Snapshots: April Foolery
On April Fool’s Day, here’s a little horticulture humor. Thanks to Meadow View Growers of New Carlisle, Ohio, for the laugh.
Gardens to Drive: Tulip Displays
By Michael Leach
Is a trip to the Netherlands for tulip time out of the question? Don’t despair. Colorful vestiges of the Dutch tulip obsession are sprouting in several Midwest locations.
Dutch immigrants left more lasting impressions than wooden shoe footprints in Michigan, Iowa and elsewhere. Their love of tulips was contagious and spread far beyond their settlements.
Given this year’s Sun Belt winter and spring heat wave in most of the Midwest, who knows when the tulips will blossom. Not to worry, I’ve learned of places worth a visit with or without tulips.
For instance, there’s Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The tulip display is reported to be considerably ahead of the traditional May tulip time but who cares? Chicago has so much else to offer and the plantings that replace the tulips are outrageously grand all summer.
With a name like Holland you expect tulips. The Michigan namesake town hosts perhaps the best known and most elaborate festival. An estimated 6 million tulips bloom in city parks and along 6 miles of streets. This year’s Tulip Time Festival is May 5-12. Holland isn’t far from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. A ferry from nearby Muskegon crosses to Milwaukee in 2.5 hours, saving hours of driving, while adding a nautical element to a spring visit.
Go further west, and you’ll find a Dutch touch in Pella Iowa, southeast of Des Moines. A working windmill, built in 2002, is a focal point of the Vermeer Mill and Interpretive Center. This wheat grinding model, which looks like those in the Netherlands, is considerably more picturesque than the modern wind turbine. Pella’s tulip bash is May 3-5.
In northwest Iowa, a bit of tulipmania grows in Orange City with the Tulip Festival , May 17-19.
Topeka, Kan. holds its Tulip Time Festival April 7-23. According to the April issue of Midwest Living, there are 200,000 tulips and daffodils blooming a historic sites around town. The current issue also lists other flower-theme festivals.
Besides festivals, tulips are practically de rigueur in public gardens. The one nearest you probably has a display to make spring that much brighter. So check it out.
Book Notes: Home Orchard Handbook
The Home Orchard Handbook: A Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruit Trees Anywhere by Cem Akin and Leah Rottke, 2011, Quarry Books, Quayside Publishing Group. Retail: $24.95
Reviewed by Debra Knapke
Harvesting the fruit that you grew is an extremely satisfying late summer and fall garden task. The Home Orchard Handbook provides clear, concise information on how to create and maintain an orchard. You will understand why a tree succeeds or fails in your garden. You will know which fruits you can grow in your area and you will be able to select healthy, vigorous plants. For specific cultivars and fruit varieties check in with your local extension agents and garden centers.
Growing fruit is a time-consuming undertaking as you establish the trees, but there is a rhythm to the care and feeding of an orchard that puts you in touch with the cycle of the growing season. The authors have focused on cultural practices that should lessen the need for pesticides. However, many fruit trees are susceptible to a host of animal pests and diseases. Three charts summarize the possible problems and biological and organic controls that are available. More information follows to help you deal with the problems that crop up.
The Home Orchard Handbook has a global focus. It was written by the executive director and a volunteer arborist of The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to create sustainable orchards all over the world, and its effort is supported by the sale of this beautiful and useful book.
Take a look. Even if you don’t create your own orchard, it may inspire you to help others.
Gardens to Drive For: Glasshouse Gardens
By Michael Leach
A tropical escape from the cold and slush of Midwestern winter comes with an admission ticket not a boarding pass. Summer awaits in glass house gardens, those amazing conservatories from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to St. Louis. Some of these are new structures, others historic community icons. All reward with welcome warmth and a breath of fresh air — sometimes perfumed with tropical flowers.
Not all escape locations are as strictly botanical as these venues. Palm-filled atriums in office buildings, hotels and shopping malls provide a dose of warmth and chlorophyll, frequently accented with splashing water that refreshes winter weary souls.
Other escape hatches are large garden centers. Their houseplant sections afford not only summery warmth and humidity — but souvenirs to brighten windowsills at home.
In the next few weeks we’ll highlight special conservatory events, such as the Orchids! Vibrant Victoriana (Jan. 14 through April 8, 2012) at Franklin Park Conservatory in Ohio’s capital Columbus. The show blends works by glass artist Debora Moore with the flora. Please tell us about your favorite wintering spots.