(gentle music) (gentle music ends) >>Sycamore Tavern's been here since 1799.

There was a garden here initially, and the Hanover Herb Guild decided that they were gonna renovate the garden.

They used a lot of information from Colonial Williamsburg, and they came up with this cute, little garden.

>>The number one killer of house plants is overwatering, right?

Just put your finger in, like an inch in, feel if the soil is dry.

If it's dry, then that means it need some water.

If it's moist, leave it alone.

>>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by...

Strange's Florists, Greenhouses, and Garden Centers.

Serving Richmond for over 90 years with two florist shops, two greenhouses, and a garden center.

Located throughout the Metro Richmond area.

Strange's, every bloomin' time.

And by... (birds chirping) (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music ending) >>Welcome to "Virginia Home Grown"!

It's spring and that means it's planting time.

Getting my hands in the soil feels great.

How are you doing on your planting plans?

Today, we're thinking about the ways plants bring us comfort.

That can mean different things to different people.

Brightening our indoor spaces and adding pleasant fragrances to the air we breathe are just a few of the benefits.

I have lemon verbena at my back door, and when crushed, a lemony fragrance just fills the air.

There's so much to share.

But before we get started, I wanted to remind you to send in your questions on our website, vpm.org/vhg.

We will be answering those a little later.

In the second half of our show, we will visit a pop-up plant shop in Richmond to get tips for caring for houseplants.

But first, I visited the Hanover Herb Guild's garden, in Montpelier, to talk with Crystal Delk about the many uses of the herbs in their colonial-style garden.

Let's get going.

>>So the Sycamore Tavern has been here since 1799.

It served as a stagecoach stopover.

>>Cool.

>>For people on their way to the Blue Ridge mountains.

>>Yes.

>>And over years, it's been a lot of different things.

It's been an inn.

Of course, it's a tavern.

And it's been a private home.

>>Okay.

>>And now, it's a library that houses historical data.

The Page Memorial Library's been here for over 80 years.

>>That's a great history.

What a wonderful reuse of the building continually, from 1799.

>>Yes.

>>But I'm sure the garden on the back of the building doesn't date back to 1799.

>>It does not.

There was a garden here before the garden that you see before us.

And the Hanover Herb Guild, a group of ladies who got together and formed the Herb Guild in 1999, decided that they were gonna restore the garden.

However, when they started doing some research and planning, they realized that they should reflect the age of the tavern in the garden.

>>Good decision.

>>And here you have the Colonial Herb Garden.

>>Crystal, this is a perfect size.

I love it.

>>It is, all right.

>>Let's grab a seat.

I like that, nice bench.

Well, you were saying earlier that somebody had come by and- >>Yes, that's right.

One day when I was working here in the gardens, doing the maintenance that the Herb Guild does, two women stopped by to talk.

And they told me that they, when they regularly walk around the herb gardens, that they always stop by to see it.

And so it was really exciting, because they said, "Thank you to the Herb Guild ladies for caring for the garden."

>>You know, it's so nice to be appreciated and it's so nice for people to come and just acknowledge what you're doing.

And this is a beautiful garden.

So what is the layout of this garden?

>>So this is a typical colonial style garden parterres.

There are four parterres on the outer perimeter of the garden, and then there's this little square one in the middle.

So the square one in the middle, we usually put seasonal plants.

And so we just are finished with our daffodils.

>>Right.

>>But we have a fragrance garden, we have a culinary garden, we have a medicinal garden, and we have a- >>A household garden.

>>Thank you.

(Peggy laughing) A household garden, yes.

The plants that are in it are typical plants that you might've found in a colonial garden in the day.

>>Right.

>>And you know, in those days, they couldn't go go the pharmacy.

They couldn't go to the store.

So they would just go out in their garden and snip some herbs and, you know, use them as they were, maybe potpourri, or they would put them in a tincture for medicinal purposes.

>>Or even use it to dye their clothes or whatever, yes, yes.

>>Yes, exactly, yes.

>>But which is your favorite style of herbs?

>>Well, I love parterre gardens, but my favorite herb is burnet.

>>Ah, you like- >>Because- >>The culinary herbs.

>>It's a beautiful herb.

It looks like a shrub.

It's so pretty.

And it goes right through the winter.

So.

>>Yes.

>>Sometimes if you need something to garnish a plate, you just run out into the garden, cut a few pieces, and put it on a plate, it's beautiful.

>>Well, I love growing it, 'cause when I'm out in the garden, I can take a little snip, put it in my mouth, and I get this lovely cooling cucumber sensation.

>>Yes.

>>And it's a great plant to sorta like sustain me a little bit longer.

>>Yes.

>>It's a wonderful one.

But what are some of the ones that would be used for potpourri possibly?

>>Well, you could use Santolina, I think.

You could use the lavender, rosemary maybe.

>>Yes.

>>That's a really nice plant to smell.

>>Yeah, 'cause people forget that we bathe regularly.

(Crystal laughing) And back then, it wasn't as often.

(laughing) >>That is true, yes.

>>And also, you know, we just, these scents also would help keep insects out of the house and things like that.

>>They did.

And sometimes they would even put, so we have one called Costmary, and that herb, they put the leaves of the plant in pages of the Bible so the insects didn't eat the paper.

>>Isn't that amazing?

>>It is.

>>Yes, yes.

You know, I notice everything is IDed in here.

So what system are you using?

>>Well, a few years back, we noticed that many of our members were all getting older.

And so some of our members have even moved away.

So we used to give garden tours, and now we're not always available.

So we heard about this product called Plants Map.

And we decided that we would do that.

So we raised money with our annual plant sale, and we started putting these in our garden.

So they're QR codes on aluminum sign plates, and visitors can come in and take a self-guided tour.

They just bring their smartphone, scan the QR code, and they get a description of the plant, a photograph when it's at its best, and they can learn about the garden on their own.

>>That's excellent.

So this way, they can come here, learn about plants, and go home and plant them.

>>Yes.

>>Exactly.

What are the challenges of this garden, though?

>>Well, we have a lotta shade here.

So you may have noticed.

>>Oh, yes.

(laughing) >>So when they put in the garden, of course, the trees were younger.

Because the garden was put in in 2000.

>>Yes.

>>And they had their grand opening in 2006, so it's been here over 25 years.

>>Yes.

>>The trees have grown, and so has the shade.

>>Ah.

>>So it's a real challenge.

So we, you know, we prune the plants to look their best as they can look.

We put in fresh plants when we need to.

And of course, the annuals, well, you know, you might not have a basil plant that that's this high and this big around.

But you have a basil plant that people can see, they can touch, smell, and enjoy.

>>Actually yes, and I see you've got thyme here, and that can handle the shade.

>>Yes, yes.

>>And the St. John's wort can handle the shade.

>>Yes.

>>So there are some herbs that will actually handle the shade better, part shade, we'll say.

>>Yes, yes, yes.

>>Rather than full sun.

>>Well as a matter of fact, one of my favorite herbs is the nasturtium.

>>Yes.

>>And I had in my own garden in full sun, as on the label, and oh my goodness, it couldn't take the southern summers.

>>No, they can't.

>>So I put it in a place that gets afternoon shade now, and it goes through the whole summer looking beautifully.

>>Yes, and many people just don't realize that if you give nasturtiums, as well as things like lettuce, a little bit of shade in the afternoon during the summer months, they'll thrive.

They just can't take that heat.

So I'm so glad you discovered that.

>>Like us in the shade in the afternoon, yes.

>>Exactly.

(laughing) We thrive too.

>>(laughing) Yes.

>>Herbs do require special soil, particularly in our clay soil here.

>>Oh, absolutely.

>>So were changes made here?

>>Yes, the soil is pretty well-draining, and that's what you need.

You know, when you have a home garden- >>Yes.

>>You have to put in the soil that's well-draining for these herbs, because they like it dry.

>>Yes.

>>And they don't like it wet.

>>No, they don't.

>>And our clay soils are not really hospitable to herbs.

>>Not at all.

>>So with the raised beds, it really is a help, because then you get to choose what kinda soil you put in those parterres.

So this is a great garden for that.

>>It would be, plus you need to make sure your pH is up, because herbs do not like our acidic soil here.

So they want it to be more of a neutral pH.

And I'm sure, because of the health of these plants, that you're monitoring that as well.

>>Oh yes.

>>So here we are in spring.

What's the next step for this garden?

>>Well, the Herb Guild is taking on sort of a renovation project.

So as you can see, when you walk around the garden, some of the herbs have been here a very long time.

>>Yes.

>>The perennials.

They're getting woody, misshapen.

So we are actually gonna be replacing some of the herbs that have been here for years.

>>People don't realize, not every plant lives forever.

And that every few years, people took cuttings of their plants, rooted 'em, and replanted them so that those older plants could be put into the compost pile.

>>And sometimes even when you take cuttings to use the plant, it's not as good, because it's woody or, you know, it's just not as good as it was from a young plant.

>>Exactly.

I hate to say it, but the older plants get, they change.

>>Yes.

>>Yeah.

Crystal this has been very, very enlightening to have such a nice, beautiful garden tucked behind a very historic building.

That it represents the building, but also that people can come here and learn totally whenever they want to.

>>Exactly.

>>Because of those QR codes.

>>Yes.

>>So I thank the Guild for their forward thinking and use of technology on something that's so well-established for many centuries, an herb garden.

>>Our pleasure.

(cars whooshing) >>What a beautiful place.

Everyone is welcome to explore this garden anytime.

It's a great learning experience with scannable plant tags that make self-guided tours easy and enjoyable.

Now, I'm joined by Shaun Mercer from Glen Allen Greenhouse, a professional with a family history of growing herbs.

We're going to talk more about herbs and how to grow them in containers.

But, before we get started, remember to send in your gardening questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg or through Facebook.

Well, Shaun, you've brought a wonderful array of herbs here today.

And you've also brought a container, which is a wonderful way to grow herbs.

>>Yeah, makes it nice and easy, quick and efficient.

>>It is, and not everybody has a garden to grow herbs in, and they wanna be able to have them, or even have 'em close at hand.

>>Yeah, yeah.

>>What are your recommendations for growing herbs in a container?

>>Certainly, the more convenient you can make it, the happier you're gonna be.

You start to invest some money in containers and plants and dirt and fertilizer, and before you know it, you're thinking, "Oh, should I or shouldn't I?

", so.

If you make it nice and easy, you're already buying things in the herb realm, rosemary, parsley, things that you're gonna use, it's just much easier to enjoy from day one versus having problems that, no one really needs a new problem, so kinda good to start off on the right foot with things that you like and things that you're gonna use.

>>Exactly, keep it simple.

>>Yeah, exactly, yep.

>>So let's talk about this container that you have.

It's a special one to begin with.

>>Yeah, a deck rail planter.

So fits a lot of deck rails, but we've got round, you've got ceramic.

So choosing the right style is often kinda a starting point in the sense of, "Do I want plastic, which lasts longer?, "Do I want some clay, which gives the roots air?, "Do I want stone that looks pretty?"

So a few little hurdles at the start, but once you're off and running, then, really, depth and size, good kinda place to start with, and then onto the soil and the plant selection.

>>And that's, poof, we got it.

>>That's right, yeah.

>>So let's back up.

(chuckles) >>Let's do it.

>>What type of soil did you use in this container?

>>So being that it's herbs, they love drainage.

I mean, they just, they really love drainage.

And usually, with a good potting mix, you get what you pay for.

So starting off with a really great foundation that drains very, very well really takes a lot of the nuance, kinda guesswork and problems and heavy soil and staying wet too long.

So it really does kinda get you off on the right start to get a nice well-drained potting mix.

>>I tell people if that bag they're lifting up is heavy, put it down.

>>Put it down, yeah.

>>Go to something else.

>>Yeah, because they love being worked.

If you're always watering and it's heavy soil, they don't root out, they're not really robust.

They just, plants love to grow, so they're gonna grow.

But you'll notice a huge difference on the drainage, yeah.

>>Exactly, particularly with herbs.

How did you make your choices of what to choose for this container?

>>So just some basic culinary.

What I did, though, is, this is a new parsley.

It's a menuette, it's a little easier to chop.

So put that in there.

But things that are fairly basic, fairly, again, easy to use.

Baked potato, love some chives.

Little bit of Italian with the oregano and the rosemary.

Everyone's favorite, basil, and then a parsley.

>>And they fit so well together.

Plus, you've got, you know, display-wise, from the designer eye, you've got different textures, too.

>>Exactly.

Looking at kind of the taller ones in the back and the ones that'll spill a little bit at the front, yeah, for sure.

>>So, how often do you water this container, or how do you determine when to water?

>>Hoo, we get this question all the time.

>>Yes, depends on the temperature.

(chuckles) >>Well, and sun and wind and the season, too.

It's good to, in the beginning, with spring being a little milder, it's kinda nice to let the plant know, plant let you know a little bit, where it looks a little wilty.

You know, sun hits it, but it looks a little dry, then you go ahead and water.

Quickest way to kill it is to kinda water and water.

Yeah, so it's just nice to kinda be a little bit more hands-off is usually a bit better than trying to make it grow and water it all the time.

>>When you're planting this container, what are the processes, the steps that you use?

I've got a pot, you know.

>>Yeah, so, again, with the selection, this is a nice depth, it's a nice kinda 2-foot size.

So you still want your plants to have room to grow, but herbs are a little bit more utilitarian than they are kinda aesthetic.

So keeping everything short, keeping everything kinda tender and productive, a lot less work.

And a lot less powdery mildew, diseases, place for bugs to kinda hang out and avoid you.

>>Yeah, I don't think people realize the importance air circulation plays in the garden, as well as in a container.

>>Absolutely.

>>If you pack it, you'll pay for it.

>>Well, a sweet basil will get huge, and it's no longer sweet basil anymore, it's really just basil.

So keep it a little shorter.

It might look a little uglier or rougher, but it's certainly more tender, it's less work to care for, and then it's tastier.

>>Well, we've gotta keep moving on here.

So tastier.

When is the time to harvest?

>>Essentially, as you buy the plants, if they're kinda this far established, you can be off and running within that first week.

After planting, let it show you that it's happy and established, and then, really, go to town and kinda cut on it and use it and enjoy it.

>>Sounds great.

So for this beautiful new parsley, which I just need to touch, you could say you could cut it right here, as long as you leave some of the new growth behind?

>>Yeah, so there's a little bit of difference between each of the plants in the sense that a parsley, a chive, a dill, a cilantro really throw up whole new shoots.

So as you're coming in for your parsley, you can use a little bit of it.

You can go ahead and cut a lot of it if you need it.

But again, down in the base, at the bottom there, that's all the new shoots that are coming out.

So best to leave those alone and take what's already grown.

>>Very good.

Now, this a full sun container.

Do you have... Our shade container is here.

>>Yep, sure do.

>>So we have one minute to share about this, so let's move this one back and talk about... 'Cause there are some herbs that do grow in the shade.

>>Absolutely.

And then, really, if you've got lower light, what you'd be looking to do was, you wouldn't be watering as much.

And you've ended up with more of the woody kinda plants.

So rosemary, thyme.

You've got some oregano there.

Sage would be another one that you could add for a lower light situation.

And they'll be nicely productive for you, too.

It's not you're giving up a lot of growth in the sense of the plant just won't do much.

It will certainly be productive for you.

>>Well, Shaun, I thank you for bringing this all in.

It's been very informative.

And plus, people with shade gardens know that they, too, can grow herbs and that it can be in a container convenient for them by a door so they can slip out and get whatever they need for their culinary and whatever project they're working on.

>>Indeed.

>>So thank you, thank you so much.

>>Yeah, no problem, appreciate it.

>>And now, we're going to get ready to answer your questions, but first, Jen Naylor has a tip to share about foraging.

She grows many herbs in her garden, but this time of year, she gets excited about the wild plants popping up in her yard.

(gentle music) >>I love spring here in Central Virginia.

It is just beautiful and it truly feels like the beginning of life.

There are wild edibles just popping everywhere, such as dandelions, wild onions, chickweeds, and clovers.

Oh my goodness, they're everywhere.

And some people think that they are weeds and they wanna get rid of them.

For me, they are nature's gift, full of nutrients and just absolutely delicious.

Now, there are some that you can go out and saute, you can go ahead and blanch and season.

Now, for dandelion, you can eat the whole plant.

The flower's edible, they're really tasty in salads.

And also leaves, you can saute them or you can blanch them and season them.

And the roots, you can actually make it into a tea, which is absolutely healthy for you.

Now, the clovers, I put them in salads.

They're just absolutely tasty.

Chickweeds, oh my gosh, it's one of my favorite, favorite weeds to eat, and it's just so delicious.

And life can be just absolutely fabulous with wild edibles.

When you're foraging somewhere, make sure that you know exactly what you're foraging and study before you go out there and pick these wild edibles.

Also, when you're foraging, make sure you have the permission to forage, and also it hasn't been treated with any type of pesticides or chemicals.

Make sure it's a natural environment so that it's healthy and good for you.

Now, there are perennials that I actually grow as well in my garden.

And one of my favorite is garlic chives.

And these are just absolutely beautiful.

I planted these few years ago, and I really don't have to do a whole lot of work, which is fabulous.

They just come back up every spring.

And as you can see, these are just absolutely healthy and beautiful.

Now, when you are harvesting these, what you do, you go to the bottom and you just go ahead and cut it right there.

And you can just take out the brown parts, and look how beautiful these are.

And if you were to cut it, not at the ground level, and if it's higher, and what happens when it comes back up, you'll see the brown spots and it's not gonna be as pretty as this.

It is absolutely versatile, and I just use it for just about everything, instead of using spring onions or onions or garlic.

I also make kimchi with these, which is fantastic.

So healthy for you.

Now, what I'm gonna do later is that I'm gonna be making a savory pancake with this, and also wild onions that I'm gonna be harvesting.

And it's just absolutely delicious.

And I hope you'll be able to go out and go out there and forage some wild edibles at this time of the year.

Live it up, eat it up, and be happy.

Life is wonderful.

>>And now, it's time for our favorite part of the show when we get to hear from you.

Send us your gardening questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg.

or on our Facebook page.

Serome Hamlin has joined us to share his gardening knowledge.

So, welcome, Serome.

>>Thank you, I'm glad to be here.

>>We are so glad you're here too.

So, where do we start, sir?

>>First of all, I would like to ask, is there anything that you've missed in your segment that you would like to talk about, about herbs?

>>Yeah, probably the fertilization actually, because herbs don't need a whole lot.

They really don't like soil that kind of has six months feed in there.

So, we use efficient seaweed, a very low wheat kind of fertilizer liquid.

So, that goes on there once a month.

And parsley is the good way, because if your parsley is very yellow and it's not over watered, it's probably just a lack of nutrients.

So yeah, probably just the fertilization.

It's important.

>>Yes, it is.

It's very important in a lot of garden aspects and herbs as well in all of your edibles.

Now, we've got a question that about thyme.

Is there a variety of thyme that can grow in a single stem, make it easier to cook?

>>That would be wonderful.

The time saver chef's favorite thyme.

No, unfortunately, they're just so kind of small and the leaves and all, and stripping off is just part of the process of enjoying what you do in the kitchen, right?

So yeah, probably not unfortunately.

But that would be nice.

>>That would be nice, but it's just as easy just to grab a big strand and grab the longest ones that you can and just run it in between your fingernails and- >>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>do it on the cutting board that way.

>>I'm wondering if she grows barbecue rosemary.

Barbecue rosemary is very straight stemmed and you can just run your hands down.

>>Absolutely.

>>I'm wondering, if that's where that question is originating from.

>>Yeah.

>>It could be, but if you are out enjoying, you know, growing it, then it's the joy of the process of using it to cook as well.

>>Exactly.

>>So, how about a question about azaleas.

Now, a viewer is saying that their white azalea is flowering, but all the other azaleas, the branches are dying and the leaves are turning brown.

>>Yes, yes.

I'm sure many of us have had problems with some of our shrubs.

We had an abnormally wet December of 2024 and wet January, 2025.

And in doing so, we had very soaked soils, which created the conditions perfect for some of our diseases, one of them being phytophthora.

And so what I would do is to take some root samples from the soil and a half dead branch, not a fully dead branch, and bring it to my local cooperative extension office so that they could check it for this disease.

And also look at it in other ways, if it's not phytophthora.

But there are ways, fungicide and stuff you can apply, if you get a positive result.

But understanding, you know, what happened a number of months ago- >>Is affecting, >>is affecting us now, 'cause it's a woody plant.

Where herbs, it's an instant kind of with, if you over water it within a week or two, you know it.

Yeah.

>>Sure do.

>>Oh yeah.

>>But with woody plants, it just takes a while.

It's a delayed response we'll call it so.

>>Yep.

Well, that's a good way of putting it.

And then I've noticed, you know, even how roses are starting to get brown and black spot a lot earlier right now.

>>So fast.

Yes, yes.

>>So, the weather has a lot to do with how our plants are looking.

>>Well, I've got a question for Shaun.

Do you sell any of the herbal roses, the apothecary roses or anything?

>>We've dibbled and dabbled and I usually like to, if we're gonna get into something, we get into it.

So, we have plans.

It's not in the too distant future, but not at the moment, no.

>>Okay.

Well, what is your favorite herb to grow?

>>Well, we have quite a few.

The basils is probably to give kind of a cheat answer, it's the nice category, because we have lemon, the Thai, the purple.

Not many people know on the purple.

It's the same flavor as the sweet, but all the color and brilliance of purple.

So, it just looks on a platter.

it takes it to a next level kind of thing.

Yeah.

>>Sounds beautiful.

>>Yeah.

>>I know.

I must say Thai basil is one of my favorite.

>>Mine too.

I'm a Thai basil person myself.

>>Yeah.

>>But, all right, then opposite, what's the most difficult herb to grow?

>>We get a lot of questions about cilantro and dill, because they're great flavors.

There's not really, really many replacements or alternatives that you can use.

They're truly a cool weather annual, so they really like the spring.

So, you get them in kind of mid-March.

You generally only have them through kind of mid May to late May, depending on the weather and some shade kind of thing that you can give to them too.

You can do them again in the fall, but everyone likes cilantro with their tomatoes and salsa.

So, growing it, freezing it, preserving it.

Those two are certainly by far the kind of the trickier ones.

And thankfully it's not the person, it's just the plant and learning that cycle.

>>Yeah.

So, it's a short-lived annual.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>Yes.

And then in growing it in a container, as you were showing how to grow herbs in containers, that's another great way for some of those cooler season.

You can extend the life a little longer by being able to move it into a more ideal location.

>>Yes.

Something to breaks up that afternoon sun.

>>Yeah.

>>Yes.

Yes.

And also people have to understand they can dry these herbs.

We dehydrate a lot at my house, and cilantro and dill are perfect for drying.

>>Yeah.

>>It smells fantastic.

Don't do it together though.

>>Enjoy it twice.

>>Bad idea.

>>Yeah, at least with cilantro, then if you let it go to seed, then you've got another.

>>Coriander.

>>Exactly.

So, double duty.

>>Double duty.

Yes.

>>So, let's see if we can get in another question.

Anybody familiar with goats and using goats for invasive removals?

>>Well, actually, I had a girlfriend who used those on her hillside not far from here, and it took two visits for the goats to come.

But, of course, the owner of the goats came, scoped out the area, deemed that it was a good place.

Wasn't very many poisonous plants for goats there, which meant English ivy, that they don't digest English ivy very well.

But everything else they ate, she had them come back in the fall, they ate it down.

You know what resprouted and wow, it's exactly right.

>>Wow.

>>I was a little, you know, doubting Thomas, but prove me wrong, to this day, it's still pretty clear.

>>Yeah.

>>And it seems like that's been a really nice way to, especially large areas, to have them come in and mow everything down.

And in a way it's a natural question.

>>Natural way to do it.

Yes.

It was great.

We had goat parties.

>>Did they take it right down to kind of ground level?

>>Yes.

They even pulled out some of the things, like the Japanese honeysuckle they were pulling it out.

>>Yeah.

>>And the owner put up a fence to contain the goats, left a dog.

And my friend had to feed the dog, but the dog was their comfort, kind of their comfort dog.

>>Yeah.

>>And it was pretty exciting.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

It is.

It's fun watching it.

I've saw them do that in Bryant Park before and it's kind of a neat process to watch the goats go through- >>Yes.

>>and eat down everything.

>>Yeah.

Well, we have less than a minute.

So, I want to ask one more question for herbs, for beginners.

What exactly would they, I'm a beginner, I have no idea.

What should I avoid growing?

You know, I mean.

>>Okay.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

So, I think mint would probably fill that category quite nicely.

Best way to get rid of mint, if you've ever planted it, is to simply move house, leave it at that house.

and pick it back up- >>I've done that.

>>when you get to the new one.

So, certainly a container.

And back to the fertilization, a mint that is in a container will grow, look like mint, tastes like it, but when you bite it it's not gonna fill your palate and kind of roll around in your mouth without that fertilization.

So yeah, certainly mint would probably be up there with those.

Oh, I wish I didn't kind of plants.

>>Rue is my other one.

People grow rue.

>>Oh yeah.

>>And it's something that many people get a rash from a reaction from.

So, looks pretty, walk away.

>>Yeah.

>>But anyway.

Well, that's all the time we have right now, but we look forward to answering more questions later in this show.

So, keep them coming.

And Sean, thanks for joining us and sharing your knowledge.

>>Appreciate you having me.

>>Yes.

>>Very nice, thank you.

>>And next, Serome visited Ariane Crosby at her popup plant shop, Green Vibes RVA, to talk about the benefits of houseplants and how to care for them.

So, let's take a look.

>>So this is a welcome change, being inside, even though we're still talking about gardening.

So, Ariane, can you please tell us about Green Vibes RVA, and why we're here with all of these beautiful plants?

>>Yes.

I started during the pandemic.

I was surrounded by my plants at home and so I wanted to be able to give back, right?

And also during that time where everybody was stuck at home, how can they also give back with the joy of plants, right?

So that's why I started Green Vibes.

So I'm always like a good vibes type of person.

So I'm like, "Ah, how can I have it related to how houseplants?"

So.

>>Exactly.

>>Green Vibes RVA, cultivating good vibes and houseplants.

>>Oh, awesome.

And for those beginners, what can you suggest as far as houseplants for people that could be a little intimidated to get started?

>>Easy plants, which is something I specialize in, because a lot of people I run into say, "I don't have a green thumb.

I can't take care of plants."

And if you get an easy plant, a beginner plant, it's definitely easy for you to take care of.

So I would recommend a Pothos, which is a very beautiful plant, very green.

I love the vein of the plant, right?

So you could put it anywhere in your house, right?

The bookshelf, the window sill, and you can actually see it grow, right?

For a beginner, you wanna see, I wanna make sure my plant is growing.

So this is a good beginner plant as well.

I also have the Spider Plant, right there, is a nice beginner plant as well.

It grows just almost similar to the Pothos, so that way you can give clippings to friends as gifts as well.

So very beautiful plants.

>>I can see where it's starting to.

>>Right?

Yes.

So more of those will come and you can just go ahead and clip 'em, maybe propagate, or give it to a friend.

>>Share the wealth.

>>Yeah, share the, exactly.

You know, share the wealth.

So if you're trying to find a unique gift to give to someone along with a book or a candle, you could also give 'em a plant as well.

>>And then speaking of giving attention to the plants, what advice can you give to anyone that's starting?

You know, 'cause certain plants require certain- >>Yes.

Yes.

>>Attentions.

As far as lighting or watering.

>>Yes.

>>Those are some of the things that a lot of people would have questions about.

>>That's true.

I would say every plant is different, right?

Not every plant is the same.

So you wanna make sure, as far as lighting in your house, where are you gonna put this plant?

Is it gonna be in the kitchen?

Is it gonna be in the living room?

Is it gonna be in the bedroom?

So depending on the type of plant that you bring home, you wanna make sure it has the right lighting.

So for a Monstera here, it requires medium to bright, indirect light.

So right, so that's something that could be in the windowsill that gets great light.

Or also your living room that has some, you know, huge windows that gets good lighting as well.

Watering, that is also key.

The number one killer for houseplants is normally overwatering, right?

>>Yes.

>>So overwatering your houseplants normally would cause them to die.

So the best tip to not over water your houseplant would be to put your finger in the soil, right?

One inch into the soil.

See if it's dry.

If it's dry, then it needs a little watering, right?

If it's moist, then you don't need water at all.

>>Poke before you soak.

>>Right.

>>Always go in and really stick your finger in and see if the plant actually needs it before you give it 'cause that is- >>Yes.

Yes.

>>Exactly right.

>>Like feel it, right?

Touch it.

It's yours, right?

This is yours.

You brought it home.

So go ahead and touch it and just see exactly the care that it needs.

Like this plant here, even though you can't tell, but it's hidden, has a yellow leaf, right?

So that's okay to get some scissors, prune it off to make it look pretty, 'cause then that way, the plant could just focus on the healthy leaves.

>>On the healthy leaves.

>>Yep.

Yep.

So these are like one of my favorite types of houseplants, right?

Easy to take care of and also remind you of how to take care of self, right?

So it's very important to, in this journey of becoming a plant parent, right, to also remind yourself to take care of you.

So your plant need water.

Did you check to see if you had any water today?

Right?

Your plant needs light, right?

Did you go outside and get some vitamin D or just step outside from being in the house all day?

Especially people that still work from home, right?

So you wanna take a moment to like, ah.

>>Just get out and breathe.

>>Get out and breathe.

Exactly.

And then another key thing is naming it, right?

Naming your plant.

It's your plant.

This is yours.

So you can name it, have fun with it, talk to your plant.

Give it encouragement as a reminder to give yourself encouragement as well.

But another thing to add as far as element of design, the color, every leaf is different, right?

So sometimes you don't want the same plant all the time, right?

And a lot of people do.

And if that's what you like, that's what you like, right?

>>Yeah, so there's so many different options that people can have, from big bold leaves to things with nice modeling or variegation.

There's many different plants that will make people happy and have, you know, different styles, the silver spotting.

>>Yeah.

>>So there's so many different varieties.

>>And even the Monstera has the cut in it.

So it just has the little slits in the side.

So I really appreciate the different style of leaves.

>>Yeah, so tropical plants are just so awesome and there's just so many different varieties and there's always gonna be something for someone.

>>Yes.

Yes there is.

And it just connects you back to nature, connects you back to earth, right?

Gives you that energy that you need.

A lot of benefits of houseplant is, it purifies the air, right?

It helps reduce stress.

It makes you more productive, right?

>>That's exactly, especially in these times where more people are spending more time indoors.

That's a nice tip to think about is, you know, purifying the air that you're breathing constantly.

>>Constantly.

Right?

And then also inviting, if you're not a person that goes outside, but inviting that inside, right?

And just making it more, ooh, just magical, right?

>>Yes.

>>Yeah.

I really think of a jungle when I think about it.

So it's just very magical.

So I really just appreciate just the texture, the height, the different pots that you can purchase or create yourself and just reuse.

Just like this.

"Sometimes I wet my plants," it's just funny.

>>Plants, it's just funny.

>>Right?

(laughs) So a reminder to, you know, put water in it and it's okay to just have fun with it, right?

Because they are yours, they are your babies.

So it just, it has been truly a great journey and I've enjoyed the journey of just being able to share this with others, right?

The joy of houseplants 'cause it really makes me- >>Awesome.

>>Feel good and I want the people to feel good as well.

>>When you feel good, you can make other people feel good.

>>Yeah.

>>So it is, it's very nice.

This has been a very interesting conversation.

I'm so glad that we were able to talk about houseplants today.

>>Yes!

>>I think I'm going to end up having to go and pick up some more- >>Absolutely.

>>Houseplants for myself.

>>Okay, okay!

You can pick some up here.

>>And do some self care.

Yes.

(Ariane laughs) Thank you very much.

>>You're welcome.

Thank you.

>>I'm a plant parent and seeing all those different types of tropicals has me yearning for more.

And now, Ariane is here with me to talk about propagating houseplants.

But before we begin, remember to send in your questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg, or through Facebook.

Well, Ariane, you've got quite an array here, and, you know, most people wanna buy plants, but there's other ways we can multiply and share our plants, and that's through propagation.

>>Yes, it is.

So, again, I shared my favorite plant is a pothos, so that's what I brought here today just to show how to propagate it.

So one of the most important things to remember when you propagate a pothos is the nodes, right?

So you wanna cut right below the nodes, so that way, that's where the roots will grow.

>>Right, and the nodes are where leaves come out.

>>Leaves, roots.

It's really, really small, but you can definitely see them right here on the stem.

So you wanna go ahead and just cut at an angle.

Use your shears.

Make sure they're clean.

And then we have a cutting here.

Super cute, healthy.

Now, as you put it in the vase or whatever vase you use, sometimes you may have to break a leaf off.

So you wanna make sure to just easily snip it off.

Oop.

>>Oops, snapped it instead.

That's okay.

(Ariane chuckles) Do you wanna cut it with the scissor?

>>Yeah.

Trying to use my scissor.

Sorry.

>>That's okay.

This is what we all do.

>>Right.

(Peggy and Ariane laughs) It happens.

>>Yep.

>>And there we go.

>>So we'll put it into our vase.

>>Put it into the vase.

Super cute.

And I'll go ahead and cut another one.

And like you said, it's part of the process, right?

You're learning something new.

You don't know where to cut, how to cut, how far to go, so you just go ahead and, let's try it again, right?

Here we go.

And I'm gonna just cut this top part off here.

And then let's cut off this leaf right here as well.

So as you can see, the node is there right there.

>>Oh, there we go.

And typically, how many days, weeks, whatever timeframe, until we have roots starting to emerge?

>>So about two to six.

Two to six weeks.

So, one other important thing is you always wanna change out your water weekly, right?

So once it start looking cloudy, you wanna change it out just to make sure it has fresh water.

And then also, you want to put it in indirect bright light, right?

So you wanna make sure you can actually see it grow.

So I did bring some that already have roots.

>>Oh, cool.

I love that you put 'em in a glass container.

>>I know.

Just repurposing the vase that I already had, but this is what it looks like.

And this is about six weeks already grown.

>>Oh, nice, yeah.

>>It looks so pretty, so long.

So, really healthy.

So that is what will happen once you cut it and just pretty much watch it grow from the vase.

And it's really cool just looking at it and you'll be able to see it grow.

And then also, just gifting it as a, you know, to a friend.

You could decorate your vase, right?

>>Oh, yes.

>>You know, whatever you wanna use.

Stickers, messages.

So that way, you can, you know, gift it.

>>Yeah, that's cute.

When it's fully rooted and you go to put it into the soil, what's that process like?

>>So that process like is just put it in a pot that has drainage, right?

'Cause that's very important.

Once you put it in the soil, you wanna make sure...

It might have to take time to adapt, right?

From being in water to now soil.

So you might have to keep the soil a little bit moist for like a week or so, and then that way, it'll eventually just gravitate to the soil.

>>So those water roots- >>Yes.

>>will probably die off and new roots will come along.

>>Yeah, absolutely.

>>Yes, absolutely.

But when you have the pot, what can we do?

'Cause you've got some beautiful pots here.

>>Oh my god, you could just have fun with it.

So I have another pothos here, but the pot, I just put some shells on it.

>>I love that.

>>Very beautiful.

Easy to do to make it fun.

>>Glue gun or?

>>Glue gun, yes.

>>Oh, yeah.

>>Yeah, yeah.

Nothing wrong with a good glue gun.

>>Right.

>>And then also, another one here, and just adding different messages, right?

"Let's root for each other," right?

So yes, I'm rooting for you to grow, but it will also root for me to grow as well.

And then also, just little shells and twine on it with the hot glue gun, and just make it fun and pretty.

And then you can gift it, right?

Or keep it at home as different reminders and messages for affirmations while you walk around.

>>That's fantastic.

I noticed this one here.

You know, you've really... What did you use to write on this?

>>So I use Sharpie markers, and then just pretty much took time to just be creative and just write little messages.

So we are nature, we are earth, and just loving the earth equals loving ourselves.

And just adding little different lines and dots just to make it a little bit more decorative, so.

>>You took a plain black plastic pot and made it into something special.

>>Exactly.

>>That is lovely.

>>You could write happy birthday.

You could write any affirmation that you want to send to a friend.

So that way, it could, you know, spice up the pot a little bit.

>>Exactly.

Now you were saying that you name your plants.

So do you have names for any of these plants?

Let me take this out of the way.

>>Most of these plants are not mine, so no, nothing personally, but most of the names that I...

It really has to come to me when I think about the name for a plant 'cause I'm definitely spending time with this plant and it's in my home, right?

So some of the names that I have already at home is Bertha, and that's a philodendron, and it's super big, super red.

So that's the name I chose (Peggy and Ariane laughing) when I brought that plant to my home.

But for these plants, they are for purchase, so, you know, these are my friends to gift to other friends, so they have to name 'em.

>>That's awesome.

I noticed here you have a basket and it's got a liner to it as well.

So I'd ask, would you dress up this pot a little bit more?

>>I would.

I would add some shells on here.

I would add some beads as well.

Just different things that I could hook on the basket just to make it a little bit more fun, 'cause sometimes you have stuff at home and you're just like, "I wanna get rid of it," right?

You'd be like, oh, all this creative stuff that I have at home or beads and stuff that I'm not using, then I could just add on a basket.

>>Fantastic.

Well, I think you've inspired all of us, not only to get more plants, but also to take the pots we have and make 'em more decorative, so thank you.

>>No, you're welcome.

Thank you.

>>Thank you.

Next, we're going to answer more of your questions, but first, Amyrose Foll has a tip for propagating another type of popular indoor houseplant: succulents.

(upbeat music) >>House plants have many benefits from improved air quality to aesthetic appeal.

For me, I really enjoy decorating with houseplants.

And while I may not be the best keeper of house plants, I enjoy gardening outside.

Succulents are a really great way to add that appeal to your house.

You can start with just a few and propagate many, and it's very simple to do just starting with a single plant that you might pick up at your hardware store or at your garden center.

Now these are ghost plants.

They're very easy to propagate, and one of the things that I like to do is clip off the rosettes.

I cut this with some clean scissors.

You wanna make sure that your scissors are always clean because you don't wanna introduce disease into the plants.

And then I use these smaller ones to take these leaves on the sides off.

Now if you can see, this one has a leaf that doesn't look quite so healthy, so we're gonna remove that one and just discard that guy.

You wanna start with the healthiest plant material that you can to ensure success.

Starting with the right soil mix is very important.

What you're gonna wanna do is use a pretty easily commercially available cactus, palm, and citrus mix.

You can get this at any hardware store or garden store in the area.

Once you've got all these little guys here, we're just going to put them around on the top of the soil here, close as you can.

Each one of these guys is gonna become its own plant.

Now there's a difference of opinion.

Some people like to spray them once or twice real quick, once they lay them out here.

I like to leave mine dry for a couple of days, three or four days just to kind of harden off those little ends.

You can just take them and very simply, one or two sprays.

You don't wanna make them too wet.

They're from arid environments generally, so they're used to being dried out.

What's going to happen is each one of these little leaves is going to start putting off something that looks like this little guy.

This is called a pup on this end, and it's putting roots down on this end.

And as you can see, because it's been left alone, it's extremely rubbery.

It's not turgid like these leaves are over here.

And that's completely fine because this is going to feed this pup and this little root right here, and eventually this will basically wither and dry up and this will become your new little plant.

Think about this, you pay $2, $3 for one of these guys, and you can really propagate hundreds and hundreds of plants.

Succulents are a really easy and great choice.

If I can do it, you can do it.

And just remember to have clean scissors, the proper soil, and don't over water them.

And soon you'll have more plants than you know what to do with and you can share with family and friends.

Happy gardening.

>>Succulents are easy to grow, making them perfect plants for new plant parents to grow.

Whether an indoor plant or one in the garden, plants boost our mood through the compounds they emit, particularly serotonin and dopamine, which are often referred to as happy hormones.

And now we're going to take more of your questions.

So go ahead and send those in at vpm.org/vhg.

So let's see what we have here.

Well, Arianne, we have one here about fertilizer.

Are fertilizer sticks a good idea for houseplant?

And when do you use them if they are?

>>So I do use the fertilized stick for my houseplant, and typically I'll use it during this time, spring renewal.

So that way your plants will definitely be healthier as it grows throughout the summer.

So this is the perfect time to use them.

>>Do you ever use the slow release fertilizer granulars on your plants too, or just- >>I haven't.

Just the sticks so far.

Just the sticks.

>>They're so easy.

They really are.

>>I know there's so many options for fertilizer, so whatever works best for your plants.

But I definitely have used the sticks before.

>>Oh, that sounds good.

Do you follow the directions or do you just kind of wing it or how do you use those?

>>Mm, wing it.

(Peggy and Ariane laughing) I try not to overthink, right?

And just kind of tuck it into the soil, make sure its watered, make sure it has the correct lighting that it needs and just pretty much watch it grow.

>>Sounds great.

So what are some good house plants for lowlight areas?

>>Ooh, lowlight areas, I would recommend snake plant, which is also a good one.

A Zz plant is also good for lowlight.

Those are like typically my top two that I would recommend for a lowlight area.

>>Wonderful, easy plants to to grow.

>>They are.

>>Oh yeah.

Especially the Zz plant.

Definitely.

>>And the snake plant, you can't get it easier than that.

>>Super easy.

>>Super easy.

But I'm gonna ask the opposite question.

Those are all easy.

What are some of the more difficult house plants to grow?

>>Like the only challenge I had so far was a fiddle-leaf fig was the most difficult for me, because they could be really challenging as far as like the temperature, the lighting, the area of your home that it needs to be in for it to really grow, 'cause once you start seeing some leaves fall, you just like, "What's happening?!

What's going on?!"

>>It's a cascade.

>>"What am I doing?!

I did water you, not watering you, I moved you, and you're still dropping leaves."

So that will be one of the challenging plants so far for me.

>>It's not a set-it-and-forget-it plant.

>>No, it's not.

It's the talk to me everyday plant.

>>Yes.

And you move it two inches and it pouts and start dropping leaves.

(all laughing) >>Yeah.

No.

>>Yeah.

I had one of those too.

Had.

>>See?

Exactly, "had."

>>Well, Serome, do you have a favorite house plant?

>>With me, I have pets, so I have to, and especially cats.

So with the cats I have to limit houseplants.

I do have Zz plants and pothos, because I can hang them from the ceiling, which, if you got cats, you're gonna be hanging plants from the ceiling 'cause they don't care and they will start gnawing on everything.

>>Exactly.

Exactly.

>>But those are two of my favorite...

I do have a black Zz plant, that I think, is one of my favorites.

>>That's pretty, >>Yeah, the leaves come in green and then they age and dark into almost black.

>>Yeah.

I have to trade you a plant for a piece of that.

>>Come on.

Yes!

>>Plant swaps are awesome.

>>I mean to also propagate a Zz as well, you just cut the leaf, so you could give Peggy a gift.

(chuckles) >>There we go.

I'd like that.

I'll give you one of my succulents as a trade.

Well, this is great.

This is...

Here we have a question for the outside.

And Jillian is asking, "What are a few plants that are good for creating year-round privacy while adding benefits for insects and birds?"

Now we've gone outside.

Excuse us.

>>No, that's fine.

>>Well, it's choosing a nice evergreen shrub or tree that you have space for.

So I would think like a thuja or even a holly- >>Which is Arborvitae.

>>Yep.

Arborvitae.

Or a holly could be a good option for- >>Right.

I was also thinking of Viburnum.

The Prague Viburnum, it's not my favorite, but it flowers, provides services for the pollinators, but you can hide anything with that plant.

>>Nice.

>>Yes.

How could you use houseplant inside to hide things?

>>Ooh, it just depends on how big it is, right?

So a monstera, sometimes they get really big.

So you could definitely hide a lot behind a monstera, just depending on the area of your house and how big it is really.

So you could put it in front of the window to block privacy that way.

Even a fig, if you have one, that's pretty big.

And the leaves are very big as well.

So that's another good one to kind of block some of that privacy in your windows as well.

>>Oh, that's a great idea.

Rather than curtains.

>>Well, you know, also at home I have hanging baskets and just with plants in front of my window.

So that's another cool way.

(laughing) >>Another great way- >>To do that privacy as well.

>>Yeah.

Just kind of alternating.

>>Privacy inside and out.

I love it.

So Adeline from Midlothian asks what herbs can we use as ground covers?

She uses Greek oregano to cut down on weeding.

Many bees love the blossoms.

Do you use?

>>I don't use herbs for ground cover per se, but you could use thyme.

Thyme is a nice little ground cover and will grow pretty thick as long as you got well drained soil and a lot of sun.

>>Well, I use mint too 'cause it just takes off.

>>Yeah, well mint.

>>Yeah, it smells very good.

>>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>>Well then I'm gonna pitch it to you.

Are there any low growing house plants rather more that would hug the pot?

>>Yeah, I would recommend an inch plant, which is pretty good to have that low growing veiny look, a pothos as well.

Just depending on how long it gets, right?

You could pretty much wrap it around to pretty much be stationed in that area to grow long.

So I really like when I think about it, having it on my bookcase and how it could just go down and just really cover.

So it could cover a lot of ground.

>>Especially something like bookcase.

>>Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

>>Pretty harsh.

>>Yeah.

>>We're down to one question real quick.

Brian from Richmond has asked, poison ivy's invading his property.

I'm so sorry.

What is the best herbicide to use excluding Roundup?

>>So, I would say go to a center and let a professional have a conversation with you about your different options.

>>I would agree with that.

I would agree with that because when you go to big box stores, there are times that you don't have a professional with the experience and the knowledge to be able to ask and to guide people on the right direction of what product to get.

>>Exactly.

>>I like that.

Thank you.

>>And always follow their advice.

>>Always follow.

And the directions on the label.

>>Yes.

>>Yes.

Say, well, we're out of time.

And Ariane, thank you so much for being with us.

>>You are welcome.

>>Serome, thank you as always.

>>Thank you.

>>And thanks to all of our guests today, and thank you for watching.

We hope you'll consider the benefits plants can bring to your home and garden.

So try growing something.

And it's okay to start small.

On Saturday, May 10th, our Virginia Home Grown team will be at the RVA Big Market at Bryan Park in Richmond.

And we hope you'll stop in and say hello.

Plus remember to sign up for our monthly newsletter at vpm.org/vhg for gardening information and advice.

Also, our Facebook page is full of gardening tips, so be sure to visit us there.

I look forward to being with you again soon.

And until then, remember, gardening is for everyone and we are all growing and learning together.

Happy gardening.

(bright music) >>Production funding for Virginia Home Grown is made possible by Strange's Florist greenhouses and garden centers.

Serving Richmond for over 90 years with two floor shops, two greenhouses and a garden center located throughout the metro Richmond area.

Strange's, every blooming time.

And by.

(birds chirping) (gentle guitar music) (gentle guitar music continues) (gentle guitar music continues) (bright music)