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Gifts for Gardeners
54 Plays21 hours ago
In this episode of Hort Culture, we provide fun and practical advice on gifts for gardeners! We kick things off by chatting about the start of meteorological winter, the first snow, and our own fun holiday traditions—think pocket-sized cheese advent calendars and big batches of homemade pasta sauce. Then, we dive right into the main event: finding the perfect gifts for the plant people in your life. We share a genius watering hack for indoor plants: forget the tiny watering can! For folks with lots of houseplants, we highly recommend a portable, rechargeable camping shower pump used with a 5-gallon bucket on a rolling cart. Beyond that, we suggest essential gear like a nice pair of high-quality pruners and a nifty little earth auger that attaches to a hand drill, which makes planting bulbs and plugs super fast. And don't forget maintenance—a small, handheld sharpener for pruners is a cheap but incredibly useful gift! If you want something more thoughtful and lasting, we suggest living plants like an Amaryllis or Christmas Cactus, or even saved seeds or perennial plants, which are beautiful, enduring symbols of care.
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@gmail.com
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Transcript
Winter Weather and Health
00:00:17
Alexis
Hi friends, how's everybody doing?
00:00:18
Jessica
Wow.
00:00:19
Alexis
Is everybody hydrated? Because i feel like, I don't know, i we're at the time of the year where everything is dry and I just, everything feels, i feel dry in general.
00:00:29
Plant People
It is cold and feels like it's getting colder. And as of recording today, there's a few inches of snow. Don't be jealous, you guys. I know not everybody on the podcast today has snow, not even the co-host.
00:00:37
Alexis
Hmm.
00:00:41
Plant People
But ah yeah, it's colder and snowy.
00:00:42
Brett
I
00:00:43
Plant People
And it's today. Did I miss it? Did I hear somebody say today's the first day of meteorological winter? Is that correct or no? I haven't double i i have in fact checked that, but it's early in the winter.
00:00:51
Alexis
Oh, I don't know.
00:00:51
Jessica
I don't know. It's
00:00:55
Plant People
It's just now December. And we have our first legit snow. So I say good start.
00:00:59
Brett
What is meteorological meteorological winter means? Like this is when we're expecting winter weather?
00:01:04
Plant People
Like officially winter.
Understanding Winter
00:01:06
Plant People
I guess it's I don't know what defines that.
00:01:08
Alexis
winter versus sun where the sun is.
00:01:09
Brett
Not by the movement of the snow.
00:01:10
Jessica
like only cold enough.
00:01:10
Plant People
It's a day length and temps, I think. I don't know what like factors go into that.
00:01:13
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:01:13
Brett
see.
00:01:15
Plant People
But I always think of winter as whenever it gets cold. But apparently I'm incorrect. It is a specific date when winter begins. So somebody will have to look that up and send that to us.
00:01:23
Brett
this is
00:01:25
Alexis
Someone's screaming at us as they listen to it.
00:01:27
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:27
Alexis
They're like, it's blah, blah, blah.
00:01:28
Plant People
yes no Yeah.
00:01:28
Jessica
I
00:01:30
Alexis
Yeah.
Podcasting Upgrades
00:01:31
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:31
Alexis
Yeah.
00:01:31
Brett
This is... This is my first day doing podcast since we got our internet speed updated. And so I'm going to
00:01:37
Plant People
Oh.
00:01:38
Brett
going to pull up a separate tab. going flex on everybody here and pull up a separate tab and look up what the heck winter meteorological winter means.
00:01:41
Alexis
Yeah.
00:01:43
Jessica
was
00:01:45
Plant People
Please do, Brett. I want to know.
00:01:46
Jessica
gonna say, you look so clear in your photo today.
00:01:49
Alexis
approve
00:01:50
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:50
Brett
Thank you. Thank you. Part of that's the camera. Part of that's just my, yeah, my skincare routine.
00:01:53
Plant People
That's his exfoliating routine.
00:01:56
Jessica
Combating the dryness.
00:01:57
Alexis
He's drinking lots of water so that his skin is not dry in the winter.
00:01:58
Jessica
Right?
00:02:01
Brett
Yeah. So it's based on the temperature cycle. ah Typically December, January, and February in the Northern hemisphere.
00:02:03
Plant People
Yeah.
00:02:07
Brett
this as opposed to the, I guess you would say the astronomical ah
00:02:15
Plant People
Hmm. Like not.
00:02:16
Brett
defined winter solstice.
00:02:17
Alexis
Winter solstice.
00:02:18
Plant People
Ah, so it's more temperature based than meteorological.
00:02:21
Brett
Correct.
00:02:22
Plant People
Gotcha. ah When's the first day? Did you find that anywhere as bred as your.
00:02:24
Brett
well Well, so I think i think it is temperature and and meteorology in general as opposed to day length.
00:02:28
Plant People
Gotcha.
00:02:31
Brett
Different from astronomical winter based on the solstice and equinox has variable end and start dates.
00:02:31
Plant People
Gotcha.
00:02:35
Plant People
I never thought about that.
00:02:38
Brett
I think it's just, it's literally the months of December, January, and February.
00:02:38
Plant People
got you.
00:02:41
Brett
It looks like 91 days.
00:02:43
Alexis
is Basically, if you feel sad because of the outside, it's probably winter. Winter
00:02:49
Brett
What did I feel sad because of the inside?
00:02:53
Alexis
is always for some people.
00:02:53
Plant People
yeah Sad on the inside and the outside.
00:02:54
Alexis
it's ah winter is always for for some people
00:02:59
Brett
Permafrost.
00:02:59
Plant People
Winter is for sadness.
00:03:00
Plant People
Yes.
00:03:01
Alexis
she
00:03:02
Plant People
So now you know, folks. Now you know. Good information,
Holiday Traditions
00:03:05
Plant People
Brett.
00:03:05
Brett
So did you all, I'm curious, ah we were talking a little bit about elves on shelves and about ah advent calendars and that kind of thing.
00:03:17
Brett
Did you all, when you were either kids or adults or, you know, at any point in between, um whether can you think of like unique holiday winter time traditions or things that come to mind that you did or that you looked forward to?
00:03:24
Alexis
this
00:03:30
Plant People
Hmm.
00:03:34
Jessica
thought were going to ask about cool advent calendars at first because I was instantly going to be like, well, last year I did the best Christmas present ever and I got Alexis a cheese advent calendar.
00:03:34
Plant People
Hmm.
00:03:38
Alexis
Jessica nailed it last year.
00:03:40
Plant People
Going to lock in, going to lock in.
00:03:40
Brett
Let re...
00:03:46
Alexis
Yeah.
00:03:46
Brett
Oh, wow.
00:03:47
Plant People
So cheesy in a good way.
00:03:47
Alexis
yeah
00:03:47
Jessica
So.
00:03:49
Alexis
They were individually wrapped, right, for each day, um like a little cube of a different one.
00:03:49
Jessica
Mm hmm.
00:03:49
Brett
Hmm.
00:03:54
Alexis
And I called it. I would take it on the go when I was coming to go and driving to work or whatever. And so I had my pocket cheese. And I was like, oh, today's pocket cheese, Jessica, is it's a jalapeno cheddar.
00:04:07
Plant People
It's at room to room temperature.
00:04:07
Jessica
And we had one that we'd open at the same time. And so then we would discuss each day's pocket cheese. It was the gift that kept on giving all holiday season.
00:04:14
Alexis
I got to know what the kids thought about it.
00:04:15
Plant People
I mean, every cheese is a soft cheese if you hold it long enough in your pocket, I guess.
00:04:16
Alexis
Nailed it.
00:04:19
Alexis
but
00:04:20
Plant People
I mean, I never thought about that.
00:04:20
Brett
something
00:04:22
Plant People
There's no such thing as hard cheeses.
00:04:23
Alexis
Pocket cheese.
00:04:24
Plant People
When they've been in your pocket for four hours, there's no hard cheeses. I guess they're malleable at that point.
00:04:28
Alexis
little something to take the edge off.
00:04:30
Plant People
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:30
Brett
The low low input fondue.
00:04:32
Plant People
So you're saying your your favorite winter tradition is cheese, it sounds like, which I could totally get on board with that.
00:04:38
Alexis
My favorite, my favorite everyday tradition is cheese.
00:04:41
Plant People
Yeah, it's everyday tradition.
00:04:41
Alexis
So that's probably not fair.
00:04:43
Plant People
I like that.
00:04:43
Alexis
Mine. Yeah. We,
00:04:46
Plant People
don't know what the traditions, huh? Yeah.
00:04:48
Alexis
yeah we I always remember, I'm not sure if it was like an every year thing, but it's like fondly remembered of when I was real young and would go to my grandma's house, she would make sauce, like pasta, like homemade spaghetti sauce or whatever over Christmas break.
00:05:01
Jessica
Thank
00:05:05
Alexis
And so then we'd have it. ah And so that's one of the things I like to do now is make sauce while I'm on break.
00:05:11
Plant People
Oh, nice. It's
00:05:13
Alexis
And then we just eat sauce with all the meals.
00:05:16
Plant People
just like big batch meals kind of thing.
00:05:17
Alexis
Oh, your does your salad not have pasta sauce on it? It does now.
00:05:21
Plant People
oh yeah. I don't care if you're you don't like past pasta sauce on your lettuce.
00:05:24
Alexis
Yeah.
00:05:25
Plant People
You're going to get pasta sauce on your lettuce.
00:05:26
Alexis
Yeah, you're getting pasta sauce. so I like to make sauce.
00:05:28
Brett
Anybody thirsty?
00:05:28
Plant People
Absolutely.
00:05:29
Brett
I'm making margarita margaritas.
00:05:31
Plant People
Yeah, double the margaritas.
00:05:33
Alexis
It's...
00:05:34
Plant People
Absolutely.
00:05:34
Alexis
a
00:05:34
Brett
Mmm, basil-y.
00:05:36
Plant People
Nice and spicy. Why is it so spicy?
00:05:38
Alexis
Well, I mean, um a Bloody Mary, right? It's basically just a Bloody Mary mix. You just add some alcohol of choice.
00:05:46
Brett
You're just helping it along.
00:05:47
Alexis
ah
00:05:48
Plant People
you're just but You're just giving it a life boost. That's right. I don't know. I'm trying to think. um you know I used to love ah you know the smell of the barns in the wintertime. We had old dairy barns that had been converted to just regular cattle barns, and we had feed bunks and stuff set up. and I would love the smell of um of hay in the wintertime. and The smell of the barn, it was closer, the smell was, I guess. um That's something I always thought of in the wintertime.
00:06:16
Plant People
It marked the seasons, was I love barns any which way, but the way the barns kind of changed through time and the way the hayloft smelled, and it was just kind of a different kind of vibe.
00:06:22
Alexis
Hmm. Hmm.
00:06:26
Plant People
In the summer, you have a high summer smell of hay, and in the wintertime, you had kind of a barn smell of hay. I can't describe the difference, but it was definitely thing. Yes.
00:06:36
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:06:37
Jessica
Piggybacking on, ah go ahead.
00:06:37
Brett
Ray, just in case do you have anybody watching on the podcast, I mean, sorry, watching video, Ray's magical cat just walk and walked in air behind him.
00:06:47
Plant People
yes Floated.
00:06:51
Plant People
Floated straight across. Yes.
00:06:52
Brett
if ah If ever I've heard a reason ever i've heard a reason to to watch this on YouTube and instead of just listening, that would be that would be the reason.
00:06:53
Plant People
I'm not in my normal recording area.
00:06:53
Alexis
It's so warm.
00:07:00
Plant People
And she is trying her best to climb on top of my laptop at the moment. Cause I'm in, in her space now. So yeah, I'm desperately trying to push her.
00:07:08
Alexis
it so warm
00:07:09
Plant People
I know it is generating heat, but yeah, that that's a winter thing.
00:07:13
Brett
can you Can you describe the smell?
00:07:13
Plant People
I don't know. That means winter.
00:07:15
Brett
Can you paint me ah pa me a picture?
00:07:16
Plant People
Oh, it was just, it was, It was the smell ah is a ah bit ah bit more musty, but not in a bad way. ah And I don't know, I guess it's the difference between like a summer hay, which it's got all that heat in it and it's got more of a fresh smell in the wintertime, more of a fermented smell.
00:07:34
Plant People
And it's also the smell of tobacco because we had, you know, a tobacco in one section of the water, but the smell of tobacco blended in with the hay is one of my favorite smells and a couple of our barns it was all kind of together in sections of the barn the bigger barns is that tobacco smell blended in with hay in the winter yeah i love that did you guys have a similar situation jessica
00:07:38
Jessica
That's what I was going to say.
00:07:40
Alexis
Sweet.
00:07:56
Jessica
Yeah, two things I thought of was one, when you said about the barns, we were always stripping tobacco this time of of year.
00:08:02
Plant People
who
00:08:03
Jessica
So like that memory with the farm. And then one that I'm getting now to like recreate with my kids is I come from a family of Lexington
Christmas Decorating
00:08:13
Jessica
firefighters. And every year there's the firefighter Christmas party where you go and meet Santa.
00:08:14
Plant People
Oh, man.
00:08:19
Jessica
And they had the cakewalk. I remember one year they had Plinko, which was like a big deal for me to get to play Plinko at the like the little festival that they had.
00:08:23
Plant People
oh man
00:08:28
Alexis
yeah
00:08:30
Plant People
yeah
00:08:30
Jessica
But you would wait for your number to be called and you get to go into this little room and Santa would be there and meet Santa at the fire station. and then you'd always get like your bag of treats that had a candy cane and an orange in it with some other like random stuff.
00:08:46
Jessica
And so my kids have now got to experience that because they still do that at the fire department training center each year.
00:08:47
Plant People
Yeah.
00:08:51
Plant People
Please tell me that there was nuts in there with like the fruit and a candy cane, like mixed nuts. ah I mean, I remember bags that we would get like similar to what you just described, but there was always, they'd always have some Brazil nuts or some cashews or a walnut or two, but yeah.
00:09:05
Plant People
Yeah. Good stuff.
00:09:06
Jessica
What about you, Brett?
00:09:09
Brett
Well, aside from just, you know, people having emotional meltdowns, that's sort of a family tradition leading up to the holidays.
00:09:18
Alexis
Oh yeah, solid.
00:09:19
Jessica
That also happens.
00:09:19
Plant People
that winter depression, the closeness of the relationships grows closer in the winter
00:09:21
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:09:21
Brett
um
00:09:24
Brett
Yeah, bound, yeah, melded together as if by ah fission reaction.
00:09:26
Plant People
bound together. Yeah.
00:09:30
Brett
um
00:09:32
Plant People
Close proximity.
00:09:33
Brett
i can remember, so this this past, we're just coming off Thanksgiving recently.
00:09:35
Jessica
Thank you.
00:09:39
Brett
And, you know, it's like, it's pretty typical for a lot of people to do their Thanksgiving or their Christmas decorating after Thanksgiving or or the day of Thanksgiving or or whatever. And so we did that. We got out all the decorations at my mom's house um and put those up at, you know, all the lights on the outside and and all the, all the things.
00:09:58
Brett
They were meltdowns. So that, that traditional box was checked. But I remember when I was a kid, that my dad would get up on the roof to put the lights on.
00:10:08
Brett
And we were at some point allowed, you know, in that middle period where we could reliably not jump off, but we're malleable enough that if we did fall, we would just sort of bounce and cartilage could reform or whatever. But, um,
00:10:26
Brett
I, I, we but put up the lights this time and I'm just realizing, so that, that was a good memory of that tradition, but I just realized there was absolutely zero reason to get on the roof to do any of that.
00:10:37
Brett
I think my dad was just like, yeah, let's get up on the roof. Like, why not?
00:10:41
Plant People
Up on the rooftop.
00:10:42
Brett
Like, when else are we going to do this?
00:10:43
Plant People
Yeah.
00:10:43
Alexis
Yeah.
00:10:44
Jessica
Let's see what we can see, right?
00:10:46
Brett
Yeah.
00:10:46
Jessica
Let's get up there.
00:10:47
Brett
Yeah. Let's see from this one story ranch in flat as a pancake J town. And so, yeah we so but so my brother and i put up the lights ah entirely from ladders pretty quickly, but, and I remember it being like an hours long ordeal of getting up on the roof and,
00:11:05
Brett
leaning it anyway. but So that's something that comes to mind. as ah I mean, it's not really, ah I guess it's a tradition. and But a lot of memories came back the other day from that conversation with, is his name Jim?
00:11:16
Brett
The guy at the ah a Christmas tree farm that we talked with a couple episodes or ago?
00:11:22
Jessica
Oh, John.
00:11:22
Plant People
Oh, John.
00:11:22
Brett
John, sorry, John. A lot of memories came back from that as well of the lead up to the holidays of going and cutting trees.
00:11:26
Plant People
Oh, yeah.
00:11:28
Brett
And we talked in that episode. If you haven't haven't checked it out, it's ah it's a good one talking about
00:11:32
Plant People
Oh, that's one of my favorites. That was a great one. Yeah, I loved it.
00:11:36
Brett
Yeah, but we're now we're starting to think about the season of gift giving and gift receiving.
Gift Giving Joys
00:11:43
Brett
And what are we going to talk about with that? there We have some people that like gifts.
00:11:50
Plant People
i mean...
00:11:51
Alexis
Giving gifts, getting gifts, treating ourselves to gifts, you know, whatever you're into.
00:11:55
Plant People
I mean, I've made an Excel file.
00:11:55
Alexis
but
00:11:55
Jessica
buying something from somebody else and then just using it yourself, you know, that kind of gift.
00:11:57
Plant People
People can get me.
00:11:59
Alexis
Yes.
00:11:59
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:11:59
Plant People
Yes.
00:11:59
Alexis
Yeah. I'm not, I, I recognize I'm not, I'm, I'm easy to buy for, but I just want like gift cards for plants. um I just want to go buy a tree.
00:12:09
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:12:11
Alexis
So because I buy myself whatever I want now. So if I want it and I need it I buy it.
00:12:17
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:12:17
Alexis
ah want it. I've got it.
00:12:19
Alexis
Like,
00:12:19
Plant People
Sometimes Alexis, you're such a good gift giver.
00:12:21
Plant People
You end up getting for yourself as you're getting for others. You just, I'm like, man, this is great.
00:12:23
Alexis
Listen, if I need it, i need it right?
00:12:26
Alexis
So just buy me a tree. That's what I say. But there's some cool things i have seen. i don't own this yet. It is in my cart.
00:12:26
Plant People
Yeah.
Innovative Plant Care
00:12:37
Alexis
um
00:12:38
Plant People
Ooh.
00:12:38
Alexis
But we talked about houseplants recently. a lot of us have brought them in. a lot of us are probably panicking about, oh man, the summer version of me that had plants outside and bought lots of plants because they were prettier on sale or I have tons of room for them.
00:12:53
Alexis
And then you have to bring everything in and then suddenly you don't have a ton of room for them. Or you're like, oh, I have to water all of these throughout the winter. ah You know, that may be a realization that you're coming to.
00:13:04
Alexis
So I have seen.
00:13:05
Brett
Should I have brought my houseplants in before all this snow?
00:13:07
Alexis
and have Yes, they're all dead now.
00:13:11
Brett
Uh-oh.
00:13:12
Plant People
They're insulated by the snow, Brett. No worries. No, that's not true.
00:13:14
Brett
Perfect, perfect, perfectly perfect, perfect.
00:13:14
Alexis
ah
00:13:16
Plant People
That's not true. That's not a true statement.
00:13:19
Alexis
Ray's like, no no, no, no, that's not, that's a joke.
00:13:21
Plant People
ah
00:13:21
Alexis
um
00:13:21
Plant People
I say that in jest.
00:13:24
Alexis
Well, one thing that if you are that person or you know a person who has a lot of houseplants, you know, that they're hand watering,
00:13:35
Alexis
is using a portable camping shower little um pump that you can just like ah charge and you use it in like a five gallon bucket.
00:13:44
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:13:47
Alexis
So you put, and you can put the five gallon bucket on one of those rolling like little um plant cart type things. Like like the little round ones you put a pot on that have wheels. You can put a five gallon bucket
00:13:57
Plant People
It's almost like I'm seeing a plant IV. It's like a plant IV.
00:13:59
Alexis
Yeah, sort of.
00:14:00
Plant People
That's what's in my head right now. You've described.
00:14:01
Alexis
Yeah, it kind of it kind of does look like that. So you put your five gallon bucket on your little rolling thing if you want, if you don't want to carry it because it's heavy and I slosh water everywhere.
00:14:04
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:09
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:10
Alexis
And then you get a lid for it if you're smart.
00:14:10
Jessica
you
00:14:13
Alexis
I probably won't because I'll be too excited.
00:14:14
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:16
Alexis
And you drill a little hole through it and you can run your little shower hose, right? Because it's ah it's a can't portable camping shower whatever, but it's a little small thing. And then you can wheel that around and it's a little battery powered pump that you can recharge.
00:14:29
Alexis
And then you can just give each of your plants a little shower. And you've got this, you know, yes, like a giant watering can that you give them a nice little shower and you can just wheel it around.
00:14:32
Brett
It's like a giant, giant watering can that you could not possibly carry.
00:14:41
Alexis
And I'm like, this is genius.
00:14:42
Brett
I really like that. That's a good idea.
00:14:43
Jessica
That's a good idea.
00:14:44
Alexis
This is genius.
00:14:44
Alexis
And like,
00:14:44
Plant People
That's kind of a garden hack.
00:14:46
Plant People
Yeah, that's kind of nice.
00:14:46
Alexis
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I didn't come up with it. I saw it on a plant person I follow on Instagram and I was like, this is genius. It's like $36. The specific one they mentioned is like 36 bucks. I'm sure there are cheaper ones, but that's the one. And then you buy a five gallon bucket and a lid and then you just boom, done. You can charge it with a little USB.
00:15:09
Alexis
So smart.
00:15:10
Plant People
Garden gadget.
00:15:10
Brett
I like that.
00:15:10
Alexis
And then I guess, you know, you could use it for an outdoor shower if you want it.
00:15:10
Jessica
smart.
00:15:13
Alexis
don't know.
00:15:13
Brett
So back when we, it was a couple, there's several years in a row, you know, our, our neighborhood is at the point where there are a lot of the silver maples and some of the other trees that haven't been well maintained or at the end of their lifespan.
00:15:15
Jessica
Thank you.
00:15:24
Brett
And so when we had wind storms there for a while, we would, it would take down a lot, a lot of trees.
00:15:30
Alexis
Yeah.
00:15:31
Brett
And so we had, there was like several days in over the last few years where we had no power for like four or five days in a row. And, you know, we're accustomed to a certain level of lifestyle that includes, it includes hot water.
00:15:42
Alexis
Cleanliness.
00:15:43
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:15:45
Brett
ah And, you know, the only, the thing only lasts for a little while.
00:15:45
Alexis
but
00:15:48
Brett
And so one of the things that I did ah reminds me of this. I heated up water and on a, ah like propane burner outside, you know, in a canning vessel.
00:16:00
Brett
I dumped it into and,
00:16:01
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:16:04
Brett
I then moved the cooler into the house and I had a transfer pump for emptying water, emptying water heaters and otherwise moving and hook that up to a a hose. And we we were able to have hot water showers for the two or three days.
00:16:16
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:16:17
Brett
It was so that that period was so awesome because it was just like so simple. We get up like nothing.
00:16:22
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:16:24
Brett
No one was asking for anything. It was it was like early covid days almost of just like.
00:16:29
Alexis
but
00:16:30
Brett
but it It reminds me of that, and I'm like, gosh, why didn't I think of turning that into a watering thing? Because that sounds so useful. So so this is something you you but you don't have to like come up with this. You buy this as a unit.
00:16:47
Alexis
Yeah, you well, you buy your five-gallon bucket separately or if you have one with the lid and then –
00:16:47
Brett
Oh,
00:16:51
Brett
You can make, one you know, craft one from...
00:16:53
Alexis
Craft one. You know, whatever size bucket you want to use. The five-gallon bucket, if you have a lot of plans, is probably the best. 25 gallons. And then, yeah, the the pump and the shower head all come as one piece.
00:17:04
Alexis
And, you know, I think, I mean, they detach. You can run the hose through the lid.
00:17:08
Brett
That is so smart.
00:17:08
Alexis
But, yeah. It's all... I know. I was like, this is genius. This changes everything.
00:17:15
Brett
I am now imagining you with like a 55-gallon drum full of water, and you're just like...
00:17:15
Alexis
can feel... And...
00:17:19
Alexis
Well, okay, so you say that, and I was thinking, okay, I have these rain barrels outside.
00:17:25
Brett
know.
00:17:25
Jessica
I would imagine you with like a little backpack going around.
00:17:25
Brett
I was...
00:17:29
Alexis
Well, I was thinking backpack.
00:17:29
Plant People
Imagine with me.
00:17:31
Alexis
Yeah, but um like a backpack sprayer, Mr.
00:17:34
Jessica
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.
00:17:34
Alexis
Thing. But yeah, but this thing is more like a nice shower, like you like to have.
00:17:35
Brett
Or...
00:17:39
Brett
you You got the inside track on an engineer. can make you one of those like like a little cart that you sit on and it has a 55-gallon drum and you drive it around.
00:17:48
Jessica
thing just keeps getting...
00:17:50
Plant People
I'm thinking of a tiny train, like a holiday train.
00:17:50
Alexis
I think you all under or overestimate the size of my house is the only thing.
00:17:54
Plant People
okay
00:17:54
Brett
Yeah. starting frame
00:17:55
Alexis
Remember, this is indoor. This is an indoor.
00:17:58
Brett
Yeah.
00:17:59
Plant People
I mean, all of a sudden it's like scary town, like Richard's scary, like busy town.
00:18:00
Alexis
i I can't maneuver around my house with that.
00:18:04
Plant People
It's a little busy town.
00:18:04
Brett
Maybe like a Segway style thing where you're like leaning and
00:18:07
Plant People
Ooh, now we're talking.
00:18:09
Brett
Yeah, that's really cool.
00:18:09
Alexis
Just me crashing with it.
00:18:11
Brett
That's really, really cool. Is there a name for this or is it is it available in different formats?
00:18:12
Plant People
Yeah.
00:18:15
Brett
or
00:18:15
Alexis
A name I have not, like for the, as the whole, whole unit, I have not seen a name, but what you're looking for is a portable camping shower, ah shower pump.
00:18:17
Plant People
The Alexis Waterer.
00:18:27
Alexis
So if you Google, Google that, ah pull one of those up little, you know, battery rechargeable little pump and you can just, yeah.
00:18:28
Brett
like it.
00:18:29
Jessica
cool
00:18:37
Brett
That's going to be really hard to top.
00:18:39
Jessica
Yeah, same.
00:18:39
Alexis
That's why I went first.
00:18:44
Plant People
I need it. I need it.
00:18:45
Jessica
No.
00:18:45
Plant People
It sounds useful.
00:18:45
Alexis
I know. I'm sending everybody the link.
00:18:46
Brett
Yeah, we're all we're going to sign off the podcast now and I'll go order one.
00:18:49
Plant People
Yeah. We're like, uh, we may have to hack this a little bit.
00:18:51
Alexis
We'll be dropping the link in the chat.
00:18:54
Plant People
Yeah.
00:18:55
Alexis
Yeah, i'll send you I'll send you all the video that I saw where was like, this is genius. So anyways, everybody go buy it.
00:19:02
Brett
So last year, this isn't, this isn't an example for this year, but last year i asked my, my mom was like, what do you want? What do you want? And so with, with bonsai, when trees are in development, you you use a lot of different media, perlite and, uh, cocoa coir and stuff.
00:19:19
Brett
And I ordered large, like 10 kilo bricks of cocoa coir, uh,
00:19:20
Jessica
you
00:19:27
Brett
I
Unusual Gifts
00:19:28
Brett
didn't order them. I told her that's what I wanted. And she ordered those and then brought out the, that's what she wrapped up and gave me for Christmas last year and thought I was, you know, she already thinks I'm a very strange person, but that was a another level of de dehydrated, ultra dense brick of cocoa coir.
00:19:43
Plant People
Here's your coconut fiber, Brett.
00:19:45
Brett
Thanks mom.
00:19:45
Jessica
And, you know, this is why we're all friends, because last year I got two water hoses for Christmas last year, and I was ecstatic.
00:19:47
Brett
Just what I wanted.
00:19:47
Alexis
I am.
00:19:48
Plant People
that That's a pretty awesome gift, though.
00:19:49
Alexis
Yeah.
00:19:51
Plant People
I mean, yeah.
00:19:56
Jessica
I've said, I can't be stopped this summer now. I have water hoses that were reached completely around my house, and I was very excited to receive two separate water hoses for Christmas.
00:20:05
Plant People
did you get Did you get a hose reel with those or is that like this year's gift? Like something to put the hoses on or?
00:20:12
Jessica
I usually just, you know, kind of throw them over in the corner. Yeah.
00:20:15
Plant People
Yeah, gotcha. Kind of loop them, the old school style, just loop them up.
00:20:18
Jessica
Yeah.
00:20:19
Plant People
Yeah, sure.
00:20:19
Jessica
Go ahead, Rhett.
00:20:21
Plant People
Yeah.
00:20:21
Brett
Okay, so that makes me think of one that I can say that I was just going to say like a really nice set of pruners or, you know, a decent set of pruners would be a real go-to.
00:20:22
Jessica
Sorry.
00:20:29
Plant People
Oh, yeah. Good set of pruners. Yeah.
00:20:32
Brett
But another option, and we can go back to the pruners, Ray. I see that I've i've ah unlocked a passion in you for good quality, good steel, Yeah.
00:20:40
Plant People
High carbon steel. Yeah. Real steel. oh
00:20:44
Brett
Last year, I got this from my mom because I had gotten one for myself. it's And i we know we don't support trade names or whatever, but I saw this on a tour that Alexis and I went on of flower farmers in North Carolina. They had these on some of their property. that it's It's called a hose link.
00:21:03
Brett
it's ah It's a retractable hose reel that you you pull it and it auto retracts.
00:21:09
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:21:10
Brett
And it is legit. They're expensive, but it is a legitimate... Go on.
00:21:17
Alexis
I was going to say, said I want, that's like, I've been looking for one and I have not found the clutch one from my greenhouse so that like the water comes out of it. Anyway, send me the link to that one as well.
00:21:28
Brett
The Hose Link link, if you will.
00:21:29
Jessica
I have something to add if we're on this garden hose topic.
00:21:31
Brett
Yes. Yes, we are. i you Yeah, this is a big, yeah.
00:21:35
Jessica
Okay. So not only did I get two regular, really durable water hoses, right? So, cause people run over my hoses. Uh, but somebody also gifted me last year, the, the like there were like the fabric kind that retracts themselves that are lightweight
00:21:49
Alexis
and again
00:21:51
Plant People
Yeah.
00:21:53
Alexis
The ones that shrink up.
00:21:53
Jessica
Those things, yes. I was kind of skeptical about that at first.
00:21:55
Alexis
Yeah.
00:21:57
Jessica
No. Amazing. So especially if you're like somebody out there and you're like, I can't lug around this heavy water hose, right?
00:22:03
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:22:04
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:22:05
Jessica
Fantastic option. They get a little pricey, but totally worth it.
00:22:07
Alexis
Yeah.
00:22:10
Jessica
Very durable. A great addition if you don't, you know.
00:22:13
Brett
So in your, in your setup, are you running like a standard kind of heavier duty thing? And then the last section of it that you're moving around is that, or is it two different things?
00:22:23
Jessica
It was two different things for me at the time.
00:22:24
Brett
Okay.
00:22:25
Jessica
i used the lighter weight one when I was still pregnant and right after I had a baby. And it was easier to move around versus, you know, the heavier ones that I needed to reach further flower beds further away.
00:22:30
Brett
Sure.
00:22:37
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:22:38
Jessica
But that's a great, great option. I actually have already purchased one. I don't think one of my family members listens. They should listen. But ah they're getting one for Christmas. So...
00:22:48
Plant People
I mean, water hoses are like highly underrated.
00:22:49
Brett
Wow. Lucky.
00:22:52
Plant People
And like you said, there's a whole spectrum of quality with those super flexible, super thin, Super, you like there's, there's a whole range of, from basic affordability all the way up to super expensive double lined.
00:22:57
Brett
Yeah.
00:23:03
Alexis
Yeah.
00:23:05
Plant People
And, uh, the ones that to you, uh, that, that kind of are up there in quality, they're amazing. They really are.
00:23:11
Alexis
But like.
00:23:11
Plant People
They don't, they have high abrasion resistance and they're super flag. I love them. They're love them.
00:23:15
Alexis
It's like once you also, I feel like once you find a brand you like, you stick with it.
Gardening Tools
00:23:21
Alexis
Like I found a brand I like and they're kind of mid midway as far as like price goes and stuff, but they're just light enough and they're lime green where you can, you see them pretty easy and all of that stuff.
00:23:26
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:23:34
Brett
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:23:34
Alexis
And those are that's the only brand that I buy. And so it's just, I don't know. I'm like, don't buy me anything else. I don't want any other of those.
00:23:42
Plant People
There was some brand in the past that was kind of brick red and it was good quality and they were kind of thick, but I was always losing them.
00:23:46
Alexis
e
00:23:49
Plant People
It was kind of a brick earth red and they would disappear.
00:23:51
Alexis
Yeah.
00:23:52
Plant People
And like, I'm like, how did I lose 50 foot of hose?
00:23:53
Alexis
you And you're like, ooh, just went over that mower.
00:23:56
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I love the brand, but it was like the color. It's like, why, why that color?
00:24:01
Brett
This isn't a good fit for me for for watering out in this brick pile.
00:24:05
Plant People
Yeah. This, this pile of bricks.
00:24:06
Jessica
Well
00:24:07
Plant People
In the fall, when the leaves got down, it would literally just disappear in the maple leaves. I'm like, what the heck?
00:24:12
Alexis
ah
00:24:13
Plant People
Yeah, but we're on this whole water delivery kick. Apparently, everyone wants gifts that has to do with water delivery.
00:24:19
Alexis
Oh, I would love like a little for my front bed.
00:24:19
Plant People
Yeah.
00:24:21
Alexis
See, this is the kind of thing I would love to ask my mother-in-law for because she she's a hands-on physical gift person, which I love her for it. I appreciate it. But if I ask her for a drip irrigation or not drip, but like soaker hose set for like my front garden beds, she will look at me like I have four heads.
00:24:36
Plant People
yeah
00:24:38
Alexis
She'll be like, i that's not a Christmas gift. I'm like, No, but for me, it is.
00:24:41
Plant People
But it is.
00:24:43
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:24:43
Alexis
That's my theme.
00:24:43
Plant People
contraire.
00:24:44
Brett
Yes.
00:24:45
Alexis
So if you have plant people in your life, um don't look at them weird when they want stuff like that.
00:24:49
Plant People
Just send them links, Alexis.
00:24:49
Alexis
They generally do.
00:24:51
Plant People
Send them direct links so there's no confusion.
00:24:52
Brett
So...
00:24:53
Jessica
Another another gift that I have gotten the same person, the person who's getting the water hose is also getting ah this year, and a little tiny auger. like I've seen them everywhere.
00:25:04
Alexis
Yes, the ball boggers.
00:25:05
Jessica
i got one like five years ago and never used it. Well, I planted 75 I bought 25 more just to make it 100 daffodil bulbs and to plant in my front field. Yeah.
00:25:17
Jessica
to naturalize that area and I used the auger that goes on a drill amazing amazing it probably would have taken me only like two hours to plant them but with children it took me four days and um but still it was amazing and the children even enjoyed planting bulbs
00:25:22
Plant People
the
00:25:23
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:25:24
Plant People
Yep.
00:25:34
Brett
so this is this is like a big it's like a big drill bit almost that but it's for the garden and it you've
00:25:39
Jessica
yeah Well, I, look yeah, look, at I look at it as like, ah for you know, farm, farm people, it's a mini auger, right? Like, but that's a good way to put it to like a really large drill bit.
00:25:48
Brett
move
00:25:52
Jessica
If you think about it that way
00:25:52
Brett
You use it with a drill is what I'm what I was asking.
00:25:52
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:25:54
Jessica
Yep. Yeah.
00:25:54
Brett
Okay.
00:25:55
Plant People
Just a, yeah, an earth auger that goes into a standard like hand drill or whatever.
00:26:00
Jessica
ah and And they have all different sizes of them.
00:26:01
Plant People
Yeah.
00:26:01
Brett
cool.
00:26:04
Jessica
Like the one Sean had got me was like specific for bulbs.
00:26:04
Plant People
Hmm.
00:26:08
Jessica
It said it was you could use it for different things. But if you search online, you can get them in like packs of three of like different sizes so where you don't even have to like get on the ground. You can just stand up and they're like really long.
00:26:21
Jessica
But yeah, they're cool.
00:26:21
Brett
That's cool. That's a really good shot.
00:26:22
Alexis
Yeah.
00:26:24
Brett
You're good. Yeah.
00:26:24
Alexis
they're They're good too, even if you're like planting a lot of plugs. you know If you're you know planting your front beds or something, you can use it for that.
00:26:28
Brett
yeah
00:26:31
Alexis
You just kind of have to, um especially for bulbs, because sometimes those augers can get like kind of long and you don't need it to be. So i have put like I'll put a piece of colored tape or like marker, whatever, how deep I want to go for it so that I can like physically see it as I'm going down.
00:26:48
Plant People
Yeah.
00:26:48
Alexis
um But yeah, those are great. You can use big augers to plant peonies too. That's something I have learned.
00:26:54
Jessica
you
00:26:54
Plant People
Oh, wow.
00:26:54
Alexis
Yes. That's what I bought an auger for.
00:26:58
Plant People
You're going to need to, your ah batteries are need to be on your list. Alexis, it sounds like with all those augers, which good thing battery tech has gotten good.
00:27:02
Alexis
Yeah.
00:27:05
Brett
What?
00:27:05
Alexis
Oh, no, I have a big gas a big gas auger, but it's what I use for the peonies.
00:27:08
Plant People
Oh, gotcha. Okay.
00:27:09
Alexis
Yeah.
00:27:10
Plant People
you're you're You're not messing around.
00:27:10
Alexis
Yeah.
00:27:11
Plant People
You're not messing around. Yeah.
00:27:13
Alexis
No, ah when I plant bulbs, I plant them in trenches because there's so many of them that you just need to dig a trench.
00:27:17
Plant People
Yeah.
00:27:19
Alexis
But I've used a little bulb one at like the extension office and it was really nice.
00:27:20
Plant People
Way easier. easier.
00:27:25
Alexis
So great gift.
00:27:26
Plant People
Yeah.
00:27:27
Brett
I think, I think in general, hand tools can be a really good gift, but it's like, you don't, not everybody uses all the different hand tools.
00:27:37
Brett
Like not everybody's going to use a chopping hoe, like some people might, or not everybody's going to use a leaf rake even um in the same way.
00:27:38
Alexis
Yeah.
00:27:38
Plant People
Yeah.
00:27:46
Brett
And so I think, The one thing I would say is like, you're if you're thinking about getting that kind of stuff for a gift, um making sure in some way that it is like actually a tool that the person will use.
00:27:57
Brett
And also if you have options of quality, going a little higher on quality, it may be a little bit more money, but it's so well worth it because you're going end up buying two or three of that same thing and you know in the in the same lifespan.
00:28:02
Alexis
worth it
00:28:11
Brett
And it's unfortunately, it's just more pleasant to use better tools. Um, and so like if every time that person picks up that tool and they're like wow, this is awesome. I really like this.
00:28:21
Brett
And it makes me think of that person that gave me that gift. You're really giving them a gift of hundreds, if not thousands of experiences across the lifetime of that tool, as opposed to just that morning or that day of opening that present.
00:28:34
Brett
I think that's, uh,
00:28:35
Alexis
then
00:28:36
Brett
But you can also go in the more absurd direction, which is where my dad used to go. My dad, my dad would like, he would get stuff that you wanted and he would get, you know, but he would also like, he would just choose like the most bizarre gifts sometimes, like based on a sort of association with the gift that you were, i mean, with the, with the interest that you were expressing.
00:29:00
Alexis
My dad's done that. Yeah.
00:29:02
Brett
One year he got us, ah ah because we were into gardening, he got us gardening gloves and on the tips of the fingers of the gardening gloves were like press on nail kind of things.
00:29:10
Jessica
Thank you.
00:29:12
Alexis
Were they the claws?
00:29:15
Plant People
Yeah.
00:29:15
Brett
Yes, the claws.
00:29:16
Alexis
Uh-huh.
00:29:18
Brett
And i had not seen these before. i was so caught off guard by it and taken aback that i i mean, I laughed. I laughed immediately upon.
00:29:28
Plant People
They look like a Halloween costume almost.
00:29:30
Brett
look And they were even green.
00:29:30
Plant People
You're like, what is this?
00:29:31
Alexis
Uh-huh.
00:29:31
Brett
They were green like ah like the Wicked Witch of the West.
00:29:33
Plant People
Yeah.
00:29:33
Alexis
The black claws?
00:29:35
Brett
Yes.
00:29:36
Alexis
Yeah.
00:29:36
Brett
Yes. And I don't know that...
00:29:37
Plant People
I've seen those.
00:29:38
Brett
I think I may have tried them, but the idea of it is that you use them to kind of drag through the the ground to do weeding, um to do some cultivation with your fingertips, but you're not getting your actual nails dirty.
00:29:46
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:29:51
Brett
um We tried it a little bit, but we you know we tend to do stuff standing up with a hoe or something like that as opposed to being down in it. But... Alexis, if you you you seem like you've dabbled in the arts.
00:30:02
Alexis
I've always wanted to try them um with like cut flower production. There certain stages where it's really hard to do and the the tightness of the spacing and different things like that.
00:30:09
Plant People
Yeah.
00:30:14
Alexis
It's hard to do ah all of your cultivation standing up. um
00:30:18
Brett
Yeah.
00:30:19
Alexis
for just certain things there. And so I'm doing a lot of, of hand weeding certain times of the year for very particular crops.
00:30:20
Brett
Sure.
00:30:26
Alexis
And I've always wondered about those. Um, I just, uh, in the winter I'd use my gloves cause my hands will get too cold if I don't use them.
00:30:33
Jessica
you
00:30:34
Brett
them
00:30:35
Alexis
But, uh, I've always wondered about those when you're digging up stuff.
00:30:38
Brett
Well, on the hand cultivating side, we always used wire weeders at the farm that was like a little so that again, this is these are things that you can Google to find, you know, a different it's ah a
00:30:39
Plant People
I've always wondered. Yeah.
00:30:43
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:30:50
Brett
It's a, just ah a thing you can look up. It's a little hand tool. It's literally a little wire that allows you to in loose soil to do some cultivation.
00:30:55
Alexis
Thank you.
00:30:57
Brett
But Ray, you know you also have not experimented with the, um the the way of the, of the claw.
00:31:05
Plant People
I have not, but I have wanted to just because they look so cool and they look intimidating.
00:31:08
Brett
Well, I will see if I can find them. I think they're probably in our garage.
00:31:11
Plant People
i And I wondered, a use case scenarios, because I know that there's definitely, like like Alexis was saying, as far some weeding scenarios or anywheres where you need to get in and do some fine work or need to take out your aggressions, pretend like you are the panther. I mean, whatever.
00:31:28
Plant People
I mean, there's got to be something cool with those because they look super cool. But I have never talked to anyone, sat down and said, hey,
00:31:32
Alexis
indeed
00:31:35
Plant People
What do you think about these things? But I know exactly what you're talking about.
00:31:37
Brett
Yeah, that was a little bit of an outside, you know, like a little bit of a bizarro. Yeah.
00:31:41
Alexis
My dad, my dad will do like a similar thing. Like I'll say, okay, these are the exact pruners that I want. Like I, you know, there's very specific needs that I have.
00:31:48
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:50
Alexis
So he'll get me those, but then he'll get me a pair of snips. And it's like the same brand, like really, you know, it is on par, but it's like, I'm not going to use these snips. I have a very particular set of snips that I like to use.
00:32:02
Alexis
And so they're like my backup by house snips or ones that I let other people use.
00:32:02
Brett
yeah I bet you
00:32:07
Alexis
And so, yeah, they, but like, he'll, he'll do very similar stuff. He'll get you exactly what you asked for. And then something that's like close, but not quite. and you're like, sometimes there's magic in it though.
00:32:17
Plant People
And that's kind of particular, yeah. I mean, that's kind of particular, and sometimes I don't know what's going to be my favorite. You mentioned a garden hoe, I believe it Brett. Like, I mean, we would fight over who got, like, there was a couple of really good hoes when we actually hand-chopped out tobacco and in days past, like, to get the the the good hoe.
00:32:35
Brett
Yep.
00:32:37
Plant People
It was a little bit lighter, and it was just, it stayed sharp for a long period of time, but sometimes you don't know what's going to stick, Alexis, which kind of snips, fine tips snips there's going to be your favorite and which is going to be yeah i mean just never know what i'm going to love i just never know but once i find that it is mine and i will hide it from you so nobody else uses oh yeah absolutely yeah
00:32:38
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:32:41
Brett
Yeah.
00:32:45
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:32:48
Alexis
Yeah, I like a cheap snip. Like, my favorites are the cheaper ones, and it's just the way it works. Yeah.
00:32:58
Alexis
Yeah, I'll buy five of the same one.
00:32:58
Jessica
I have a favorite trowel that I hide.
00:33:00
Alexis
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:33:02
Jessica
and It's my favorite. And then I like freak out when it's gone. Or shovels. I have a shovel saga because my shovels keep disappearing.
00:33:07
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:33:08
Plant People
well have favorite shovels yeah
00:33:11
Jessica
And my mother-in-law was so nice on my birthday last year. She bought me two shovels that both were more of an obnoxious color. And she was like, these are Jessica's. Quit taking her shovels.
00:33:21
Alexis
ah
00:33:22
Jessica
And... About a week or two ago, i went looking for the shovels. They were not there. Where were they? One was in our pig barn and the other one was in my husband's truck.
00:33:32
Plant People
Oh, busted.
00:33:32
Jessica
So even though they were a bright color, they still managed to walk away.
00:33:34
Plant People
Not a good look.
00:33:37
Brett
We were able to find them at least.
00:33:38
Jessica
Yes.
00:33:39
Brett
So that's.
00:33:40
Jessica
After lots of shaming for my children, very proud of those very proud of those boys for shaming their father about taking shovels from the house.
00:33:40
Alexis
That.
00:33:47
Brett
Dad, those are mom's shuffles.
00:33:48
Alexis
How dare you.
00:33:51
Alexis
Well, it reminds me, speaking of if you're not sure like what to get somebody, but you know they work with items that need to be sharp, get them a hand sharpener. I use my snips.
00:34:00
Jessica
That's a good one.
00:34:00
Plant People
Yes.
00:34:02
Alexis
I mean, it's nothing fancy. It's probably not the best way to sharpen them. But like in a pinch, if I've been like cutting through some.
00:34:07
Brett
What kind of style are we talking about here, Alexis? You've you've really you've hit on something.
00:34:10
Alexis
Well, OK, I know you're going to ask. Once a year, i I'll use like a fancier, I don't know what it's called.
00:34:16
Plant People
Is it like a tungsten sharpener or something?
00:34:19
Alexis
It's on like, it's you, you change them out and yeah, it's on a stick and it's all, it's the one my husband uses.
00:34:21
Plant People
It's a stick.
00:34:24
Plant People
It's a tungsten sharpener, yeah.
00:34:24
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:34:26
Alexis
Yeah. For all his stuff. But during the season, i don't have time to do that.
00:34:27
Plant People
Oh, I love those. My favorite.
00:34:31
Alexis
So I have just this little thing. I think it's made for garden snips, And you handhold it and you just kind of drag it across the blade a couple times.
00:34:35
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:34:40
Plant People
Whoa, yeah.
00:34:40
Alexis
And it has like ah the blades form like a little X and then you drag your your snips through.
00:34:44
Plant People
Yeah.
00:34:44
Brett
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:34:46
Alexis
And man, it makes such a huge difference when, you know, just to be able to like really quickly run in there if they're getting dull.
00:34:49
Jessica
you
00:34:53
Alexis
and do that. And that's like a pretty inexpensive, super useful gift if you've got somebody who, you know, uses pruners or something like that a lot. um I know that there's sharpeners also.
00:35:04
Alexis
I would love to have sharpener for like my hose and some of those like bigger items that I use, which Brett, you have one, right? Do you have something that you sharpen your...
00:35:14
Brett
um i have a lot different sharpening sort of had yeah well
00:35:17
Alexis
course you do. Why am I shocked?
00:35:18
Brett
yeah
00:35:18
Plant People
Whit Rocks, Tungsten Stones, V-sharpeners.
00:35:21
Alexis
But like a file, don't you usually use some sort of like big file for those?
00:35:24
Brett
i've used I use a file to keep my to keep my larger stuff.
00:35:27
Alexis
Yeah, like shovels and that kind of
00:35:27
Brett
It's just a very a very simple um you know language alert. It's called a bastard file is the type of file that it is.
00:35:36
Plant People
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:35:37
Brett
um And I just use that to Because you don't you know you don't need a shove a shovel to be as sharp as a chef's knife.
00:35:45
Jessica
Thank you.
00:35:45
Alexis
Right.
00:35:45
Brett
ah Just a little bit of of honing on that will make your your job a lot easier.
00:35:46
Plant People
Yeah.
00:35:50
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:35:50
Brett
But I think one of the things that you're you're talking about, Alexis, is like... practically, you can have something real crazy and expensive or and expensive or whatever.
00:35:55
Alexis
isnt
00:35:58
Brett
But I think that those those little tools where you can get get a quick edge on something and go and get back out.
00:36:03
Alexis
okay
00:36:04
Brett
That's like the name of the game. And they're not crazy expensive. I i would guess it's some sort of like a ceramic a sharpener that you're talking about.
00:36:11
Plant People
Yeah.
00:36:12
Alexis
It's similar. This one is like the way it's formatted is meant for snips and stuff cause it's kind of got like a handhold thing.
00:36:12
Brett
Mm
00:36:13
Plant People
this to Yeah.
00:36:17
Brett
hmm.
00:36:17
Alexis
But yeah, it's similar to something you would find in a kitchen as far as the setup goes.
00:36:20
Plant People
Like a ceramic combo with tungsten.
00:36:22
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:36:22
Brett
Yeah, this, the little things that you're running across are made of ceramic or there's some of them are made of other things too.
00:36:23
Plant People
That's the ones I really like.
00:36:23
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:36:25
Plant People
Yeah.
00:36:25
Alexis
Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:36:27
Brett
um
00:36:27
Plant People
Yeah.
00:36:28
Alexis
Yeah.
00:36:28
Brett
Yeah. And that, that is really, really ah helpful. And it's, once you start sharpening stuff, you're like, oh okay, this does make my life a lot easier that I don't have to cut things twice because it just folds it over.
00:36:41
Brett
It actually cuts it or it, you know, that, that
00:36:43
Plant People
And that is one of the most frustrating things in gardening is when you go to cut something and it just kind of flops.
00:36:48
Brett
just folds the stem or whatever.
00:36:48
Plant People
the I'm like, what? jim And I, yeah, that's at the point where I lay them down and have take a deep breath. I'm like, I cannot have that.
00:36:56
Brett
Hmm.
00:36:57
Jessica
This is a nice reminder as i have a wreath class coming up that I'm like, oh yeah, something I always forget to do over year Need to sharpen those pruners before everybody uses them.
00:36:57
Plant People
I do. I do not like it.
00:37:06
Plant People
Yeah. That's where I use what like bypass pruners, the little sharpener. You're talking about the stick sharpener, the, the, it's just a piece of tungsten welded on the steel.
00:37:15
Alexis
Yeah.
00:37:16
Plant People
That's what I keep. And in fact, I have a little holder for it and during wreath classes and I go around sharpening everyone's, um, you know, bypass pruners when we're doing wreaths, but yeah, you can put a razor's edge on those things if they're already in decent shape.
00:37:19
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:37:23
Alexis
Ah.
00:37:30
Plant People
Um, yeah.
00:37:31
Alexis
Or like some oil, some like cleaning oil and stuff. Again, it's like wintertime. That's when I do like clean all of my stuff and oil all my leather stuff and all that jazz.
00:37:36
Plant People
Yeah.
00:37:40
Alexis
So like some stuff like that –
00:37:40
Plant People
Yeah.
00:37:42
Alexis
a big and it was is a sometimes a handy reminder that they should be doing that with their their tools. so
00:37:49
Plant People
Maybe they should.
00:37:49
Brett
Yeah.
Plant Gifts and Traditions
00:37:51
Plant People
Speaking of wreath, the work.
00:37:51
Brett
I think plant...
00:37:52
Plant People
Oh, go ahead, Britt.
00:37:53
Brett
Oh, I was going to just comment on the the plant and the they sorry the wreath and swag kind of stuff. That like if you are going to somebody's party and you normally would bring a bottle of wine or you'd bring some other kind of host gift, plant people might appreciate a fresh reel swag or wreath or something that they can hang up.
00:38:10
Alexis
Or an amaryllis.
00:38:11
Brett
Or or an amaryllis.
00:38:12
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:13
Alexis
Mm.
00:38:14
Brett
ah This time of year or a Christmas cactus or something like that. It's just another option if you're if you're looking for that kind of thing of, a you know, here's something for the host.
00:38:23
Plant People
Yeah.
00:38:25
Brett
What going to say about wreaths, Ray?
00:38:27
Plant People
Oh, I was just going to say, uh, nothing will invoke rage more than watching your freshly sharpened, uh, someone trying to cut wire with your freshly sharpened.
00:38:35
Jessica
Right.
00:38:36
Plant People
ah yeah. If, which happens every year. i mean, I, I get it.
00:38:38
Jessica
Every year.
00:38:39
Plant People
Uh, and someone came and borrowed, they wanted a box of pruners and i didn't think to question them. They were not making wreaths. They were doing holiday crafts. And I went in there and, uh, they were like, these wire cutters don't work very well.
00:38:50
Plant People
And I was like, Oh no, But yeah, yeah. Every tool has its own purpose, folks. But I love the idea, Brett, of you that you just threw out of of plants as holiday gifts.
00:39:02
Plant People
We did a little kind of an office activity where we were doing Ziva, ah some paper whites, Narcissus. ah You know, we kind of made that and then everybody was given those as gifts because it's that time of year.
00:39:13
Plant People
Those work fairly well. I had some left over from programming, so we kind of repurposed those and And it was just, ah and those turned out to be pretty popular with, apparently with ah folks' as families there at the office.
00:39:26
Plant People
So yeah, the gift of plants, sometimes I overlook that.
00:39:27
Alexis
oh
00:39:29
Plant People
And I mean, Alexis, I know, you know, you do a lot amaryllis and stuff, and I think those are one of the best, ah I mean, gifts you can give. And it just brightens up the holidays so much to add that pop of color where you may not have as much going on this time of year.
00:39:42
Plant People
So, so cool.
00:39:44
Brett
You know, yeah, definitely.
00:39:45
Alexis
Easier than poinsettias in my opinion.
00:39:48
Plant People
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:39:49
Brett
And I don't know. like i i I enjoy more than poinsettias. There, I said it. um I think that one of the things I didn't realize was, we talked about this before, I think, but Christmas cactus has this really...
00:40:05
Brett
It seems to have this really interesting piece in a lot of people's family history. Like it's one of those, there's lots of plants where people are like, oh, this is my grandmother's and it came from a cutting or whatever from blah, blah, blah.
00:40:10
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:40:12
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:16
Brett
But I've, I've just heard of a lot of people who have a Christmas cactus and,
00:40:20
Plant People
Yeah.
00:40:20
Brett
that's been in the family for a long time or that you sort of have taken cuttings off of. And this is a cutting from the whatever. And ah I really like the idea of potentially being the one who gives the gift that starts that or giving cuttings of plants as kind of like this isn't like a big present that's really expensive, but it's something that
00:40:25
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:40:35
Alexis
in
00:40:36
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:40:40
Brett
has meaning. It has this, you know, human and plant story intertwined together. i think, and, and, you know, not everybody's got money to spend and that's something you can do with without much money at all.
00:40:51
Brett
Just a handful of soils, a pot and and some cuttings um could be kind of a cool way of, of sharing.
00:40:58
Alexis
And then if they kill it, you can shame them for it forever. So, you know, bringing back that family shame that, you know, we all know and love.
00:41:02
Brett
That's right. And family is forever in that way.
00:41:05
Plant People
You say, hey, Barbara, what's those daffodils I gave you?
00:41:05
Brett
That's right.
00:41:06
Jessica
Mm-hmm. You have to also, like, if I'm going to give you this, are you actually going to take care of it? Right? Like, there's certain family members I will give a piece to Others, I'm just like, I don't know.
00:41:14
Plant People
Scrutiny comes with a gift.
00:41:17
Brett
That's true. And that I think that's one where you have to answer that.
00:41:18
Plant People
You'll just give them a piece of your mind.
00:41:19
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Well, but remember, we're talking about giving the gift to a plant person.
00:41:20
Jessica
Yeah.
00:41:23
Alexis
So maybe if you are not a plant person, but, you know, your grandma has this really cool Christmas cactus, like I would love to have cuttings of your grandma's kid Christmas cactus.
00:41:23
Brett
Yeah, right, right.
00:41:25
Jessica
yeah
00:41:34
Alexis
And I'll give it, give a cutting to your kids one day if you want me to. I'll be the the keeper of the Christmas cactus.
00:41:40
Brett
Hmm. But PSA for plant people, for any other people, don't don't try to gift other people into your interest ah because you're just setting your you're setting both yourselves up for.
00:41:51
Plant People
Or should you?
00:41:55
Brett
Here's the thing. At the holiday gathering, throw out some feelers. Be like, you ever you know dabble in any plants at all? And if they're like, oh, I've been thinking about it, I'm kind of, you know, I hear the legislation is changing fast in Kentucky.
00:42:03
Plant People
i don't know, Brett. That seems kind of shady. look
00:42:11
Brett
And I just wanted to know if you guys sort of, I mean
00:42:11
Plant People
hey You're going to have to dive a little bit deeper into this topic.
00:42:14
Alexis
what ah What kind of plants are you into?
00:42:16
Plant People
Amaryllis, perchance? Yeah.
00:42:19
Alexis
Do you buy a lot of grow lights on online?
00:42:20
Plant People
the
00:42:22
Jessica
right depends on what cousin you're talking to what answer you're gonna get
00:42:22
Alexis
or
00:42:24
Brett
mean, Amaryllis Express, you guys ever heard of that?
00:42:25
Alexis
yeah
00:42:27
Plant People
yeah Yes.
00:42:28
Brett
um
00:42:28
Plant People
Yes.
00:42:30
Brett
But I think I think sometimes we we that would be the situation where you're going to end up giving something to somebody and then they're like, i don't really know or like this.
00:42:39
Plant People
Well, and that's tough on non-plant people, right? Because not everybody loves ah plants and it's wintertime and, you know, there's humidity and light issues. and And sometimes that can be a source. I've literally given plants to people, family, and they're like, you know, no no offense, but this is a lot of pressure.
00:42:57
Plant People
like they, they, they were upfront.
00:42:58
Alexis
Aww.
00:42:58
Plant People
They were like, this is a lot of pressure. We know this is a family heirloom plan or whatever. I'm like, no, no, no. I just got this in Walmart and wanted to share this with you or whatever. You know, I'd got a local garden center, not a big deal, but some people that puts an undue amount of stress on them.
00:43:12
Plant People
So, I mean, you know, you know, you got to find out I'm with Brett.
00:43:12
Alexis
oh
00:43:16
Plant People
You got to kind of, you got to kind of read the room a little bit on plants. So yeah, that's true.
00:43:20
Brett
Well, it's something during the course of the year, if you need to prune back something or take something and you can just sort of drop those cuttings and see if they take and, you know, kind of get them, get them started.
00:43:31
Brett
Then it becomes a gift, you know, you can give later rather than just here's a, here's a loose cutting in a, in then some loose potting mix. Hopefully it takes and good luck.
00:43:40
Jessica
Good luck.
00:43:42
Brett
If it didn't, then you killed it.
00:43:44
Plant People
Yeah, then it's you.
00:43:45
Brett
so
00:43:45
Plant People
You've ended the line of that lineage.
00:43:46
Alexis
I only had one and now it's dead thanks to you.
00:43:48
Brett
And now it's dead.
00:43:50
Plant People
You've ended the line of the house of Sawtooth, you know, maple or whatever, you know.
00:43:54
Brett
That's right.
00:43:55
Alexis
yeah
00:43:55
Plant People
Yeah, you've ended this line.
00:43:56
Brett
What about seeds? You guys ever, you have ever, you guys ever, ever done seeds?
00:44:04
Plant People
ah We have some, yeah
00:44:04
Jessica
I have not, but I received some last year and then did my own little science experiment with them.
00:44:05
Brett
As a gift. Received.
00:44:11
Jessica
It was one of those calendar. Alexis knows she's sloppy. One of those, it's like, here's your calendar through the year, plant it each month and get beautiful blooms.
00:44:23
Jessica
And on the box, it had pictures of dahlias and other things.
00:44:23
Brett
Oh. So
00:44:28
Jessica
So I planted them all at once. in individual pots just to see what happens. And at the end of the summer, I had two celosius, very sad celosius.
00:44:36
Plant People
Yeah, that's it
00:44:37
Brett
this was like a kit a kit that someone bought that was aimed in this direction.
00:44:40
Jessica
Yes. And so, and I guess maybe I say that with a word of caution, like if you're not a plant person and you're buying for a plant person, You know, i mean, it was still fun to see what happened because I was like, hmm, I don't think I'm going to get dahlias to grow from these little paper.
00:44:49
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:44:56
Alexis
Yeah.
00:44:57
Jessica
They were like the compostable paper seeds, like the, what do we call those seed things?
00:45:02
Alexis
Biodegradable.
00:45:03
Jessica
Yeah. But in the end, I got two tiny, very sad celosia that came out of 12 individual card plantings.
00:45:05
Plant People
Little peepot.
00:45:05
Alexis
Yeah.
00:45:08
Alexis
Thank you.
00:45:13
Jessica
So.
00:45:13
Brett
That was a dwarf Celosia variety. Hopefully you saved the scene.
00:45:17
Jessica
Yeah.
00:45:17
Plant People
Well, growing up, where we actually, we would give apple varieties. I mean, our family goes back many generations with apples and orchards and things, but it started with my dad, but we would give like special varieties like old Ben Davis apples or Arkansas black, or even some lesser known varieties from the Carolinas or wherever.
00:45:36
Plant People
But we would graft up trees, pre-root them and then say, Hey, we're going to give you this, but we can hold it. Now we would do that in years, but that that goes way back to when I was younger.
00:45:45
Alexis
Oh, that's cool.
00:45:46
Brett
That is so cool, Ray.
00:45:46
Jessica
yeah That's really cool. That's so cool.
00:45:47
Plant People
but we, we gave grafted trees because everybody loved, you know, everybody back in the day had seems like semi dwarf trees around. So dad would just graft up some extra, you know, make sure that the graft was going to take and pre-route those in a container that was appropriate to hold them through, you know, overwinter them.
00:46:03
Plant People
But yeah, that that's a cool thing that I remember, you know, them doing.
00:46:07
Brett
I knew that Ray was going to bust out something folksy and cool.
00:46:09
Alexis
Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:11
Brett
Golly, that is so cool.
00:46:13
Plant People
But I, yeah, we, we've all grafted, but I, I kind of missed that. I, uh, that stuff because with apple varieties, it's sort of, you tap into the kind of the whole family tradition thing.
00:46:24
Plant People
And some people were like, well, what is this?
00:46:24
Brett
Yeah.
00:46:26
Plant People
I don't know what this is. they'll give it a name. I don't know if it's a name variety or they'll call it Emily Rose apple or whatever their family calls that apple. But dad was very good at collecting like apple varieties and trying to sort through names and stuff in years past.
00:46:39
Plant People
But that was, that was sort of a holiday thing that we would give, ah you know, and once again, you have to know the person that you're giving that to.
00:46:43
Brett
That is so cool.
00:46:46
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:46:47
Plant People
And you have to know that, you know, that they have enough space, but dad was always really good about that. Uh, no one, you know, who would, you know, that would be a good gift for. So yeah. Kind of along those lines.
00:46:56
Brett
I always thought along that same lens, i always thought that it would be cool to, you know, we talked, had the previous episode about seed saving to do some seed saving and then give some of the seeds that you saved as a gift. um Cause it, in the same way with ah like canning.
00:47:13
Brett
So, you know, there's people who you will give gifts of like jam or jelly or salsa or whatever.
00:47:17
Alexis
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:47:18
Brett
and
00:47:18
Plant People
Incredible gifts. Yeah. Sorghum.
00:47:19
Brett
It's it's this thing where you're, you know, you're giving your essentially you're giving your time to them this time that you in care that you've spent, which is a very different.
00:47:21
Jessica
Thank you.
00:47:30
Brett
It's a different thing from some of the other things that we give and and not that any of those are bad. I like those too.
00:47:35
Plant People
It's a truly unique product too.
00:47:36
Brett
But it's, yeah, like you get old as you get older, I think you appreciate that a little bit more, you know, as you have less and less time um to to share and and give.
00:47:37
Plant People
Yeah. One of a kind.
00:47:45
Brett
um And I also like the idea, but right, what you're talking about, of like a perennial, a gift of a perennial that you could then theoretically track back to a particular time, you know, that we planted that in Christmas of
00:47:55
Plant People
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:47:58
Brett
you know, 82 or whatever. And, ah doing that same thing, like to mark occasions in people's lives with a perennial or a tree or something. So like the people that, the people that I work with, um, I don't really like them at all.
00:48:11
Brett
And they gave me a witch hazel. Uh, it was, I guess the, probably the one year anniversary when my, when my dad had died and it's planted out front of our house. And it's like, a this really positive,
00:48:23
Brett
lasting, enduring thing. And I think that idea of gift giving things that like I've seen with the the tool where you handle it 100 times. Cool.
00:48:34
Jessica
Thank you.
00:48:34
Brett
And then it's like every time I think of that and or or I see that every day, you know, every day. it's ah It's a cool mechanism for I don't know that human shared meaning thing.
00:48:46
Plant People
It's the culture of hort culture.
00:48:47
Brett
It's the core.
00:48:47
Plant People
So yeah, kind of ties in.
00:48:48
Brett
You could say that.
00:48:51
Plant People
It ties in. I love all of it, except especially, you know, when it's got the, you know, you're really given memories as much as anything else, you know, unless it's a garden hose and then it's just, just super useful.
00:49:02
Plant People
But yes,
00:49:02
Alexis
Sometimes it's just a memory of the beautiful flowers I watered with this hose that I got from somebody. So, you know.
00:49:09
Brett
If they give you a nice hose, then you're going to have remember.
00:49:09
Plant People
there you go.
00:49:11
Brett
You'll be like, wow, I've had that hose for so for multiple, multiple years now.
00:49:16
Plant People
Man, that's a 55-gallon drum, self-propelled
00:49:16
Brett
What a great gift that was.
00:49:17
Alexis
All of my houseplants look so great because I have this really cool pump to use for watering them to drive them around.
00:49:22
Brett
To drive around, to drive around my house and water stuff.
00:49:26
Jessica
Thank
00:49:26
Alexis
You can make noises as you wheel it around.
00:49:26
Brett
oh Just like steampunk, like,
00:49:30
Plant People
It's got its own golf cart. Yes. There's big pistons moving up and down.
00:49:32
Brett
right
00:49:33
Alexis
I'm going to put a little speaker on top of it and just like play all the music for my plants while I water them.
00:49:34
Plant People
which which
00:49:35
Brett
Mad Max.
00:49:35
Plant People
Yes.
00:49:36
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:49:38
Alexis
You know, music in your shower kind of thing.
00:49:40
Plant People
I mean, this started off simple, but it's not ending simple.
00:49:40
Alexis
so
00:49:41
Brett
Mm-hmm.
00:49:43
Plant People
Not at all. and Not at all. I'm all about it. It's a high-tech gadget.
00:49:46
Alexis
Well, on that note, we give you lots of options for the plant lovers in your life or for you particularly who want something, or if you're not sure what to tell somebody to buy for you because you buy everything for yourself because you need it.
Conclusion on Holiday Gifts
00:49:58
Alexis
Here's some new ideas of things we think you might need or enjoy having. So, you know, send those to the the moms in your life who are asking for your plant list.
00:50:05
Jessica
Thank you.
00:50:09
Alexis
I now have something I can send, so that makes me makes me happy. But... We hope you got something out of this, got some cool ideas, and we thank you for joining us.
00:50:19
Alexis
Hope you have a happy holiday on that note if we don't mention it again between now and then. But we are so happy you're here with us today. Make sure you check us out on social media, at Hort Culture Podcast.
00:50:30
Alexis
Shoot us an email if you've got any questions. If you're like, hey, what was that weird thing called, weird file called that Brett did and you don't want to listen to the entire episode, you can always shoot us an email and we'll help you get you where you need to go.
00:50:43
Alexis
on that. Oh, excuse me. But anyways, on that note, hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for being here with us. Have a great one.