Walking Tour of Beaver Marsh Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Trekkers are sure to delight in Beaver Marsh, just north of the Ira Trailhead, where ingenious local beavers have dammed waterways with mud and sticks and can often be spotted mid-evening gearing up for more work on their wetlands projects.
On February 28, with generous support from Joan Holmes, Margaret Ransohoff, Robin Schachat, and the Mather Fund, the Shaker Lake Garden Club hosted Patrick Blanc, a leading expert on Vertical Gardens.
My husband Mike and I lived in London in the early 1990’s. The winter was one of the rainiest in a number of years and the days were short of sunlight. Each Friday, I found myself stopping at the floral stand outside the Tube Station to pick up a a bunch of tulips.
Density of trees serves as a gauge for degrees of light and shade. Left to right: full sun, light shade, partial shade, full shade, and deep shade.
So, shade is shade, right? Wrong. All shade is not created equal. Many variables, including season, time of day, age of trees, their density, and canopy composition, all affect how plants are shaded. Understanding these factors helps gardeners select and care for plants.
This is one of the questions we hear most often. There are several possibilities:
1. Harsh winters can damage flower buds on hydrangeas that set their flower buds last year. 2. Deer love to eat those tender tips. 3. It is important to prune them at the correct time – and this is where it gets tricky.
It seems to me that all manufacturers of sprays, liquid fertilizers, and the like, think all gardeners have tremendous acreage. The poor soul who has only a sliver of ground and needs only a cupful of spray is hard put to get it when the label gives dilution directions for gallons. Here’s a conversion table you ought to frame.
Most seeds should be sown indoors about 4 to 8 weeks before your Frost-Free Date. But many seeds need even more time to develop before being introduced to the outdoors. So if you're itching to get your hands dirty, now is the time!
Today, January 24th, I enjoyed a bit of relief from the winter doldrums as I came upon this lovely clump of snowdrops in full bloom. Yes, it has been unseasonably warm for a week, but this is very early (did I mention climate change?) to see anything in bloom. You’ve got to love a plant that can push up through snow or frozen mud and flower in the middle of winter, even before the witch hazels and hellebores.
Amaryllis and poinsettia may be rivals for the most popular holiday floral choice, but for elegance and versatility, amaryllis is the clear winner. Unlike a “one and done” poinsettia plant, these bulbs will get bigger with time and as a cut flower, they make a striking addition to floral arrangements. Here a few interesting facts about this plant:
With our temperate Ohio climate, having continual color in the garden through spring and summer is easy. It can be more of a challenge to keep the show alive in September and October. But even without the ubiquitous potted mums and kale, you can have a continual sequence of blooms right up until frost. There are many strategies for achieving a long season of color and interest, but here are methods and plants that work well for me.
Is your bulb looking a little spent? With all the pressure of a flower showhe may be a little weary. If he is still strong and perky he may have a friend in the pharmo/fert industry. Good on him!
One day soon, if he has not already, he will yellow and grow weary.
Presented to the Garden Club of Dayton March 8, 2016 by Nancy Linz (GCC)
All You Could Possibly Need to Know about Entering Your Hort
A. Getting Ready for a Flower Show B. Selecting Cut Specimens C. Conditioning Your Cuttings D. Selecting a Container for Your Cutting E. Selecting Potted (Rooted) Plants F. Grooming Your Blooms! G. Pre-Registration H. Packing Your Specimens for Transportation to the Flower Show I. Getting Ready to Head to the Show! J. Once You Arrive at the Show, Final Staging
Thanks to the tireless work of many talented ladies and dedicated garden clubs, flower arranging has been transformed from a hobby into an art. Nevertheless, the novice should not be daunted by the apparent complexity of it all. Success is guaranteed if one always keeps in mind that, whether the arrangement is to be presented in a formal show or in an informal house setting, the goals one should be aiming to achieve are: envy, grudging praise, and imitation by rivals.
All the Garden Gate information from the June newsletter is contained here. What's happening? Who heard what? Who won at flower shows? What's happening with the new SLGC website? It's all here!
All the information from the May newsletter is contained here. What's happening? Who heard what? Who won at flower shows? What's happening with the new SLGC website? It's all here!