The Deer-Resistant, Grumpy Gardener-Approved Plant Of The Week

About This Episode

Grumpy addresses a reader’s problem with the purple shamrock. Plus the deer-resistant, Grumpy-approved plant of the week.

Question Of The Week

"The purple shamrock in my living room is very leggy and sparse. Could I cut back the stems?" -Cleveland

Grumpy's Answer

Well, Cleveland, this is what's going on. It's called this because it has these really deep, almost blackish-purple leaves. Unlike a true shamrock, which it is not, it does not have four leaves for luck, it only has three leaves. But they're very pretty and, also, this plant will bloom pretty flowers. They're kind of light pink in color. If you live in a place where it doesn't get terribly cold in the winter, let's say from Zone 8 South, you could even put these outside in your garden, but most people will grow them as a houseplant. Now, the key to growing these things, first, is if you're going to have them indoors, they need to have a lot of bright light, so if they're looking draggly, they're not blooming too well, you might consider that you are not giving them enough light. They don't have to be in full sunlight all day, but they do need a bright window. And also, you need to make sure that the soil doesn't get too dry. You don't want to have it wet, but you want to have it just, maybe just dry at the top before you water again and have good drainage. So those are some of the things you can do to try and make your shamrock look fuller and better.

Now, one thing you need, also, to be aware of is purple shamrock from time to time, will just go dormant. It just stops growing, and this is generally in the summer and early fall, and it would look kind of scraggly. So, what do you do then? Well, you just be patient because it's still alive under the soil and after a few weeks, new foliage will start coming up to fill out that plant and at that time, you can cut off any scraggly stems that are hanging over the side and your shamrock will look good as new.

Plant Of The Week

Sugar Baby forsythia

Yes, this is a new form of forsythia called Sugar Baby. Lots of people are familiar with forsythia because it has those beautiful, yellow blooms in the springtime and it looks just like a fountain of gold. However, regular forsythia can get to be quite a large shrub. I mean, it can get seven, eight feet tall and wide and kind of outgrow its spot. So, if you don't want to have to worry about pruning it every year to keep it at a reasonable size, this is a new plant that's just right for you. It comes from Proven Winners. It's called Sugar Baby.

• It blooms at the same time that regular forsythia blooms, which means early spring.
• It covers itself with these yellow bells.
• It only grows to be about three feet tall and wide, so you rarely even have to prune it. So, it's not only is it less maintenance for you, but it gives you more options.
• You could plant it in a container if you want, you could plant it in a mixed bed with perennials if you want because it's not gonna smother those. And, now, the grower says, this is even better.
• The grower says it's deer-resistant, and so I'm just going to say that's what they say. Every time I say a plant is deer-resistant, somebody comes back with an angry email about how they chomped them all to the ground. So, have a little faith on this one and if a deer happens to chomp onyours, blame the grower and not Grumpy.
  

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 20 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.