It’s plant sale time and you will find me in the role of plant ambassador at the Chadwick Arboretum Sale on Friday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. I will be there to answer questions and find plants that will work in your garden. At 11:00, I will be a guest of All Sides with Ann Fisher on WOSU-89.7 and answer more questions.
One question I anticipate from listeners and sale visitors is: what are the effects of the record precipitation last year – 55-plus inches – plus the wet winter and spring? In Central Ohio we are already 6” above normal for this time of year, and much of the Midwest is experiencing similar weather. My response will be: “Good question; let me consult my crystal ball.” Then I will relate what has happened in my garden.
One casualty of last year’s rain and wet winter was my thyme lawn. It looked approximately 95% dead on April 23rd when this picture was taken. It is slowly coming back, and I can now adjust the death toll to 85% dead. By this time in May I should see flower buds forming; however, I am happy to see any green leaves.
Thyme-less lawn
This spring may be different than what we think is the normal* spring, but I do want to remind you that Mother Nature has offered other mercurial springs over time. Last year, we had several “100-year rains.” Most of my plants made it through, but I lost several lavenders, some hens and chicks, and a few sages. The daffodils planted in that swamp were not especially happy and flowered less last year and this year.
In May of 2006, we had low overnight temperatures in the 30s which threatened the tomatoes and chilies in my vegetable gardens. Yes, those are newspaper hats.
And in 2009, we had freezing overnight temperatures (in the mid-20s) during the week of May 23rd. You are looking at Remay fabric which is much easier to use than making 25 paper hats.
So my best advice is to wait, observe and mark the places where plants have disappeared. Then drive over to the Chadwick Plant Sale or to your favorite garden center and purchase replacements. This is where the old adage, “when you get lemons, make lemonade”, is very appropriate.
Wishing you a productive Spring!
P.S. – *normal is relative; happy to hear what you think is a normal spring.
Upcoming Talks and Stories for Heartland Gardening Bloggers
Heartland Gardening bloggers Debra Knapke, Teresa Woodard and Michael Leach recently met for a brainstorming session at Fox in the Snow café in Columbus.
The Heartland Gardening bloggers have a busy spring ahead. Catch them at the following events and look for their stories in the following magazines:
Debra Knapke
Feb. 14: Debra will present two talks at the OEFFA conference in Granville — What is a Plant? and Polycultures and Garden Guilds.
Feb. 24: Debra will be speaking to the 2016 Delaware Master Gardener class about Annuals and Perennials.
March 5: Debra will be speaking on Sustainable Gardens at Wegerzyn Gardens in Dayton.
March 17: Debra will be traveling to Connecticut to present The Garden Aesthetic in a Time of Global Climate Change at the UConn Sustainable Landscape Conference
April 8: Debra and her daughter, Sarah Arevalo, will be presenting Complementary Design: Embracing Inside and Out at LABash 2016 at The Ohio State University.
Feb. 20-28: As the garden stage manager at the Columbus Home & Garden Show at the Ohio Expo Center, Michael Leach has recruited a speaker line-up who will cover everything from backyard beekeeping to growing your own vegetables.
Feb. 21, 11 a.m.: Michael will present “Healing Gardens” at the Columbus Home & Garden Show.
March 12, 8 a.m.: Teresa Woodard will be give the keynote presentation “Gardening for the Health of It” at “Ready, Set, Grow!” a vegetable gardening conference sponsored by the Delaware County Master Gardeners and the local health department.
April 21: Teresa will be speaking to the 2016 Madison Master Gardener class about Container Gardening.
Check out Michael’s guest blog (January 20) at Gardening Know Howand learn that it’s OK to sit down in the garden and let it nurture you.
Gardening Know How helps novice and seasoned gardeners discover easy ways of cultivating the passion of growing everything from houseplants to edibles. To date, the website has answered over 45,000 direct questions about gardening, and over 60 million people come to visit the site every year.
the Midwest’s largest green industry convention hosted by the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Jan. 11-13. She will present “The Garden Aesthetic” on Tuesday and “Edible Native Plants” on Wednesday. She also will present “Garden Design Informed by Ecology & Place” at the pre-conference event — the P.L.A.N.T. Seminar hosted by the Perennial Plant Association and the Ohio State Master Gardener Volunteers.
As a member of ONLA’s education committee, Debra says this year’s speaker line-up is exceptional thanks to the work of Lisa Larson, ONLA’s education director. Speakers include book author Kerry Mendez, economist Charlie Hall, master plantsman Kelly Norris, Jeni Britton Bauer — founder of Jeni’s Ice Cream, Bill Hendricks of Klyn Nursery, Susan Weber of Integrity Sustainable Planning & Design, and a series of presentations from horticulturists from the country’s top public gardens.
CENTS (Central Environmental Nursery and Tradeshow) is an annual convention hosted by the (ONLA). ONLA is a high-energy association where landscape, nursery, greenhouse, arbor, garden center, turf and pest management professionals can meet, learn, network, buy and sell the goods and services vital to their success.
Catch Debra at the 36th Annual conference of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA). She will be offering a two hour workshop on Permaculture: Fitting It into the Context of Your Life. There is still space at this eclectic conference which is this weekend, February 14th and 15th in Granville, Ohio.
Here is a description from OEFFA’s website: “With almost 100 workshops to choose from throughout the weekend, OEFFA’s conference has something for everyone to love! Eighteen workshop tracks will be offered, covering everything from farm and garden basics, commercial production, food and farm policy, research, sustainable living, and much more!”
The exhibition hall is filled with local producers of food, and items for the home, garden and farm. And, wait, there’s more: for readers there is a bookstore. Check it out!
On Saturday, tune the radio (WTVN in Columbus or WKRC in Cincinnati) to hear Deb Knapke on In the Garden with Ron Wilson. She’ll be sharing ideas for planting scarlet and gray gardens in celebration of The Ohio State University’s football championship. Will it be Red Riding Hood tulip and red fernleaf peony with White Nancy lamium? Maybe royal catchfly and Little Devil ninebark with Silver Brocade Artemisia. Of perhaps for fall, Fire Spire American hornbeam and lavender and deep red snapdragons. And, of course a red buckeye,too. Go Deb, and go Bucks!!
Michael Leach:
Michael Leach is pulling together a stellar line-up of speakers and programs for The Columbus Dispatch Home & Garden Show at the Ohio Expo Center . For the past several years he has brought in a range of experts to help visitors gain a better understanding of the world of home gardening and landscaping. Educational programs range from sustainable landscaping to fairy gardens. He and Fred Hower, The Ohio Nurseryman, will be leading tours of the show gardens to discuss landscape design basics. The show opens Valentine’s Day and runs through Feb. 22.
Check out Michael’s 
