I also do not believe your garden looks tragic. This is a real-life garden and you have enough honesty to show us the transformation of your space. Thank you!
😊 I never thought your garden looked "tragic". However, that view in this video is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and giving me the courage to move plants if needed. I always thought once planted, that was it! 😁
I think your garden is beautiful! I think it’s crazy when people make mean comments , what happened to if you cannot say anything nice then say nothing at all
Wow, the angle today was stunning! If my garden went from "tragic" to stunning in just a few months, I would be ecstatic, It just shows how all the care that you took before you left helped the garden to bounce back so quickly.
You never know with a hydrangea from a florist. I received one as a gift. It was small and I think had three blooms on it. After it bloomed I stuck the pot on the far back raised bed in my NYC terrace garden (Zone 7) and forgot about it. Next time I looked, the roots had gone through the holes in the plastic pot into the planter. I left it to see whether it survived the winter. It did and over the years became a huge shrub with beautiful pink blooms (non-remontant). My terrace was only one story up and in a relatively shady area and being on a roof is probably warmer than the surrounding area. Unfortunately I had to dismantle my terrace garden due to roof repairs so I dug up the hydrangea, having to severely cut back the roots to do so. The remains of the plastic pot were still there. I replanted at my new property in the country (was 6b now 7a)-- it has leafed out in the last two years but no flowers yet. I think the poor thing needs a chance to recover but I have faith in its will to survive.
How funny; I never thought your garden looked tragic! I guess I just expect gardens to look less than in fall and winter. As long as the garden is healthy, spring brings it all back to its glory days! 😊
I love your garden - everyone's gardens look 'tragic' at one time or another... The view behind your video today was awesome - makes me wanna walk the path to see what's there!
Whoever said your garden looks tragic is a snob and uptight. Your “tragic” garden, looks better than the vast majority of residential gardens in the US. Just saying. Great vids as always!
Good morning Jim! I'm 6th generation North Carolinian (maybe more but at least 6th). I understand the moving back to the hometown, which is what I plan to do once I retire. I'll actually be moving back to my childhood home over in Shelby, which has a 2x bigger lot than my my house here in Charlotte.
@@elainemcclellion8223 I’m sorry to hear that. After watching this I found a tree where it was happening. Turns out I had seen it but never realized it was a bad sign.
Jim, it looks to me like your dream is coming true - at least the one where you hoped to be able to video from more than one angle. It's obvious that you've been switching locations lately and they all look GREAT! What a transformation you and Steph have achieved in just a few years. It's so much fun to see what you have done and are doing with this space. Thanks!
The garden absolutely did NOT look tragic! You showed us how to prepare for an absence and you went on an adventure. And look how great it all looks now. Thank you for showing us we can have a balanced life outside of the garden because I do not want to be chained to my garden.
I never thought your garden looked tragic, but doesn't everyone's garden look a little sad in winter? I know mine does. I'm with you on vacuuming the whole house from one plug! I downsized from 2600 sq ft to half that a few years ago and have never once missed having a big house!
*About suckering* , I was always taught (and I have seen it myself) that some species (especially among shrubs and small trees)have a natural predisposition to suckering. Poplars got their name from the fact that they form large “populations” by sending up new shoots and growing more trees through their roots. I strongly recommend your viewers to research online any plant they want to dig up because they see a lot of suckering and think it’s stressed. Sometimes it’s just their natural growing habit and if you want a single stem specimen you have to resign yourself to the necessity of having to remove suckers regularly.
For me, you definitely did not talk too much about B&B plants vs container plants. That answer was super informative. In my experience, B&B’s are insanely heavy and difficult to work with, especially if you try to remove the burlap when planting (which I have heard differing opinions on and would appreciate your thoughts on removing the burlap or not). Thanks for another awesome video!
This is one of the best Q&A’s. Such great questions this week. Every single question was wonderful and so were the answers. Thank you Jim and Steph. PS we also have early butterflies here this year. They’re visiting the lithodora and all the purple flowers.
The convo on B&B vs potted trees was really helpful for me. I could never manage a B&B so it’s interesting to know a potted tree could fare just as well… with a little patience 😊
I live near Cherokee national forest and it looked so much better after the controlled burn. I’m so glad you talked about this Jim because it’s so true. I think the controlled burns are important.
What a great q/a on the florist Hydrangea! I had no idea, I put two in the ground this past year we shall see how they preform. At the very least now I'll know if and why they underperform
My mom said nothing broke her heart more than a fairest hydrangea lol I think it depends on the breed though because she has some that have grown well.
I should have such a “tragic” looking garden. It has looked amazing through everything you’ve done and this view is stunning! Makes me glad I am doing more shrubs and evergreens in my garden. It truly looks wonderful ❤
I learn so much from you, Jim! Thanks for all your videos. We moved into a new house and the previous owner had several large trees removed and chipped in place. We'd like to make this area a huge sun garden, but the chips are anywhere from 4"-12" deep, it is also on a slope'. They are aged about 2 years now. We have Georgia clay soil, zone 7B. Would you recommend tilling this area and mixing the chips with amendments? If so, what would you add? I have added a couple shrubs and transplanted a couple gardenias and topdressed with compost and fertlizer, thus far. I want to be able to direct sow flower seeds and plant perennials in this bed.
Thats nice about your dogs Jim. I garden in an area where everyones front yard faces someones backyard and vs versa. People here like to get big dogs then keep them pinned in a small backyard. Its a non stop bark fest, and we've had escaped pitt bulls roaming others yards. I garden with my hori hori sharp on my side. I hope one day i can garden without anxiety in a few acres.
I just finished moving my dad (exhausting), so hearing about you assisting two moves this winter, plus the other traveling makes me appreciate how resilient both you and your garden is!
We live in 1300 sq ft and LOVE it, so I agree with a bit smaller living. Oh, we also have 2 small children and it works well to keep eyes on them. Plus, we can spend more on the garden 🤣
I agree 100% with raised beds and usage but being said - everyone has a different story! After yrs of digging, raking, adding nutrients , trimming , for many yrs! At age 70 , I have s courtyard style yard and love it!
I'll send you some pictures Jim we made a 75ft by 45ft rectangle for our Vegetable garden, then raised the bed a foot above the lawn, trench edged it and built up the sides with clay and tamped it. The bed has a ft deep of blend compost as rows with a ft deep of Mulch as walking paths. When it rains the water soaks into the bed and drains in the trench edge...very cool project because I wanted raised beds in ground if that makes sense!
Oh the “DRAMA OF THE TRAGIC COMMENT”…it’s winter the yard is not at its best… ridiculous Comment….your garden space is truly spectacular even thru projects…as long time gardener I always have a project going …hence the messes but try to keep front in some order lol… good sport you are JIM!! Thanks again!! Judy in pensacola fl 🐰🐰😂
Hills and Slopes question: (Atlanta GA 8a or 7b or whatever we are now, full sun East facing, slope down to street) I have an old japanese maple with sloping "lawn" to the left and right of it right by the street. I'd love to plant some ground covers, things that smell nice, and some figs in the corner for fruit in the future to be shared with anyone who walks by. What ground covers and smaller fruit shrubs or other plants should I plant in this space? It probably tends to be drier since its out in front of some very large, mature oaks along the property border.
I opted for raised rows on native clay. I did form the bed with untreated lumber to hold the soil/compost in place since I'm on a slope. The bottoms are open and hopefully everything will hold after the boards rot away. I would rather not replace the boards in the future. So far they are working wonderfully.
Hey Jim! I always enjoy your content and have been a long time follower. I have a question about clay soils. I've seen your posts about dealing with and planting in the red clay soils you have in the Raleigh area. I'm in Wilmington and the clay I have is deep, thick sheets of grey/white clay about 12 inches down. My drainage is terrible. I do my best to dig as deeply as I can, and incorporate pine bark fines when planting, and mound the soil as much as I can where possible. My question is if there is anything more I can do to break up these sheets of clay and improve the soil and drainage. Thank you!
That’s a wonderful question. I have red clay so I personally use the wood chips over top and let them break down. I’ve never dealt with the gray clay but I know it’s around here as well. I’d love to know the answer to that. I hope Jim talks about it next week.
Your landscape is stunning! Watching the transformation has been educational and therapeutic. Tragic? Not at all…. Just part of the process and well worth following along. 😊
Hi Jim and Steph! Question from the Colorado Front Range area, Zone 5B: we have a tree (Canada Red Chokecherry) that's planted too deep, been in the ground for three years not really doing much or improving. Watched your most recent transplanting video (thank you!), already root pruned and getting ready to pull it out and replant in a couple weeks. The question is... how do you go about raising it up? Mix bagged soil with existing? Make a mound to settle it onto? Find the root flare? Just a quick lil how to would really help lol thank you!
We have a mature flowering dogwood that is showing signs of stress including some water spouts. We have replaced the lawn around it with mulch and are having an arborist fertilize it. We also have a lot of native Virginia creeper elsewhere on the property. Would letting some of the VC grow on the dogwood cause harm? The goal is to maintain the form of the dogwood- along with the shade- until the shrubs we plan on planting nearby mature. Finally, thanks again to Team Horttube for providing such terrific content.
Hi Jim, I love the new view! I'm one of those people that asked you previously in a video you actually answered about gardening on a slope. In the end I chose creeping phlox, grasses, junipers, spirea, barberry, and several evergreens and yes, even roses. Everything is doing great, and the mulch has stopped sliding down the hill. One of the surprising things I planted that has done exceptionally well are my tulips. Because the water doesn't stay on the bulbs too long, those tulips have just kept on coming back year after year. As long as I remember to fertilize them, they are as beautiful as ever. Also, can you discuss the toxicity of Sago palms please. How serious is this if I have a single one with no cross pollinator around? I have kids around, although they wouldn't go into any of my deeper rose beds that are surrounded by thorny roses.
Do you have or plan to grow any summer blooming bulbs on your property, more specifically, lilies? I have various species of them, but have to treat them with animal repellents to keep browsers away. They can help bridge the spring and summer blooming seasons.
Not a question. Just sharing my experience with leaving wood chips in the flower bed. We had just moved in and ground a large tree stump and several large roots in different places of the flower bed and right away planted several Japanese hollies in one place and several emerald green arbs on the other side. The emerald green and the Japanese holly planted right above where the bulk of wood chips was have grown a lot larger than their neighboring ones. Wood chips not only stole the nitrogen, they actually acted as a great source of nitrogen for these evergreens. Had I seen youtube videos before that, I would have probably waited 6 months but I am glad we did not.
Hey Jim, Is planting from seeds a way to get interesting plant varieties? For example where did that Hong Long Maple come from/originate? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on coming up with new varieties. Thank you, enjoy your videos.
We are so close to being done with our new construction, and I’m planning our garden. I want to be much more intentional this time, and would love to hear your ideas for the best ornamental and shade trees for full sun. I am in southeast Alabama (zone 8b/newly 9a), so super hot and humid. Thanks!!
Question : Talking about invasive plants ... I have had several opinions from others on removing the entire root system from the Burning Bush plant . There where 20 plants placed next to each other and the root system has spread out at least 6-7 feet from the removed plant ... I have been working on taking the roots out because I will be redoing this bed and a second one just like it... I trust your opinion on if it is really necessary because I am sure that you are familiar with how this plant roots ... I am in zone 5-6 what ever ... Thanks
Who’s garden doesn’t look tragic in the fall and winters months the weather is terrible and it’s hard to get anything done. Also some how I hope you don’t put a fence back on that wood line it looks so much better without anything there
Jim great video again and thank you for your dedication. Do you have any low spots/drainage issues? Would you recommend French drain, or reworking an existing swale, planting, wet garden, or a combination, or something else?
How do you build healthy soil where you have ground cover and can’t lay mulch or even compost. I have Platt's Black Brass Buttons and White Star Creeper spreading in some areas and really love it. But I want to amend the soil still.
I've recently learned about Edgeworthia Chrysantha from your channel and I fell in love with it. I've since ordered and planted mine. I'm located in recently updated zone 7a (used to be zone 6b, south central PA). I know that only means so much, so I looked at my historical annual low temp and in the last 20 years its only gotten below zero like 2 times. I've decided to plant my edgeworthia under a young yoshino cryptomeria in hopes that the evergreen foliage will provide some frost protection. Is this a bad idea because of root competition? I unfortunately don't have a good spot protected by the house foundation so I need to find a spot in the landscape that will provide protection. I appreciate any help with this. Thanks for providing invaluable information for us learning gardeners.
Do I need to worry about termites in chip drops> Is there a safe distance to use them if I put them in foundation beds or should I only use in beds at a distance from the house, and other wooden structures?
Zone 8 Fuquay-Varina. I got a bareroot flame seedless grape that I am very excited about. I potted it up when I got it and am planning on putting it in the ground in a few weeks and am having trouble picking a spot. What things should I keep in mind choosing a spot and if I change my mind later is it a plant that does ok transplanting later. Also, would love any Jim wisdom about grapes in general!
Jim - what is your opinion on getting a raised bed/potting soil mix that is extremely woody, that is totally organic and just using it as mulch - I did this last year and I haven't noticed any negative effects - I assume since it's organic that I could just use it as ground cover/mulch as I thought it was too woody to use as a potting mix. Thanks - love the wood chip pathways - so rustic, but also gives a nice appearance to the gardens overall♥
Have a 35 foot wide space in front of a low retaining wall. I’m wanting to create a screen between my neighbor with Sunshine Ligustrum and Ever Red Loropetalum. I’m in zone 8a in TN and the area gets afternoon sun. How far apart should I space these shrubs so that a screen would form but still keep the plants healthy? If there are other plants I should use, please make a suggestion. Thank you!! Love your channel!
I have another question-already asked one! I live in zone 8, new construction home. Been here about 4 years. The garden bed at the front foundation of my house is a problem. I have killed several things. I discovered that there is a rock (boulder) in the ground that runs the length of the bed. There is about 8 inches of soil above the rock. Water does not drain well even though it’s high ground. Azaleas planted by the builder died within a few months. I planted 3 dwarf inkberry holly towards the back of the bed and they are doing well, but I need more options to fill up the area. Any suggestions?? I should mention that I have heavy clay soil with a LOT of rock mixed in. Delightful 😩
Question: I live in DFW area of Texas zone 8b and I am landscaping a new house. I have 150' back lot line where I need to plant a privacy border. I have about 30-35 ornamental trees, shrubs and large perennials I want to use to develop a mixed screen and my question is about spacing. How much should I adhere to the estimated width for spacing? Can I space them a little bit closer together to achieve a full screen? Thank you and I enjoy your channel tremendously.
What are your thoughts on using pecan shell mulch for clay soil? I love the look of it and thought maybe it would keep the snails and slugs down because its got sharp edges and would be hard for them to crawl on. Your thoughts?
Love the winding path. Beautiful! Question - I put my compost bin and piles by some trees and now they are full of tree roots. It’s making it difficult to turn. Any ideas?
You mentioned landscaping slopes. I have a drainage ditch along the street in my front yard thats probably 2'-3' deep... and I hate it. Any advice on how to landscape for better curb appeal, would be FANTASTIC! Zone 9a Coastal Georgia
Hi, In February I accidentally broke a couple branches off of my Oakleaf Hydrangea. I immediately just stuck them in the ground and now they're growing!!! When will it be ok to dig them up and put them in their permanent home? Last summer, I air layered a couple of plants (SweetTea Olive & a Hydrangea). When it would be ok to check them and separate from the mother? Thanks Very much, Sandy. zone 8a Chattanooga, TN :)
Here in Central Texas (8b), I have not seen one Gulf Stream Nandina where the shrubs have set flowers or berries. Up in Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Gulf Stream is considered sterile by master gardeners there. Yet, I believe you've indicated that Gulf Stream is not sterile where you live. What would cause the difference?
I have had an unusual situation to occur. I planted Autumn Bonfire azaleas in my red and white planting bed. This year several of the "red" azaleas are blooming a faded reddish pink. A couple of the Autumn Bonfires are still blooming red. The plants are blooming nicely and look quite pretty, but they aren't what I thought I was planting. What do you think might have happened? I'm In Wilmington, NC, zone 8b.
I live in Central Texas (zone 8b). The last two years we have had scorching summers with 70+ days in a row with no rain. We are told to mulch our trees out to the dripline to help them conserve water. When you have mature trees, that's a lot of mulch! Would using wood chips be acceptable in this situation?
I laughed when you talked about vacuuming from a single outlet. I tell people the exact same thing-we are in a 1000sq ft ranch with a small urban garden which is great as we get a bit older and son’t want more work than we are able to do.
Question : soil analysis came back with ph at 7.3. 2 acres in Midwest central Illinois. Obviously I don’t try growing hollies, rhododendrons, azaleas and blueberries.Other things grow well - do I need to amend the soil? Tomatoes grow well in the soil, most other vegetables i grow in raised beds because of yes, the age thing.
