Hello, and thanks for joining us for another episode of Mid American gardener.

I'm your host Tinisha, Spain.

And joining me in the studio today are two hungry panelists who are.

Well, one hungry panelist is enjoying a snack.

Today we're going to talk about these laters.

Walmart is chewing we'll have you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you.

I am Chuck Voight, and I retired from the Horticulture Department, which had been renamed a couple of times at the University of Illinois.

But have you been over over seven years since I did that, which is kind of unbelievable.

I was a vegetable and herb specialist was involved in forming the Illinois herb Association back in 1989.

And still going so hopefully that's nice.

A good thing.

And now you grow stuff I do.

I grow stuff.

And I grown.

And he knows stuff to know.

Stone and growing.

Okay, Martie, he made, he made rhubarb crisp, little cake.

And it's delicious, which she was supposed to wait, we were all going to eat it together.

But she just forgot camera whips her pocket knife out and shoots up a piece right on set.

So any of you Okay, gotcha.

I'm Martie AIagna.

I used to.

I used to work for the UI as well.

But then when I left there, I started my own gig.

Mostly small landscaping.

I mostly retired.

I'm doing a few little things for friends that I promise things to before I officially retired, but I just can't seem to get away.

Can't seem to get fully out.

However, yes, Sir Michael Corleone of landscaping.

And they brought so much stuff to show today.

So I'm excited.

We have to get started because we're going to run out of time.

Yeah.

So all right, who wants to go first?

I do.

Okay, last time I was on.

Last time I was on.

You asked me about asparagus seeds.

Yeah, I wanted to clear that out because my quick answer was yes, you can you can grow asparagus from them.

The longer answer is because they're hybrid varieties.

The ones that are going to grow from those seeds won't necessarily be totally like the parents, they'll be asparagus, but they won't, they won't necessarily have the qualities of of what you're taking the seeds from.

Okay, then I wanted to clear that up.

Because as soon as I got out the door, I said, Well, yeah, yes, you can.

But maybe, maybe, yeah, so got it.

So I thought I would do a quick roundup of some things.

Last time I was on, I had the sweet Williams.

And they bloom for about six weeks, and then the drought finally slowed them down.

So I picked the seed heads, they each each one of those flowers has a little capsule that opens up in the seeds, you know, when it blows around, if they spend them around, I had a bunch.

So I've got enough to share here, there's probably hundreds in there, which you could you could populate an acre with with what's in there, but share them with somebody or whatever, the way I would do it is I would sell them right away.

And I try to if you get two or three per cell in a cell pack, that's okay, if they'll just thicken up faster.

And do that now get them going.

transplant them as soon as they're big enough to come out of the cell pack and keep them well watered into the fall.

And they should give you a little bit they still should should give you a little a little bloom next year.

And then even though there's called a biennial, there's sort of a short lived perennial that recedes itself.

And so the first year that you'll come up and you get however many however many there were there last year, and this year, they spread out and there may be 20 of them there.

And so next year, you'll get 20 flowers from that from that cluster.

So whatever you do, get him started right away.

Or you could you could wait and start him next spring, but then they won't bloom until the year after next.

Now do you have to start them in cell packs?

What if I want to just put them directly in a bed or in the ground?

Is that okay?

The nice thing about a cell pack this time of the year is they're not out and they don't have to be out in the blazing sun.

And, and and control the environment.

Right?

If you're sewing if you have this many seeds and you're sewing them, you would have a tendency probably just so too many knots and it breaks your heart to try to thin them as they should be.

So that's their last last year we did we did spider flower Cleome and we had a picture of it but I thought I would bring the actual thing and you can see the blooms at the top and you start getting the name yeah there.

Yeah, and the brilliance and the bush Paulson which, obviously it's a little doesn't like to be picked.

But that's that and then surprise yes the surprise America lilies That Tanisha says the ones that gave her haven't yet bloomed but we're still hopeful that that that that is going to happen.

I'm waiting I like I said, I got the foliage in the spring.

So I knew everybody survived that that now what do you think we're just waiting?

Yeah, my nephew in Boulder, Colorado I sent some to and he planted them that that that summer and had a few blooms the following spring.

But then the year after that they came up and ahead like a foot of snow after they were about EA high.

And they haven't been the same since out there.

But I don't think you're gonna have that problem over toward Danville.

So I'll just keep waiting.

All right, Martin Europe.

Okay, I'll move this because you Thank you.

You've got some big stuff over here.

Yeah, just put that right down.

You can see it's really good.

Okay, I have brought a hardy hibiscus these things have come into vogue in the last few years.

And I'll tell you what, they're they're worth that you get plenty of bang for your buck on these things.

Okay, this one is gonna get a close shot of this maybe.

There we go.

This is there's a whole summer if ik series of these these are hardy hibiscus and this one is evening rose.

So the flower the flowers come in white, pink or red or some combination thereof.

And the foliage is either green or green with a purplish tinge.

Or there's one variety that has a cream and green variegated leaf with a little bit of a raspberry pink around the edges and by the stems.

It's called Summer carnival.

It's got variegated foliage, and then red flowers, red red flowers.

So but these are just man, I didn't know that.

Well, you know, I'll try a couple.

Oh my gosh, this is the first year I've had hibiscus our house and they are just I mean stunners.

Yes, donor Yes.

Yep.

I put I put four in a client's yard a couple of years ago.

And those things are insane.

They're, oh, it's four and a half feet tall, maybe five.

And just the detail in the blooms and how intricate the flowers are there.

So they're tremendously bigger than I thought they were gonna get.

I thought, you know, four feet.

Okay, that's fine.

No, they just went crazy.

So because of that, can you reach it?

Can you work Teamwork.

Teamwork, makes the dream work.

So you know, this whole fight here is going to get to be four or five feet tall when it grows up.

Except, alright.

It's a colloquialism about this.

This is a newer hydrangea.

It's a panicle hydrangea, as you can see from the shown shaped flowers, and like panicle hydrangeas do they open white or cream and then they slowly fade to a dusty rose.

And then they'll get redder usually in the fall and they'll persist on the plant, they'll eventually turn just tan, but they are pretty even for winter interest.

Through the three feet tall and wide.

It's it's truly miniature panicle.

So I mean, you're not going to get a much smaller than that.

But with the phone, these are going to be planted together in the same small place.

A small garden, and then we're going to a mall.

I won't, I won't.

But then the foliage will show it against each other because garden is all about contrast.

Yes.

You know, when when you go to somebody's house was like, oh, nothing's blue.

It looks really pitiful.

It's all green and nothing else.

So you don't have to have all green people.

You know, you've got an option foliage comes in all kinds of colors and different kinds of shapes and different kinds of textures.

And that's what I'm shooting for with this.

So we want as much visual interest as we can get.

So there's purple foliage and green foliage and the flowers will be similar but like I said that was deliberate because they're in a small space.

Nice.

Okay, drove past one of those on the way out of town up north today.

I think it was probably one of the old disco bells.

Oh, yeah.

red flowers.

Yeah.

Big.

Yeah.

And just just full of them.

Yes, this wonderful.

Drought.

It does.

Nothing seems to know.

They don't care.

All right.

All right.

Well, back to you.

All right.

Let's start the vegetable review.

Vegetable review.

Well, these are our yellow zucchini, not yellow squash.

You know like the straight next and the cook next.

These are actually zucchini and if you eat both, there's a textural difference.

But this is my film Nixon Memorial zucchini bed because several years ago now Yeah, yeah, it's it's a it's a premature as far as I know, but he reminded me that that vine borer stopped flying in July.

oh nine and so unless I'm just dying for for a zucchini earlier, I wait until like late June and then by the time they're up and growing, they don't get you know that nasty little thing born in and cutting them off at the ground level and pop start doing while they're gone.

Obviously this is like a day after the flower closes this is two days.

And that's probably three or four because I'm not up there constantly the other ones in the truck it wouldn't fit the studio.

Yeah, the forklift wouldn't fit.

But anyway, this is about as large as you can use them.

You know as a vegetable for frying.

Yeah.

And then and much bigger than that.

Then you have to start doing zucchini breads and this with yellow zucchini.

No.

Oh, okay, because I noticed there weren't a lot of green flecks.

There is this.

It's It's It's rhubarb.

It's not.

Oh, that's right through Barbara tonight.

Zucchini.

That's right.

Sorry.

Yeah.

And it wasn't the red petioles rhubarb it was just the the one from from my friend forums.

That's another rhubarb story.

The drought everything for early bucket foxes route playing and swamped it down and kind of crunched it.

And then the drought.

You know, in May and June up there.

We had maybe one inch on the installment plan 3500s was was the big rain in that two month period.

And so rhubarb is about to shut down for the season.

And then finally, we got an inch and a half all at once.

And since then, the rhubarb is about this tall, it it just said well activate, we kind of miss this.

So So I pulled that up and the stocks are literally almost two feet.

Oh my god.

So she she cut up one or two at the company after she needed for this recipe.

And then there's a whole bunch that's that's waiting in the refrigerator.

But this is my favorite.

It's one called butter bu TT a bada bada it's like butter.

Yeah.

It's crazy.

Because two years ago, when you were up there, I had this one and a dark green one.

And I got three, four, sometimes five from from this, for every one I got out of the green one.

It has a tendency, I have only two plants, but they've already split into about three Growing points.

And so each growing point has has the potential for Wow, we're making one of these every day more than the old standby, but it's really good.

Also in the drought, I think my Big Bertha was a little constrained so it's only got to two lobes to lock eels.

But they are nice and big.

And in general, the elongated peppers tend to set up a lot more fruit than the than the blocky bells interesting.

Like this.

Yeah, that's that's been a problem and I don't know that it's been totally totally cured.

If you see a bell pepper.

The ones that have been out only three do better than the ones that are predominantly four.

But everybody loves the four because they sit nice and nice and square in the end when you fill them.

What else this is.

This is my favorite cucumber.

Dasher, too.

It's a guy nutritious.

Only makes girl flowers.

Do you have to plant somebody with boy flowers?

I just the ones that have Spangler.

Yeah, well, it's it's a slicer.

But we make chunk pickles out of out of it.

And this is the perfect size for the concrete pickles that we make.

You know, I'm not really a cucumber person, but I got an English cucumber sandwich last week.

And it was really good.

Yeah, they are so yeah, I mean, the flavor was completely different texture was different.

Yeah, they're more like the burpless ones which are a little bit sweeter smaller seeds way way lower bitterness.

Yeah, yes, I was in a more tender skin so you don't really have to peel them.

I was very impressed.

Yeah, those are there.

What else?

Bright lights?

Yes.

Chard, I think gorgeous.

When that came out.

They are so pretty.

It came out.

I was a vegetable specialist at the U of I.

And I had ornamentals people coming up to me who had no intention of ever eating swiss chard asking me about this.

And it's, it's great.

You get the red ones.

You get the orangish ones.

You get the yellow ones, you get the traditional white ones.

And he he they're gorgeous.

They're again it it kind of languished during the drought because I transplanted those early this season but with a little moisture now.

You prepare those Well you can do it lots of ways.

One of my favorites was was I had a meeting once and I had chef's up from from effing ham and they took the the leaf blade part and layered it into a lasagna like thing.

I can use Spanish use this it's a perfect replacement for Spain right it doesn't bolt as quickly if similar flavor to it yeah if you're gonna cook them you want to do the this part separate from this part because they cook at different rates because this is pretty pretty tough but basically overgrown beet greens.

Yeah, because it's the it's the same same genus and species as beets.

It's just been just been selected to grow leaves in that not make a nice fat root boy this show is full of facts.

You're taking notes because this one Chuck and I rattled off all the Yeah, and I and I've got my my girlfriend there turnips and rutabagas are up.

Okay, because they didn't come up well, last year in the drought.

What about the Broomcorn you got your black this year?

Okay.

And I said I just got the seed stripped off yesterday from the red from last year from my select see, but I got I gotta get him into into a couple of gallon jugs.

And they were really pretty on my porch.

Good.

Yep.

Oh, yeah, that's right.

You took them home.

I forgot that she's gonna put them I did.

And I stuffed those in with some dry seed, some heads and some juniper and made something.

Yeah.

Anyways, last year, since since they didn't come up especially well, the turnips.

I had plenty of seed.

So I saw them pretty quickly.

Well, naturally this year rained on him.

And I've already found them once and I'm gonna have to send them again if I wanted to get any size too.

But it it's a wonderful little row of seedlings that are looking great.

Yeah, I need to I need to get the BT fired up or the or the little white butterflies or send their offspring to eat them.

But other than that, they're often doing well.

And after a terrible start to the gardening season, we're doing well.

Okay.

All right, you've got one more flower.

I do you do and then we'll do some questions.

Are we done at this?

Boys and girls is one of my favorite plants.

This is a cherry brandy zoo those fabulous flowers just amazing greens fall tones.

It does.

I'm not ready for but they're they're a little redder earlier on.

See here's one that's just burgundy really almost black with this because the center's are dark too.

And this is a lovely little variety of Rudbeckia hirta H IRTA is the species.

Rebecca like black eyed Susans, like you're all very familiar with.

These are the hurt of variety.

They have a little bit bigger stature.

They have a larger leaf they have a much more hirsute leaf they're a little fuzzy.

Their problem with this is it won't grow in my life.

I love these things, but I planted seven of them.

They just don't seem to overwinter for me.

I think the problem is because I don't get around the planet till it's too late in the year but man are they beautiful?

Now there are varieties of these that are more yellow or golden they have a green eyes sometimes sometimes they have a brown eyes.

Sometimes they have an orange eye.

The common name is Denver Daisy for Rudbeckia hirta this particular variety does not get as big as Denver daisies which I have seen soar to heights of three, four or five feet.

They're ridiculous.

And they aren't they can be like, like those.

They can be tender.

They can maybe maybe overwinter but they'll receive themselves freely if Marty gets it planted in the ground in time.

Excellent seeds and drop them are they related to the Gloriosa Daisy is or is that just I don't I don't think so.

This is because those are are not especially Hardy.

No the other Rebecca genus because I don't I think they are I don't know what they are.

I think it's another thing I thought there was a green eyed one as well.

Yeah, maybe think of yeah, there's I mean, there's a ton of Daisy type flowers is Heliopolis.

And, you know, so yeah.

With with the Canadian smoke summer it's been quite drought.

Canadian smoke.

We've seen it all right.

You're not kidding.

I'm sorry.

You got to experience the direct shut down here that we met two years ago up north.

That was quite harsh.

is worse but that nevermind.

Interesting five days, let me tell you.

So anyway, this I'm going to try to get this in the ground, at least by the end of August.

Let us pray all together, that it happens, yes, that it happens.

Because they are just fantastic.

Gorgeous.

Like I said, sometimes they won't come up from the previous parent crown.

But they might see themselves they might have a little another little offshoot there.

And usually the other ones, the yellower and orange varieties, once they're established, they go insane.

Now they see themselves around and you're pulling them like weeds because you're just sick of them.

Overwhelming everything else.

Question?

Will the seat the ones that recede?

Will they look exactly like this?

Or will they revert they typically look like this?

Because it's odd because he was just talking about the asparagus and how you know, but interesting.

Yeah, we call it stable.

That's yeah, a lot of times a hybrid won't like like checklists, and a lot of times a hybrid of something will revert to one parent or the other and it's not at all what you were hoping for.

Not even close.

Yes, perhaps a selection works differently than a hybrid.

Alright, we've got about five minutes left.

So now let's talk about the goodies that are in this bowl.

And I'm going to tip it so we can get a so I thought it was coffee cake.

I mean it is kind of a good is.

Yeah, this is tell us a little bit about it.

This is from coffee cake, a crumb cake, because I sort of kind of promised you that I would bring some baked goods with rhubarb into a contract to do this.

She got her into her favorite favorite cookbook so much of it and came up with this.

She's got she's got a like a, like a rhubarb crisp thing that she wants to do now to it's got that little zing.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

You can taste the sugar like the little crunchy.

Yeah, it's like it's got that little rhubarb.

I wish I could share this with you guys.

I'm glad we don't.

There's more for us.

Okay, sorry.

Now, let's do a question.

I'm glad the camera people are showing some restraint in that.

Yes.

That rushing the table.

Let's see.

Okay, so we're in August.

So Eric Pope wants to know, he says he never got around to planning peas in the spring.

Can you still plant these?

And when?

Can you do that?

Heck, yeah.

Eric, I'm planted any either.

But fall crops are awesome.

Just great.

And I don't even know why I'm answering this because Chuck's a veggie guy.

But yeah, yeah, absolutely.

And as the weather I'm going to do them as soon as I can get around to it.

Right.

I'll be playing November.

Yeah.

Because that's how I roll.

But yeah, sure, you can and as the weather is starting to cool down a little bit, the peas and the other spring crops will love you for you do not fall peak planting.

I never had tremendous success with fall peas.

Actual Sharpies?

Well, good.

And I kind of answered that once before.

And my answer was if you can get him started early enough, I would I would have recommended July for a fall crop as opposed to August but I know we're supposed to be nonspecific about what day we're taping this but but I my opinion would be that we're getting a little late maybe for you know, some of the the pod kinds of things.

If the snap or the or the people I think snow peas to actually actually grow them for shelling peas.

I'm not I'm not sure the daylength and everything is is going to cooperate the temperatures and the moisture probably yes.

The I'm not saying she's had some success I've had limited success information and do with it are welcome.

You're welcome, Eric.

I'm not saying you may not have to cover them a little bit now.

And then with a sheet or something, if it's gonna threaten for us, but then, you know, a lot of times it'll threaten frost and then we'll go up to at for four or five days and they're fairly frost resistant.

They are they're tough, but I would recommend next this fall, you do some some ground prep.

So that first thing in the spring, you're ready to go and get those A's for shelling peas.

They're never going to be better than to get them in, like say in March if it happens to break.

It's fair to do it in March.

Okay, we got a minute and a half last question.

Where can someone get a Buckeye tree Ramona St. Pierre would like to know.

Where can you find a buckeye?

Oh, brother.

You can get you can get escolas Panavia which is a smaller ornamental tree if she's talking about the great big ones.

Doesn't say they don't transplant especially well.

I have done it.

But the way I get them is I go someplace where there's a horse chestnut, or if you can find an Ohio Buckeye, or a yellow Buckeye, or whatever kind of bucket you want to read.

Yeah, pick up a few of the nuts, plant them right away.

You don't want them to dry out because that basically kills them.

And then once you have it, it'll come up, it won't get too big the first year, maybe the second year, that's when I would get it dug up and transplanted.

Because once that it taproot is down and it's established, they're pretty difficult to move.

If, if I was in the nursery business, I'd probably grow them in a deep container and then off they go and then send them off that way.

All right, we call around you'd call around the tree in their yard and then especially going up by Moniz, it might have sorry, go you got some.

I know we're thank you so much for watching.

Thank you guys for joining.

Thank you Donna for the rhubarb cake and we will see you next time.

Good night.