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Digging Into Our Garden Personalities
86 Plays16 days ago
In this episode of Hort Culture, we’re getting introspective! We take a look at some of the personality tests and assessments we’ve taken over the years and explore how the results show up in our gardening styles. Are we meticulous planners or spontaneous plant experimenters? Do we thrive on structure, or are we all about the wild, untamed beauty of nature? Join us for a lively conversation about how our personalities shape the way we nurture our gardens—and ourselves!
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@l.uky.edu
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Transcript
Introduction and Hydration Reminder
00:00:06
Jessica
Thank you.
00:00:17
Alexis
All right, everybody, listeners, people on the podcast. And by people, I mean the same people that are ah that are always on the podcast. But listeners as well, I want you to take a drink of water. Everybody take a second to hydrate.
00:00:31
Alexis
All right. We're going into spring. We need to be hydrated.
00:00:34
Brett
You are pushing the hydration.
00:00:36
Alexis
I'm pushing the hydration. All right. I'm going I'm going to do it. I'm going to if you're watching this on YouTube. I don't care. i know it's a podcast. We're all collectively drinking some water.
00:00:48
Alexis
Very good. I'm very
Personality Metaphors Through Plants
00:00:49
Alexis
proud of all of you.
00:00:49
Jessica
and
00:00:50
Alexis
um You are basically just a plant and you need some water and some sunshine. So let's never forget.
00:00:55
Brett
I am.
00:00:55
Plant People
kind of plant are we? What kind of plant are we?
00:00:57
Brett
I'm not a plant.
00:00:58
Alexis
I don't know. What kind of plant are you?
00:00:59
Brett
Industry plant, maybe.
00:00:59
Alexis
Yeah.
00:01:00
Plant People
don't know. How about what kind of plant you are you today as we sit here? What kind of plant are you as you sit here right now?
00:01:05
Jessica
oh
00:01:07
Plant People
What kind of plant? Because, you know, we change over time. We can be different plants.
00:01:10
Alexis
Sure, sure. Today, the vibe is um I'm to go with Econops, which is blue globe thistle, if you are not familiar with that.
00:01:11
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:20
Alexis
ah And it is exactly as it sounds. It is blue, it is ah round, and it is prickly, and that is how I feel. But it's really pretty, That's
00:01:31
Plant People
Okay. Okay. That's a whole vibe.
00:01:35
Alexis
That's my vibe. That's who I am today.
00:01:36
Plant People
Yeah. Okay. Strong.
00:01:38
Alexis
Anybody else?
00:01:38
Plant People
Jessica, what are you feeling?
00:01:40
Jessica
I, I don't, I don't even know what I am feeling.
00:01:43
Plant People
So if you don't know what you're feeling, are you like a pothos fan?
00:01:44
Jessica
What's I, I guess so.
00:01:46
Plant People
You're kind of right in the middle.
00:01:48
Jessica
i don't even know what is, I'm, what are the, I'm the mother of millions, right? Is that, what is that plant called?
00:01:53
Plant People
Oh, nice.
00:01:53
Jessica
There
00:01:53
Alexis
Yeah, mother mother of millions.
00:01:54
Plant People
Well played. Well played.
00:01:55
Alexis
Yeah, yeah the the succulent.
00:01:58
Jessica
go. That's, that is currently what I am.
00:01:59
Plant People
Yeah.
00:02:00
Alexis
Just little babies dropping off of you everywhere.
00:02:00
Plant People
I love it. Not knowing you did very well there.
00:02:02
Jessica
yeah
00:02:04
Plant People
That seems like you just might have nailed something.
00:02:05
Jessica
ah that was That was pretty good.
00:02:06
Plant People
So, yeah, that was pretty good on the fly. brett what are you feeling?
00:02:10
Brett
i I feel like ah a daffodil that came out a little too early.
00:02:15
Jessica
Oh.
00:02:16
Plant People
under Under threat, under threat, little anxious.
00:02:18
Brett
Just just the the the conditions the conditions don't feel optimal for my overall well being at the moment, but the this is a transitory thing that ultimately can maybe get fixed ah by the passage of time.
00:02:20
Alexis
blown
00:02:32
Plant People
Okay. Hmm. That's very existential. I kind of like it.
00:02:37
Jessica
Warm your temperatures on the way.
00:02:37
Plant People
and Very nice. I like it.
00:02:38
Brett
Yeah, warmer temperatures are on the way, hopefully a little less brutal wind and heavy rains, you know, just a little bit more moderation, a little bit chiller vibes in a variety of ways.
00:02:39
Plant People
Yeah.
00:02:44
Jessica
Yeah, the wind.
00:02:49
Plant People
More pleasant vibes. Yeah, more pleasant.
00:02:52
Brett
Yeah. How about you, Ray?
00:02:54
Plant People
Good deal.
00:02:54
Alexis
Ray?
00:02:57
Plant People
I would say oxalis. I can be pleasant, but I'm feeling a little spicy. So, yeah. I've got a little tang to me, so maybe oxalis today.
00:03:04
Jessica
A little thing.
00:03:06
Plant People
and just a background or green.
00:03:06
Alexis
Are you...
00:03:08
Plant People
I'm background green on the ground right now, but little spicy.
00:03:10
Alexis
i'm a Oxalis in the greenhouse industry is either a plant that you grow on purpose and you sell it for, you know, ah as shamrocks for st Patrick's Day, or it is a horrible greenhouse weed.
00:03:21
Plant People
Yes. The bane of your existence.
00:03:24
Alexis
Yes, a horrible greenhouse weed.
00:03:25
Plant People
Yeah. The bane of your existence. Yes. Well, I could be either. I could be sort of ornamental on some days, but I could be the bane of existence on others.
00:03:32
Alexis
um Don't they have the little seed pods that explode?
00:03:35
Plant People
They can. Yeah.
00:03:36
Jessica
you
00:03:37
Alexis
So you you you and your exploding seed pods.
00:03:39
Plant People
Yes. That is the spicy.
00:03:40
Brett
Yeah, Ray started as a feature, but now he's become a problem.
00:03:41
Plant People
I'm bringing the spice. So there you go.
00:03:46
Plant People
Yes. I was a solution, but now I'm the problem.
00:03:49
Brett
yeah
00:03:50
Plant People
Yes. Yes. I like that bread. Some days that is me. That's a pretty fair descriptor. So, yeah.
Personality Assessments and Gardening Styles
00:03:56
Alexis
I feel like that feeds very well into what we're talking about today, which is our, how our personality types feed or influence maybe our garden style, right?
00:04:08
Alexis
That's sort of the, the GM we're talking about.
00:04:09
Brett
Oh, that's correct.
00:04:11
Alexis
Yes. Yeah.
00:04:11
Brett
That's correct.
00:04:13
Alexis
Which I think all of us are very different, but I wonder how similar our gardens would be.
00:04:21
Plant People
I don't know. Yeah, I guess the real question is how we see ourselves versus how we actually express ourselves, which, you know, when we do surveys, you have to ask what people think, but then you have to follow up later in the survey with what they actually do.
00:04:22
Alexis
Who wants to start?
00:04:27
Brett
Yeah.
00:04:28
Alexis
Hmm.
00:04:36
Alexis
Uh huh.
00:04:36
Plant People
So I guess we have to start with how we see ourselves or if we've used any instruments to gauge ourselves or check into our personalities.
00:04:37
Alexis
Okay.
00:04:42
Brett
Yeah.
00:04:44
Plant People
Maybe that's a good place to start. Have you guys done anything anything like that?
00:04:46
Brett
Yes.
00:04:48
Plant People
Like, know there's lots of personality profiler things, or we talk about it in group settings and organizational settings, and there's all these tools and assessments.
00:04:49
Jessica
Well, yes.
00:04:56
Plant People
So I thought that maybe you guys had done some of those.
00:04:59
Jessica
Yeah, I just did a really in-depth one with UK and my office.
00:05:05
Plant People
Okay.
00:05:06
Jessica
um It's the DISC assessment, the communication and behavioral strengths self-report. So I have like a whole...
00:05:14
Brett
What does the D stand for?
00:05:17
Jessica
And disc.
00:05:17
Plant People
Destruction. No, I'm just kidding.
00:05:19
Jessica
Dominance. Dominance, influence, steadiness, and consistence.
00:05:20
Brett
oh
00:05:25
Jessica
Being consistent.
00:05:26
Brett
Consistency.
00:05:26
Plant People
Hmm.
00:05:27
Brett
Consistency.
00:05:27
Jessica
Consistency.
00:05:28
Plant People
Did it give you any basic insights into kind of how it kind of categorized?
00:05:32
Jessica
It did. It was really cool. It's 35 pages Yeah.
00:05:35
Plant People
Oh, wow.
00:05:35
Alexis
ah Oh goodness.
00:05:36
Plant People
That's, that's, that is some content there.
00:05:36
Brett
Wow.
00:05:37
Alexis
what
00:05:39
Jessica
It is some content. It was actually pretty cool. um It gives you your natural style and your work style.
00:05:41
Plant People
Yeah.
00:05:44
Jessica
So how um how you act more, you know, at work versus at home. So like on mine, i am more of a steady person at the office.
00:05:57
Jessica
And then I'm also a, what was the I, what did I say that one was? Influence, like people person, way more at the office versus it's kind of flipped at home life.
00:06:06
Brett
Wow.
00:06:10
Jessica
And like, I'm more dominant at home than I am at the office and more consistent in home and my natural style.
00:06:13
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:06:17
Brett
wow
00:06:18
Jessica
But it kind of like makes sense that, You know, in our jobs and extension, we suddenly have to get in front of a lot of people and talk to a lot of people.
00:06:29
Jessica
So it kind of like my job has made it where I am more of like that influence, you know, high on my my thing.
00:06:35
Plant People
Hmm. Hmm.
00:06:36
Brett
So are you ever like the same thing at home and work? Some people are?
00:06:41
Jessica
Some people were pretty close. Some of them were.
00:06:42
Brett
Like they're dominant everywhere or they're non?
00:06:43
Jessica
hu Yes.
00:06:45
Brett
Okay.
00:06:45
Jessica
And some of them were completely opposite with my coworkers. Like mine are still like my dominant was still low on both of them, but it was like a little higher upper at home.
00:06:56
Brett
I gotcha.
00:06:56
Jessica
But um those three, the I, S and C were all pretty close together. They just flipped a little bit at home life.
00:07:03
Brett
So is the is the implication that the the home natural one is sort of like who you fundamentally are and then the work one is who you become in a work environment or is it kind of?
00:07:12
Jessica
I believe so. Yeah.
00:07:14
Brett
Okay.
00:07:14
Jessica
It's like you've like adapted, right? Like what you have to adapt to, which makes sense that my, like, I'm more outgoing for work.
00:07:18
Brett
Sure.
00:07:21
Brett
Or not adapted and if you have a lot of conflicts.
00:07:24
Jessica
Right.
00:07:24
Brett
Maybe you haven't adapted.
00:07:26
Jessica
and Maybe I have not.
00:07:27
Brett
no not you specifically.
00:07:27
Jessica
So.
00:07:28
Brett
Maybe one one has not.
00:07:29
Jessica
Oh, well.
00:07:31
Alexis
shes
00:07:31
Brett
stop Stop dominating this interaction, Jessica.
00:07:32
Jessica
Yeah.
00:07:33
Alexis
Gosh, Jessica.
00:07:34
Jessica
I know. know.
00:07:36
Plant People
So you you have gained some gained some insight through DISC.
00:07:36
Brett
So you're using the disk.
00:07:36
Jessica
ah Pretty cool.
00:07:40
Jessica
Yeah, it like also tells you like the best ways that you work with people or how people like what you don't work well with.
00:07:41
Plant People
Gotcha.
00:07:48
Jessica
It has like a whole page of like, don't do these, don't say these things to Jessica.
00:07:49
Alexis
and fish
00:07:50
Brett
yeah
00:07:53
Jessica
Because she, i like it literally says that because it like, she will shut down, right?
00:07:54
Brett
Oh, man. I would love to get a hold of that list.
00:07:58
Plant People
Oh, man. Trigger points 101. one oh one
00:08:00
Jessica
or do you Or do say these things, these type of encouragements if you want like my most productivity.
00:08:06
Brett
That sounds really nice.
00:08:06
Jessica
so it's pretty cool.
00:08:07
Brett
so So do you have like, is it like there's a type that you have, like you're like a number or a thing, or is it just more of a profile across these variables?
00:08:08
Jessica
Yeah.
00:08:15
Jessica
It's a profile across these variables, but it will like break it down. It's like, I'm a high SI. Like that's what, like for this type of tests that I am.
00:08:23
Brett
So out of the disks, out of the DISC, you're high in S and I.
00:08:23
Jessica
So, and then...
00:08:28
Jessica
and High in pace and people, basically, it says. um
00:08:32
Brett
Nice.
00:08:33
Jessica
And then they also, like, color, you know, color-coordinated as well. And the instructor was good, and I've shared this with some of you all. Like, he gave examples of, like, different movie characters to, pe like, really hit it home.
00:08:44
Alexis
Hmm.
00:08:46
Jessica
And so, like, he did Star Wars. And, you know, your eye person was, like, Han Solo. Your... um c person who's like you know that consistent rule follower was like c3po the s like i was was luke skywalker and then you had and you can imagine who the dominant one was well you got darth vader right so and then he gave other movie examples it was pretty cool
00:09:00
Brett
your father.
00:09:05
Alexis
since
00:09:09
Alexis
ah
00:09:09
Brett
i am you know of father
00:09:10
Alexis
Darth.
00:09:10
Plant People
He is for Darth.
00:09:11
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:09:14
Brett
Pretty powerful though. I mean, so, so as you think about, and maybe we can give some feedback too, as you think about the, that those lessons you learned through that thing, what, how would you say you see that in your, in your approach to plants or gardening or even, you know, operating some of the plant business stuff?
00:09:16
Plant People
Yeah.
00:09:35
Brett
What do you, do you see any of that in there?
00:09:37
Jessica
Right. So I like on mine, it says for like my natural style is to be that more consistent, like follow rules, um decision kind of thing.
00:09:49
Jessica
And that makes sense because with vegetable production wise, it I like having ah list of those varieties. I like having, i want to know where things are out in the field, you know, have that map laid out, that plan of stuff and having all that organized.
00:10:07
Jessica
Now with my flower beds at home, it kind of flips a little. Like I do like having like masses of color together, having some, you know, some design, but I am not a like designer. I would say I'm more of that flower.
00:10:21
Jessica
Let's try to do the cottage, you know, garden style.
00:10:23
Plant People
Thank you.
00:10:24
Alexis
Oh, this is pretty.
00:10:25
Jessica
This is pretty.
00:10:25
Alexis
Oh, this is pretty.
00:10:26
Jessica
try to put this together. But definitely with the vegetable side of things and fruit production, i will yeah i want to make it more orderly.
00:10:30
Alexis
and Business side.
00:10:35
Alexis
Orderly.
00:10:36
Jessica
Yeah. So I can see that with the personality traits.
00:10:41
Brett
Are there anything that...
00:10:41
Jessica
And I feel like Alexis would be very similar to that one because I just know.
00:10:44
Alexis
gri
00:10:45
Jessica
I just know.
00:10:46
Brett
Are there any like... feel You feel like there's any aspects of your personality or approach that you have... you Looking back now, thinking more about yourself and growing across time, you're like, oh yeah, I do struggle with that thing and have had to kind of adapt and change in order to be better.
00:11:03
Brett
You know, like some people would be bad with record keeping or they'd be... And they just, that's, they're more scatterbrained or some people would be more bad with... being able to let go of control when there's a crazy year or something like, are there are there things in your personality assessment that you feel like you've had to adapt somewhat?
00:11:14
Jessica
Right.
00:11:18
Jessica
Yeah. When I think about like farm business wise with that, with changes over the years from how we first started managing everything to now and then working with very fortunate work with my like in-laws through this business and then my husband and how they approach things, their personality is very different from how I would approach things and being able to manage, um manage that. Cause like, well, I was thinking of examples as I was going through this training about how my husband at home is more of that influence person, like instantly called me and was like, Hey, we should do this. We could add this, we can do this. And then I, in return, i was like, okay,
00:12:00
Jessica
That sounds great. But how much is that going to cost? Where are we going to put it?
00:12:05
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:12:05
Jessica
Who's going to do this?
00:12:05
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:12:06
Jessica
so And I mean, it works in the end, ah but just, you know, over time realizing how to work with those other, know, to make it work as a whole, because they can all work together, right?
00:12:21
Jessica
All the personalities fit together and can work, um even if they are extremely opposite. so
00:12:28
Alexis
My mom used to say growing up that my dad was the dreamer and she was the doer. And so he would come up with the great ideas and she'd figure out ways to get them done. And they worked together to get them done. But she always said, like oh, your dad, he's such a dreamer.
00:12:38
Plant People
Thank
00:12:41
Jessica
Right.
00:12:42
Brett
So are you, Alexis, are you more of a dreamer or a doer or something else? What was your reference point for understanding thyself?
Enneagram Insights from Alexis
00:12:50
Alexis
I, well, Brett but convinced me I needed to know my Enogram type. And I was like, all right, let's let's figure that out. And ah it it hit so close to home. I actually was rereading it and it was...
00:13:06
Alexis
It nailed it. Right. So I'm a one for those of you out here there who know your Enogram types. I am a one, which ah is known as the reformer, but I'm very i'm a critical perfectionist.
00:13:19
Alexis
Everyone here is shocked.
00:13:20
Jessica
Thank you.
00:13:22
Alexis
I'm very mission oriented. I'm very practical in things. Um, I feel like I have to justify everything that I do, which is all, all tracking. So I tend to think I am logical.
00:13:38
Alexis
ah but really I'm just looking for reasons to like rationalize what I already want to do
00:13:46
Plant People
Justification.
00:13:47
Alexis
Yeah.
00:13:48
Brett
Yeah.
00:13:48
Alexis
Yeah. Yeah. So, uh,
00:13:49
Brett
And I think one one of the interesting, we were talking about this a couple of weeks ago. And I think one of the interesting things that came up was if if there's the option of like, let's, we're going to overthink this almost, you know, we coming up with a plan is coming up with a plan and that's great.
00:14:01
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:14:03
Brett
But if if it comes down to let's overthink this or let's just do it. And, and are you more likely to be the person who's saying we've thought through it? We said things, let's just do it.
00:14:14
Brett
We don't need to talk through it yet again.
00:14:15
Jessica
Thank
00:14:15
Brett
Or are you more likely to be the person who's going to overthink, overthink, overthink?
00:14:19
Alexis
Yeah, i ah i I feel like I told you one thing, but the more ah i really I actually looked at my actions for it, I am the... I mean, i do want to think about it. I do want to make a plan, but then it's done and I'm going to go do it.
00:14:34
Alexis
And it's either...
00:14:34
Brett
That's what you said. That's what you said before.
00:14:35
Alexis
Yeah. Is that what I said?
00:14:36
Brett
Same.
00:14:36
Plant People
It's going.
00:14:36
Brett
Yeah.
00:14:36
Alexis
i was like, I don't know if I told you was going to overthink it.
00:14:38
Plant People
It's going.
00:14:38
Alexis
I get a little, um I married an engineer. So he is a, he is a big planner um and which is great most of the time, but yeah, I'm the one pulling out the, you know, drill or the chainsaw and I'm like, okay, let's just, let's just go.
00:14:51
Alexis
like We got to do it. We got to do it. We got to take the step now.
00:14:53
Brett
Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:54
Alexis
Yeah.
00:14:54
Brett
and So you find yourself saying, let's go, let's do it. And he finds, finds himself sometimes saying, Can we just talk this through real quick?
00:15:02
Alexis
One more time.
00:15:03
Brett
You know, just make sure. Yeah, that's funny.
00:15:06
Alexis
Yes.
00:15:06
Brett
Any, what other, any other kind of ways that you see that, that stuff playing out in your
Balancing Planning and Flexibility in Gardening
00:15:11
Jessica
Thank you.
00:15:11
Brett
ah approach to clients?
00:15:12
Alexis
Yeah, I think. um ah People, i think, often are confused on why someone who's who likes a lot of order would want to, um you know, grow things and work with nature.
00:15:25
Alexis
And, you know, Jessica probably can attest to this as well. But it's nice because we can have lots of straight lines. We can have plans. We can have, you know, sections. Beautiful. In my case, swaths of color.
00:15:36
Alexis
And so you do have the opportunity to make plans. But... a lot of the time you have to twist on the fly, right? Because hailstorm comes in or the ground's too wet. And so ah nature kind of gives us, ah gives me an opportunity to ah quickly change course.
00:15:56
Alexis
And i have a reason for doing that that's not myself. because I can't let myself be the problem, right? ah But Mother Nature is the problem. And so I'm like, well, that's just what she gave me. And so I can roll with it.
00:16:07
Alexis
And that has been, i think that's what keeps it exciting and fun and why we plan every year. And while we're while we say, well, there's always always next year, there's always next season ah when we grow things. So I don't know, that's that's sort of like my garden style. I like to have like very pristine lines, but man, if I've got extra plugs of something, I'm throwing them in everywhere.
00:16:30
Brett
So do you, and this is for you, Jessica, as well, do you would you be more likely, do you think, and and just to say the quiet part out loud about this episode, we're sort of trying to let you know a little bit more about us, but also there's different many, many different ways to approach plants and gardening and and
00:16:32
Jessica
Hmm.
Family Dynamics in Farm Business
00:16:48
Brett
thinking about stuff and know thyself as a starting point to then be able to either embrace that and go with that or or correct it.
00:16:55
Brett
Would you be more likely to reach, you know, you sort of start your start all your plants, you get to June or July and you would you more be more likely to have the experience of, man, i started way too much stuff or I put way too much a bit off way more than I can chew or man, I really wish that I had planted even more than what I did, but I was kind of cautious and or or so somewhere in between.
00:17:21
Jessica
I'm probably going to plant. We're probably going to start more than because I'm going to think, well, what if something happens and they don't all make it? Or what if, right? Like, what if we break a bunch of while we're transplanting them or whatever?
00:17:35
Plant People
That structure, yeah.
00:17:35
Jessica
And we can find a spot for them, right?
00:17:37
Brett
Sure.
00:17:37
Jessica
Or just like...
00:17:38
Brett
We can find a spot for him.
00:17:39
Alexis
We'll figure it out.
00:17:39
Jessica
but about a smart forum again so We can them.
00:17:40
Brett
The eyes of the gardener there.
00:17:40
Plant People
Yeah.
00:17:42
Jessica
We can sell them at the market.
00:17:43
Plant People
We can handle it.
00:17:44
Jessica
we can you know or My husband brought me home two flats of marigolds last year. did I need two flats marigolds?
00:17:51
Alexis
Okay.
00:17:52
Plant People
lot of marigolds.
00:17:52
Jessica
Not really.
00:17:53
Plant People
lot of marigolds.
00:17:53
Jessica
But we just put marigolds everywhere. We had marigolds everywhere last year and we just made it work. um But I think I would always do more. Maybe that's mine and Sean's downfall about that.
00:18:04
Brett
What about, what about like, ver what about variety?
00:18:04
Jessica
that's He just brought home 12 chicks the other night. So we don't need 12 more chickens.
00:18:09
Brett
Like, like, do you feel like you accidentally do too much variety of stuff? Like too many different varieties of stuff?
00:18:15
Jessica
that's That's a good example of how we've grown over the years, right?
00:18:18
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:18:18
Brett
Hmm.
00:18:19
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:18:20
Jessica
Because we used to do so many varieties of tomatoes. And now we've like really narrowed it down to ones that we know do really well.
00:18:26
Brett
Hmm.
00:18:30
Jessica
What sells at the market, ones that are going to produce well. And we still like maybe add in one or two like new ones to But where you don't have like 20 varieties anymore, we're down to like 10, say, varieties that we know are going to work for us.
00:18:48
Jessica
um
00:18:49
Brett
What happened when you had too many, what happened that made you change?
00:18:49
Jessica
So that is something.
00:18:53
Jessica
ah Sometimes labels not being right out in the field, not exactly knowing what we had, ah being really disappointed in some that like we purchased a lot that were supposed to be good and then they ended up being duds um and just making it easier to manage.
00:19:02
Alexis
and
00:19:02
Brett
Yeah.
00:19:09
Jessica
like we've we've We've reached our point where we know um like we can't really expand anymore unless we're willing to leave Leave our ah current adult jobs, right?
00:19:21
Alexis
Yeah.
00:19:22
Jessica
um Like we've reached that point of management in our system. And, you know, it took a few years of growing pains and just figuring out um what works and what doesn't work.
00:19:33
Jessica
And maybe we don't need to spend so much on something. mean, and every year there's at least one thing that he's like, we're going to grow this this year.
00:19:39
Brett
Sure.
00:19:42
Jessica
It's popcorn this year. We'll see how that goes. So...
00:19:45
Alexis
I feel like this, I feel like this perfectly fits in.
00:19:46
Brett
Managing enthusiasm.
00:19:49
Alexis
I just gave a talk on growing for your market. And so I was talking about a bunch of different flower types of flower markets, uh, that you could be in. And it was like the, you know, talking about quantities to grow, how many different things should you grow, you know, colors you should grow all these kinds of things.
00:20:07
Alexis
And, um, it like, the biggest thing I told people was grow your workhorses. So, you know, hope if you've got experience, then, you know, you know what works for you, what you can sell, you know, ah the the main things, ah but then experiment with one or two different things every year.
00:20:18
Brett
Thank you.
00:20:27
Alexis
And that's what keeps it fresh. And like, that's something that that I do where i make things justify the space and time that I put into them. But I also want like to be excited about growing something new and trying something out, even if I know it might suck or ah like I grow pansies, which are not great cut flowers in the grand scheme of things, but there there's something like special and cool. And I'm like, look at the little ones, you know? so
00:20:52
Brett
So which is there one of those two viewpoints that you said sort of play to your workhorses versus have something exciting for yourself?
00:20:52
Alexis
um
00:20:59
Alexis
isn
00:20:59
Brett
Is there one of those that comes more naturally to you and one of them that you have to kind of know and manage through experience that I need to focus more on this or is it? Yeah, I'm curious about that.
00:21:08
Alexis
um Yeah, no, I don't know. I feel like they equally, I like the order of it, but I like something that ah is going to be fresh, right? And I'm always wanting to, what's the new thing that's going to get people excited?
00:21:19
Jessica
ah Yeah.
00:21:22
Alexis
um
00:21:23
Jessica
Yeah.
00:21:23
Brett
Have you always done both or did one of those get added more recently than the other?
00:21:27
Alexis
no I have always done both.
00:21:29
Brett
Cause I could see, I could imagine somebody, and this is again, what type of gardener are you?
00:21:31
Alexis
Yeah, some but a new, yep. Yeah.
00:21:32
Brett
like I'm going to go in and make this just ah it' an efficient production system with the things that are most profitable.
00:21:36
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:37
Brett
And it's going to be a hellscape that I am no way enjoy spending time in because it's so efficient.
00:21:41
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:41
Jessica
Right. Right.
00:21:43
Alexis
We're
00:21:43
Brett
Versus, or someone who's like, vi let's just vibe up, you know, but throw out handfuls or whatever.
00:21:46
Alexis
going to throw some scenes.
00:21:47
Jessica
Yeah.
00:21:47
Plant People
Put some stuff out.
00:21:48
Brett
And yeah.
00:21:49
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:49
Jessica
Yeah.
00:21:49
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:49
Brett
Interesting. Wow.
00:21:50
Jessica
That, yeah, always makes it fun. Like, it's like, we always try something new like that. Like, we've always done that.
00:21:54
Alexis
and
00:21:55
Jessica
But like I said, like, just scaled it back some with we're doing.
00:21:59
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:59
Jessica
But like, I just was telling somebody yesterday about how one year my husband got so excited because he was going to grow red, white and blue potatoes.
00:22:06
Alexis
ah
00:22:07
Jessica
And we did. And he thought for sure that they were just going to like month of July.
00:22:11
Alexis
Fly.
00:22:12
Jessica
Oh, they're going to fly. Nobody wanted our blue potatoes. No, but we ate so many blue potatoes.
00:22:17
Brett
put them all together and make match brown mashed potatoes.
00:22:18
Jessica
Yeah. He met. Yeah. He had his like little red, white, and blue container of potatoes to sell at the market. And they just did not didn't move.
00:22:26
Plant People
Oh,
00:22:27
Alexis
Aww, I love that.
00:22:27
Jessica
Right. So.
00:22:28
Alexis
I would have done the same thing.
00:22:29
Jessica
right
00:22:29
Alexis
I'd be like, these gonna fly off the shelf.
00:22:30
Jessica
But Barry. Yeah.
00:22:31
Brett
This is what the people want.
00:22:31
Plant People
this is going to be amazing.
00:22:32
Jessica
So excited. Yeah.
00:22:35
Brett
What about you, Ray? you You had a different, or what what was your ah tool or mechanism for knowing thyself and and what did you learn?
00:22:44
Plant People
Over time, like ah you know, we've done different things. You know, I guess Alexis and Jessica have talked about two tools. Well, a tool that I've used as far as personality profiles go is one that's, I guess, pretty well known or was pretty well known, ah Myers-Briggs assessment.
00:22:52
Jessica
Thank you.
00:22:59
Plant People
I've had that a couple of times.
00:22:59
Alexis
Amen.
00:23:01
Plant People
And ah both times, I guess, I've been pretty close on what I came out as, which, you know, was ENFJ and I won't go into a lot of details about that but that basically stands for and I try to translate that to gardening it's introvert or extrovert and of course I was an extrovert big shocker to those that know me I tend to be kind of introverted at home but at work I you know I'm a functional extrovert uh and um the N was intuition which in a garden that kind of translates um
00:23:34
Plant People
to experimenting and designing, which kind of makes sense. I was, I did a little, I'm not a landscape designer, but I did commercial landscape designs before I came into extension through a commercial um organization.
00:23:47
Plant People
And it was pretty interesting design install, which, you know, you learn a lot about people because you almost have to approach it as an investigator, what they think they want, what they actually want, but it was a real learning opportunity.
00:23:51
Jessica
Thank
00:23:59
Plant People
ah But that was my, E-N, N being um intuition is what it stands for. So that's the experimental side. ah F is feeling, which in a garden, that means I connect, I guess, to emotion more than I do just code logic. ah That's the way I connect to people and that's way I view the world. And let's see, E, N, F, and J is judging, which is i approach things with a kind of a structured approach.
00:24:27
Plant People
ah That's what it would translate into the garden. The flip side of that would be perceiving. That's the flexible go as you kind of go with the flow sort of approach. So ENFJ, and I was trying to think how that related.
00:24:40
Plant People
ah to my gardening, both in my former professional activities and then kind of how garden at home, but I'm sort of all over the place. Um, as an extrovert, I don't do a lot of extroverted stuff at home garden because it's all personal gardening.
00:24:47
Jessica
Hmm.
00:24:51
Alexis
Thank you.
00:24:54
Plant People
And part of that is just the way that our lots laid out. I don't have anything much out in front besides just landscaping in the back is where, ah my wife, um, She has, um, you know, a nice cut flower garden, that which grows every year and takes up my vegetable space. Thank you very much.
00:25:12
Plant People
Uh, but, uh, As far as just the way I want things to look in back, it's interesting when I started thinking about this because I do like everything to have boundaries that you know it's a landscape bed.
00:25:23
Plant People
Talking more about landscaping, it doesn't matter if it's flowers or vegetables.
00:25:23
Jessica
Thank you.
00:25:27
Plant People
I want it to look like it's intentional, but there's no straight lines in anything that I do. I'm very much a curvilinear designer, no straight lines. And when I prune plants, I like natural form habit versus rigid shearing, and that plays into That kind of played into my personality.
00:25:43
Plant People
But as far as the plants that go inside of the gardening, I like for them to have a purpose. Just me personally.
00:25:49
Alexis
m
00:25:51
Plant People
Like, I mean, tomatoes can be pretty, people. Lettuce can be pretty. Things that I grow
00:25:55
Alexis
Agreed.
00:25:56
Plant People
Yeah, I mean, it can be fun and functional. And that's the type gardener I am for.
00:26:01
Alexis
Edible landscaping.
00:26:02
Plant People
I love the edible landscaping stuff.
00:26:03
Jessica
uh-huh huh
00:26:04
Plant People
So I, the more I started thinking about this, I'm like, how in the world am I going to translate this in? But you really kind of can. And so that went along with the kind of the feeling section, I think is I wanted to be functional, but i also wanted to feel good about the garden. Like you said earlier, Brett.
00:26:19
Plant People
Uh, so yeah, I want it to look like an landscape bed, but at the same time, my favorite type of garden is a cottage garden. Uh, But I want that cottage garden to have nice borders, nice edging around it.
00:26:32
Plant People
So you can tell it's a landscape bed, but it can be a ride of color on the inside.
00:26:36
Jessica
Yes, i love that.
00:26:37
Plant People
You know, I love that. but And I'm also one of those gardeners that I realized the hardest thing to accomplish in landscapes and it's deceptive is simplicity. So I always err on the side of simplicity as far as adding elements and colors.
00:26:47
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:26:53
Plant People
If it's more of a aesthetic landscape, I will establish a landscape planting and then hang everything off of a structure. So I do approach my gardening activities as far as landscapes in a very structured manner.
00:27:05
Plant People
You apply all the principles of design, space, element, scale, all of that stuff. You apply that, but the garden out back, it's a ride of color. It's a different story because it's for us.
00:27:17
Plant People
And my wife is involved with that, and she is more on the artistic side of things.
00:27:22
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:27:23
Plant People
So she loves just everything that looks like a 70s rock concert. She loves the color and the noise and I, and I'm good with that too.
00:27:27
Jessica
Thank you.
00:27:31
Plant People
So I guess I'm a little bit here and a little bit there all over the scale, but I am a community gardener. I do love the community type. I'm an extrovert. So I do love plant swaps and things like that, but I also enjoy my time in the back of the garden.
00:27:44
Plant People
That's away from people that I'll go have a cup of coffee, sit and look at the, you know, geraniums or whatever. Yeah.
00:27:49
Jessica
I think that's really common for us in our field as I have so i've known you all for a while and I've known you know a couple of other extension agents because we get so um just kind of like how my personality thinks. It's like I'm more extroverted in my job than at home.
00:28:08
Jessica
And i see I see that across with a lot of people in extension because we extroverted. extroverts at work a lot of times and so then when we're like more introverted within our home lives and even with our even with our gardening yeah
00:28:20
Alexis
Don't speak to me!
00:28:21
Plant People
yeah I need my batteries to recharge.
00:28:24
Alexis
yeah Don't call. the answer is no. Yeah.
00:28:27
Jessica
I often in the spring just get peopled out like great great people interactions like a fantastic day at work but then time you come home I'm just like I'm just I'm done peopling can't people anymore
00:28:27
Plant People
Yeah.
00:28:35
Alexis
yeah
00:28:37
Brett
Yeah, I mean, chocolate cake is delicious, but if you have too much of it, you start feeling bad.
00:28:42
Jessica
really
00:28:42
Plant People
Yeah.
00:28:43
Jessica
Do you? Do you?
00:28:43
Plant People
Eventually your health is going to suffer.
00:28:45
Brett
Well, I mean, I would be happy to to have a ah cake off with you and we'll just see who regrets it first.
00:28:50
Jessica
Okay.
00:28:50
Plant People
Who gives up first?
00:28:51
Jessica
Yeah, who regrets that first? Yeah.
00:28:52
Plant People
I would do that before I would have a peach off with you.
00:28:53
Alexis
Who's gonna peak?
00:28:54
Plant People
Yeah.
00:28:55
Brett
So Ray, are do you think you're more, the kind of the question earlier, do you think you're more likely to bite off more than you can chew or you're more likely to say, man, I kind of wish I had put out more?
00:29:05
Plant People
No, I kind of am a planner as far as structure goes. I try not to put out it because I'm thinking of one thing at home. How hot is it going to be in July? Yeah. and
00:29:14
Jessica
um
00:29:15
Plant People
Me personally, I'm always a planner. I want to know how much water it's going to take to automatically water that stuff to keep it alive so I don't have to worry about it. So I kind of try to hit the mark. I reflect on what I did the previous year and what worked well and apply that to the next year. So in that manner, um I'm pretty structured. So I try to err on the side of, once again, simplicity and a little bit too less than a little bit too much. So, yeah.
00:29:42
Alexis
So what he's saying is he's never wrong about Brett.
00:29:42
Brett
Have you all...
00:29:45
Alexis
brett
00:29:46
Plant People
Oh, not according to my wife who wants more flowers all the time.
00:29:47
Brett
Yeah, they were wrong. Everything was the plan.
00:29:50
Plant People
More flowers, all the flowers.
00:29:52
Brett
Have you all done the Myers-Briggs before? Do you happen to remember any of your...
00:29:56
Jessica
I have done it, but I do not remember. i just, i don't remember what I was, though. It's been several years.
00:30:03
Alexis
Yeah, I know mine was that I was actually more introverted than extroverted and that shocked everybody.
00:30:09
Brett
Yeah.
00:30:12
Alexis
But that could just be how I was feeling that day when I took the test. Yeah.
00:30:15
Plant People
Actually, you know, you've got all these tools. He's a nice AI tool. And so I was like, well, can I translate this over using a rubric? And I did, ENFJ. And it says, my my ideal gardens, based on my Myers-Briggs topology, is cottage gardens, no shocker, bursting with life and color in a mix of flowers and edibles, which kind of describes the situation.
00:30:35
Alexis
Love it. Super cool.
00:30:37
Plant People
Wildlife-friendly gardens, love that. Something to attract things like birds, bees, butterflies. We do have a little pollinator garden. At the very end, down next to Elkhorn Creek, where we live. Let's see. Shared community gardens. m I don't do that personally, but now at work, I'm all about that. Love those things.
00:30:55
Plant People
And therapy gardens, which I work with a couple of those at work on a regular basis, so that kind of makes sense. Peaceful corners with you know plants that can be used for a variety of purposes. But yeah, it's great.
00:31:04
Alexis
The idea of community gardens would... i think they are a beautiful idea, um but I would lose my mind personally. ah So...
00:31:15
Jessica
agreed
00:31:15
Plant People
they're not completely under control.
00:31:15
Brett
like could see I can see you winding it up.
00:31:17
Alexis
and i i If I had to argue with somebody about what is in my garden bed, i would freak out.
00:31:20
Brett
But they're a beautiful idea.
00:31:26
Alexis
Yeah.
00:31:27
Jessica
i could not imagine like with like pests and yeah stuff like that yeah brett i know everybody's like brett your turn
00:31:27
Plant People
no, everybody has their own plot. Everybody has their own plot. Yeah. Nobody touches anybody's plot.
00:31:31
Alexis
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:31:34
Brett
Wow.
00:31:35
Plant People
Well, Brett, I was going say, seeing your beautiful backyard area with all these very interesting elements to your landscape, not only the front, but the back, I'm very interested in your insights into your own gardening activities.
00:31:35
Alexis
Brett, what about you?
00:31:47
Brett
Yeah. Well, so Alexis mentioned, and Alexis mentioned, how dare you, first off.
00:31:49
Alexis
he It's to show off.
00:31:51
Plant People
Flex. Flex.
00:31:56
Plant People
First of all, drop off a cliff, Alexis.
00:31:57
Brett
I told you that in compliments and now the whole podcast knows about it.
00:31:58
Plant People
How dare you?
00:31:59
Alexis
if
00:32:01
Brett
no So my ah my vantage point is through the the Enneagram, which I think is a really interesting, helpful way of understanding the world, understanding other people and yourself as far as motivations, your motivations to do things.
00:32:16
Alexis
As it is.
00:32:16
Brett
um so i And it's pretty common, i think, that when people find out what number they are they don't like it. Alexis' comment about too accurate or it really shines light on things about yourself that maybe you don't necessarily like, or you may have even worked to change or mitigate.
00:32:40
Brett
Um, but one of the things that I am a type three Enneagram, um, and one of the things about that type is that they like to be found impressive.
00:32:42
Plant People
Thank you.
00:32:53
Brett
They like for the things that they do to be impressive to people.
00:32:57
Alexis
Nailed it.
00:32:58
Brett
And,
00:32:58
Jessica
We all smiled at what the same time.
00:33:00
Alexis
We all smiled because we were like, his backyard. Nailed it.
00:33:03
Brett
and so and but But I happen to be married to a person who is significantly more chaotic in her approach to wildflowers and gardening.
00:33:15
Plant People
Thank you.
00:33:15
Brett
and so I think that there's a a tension there that... um plays out in our in our yard. And you can actually listen to our, ah we had we did a mini episode a couple, maybe a month or two ago, where Annie and I talk about the development of our garden across time. But even as I think back, so we had like a little mini horticulture system there with drip tape and header lines and all that kind of stuff.
00:33:36
Brett
Well, guess what? When you come over and look at it, that's really impressive. That's really cool. That's really interesting, intriguing, whatever. doesn't to be just like impressive in self-aggrandizing way, but just like wow, that's something I haven't seen before.
00:33:49
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:33:49
Brett
And then as we develop stuff further, it was like a little bit more of a hardscaping and some, some contouring and stones and stuff like that. Wow.
00:33:57
Plant People
Thank
00:33:57
Brett
And it feels like a, kind of like a park back there. And then on top of that, I've, you know, I added in all the bonsai stuff, ah which is, It's an like an art form where you are you're growing things and and and cultivating them specifically for the way that they appear to people.
00:34:15
Brett
So I think that's that's one way of understanding ah how and why I approach things the way that I have. But another another side of this is that... um For most of my life, I have have had ah like clinical major depression and anxiety disorders.
00:34:34
Brett
And i realized a couple of years ago when we were in the middle of a global pandemic, which turns out big trigger for major depression and anxiety disorders.
00:34:44
Brett
I would go and this is before we did some of our more intensive landscape changes.
00:34:45
Alexis
shocked.
00:34:48
Brett
i would just go and kind of sit outside and hang out out there. And i felt just a little bit better.
00:34:55
Alexis
in
00:34:55
Brett
It was kind of my one of the first times that i you know, i wasn't distracting myself. I wasn't, I was just sitting there listening, feeling, hearing, looking and started thinking, man, it would be really like cool if this space that we have here was more of a like retreat or refuge or whatever. And so that that also informs like i that's the the vision for what I want it to be. I want it to be like a little mini park with some landscaping and some
00:35:26
Brett
visually interesting things. That's like the, for me, what I need from it, what I've realized about myself, you know, is this quiet space, this quiet refuge place to to kind of hang out.
00:35:33
Alexis
Mmm.
00:35:36
Jessica
Thank you.
00:35:37
Brett
But then when we do it, I want to do it at the top level so that it's cool looking and really impressive. And there's a big, you know, Japanese informed archway, but not too appropriative. And and there's, you know, bonsai trees already.
00:35:50
Brett
So we don't need to go any further down that rabbit hole.
00:35:52
Alexis
mr
00:35:52
Brett
And also, but also um i have, you know, pretty strong values about a variety of of things. One of which is about just trying to provide a space for other life forms besides myself to thrive and and ah be happy.
00:36:07
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:36:08
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:36:11
Brett
And so we have a lot of stuff that's aimed at pollinators and um that's a big part of, you know, what we do as well. And so I think, Yeah, those are those are some overview thoughts of you know how i who I am as a person and how I – and I think the transition from the vegetable, intensive vegetable thing over to more of the landscape thing was me accepting like this is causing me more stress than benefit coming out of it.
00:36:40
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:36:41
Jessica
Yeah.
00:36:43
Plant People
ah too
00:36:44
Brett
And so let's do this. And now it's instead of being like, oh my God, this is a painful place to go and look and see it all the things that need to be done. And instead it's like, oh, look, this is blooming now.
00:36:56
Brett
Look at this. you know, these things are happening and and there's just a little bit more chill.
00:36:58
Jessica
Yeah.
00:36:59
Plant People
ah um When you're in a car, Cordy, I was going to just, oh go ahead, Jessica.
00:37:00
Jessica
So...
00:37:02
Plant People
Jessica.
00:37:03
Jessica
Oh, no, I was just saying that's why I love and maybe Alexis can relate to this. I love that separation I have of garden production with that versus like my flower beds at home and just like we're just going plant tons of sunflowers and enjoy them.
00:37:14
Alexis
z
00:37:19
Jessica
We're just going plant for butterflies and bees and going to love it for the heck of it.
00:37:21
Alexis
For the heck of it.
00:37:23
Plant People
Yeah.
00:37:24
Jessica
Right. And so it's so nice to have that like refuge like you've been talking about to go to.
00:37:27
Alexis
Creative outlet.
00:37:28
Jessica
Yeah.
00:37:30
Alexis
Yeah.
00:37:30
Plant People
I always want spaces like that to be kind of ah relaxing. And that's a spot. And we've kind of protected that. We have lots of trees down back. And really, i just consider what little activities we do down there and a little patch of sun, flowers, a few vegetables, this, that, and the other, is it's just enhanced the tree line that's along the creek.
00:37:51
Jessica
Hmm.
00:37:51
Plant People
And that's my favorite feature is the shade by the tree line. So it's really just enhancing and working with what's there. know, I grew up kind of in the foothills of the eastern part of the state, and that's my biggest influences.
00:38:02
Plant People
ah Brett said almost like a retreat or refuge. That's the way I see my natural spaces is that number one, unless it has to be for food production, which in this case it doesn't. I look for that, and that area that's sort of natural and you can observe kind of natural cycles and things kind of taking place. But yeah.
00:38:20
Brett
And it is absolutely remarkable how much plants soften and enhance and they bring both like noise and quiet to a space and even like affect the like when just having plants that are growing and some of them you know lower down it compared to when we had sort of almost like bare ground vegetable beds.
00:38:28
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:38:29
Jessica
Right.
00:38:34
Jessica
right
00:38:48
Brett
it feels like 20 degrees cooler, just visually looking and seeing plants instead of just exposed soil or mulch or whatever, you know, plastic or whatever.
00:38:55
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:38:57
Brett
It just feels palpably different because there's these established anchor plants in the landscape and they're kind of put, they've put on some mass now and they're getting there. And then all the annuals and stuff we fill in with in between. Yeah.
00:39:11
Brett
Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:14
Alexis
ah ola I'll remind people if you are in a ah production, if you're listening and you're you're saying, well, that's all great and I do have you know my areas, but that doesn't make my production area any less stressful when I walk out.
00:39:28
Alexis
a Reminder, silage tarps are magical. If you don't know what a silage tarp is, even if you're a home gardener, they can be great. big They can be big black tarps and you throw it over your problem areas and they just disappear.
00:39:42
Alexis
Okay?
00:39:43
Plant People
That says a lot of making about your personality.
00:39:43
Alexis
Now, granted, you need you need to look you need to look at your, you know, this is an opportunity to look at your systems.
00:39:46
Plant People
I'm not sure, but.
00:39:51
Alexis
How can you, do you need to take on less moving forward so so that you can manage things better, blah, blah. blah But also it makes you feel a lot better to not see those really weedy areas or problem areas.
00:40:03
Jessica
Thank you.
00:40:04
Alexis
And, ah you know, i know black tarps are not the most um beautiful thing to look at. But it is way better than feeling bad about myself about all the Johnson grass that grew up because it hadn't stopped raining in two months.
00:40:16
Alexis
So I just wanted to share that with some people.
00:40:18
Plant People
Sometimes it's just about feeling good.
00:40:18
Brett
I also
00:40:20
Alexis
It's a blank slate and you just pull it off when you're ready. No harm, no foul.
00:40:24
Brett
also think too, like in your all's case, where where the um the production system and the like the growing space is part of a... like economic consideration and it's not, yeah your your retreat might be different from my
00:40:35
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
Therapeutic Benefits of Gardening
00:40:40
Brett
retreat.
00:40:40
Brett
You know, it could be that maybe you look to get some houseplants for your living room or you look to maybe create a little space, you know, where you can sit and read and hang out and, or just, just like, I think just those, for me, those, those, those,
00:40:41
Alexis
Duh.
00:40:41
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:40:42
Jessica
huh
00:40:51
Alexis
isn
00:40:55
Brett
the way that the, the built environment in part, in the case of my case of a garden affects your mood is pretty wild. You know, all the, all the architects and landscape architects are like, yes, our whole thing, it's sort of our thing.
00:41:04
Plant People
yeah
00:41:07
Alexis
duh
00:41:09
Brett
um But it has a huge effect. And, and if you are thinking about putting out a garden and you're, you know, you know that you're the type of person who tends to go overboard, well maybe know, know that about yourself and pull back and don't quite, like quite go overboard because then you don't don't want it to be a stressful experience or,
00:41:12
Plant People
it does
00:41:26
Brett
I don't know. I think this is interesting and it's interesting to hear from you all.
00:41:27
Alexis
it's also okay to just like lay in the grass does anybody else just do that sometimes just kind of like lay there and look at the clouds don't I don't need it to be anywhere in particular sometimes I'm just like I I need to now and and I just feel the earth beneath me mm-hmm
00:41:32
Jessica
ah all All the time.
00:41:38
Brett
Yeah.
00:41:42
Brett
Yeah.
00:41:43
Jessica
Totally been doing that.
00:41:44
Brett
And we have, we have public spaces like parks and um that you can go to and and enjoy that. You don't have to have this.
00:41:50
Alexis
Horticulture is everything.
00:41:51
Brett
Yeah.
00:41:52
Alexis
that's what That's what Brett said once, and I'm rolling with it. Sometimes you just need to lay in the grass, okay?
00:41:57
Brett
Yeah.
00:41:58
Plant People
Watch the clouds.
00:41:58
Alexis
Ground yourself. Take your shoes off.
00:42:00
Jessica
ah
00:42:01
Alexis
You know, don't walk through any white clover, but...
00:42:01
Jessica
As you started, right, as you started this podcast, we all need to drink some water and go sit out in the sun, just like little plants.
00:42:07
Alexis
Yeah. Yes.
00:42:10
Jessica
And that's what, that's what you need sometimes.
00:42:10
Alexis
A little...
00:42:12
Jessica
Just even on these like still kind of cooler days, it's getting ready to warm up, but like the sun is out.
00:42:12
Alexis
hey
00:42:16
Alexis
a
00:42:18
Jessica
I have totally been going out there and they're like, I'm photosynthesizing right now. Like, like,
00:42:22
Alexis
yeah I saw i saw a video of some girl. She said, I'm going to go sunflower. And I was like, what? And she walked outside and she just ah stood there and tilted her head back and looked at the sun.
00:42:33
Alexis
and Because, you know, sunflowers, they say always follow the sun, even though like, but anyways, she goes in sunflower.
00:42:36
Jessica
who
00:42:39
Alexis
And I just thought that was such a cute way of saying that. Just go sunflower.
00:42:43
Jessica
yeah
00:42:43
Alexis
Go outside and get some sunshine.
00:42:44
Brett
Yeah, I would listen to that Post Malone song while I do it too. I'm
00:42:46
Alexis
I know.
00:42:48
Plant People
We started out all thorny. Now listen to us. I mean, we we were we were in this whole vibe.
00:42:51
Jessica
Now listen to us.
00:42:51
Brett
in...
00:42:52
Alexis
yes
00:42:53
Jessica
Now
00:42:54
Plant People
It felt like when we started out, now we're in a much better space thinking about all of the beautiful things that plants can do for us.
00:42:54
Jessica
i'm
00:43:01
Jessica
Yeah, I'm excited now. I've just been thinking the whole time. I'm like, I'm going to do this and this and this in the spring and we're going to plant this.
00:43:07
Plant People
Yeah.
00:43:08
Alexis
isn
00:43:09
Plant People
going to go plant some oxalis.
00:43:09
Brett
i mean
00:43:10
Plant People
I actually seeded clover in lawn the other day. I was close.
00:43:14
Brett
So I'm in the middle of this is, i would say March is kind of the peak of repotting season for bonsai things that are in that trajectory.
00:43:14
Plant People
I was close.
00:43:21
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:43:23
Brett
And so I'm getting to dig things up that I have done. I did things to last year, not dig, get them out of a pot that did things to do last year and see the development of the roots below the surface.
00:43:34
Brett
Cause you don't really, work the way I'm doing it, you don't really see it.
00:43:34
Alexis
Yeah
00:43:34
Jessica
Oh, that's cool.
00:43:37
Brett
And then every year you get to see this progress and it's sort of this nice metaphor for a lot of things in our lives where we don't necessarily appreciate the progress that's kind of passively happening all the time. And it's important to have some sort of a check in where you're able to say, OK, and to that to that end, I want to give a shout out to Alexis, who at the extension conference ah recently won the outstanding extension specialist award from our professional organization.
00:44:03
Jessica
Woohoo!
00:44:04
Plant People
Woo!
00:44:05
Brett
It was again, one of those there's been so much happening and so many things going on.
00:44:08
Alexis
Thank you.
00:44:09
Brett
i wanted to take just a moment to ah pull pull her out of her pot, check her roots. Things look great. She's doing so much awesome stuff. And this this podcast has just been a shot in the arm, I think, for me, as we've been doing it when she was an agent. And now as Jessica came on board and of course, Ray and I have been here, been here the whole time, though he is not bald.
00:44:31
Brett
And I'm one bald boy.
00:44:32
Plant People
I'm working on it. I'm working on it
00:44:35
Alexis
But we are the brunette girls, so I do appreciate the flip of the switch here.
00:44:38
Jessica
No.
00:44:40
Alexis
So, fall boys to brunette girls.
00:44:41
Brett
There you go.
00:44:42
Plant People
Bald, blonde, and brunette. We've got our own rock group, basically. But congratulations, Alexis.
00:44:48
Alexis
Thanks, guys.
00:44:48
Jessica
Yes.
00:44:49
Alexis
I ah maybe have set the bar too high, ah but we're just going to...
00:44:52
Plant People
You have bossed girl too hard now.
00:44:54
Alexis
i
00:44:55
Plant People
have set the...
00:44:56
Alexis
I've girl boss too hard. No, it's okay. i ah I really enjoy getting to help people get to be on this podcast. Hopefully that's ah you all enjoyed listening to this one.
00:45:07
Alexis
to Something a little bit different, but hopefully you know you can pull something away.
00:45:09
Jessica
Thank you.
00:45:11
Alexis
if you're looking to start a new garden or revamp one that you have to better fit maybe your personality style or to embrace a part of your personality that you want to you know, improve or see more of. So I think that's, those are all good, all good things. And, you know, when in doubt, throw a tarp over it and forget about it until next season. And that is I'm going to tell you it's perfectly okay.
00:45:36
Alexis
So don't listen to anybody who tells you it's not because you can trust me. I am an outstanding extension specialist here. So go drink some water.
00:45:43
Brett
If not you, then who?
00:45:44
Plant People
certified.
00:45:44
Brett
not you than who
00:45:45
Alexis
and if not me, then who, right? Go drink some water, get some sunshine, follow us on Instagram at Hort Culture Podcast.
00:45:51
Jessica
Thank you.
00:45:52
Alexis
Leave us a review and tell us what kind of garden or style that you're going to try ah new or, you know, remedy or whatever it is you're into. We would love to hear ah Feel free to also shoot us an email if you've got questions about, you know, maybe how ah tell me more about cottage gardens, Jessica, maybe maybe that's what you want to know.
00:46:11
Alexis
ah Feel free to reach out to us. But ah basically, just, you know, go drink some water about it. You'll feel better. I promise. Thanks for joining us. You guys will talk to you next time.