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What state are you in, Liana? Sounds like it might be a cooler climate...

@@homeandgardendiy6363 Waco, Texas, zone 8b. Hot clay soil. My plants are volunteers.

Thanks so much for leaving that comment. I will definitely keep that in mind for future videos. Thanks for watching, and happy gardening! 🐞🦋🌷🐝🪻

Isn't that a great story? 😊 I'm so glad you're enjoying these lovebirds in your own garden. Thanks for watching, Belinda, and happy gardening! 🌷🪻🐞🦋🏵💐🐝

I guess so. At the same time, it's a pretty hard plant to mow around because of those sharp edges on the blades.

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for commenting and happy gardening!

Same to you! And thank you so much for watching. 🙂 Happy gardening! 🦋🥦🌸🦎🌻🐝🌿

Hi there! I'm so happy to hear you've made the decision to be an organic gardener. That's great! 😃👍 As far as advice goes, the first thing I recommend is that you make absolutely sure you understand what the growing season actually is for the seeds you have. By way of example, here in Texas, it is common to see beginner gardeners put carrot seed in the ground at the start of the summer, thinking that they will have carrots to go in their salads. Unfortunately, this never works out for them because carrots have to be grown in the winter and spring here. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble and a waste of time if you make sure you understand what the growing season is for the plants you're choosing to grow. Related to that is making sure you understand what the water and light requirements are for your veggies, fruits or herbs. It's a common mistake for veggie gardeners to put tomatoes in a place where they're not getting enough sun, for example. Overwatering and underwatering are also very common (and not just by beginner gardeners!), so do your research and make sure you have an understanding what the water requirements are so you don't kill your plant by giving it too much or too little water. Another thing that will help you is to keep a garden journal. This can be something as simple as a spiral notebook. Basically, you want to keep track of what you do, when you do it and what you learn along the way. Your garden journal is where you put the dates you planted different things, when you fertilize them, what the weather was and whether you had pests, for example. We always think we will remember this stuff, but I promise you, you won't. 🤪 There are just too many details, even with a small garden. The last thing I'd suggest is seeing if there is a community of organic gardeners there in the Caribbean you can connect with and learn from, even if it's just an online group. Having that kind of a resource can be so helpful even if you're a more seasoned gardener. Thanks for taking time to post, and I hope that's helpful. Happy gardening!! 🦎🌸🦋🥦🍅🌿🐝🌻

Hi Geoff. I'll be glad to help you figure that out. I do need some more information first, though. I'm not sure if you're saying you want to apply 11% seaweed extract or if you actually purchased a product that is only 11% seaweed. Would you please clarify on that? The seaweed products I have always used are 100% liquid seaweed. This makes me wonder if you perhaps have a liquid seaweed that is mixed with some other organic amendment. Perhaps not, but I do want to mention it. The other thing I would need to know about, please, is what the instructions are on the liquid seaweed you plan to use. As mentioned in the video, each product will differ in its instructions for use. The one I'm currently using is a mix of 2 oz per 1 gallon of water. If you would let me know what your product says, or just tell me which product you're using, that will be another component I need so I can answer your question about application on your lawn. Lastly, good for you for using seaweed! I don't know if you've used it before, but it will be terrific for your grass. 👍

Hi Judy. Great question! I'll be happy to answer, but I do need to get a little more information from you first. Did you just get your Blackfoot Daisy? And do you happen to know what size pot you bought? Was it a 4-inch? Quart-size? Also, where are you located? You can either tell me your growing zone, if you know it, or you can just tell me the part of the world where you live.

@@homeandgardendiy6363 I bought 3 one gallon pots at a plant sale and planted them in a new garden side-by-side but enough apart that they just are covering the space I wanted them to. I planted them probably in April and I live in Peoria, AZ a suburb area of Phoenix. I have had them before in another yard's garden and they grew to cover a large space. I did trim them back many times but did not start right away so they were already too spread out when I started. I want to do it properly this time and not let that happen.

@@judybates2415 Thanks for all the good information, Judy. I can definitely give you tips. My first one is to make sure you keep some garden notes. You may already be doing this, but if you aren't, you will really help yourself by doing it. Make note when you do your pruning and how much you did. Jotting this down will enable you to know better and better what your plants need in your yard. As far as how much to trim off, the main thing you'll have to get your head around is that you will have to cut off blooms. That can be a very hard thing for people, I find. That said, if you're not willing to cut them off, the pruning just isn't going to get done. (You can do it! ✂️😀) If you feel it IS going to be hard for you, one way to get around it is to prune off an inch or an inch-and-a-half around the outside of the plant in one session. Then, in your next session - 1 to 2 weeks later - trim the top of the plant. Also, since you have three of the same plant, you could trim the two outer ones in one session, then trim the middle one during your next session. This would leave you with something that was blooming all the time. 🌼 As far as how often to trim off 1 to 1-1/2 inches, start with doing it about once a month. After you have done a couple of sessions, you should have a much better idea what your plants in your location and in your yard actually need. If you have good irrigation on them and they got lots and lots of sun (which I suspect they do), you might even want to prune every 3 weeks or so while it is the hottest, sunniest part of the year. I hope that helps you, and please feel free to let me know if you still have more questions after you read my answer. Thanks again for your feedback and for letting me give you a hand with your Blackfoot daisies. Happy gardening! 🌸🐞🦋🌱🐝🌻🌷

Thank you so much for taking time to comment. Thankfully, my nails are not a result of a thyroid issue. Turns out that it's been a B vitamin deficiency. I still have it on a few of my nails, but most of it is better. Thank you very much for taking time to comment. 🙂

Oh dear. Well... I'm guessing you'll keep the hubby and the plant. 🙂

Ha ha! Yes, I often think about what a potentially dangerous tool they are. I'm always very aware of where my fingers are when I'm using them. Good point!

No, I have not tried to propagate them at all. From what I have read, they are a pretty difficult plant to propagate. My understanding is that the easiest way is to do it from seed, but as you shared, I have yet to run across anyone who has been able to successfully grow any from seed. I think probably that if you wanted to try it again, you need to make sure that you have a super fine seedling soil mix, wet that down, sprinkle the Blackfoot Daisy seeds on top, and then give them some darkness for the germination. In my opinion, if the seeds are covered at all, I think that could be a hindrance to germination because they are just so teensy. I'm glad you were able to find seven plants!! Enjoy! 😃 Also, I intended to add this earlier, but I'll just go ahead and put it here. The main reason I've never tried propagating them is because I have never seen one that has layered. I find that to be the absolute easiest way to propagate, but there are just some plants that won't do it. For me, Blackfoot Daisy does not.

Really?! My goodness. 😶

Thanks for making time to comment, Don. I am so glad that the video was helpful for you. Thanks again for stopping by! God bless you, too. 🕊️

Thanks so much for taking time to comment. As one creator to another, we both know what a big deal that is. 🙂 I am so glad that you found it helpful. Thanks again for letting me know, and thanks for subscribing to my channel. Means so much! By the way, more content really is coming. I've been sick for quite a while and just haven't been able to create any videos. I want to!! 😉

@@homeandgardendiy6363 yes! I completely understand that for sure!! Im not much of a green thumb, so i found this so helpful.. im excited to see more!!

@@homeandgardendiy6363 oh and i hope you feel better!

You may have already seen that I have several other videos that pertain to being an organic gardener, and those may be helpful to you as well. I was just thinking this morning about things that it would be very useful for beginner gardeners to know. I hope to get to that one soon. By the way, I'm watching your Anthropologie inspired cabinet right now. 😍

@@homeandgardendiy6363 i did!! i will definitely be checking those out as well!! i think a beginner gardener video would be perfect!!! id love to know the basics lol.. thank you sooooo much!!!

Hi Melissa. Thank you for the nice comments about the video. I really appreciate that. 🙂 I will be happy to answer your question, but I wonder if I could gather a little bit of information first? Are you a new gardener? Or are you already tending a bed or several beds of flowers in your garden? Also, is your Blackfoot planted in a place where it's going to get plenty of sun all year long? Thanks again for taking time to comment. I look forward to learning some more about your gardening experiences. 🌸 -Cara

I’ve been gardening for several years in my home garden. My Blackfoot Daisy is very small (4 inch pot) and planted in full sun in the middle of a sloping flowerbed. I’m assuming it will trail downward as it fills in. My concern is how much to cut it back when I do garden cleanup next March. (I’m in Utah, zone 7b, so that’s when I do the majority of my pruning.) I would like to prevent the plant from getting to the state of the one in this video, but I’m guessing I’m not supposed to cut it to the ground like I do with some other perennials. Is the Blackfoot Daisy long-lived, or does it need replacing every few years? Thank you for your help!!

@@melissagreenwell9995 Thanks so much for the good information you shared! First of all, the Blackfoot is only going to trail downward if it starts getting longer / larger than it should be. Since yours is just a 4 inch pot right now, I suspect you could probably get by with just one or two pruning sessions during this year, but I would not recommend that you wait almost an entire year before you prune it at all. You will absolutely be able to tell when it is time for pruning, because the plant will lose its nice mounded shape and will begin to fall open in the middle. Think of it as being generally the shape of a mushroom cap. The entire thing should be covered in daisies and standing upright. When it starts falling to the outside from the center, or, in your case, starts leaning from one side clear over to the other (since it's on a slope), it's time to prune. Actually, in my opinion, it's time to prune long before it starts leaning over on itself. I'll come back to your question about what to do with it in March in just a second, but on the heels of what I just said, letting a plant go too long before it's pruned is often the reason that plants die sooner than they would normally if they were pruned on a routine basis. The reason for that is that it takes tremendous energy for the plant to recover after it is cut back severely or even moderately when it has gone too long before being pruned. In the test plants that I have in our yard, I have purposely let several of them go for long periods of time - a year - without pruning. Then, I prune, and I watch for the new growth. Once I see new growth, then it's time to prune again, as you saw in the video. What happened in my yard is that the plants that I did not prune routinely died the second year, but the plants that I pruned are still alive, and they've been in the ground for almost five years now. As far as hard pruning in March, you are absolutely right! Blackfoot Daisy will not ever be cut all the way back to the root. The key to keeping this plant lovely throughout the year is keeping it in that little dainty mounding shape by keeping a good eye on it and doing an inch or two of pruning before it gets leggy and opens up in the center. I hope that helps, and I am sure you will enjoy your beautiful little daisies. They are such wonderful beneficial attractors for your garden! 🦋🐝🐞🐜🕸️ P.S. - So sorry I was delayed in getting back with you. I had Insurance renewal, the census, and some issues with the house. Ugh. 😜 Thanks again for taking time to comment and ask questions. I appreciate that so much!! 😃 -Cara

That's great, Cydney! I'm so glad it was helpful to you. Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening. The number one thing to remember is that there is no such thing as a "green thumb". Anyone can be a good gardener as long as you put plants in the places where they will do the best ( put plants that need full sun in full sun, put plants that need shade in the shade ), give them the proper amount of water and some food once in awhile, prune them when they need pruning and - presto! - you're a good gardener! 😄 Feel free to let me know if you have questions about anything. Thanks for taking time to make a comment. I really appreciate that! 🙂

I'm so glad that was useful to you, izzi! Thanks so much for taking time to make a comment about it. I really appreciate that! 🙂 Happy gardening!

Oh? What country are you watching from, normal furry? You raised an issue that people often don't think about. Every plant is native to somewhere. 🙂

I'm so glad you saw it before you got pampas grass in your yard. If you have any problems finding the lindheimer muhly, let me know and I will see if I can find a source for you. Thanks for taking time to leave a comment. Much appreciated!

@@homeandgardendiy6363 aww sweet! Thank you so much!

i would like to replace an existing pampas-grass patch with lindheimer muhly grass; any suggestions?

@@jgibb1us406 I am so sorry that you are only just now getting a reply from me! I normally answer comments right away. For whatever reason, I was not notified that there was a comment here from anyone. Are you still seeking help for your situation with your pampas grass? If so, I will be happy to help you!

I'm so glad, Nancy! Thanks for taking time to let me know. :o) You can't believe how happy this makes me to have helped you dodge the bullet of having this dangerous, difficult plant in your yard for... well, forever. If you have any problems finding an alternative (if Lindheimer Muhly isn't available or workable where you are, for example) just let me know. I'll try and find you a suitable, non-invasive alternative. Thanks again for your comment. Happy gardening!

@@homeandgardendiy6363 thanks! I also have Muhly. this is the second invasive dangerous plant i got from a big box store. The other is a callery pear. After discovering this i noticed those trees are literally everywhere in the landscape...not mine though. They really are spreading. Unfortunately i bought two grasses that day. The other was a calamagrostis. But I don’t know which is which and both have sharp blades. I hate to throw out both but if i cant tell, ill have to.

That's great that you already have the Muhly on property! Such a beautiful, safe grass to be around. I'm so sorry you have Callery pear. I'm always amazed at how often I see them planted. The current nursery trade sells so many plants that should not be available at all. I so get you on the frustration of having to pull out plants you spent money and time on. I've had to do it, too, before I became a landscape designer focused on natives and sustainability. Just think of it this way, you spent that money and time to learn. Now you know, and you have come away a smarter gardener! Good job, Nancy! Happy gardening! - Cara

Thanks for stopping by and subscribing!

That's a good question, Lea. Thanks for taking time to comment! I don't see any problem with leaving it outside in a pot, but you do need to make sure that it is still getting plenty of sun (at least 6 to 8 hours a day). If you have really cold weather coming, like a freeze or freezing rain, it would be good to either cover the pot, or just temporarily put it inside. A garage or similar place is fine. If you decide to leave it outside and cover it, you will need to be sure to come back and remove the cover when the weather warms up. Pots that are covered, especially if you use plastic or a plastic container, can heat up inside the covering and sort of "bake" the plant if it's left covered for too long while also in the sun. Of course, if it's still quite cold outside that probably wouldn't be an issue, but I just want to mention it so you know. Thanks again for watching! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi Kim. Thanks for the kind comment, and you're most welcome! In answer to your question, it depends on the situation your plant is in. If you can please tell me more about it (them?) that would be great. Please tell me the location, how much sun the plant gets (especially how much it will get this winter), and whether you think it is currently overgrown - as I showed at the start of the video. I'll be happy to give you very specific info about your plants. I look forward to learning more and helping you out. :o)

@@homeandgardendiy6363 Thank you for the speedy reply!! I live in Aubrey, TX (Zone 8a). The Blackfoot daisies I have (2 plants total) were planted in my yard back in March of this year. I never knew I was supposed to prune them into a mounding shape! They are definitely overgrown and lopsided. I wish I had a way to attach a picture here. But imagine an oblong shape where the top of the plant (of the oval were long and skinny from left to right) is the center of the plant. I always assumed the were growing this way to stretch toward the sun. They currently get at least 6+ hours of full sun and will likely get the same in the winter based on where they are planted. The plants currently have some blooms on them (although not as much as in the summertime) and I do see signs of new growth at the base of the plants. Lots of dead undergrowth for sure. I hope this description is helpful. Thank you again so much!! 💕

Thanks for the additional information, Kim. Based on what you've shared with me, it sounds like your daisies will have plenty of sun so that you can do a modest amount of pruning on them over the next three months or so. That said, I want to caution you to go carefully. You know how crazy the weather has been already, and that it's been far colder than we are normally accustomed to at this time of year. I suggest that you begin by just cutting off an inch or 2. I say that, having guessed that your plant is probably somewhere between 18 in + 2 ft across. If that's true, cutting off a couple of inches is going to be okay. As I showed in the video, you will want to cut those couple of inches off of the side that is farthest away from the base of the plant since it sounds like you need to encourage yours back into a round shape that is centered around the base of the plant. If I have misunderstood the condition of your plants, please do not hesitate to let me know that! Then, of course, be sure that you write down in your garden notes when you did your pruning. Good job taking a close enough look that you know there is already new growth! Keep an eye out for more. With the shorter days, my guess would be that you will have to wait around two weeks before you'd potentially be ready to prune another time. But, again, rely on your garden notes and your eyes as you inspect your plant to know whether it's time to prune again. If we have really cold weather expected, in the low-to-mid 30s, don't do any pruning then. Your plant will withstand it much better if it is getting nice sunny days, with evening temperatures around 45 or 50. If you are able to do three or four pruning sessions between now and February, I expect that you will see a tremendous difference between the shape of your plant currently and what it will look like after you do some consistent pruning on it. Thanks again for taking time to comment, and don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions about anything. Also, if you think that you will want more content like this, would you kindly consider subscribing so you don't miss anything? That said, please do not feel pressured to subscribe. God will grow my channel as He sees fit. :o) Have a great day! -Cara, Home and Garden DIY

@@homeandgardendiy6363 Hi Cara! You depicted/understand the state of my plant perfectly. I gingerly pruned off 2 inches today and also pruned away a lot of the dead growth underneath. (And I only did that where the entire branch was truly dead and brittle). Thank you for all of this fantastic knowledge! I have subscribed to your channel and will keep you posted on the progress of my daisies. Im very new to perennial gardening and am so eager to learn. Thank yo for sharing your knowledge with us!! Kind regards, Kim 😊🌸🌿

That all sounds really good, Kim! Good job!! Thanks, too, for subscribing. Wow! 😊 Just so you know, I upload videos first thing every Monday morning, so there's a video coming out around 6 a.m. tomorrow, and it's about prepping your garden for fall and winter. I don't know if that's something you need, but I wanted to make sure you knew. Have a great evening!

It's so great that you are learning to be an organic gardener, Lea! Good for you. 😄 When we were vegetable gardening, which my husband and I hope to be doing again here in the next year or so, we had so many things going that doing a comparison of organic amendment or just water was not something we got far enough to do. That said, the other thing that seaweed does is it helps a plant to resist disease. And, of course, once those harmful synthetic chemicals are out of your yard, your soil will improve, too. When you get all of those things going, the main thing we saw was that we did not have much problem at all with insects chewing on our veggies, we never had tomato blight, we were able to overcome squash bugs, squash vine borers, tomato hornworms, whiteflies, leaf-footed bugs, and our produce was just absolutely beautiful. I had a friend who grew up on a farm, and we would share our produce with her and her family. She routinely told me that she rarely spent any time rinsing off the kale or swiss chard that we gave her because she said it looked like it just came out of the Garden of Eden. And it was true! I'm so excited for your organic gardening journey. Thanks for watching, thanks for posting your question, and happy gardening!

Actually, now that you got me thinking deeply about your question, Lea, I answer with a resounding "yes!" An organic program definitely provides greater yield. Here are some examples why: (1) Stronger root systems, less disease; (2) fewer pests because plants are strong and healthy; (3) little to no ripping out of plants because they have become infested with annual pests (like squash plants). Have fun, and happy gardening!

I'm really glad you asked about this, Lea. Based on your description of your house facing west, I have to tell you honestly that if this was my house, I would not plant them in the ground in that location. Sorry! Mums really do prefer a LOT of sun. I question whether they will get enough in the winter and spring if they are right by the house. Also, something else to consider is that if you keep them in pots, you can try forcing the blooms as I described in the video. :o) Finally, keeping them in containers if you want them near your front door means that you can rotate them out occasionally into a much sunnier location for a day or two so that they get the sun they need to perform well for you. As to your seaweed question, yes, I would apply seaweed to them whether you end up deciding to try them in the ground, or if you keep them in containers. Thanks for asking, thanks for watching, and happy gardening!

Thanks for taking time to comment. I really appreciate your kind words! As far as getting the garden ready for fall/winter, I assume you have a mostly natives garden (good for you!!). I thought I could refer you to some videos that already exist so you could have help immediately, but I don't find anything I want to recommend - at least nothing as specific as what you asked about. SO... I'll make a video. :o) Working on it now, and will be out soon. Make sure you click that notification bell so you know when I've uploaded it. Thanks again, and feel free to ask questions any time!

I'm so glad it was helpful for you. Thank you for making time to comment. :o)

I so needed this info!