Alison Stewart: This is All Of It. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC Studio in SoHo. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. I am really grateful that you are here. On today's show, we'll speak with actor Molly Osborne, who is playing Desdemona right now in the production of Othello. We'll learn about a new film called Eric LaRue, which marks actor Michael Shannon's directorial debut. He joins us alongside Judy Greer and screenwriter Brett Neveu. We'll talk with the playwright and the stars of the hit off-Broadway play Liberation. That's the plan, so let's get this started with some spring plant tips for home gardeners.

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Alison Stewart: Okay, listeners, we're about two weeks into spring and summer's right around the corner. It's cherry blossom season. For many, the arrival of spring signals the start of a new season of gardening, a chance to shake off the chill and get back into the soil, planting fresh herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Today, we're talking gardening tips to help you make the most of the season. Spring gardening isn't just about new beginnings. It's also about building on what you planted last year and preparing your beds and taking advantage of the longer, sunnier days. Joining us today to talk about gardening and where you can see cherry blossoms is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's director of horticulture, Shauna Moore. Hi, Shauna.

Shauna Moore: Hi, Alison. How are you?

Alison Stewart: I am doing well. Thank you for joining us.

Shauna Moore: Thank you.

Alison Stewart: Listeners, do you have a question about gardening? Maybe you have your own garden and you need a little help troubleshooting like why a certain plant isn't thriving or how often you should water your plants. Our phone lines are open, 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, or you can reach out to us on social media @AllOfItWNYC. Let's say you have a small garden or houseplants in your apartment. We want to hear from you too. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. Okay, so we're about two weeks into spring. What should gardeners think about planting now in preparation for the warmer months, Shauna?

Shauna Moore: Well, now, we're still thinking about cool season crops. We're still a little bit early to be planting any of our annuals or our containers or tropicals, but cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, spinach, even pansies in the garden are ripe right now. Gardeners should really be thinking about preparing the soil and doing soil tests, adding amendments, perhaps some compost or composted manure, and, of course, pulling weeds. The weeds are out. I've spotted several dandelions already and other weeds.

Preparing the beds would be a good thing to do right now. Also, just finishing up on any of the winter pruning on shrubs. Now is a really good time to finish pruning hydrangeas, the paniculata type and the smooth hydrangea type. Also, its rose pruning time. I'm thinking about dividing overgrown perennials, our hostas, daylilies, and other perennials that might need a little bit of division. Now is a really good time to do it. Also, April is a really good time for just starting your lawn care routine, so fertilizing and raking and getting ready for that first mow.

Alison Stewart: What are some common mistakes that people make when transitioning their gardens from winter into spring?

Shauna Moore: Well, we get cabin fever. We're so excited that the sun is out. We've had a couple of days of 80 degrees. We definitely are ready for the sun and definitely ready for warmer days, but we have to be patient. A lot of the garden centers will be already selling petunias and tropical plants. We'll be very, very tempted to put those in the garden yet, but we're not quite ready.

We have to wait for the first frost to be beyond us and then even beyond that, a couple of weeks, and you're safe to be planting some of those tender annuals. I always say first week of May is a really good, safe time to be doing that. Patience, not moving too quickly, and just knowing that we may or may not have a couple of cold days left in the forecast. Don't get too excited.

Alison Stewart: [chuckles] Let's talk to Judy, who's calling in from Huntington. Hi, Judy. Thank you so much for making time to call All Of It. You're on the air.

Judy: Hi. Thank you, Alison. My question has to do with a bright yellow flower that has invaded my gardens and front lawn. I tried last year after it had already bloomed to remove every single bit of it that I could in about a three-foot-square area in one garden and it's back. I'm wondering what I can do about it to remove it. I know it's some sort of invasive species, something called lesser, I think, celandine, but I am very frustrated by it. I'm wondering if there's anything I can do.

Shauna Moore: Oh, I'm so sorry, Judy. Yes, it is lesser celandine or Ficaria verna. We battle it here at Brooklyn Botanic Garden too. In fact, everybody, a lot of people in New York are starting to see it. It's probably blooming right now. We are starting to see it bloom. Really, if you're an organic gardener, the only way you can combat it is by digging. You have to dig deep and you have to be patient. You have to get all of those roots because it's very tuberous and it can be very, very competitive.

The good thing, if there is a good thing, about Ficaria is that it is ephemeral. Within a few weeks to a month after it's done flowering, it's going to disappear back into the soil. The turf grass will hopefully grow up around it. Oftentimes, if the turf isn't vigorous enough to come through, you'll be left with a patch or a hole where you'll want to put seed. Just do your best to be patient and diligent and get as much of it out as possible.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Ed. Hey, Ed, you're calling in from Manhattan. What is on your mind?

Ed: Yes, hi. Thanks for taking my call. My question is this. I have a Meyer lemon tree, which I've had for a few years now. The first couple of years, I would get lemons. Then the past few years, what happens is I get the flowers, I get all excited, and then all the flowers fall off. I just wanted to know if there's something that I'm doing wrong or something that I should be doing.

Shauna Moore: That sounds really sad, Ed. I'm sorry to hear that.

Alison Stewart: [laughs]

Shauna Moore: Do you bring the lemon outside then during the growing season?

Ed: Yes, I do.

Shauna Moore: Okay, and are you fertilizing and- [crosstalk] Go ahead.

Ed: Hello? I said it's still inside now. I haven't brought it outside yet.

Shauna Moore: The best rule of thumb is to wait for the first stream of 50-degree weather in a row like four to five days of 50 degrees and, of course, acclimating that lemon very slowly out to the indoors after that. A couple of hours each day bringing it out very, very slowly, and then giving it as much bright light as you can. Once it's fully acclimated, it needs full sun. It's going to need some fertilizer. If you haven't repotted it, that's a really good thing to do as well. I'm wondering if you may be watering a little too much. Oftentimes, that's the problem when we see the flowers falling off prematurely.

Alison Stewart: Good luck, Ed. Let's talk to Mike. Hi, Mike. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Mike: Hey, how are you? Great show. Appreciate it. My question is, I've got hydrangeas. They're gorgeous. I know it's time to start pruning but terrified of doing so. Can you give any hints or tips to do it? I'll greatly appreciate it.

Shauna Moore: Empower yourself, Mike. Just go for it. The hydrangeas, especially the paniculata and the smooth hydrangea. We know Annabelle is a real popular smooth hydrangea cultivar. They really, really need to be pruned back hard, and that's in order to encourage a lot of new, fresh growth and an abundance of flowers. If you don't prune hard, which would be probably considered 10, 12 inches from the ground, you're going to get very, very spindly growth and weak flowers that really won't support themselves. Take a deep breath and go for it. Don't be afraid of pruning. The hydrangeas will thank you.

Alison Stewart: How often should plants be pruned or depend on the plant?

Shauna Moore: Very, very much depends on the plant. Any of the spring flowering shrubs that will be blooming for one time in the spring such as azaleas and the forsythia, lilacs, they need to be pruned around two weeks after they bloom, and that is to set the new growth for the next year. If you prune too late afterwards, you're pruning off any chance of new flowering growth. That's a really good rule of thumb.

Of course, roses. A good thing to think about is we prune roses when the forsythia is blooming. It's blooming now, so now is the time that Mother Nature says that the soil is warm and you get out there and prune the roses. They want to be pruned hard too and will repeat bloom with very consistent deadheading and consistent pruning. Of course, hydrangeas. A lot of the pruning on trees and other shrubs can be done in the winter as well. You're absolutely right. It depends on the plant.

Alison Stewart: We're receiving a few gardening tips for spring from Brooklyn Botanic Garden's director of horticulture Shauna Moore. We are taking your call if you have any questions about gardening. Our phone lines are open. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. We have Megan, who is calling in from Murray Hill. Hey, Megan, thank you so much for making time to call All Of It today.

Megan: Yes, good morning. Thank you so much. Okay, I have a robust herb garden in my apartment and I just want to know, can I realistically grow any fruit or vegetables inside as well?

Shauna Moore: Oh, my gosh. If you're growing herbs successfully and robustly right now in your apartment, yes, I think so. I wonder if you've tried tomato or, of course, anything in the cabbage family, the brassicas, kale, or have you tried any vegetables? I imagine you'd be very, very successful with some cherry tomatoes.

Alison Stewart: We have Sophia, who's been holding. Hi, Sophia. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Sophia: Hi. I live in the suburbs and I have a lot of deer that basically treat my yard like a salad bar and start with the fern. They take care of the hostas. I'm just wondering, what are good deer-proofing tips or good plants that deer won't eat?

Shauna Moore: It's such a tricky thing because it seems like the plants that we once knew were deer-resistant or deer-proof. The deer have evolved to enjoy those plants as well. One thing that really has worked well for me in the past is spraying a deer repellent. It's very stinky product. You have to spray it every time it rains, but it really does help protect all of the plants from those deer enjoying your garden. Deer-proof is a really good product and I really recommend trying it.

Alison Stewart: Got a text here that says, "I have too much grass lawn and want to stop watering and mowing it. What can I replace it with that is native to northeast USA and easy maintenance, drought-tolerant, and doesn't grow too high?"

Shauna Moore: Oh, that's very, very exciting. We want to eliminate as much turf grass as possible. It's very high maintenance as the color or the person that texted in knows. There's a lot of information on even planting a meadow or a rain garden. That might be a really good solution. Native plants and grasses in the yard that would perhaps even attract great pollinators and butterflies, things that will retain water and be excellent for the environment. I would actually think about looking into a rain garden. That would be a really good solution to removing some of that turf grass at the home.

Alison Stewart: We'll have more with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's director of horticulture, Shauna Moore after a quick break. This is All Of It.

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Alison Stewart: You're listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is Shauna Moore. She's director of horticulture at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We're talking about some spring gardening. Getting in the mood. I wanted to ask you about indoor gardening because New York City Parks recommends snake plants as one of the best plants for beginners. Let's put them. I have those in my house. I have a brown thumb. Why are they such a good choice?

Shauna Moore: Oh gosh. Sansevieria, they're tough as nails. Another common name for snake plant is mother-in-law tongue. Not a very nice name, but perhaps you catch the drift that they're tough. They're tough and they really, really are very, very easy to grow. There are all kinds of cultivated varieties and they really are foolproof. They require very little water. They grow very, very quickly and robustly and they're easy to propagate. It's a very rewarding plant to grow.

Alison Stewart: Let's say I want to take the next step up in terms of plants. I've got the snake plant down. What's the next plant I could try?

Shauna Moore: Oh, there's all kinds of great philodendrons that you can experiment with or pothos. I really love a beautiful Spathiphyllum, the common peace lily. Depending on how much light you have and how much space, there's all kinds of plants that you can look into.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Allan from Brooklyn. Hi, Allan, thanks so much for calling All Of It. You're on the air.

Allan: Good morning. Thanks a lot. We had a decorative weeping birch for years that died about a year ago and also a year-round non-deciduous shrub that died around the same time. Obviously, the new plants we get would have a smaller rootball than the older plants that died. How long should I wait after the older plant has died to put something in that spot to avoid any interference from the rotting roots of the older, larger plant?

Shauna Moore: You can plant right away actually. As long as the soil is workable, you can go ahead and plant up.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Jennifer from Park Slope. Hi, Jennifer, thank you so much for calling All Of It. You're on the air.

Jennifer: Hi, thanks for taking my call. First of all, I love the Botanic Garden. I was just there on Sunday. Thank you for that amazing resource. Very quickly, I'm building a large container garden in my co-op's courtyard after years of wrangling for the funds. They're large containers, upright, 4x6. What I'm wondering is, how do I carry plants, blooming plants especially, through the four seasons? I've planted a lot of native perennials, but with spring bulbs, for example, do I pull them up and then replant them next year, which is what I've been doing? How do I keep that looking nice while the other plants are growing?

Shauna Moore: Jennifer, I think that as long as you keep a layer of straw or mulch throughout the winter, the flowering bulbs will be just fine in those containers. I don't think you have to worry about digging them up. You can display winter interest with evergreens. There are some shrubs and even some perennials that will do really well that will be persistent in those containers. Of course, adding annuals for color and texture are a really great idea as well. Just depending on how much light you have, you can be very creative with your plant choices.

Alison Stewart: What should I be looking for in terms of containers?

Shauna Moore: Something that drains well. Typically, something that's natural. I recommend terracotta or ceramic, but make sure it's got a hole in the bottom. You don't want your plants or soil sitting in a puddle of water.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Sarah from Brooklyn. Hi, Sarah. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Sarah: Hi, thank you for this. We have a Kwanzan cherry tree in our front that we planted a few years ago. I keep getting different information on when to trim it. I seem to always miss the window. I'm just wondering if you have any advice on that and when to prune that kind of tree.

Shauna Moore: Some light pruning happens in June actually, so after it flowers. You want to do it end of May and June and any real heavy pruning, any large corrective pruning, and that will happen in the wintertime when it's dormant. I sure hope you enjoy that beautiful tree. We are so looking forward to ours blooming here at BBG. We've just started our cherry blossom season and we're off and running. I hope you look forward to your blossoms as well.

Alison Stewart: Shauna, we have two texts. Both of them are in caps, so I'll start with this one. "Mugwort. It's taken over an organic community farm plot. It's so pervasive. What can I do to clear it out? We're all struggling and unused plots have been taken over by it."

Shauna Moore: Oh, that's another tricky one. Mugwort is an Artemisia. It's very invasive and it's not a nice weed. You could try some horticultural vinegar. I recommend spraying that. It's an organic means that will knock it back. Anything other than digging and being persistent is really the only recommendation that I can give on it. Please know you're not alone. A lot of people are dealing with mugwort. It's not a pretty weed.

Alison Stewart: Here's the other text that we got. "Any recommendations for keeping cats out of house plants? I used to have tons around the house with few issues, but our new kitten, now two and a half, loves digging in them. It led to one of the older cats literally biting off the branches of a Christmas cactus I've had for 20 years. I've tried netting, aluminum foil, spraying with smelly stuff. Nothing works to keep the little ones out and I miss my greenery."

Shauna Moore: Oh, what I've tried and been successful with is orange peel or any citrus peel. That's been a really good thing just to put around the soil on the houseplant. When I owned a cat, it really did not like that citrus at all.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Irene from Brooklyn. Hi, Irene. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Irene: Oh, hi. I'm calling about a Monstera. I am not good with plants. I should just say that upfront. Somebody gave this to me because it sounded like it wasn't that hard to take care of and that it doesn't need a lot of light, but am I wrong about that? The leaves have started browning and yellowing. I've tried to put it closer to the window. I don't get direct light. I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong.

Alison Stewart: A sad Monstera.

Shauna Moore: It sounds like you're loving it too much. When you start getting that yellow on a houseplant, it means it's getting too much water usually. In the winter months, our houseplants need less water, of course, because we're receiving less light. Just easy does it on those. You'd be tempted and you think that maybe you're doing something wrong and the plant isn't looking good. It's always our first instinct to just give it more water, but try pulling back on that. Our days are getting longer. You'll increase the quantity a little bit, but just keep an eye on it. Water when the soil feels really, really dry, and indirect light is really best.

Alison Stewart: This text says, "Please talk about mulch. I recently attended an organic garden lecture where they said that mulch is not good for gardens and landscapes, but other sources say 1 to 2 inches are helpful for lots of reasons. What are your thoughts?"

Shauna Moore: Oh, I love mulch. Mulch is fabulous. Mulch not only helps the soil retain water, it really helps keep the weeds down. There's a whole variety of materials that you can mulch with, whether it be hardwood that has been shredded or pine needles or pine bark. Mulch is really, really beneficial. I would never discourage anybody from adding mulch. You can go a little too far. You don't want it to be too deep and you really don't want it to encroach on the crown of a tree. The quantity is really key. Top dressing with a really nice thin layer of mulch every year is something that I recommend people doing in their gardens.

Alison Stewart: Everybody is talking about composting in New York City this week. What are some of the surprising things that you can compost and how will it help your garden?

Shauna Moore: Pizza boxes, right? I know, for me, it's like, "Should I? Shouldn't I?" Yes, composting now is mandatory citywide. We are putting in pizza boxes now, but also really all of our food scraps. They recommend adding bones and meat and any cooked food scraps, dairy. These are things that I would not typically put in my personal compost. I usually keep that very, very green. Those are the surprising things that I have seen on the list of things that are recommended for composting.

Alison Stewart: Before you go, we have to talk about cherry blossoms. Tell us about your cherry blossoms.

Shauna Moore: Well, our cherry blossoms are really, really what makes us so amazing here at BBG. It's really what we're known for. It's just the celebration of spring. Everyone who's grown up in Brooklyn really knows that this is where it's at. We just started blooming and we will continue to bloom intermittently and ongoing for about four or five more weeks. It's a really great time of the year for us. We've got all kinds of festivities.

In addition, there are so many beautiful things that are blooming also. Magnolia is our peak right now. During the cherry blossom time, you'll have tulips. We have a brand-new iris collection that you may want to pop by to visit. Lots of wonderful things in the herb garden that have been planted and a ton of beautiful bulbs. In addition to the tulips, you've got the daffodils and a lot of fragrant hyacinths right now. So much to see, but hooray for cherries.

Alison Stewart: A Lot to see at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Thanks to Shauna Moore, the director of horticulture. Thanks to all of our callers who called in with questions and suggestions. Thanks, Shauna.

Shauna Moore: Alison, thanks so much.