by GardenLover | Sep 18, 2012 | Snapshots
Thank goodness for second chances.
Colchicum
By Teresa Woodard
Discouraged by all the late-summer brown in our bone-dry central Ohio landscapes, I was delighted to see some pink colchicum bulbs flowering in the backyard. I decided to take a snapshot and was pleased to find several other colorful treasures as I took another look at our landscape through the macro lens of a camera. Isn’t it great our Midwestern landscapes offer another season of gardening?
Japanese anemone
Hips of rosa rugosa
Goldenrod (Solidago)
Miscanthus
Crabapples
White Boltonia (Boltonia asteroides)
by GardenLover | Sep 12, 2012 | Gardens to Drive
By Teresa Woodard
Yes. Gardening is a lot of work – watering, weeding, planting, and trimming, but it’s the gardening joys that make the sweat and dirty fingernails worthwhile. Take inspiration from these three examples. My husband’s 90-year-old grandmother plants an ever-flowering mandevilla vine at her mailbox to bring cheer to the neighbors in her senior community. 
Here, I’ve grown zinnias from seed since I was 10, so I love sharing bouquets of my favorite blooms with others.
And look how this “pothole gardener” is cleverly spreading goodwill in East London.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK0N9aaXRGY]
by GardenLover | Sep 5, 2012 | Favorite Flora
Pansies don’t wimp out
By Michael Leach
Pansies are more a part of my fall planting plans than mums. While no visual match for a plump mum ball, these small plants brighten the scene long after frost and freeze. Scattered blooms even appear in mild winter weather.
Then the kicker — a spring show before garden centers stock pansies. They can flower until hot weather wilts the lettuce. I usually choose tiny violas, because they tend to self-sow without becoming pesky — at least for me.
But I’m hoping to try the new Cool Wave Pansy, from the developers of Wave petunias. They should give mums a run for it. Introduced this spring, I saw some at the OFA trade show in July — Wow!
Plants grow about 6 to 8 inches tall but spread 2 feet or more. They come in yellow, white, white and violet, and white with pale blue edges. Please visit www.wave-rave.com to find stores near you.
If you’ve tried them, what do you think?
Whatever the type, I’ll plant most of the pansies near the back door (the main entry for my home) and near the big windows on the sun porch. This way I enjoy their colorful contribution coming and going — or sitting comfortably by a window regardless of the weather.
Give these sun/part-shade troupers good, well-drained soil and even moisture. Plant as soon as possible so roots grab hold before cold weather arrives. Come spring, when you’re trimming back brown mums, pansies will be welcoming the new growing season.
by GardenLover | Aug 21, 2012 | Gardens to Drive
By Debra Knapke
We have a rule in our house – which I don’t always follow: if I buy a book I must have a place to put it. Libraries are one of our greatest institutions as I can’t buy all the books I want, but I can borrow them and peruse them over a cup of tea.
I just took out two delightful summer fare books, You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes by Mike McGrath and Locally Grown: Portraits of Artisanal Farms from America’s Heartland by Anna Blessing.
McGrath’s book on tomatoes is perfect for the beginner gardener. There are portraits of individual tomatoes and a list of “Top Tomatoes” that will get your mouth-watering for these popular heirlooms. All aspects of tomato culture are covered in easy-to-digest prose. The sidebars cover related issues such as soil prep, tomato cage specifications and how to figure out when and how much to water. Plus, there are many small tidbits of information that all gardeners know after years of trial and error (isn’t that what gardening is all about?) If you’ve been waiting for a compact and informative how-to on tomatoes, this is it.
In Anna Blessing’s book, I embarked on an armchair journey of family farms that supply many restaurants in Chicago with fresh, locally grown and raised food. The recipes alone attracted me as I flipped through this book in the library. But I was also fascinated in the stories of the farmers who have committed to growing fruits, vegetables and herbs and raising animals in a respectful, responsible and sustainable way. I have written down some of the recipes and noted some of the restaurants for our next trip to Chicago. This time we will know where to eat.
by GardenLover | Aug 17, 2012 | Happenings
Gardening Happenings: Sustainability Workshops
Gardeners are hungry for more information on sustainability. According to the Garden Writers of America Summer Trends 2012 survey, 79 percent of respondents say they need more information on the topic. Well, lucky for Midwestern gardeners, here are two upcoming workshops.
- Ohio Sustainable Landscape Symposium (Sept. 15): Putting principles of eco-friendly, sustainable gardening into practice is the thrust of the Ohio Sustainable Landscape Symposium that includes a sale of books and native plants Sept. 15 at Dawes Arboretum near Newark. Hosted by Dawes and Licking County Master Gardeners, the symposium offers nationally known speakers, such as Prof. Allan Armitage of the University of Georgia, and other experts covering a range of topics from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is $50 through Sept. 1, $60 after Sept. 1. The fee includes lunch and garden tour. Armitage is to speak on Native Plants for North American Garden. Other speakers and topics include: David Brandenburg — Wild Collecting in the 21st Century; Sandy Frey and Susan Weber — Ten Great Strategies for a Beautiful, Sustainable Back Yard; Don Humphrey — Gardening with Nature; Pablo Jourdan — Genes in the Bank: Investment Opportunities with Our Native Herbaceous Plants; Richard Larson — The Splendid Selectivity of Nature.
- St. Louis Green Homes Great Health Festival (Sept. 29) — The 11th annual Green Homes and Great Health Festival returns to the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The all-ages festival showcases options for sustainable living combined with positive ways to maintain the health of people and the planet. The event is included with regular Garden admission. Bring your home improvement ideas and talk with over 100 green product and service exhibitors. Enjoy local foods and live music, and shopping for handmade crafts in the Green Marketplace. Get a free flu shot and talk with experts about your health questions. Kids will enjoy solar car races, puppet shows, and more! Help paint a Metro bus and explore the alternative vehicles on display. Learn from expert presentations and demos about the many ways that plants, air, water, soil and energy sustain our homes, our health and our living Earth.
