nitrogen, 23:15.628 --> 23:18.330 more than you can imagine as a matter a fact. 23:18.330 --> 23:21.267 And one pound of these covers about 1,000 square feet and, 23:21.267 --> 23:23.936 you know, that's not much money at all for these things. 23:23.936 --> 23:26.105 Nurseries carry them, but if you don't find them in a nursery, 23:26.105 --> 23:29.441 you might check out your local organic gardening store or your 23:29.441 --> 23:31.911 favorite food store. 23:31.911 --> 23:33.946 You can find them there in packages. 23:33.946 --> 23:35.514 These are the same things, really. 23:35.514 --> 23:37.883 And so these crops can be put out, 23:37.883 --> 23:40.185 even if you're not going to garden in the spring, 23:40.185 --> 23:42.488 you could go ahead and put them out there as the soil warms up. 23:42.488 --> 23:46.258 You do need a definite warm soil so that they will germinate and 23:46.258 --> 23:47.092 do well. 23:47.092 --> 23:49.428 You can broad cast them, break up the soil a little bit and 23:49.428 --> 23:51.363 just broad cast them out there. 23:51.363 --> 23:53.599 Keep them moist in the beginning, they'll get underway. 23:53.599 --> 23:57.670 And one of the more important things, though, 23:57.670 --> 24:01.006 is that you can inoculate them with a bacteria called 24:01.006 --> 24:04.677 Rhizobium, and this bacteria helps them fix nitrogen even 24:04.677 --> 24:07.413 much more than they were going to do on their own. 24:07.413 --> 24:09.548 And this bacteria will grow along the roots, 24:09.548 --> 24:12.918 and there are so many different types of legumes and different 24:12.918 --> 24:14.453 types of Rhizobium for them. 24:14.453 --> 24:17.856 Read the package, so that you'll know when you're in the garden 24:17.856 --> 24:20.259 center and you're buying a fuel for your garden, 24:20.259 --> 24:21.794 you pick up the Rhizobium. 24:21.794 --> 24:23.128 This little packet that's over there, 24:23.128 --> 24:26.165 somebody that's attending you might recommend it to you and 24:26.165 --> 24:28.834 you'll think maybe they are adding on something extra. 24:28.834 --> 24:30.769 It's a good source of nitrogen. 24:30.769 --> 24:32.905 It's a good way to build a healthy soil. 24:32.905 --> 24:35.841 And the roots go down into the soil and open it up some more. 24:35.841 --> 24:38.043 If you've got a new garden and you want some organic matter 24:38.043 --> 24:40.813 down deep without churning the soil with a tiller or anything, 24:40.813 --> 24:44.049 that root system will go down there and then begin to fix the 24:44.049 --> 24:45.417 nitrogen. 24:45.417 --> 24:47.453 And that's one of the best things that we can do. 24:47.453 --> 24:49.855 And so, and this suppresses weed growth. 24:49.855 --> 24:52.925 If you've got a weed problem out there and you want to get rid of 24:52.925 --> 24:55.928 them, this is a slow process that takes a season or two, 24:55.928 --> 24:57.930 but you'll get rid of those weeds also. 24:57.930 --> 25:01.033 And it improves the ability of the soil to hold more moisture 25:01.033 --> 25:02.034 with that organic matter. 25:02.034 --> 25:05.904 And I'll take a garden fork at the time that it's time to turn 25:05.904 --> 25:08.907 them in, really before it gets to really flowering that much. 25:08.907 --> 25:12.277 You'll get the flowers and then before that's setting seed, 25:12.277 --> 25:14.413 you'll go ahead and start twisting them into the top of 25:14.413 --> 25:15.414 the soil. 25:15.414 --> 25:18.517 Buckwheat's another very good one to add to the garden. 25:18.517 --> 25:20.486 Buckwheat can bring up phosphorous. 25:20.486 --> 25:23.322 While these guys fix nitrogen, the buckwheat gets the 25:23.322 --> 25:24.723 phosphorous in there. 25:24.723 --> 25:26.158 It's a great combination. 25:26.158 --> 25:28.327 And talk about feeding the beneficial insects and the 25:28.327 --> 25:30.729 butterflies, the buckwheat is great at that, 25:30.729 --> 25:33.866 one of the best ones to bring in those beneficials to the garden. 25:33.866 --> 25:36.635 You have to manage it, though, because if it's allowed to go to 25:36.635 --> 25:38.470 seed, it becomes a weed out there. 25:38.470 --> 25:40.806 So you have to take it down before the seeds really get to 25:40.806 --> 25:41.974 form. 25:41.974 --> 25:43.575 So these are a few ideas. 25:43.575 --> 25:46.078 If you've got a small garden or you've got a farm, 25:46.078 --> 25:48.514 this is the appropriate way to build a healthy soil during the 25:48.514 --> 25:50.816 summer months. 25:50.816 --> 25:52.551 For Backyard Basics, I'm John Dromgoole. 25:52.551 --> 25:54.119 I'll see you next time. 25:54.119 --> 25:57.556 >> For lots more tips, to watch online anytime and follow us on 25:57.556 --> 26:00.893 social media, check out our fabulous revamped website at 26:00.893 --> 26:03.896 klru.org/ctg. 26:03.896 --> 26:06.965 Until next week, I'll see you in the garden. 26:06.965 --> 26:31.323 [Music]. 26:31.323 --> 26:34.126 [www.captionsource.com] 26:34.126 --> 26:36.361 >> "Central Texas Gardener" is sponsored by the Austin Area 26:36.361 --> 26:39.064 Garden Center in Zilker Botanical Garden, 26:39.064 --> 26:41.967 home of 31 local garden clubs and the Zilker garden festival. 26:41.967 --> 26:44.136 Zilkergarden.org.