Ground Breaking Banter - Rick
Soil. You couldn’t be blamed if it sounds boring, but once you start learning about how it was formed, the vital role it plays not just for plant growth but for human health, and how fragile it is, you’ll find yourself using the word “soil” over “dirt” more and more. As it should be, because it deserves reverence and credit for all it does.
The best way to get to know your soil is to get a soil test. That might sound like something super intense that only the most serious gardeners do, but it’s really worth doing for every home owner. When you know what’s going on with your soil – what type it is, what the pH is, approximately what the nutrient levels are – you are able to make informed decisions about what (and indeed, even if) you apply fertilizers and other soil amendments. That can save you lots of time and money, as well as help protect against nutrient leaching that causes algal blooms and other types of pollution. Plus, the results will be valid and reliable for pretty much a lifetime, so you only need to do it once. They generally cost around $30; to find out how to get a soil test, search for your state or province plus the words “soil test” and then site:.edu, which will limit results to university websites, which typically administer the tests at the lowest cost. Plus, when you receive the results, you’ll also receive interpretation and recommendations on what is needed to improve your soil health, if anything.
Join us on your favorite podcast platform or at the YouTube link above to hear our whole conversation on soil and soil testing.
Soil requirements confuse a lot of would-be plant buyers and gardeners. Most people have a vague idea that some plants need acidic soil, and pretty much everyone who has ever set foot in a garden center is familiar with the all-too-vague directive “well-drained soil.” It may feel maddening to you, but good drainage really is, more than any other factor, the key to a healthy plant. The reason is simple: roots need oxygen, and in soils that aren’t well-drained, the spaces that would be filled with oxygen are instead full of water. Though some plants have evolved to be able to grow in very wet areas, or at least tolerate short periods of wet soil (it is, after all, a common natural occurrence), most plants are not equipped to deal with it. And few plants are more resentful of wet soil than butterfly bush. They aren’t the least bit picky about soil pH or soil type, but woe to the gardener who attempts to grow butterfly bush in a spot with slow or poor drainage.
We have thirteen different butterfly bush to choose from in the Proven Winners ColorChoice line, but for today’s plant on trial, I’m picking Lo & Behold Pink Micro Chip. Not only does it have one of the longest names in the line, it is also one of the smallest in the line, reaching just 1.5-2’ tall and wide. It flowers all summer with bright pink candle-like spikes that cover the plant.
Its super small size makes it a fantastic choice for growing in perennial gardens and landscaping, but it also makes having that well-drained soil all the more imperative – with a size this small, there’s less forgiveness. Any damage to the plant is much more extreme than it would be on a larger plant. But, not to worry! All you have to do is first check the drainage in the spot where you want to plant, and that’s easy. Just dig a hole (you can even use the hole for planting in, assuming it passes the drainage test), fill it with water to the top, and set a timer for 30 minutes. At the end of that period, go back and check the situation: if the water is gone, or nearly so, you’ve got good drainage and can plant butterfly bush – including super tiny ones like Lo & Behold Pink Micro Chip. If there’s still water in the hole, you’re going to want to plant something else instead. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a plant that can tolerate wet soil, unless the water level in the hole has basically not decreased at all, but it shouldn’t be something that absolutely demands well-drained soil like butterfly bush, lilacs, panicle hydrangeas, or roses.
If your natural soil isn’t suitable for growing butterfly bush, you can still enjoy them in containers, either just as summer color that you throw away at the end of the season (this is common in areas where butterfly bush isn’t hardy – USDA zone 4 and colder) or attempting to keep them in the container all winter. If you’re going this route, opt for a weatherproof container that can stay outdoors all year round without breaking, and look for one that is proportionally wide to tall – you want to avoid any that are much deeper than wide, though shallow containers are fine. You basically want to avoid having a lot of excess soil without roots growing in it below the plant because, again – well-drained soil is crucial, and wet soil below the plant is pretty much the exact opposite.
If you’d like to add Lo & Behold Pink Micro Chip butterfly bush – or any of the 320+ Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs – to your garden or landscape, you’ll find a list of local retailers here.
Gardening Mail Bag - Stacey
Ever since we talked about the chimera discovered by listener Michelle in episode 100, people have been writing us with weirdness on other echinacea. The most recent one is this, a perfect example of fasciation, a phenomenon where the plant produces flattened, contorted, conjoined, and/or crested growth. It can be caused by any number of things: hormones, genetics, bacteria, fungus, virus, or environmental conditions; it may or may not be stable and return multiple years. 
These irises were placed too deeply when they were transplanted, which is why they aren’t blooming. The same thing can also happen with peonies. But fortunately, you’re asking this question at the perfect time, because fall would be ideal for digging these up and repositioning them with their rhizomes just barely below the surface – here it is spelled out by the experts at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens. There is also the possibility that these irises are a bit too crowded, which can also impact blooming, so when you are correcting the depth this fall, go ahead and take away perhaps a third to half of the rhizomes and plant elsewhere.
While we are big advocates of mulch, if you have an established ground cover planting that’s basically doing the same thing – keeping down weeds, preventing soil erosion, and shading roots of nearby plants – there’s no need to keep mulching that area.
The reason one of the plants is so much larger than the other is simply because it had a bit of a head start – the plant is more established, and it’s also possible they could have been different sizes to begin with. However, once the second plant has reached it’s “leap,” or third year, it should start catching up and in another year or so, you won’t really notice a difference between the two plants at all.
As for your second question, I don’t think this planter is too small for the hibiscus. I wouldn’t go smaller, but the plants should be able to happily spread out laterally as they grow.
Do you have a question for us? We’re happy to help! E-mail us or use the contact tab above. Due to high volume, we may not get to your question, so if you need an answer quickly, please reach out via the Proven Winners website.
Branching News - Rick
In keeping with today’s theme of soil, we’re joined by Debra Knapke, “the Garden Sage,” who is a passionate advocate for soil health and conservation.
Join us on your favorite podcast platform or at the YouTube link above to hear our whole conversation with Debra.
