>>For our wetlands to survive and not drown because of sea-level rise, they have to be able to migrate landward.

Without the ability for wetlands to migrate landward, we will lose 89% of our tidal wetlands by 2080.

>>These cherries, you know, it's pretty early and these cherries have already bloomed.

I'm a little concerned about what this might mean for our pollinators.

When they first start emerging from their homes, whether they be solitary bees or beetles, things that are seeking that pollen, that first source of food, you know, they're not able to get it and these flowers are already gone.

>>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by the Mary Roper Davis and Robert Poore Roper Memorial Fund, and by... (insects chirping) (bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music continues) (bright upbeat music continues) >>Welcome to "Virginia Home Grown."

I enjoy this early summer weather, it's nice to have the sun on my back and a soft warm breeze while working in the garden.

Don't you agree?

Today, we are considering our changing climate and exploring the impact on our environment and our gardens.

Before we get started, I wanna remind you to send in your questions through our website, at vpm.org/vhg.

We'll be answering those a little later.

In the second half of our show, we visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden to see how they're adapting to the new challenges and opportunities for growing in a warmer hardiness zone.

But first, I visited Norfolk to see the effects of sea level rise and talk with Mary-Carson Stiff, executive director of Wetlands Watch, about the importance of wetlands in creating more resilient shorelines.

Let's get going.

>>Wetlands can exist anywhere where there is water, there is favorable soil, and there are plant species that want to be wet.

And you can see that the grasses are high and low, which means that this is a nice, healthy wetland that really loves to be here.

>>Just like a forest, Mary-Carson, you know, has different tropic layers, different levels to it and so wetland seems very similar.

What are the typical plants found in a wetland?

>>Sure, let's take the wetland behind us.

In our low marsh, that's the area that is most frequently inundated with salt water.

So it is just always salty.

We have our spartina patens or our cordgrass, and then in our higher marsh, and even right here, right next to us, we have an Iva species, which is most commonly known as marsh-elder.

>>This neighborhood is over a hundred years old and it's been filled in and built up, and the marsh lands have been filled in.

So how do you recover from that?

>>It's important in our urban communities that we have pocket wetlands like you see here, or fringe wetlands, which are sometimes called living shorelines.

So we're in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and this is a pretty developed place.

We're in the city of Norfolk right now, but it's not unlike our other cities where along our waterways people really wanted to live.

They wanted to expand the land that was available for people's homes or even for farms.

And so people brought in dump trucks of whatever they could find, sand, old soil from agricultural fields and they just dumped all of these materials on top of our creeks.

And if you look behind where you're standing, the creek actually continued through.

And so there's some homes that have been elevated and raised because they are standing on where the creek was before.

And so what we have is this increased impact of flooding because as sea levels rise due to climate change, the water's just returning from whence it came.

So it's especially problematic in this city, in this neighborhood, and in our region because we are experiencing the highest rate of sea level rise on the east coast.

We call it relative sea level rise.

So our land is sinking and the sea is rising and it's happening almost at the same amount, right, so in the past >>Interesting.

Yes.

100 years, we've had 18 inches of sea level rise.

So about a foot and a half and 10 inches is subsidence, which means sinking of the land.

We're sinking because of groundwater withdrawal.

We have a lot of paper plants in this region and they love to suck up water.

We also are dealing with something called isostatic rebound, and where we are situated here in southeastern Virginia, it's actually pushing our land down and causing some rise elsewhere.

>>Unbelievable.

>>So it's a terrible consequence of lots of different things happening.

>>Exactly, in addition to the gulf stream?

>>Yes, as the gulf stream is changing, so it's slowing down and it's kind of spreading out, the water is sort of being spread out, the direction of the spin of the gulf stream is actually pushing water towards southeastern Virginia, which is causing a new, unforeseen additional level of sea level rise.

>>We can't win.

So all of those actions installed, all those flood walls and things installed as we've been constructing and building our communities out are failing.

What would be your suggestion on where we go from here?

>>So the infrastructure issue is such a complicated one.

You have competing interests.

You have a natural interest.

So the plants, we want them to return.

We want to see the presence of shoreline ecosystems because of that water quality health, because of the habitat health.

But you also have a private property interest.

People want to live where they've been living and they have a right to live where they've been living.

And you have a local government interest where the city has made investments in keeping properties on land and servicing those properties.

So they've made investments in utilities.

They've made investments in curbs and gutters and pipes and in asphalt.

So we have a lot of different interests that are in conflict with one another, and they're different groups that are representing each interest.

In our organization, we represent the natural species, of course, we represent the role that wetlands play and the values that they are bringing to us as people and to our earth and our systems and ecosystems.

But we also really understand that there are these human factors that have to be evaluated and assessed and considered anytime you suggest any alternative response.

What I think people forget is that you have to look at things at a much smaller scale than just wholesale sweeping.

Well, you know, let's keep people in place, or let's let wetlands migrate or you know, let's put a flood wall around the whole city.

It doesn't work like that.

You have to have a more nuanced approach that reflects reality, both fiscal, physical, and natural.

And it also, you have to consider people and history and rights and equity and a lived experience that is becoming increasingly difficult to weigh when you're talking about federal investments and big infrastructure that may not care.

>>It sounds like education is key.

Education to educate our homeowners, our communities so that we can start recognizing the role these wetlands play, not just in the environment, but holistically across the board.

>>Right.

Yes.

Education is huge.

And I think that we're so invested in this work because it is so important for children to recognize that wetlands play this important ecosystem function.

They are the most productive and impactful natural resource that we have on the planet.

And people think that, you know, it's a place to put trash and that it's, you know, stinky and that it's snake-infested and all this sort of stuff when it is the heart of our natural system.

And it's, you know, it's the only way in which we're going to have an economic future that's comparable to what we've experienced because of the impact to fisheries.

90% of fin and shellfish spend a portion of their lifecycle in tidal wetlands.

90%.

>>That's amazing.

>>So without this nursery, without this ability to grow up our babies of the sea, there will be no fishing, there'll be no food to eat.

You know, it's not just an economic thing.

This is a lifestyle thing, it's a health thing.

So pretty obvious that the impacts will be widely felt and catastrophic.

So we appreciate the opportunity to even show people that that's the connection that we're trying to make.

>>Well, Mary-Carson, we really appreciate you taking the time to share with us the importance that wetlands play, the important role it plays, and how it's not just a place for water and grass to grow, but that it serves such an important role in our ecosystem and in our community, and how much we need to learn more to be able to balance everything that's happening.

So thank you.

>>Thank you.

>>The roles wet wetlands play is critical as they soak up rising sea levels through both the soil and the plants.

Pollutants originating upstream are also absorbed by the highly organic soil and the plant roots before they make it into the bay.

Steps can be taken by homeowners to reduce sources of water pollution by installing a rain garden, which Mary-Carson is here with me to demonstrate.

But before we get started, remember to send in your gardening questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg.

Mary-Carson, so many people just have no idea what a rain garden is or a wetland is, and I'm just so happy for you to be here to help us explain all of these things, particularly a rain garden.

So, you know, some people think it's just a soggy spot in the ground and that's opposite really.

>>Definitely.

Well, thank you Peggy, for having us and having our organization on your show.

We appreciate being asked.

So a rain garden is a depression in the ground and just a regular garden that should be filled with native plants that are nice and hearty and like to be in our environment.

And the plants are intended to actually absorb excess water that's flowing off of an impervious surface like a roof or like a street or a driveway.

And the plants are doing all of that absorption.

They're actually slowing the water down from entering into the stormwater system or into the groundwater table and giving our system a chance to take a breath, take a breather, and then once the rain actually enters the garden itself, it's actually treated.

And so it's cleaned and a lot of the pollutants are removed and a lot of the sediment is removed.

And so it's providing two dual purposes that are really important right now.

>>That's fantastic.

And it's like a crater in the yard.

It's, the best way to describe it is a crater, not a depression.

And it's whole goal is to actually have that water be permeated down into the water table within 24 to 48 hours.

So it's not sitting there.

>>Right.

Absolutely.

>>It moves.

>>And it's not a mosquito haven.

It is draining beautifully.

And it's not soggy at all.

In fact, it's very dry frequently.

>>Super, well you brought a little demo for us, so could you share that with us?

>>Yes.

This is our trusty rain garden demo.

And we're gonna show what happens when water falls on an impervious surface.

And you can see the cars here.

So on impervious surfaces like this, on asphalt parking lots on a street, there are a lot of pollutants that have gathered from the exhaust, from the gas- >>Even from tires.

>>Even from tires that rubber's getting into whatever, it flows down, whatever's flowing, collecting it downstream.

So in this scenario, we have plants, and this is a rain garden that's capturing whatever is being, whatever's on this actual surface.

And so we actually have the plants here that you can see on the table, and we're gonna talk about those plants and the role that they play.

And you can see a cross section of the different soil characteristics and rocks that are filtering down as the water flows through.

And the plants are really doing the hard work of cleaning up, all of the roots are eating up those gross pollutants that they love so much.

And what comes out at the bottom after, we're gonna give it a little bit more, what comes out at the bottom is actually cleaned.

And so it's doing that slowing down.

It's not draining directly out through the pipe here.

And so it's doing that, that slow down that's so important.

And then also serving the function of cleaning the water so that when it enters either the groundwater table or it enters a pipe and we have an outfall pipe here.

And that's important in the coastal zone where the water table's really high or in areas where there's no filtration.

The soles don't allow for easy absorption.

>>Yes.

And what does the filtration are the plants, so let's talk about them.

Which plants would be in the lowest or wettest layer of our rain garden?

Or the center of our rain garden.

>>Yes, so the plants that are gonna be lowest are those that like to be wet the most.

And here we have a Juncus as well as an Itea.

And these plants, this is our low elevation plants.

So you can see that it spreads out very nicely and retains its shape green in the warm season.

And then in the winter it gets a little bit of autumn color >>Brown color.

>>Yeah.

And then, oh, sorry.

>>Go ahead.

Then I say then the middle layer, the ones that are coming up a little, you know, we haven't hit the edge of that rain garden yet.

>>Yeah, so we're thinking of it as you said, kind of like a crater.

And so moving up the edges with a little bit more elevation.

These plants, they like to be wet, but they also like to be dry.

>>Yes.

>>And all rain garden plants have to be both drought tolerant as well as able to tolerate a lot of water.

>>Yes.

>>So this is a blue star and it's in that midsection.

This is a beautiful flowering plant.

And in fact, in the fall it turns bright yellow.

>>Yes.

It's beautiful.

>>And it almost looks fuzzy.

This is magnificent.

Everybody should have one of these.

And then this is a beard tongue.

>>Tongue.

>>And this is a beautiful plant.

It's a little bit taller in size, and when it flowers, it creates kind of like a stalk of bells.

And this one is white in particular.

>>Yes.

>>And then we have the plants that are at the highest it can take the most dryness.

>>Yes.

>>Because they're up on the edge.

>>Exactly.

So here's a black-eyed Susan.

It's not blooming now, but many of you at home will know exactly what that looks Like.

>>It's a late summer bloomer.

>>That's right.

And then this is a spring bloom and it is a tick seed plant.

So similar color characteristic and similar size with the black-eyed Susan getting just a little bit taller.

But these both bloom for a really long time.

>>Yes.

>>So you get a lot of color and a lot of interest for longer in the summer.

>>Because we need to remember our rain gardens are gardens and although they have special soils to help the water permeate down quickly and they have special plant requirements for the the bottom and then the edges and then the tops, this is still a garden in your yard that you can actually hide while actually helping all of our waterways.

>>That's right.

And this is especially important because in Virginia we've seen an 18% increase in rainfall since 2006 because of climate change.

And so we have to, everybody has to think about ways that we can capture water on site so that we're not overwhelming our systems with more water from flooding and more water from rainfall.

>>Mary-Carson, thank you so much for explaining a rain garden to us and showing us some plants.

>>We appreciate it.

>>Thank you.

>>More frequent heavy rainfalls are becoming the new normal in our climate.

And as demonstrated rain gardens do decrease water runoff by increasing groundwater absorption.

There are other steps though, which can be taken.

And as we prepare to answer your gardening questions, Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger has a tip to share on preparing your landscape for extreme weather events.

(upbeat music) >>We're here at the Edith J.

Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University, thinking about water in our landscapes and how things will change in Virginia due to climate change.

The predictions are currently that we will have more days with 90 degree and above temperatures, while also getting more precipitation and more rain events of two inches or more.

This may lead to much more water in our landscapes, and so we want to think about how we can manage water near our houses and in our landscape.

So here at the arboretum, behind me is the pond that holds water at all times.

And then, spots like this where, if there's a major rain event, you can have an inundation.

So all of this area is gonna fill with water.

Now, the tree I'm standing next to here is the bald cypress, and you can easily identify it by these beautiful cypress knees.

We're still not exactly sure what the bald cypress knees do for the plant, but they are a characteristic of this tree, which can take full water inundation, which means getting its feet wet and having them wet, maybe even for days at a time.

Many of our plants in the landscape will not tolerate that kind of water inundation.

Our lawns and our grass are good examples.

So what we wanna do is if we have spots that are either already a bit marshy, a bit wet, or we are concerned will hold more water, we then can plant things that will handle that kind of water inundation.

So you have things like this bald cypress next to me, which is a large tree in the landscape.

You could have tulip poplars, which are also large trees and sycamores, the river birches behind me, and that's a beautiful tree for your landscape with that peeling bark in all seasons, it gives lots of interest.

Then there are also smaller plants like Lobelia, cardinal flower, which has a spectacular red blossom in summer.

You could do blue flag iris, if you have a nice wet spot.

Make sure though, you look for the blue flag iris, which is native to Virginia.

We want to avoid the yellow flag, which is a non-native invasive.

And here at the arboretum, we also have scouring rushes in here.

Cattails are another beautiful example of a plant that will take that water inundation.

If you want to control the water as it's coming off your house or in your landscape, think about a rain garden or rain barrels as a way to store the water and use those nice wet spots to grow wonderful plants and have a totally different look in your garden.

So enjoy your wet spots when you can have them in your yard.

>>Members of our team are on Facebook right now answering questions, so please connect with us there, or visit our website, VPM.org/VHG, to submit questions.

Today we have Amyrose Foll with us to help answer questions.

Welcome, Amy.

>>Thank you so much for having us, and thank you so much for your contributions.

It was really wonderful.

>>Yes.

>>Thank you.

>>So, we have some questions?

>>We do.

We've got Walter from Goochland, and he asks, how is climate change really impacting Virginia's wetlands?

>>Well, I'm very glad that somebody asked this question, because this is at the heart of what our organization is working to address in Virginia.

The state recently released a report called the Coastal Resilience Master Plan, and in this report, they were assessing what the impacts of climate change would be on our built and natural environment.

And in the report, it was discovered and then reported that if Virginia continues on its path with sea level rise and does not account for the landward migration of wetlands, we will lose 89% of our tidal wetlands, and 51% of our non-tidal wetlands.

So the situation is pretty extreme and dire.

>>Yes, yes.

>>And it's that element that, you know, accounts for landward migration, that's really important.

In Virginia, our wetlands are growing at a specific rate vertically, so vertical accretion, and unfortunately, our sea level rise rates are faster than our vertical wetlands growth rates.

And so because of this, we have to think about places where our wetlands can move landward.

There are some places where there will be more growth because of the wind patterns and shifting of sediment and things like that, but overwhelmingly, it's a loss situation that we're looking at.

And so the impacts are significant, and looking at strategic places for wetlands to migrate unobstructed is definitely a priority for our organization and for many of our partners working in this space.

>>I have a question.

As sea level rises and the wetlands migrate, can you alter their direction?

Or is it, this is just the way it's going to go, because of the way the land lies?

>>Well, people are altering their direction all the time when a bulkhead is used instead of a living shoreline, for example, and a living shoreline, I think, is just a fringe marsh, right?

>>Yeah.

>>It's just a living edge.

So allowing natural species to live along the shoreline instead of stopping them with a bulkhead or a lot of riprap and the like, it's all about slope, and it's all about what's in the way of the migration.

So, strategic identification of places where the slope is favorable is going to be key.

>>Yes.

>>And there's a lot of research that's being done, and various different organizations, Virginia Institute of Marine Science certainly most notable, that's looking at what's in the way.

But the problem is, we're just using models.

Eventually, we're going to have to go, you know, one location at the next, and actually see where the migration will occur or won't occur, and the big problem is that there are people, properties, and infrastructure in the way.

And so it's a delicate balance that has to be struck, and people are not just going to move because the wetlands are coming.

They're going to need to be compensated for their properties, and that's expensive.

Or they're not going to move at all and, you know, there's a lot of legal implications of that reality.

>>That's a hard one, yes.

>>So I think being Virginians, we can all agree that things like oysters are a cherished tradition.

>>Yeah.

>>And we all love those.

But how can individuals really get involved in advocating for protection of wetlands?

>>Yes.

>>That's a great question.

So, there's a lot that people can do.

There's a lot that you can do in the kind of governmental advocacy space.

Almost all local governments have a local government advisory decision-making board, like a wetlands board, that's actually making decisions about what activities are permitted or not permitted in terms of disturbance of our wetlands.

Some local governments have deferred that responsibility to the state, to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission or DEQ if it's non-tidal wetlands, but for the most part, local governments are actually making these decisions all the time, and it's local government staff advising individual people like me, like you two, who are serving on these boards to make these hard calls, and getting involved could mean, try to serve on one of these boards.

Ensure that development actions are not occurring.

And the greatest threat is not one off development, to wetlands right now, it's sea level rise.

So get involved with organizations like Wetlands Watch and like many of our partners, and ask what you can do to help, because it's going to take all of us working together to develop solutions.

>>And people need to realize, I'm sorry, that this is not just a coastal issue.

That as the sea level rises, the saltwater infiltrates deeper into the land.

>>That's right.

>>Which then affects our groundwater and affects our freshwater, you know, waterways and ponds and streams and wetlands and stuff there.

So it's not, oh, you know, I'm in the mountains, it's not my problem.

>>Right, and drinking water.

So right, the saltwater wedge coming into and under our aquifers is going to damage our ability to have safe drinking water.

>>Yes.

>>So the public health issue is significant.

So it isn't just a coastal issue, and the impact of inland wetlands is significant, 51% without migration, and a lot of people don't know this, but the coastal zone, it's very far west, right?

It's like 95, and so there's a lot that's happening in the coastal zone that's of concern.

But the greatest number of nationally declared disasters from storms are occurring outside of the coastal zone.

It's our mountainous regions where, when water falls, it is dangerous, because there's a lot of momentum because of mountains and higher elevation, and so when storms hit there and flooding occurs, people are at risk of dying because of the swift nature of the flooding, as opposed to coastal flooding, which is slow and often predictable.

>>Mary-Carson, these are really good points.

We have seconds.

Do we have one quick question?

>>How can homeowners balance protecting their property from erosion with seawalls or riprap?

>>Impossible to do both.

I mean, it's tough.

Find the spots where you can have some migration.

Fringe marshes.

Every little bit helps.

>>Thank you.

>>Thank you so much.

>>I appreciate this.

It's so much to share.

It's so much to embrace, and people need to understand that they can do things, and this is a problem for all Virginians, not just those living along the coast.

>>I wish we had so much more time.

>>Absolutely, it's so true.

We're statewide, and this issue is bigger than just our state, too.

>>So I appreciate it.

Well, that's all the time we have right now, but we look forward to answering more questions later in the show, so please keep them coming.

And thanks for being with us tonight, Mary-Carson, and for the environmental advocacy that Wetlands Watch is doing, working with communities to conserve nature.

>>Thank you.

>>Yeah.

And next, Serome Hamlin met with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's Vice President of Horticulture, Danny Cox, to learn more about the impact of warmer winters and springs in our gardens.

>>Recently the USDA has changed its hardiness zone map.

What does that mean, and what does that mean also for public gardens such as here at Lewis Ginter?

>>Yeah, well, thanks for being here.

The USDA changes that every 30 years based on the data, and it's looking at the minimum cold temperatures.

And that means our area here in Richmond, we're actually a zone warmer than we used to be.

But this doesn't encapsulate everything that we should be thinking about or the kind of the larger issue at hand of climate change.

The hardiness zone map is a great way for gardeners, horticulturists, and agriculturists to kind of help identify and select the right plants for their place, but we should also be talking about heat tolerance.

And so I think there's a opportunity even within those two subjects to talk about microclimates, storm water, and the rainfall, and how that's changing in addition to changing temperatures.

But probably one of the more exciting silver linings to this kind of bigger discussion is plant selections, specifically around zone pushing, and to your original question about the USDA hardiness zone map.

And so there's some really great opportunities that we can talk about here at the garden and our collections that we're starting to implement as we think about what plants we can be growing here for the future.

The first example I have is of this dwarf pomegranate here.

This pomegranate actually overwintered successfully this past year.

Last summer it fruited, it had these great little fruits.

There's actually some.

>>Yeah, you can see some of the seed pods leftover from last season.

>>Yeah.

Yeah.

This dwarf pomegranate is great for charcuterie boards.

I love throwing them in smoothies.

It's not like the big pomegranate that you see at the grocery store, but it has excellent taste.

And it's perfect for door yard, fruit tree, or small gardens.

>>And whoever knew you could grow a pomegranate in Central Virginia.

>>Right.

Yeah.

>>So are there any other examples of plants that's pushing the zone that you can show us?

>>Yeah, we have several examples.

There's actually a eucalyptus right over here.

It's a plant that we've had in the garden now for a couple years.

It's tried and true.

We know it's winter hardy.

We're actually kind of cutting it back and keeping a really healthy root stock so it always is able to come back even in the worst winters, but this winter we didn't even have to cut it back.

So this has a really great form to it.

It's more of a natural form, and that's kind of how we've pruned it.

But it's got beautiful silver foliage.

There's bright red new stems coming out.

Again, this is tried and true.

We're looking at adding this throughout the garden moving forward.

>>I hear your moving it out into the parking lot, so that's saying something about this plant and it's hardiness now.

>>Yeah, and really the parking lot, it's not just the winter hardiness there, but the overall exposure, dry conditions.

Plants have to be pretty tough to be in a parking lot.

>>Parking lot.

Exactly.

>>You wanna go take a look at another example?

>>Yes.

Let's go do some more exploring.

(birds chirping) >>So another thing that we have to think about as gardeners now the USDA zone has changed and the implications really just overall what it means to have a changing climate is pest and diseases in the garden and how that's gonna impact the plants that we're trying to grow.

And one that's actually coming to mind as we walk through the garden over to the rose garden is southern blight.

And so this past winter, you know, we didn't really have a cold winter.

In this spot here, we actually had some southern blight last summer.

So we're gonna have to closely monitor, make sure that the fungicide treatment that we did was effective, and that we're not gonna continue to have that spread.

>>Yeah, with the warmer weather, I guess the pests and diseases will continue on because you don't have that cold spell to knock some of that stuff out.

>>Yeah.

Yeah.

And there's some other examples of that in the garden that we can talk about as we're going through.

Well, Serome, welcome to the rose garden here at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

This is another area that I wanted to show you.

You might be familiar that roses have quite a few problems, and that's translating over into how climate's affecting the garden and how we shape our collections moving forward.

>>I know we have a lot of black spot in roses, and then rose rosette has become a big issue here in the area.

>>Rose rosette is huge for us.

We do have the black spot too, but the rose rosette is really challenging because with the milder winters, the mites aren't dying back the way we would normally see them.

And the leaf buds and the roses are pushing sooner and sooner.

And one of the ways that we're trying to combat this is a mix of both chemical application and cultural application.

So as you look across the rose garden, you'll notice that there are some herbaceous perennials that we've added.

We've also tried to break up the groups of roses to create a little bit more air flow and separation between the varieties.

>>Have a little more biodiversity in the plantings.

>>Exactly.

Exactly.

As we're looking at the lake here, another aspect that we can talk about is observation that we made this spring with algae.

With the changing temperatures and climate, we've noticed that we had a more severe algae bloom much sooner than we were expecting.

And when we were talking to our company that helps us treat algae, they were finding the same thing all across town.

And so it was really hard to get them to help come out and treat the algae for us this year.

So we just walked by a needle palm, and that made me think about our palm collection over in the conservatory in that conversation around zone pushing plants.

The needle palm is hardy for zone seven, but it really just makes me want to challenge the notion of what kind of palms we can actually put out in the landscape.

>>Oh, wouldn't that be nice?

>>It would really kind of add a whole nother element to garden design.

But one of the things that I wanted to show you over here is this magnolia.

This is Magnolia figo or the banana magnolia.

And the reason I want to show you it is it doesn't look very happy, and it kind of ties into that conversation we've had about cold hardiness isn't the only factor when thinking about plant selection.

We talked a little bit about microclimates.

This tree does have a really great microclimate.

It's got a wall.

>>It's got a wall providing some shelter for it.

>>Yeah, but one of the challenges that it's having is actually moisture.

The garden beds that we're standing on are so squishy, and actually they're standing water here.

>>So it's not enjoying the wet feet.

>>Yeah.

Yeah.

So there's something about that combination between it being cold and water that the plant can't tolerate.

And interestingly enough, we actually have another magnolia fig just right over on the opposite side here mirroring it, and it's in full bloom, and the leaves are nice and dark and green.

There seems to be better drainage over there.

So we'll have to do something as we work in this garden space to try to improve the drainage so that this tree can thrive.

So now we're over in the Grace Arents Garden.

This is a historic garden, and we always really try to celebrate the legacy of Grace Arents with really intentional horticulture designs.

But with some of the conversations that we've had around climate change and the zone changes, we've actually observed some of that impacting the horticulture displays here, where our tulips were actually blooming way too early, like weeks and weeks ahead of time.

Some of the daffodils hadn't even started coming up yet.

But we're very fortunate it did cool back down.

>>So with the climate change, it is making it harder and harder for the plans to really work out?

>>Yeah.

Yeah.

And we think really carefully about our plant selection.

And you know, just knowing that two weeks every spring is gonna be 70 degrees, it makes it a lot more difficult to really predict what's gonna happen with these displays.

>>Well, I wish you could just have a magic ball and be able to determine that to make everything work out.

But I do appreciate you having us, and what a lovely display it did turn out.

I'm glad we got to get here and catch this nice view.

>>Thank you so much for coming out.

I really enjoyed talking with you about the new USDA zone map and what that means for how we garden in the future.

Everything from our plant selection and zone pushing to the impacts of pests and disease in the garden space.

>>Well, with everything changing as gardeners, we all must change with it, so we will have to work with what we have.

>>Isn't that true?

>>This shift in thinking will take getting used to, but adapting our planting palette to more heat-tolerant plants should reduce water use once plants become established in the garden.

And now, Danny joins me to talk about additional plants which are heat-tolerant.

But, before we begin, remember to send in your questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg, or through Facebook.

Danny, you've got a plethora of plants here, and I know some of our viewers know of some of 'em, and others don't because they're mostly Zone 8.

So, what do you have to share that can take this extra heat that we're enduring?

>>Yeah, so, as, you know, our growing conditions change, I really wanna iterate...

There's some fun plants here, but I really wanna iterate the importance of native plants.

And so the two that I'm gonna start with are natives, and the first is the wax myrtle, or sometimes known as bayberry, I believe.

And this is a great native shrub.

It has been in the Central Virginia area Zone 7 for a while, so it's pretty tried and true.

It's a very durable plant in a wide range of conditions.

>>Yes, yes.

But it gets very large at times, and some people don't have the room for that very large, you know, Myrica or wax myrtles.

>>Yeah, yeah.

Well, a benefit is that we have this cultivated variety here.

This is the same plant, it's just a cultivated variety selected for a shorter growth.

This is Strawberry Shortcake, and it has a lot of the same characteristics, but it maxes out at three feet.

>>Oh, that's excellent.

And I said Myrica before, it's Morella now, but we don't have to get into that.

>>Oh, they're changing all of the (indistinct) yeah.

>>All those names, all the time, yes.

But really, this is a great plant, and the deer don't eat it.

And very insects bother it.

And it can handle such a variety of conditions.

I love this plant.

I'm so glad you brought it.

>>It's, you know, from wet to dry conditions, especially once established, it's very durable.

And one of the benefits to it, as well, is it's great for birds.

And the leaves actually have a fragrance to it.

So if you ever prune it or just rub up against it as you're out in the garden, it has a really kind of nice bay smell to it.

>>It does, yes.

What else do you have to share with us?

>>Well, now I'm getting more of the zone pushing plants, things that we can start experimenting as we're experiencing warmer conditions.

This is a variegated shell ginger.

And many people might be familiar with this as an indoor plant or maybe as an annual.

But as our winters become more mild, this is gonna be more reliably a perennial plant.

It will die back down to the ground, but it should come back up from rootstock And I, did you grow this once before?

>>Yes, I did, I did, and it does.

And actually, I learned to put a little bit of extra mulch on the top of it if we were gonna have a cold winter.

>>Yeah, that little bit can really just help insulate the rootstock so it fleshes back out in the spring.

>>Yes, yes.

Plus, we have another one here.

>>Yeah, another zone pusher is this windmill palm.

And I really like this, you know, like the ginger, it's really adding that tropical foliage to the landscape.

You can use these as specimen plants.

Or if you get kind of a cluster of them together, it can really create a new sense of place in the garden.

>>About how big do they get, Danny?

>>Well, the windmill palm can get up to about 10 feet, I think, reliably before it gets so tall that it's got so much exposure it will potentially fail from a cold winter.

>>Will fail back from it?

>>Yeah.

>>I'm not familiar with growing this as well.

I've tried it so many times, and I've killed it so many times.

I'm just putting it out there.

>>Yeah.

Well, I suggest, like many of the plants that I brought today or that you might read about for zone pushing, to consider the site that you're putting it in.

If there's a little bit of protection, maybe by a wall that gets a lot of heat exposure, that'll thermally help protect the plant over cool nights.

>>For that microclimate, yeah.

>>That microclimate.

>>Excellent, and we've got a few more?

>>Yeah, we have a couple more plants, so this is the-- >>I'm gonna hand this one to you this way (chuckles).

>>Yeah, you have to be careful with this one.

This one bites a little bit, and I'm ashamed, there's a little bit of oxalis growing in here, which is kind of a weed.

But I don't know how to get in there without poking my fingers.

>>(chuckles) Yes.

>>But this is a agave quadricolor.

This is a really interesting plant.

It's got a lot of texture, really great color.

A key to this plant surviving winters in our region is it needs really well-drainage, really good drainage in the site that it's in.

So either in a container where you know you're gonna have good drainage, and the backup opportunity to bring it inside if it does get really cold on that off chance that you do experience a cooler winter.

Or, again, in the ground in a more well-drained site.

>>And how big does this one get?

>>These max out at about two feet.

>>Okay, that's a good size then.

>>Yeah.

>>And you know what, it's 100% deer-proof (chuckles).

>>I would say maybe even a deterrent from the rest of the garden hopefully.

>>Yes.

But this has a nice deer element, but so does this one because of its fragrance, our wonderful bay laurel.

>>Yeah, so, you know, we've talked a little bit about using native plants and the importance of that.

We've talked a little bit about pushing.

This is a native plant, I believe to the U.S.

This is the bay laurel.

And I really like this plant because it-- >>It's the Laurel nobilis, the bay.

>>The bay, thank you.

>>This is a culinary plant.

>>Exactly, yeah.

Well, and that was my next point, is, you know, how do we... We have all these visually interesting plants, but we can really engage our senses with some of the plant selections that we have, and this is a great example of that.

>>I love this plant.

It's a tall-growing evergreen.

You can outside, pick off your bay leaves, and put 'em in your soup and your stews.

And I've grown this plant at my house, as well as elsewhere for many, many years.

But it does take a cold snap, and it'll split that bark, and she's gone.

>>Yeah.

>>So it's like you were saying earlier, siting it well is very important.

Have you had experience with this one?

>>Actually, from where I'm from, back in Florida, we are able to grow this as a nice shrub, an evergreen shrub, and we don't have the challenges there.

But I'm really looking forward to getting to know it here in my new region.

>>Well, this is exciting.

You've got so many good things to learn plus great knowledge to bring as we're facing, you know, a warmer zone, cold hardiness zone here in Virginia.

And I thank you for sharing these.

This is great information.

>>You're welcome.

Thank you.

>>Yes.

Next, we're going to answer more of your questions, but first, Randy Battle shares tips to prepare and start growing in a new raised bed.

(bright upbeat music) >>We are in the midst of starting a new garden bed, and you wanna make sure it'll be prosperous for whatever you decide to grow.

You want to start with a good gardening base.

Now, this is a new space for me.

So what I've done is I've cleaned out as much as I can.

As you can see, there are still rocks and different type of twigs.

So you want to try to get out as much as you can.

You may never get everything out, but get as much as you can out.

Make it easy and fun.

Get the kids out and help you.

So what we're gonna do is refurbish this soil.

And what I mean by that is we're gonna take our new soil and turn it into great soil.

And I like to take what I have and make it work.

So what I do is I use old soil from last year and I have some new plain old gardening potting soil, whatever you can afford or whatever you have.

And we're simply gonna pour it in.

So that's our old soil from last year.

It's only been used once.

It's still full of nutrients.

Look at that, it looks different already, right?

And then we're gonna take a little bit of our new soil, and I just like to take my little garden rake and mix it in a little bit.

So once you've got everything mixed in together, and you've introduced your old soil and your new soil to your current garden soil, we want to use mother nature's water and get it nice and moist and ready for planting your seeds.

(hammer tapping) I put several nails in around the bed and you simply just take you some regular string, wrap it around your nail, like so.

And you have sections that you can plant different things in.

Today, I'm gonna be doing some cherry tomatoes and some beef steak tomatoes, and I simply just use my finger and make a little indention, like so.

And sometimes you plant extras, so you're not waiting around for a seed that may not germinate, and you simply pop in a couple of seeds per space.

And what we're gonna do is take our strongest plants, and those are the ones that we're gonna save.

And we'll thin out the others.

Gently cover it over, give it a little pressing, not a packing, just a little pressing.

And you've started your cherry tomatoes.

And remember, don't forget to label.

So I'm gonna sit this here for now, and I'll come back out here and I can use popsicle sticks or plastic spoons of forks and make labels.

And we're gonna do our beef steak.

Make a few indentions, get you a couple of seeds.

And there you have it, your beef steaks.

So when starting your new garden, have fun with it.

Don't overthink it.

Plant what you love to eat.

Get people involved.

Share the experience and remember to live, love, laugh, grow stuff and eat it.

>>There are many benefits to raised bed gardening and one we need to consider is the added drainage they provide during heavy rain events.

As we have seen today, a warming climate is creating challenges, but where there is change, there is opportunity for adapting our gardening practices and plant choices to meet the evolving environmental conditions.

And now let's get to more of your questions.

You ready, everyone?

>>Yep.

>>Well we've got a good one right here, and before I get to it, I'm gonna ask you a question.

What are one or two other plants that you would suggest, given that you're coming from Florida with your position here at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden?

Yeah, some of your faves that you think would do well here.

>>Well, one that I'm really excited to see in the landscape more is the live oak, Quercus virginiana I believe.

And there's actually some in a nearby park close to the garden that are really mature specimens.

They have to be over 20 years old.

And I'm just in love with them.

They remind me of home 'cause they occur there, but they are basically from Florida, all the way up to East Coast and it's great to see them thriving here in Virginia.

>>Fantastic.

Do you have another one or?

Don't wanna put you on the spot?

>>I think just in general, a lot of our native plants, again, are gonna be, you know, they've adapted over so much time, hundreds of years, like even longer than we can possibly conceive to changing weather conditions and microclimates.

And so another one that I really like is the itea.

There's really great cultivars out there now that are just reliable bloomers, really great garden plants, >>Really good plants for the landscape, but yet have the elements for the pollinators and such.

So it's a win for all.

>>Yeah.

>>Well we've got a good first question.

This is the opposite end of it.

What are some plants that are struggling with the warmer temperatures?

Are there any common landscape plants that will no longer be a good idea as the climate continues, you know, to warm?

>>Yeah.

One plant that we have in the garden that we're noticing is struggling is some of our cherries.

As the warmer summers go, they start dropping their leaves because they just get so heat exhausted.

And that over time is gonna affect their ability to bloom out in the spring and really show those flush beautiful flowers that we've come to enjoy.

>>And also with the cherries, they don't like wet feet, so our increase in rain events are not helping them either.

They really dislike having those roots wet, they want 'em really well drained.

So there's another element of climate change that's affecting that tree as well.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

Any others?

I was thinking pansies, some of our cooler plants and Amyrose, what about some of the vegetables?

>>Oh gosh, I've got tatsoi and lettuce already bolting.

>>Yes, I do too.

Yes.

(Peggy laughing) >>It's so sad.

>>Yes.

>>But cherries is a really good point because in the 1500s, that was one of the first, the black cherries from North America, were one of the first native trees transplanted into English gardens.

So that's a really huge loss when you think about it.

>>Yes, it is a huge loss.

So we just have to plant 'em higher and move them up north.

I don't know.

>>Yeah.

>>Let's see what we can do, yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>Any others to consider?

>>Well, you know, at the Garden, we really like to use early blooming daffodils, hellebores.

Something I'm really looking forward to incorporating into future displays is some vegetable crops, whether they be ornamental or not.

So kales, cabbages.

You know, they have such really interesting textures and shapes that I think naturally go well in those cooler climates.

>>Yes, I think it's really good to consider your choices that you have to make as we move forward.

So yes.

So Nancy from Sandy Hook asked, "How much does the USDA zone change as you go west of Richmond and how much effect does it have on planting perennials?"

>>Well, going west from Richmond means you're going up an elevation.

So I think if I'm remembering the map correctly, it changes not drastically, but pretty quickly from where we're at here in Richmond to over towards the Shenandoah.

>>Yes.

>>And I think it might be a whole zone, definitely a half zone, if not a whole zone.

>>Yes, yes.

>>I am, unfortunately, much to the chagrin of everyone that knows me, constantly complaining that I am 6b and I believe y'all are 7b here.

I'm so jealous, but also not jealous at the same time now, given the current conversation.

>>Yes.

>>But yes, yeah.

And I am maybe 45 minutes away.

>>Yeah.

>>Not very far.

>>No.

>>Yeah.

>>Yes, I'm a little east of here, so I'm in the coastal plain.

I'm actually now 8.

(Amyrose gasping) >>Really?

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>Oh my goodness.

>>Which Danny and I were laughing because I know 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 real well.

I'm gonna learn about 8.

>>Oh no, I'm sorry.

(all laughing) >>When I was looking at the zone changes, it was really helpful to remember that that's based off of a 30-year average.

So it's not saying that we're never gonna get really cold winters or we're never gonna get, you know, really hot summers.

And that's something I think is really important to share and keep in mind as we're doing our plant selections.

>>Yes.

>>Every farmer I know, May 9th, 2020 lives in infamy, as does September, I think, 19th, 2013.

Terrible freezes.

>>Yes.

>>So you never know.

>>Yeah.

>>You know?

>>You absolutely never know.

We're all out there dealing with the climate, working with what we have and understanding the weather changes daily.

And that's kind of the challenge of it all.

>>Yeah.

>>So it works out well.

I'm gonna change the topic a little because we've got Adeline from Midlothian has asked, "My Ajuga bugleweed came out late this year.

My carpenter bees came to eat, but there was no food.

So some of my bees died.

Is there another flower so early that will feed long-tongued bees?

I hate losing any of my pollinators."

>>Oh, that's a really interesting question.

We actually observed the opposite effect.

We had a bunch of things bloom a little bit early at the Garden and then by the time we started noticing more pollinator activity, some of that stuff was gone already.

>>Oh my.

Yeah.

>>Do you have any thoughts?

>>I was just thinking any trumpet-shaped flower because it's the bugleweed is that trumpet-shaped flower.

And for them to have that long tongue, they need to have that deep flower to reach the nectar, and pick up the pollen along the way.

So I would encourage Adeline to look at plants that are basically in the Labiatae family and other families.

>>Yeah, salvias, Cuphea, the others.

>>Yes.

Yes, all of those.

But this brings up a point, and I know we have seconds, that as the plant changes, so are our insect populations changing, and they're moving north.

And for an example, southern pine beetle is now up in Connecticut in New York where that was just unheard of before.

So I mean, all of this is a big circle.

>>Yeah.

>>And we're just gonna have to get used to it.

Well, we're out of time.

Danny, I wanna thank you for being with us.

>>You're welcome.

>>And Amyrose, we do appreciate you being with us.

It's always a pleasure having you.

And thank you for watching.

There are several ways for you to connect with us until we are back again.

If you're not on our Facebook page already, head over now to Randy's latest edition of "Take What You Have and Make It Work."

He has more tips to share for setting up a new garden space.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter at vpm.org/vhg for gardening information and advice from our team.

I look forward to being with you again soon.

And until then, remember, gardening is for everyone and we are all growing and learning together.

Happy gardening.

(lively music) (lively music continues) >>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by the Mary Roper Davis and Robert Poore Roper Memorial Fund.

And by.

(birds tweeting) (lively music) (lively music) (lively music) (bright tone)