Amazing Blue Plants for the Garden 

I agree. I like pops of color with dianthus.

I often wonder if Chairman Putin knows those blue spruce in front of the Kremlin and the sacred Necropolis are All-American DNA and from Colorado home of NORAD? No one else in the world calls them "firs" so maybe it's a denial thing. No politics intended. Just curious.

My SIL keeps hers potted at the shady edge of her porch so the deer won’t eat them like they did the last one!

Me too , here in zone 8 GA!

So...I, too, am now in 8a -- only to be near family -- do your words mean our heat decimates the beautiful blue spruces?? Sob.

This nursery is actually in zone 8B, however it’s a very different 8B from the south. It can get hot, but very little humidity and the nights are very cool.

​@@freedomofreligion3248not necessarily, I'm in Dawsonville and there's several quite nice Blue Spruce I know of. It's got to be well drained, afternoon sun protection helps but I know one right along a parking lot in full sun. I actually sold it 18 years ago as a balled in burlap working at a garden center. Arizona Cypress is a steady performer too. It handles clay better but not wet soil. Addition of a product like PermaTill really helps.

@@freedomofreligion3248 I'm on the sandy ridge of SC some 20+ years now, and cannot recollect seeing a blue conifer.

An Aoi pine.

They need to be super well drained. Don't like irrigated areas.

@@katiekane5247 Thanks! Not irrigated, but typical KY clay soil. Hmmm.

Just visited the website to find out about visiting & it says scheduled tours for current or potential customers only, which equals wholesale buyers, which means the general public can’t go 😢

​@@kkeenan536every visitor is a potential source of disease and visitors require more staff. That makes these plants more expensive. Jim gave us a good tour, enjoy it!

@@kkeenan536 dang!! That’s too bad.

This nursery is in the PNW, just outside of Portland. I’d say they do very well 😂

Can you do the Arizona cypress? We can in Austin, 8B/9A.

@@Theisaiahtibbs yes, I have a Carolina Sapphire. I believe it's the same tree.

Because his zone 7b is much different. It’s much hotter and very humid in the summer, and the nights are warm and humid. In the PNW there is very little summer humidity and the nights are much cooler, so the plants get relief from the heat. Hardiness zones only refer to the mean minimum temp and don’t address heat and humidity.

​@@erikl85That's an excellent point because nurseries fail to tell people that and I for one found out the hard way with blue spruce!

You’ve answered your own question. Generally, conifers prefer soil that’s 5-6. There’s no point in Jim mentioning that for every tree in the video, because it’s pretty standard for all of them. Junipers are the only exception to the rule, and will be happy in more alkaline soil.

@GardenKath Right. Obviously, I already know some things about that info. But not every gardener knows all about PH, and which plants grow where. And also importantly, which plants WON'T grow in certain PH soils, not JUST the temperature zone information. Also, there are always exceptions to the rule. Like the Arizona Cypress. It's not a Juniper. But it is said to grow healthily in higher PH soils too. (Is healthily even a word??!) So yes, let's mention the PH range of each plant! It will probably even be INTERESTING to find out how different each PH range truly is! And while yes, I DO know the rules of how conifers generally need an acidic soil, since I've NOT got experience growing in acidic soils, I DON'T KNOW just HOW ACIDIC each plant needs the soil to be. And also, just as a plant person, I would still like to hear what each plant's favorite PH range is. I mean, I'm thinking it shouldn't be THAT HARD to include the information. It's simply part of the normal stats. Especially when PH matters! Which is definitely in the case of conifers. I'm betting there are other plant peeps out there that probably have "micro-PH-climates" with their soil too... (Or whatever that's called in soil!) Different spots around their yard with different PH numbers. Maybe they have a good spot where their blueberries grow? And other spots where the blueberries WON'T grow! And maybe there is SOME BLUE CONIFER that can handle a slightly higher PH, even if it's still not as high as what I have. There's got to be SOMEBODY out there who has perfectly NEUTRAL PH soil ! Will the conifers grow there? Which ones will, and which ones won't? And then there's all the newbies who have no idea that they should NOT be planting a Colorado Blue Spruce in their 8.5 ph soil, and to add insult to the tree's injury, their water also has a high PH! Those poor newbies who will get taken in by the beauty of the Blue Spruce, and don't know the garden center is taking them for a ride!! But nobody's talking about the PH being an important part of a healthy conifer. The newbies, they don't even know that's a thing! They go to the garden center and see that beautiful blue spruce, and of coarse, they fall in love with it! (Because, who doesn't!!) The garden center shouldn't be selling it, but they do. And nobody ever tells the poor newbie they're just wasting their time, money, and future heartache on planting this spruce tree in their 8.5 ph soil ! I know it happens bcuz I see them for sale around here, even though they shouldn't be. Or at least they should come with a big red flag & disclaimer! "GROW AT YOUR OWN RISK!" pffffthhh! 👅💦 !! Of coarse, the store isn't going to do that! They just want their money. So yeah, taking for granted that whoever is watching these vids has at least a 6.5 PH is just a bit frustrating for those of us who don't have it. As well as very frustrating for those who end up finding out the hard way. I mean, if each and every plant in the 10 plants listed in the video can only grow in a certain soil PH, it's really not that hard to even just add a blanket statement at the beginning of the video. "All the plants shown today NEED an acidic soil ranging from ** to ** to be healthy shrubs and trees." Adding that to a video just doesn't seem that hard to me. It also seems like it should be part of the statistics given, just like the winter hardiness zone. Oh, and in the case of some conifers, or is it MOST conifers (?) a summer hardiness zone should also be added. Especially since it's been about 10°-15°f hotter since 2020. So yes, I still think including this information in a plant informational video, is essential. And it should not be taken for granted that "people just know". Because they don't. All that to say: There IS more than one point for Jim "mentioning" the PH range for each and every plant in this video. ▪︎ Because that information is part of the basic stats per plant. ▪︎ Because not everyone knows about the importance of soil and water PH with conifers. ▪︎ Because it is now way too easy to buy any conifer online, from an area with different PH than theirs. ▪︎ And most of the time, not even the websites selling them mention the PH needed! ▪︎ Plus - it's only 10 plants! Sheesh!! ▪︎ And finally, it's just NOT that hard to "mention" it.

@theresaodwyer2026 Well, I do do my own research. I'm just not sure why soil PH for plants that clearly are specific in their needs are not regarded as pertinent information in a video which is giving all the other stats. Nor am I sure why that offends YOU. And while we're on the subject, isn't the comment section the very place for asking questions like that? Or is your idea that the comments are just for praise to the content creator?