>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ >> On today's show, we're taking refuge in the shade with flowers, of course.

We'll look at flowers suited to the shade, make space for more blooming plants, and create artwork from shadow with light-sensitive paper.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

As you may know, I advocate enjoying flowers and plants whenever and wherever possible outdoors, indoors, alone, or with friends, in the sun or in the shade.

Sometimes flower fans are disappointed when outdoor living spaces lack sufficient light levels to grow popular flowers and plants.

However, these shaded retreats may be considered beautiful opportunities.

Look for flowers and plants that thrive in the shade.

One of my favorite shade-loving plants is the hosta.

Available in a wide array of sizes and shades of green, yellow, white, and blue, hostas make a wonderful addition to any flower arrangement or bouquet, and even look great in a vase alone.

Shade-loving flowers that are wonderful as cut flowers include hellebore, lily of the valley, bleeding hearts, astilbe, and hydrangea, just to name a few.

Let's take a look at ways to have it made in the shade with flowers.

♪♪ I have learned over the years from my garden center friends that planting a garden pot with flowers and plants that have similar requirements for light or shade can be much easier to maintain over the course of the season.

That doesn't mean I still don't mix it up on occasion, but I try to be conscious of this factor so I know what I'm getting into from a care viewpoint.

Today, I want to show you some amazing flowers and plants that will be happy in the shade.

So I've got a collection of plants that I picked out at the garden center.

And what's really interesting about this is I look all over the garden center because I want some plants that are shade that are also perennials.

And I think that's a great idea and a tip for you because if you put in plants that are perennials in a container garden at the end of the season, you can plant them in the ground, and that helps augment your overall garden and landscaping at your home.

So today we picked out ferns.

We picked out some astilbe.

We've got some coleus and some salvia.

So it's a great collection of things that love the shade.

If you look at the tag in the garden center, it's going to tell you if they prefer shade or sun, and you're looking for those shade plants for a shade container like this.

I also paid attention to color so that these burgundy and light green colors are all going to go together.

So let's put together our container pot.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I always hang on to the care tags.

Those are made of durable material, and so I gather those all up from all the pots, and I slip them in along the side of the pot so that they're inside there for the whole season.

Then when I'm ready to plant the plants in the fall into the yard, I know the best care for them.

I can also reference it for a variety for future years if I want to get the same plant.

It's a wonderful way for us to create a container garden that's made for the shade.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ So I'm here today with Collin, who has been executing this part of our lawn removal.

We have been doing lawn removal for a couple years now, and we hope to continue to do so because my dream is to have no lawn but have all plants and trees and shrubs.

You're the foreman for this job, and we've had Tyler and Connor and you working on this, and you guys get this done in like three days.

>> Yeah, it's not the most difficult work, but it's precise, you know?

We're trying to not lower the grade anymore that we've had an issue with dealing in multiple seasons here.

>> Right.

>> So part of that is bringing up this grade.

>> And there's lots of clay.

>> [ Sighs ] West Michigan.

>> Lots of clay.

>> West Michigan.

>> Right, right, right.

So we bring in topsoil.

You brought in garden mix first.

>> Yep, garden mix.

Yep.

It's decomposed mulch left over from previous years.

It's not quite topsoil, but in a couple years, it will become topsoil.

So we're trying to combat that clay as best as we can.

>> They're putting in the flagstone now, then this will be prepared and ready.

It's just been really a dream.

A, you guys are great to work with, and you're my friend, so that's awesome too.

And that's the best part about it.

But I'm just amazed at how much they can do because we've also talked about we had another issue with our hydrangeas not blooming.

And they would grow and grow and grow, but they wouldn't bloom.

So now we have a new variety of hydrangeas.

So we -- your -- we, we collectively you three gentlemen took out Hydrangea Alley.

We relocated those to different spots on the property.

And then we have a new variety that's going in there that's supposed to perform better for us.

So I'm really excited to see that.

>> So am I, and especially with the location that you've got over there, having that greenhouse window right there and it being such a catching spot for the eye, you definitely want to utilize that spot a little bit I'd say better than we were.

>> It looks pink right now, which I don't like pink hydrangeas.

But they're going to be purple.

So your guys are putting coffee in there.

They're putting aluminum sulfate in there.

>> That's probably one of my favorite plants to deal with because of the fact that you can amend the soil and change that.

>> I joke about it because I'm a hobbyist when it comes to plants... >> Right.

>> ...because I'm the cut-flower guy.

>> Yeah.

>> And so I want to make sure that, you know, we're planting things that I can cut off of that are going to have beautiful flowers or foliage, and I can make cool arrangements with them.

>> Yeah, indeed.

>> This is the job of a landscaper.

This is what you guys do and you're the experts.

And it's one of the things that I've always believed in is that you allow the expert to be the expert.

>> Correct.

>> And that that makes things work better.

So what happens with this is when I decided we were going to pull out this portion, I worked with my friend Natalie, and she allowed me to tell her about the space.

>> Yeah.

>> And then she said, "These are the plants that will do well for you."

So I got those plants.

Then you guys come in and prepare the space.

So you took up the sod, you pulled that away, you dug down, you brought in the garden mix.

You brought in the topsoil.

We've got the flagstone.

We're going to plant these.

We're going to put mulch on top of all that.

So that's your hard work and sweat equity in this thing, which is amazing, because if I was going to do it, I would get this far and that would be what happens.

So I mean, that's the best part about that.

>> Right.

>> So then I come in after you guys have prepared it and place the items where I think they're going to go.

But then you also work with me because you're my irrigation people.

>> Indeed.

>> And you tell me how we're going to irrigate this area so that we have everybody covered, and that may switch up some-- a thing or two that I've placed and as we go along, so it's very much a work in progress.

It's very much partnership.

>> Correct.

I know the yard.

We've dealt with your irrigation for years and years.

>> Right.

>> And this used to be lawns.

So it was spraying a lawn.

And the way you spray a lawn and the way you spray plants are 100% different.

I mean, the amount of water that you're getting into the ground and the way that they're getting -- I mean, if you were to hit a lawn rotor onto a weigela there, it's going to tear it up.

Just the strength of that water.

Now, you hit it with a nice mister that we've used in here that we've changed, that's going to get it a lighter dousing of water and it's going to be better for the plant.

>> And they're taller.

>> Yes, they are.

>> Taller, they come up.

>> Yep.

>> Water rather than coming out from the ground.

>> Correct.

Normally for lawns, a mister, it would do about four inches.

Well, with plants in here, you can't get over the plant.

>> Right.

>> So we take a 12-inch mister that's set in the ground 12 inches and then will come out of the ground the same 12 inches to be able to spray over and essentially irrigate this whole place for you.

>> That's awesome.

What's your favorite flower?

>> Oh, man.

There's a few on, on my top five, but I think my favorite's got to be lilacs.

>> Oh, okay.

>> It's a smell memory for me.

It takes me right back to about eight, nine years old, like walking through a garden from my grandparents.

Anytime I smell them, I just close my eyes and I'm right back as a child walking through the yard.

>> That's interesting because my second question for you typically is what's your first memory of flowers?

So that sounds like that's pretty close.

>> And it was lilac, indeed, yeah.

>> It always gives me a little bit of background about the people I'm talking to.

>> For sure.

>> So, you know, it's a tradition for me to create a flower crown.

So I've created a foliage crown from foliage from the yard for you today.

>> Nice.

>> So this is for you to wear.

>> Awesome.

>> People always like it when we do the flower crown thing.

So that's good.

>> Let me just take that... Oh, it even -- you got my cranium size.

>> I know, right?

I'm pretty good at it.

I'm pretty good at it.

So that looks good.

Yeah.

>> You've done it once or twice.

>> Yeah.

So now you can -- Now wearing that while you're landscaping too would be awesome.

Or golfing, right?

>> Maybe here, not golfing.

I might get a little junk from my golf partner for that, but I do -- It might get in the way with swinging, but no, for -- I do like that it's the stuff that we have been planting, the plants that we've been planting and that you have here on hand, you know.

>> And I like that you're always up because I can -- I have you on speed dial, and it's like, "Hey, Collin, what about this?

What if we do this?"

And you're like, "Okay, let's figure it out."

Thank you so much for this and all the projects that you guys help me with.

I appreciate it so much.

>> Can't wait for more.

♪♪ >> Anemone is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae.

Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in Greek, "anemone" means "daughter of the wind."

Cultivated anemones are nearly always one of the following colors -- bluish violet, white, pink, red, and hues in a range between violet and pink.

If cut flowers are desired, it is best to harvest the flowers early in the morning while it is still cold outside, while the bloom is still closed.

To open your flowers, place in room-temperature water out of direct sun.

In the Victorian language of flowers, the anemone represented a forsaken love of any kind, while European peasants carried them to ward off pests and disease as well as bad luck.

♪♪ Shade has a few different meanings.

There is, of course, the refreshing shade made by trees from the sun.

Shade can also mean playful banter with a good friend who knows you well.

However, here we're looking at shade as it relates to color theory.

♪♪ ♪♪ Shades are often used in conjunction with tints and tones.

They all relate to how pure color is modified into lighter and darker versions.

A great example is red.

When you add white to red, you get pink.

As a result, pink is a tint of red.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ A tone is created by adding gray to a color.

It still takes you out of the pure red, but would not be much lighter or darker in value than red.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Adding black creates a shade.

Dark burgundy is a good example for a red family of colors.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Using a combination of tints, tones, and shades of a color also results in what could be called a monochromatic color combination, just as in this arrangement where I'm using red as the base color.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Here's a fun project that uses sunlight and shadow to create a fun botanical piece of artwork.

We're working with sun-sensitive paper, so this is very interesting.

It comes in a black envelope like this to keep light away from it.

You can actually do this in the house with a light bulb if you want to, but in sunshine it works faster.

This is an assortment.

So it comes in all different colors.

So I'm going to choose a couple that I like.

And you're going to notice that there's one side and another side.

This is the side with the treatment.

I like that color.

I think that color is going to be good.

So we've got two of those.

Then we're going to seal this up.

Make sure you seal it up or it'll ruin all your paper.

♪♪ Now we can arrange botanical things on top of it.

So I've got a little moss rose here.

I've got a couple of geranium leaves.

This is an astilbe leaf with all of those wonderful little serrated edges on it.

Here's some parsley.

We'll use another one of those moss roses over here so that we have kind of a little harmony between the two.

Any shape will work.

So what we've placed on there is going to create a shadow from the sun.

Now here's the important part.

We're going to lay a piece of glass on top of it, and it's going to push everybody down.

Now we're going to lay this in the sun for 5 to 10 minutes.

When we come back, you're going to notice that all of this dark area has become lighter.

And then we'll need to take it inside and rinse it off with water so that we stop the process.

And then we'll have our botanical print.

Into the sun.

Here's a couple of examples.

This is the exact same color that we were using.

Notice how something that lays flat gives us a much better impression.

This is a geranium leaf.

This is a fern.

This was a piece of papyrus grass, and so I kind of had it set up there.

And look -- it had a lot of texture to it, but it really came out as a big white blob.

So something like this that has a nice delicate edge on it is going to create a much nicer botanical print.

These are curled up because after we're done, we take the foliage off and then immediately immerse it in water and rinse it until it runs clear.

Then we let them dry so they curl up a little bit and we'll press those down in our frame.

So this doesn't take long.

It's been about five minutes.

We'll take that off.

We'll remove these.

[ Gasps ] Look at that.

Now I need to get those in and rinse them off.

These are a lot like photographic paper.

That's why we rinse them in water so that we stop the process.

And then we've got our beautiful botanical prints.

We'll wait for these to dry.

We'll get them in a frame, and we can hang them on the wall.

It's a wonderful way to use sunlight and shadow to create a crafty project.

♪♪ ♪♪ It's time for my favorite part of the show -- flowers from you, the viewers.

Today I have flowers to share from viewer Tina Utz, who watches "Life in Bloom" in Alexandria, Virginia, on MPT2/Create Maryland Public Television.

Tina writes, "You inspired this after I watched your recycle/repurpose show.

An old soup tureen, broken lid and spoon.

But I love the pattern and couldn't bring myself to toss it or donate it.

The photo is one of my wacky 80-plus-year-old parents enjoying the eclipse in Charleston a few years back.

This is now my favorite grocery store orchid display.

I'm still working on my ikebana skills."

Thanks, Tina.

I love your parents.

Thanks for including them eclipse watching and I'm in love with this idea for your soup tureen.

It's the perfect home for your new orchid friends, plus the bouquets you've created in your cut-glass vases are gorgeous.

What a wonderful way to enjoy a life in bloom, in the comfort of your beautiful home.

Tina adds, "I really can't tell you how much your show inspires me and makes me smile.

I can't wait for the next episode."

Thanks again, Tina.

Please send me your pictures of your flowers and the arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankes after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to J@uBloom.com.

That's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com and watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

That's it for our exploration of shade in this episode.

I hope you're inspired to see the shade in a new light and give some of these ideas a go.

Or at the very least, find a friendly tree to commune with, sit underneath, and enjoy the shade of it all.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit J's website, uBloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

♪♪ "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

♪♪ >> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ Closed-caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.

♪♪