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20 Questions: Plant Edition
29 Plays1 hour ago
Jessica and Alexis play 20 questions, plant style and discuss everything from what plants they always kill to what they'd do if they weren't horticulturists.
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@gmail.com
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Transcript
Introduction: All-Girl Power Episode
00:00:14
Plant People
Welcome back to a another episode with your favorite brunette plant people um with lots of hair.
00:00:20
Jessica
Another all girl, an all girl power episode.
00:00:24
Plant People
All girl power hour.
00:00:24
Jessica
Yeah.
00:00:27
Plant People
I'm
Unusual Phrases and Forgetfulness
00:00:28
Plant People
here for it. I'm here for it. um This is pretty much normal conversation for Jessica and I is just to like talk about, talk about plants and bugs and all that kind of stuff.
00:00:33
Jessica
Yeah.
00:00:36
Jessica
Bebop around about things.
00:00:36
Plant People
So we're, yeah. Right. Bebop around. Listen, I love the term Bebop. I just, just be bopping around. Just, I just be bopped around.
00:00:42
Jessica
I, yeah.
00:00:44
Plant People
Like I use it in very serious conversations and I think it throws people sometimes.
00:00:50
Jessica
I talked to you yesterday about bebopping around making coffee and totally forgetting about a meeting that I had. And I was just like, bebopping around the office making some coffee.
00:00:58
Plant People
The coffee was the most important thing. And then you drank the coffee and you were like, oh my gosh, I have a meeting.
Generational Plant Enthusiasm
00:01:04
Jessica
wrote it on the wrong day, but it all worked out. Everything worked out.
00:01:06
Plant People
It's all good. It's all fine.
00:01:07
Jessica
Yeah.
00:01:08
Plant People
Yeah, it's all fine. But, you know, here's your permission, listener, to use the term bebopping. and If you should so choose, we're going to bring it back.
00:01:15
Jessica
Please use it.
00:01:16
Plant People
We're bringing we're bringing back the bebop.
00:01:17
Jessica
ah We're going to make that work. but fetch you know Fetch might not work, but we're making Bebop work.
00:01:22
Plant People
It's never going to happen, Gretchen.
00:01:23
Jessica
Yeah.
Early Plant Experiences
00:01:24
Plant People
um Shout out to all my millennials out there.
00:01:26
Jessica
Yeah. Elder millennials here.
00:01:30
Plant People
That's where we're at.
00:01:30
Jessica
I am. You're middle age.
00:01:32
Plant People
Well, an elder millennial.
00:01:33
Jessica
I'm elder.
00:01:35
Plant People
I think I'm exactly millennial. Like, um just right right there.
00:01:38
Jessica
Right. I think I am actually millennial right there.
00:01:41
Plant People
I'm not a cusp. I'm not an elder. i am just i'm just existing millennial.
00:01:45
Jessica
Yeah, I'm really not on the edge either. I'm just full, full blown.
00:01:47
Plant People
i I'm existing in this world of
Misconceptions in Horticulture Careers
00:01:50
Plant People
pre-internet slash now I know how to convert things into PDFs and, ah you know, drinking out of the hose and all that kind of stuff.
00:01:54
Jessica
Right.
00:01:57
Plant People
I saw funny.
00:01:58
Jessica
All the things.
00:01:59
Plant People
I saw funny. um
00:02:00
Jessica
No cell phones.
00:02:01
Plant People
No cell phones.
00:02:02
Jessica
No social media.
00:02:02
Plant People
So your first cell phone. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes. The my good old days of MySpace.
00:02:09
Jessica
Only could be on Facebook if you were in college with a college email.
00:02:12
Plant People
Yep. Yep. Good times. Yeah.
00:02:15
Jessica
Dating ourselves. ah
00:02:18
Plant People
It's fine. I do it occasionally. We have a new person on our team. We'll have to have Gabe
Breaking Gardening Traditions
00:02:22
Plant People
on ah here sometime, but new person on CCD team, Gabe, and he is, ah he is Gen Z and it is, I, I date myself quite often. Brett and I both date ourselves quite often with our, with our Gen Z coworkers, but you know, it's fine.
00:02:36
Plant People
It's all right. They, they don't make fun of us to our face.
00:02:37
Jessica
See...
00:02:39
Plant People
So that's, what's important.
00:02:40
Jessica
Ray, Ray really dates himself. We haven't, we haven't made, we haven't talked or about Ray yet, but he dates himself because he like dates himself, like makes you think he's like the 1800s.
00:02:45
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:02:49
Plant People
Yeah, ro where he exactly. Ray dates himself and you're like, are you a vampire? I am confused.
00:02:53
Jessica
Like why, what are you talking about?
00:02:55
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. Well, daddy used to like hand, you know, saw these logs and I'm just like, what?
Lessons from Orchids
00:03:03
Jessica
yeahp
00:03:03
Plant People
Like, you're not that old. Like, I don't.
00:03:05
Jessica
Right. Yeah, that's that's what I always get confused about, too. But then at the same time, Ray is, like, super tech. And, like, he will tell me things about...
00:03:12
Plant People
Yes. he reboards He rebuilds motherboards and sometimes, yeah, he'll say something to me, like expecting me as a millennial to like understand.
00:03:16
Jessica
Yeah.
00:03:20
Plant People
I'm like, I don't, I don't know.
00:03:21
Plant People
what i don't know what that is.
00:03:21
Jessica
I don't know what you're talking about.
00:03:23
Jessica
i don't understand.
00:03:23
Plant People
I don't.
Inspirational Plants
00:03:24
Plant People
What wasn't there a president or somebody who said, um if the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky because it won't happen for four more years or something like that.
00:03:33
Jessica
Yeah, something like that.
00:03:34
Plant People
That must have been let's must be where Ray's coming from, except it like in the hollers of Appalachia, it's like 10 to 15 years.
00:03:37
Jessica
Yep.
00:03:40
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:03:40
Plant People
Maybe 100. guess it depends which holler you're in.
00:03:42
Jessica
Maybe. Yep.
Skepticism Towards Trends
00:03:44
Plant People
ah We say that with love, Appalachia.
00:03:46
Jessica
We do. We do.
00:03:47
Plant People
We we we love you, and we're we're glad you exist in all of your lore of Appalachia, which we should do a whole episode on just Appalachia
00:03:58
Jessica
That would be
Humbling Plant Failures
00:03:59
Jessica
cool.
00:03:59
Plant People
lore.
00:03:59
Plant People
Yeah, but...
00:03:59
Jessica
Yeah.
00:04:00
Plant People
Today, we're doing something more fun.
00:04:01
Jessica
Side tracks. Okay.
00:04:03
Plant People
um Well, I mean, honestly, though, what can be more fun than Appalachia lore, but we are doing something fun. and we're going to play 20 questions plant, plant style.
00:04:14
Plant People
And Jessica and I are going to answer I've got a list of 20 questions, which depending on how excited we get about each question, maybe 10 or 12 or 13.
00:04:22
Jessica
Right? See how far we go with this.
00:04:23
Plant People
Like we'll see how far
Life Lessons from Plants
00:04:25
Plant People
we get. But I do have a list of 20 questions that are all plant focused and I'm going to move them so that I can see them on the screen. And I am excited. So Jessica, are you ready?
00:04:37
Jessica
I am ready.
00:04:38
Plant People
Okay. So question number one, some of these are more personal. Some of them are just like general. So question one, what plant or growing experience first made you feel like, yep, this is my thing.
00:04:53
Jessica
Oh, well, we can go way back.
00:04:58
Plant People
Go way back in our way back time machines.
00:05:01
Jessica
ah Okay. I used to
Cultural Impact of Horticulture
00:05:03
Jessica
think plants were boring. And not like cool. And i ended up doing a bunch of like science projects because my dad thought plants were cool.
00:05:14
Jessica
so I did like different plant roots and got to go in a greenhouse and realized like I love trees. And then when I was in college, my
Friendly Podcast Competition
00:05:24
Jessica
first true job was working at the horticulture research farm.
00:05:27
Jessica
And i actually thought of this the other day and I don't know why. But I went to that first day work and I remember coming back home to my parents' house and I was like, this is the worst job ever. I do not want to go back. They made me steak, tomatoes.
00:05:37
Plant People
the
00:05:38
Jessica
What the heck is this? Like, I am not. I'm like, and look at me now.
00:05:42
Plant People
And look at you now. Steak and tomatoes.
00:05:46
Jessica
Stained tomatoes. And um yeah, I did that. And I was like, oh my gosh, I really, my whole life have really like loved nature and all that.
00:05:57
Jessica
And it kind of came together in that moment. And then I took like a plant ID class. And then that's what like actually like sealed the deal for me. I was like, this is it. Like it's been around me my whole life that i really plant things.
00:06:09
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:12
Jessica
So
00:06:13
Plant People
Mine's ah some come somewhat similar that you've been around it and a ah ah random job. So um my mom was a big plant person. Like she, ah you know, she knew the Latin names of trees, right?
00:06:27
Plant People
Like she she was that nerd. And ah so and I was always the one like mixing up, you know, leaves in the woods and, ah you know, using using leaves as Band-Aids and thinking I was just like so cool.
00:06:35
Jessica
yes yes did that yep
00:06:41
Plant People
um I don't know how I probably didn't get some crazy infection. But anyways, I always had a garden. Mom always had like a big rose garden and, you know, general gardens anyway. So youll yeah, you're around it and like appreciated plants. But I don't think I knew what type of jobs were available, which was like the big thing. And so one summer, ah like Before I started at UK in college, I worked at Lowe's in the lawn and garden section, and ah the which is not always common at Lowe's, the head of the plant the plant department.
00:07:17
Jessica
Thank you.
00:07:18
Plant People
and did all the ordering and stuff. Actually, he's an older guy and John, good old John. And he knew a lot about plants, had some background, had been working in the industry for you know his entire life.
00:07:30
Plant People
And this was just his like post-retirement job. And so he would walk me around as we were like moving plants around and and just start talking about these plants. Oh, and this does this and and blah, blah, blah, and smell it and blah, blah, and started telling me about all the things you could do if you knew about plants and had a degree.
00:07:45
Plant People
And I was like, immediately, yes, this is what I've been missing. This is where I need to be. So I was going to breed ah some rice or something, some sort of grain that was going to save the world.
00:07:58
Plant People
And then quickly realized I am not good at chemistry. So, so I am no longer breeding things. And by no longer, I mean, I never did, but.
00:08:07
Jessica
Well, hey, I was going to have like this big old plant nursery slash agritourism business, but instead of doing it more of a different roundabout way.
00:08:12
Plant People
Hmm.
00:08:20
Plant People
But we got here.
00:08:20
Jessica
So wea we got here.
00:08:22
Plant People
We got to the plants. We got where we needed to go. Okay. So question two, what's a plant you love professionally, but would never grow at home and why?
00:08:33
Plant People
Plant you love professionally, but yeah.
00:08:34
Jessica
That's a hard one. I have to think about that.
00:08:37
Plant People
um I feel like it'll be a landscape plants. No, you know what it'll be is fruit. um I probably will never grow apples at home. Like I love the idea or grapes. Grapes is a perfect one. I will, as much as I like really want to grow like a table grape, um, I know what it takes to grow them. And I'm like, I'm not going to do it. Like the raccoons are going to get them or they're just going get moldy, but like, I love them. I think they're beautiful. Um, and you know, bonus, you can eat the things if you take care of them. yeah.
00:09:11
Plant People
Lots of cool things that go in with grapes and the you know breeding and the research and the rootstock and bla but blah, blah, blah, blah. But I'm not, yeah, I'm not going do it.
00:09:18
Jessica
Right. Yeah. Thinking you know along that line, which I do have pressure to do this now, i would probably say like a peach, peach trees.
00:09:28
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:09:28
Jessica
Like I do have apple trees and they are, they are terrible. to be honest. ah But my son likes to say he's a peach eater and he keeps asking me to grow peach trees.
00:09:41
Jessica
But there normally that's something I would probably not grow or attempt to grow just because the variability with it and all the things.
00:09:45
Plant People
okay
00:09:49
Plant People
Yeah, had to be in like the perfect location, but at least it'd be pretty.
00:09:50
Jessica
But
00:09:53
Jessica
yeah, it would be pretty.
00:09:55
Plant People
it blooms all pretty and stuff.
00:09:56
Jessica
Yeah.
00:09:57
Plant People
Yeah.
00:09:58
Jessica
Yeah.
00:09:58
Plant People
Okay. All right. Question three. What is the biggest misconception people have about what you do in horticulture?
00:10:09
Jessica
It's really hard to explain what we do. Just...
00:10:12
Plant People
It is. And it often people are like horticulture and I'm like, i study plants. i I talk to people about plants.
00:10:18
Jessica
Right. It's, it it gets real. Like we had a i've fire department Christmas dinner the other day and somebody asked me what I did. And I always start off. I'm like, Oh, do you know what cooperative extension is?
00:10:30
Jessica
And they're like, yes or no.
00:10:31
Plant People
Crickets.
00:10:32
Jessica
Right. Or if they say yes, I'm like, do you know what 4-H And then they'll be like, yes or no.
00:10:32
Plant People
Yeah.
00:10:36
Jessica
Right. They know it but if they know what 4-H is, then I can lead into it.
00:10:37
Plant People
Yeah.
00:10:40
Jessica
Okay.
00:10:40
Plant People
Right.
00:10:41
Jessica
I do these similar things with the community, but all plant related and then give some examples.
00:10:41
Plant People
Yeah.
00:10:46
Plant People
and
00:10:48
Jessica
But if they don't know any of that, it's like I work with plants and help farmers and help, you know, like I'm a helpful plant helper.
00:10:53
Plant People
Yep. So what do you, what's your, what's the biggest misconception people think you do?
00:11:00
Jessica
ah hmm.
00:11:02
Plant People
The thing that I think most people are confused about is that I put in landscapes and it's like, no, I'm not a landscaper.
00:11:08
Jessica
Oh, people think landscape design.
00:11:09
Plant People
Like I. Mm-hmm.
00:11:11
Jessica
Like I should be able to design their landscape or I should be able to do floral design.
00:11:15
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:11:18
Jessica
You can do that. But people think automatically because I have a horticulture degree that I could make beautiful floral arrangements.
00:11:26
Plant People
different things people different things
00:11:26
Jessica
And that is not the case. Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:31
Plant People
yeah no that that's i think a big one people are like oh yeah so can you like help me design my garden bed and i'm like you don't want to see my garden bed it's just like random plants that i like there's no rhyme or reason and i stick them together like
00:11:42
Jessica
Do they not know the anxiety that we share about trying to decide where to put something in a blank slate and how we can't do it
00:11:49
Plant People
Oh my gosh. The struggle. We can't. We're like, I guess I'm planting more along the fence again because I don't know where to put this.
00:11:56
Jessica
that's That's where everything goes because it's too overwhelming to start a flower bed or a design.
00:12:03
Plant People
Yep. Yep. Starting um like the farm was not over. I mean, it was a little difficult because you still want to be like efficient, but it's kind of this me massive thing.
00:12:13
Plant People
You need a lot of space.
00:12:13
Jessica
Yep.
00:12:14
Plant People
There's usually not a ton of options for, you know, you has to be close to water and flat like that wasn't as big of a deal. But like, yeah, putting in like a small little garden bed. I'm like, oh, God.
00:12:25
Plant People
Oh, God. Where do i put it?
00:12:27
Jessica
I had my little native magnolia tree. i ah carried that all around this big empty yard and field and placed it in different spots and would come back and just stare at it.
00:12:30
Plant People
hmm.
00:12:33
Plant People
Yes.
00:12:37
Jessica
And then like go in my house and like peep out at it from the house in the distance. And I'm like, is that the right spot? And then I move it again. And my husband's like, what are you doing? Just, just plant it.
00:12:46
Plant People
I just, I can't. Yeah, I can't pick it.
00:12:49
Jessica
was like, I can't.
00:12:49
Plant People
I can't. I don't know how. Okay. um Number four what gardening or farming rule do you think deserves to be broken more often?
00:13:04
Jessica
Gardening or farming rule.
00:13:10
Plant People
i would say
00:13:14
Plant People
gardening or farming rule. It's like I can think of a hundred rules, but I'm like, no, rules are meant to be followed.
00:13:17
Jessica
Yeah, yeah. That's it. Yeah, same.
00:13:19
Plant People
But I also know I probably break a ton of rules. I think just plant what you like. Like it doesn't have to be, you know, yes, it's nice to have like a really well-designed, like themed area.
00:13:32
Plant People
Like I fully support that. But also like if you see a cool plant and you can afford to and want to plant like a plant it, just buy it, just put it in.
00:13:43
Plant People
Like Like make it make it you. Make it your home. Just like the inside of your house is hopefully like homey and reflects you. Like your garden bed should do the same. So I wouldn't, again, coming from me is probably not the best advice.
00:13:56
Plant People
But I wouldn't i wouldn't plan too much. Like as long as things fit, like don't plant a tree right against your house. And, you know, those types.
00:14:03
Jessica
Right.
00:14:05
Plant People
Don't plant a poisonous plant where your kids can get to it, obviously. But like if you like the plant, buy it and just put it in a bed. Who cares?
00:14:14
Jessica
Yeah, it doesn't gonna matter if it's going to match or not.
00:14:16
Plant People
yeah right but that's like you like purple so that's your yeah
00:14:16
Jessica
Right. Like I've unintentionally have created a flower bed that is like almost all purple unintentionally. Right. But I apparently I like purple and it's just becoming more purple, but there's purple and I planted red flowers next to those purple flowers.
00:14:32
Plant People
yeah whatever
00:14:32
Jessica
And, you know, it it it is what it is. There are flowers there. It was pretty.
00:14:35
Plant People
Yeah, I just want pretty things most of the year. And ah if I like it, i buy it. What's that Ariana Grande song?
00:14:43
Jessica
Yeah, i was like, I got it.
00:14:43
Plant People
I want it. I like it. i bought it or I got it, whatever it is. Obviously, i am not the one and we don't want to get sued.
00:14:48
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:51
Plant People
So... So yes, just just buy it if you like it and put it next to things even if you don't think it'll match.
00:14:59
Jessica
Yeah, even if it doesn't go together.
00:15:01
Plant People
It's for you. Who cares what anybody else thinks?
00:15:03
Jessica
Right.
00:15:04
Plant People
ah Okay, question five. what What plant has taught you the most patience?
00:15:12
Jessica
Well, before we started this episode, we were talking about orchids and
00:15:17
Plant People
I was going to say orchids too.
00:15:18
Jessica
but
00:15:18
Plant People
Okay.
00:15:20
Jessica
I was just sharing that. i was like, well, my orchids from Hawaii, well, they're dead dead now.
00:15:28
Jessica
But yeah, the orchids, one of my orchids I got in Hawaii did bloom once, but it was like four years later after I had it. And I guess the stars aligned. Don't ask me how to pronounce it. We all know I have a i have trouble pronouncing normal Latin names of plants. So I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce this orchid's name, ah but it did bloom and it was beautiful. And then it never did anything again. And my Hawaiian orchids are dead, dead. Um,
00:15:55
Plant People
start with a D?
00:15:57
Jessica
No, it started with an O.
00:15:59
Plant People
oh Oh, it was one of those ones. Yeah.
00:16:02
Jessica
Oh, yeah.
00:16:02
Plant People
ah It's like oxalapetam or... i but i't
00:16:07
Jessica
Yeah, there you go. That's it.
00:16:08
Plant People
Something like that.
00:16:09
Jessica
Yeah.
00:16:10
Plant People
There you go. That's it. Yeah. Yeah. Orchids. They just some people just have a gift, you know, and um a it is not me.
00:16:16
Jessica
They do.
00:16:19
Plant People
ah the The only orchid I've had re-bloom, somebody gave me a bunch and they had done them in these like moss balls and had hung them up for it was a florist and she had used them for an event.
00:16:28
Jessica
oh what are those called? Are those called?
00:16:31
Plant People
The Kokodama?
00:16:32
Jessica
Yeah, yeah.
00:16:33
Plant People
Yeah. So she had done those and like bought blooming orchids and then made them. And she was like, I i have so many, I can't do anything with them. And I was like, just give them, I'll take them, whatever. And they bloomed again in the moss balls that I just like left in a tray and hit with some water occasionally.
00:16:50
Plant People
And then when i repotted them into with a beautiful orchid pot with the orchid bark and the, you know, all of the things died, done, died.
00:16:59
Jessica
Yeah.
00:17:00
Plant People
So I still have one left and it's, ah it's fine.
00:17:00
Jessica
i've only
00:17:04
Plant People
So I guess it's just going to live there.
00:17:05
Jessica
I've only been successful with the Phalaenopsis and kind of just letting it stay in its pot and do its own thing.
00:17:12
Plant People
Yeah. Patience.
00:17:15
Jessica
er
00:17:15
Plant People
yeah
00:17:16
Jessica
But it's really funny because to think about like what plants you're successful with and what you're not, because I would look at you as my fellow plant lover friend and think like, Alexis can grow anything.
00:17:27
Plant People
Yep.
00:17:27
Jessica
Right. But then like, We like talk to each other about what we fail at.
00:17:32
Plant People
We all have at least one plant that we just cannot grow.
00:17:35
Jessica
Or that's like super easy. And I need to tell you this because this will not like that'll make you happy. But ah one of my airplanes is dead.
00:17:43
Plant People
Yes, it's not just me.
00:17:45
Jessica
And it's the big one. So I think it's just the big ones. I think they all die.
00:17:49
Plant People
and I've killed them all. I've literally never, i think that's a question coming up here in a second. So we'll save that. Okay, so- Sorry. um We must be getting a package.
00:18:01
Plant People
Or the wind blew. Welcome to the life of the corgi.
00:18:03
Jessica
right
00:18:08
Plant People
let's see. What plant has taught you the most patience? Okay, number six. If you had to build an entire garden or farm around one plant, what would it be?
00:18:16
Jessica
Oh, one plant?
00:18:17
Plant People
so like, yeah, like not that you have to only plant the one thing, but it's your inspo plant.
00:18:22
Jessica
Oh.
00:18:22
Plant People
It's your I have to have it. It's my anchor is the way I'm understanding it. Like, yeah.
00:18:28
Jessica
Oh, because then that makes me feel like it should be like some sort of shrub or like a tree and then go from there like it's an anchor, right?
00:18:34
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:18:36
Jessica
Like, so I have my baby bur oak, you know, it's just called bur oak, but I call it baby bur oak.
00:18:36
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:18:40
Plant People
Oh, yeah.
00:18:41
Jessica
But like, ideally, you know, once I am old and my children have grown like this huge oak tree, you know, coming up around everything.
00:18:46
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:18:51
Jessica
Beautiful. Other, my other anchor plants that I have to start off, I would say would be like all my daffodils I have planted are like natural.
00:18:58
Plant People
a
00:19:00
Jessica
I'm trying to have them like all naturalized. And then that kind of plays into like the more, um let's just say cottage garden, because we're just throwing things out there and making it whimsical and stuff like that.
00:19:02
Plant People
yes
00:19:10
Plant People
mrs love it yes cottage garden vibes
00:19:14
Jessica
So those would be like my anchor plants, how I would think about it.
00:19:18
Plant People
Yeah, I'm thinking like when, so um Jessica and i neither of us have been in our homes for too long, but long enough to have made a dent in our landscaping. So when I start, like when we got here and the the of this little farmhouse, the whole front beds, all that was in them was knockout roses, Stella de Oro de Lilies, and liriope, also known as monkey grass or
00:19:38
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:19:45
Plant People
What else? La Ropey. It's said a bunch of different ways. Anyways, literally all things I hate. um And that is not, I'm not coming at anybody who likes those. If you love those, and what did we say? If you like it, plant it. Proud of you. I dug every single thing out um because I hate all of them personally.
00:20:03
Plant People
And thinking about what I planted in in their stead, like the first things I planted, I planted hellebores because I wanted something in winter that was just like, you know, gave me some ah some excitement and something to look forward to in like February when I'm just like, God, is this ever going to be over?
00:20:25
Plant People
and they're just so hardy.
00:20:25
Jessica
Right. hello
00:20:26
Plant People
So I planted hellebores and I planted, else did Oh, I planted a a peony from my a home I grew up in. So I dug out a piece of that and planted that. And honestly, i think peonies are a really good one because they're really hardy and they bloom and they're pretty. And then you kind of don't ever have to worry about them. And so peonies are just like a great anchor plant. And then ah what's the other thing I planted? Oh, I planted ah a ginkgo and it's actually a dwarf little like ah sort of looks like it should be bonsai, but it's not. It's just a dwarf ginkgo. And I planted that and I bought it.
00:21:11
Plant People
um We got married. I got married under a ginkgo tree. So that's why. But I would love to plant a big ginkgo. I just couldn't afford one at the time. So that's the plant I bought.
00:21:18
Jessica
Right. Yeah.
00:21:20
Plant People
and
00:21:20
Jessica
Peony is a great one. Right.
00:21:21
Plant People
Right?
00:21:22
Jessica
Cause like that, like that's one of those like path heirloom, like you said, like you brought it from your old house.
00:21:22
Plant People
Like.
00:21:26
Plant People
hmm.
00:21:27
Jessica
Like I brought peonies from our house, peonies that were like at our farm, at our garden that I took to where we used to live. Then I took them back again to this house.
00:21:36
Plant People
When you moved. Yeah.
00:21:37
Jessica
And then like other families have got, you know, got some from their houses. So that's a good one.
00:21:43
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's see. Question seven. What's a trend in the plant world you are excited about and one you're skeptical of?
00:21:56
Jessica
Hmm.
00:21:57
Plant People
Plant Trends.
00:21:59
Jessica
That I'm excited about.
00:22:02
Plant People
i i will i am skeptical of of some of the trends of the newer breeding that has been done. And skeptical doesn't mean i don't believe it. I just, you know, as a plant person, I have my, gotta look at it. They're doing like some breeding to get plants that have never like thrived in our zone, um like certain shrubs and stuff. I'm like blanking on the one I just looked at, um that they're like suddenly cold hardy.
00:22:31
Jessica
Right.
00:22:31
Plant People
And I'm like, like i if it's just something to be aware of. Like when you go to the store and you think this plant would never used to survive here, whether it's too cold or too hot.
00:22:44
Plant People
That's the other thing too. Like these hybrids, I'm just like, is it gonna, it might live, but will it thrive? That's always my question.
00:22:50
Plant People
Like, I don't want it to just like barely be hanging on.
00:22:50
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:22:52
Jessica
Struggle.
00:22:53
Plant People
Yes. um So I always am skeptical of things that I'm like, maybe shouldn't be here. um that's That's one thing I'm always skeptical of.
00:23:04
Jessica
I instantly went for like skeptical wise, like on social media, you see a lot of like plant people like them sharing their, I spray this on my plants for bugs.
00:23:07
Plant People
ah
00:23:16
Plant People
Oh, yes, totally.
00:23:18
Jessica
And it's like all these, all these things mixed together that I'm like, wait a minute, like, if you overdo that just slightly, are you going to end up frying your plant?
00:23:23
Plant People
Yeah.
00:23:27
Plant People
Right, right.
00:23:28
Jessica
And also, should you really be spraying that stuff around like willy nilly, you know, um that's why you need to contact your local extension office.
00:23:31
Plant People
Yeah. Yep.
00:23:35
Jessica
And we are happy to help you make proper recommendations. ah When it comes to those things, I get like real skeptical about like that.
00:23:39
Plant People
Totally. Totally.
00:23:43
Jessica
Or like you said, I have seen where they're like recommending... a lot of It's again like more on social media. Like, oh, these apricot plants are going to bloom and you're going to get to harvest all of this.
00:23:55
Jessica
Or like sometimes they have like the grafted, which you can do.
00:23:55
Plant People
Yeah.
00:23:58
Plant People
Oh my gosh, the like four-way graft trees that have been around forever.
00:24:00
Jessica
Yes, the four-way graft trees. Right.
00:24:02
Plant People
And I'm just like, I do like, in theory, I get it. And I have grafted plants. But also, that what? This is not practical. It's not possible.
00:24:12
Jessica
Right.
00:24:12
Plant People
I don't believe it.
00:24:14
Jessica
right
00:24:17
Plant People
We should do a whole episode on like sketchy plants.
00:24:21
Jessica
sketchy plants plant myths like the whole ah don't even get started about the whole like epsom salt um all of those kind of plant myth things so ah but what are you excited about i know we talked about this on a previous podcast but now i have seen videos of it is the watering like using the backpack uh the camping shower for watering that's kind of cool um trying to think other plants i'm excited about though
00:24:27
Plant People
Oh, God. Yep. Yep. Yep. um Trends?
00:24:40
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. of manner
00:24:47
Plant People
plant trends. I think I'm just excited that people are excited about plants. like The trend of like houseplant parents and like people saying houseplants are the new pets because pets are the new kids.
00:24:58
Jessica
Right? Yes.
00:24:58
Plant People
like i'm I'm here for that life, like that people want more natural things. you know whether it It doesn't have to be fancy.
00:25:04
Jessica
yess
00:25:06
Plant People
It doesn't have to be the super rare. like Go to Kroger, Walmart, where whatever box store you want and you see a plant that you like and want to take care of it.
00:25:17
Plant People
And like I am here for that trend. It's like post-COVID is still going, seems to still be going strong and I love it.
00:25:23
Jessica
Right. Yeah. Shout out to one of the firefighters that works with my husband who started listening to us because he has decided to go on this whole plant journey and has grow light setups and like all sorts of things going on.
00:25:33
Plant People
Yes. Good for him.
00:25:37
Jessica
So same people being very excited about having houseplants.
00:25:40
Plant People
I think I just like that I can talk to plants, talk about plants with more people who I wouldn't normally.
00:25:45
Jessica
Right, right. And then, like, um unfortunately, unfortunately, now those people, I'm just like, hey, check out this plant video.
00:25:46
Plant People
Exactly. Like a fire, random firefighter. Yeah.
00:25:52
Jessica
Hey, have you been to this greenhouse? Hey, you let me know that you like plants.
00:25:54
Plant People
Okay.
00:25:56
Jessica
So now I'm going to, like, send you things.
00:25:57
Plant People
yeah Now you're getting all the videos from me. um Yes. Okay. So then um where are we Question eight.
00:26:05
Jessica
Wait, eight?
00:26:06
Plant People
Oh, this is a good one. What's the most humbling plant failure you've ever had? ah
00:26:12
Jessica
Hmm.
00:26:14
Plant People
are you Where are you humbled? um Mine is the air plants. I can't keep it alive. I've tried so many. I've tried different ones. I did keep one available that you gave me, Jessica. um It was a big one. I did keep it alive for, I think, almost a whole year or around a year. And I thought I was just like the bee's knees. I was like, I have broken the curse. I can do this now. And as soon as I thought I had it together, i killed it.
00:26:40
Jessica
Yeah. For me, it's succulents. And every time like, try to blame it on, I say to people all the time, I'm like, like Pinterest lies and all of those where they like show the succulents like in a bathroom or like other places that don't have light.
00:26:57
Jessica
and And then like, they need a lot more light.
00:27:01
Plant People
Yes.
00:27:01
Jessica
Then you think they do. All of mine always end up stretching or they're not happy.
00:27:04
Plant People
Yes. Same.
00:27:06
Jessica
um i really need grow lights for them. So now I have just like, you learn, right? You learn air plants aren't your thing.
00:27:12
Plant People
Right.
00:27:14
Jessica
I know succulents are not my thing. And I have slowly migrated away from them. So...
00:27:20
Plant People
this So this is your is our annual reminder to all of you who think you're not plant people because you, quote, can't keep a cactus alive. Baby, most of us can't.
00:27:30
Plant People
You know why? Because we don't live in the desert. So it is not you.
00:27:33
Jessica
right ah Yeah.
00:27:34
Plant People
it is the plant. um That's what we're going with. It is an a little bit easier to keep your house more more like a jungle than it is like a desert, I think, um for for most of them.
00:27:45
Plant People
So this is my reminder that just because you can't grow cactus doesn't mean that you can't grow anything. um Yes, okay.
00:27:52
Jessica
Yeah. you can You can grow stuff. there're Yeah.
00:27:54
Plant People
You can.
00:27:55
Jessica
You can like basically kill a piece lily and it'll come back. Yeah.
00:28:00
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:28:01
Jessica
Yeah.
00:28:02
Plant People
Jade plants, same way.
00:28:03
Jessica
Yeah.
00:28:03
Plant People
And like, you know, a piece of it falls off, you just like throw it on a pot. It'll root by itself. Like pothos.
00:28:07
Jessica
Yeah. Get you a pothos.
00:28:09
Plant People
Yes.
00:28:09
Jessica
Oh, there we go. Yep.
00:28:10
Plant People
There it is. Listen, I i love a pothos and I don't care if they're basic and if everybody has them, they grow easy.
00:28:14
Jessica
Me too.
00:28:17
Plant People
i can string them up places. They make me feel like I'm an accomplished mother um and then I can abuse them and then they come back.
00:28:19
Jessica
pretty.
00:28:24
Jessica
and yeah, and they let you know when they're thirsty.
00:28:24
Plant People
Yeah, it's fine.
00:28:27
Jessica
Yeah.
00:28:27
Plant People
Yes. Yes. And then they let me know. And then I still don't water them for another two weeks. And I'm like, I'm so sorry. It's okay, mom.
00:28:34
Jessica
And they say, it's okay, mom. And they come right back.
00:28:36
Plant People
Yeah. where We look a little worse for wear. There's a lot of ah dead leaves on us, but we are back and um ready to go. Okay. So um this one is ah this one is more of a Brett-feely one.
00:28:47
Jessica
Oh, no.
00:28:47
Plant People
So how has working with plants changed the way you see time, seasons, or success?
00:28:48
Jessica
Okay.
00:28:57
Jessica
times well just like planting my trees that I have how quickly they grow or they're not growing versus like with my my children right my baby burr oak and having like pictures of my kids like my kids help plant that little tree right to see how quick it's growing
00:29:00
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:29:10
Plant People
Uh-huh. Oh.
00:29:14
Jessica
um i don't know what were you gonna say I've
00:29:17
Plant People
I was going to say that farming ah and and really just working with plants in general, I think has reminded me that like every, you know, there's times in life for different things, right? So we talk about winter, plants go dormant and they rest. And yet a lot of the time we're running around because it's a holiday season and and things are crazy and there's just all of this stuff going on. And, but like really ah if we follow the, you know, um,
00:29:47
Plant People
the example that nature sets, we'd be relaxing and, you know, we, there's less daylight and that's okay. And we're, you know, hibernating a little bit, we're going dormant, we're doing the things and, and then there's, there'll be time for spring and regrowth and change and all of the newness and, um, you know, thriving in the summer, except not me, cause I'm a pale kid and I hate the heat. Uh, but there's, there's a time There's always a time for it and like reflection and good things.
00:30:15
Plant People
So I think that that we we talked about like i don't like winter because I don't necessarily like the cold, but I appreciate winter more than I used to because it gives you time to rest and reflect in that way.
00:30:25
Jessica
All
00:30:27
Plant People
So I think that's what like that has done for me. And success sometimes it just comes in really small things. Like you didn't, i I never used to be able to get something to germinate. I could never figure out how to get, you know, Larkspur to germinate and now I can.
00:30:40
Plant People
And that's huge, you know, like um just those little changes. I could never get something to root or I never got good cuts on something or your tomatoes always got blight.
00:30:51
Plant People
And now they, you know, now you know how to spray for it, blah, blah, blah.
00:30:52
Jessica
right
00:30:55
Plant People
So I think those like little successes that you can build off of are really so rewarding um for such something that's like not huge, but there's like life there.
00:31:01
Jessica
I
00:31:06
Plant People
Anyways, I'm become, Brett, look what you've done to me. I'm in my feels. Yeah. Okay, so we've already kind of answered this question, but what's a plant everyone thinks is easy that actually isn't easy?
00:31:20
Jessica
was going to say succulents.
00:31:21
Plant People
Cactus.
00:31:21
Jessica
Yeah.
00:31:22
Plant People
I would also say the fiddle leaf fig. I know that yours is beautiful.
00:31:26
Jessica
Yeah. I don't, I don't know what I do. ah don't know what I'm doing.
00:31:29
Plant People
it is just, it's just you, Jessica. It's just you and your vibes.
00:31:32
Jessica
It's just me. It like leans a lot.
00:31:34
Plant People
It's, you have fiddle leaf vibes.
00:31:36
Jessica
And then it like, it's really tall. And I like want to talk, like, I kind of want to top it to see if I can get it to branch, but then I'm scared to top it.
00:31:42
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:31:45
Plant People
Uh-huh.
00:31:46
Jessica
And so there we are. And she's pretty tall right now.
00:31:50
Plant People
Listen, you there's just, there's vibes.
00:31:53
Jessica
She's taller than me.
00:31:55
Plant People
ah
00:31:55
Jessica
So eventually, I mean, I got like, 10 foot 12 foot ceilings or whatever so i guess yeah we'll just let it eventually is just gonna like look like charlie brown's tree though and like droop over i feel like oh yeah
00:32:00
Plant People
You'll be fine. Yeah, you got you got some Yeah. yeah That's fine. Yeah. Yeah. You maybe train it. You can like do the espalier with it or whatever and like make it, you know, into some cool shapes or something.
00:32:14
Plant People
um I like it. So yes, if you have killed a fiddle leaf fig, ah you are in good company. And if you have, yes.
00:32:20
Jessica
there are lots of people have yeah oh i had two i killed the other one so that makes you feel better yeah
00:32:24
Plant People
Thank Jessica. It does. I appreciate you. All right. Question 11. If you could only give one piece of plant advice to beginners, what would it be?
00:32:34
Jessica
I don't give up because everybody can grow something. Even if you're not a houseplant person, you can grow some marigolds in a pot outside and marigolds are lovely.
00:32:41
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:32:43
Jessica
And if you don't like the smell of them, there's something else we could find for you to grow. Or if you have no light, we can get you a ZZ plant. We can, you know, like that.
00:32:51
Plant People
Heck yeah.
00:32:53
Jessica
Everybody is always like, well, I can't grow anything. And I'm like, oh, I can find a plant for you.
00:32:56
Plant People
Trust us.
00:32:57
Jessica
We can find you something.
00:32:57
Plant People
Trust us. We can find you something. Yes. So if you want to be a plant person, but don't think you can shoot us an email and we'll help you out. Or yeah.
00:33:05
Jessica
We can help
00:33:07
Plant People
DM us on Instagram at horror culture podcast. Anyways. Yes. I love that. My advice usually for beginners, whether it's house plants or farming or anything in between is start small.
00:33:19
Plant People
Buy one inexpensive plant. Do not buy the expensive one. Buy one inexpensive plant that you know is going to be easy and build your confidence.
00:33:24
Jessica
No.
00:33:27
Plant People
If you're going to start farming and growing something, yes, you know, maybe you plant five tomato plants, not 30 tomato plants.
00:33:27
Jessica
Yes. By the pathos.
00:33:35
Plant People
Because 30 tomato plants is a lot of tomato plants. Please trust us on this. um You know, grow in some pots and then maybe till up a garden or something.
00:33:45
Jessica
Grow one ghost pepper.
00:33:45
Plant People
So, yes.
00:33:47
Jessica
each Each ghost pepper plant produces 75 or more individual ghost peppers.
00:33:47
Plant People
Yeah.
00:33:54
Jessica
Don't grow 50, speaking from experience.
00:33:54
Plant People
Just trust us here.
00:33:58
Jessica
What are you going to do with all those ghost peppers?
00:34:00
Plant People
Yes, yes. just Just trust us. Whatever you think you're going to do and you're like, no, this is me like being reasonable, i want you to cut that in half, okay?
00:34:08
Jessica
Yes.
00:34:09
Plant People
By at least half. And then when...
00:34:11
Jessica
Take our advice. We have already learned from our mistakes.
00:34:13
Plant People
Yes, yes. Trust us here. We are professionals. Okay.
00:34:17
Plant People
um We're professionals at buying and killing plants, honestly, honestly. Maybe that's just what horticulture is. ah Okay. ah What role, question 12, what role do you think plants should play in addressing bigger issues like climate, food access, or mental health?
00:34:17
Jessica
We're professionals at buying too many plants.
00:34:37
Jessica
What role?
00:34:38
Plant People
I think.
00:34:38
Jessica
Well, they're important. Like, very important.
00:34:40
Plant People
Yes, we we have this whole, I think, I don't know about other areas of the US, s but in Kentucky, there's this like push for this idea of food is medicine um type thing, which yes, obviously eat a healthy diet, lots to go back behind there.
00:34:47
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:34:56
Plant People
But I would argue and you've probably heard Brett and I say this before. that horticulture is medicine because walking a nice shaded trail, you know, watering your house plants, putting in some marigolds in your front bed, you know, eating a good salad, whatever it is, name a way that you interact with plants, I think can be beneficial unless it's poison ivy.
00:35:13
Jessica
hu
00:35:18
Jessica
Yeah.
00:35:19
Plant People
And in that case, I don't know, maybe you go to the doctor for a checkup and they find something else. I don't know. Yeah.
00:35:25
Jessica
Right. um That I was just working on, we have to do success stories and where we write about successful extension events and things like that.
00:35:30
Plant People
written
00:35:34
Jessica
um about We did a big tree planting project at our local park that doesn't really have a lot of trees.
00:35:37
Plant People
me
00:35:39
Jessica
And we got like about 30 trees in the ground. And that it's going to be so beneficial for so many different reasons besides just shade, windbreak, reducing the temperature, but just aesthetically pleasing, you know, getting to see those those trees Yeah.
00:35:44
Plant People
and so
00:35:49
Plant People
Yep. Yes. We enjoy green spaces like that.
00:35:53
Jessica
Yeah, green spaces.
00:35:54
Plant People
We're programmed that way.
00:35:55
Jessica
Yeah.
00:35:56
Plant People
That's why there's parks and so many parks and cities and stuff like that. So yes, um I think plants are friends.
00:36:00
Jessica
Yeah.
00:36:02
Jessica
Plants are important. Edible, flowers, e ah you know, trees, everything.
00:36:08
Plant People
um Okay. Question 13. What's your favorite underappreciated plant and why does it deserve more love?
00:36:15
Jessica
Underappreciated. I'm trying to think of the plants like I have at home. which
00:36:18
Plant People
Crape myrtles.
00:36:21
Jessica
Crate myrtles? Yeah, i feel I feel like they get over they get planted a lot.
00:36:26
Plant People
They do get planes a lot, but I don't think people actually appreciate them.
00:36:29
Jessica
But I will agree with you on that based on the white one that I have at my house. There was one that was being like mowed down. Excuse me. And I didn't know that's what it was and let it grow out.
00:36:42
Jessica
And it's like blooms as big as my head or bigger.
00:36:44
Plant People
Mm-hmm. he Beautiful. I know. i like Ever since you sent me a picture of your white crepe myrtle, I was like, I want a white crepe myrtle. Which we know in some areas they can be invasive.
00:36:56
Plant People
So if you are listening outside of Kentucky, please make sure you look at your invasive species list. Like butterfly bush is invasive in the New England area, which is shocking to me because it is not here in Kentucky.
00:37:08
Jessica
it's really surprising, isn't it?
00:37:09
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:37:10
Jessica
It's like Lantana becoming invasive, like further South you go.
00:37:11
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:37:13
Jessica
Another one that I just thought of that I've been looking a lot into like screenings and stuff with evergreens that grow well in Kentucky.
00:37:19
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Yep.
00:37:21
Jessica
I'm losing my voice again. So excuse me.
00:37:22
Plant People
It's okay.
00:37:24
Jessica
Excuse me. But Eastern red cedar, which is a juniper, right?
00:37:27
Plant People
Yes, girl preach.
00:37:29
Jessica
Like we don't think about that, that it's actually juniper, but it's beautiful.
00:37:30
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:37:33
Jessica
It gets a bad rep because it gets called like a weed tree because it grows everywhere because it can't because it can grow everywhere.
00:37:34
Plant People
It does. Yep.
00:37:39
Jessica
Think about it that way.
00:37:39
Plant People
Correct. Yes.
00:37:40
Jessica
Think about like, I have a horrible location and nothing will grow here. Better Eastern red cedar will.
00:37:44
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:37:46
Jessica
Um, that they have beautiful berries on them. They are a little slow growing. Uh, they get a bad rep cause they can have cedar apple rust, a cedar. Yeah. Carry that. But I think it's like, if you are growing apple trees, which we've already discussed that Alexis is not, and mine are struggling bad.
00:38:03
Jessica
They, ah they only have to be so many yards away to reduce that risk.
00:38:06
Plant People
ah hu
00:38:07
Jessica
So, but that one I think is really underappreciated. I've really like, if you're in Kentucky, start noticing them this time of year.
00:38:10
Plant People
I would agree with you there.
00:38:14
Plant People
Yeah. If you think you want to plant an arborvitae because you want some like ah privacy or for whatever, all the reasons people want to ah plant arborvitae in Kentucky at least.
00:38:14
Jessica
Like there are some huge ones.
00:38:25
Plant People
No, you don't. Please trust us on this. It will die. It's going to die. um So plant an Eastern red cedar. They're very similar shapes. You can prune them up very nice and it will live and have pretty berries and not crazy bagworms.
00:38:39
Plant People
So yeah.
00:38:39
Jessica
And the deer won't eat it.
00:38:41
Plant People
And the deer won't eat it. Yes, just trust us on this. If you're in other areas and other states, you probably can grow arborvitae, no problem. But if you're in Kentucky, no, you can't. Okay?
00:38:51
Plant People
All right. Trust us here.
00:38:52
Jessica
Just know.
00:38:53
Plant People
Just know. The answer is no. All right. Let's see. Um, how do you, this is question 14. So getting there, how do you balance the science of horticulture with the art and intuition of growing?
00:39:07
Plant People
This is that common question.
00:39:08
Jessica
Oh.
00:39:09
Plant People
This, this reminds me of the, um, we've talked about before the people who are like, uh, in, they want to water their plants on a schedule. And then there's like us who are like, looking at it.
00:39:20
Plant People
It probably is. Doesn't need it. There's like a,
00:39:22
Jessica
I think this is also, at least this is my problem with selecting and designing landscape of my own, is that i think other people would be like, oh, just go and get, you want a screen?
00:39:26
Plant People
um,
00:39:36
Jessica
Get some white pine. But I'm like, I can't do the white pine because they get white pine decline. And then I just start going through all the things.
00:39:43
Plant People
I know too much.
00:39:43
Jessica
Yeah.
00:39:43
Plant People
I know too much.
00:39:44
Jessica
I know too much because in our line of work, we're like detectives and we often find people's declining trees and then we have to figure out like why they are dying.
00:39:53
Plant People
Why?
00:39:53
Jessica
And that's when we see, you know, we see the sick side of trees and stuff sometimes rather than the healthy side.
00:39:58
Plant People
Yeah.
00:40:01
Jessica
um
00:40:01
Plant People
Yeah.
00:40:03
Jessica
So I think that like the, about trying to balance that of like the science part, like, Oh, I know all these diseases this plant can get, you know, but it would look beautiful.
00:40:06
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:40:10
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Yeah, it doesn't mean it's going to get the disease.
00:40:13
Jessica
planted it here.
00:40:14
Plant People
And I do.
00:40:14
Jessica
Exactly.
00:40:15
Plant People
And yeah, there's I totally I totally get that or like how you prune something or um yeah, there's there is that like you kind of have to shut off the your brain sometimes to just be like, just plant it
00:40:22
Jessica
Yep.
00:40:30
Plant People
Just it's it's fine.
00:40:30
Jessica
Just played it.
00:40:31
Plant People
Just plant it. It's fine. Like maybe they're a little bit too close together, but is it going to be fine? Yes. Yeah. ah So the answer to how do you balance it? We really don't do it.
00:40:41
Plant People
Well, we just try.
00:40:43
Jessica
We struggle.
00:40:44
Plant People
We struggle.
00:40:44
Jessica
but ah
00:40:44
Plant People
um All right. Back in the fields. Question 15. What's something plants have taught you about yourself?
00:40:53
Jessica
About myself. I say like to be patient with things.
00:40:58
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. you You do have a lot of ah ah patience. I think there's something, ah the the have taught me that I have like control issues, but also have taught me to just let them go and let it happen.
00:41:15
Plant People
Um, so, uh,
00:41:15
Jessica
Right.
00:41:17
Plant People
Honestly, in a lot of ways, I think plants have taught me that I am capable of doing things that I didn't wouldn't be able to in other situations. So it's going to like, hey, you ah waited for those seeds to germinate for like three weeks, those lisianthus, so you can wait for your package to show up.
00:41:34
Plant People
like Or, you know.
00:41:35
Jessica
right
00:41:35
Plant People
something uh you know more potentially more serious than that but like you you made it through all of your something you know crop dying you can make it through this yeah yeah yeah ye for yeah forgiving yourself for
00:41:45
Jessica
Right. All your transplants died on accident. It's okay. We can, we can figure this out, get through it, get stuff receded. and and you know, and you know what?
00:41:58
Jessica
You might not have the first tomatoes of the year, but that's okay because when nobody else has tomatoes, because those are all done for the season, you're still going to have them. Right.
00:42:06
Plant People
There you go.
00:42:06
Jessica
So try and just to look on the brighter side of it.
00:42:06
Plant People
See, sometimes, yeah, sometimes the plants will be like, listen, just follow our lead.
00:42:09
Jessica
Yep.
00:42:13
Plant People
We've got this.
00:42:13
Jessica
Yep.
00:42:14
Plant People
um Okay. If you weren't working with plants, what do you think you'd be doing instead?
00:42:22
Plant People
I don't.
00:42:23
Jessica
Trying to think like, i don't know at this point either.
00:42:23
Plant People
Honestly, don't know.
00:42:26
Jessica
I try to think back of like, what did I want to do before I dove into this world?
00:42:30
Plant People
Mm-hmm. Oh, actually, I do know what I would want to do. I said it the other night. If I was go to choose a new career now or to redo it not that I would not choose plants, but like for some reason, if I couldn't choose plants, you know what I would do? I'd become a farrier.
00:42:46
Jessica
Oh.
00:42:46
Plant People
I would love to be a farrier. Cows, horses, i don't care. I would love to be a farrier. I've always thought it was cool. My dad used to trim our horses hooves and I was fascinated as a child. I listen, I watch them videos like of these hooves that are just not great.
00:43:03
Plant People
Like
00:43:03
Jessica
I also enjoy watching those videos. I don't know why, but I do.
00:43:07
Plant People
so good.
00:43:09
Jessica
i always wanted to do something with animals. i don't know like I don't know what that would be at this point in my life, but I always did.
00:43:15
Plant People
Jessica and I would both be farriers.
00:43:19
Jessica
and I was like, maybe I would just like have cows, keep my cows or something like that.
00:43:24
Plant People
she'd She'd be a hardcore cattle farmer out here just ruling the world. um
00:43:28
Jessica
Right.
00:43:29
Plant People
um I love it. We were like, we love watching hoof trimming videos.
00:43:34
Jessica
I know, i like, why do I like watching that? But I do.
00:43:38
Plant People
Okay. um What's the most unexpected place plants have shown up in your life or career? I don't know. That's a hard one. What's, what's the most, cause it's like everything about our lives and careers kind of are focused around plants.
00:43:47
Jessica
is hard.
00:43:53
Jessica
yeah
00:43:54
Plant People
Like, I don't know about you, but I've kind of made it my entire identity.
00:43:54
Jessica
Well,
00:43:57
Plant People
So. Mm-hmm.
00:43:58
Jessica
Right. That like, there's like a house plant almost in every room in my house or like vegetable, you know, all, all the plantings.
00:44:02
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:44:05
Jessica
What about, did we already say this, this kind of like maybe ties in what's like an unexpected plant that you can grow that you never thought like you would be able to grow. Like, you're like, Oh my gosh, like how am I growing this and nobody else and nobody else can grow this one.
00:44:18
Plant People
Pat myself on the back.
00:44:22
Plant People
Oh, well, I don't know if, I mean, i want to say nobody else, but I i know a lot of people.
00:44:26
Jessica
But, you know, challenging.
00:44:27
Plant People
Yeah, yeah. ah Challenging. i have cracked the code on string of pearls and string of hearts. Listen.
00:44:35
Jessica
See, i've I've killed those, so go ahead.
00:44:36
Plant People
Well, I killed i killed many many, many, many, many. And then I cracked the code. And now they're everywhere. And I, like, trim them off because they get so long.
00:44:44
Jessica
Well,
00:44:45
Plant People
And I just throw them on top of pots. And listen, it's extra – making your own soil media and not, like, oh, i make my own soil media.
00:44:47
Jessica
what's the code?
00:44:55
Plant People
I mean, like, you get your ProMix or your whatever, your potting soil of choice. And you add more perlite. It's like two so like one part soil mix, two parts perlite.
00:45:07
Plant People
And your soil mix already has some perlite in it. You add more and a shallow pot. Shallow pot. Yep, that's the key.
00:45:14
Jessica
Okay.
00:45:15
Plant People
and And some light right on the top of the pot. That's the key.
00:45:19
Jessica
Okay.
00:45:19
Plant People
okay
00:45:20
Jessica
Good to know.
00:45:20
Plant People
Now you know.
00:45:22
Jessica
Mine is my Calithia that I have.
00:45:24
Plant People
Yes, you do have a good one.
00:45:25
Jessica
I think it just found the right spot in my house for it And I never like let that soil get completely dry. and and she's happy and she's happy.
00:45:34
Plant People
Just that intuition takes over and you're like, I got this.
00:45:38
Jessica
But yeah, that's the one if the kids mess with it. I'm just like, don't you touch that plant. Now my poor, my poor Christmas cactuses, they've been accidentally propagated. ah That's okay.
00:45:50
Jessica
Cause they can handle that.
00:45:51
Plant People
Right, exactly. But don't touch my calithea.
00:45:53
Jessica
Yeah. That rattlesnake Calithia.
00:45:54
Plant People
All right. Well, we got just a few more and we're about at normal time. So um what, question 18, what plant story, success or failure still makes you laugh?
00:46:10
Plant People
I feel like we probably have a hundred of these, but like on the spot, I'm like blanking.
00:46:12
Jessica
Yeah.
00:46:15
Jessica
On the spot. I don't know why this, this one's like popping in my head and it's just, uh, it's, I like one of the first little plants I ever had that I, my youngest brother, like said he would water it for me when I was gone was just like a hyacinth bulb. And that was my first experience. I don't know why this popped in my head of like, when we say don't bulbs, don't like wet feet. Yeah.
00:46:40
Jessica
They will let you know because he watered it every day for me and it, it rotted.
00:46:44
Plant People
Oh, stunk.
00:46:46
Jessica
And I don't know about that. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, I've done things like that as well.
00:46:50
Plant People
isn
00:46:51
Jessica
Watered things too much. ah
00:46:53
Plant People
But it makes you laugh thinking about your brother who thinks he's doing the right thing.
00:46:56
Jessica
Yeah. yeah
00:46:56
Plant People
And then you're like, oh, he killed it actually.
00:46:59
Jessica
Yeah.
00:46:59
Plant People
Yeah.
00:47:02
Plant People
Is he your younger brother?
00:47:02
Jessica
Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
00:47:04
Plant People
Yeah.
00:47:04
Jessica
He was trying to be sweet and nice and help water that little plant for me.
00:47:04
Plant People
all
00:47:08
Jessica
um But I have killed lots of plants or i'm trying to think of any of the ones that I've.
00:47:13
Plant People
I know we've had, i think um it's not really a ah it's a plant story, but it's not a plant, but it still makes me laugh is your and I, your and mine um photo story.
00:47:25
Jessica
Blueberries. Oh.
00:47:27
Plant People
Oh, well, yeah. Oh, God. See, I'm telling like as we think about them, they're coming up. Blueberries is a good one, but I was going to say ourra are the cover for our rap album.
00:47:32
Jessica
That's another one.
00:47:36
Jessica
Oh, yeah, that's a good one. That could be the photo for this episode.
00:47:38
Plant People
Jessica and I taught a... Yes, we'll have to find that one. Jessica and I taught an apple grafting class back in the day, and we were um demonstrating pruning on some really old trees.
00:47:51
Plant People
And so there's a photo somebody took of us, and we're both in like our big... It was winter, so we're like... We're in our big like Carhartt jackets and stuff and we both have sunglasses on and like our stun of shades and we're like sitting back in the tree and we just both look real serious and we have we're holding our pruners and it just looks like the cover of like a early 2000s rap album.
00:48:03
Jessica
You can see our pruners. Yeah.
00:48:12
Plant People
Yeah.
00:48:13
Jessica
yeah that was good.
00:48:14
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. Pretty proud of that one.
00:48:15
Jessica
That's good.
00:48:15
Plant People
That one always makes me laugh. And I just like remember the whole thing of it.
00:48:17
Jessica
Makes me
00:48:20
Plant People
um Okay. Question 19. How do you stay inspired when growing starts to feel like work instead of joy? Mm-hmm.
00:48:28
Jessica
I talk to other plant lover friends who like, who know what I'm talking about or what I'm dealing with.
00:48:32
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:48:36
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:48:36
Jessica
And I can vent to and know my plant language that I'm talking. Right. That helps a lot.
00:48:43
Plant People
Yes. find Find your plant tribe for sure.
00:48:44
Jessica
Yeah.
00:48:47
Plant People
Like even if the only thing you ever talk about is your garden, ah like those are your people for for that conversation. Yes.
00:48:55
Jessica
Yeah.
00:48:56
Plant People
And the weather and the fact that it's hot and you're miserable. And yeah, yeah it happens. It happens to all of us.
00:49:02
Jessica
Yeah.
00:49:04
Plant People
During the year, sometimes multiple times a year, um and, you know, it floods or it's then suddenly dry and just nothing seems to be working or you have mealy bugs on everything or...
00:49:16
Jessica
ah
00:49:17
Plant People
you got weeds or whatever it is. Yeah, I think that's um that's a good tip. Find find your people. um And, you know, we can be your people if you need to send us an email or a DM and say that you are struggling. We'll be like, girl, preach. ah Been there. All right. And then last question, question 20.
00:49:40
Plant People
What does hort culture mean to you beyond just growing plants? Yeah.
00:49:47
Plant People
So the hor hort culture is our um you know our podcast name, the culture of horticulture.
00:49:53
Jessica
Right.
00:49:53
Plant People
And so I think that we really try to – mean, it's in the intro, but like – There's more to that to this than just production, which is, of course, something I love to talk about.
00:50:03
Plant People
And just from seed all the way to harvest and all of the things and the bugs in the soil. And that's where I am fond. But ah to, again, to channel our Brett and our Ray into this conversation, it's history and it's family and it's, you know, mental health.
00:50:20
Plant People
And there's whether it's good or bad, depending on the time of year.
00:50:24
Jessica
Right.
00:50:24
Plant People
um But it's, you know, it's, it's, resistance and growing your own food and, um you know, or just the pot of marigolds on your porch that just make you happy every time you unlock your door.
00:50:24
Jessica
It is.
00:50:28
Jessica
is
00:50:36
Plant People
hmm.
00:50:36
Jessica
It's kind of wild for me personally. Like I've built a whole life around it. Right. Like I've, I met my husband at the horticulture research farm, right. He's an aunt. He got a degree in animal science, right. Like, but he was there working at that farm and um everything from our own farm to now our kids and All of that, like, horticulture is in every part of my life, basically.
00:51:04
Plant People
Yep.
00:51:04
Jessica
And I would have never thought that, like, if you told that to the little kid who was like, plants are boring. i want to do stuff with animals. And they're like, well, you're going to, like, have a whole life around plants.
00:51:15
Jessica
so I would be like, you're that you're silly.
00:51:16
Plant People
Yep.
00:51:18
Jessica
You don't know what you're talking about. Yeah.
00:51:19
Plant People
I remember when I went to my, I guess, ah I don't know if it was my 10-year class reunion or five-year, whatever. i went to something where people I knew in high school were there. And they said, i would have never in 100 years said that you were going to like do plants for a living.
00:51:34
Plant People
And I said, same. um like Not that I disliked them.
00:51:36
Jessica
Right.
00:51:38
Plant People
i enjoyed plants. But it just never was something I even thought was a possibility. Yeah. um You know, so so to to be here where I am now, right, where my whole life just kind of revolves around plants. And I mean, like, you know, we're recording this before Christmas and we're literally planning if we're going to go what day we're going go for Christmas, you know, our holiday Christmas or with our families around the weather because we have to do things.
00:52:05
Plant People
out in the field. ah and so we need to make sure that the weather is going to work, not because we can't drive in it, but because we might need to be home to pop open a greenhouse or something.
00:52:15
Plant People
So yeah, your whole, your whole life and, you know, no regrets, but it is funny, uh, that that's the way it is.
00:52:16
Jessica
Right, right.
00:52:22
Plant People
but all right, guys, that's our 20 questions. Um, we hope you enjoyed them. Jessica, any lasting words?
00:52:31
Jessica
Plants are cool. You all know that though.
00:52:32
Plant People
yes ah You wouldn't be here otherwise. And if you've listened to this whole thing, um hopefully you've gotten some laughs out of it or some surprises, or maybe we're exactly the people you thought we were.
00:52:44
Plant People
And you know what? I'm okay with that. That's great.
00:52:46
Jessica
Yeah.
00:52:46
Plant People
ah
00:52:47
Jessica
And, or maybe you're just are like, wow, they are right. They are way cooler than Brett and Ray.
00:52:53
Jessica
but
00:52:54
Plant People
Facts. Preach. We will take that. Write that in your review. Five stars. Jessica and Alexis are the coolest hosts. um And we will not be starting a podcast by ourselves, but, you know, it's good to know that you wish we would.
00:53:07
Plant People
ah You know, like I said, lie to me. It's fine. We have to beat them. Listen to our episodes.
00:53:12
Jessica
It is a competition.
00:53:13
Plant People
It's a competition. It's not really we love them so much, but also...
00:53:16
Jessica
They don't realize it's a competition, but it is a competition.
00:53:17
Plant People
They don't know it's a competition and they will probably have already recorded their episodes as they're listening to this episode. And so I hope they know it's a competition unless we're losing.
00:53:26
Jessica
Yeah.
00:53:27
Plant People
and in that case, it's just, we're just cool. We're just friends. Like God, it's not that big a deal.
00:53:30
Jessica
Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:32
Plant People
oh
00:53:32
Jessica
But we got to win.
00:53:33
Plant People
Anyways, follow us on Instagram at hord culture Hort Culture Podcast. If you need to send us an email, you've got questions about how how Jessica grows her fiddle-like fig and what vibes she sends to it. You can shoot us an email.
00:53:47
Plant People
ah down there and we will make sure that Jessica shares her wisdom and doesn't lie to you about the secret sauce that is her fiddly fig vibes. but But we hope you enjoyed it. that We hope that you keep listening. and we hope you have a good winter that is not full of seasonal depression. And I'm going to keep saying that all winter long. So, you know, you're welcome. But anyways, see you later.
00:54:25
Jessica
Thank