I have found, on the many visits I make to homeowner’s residence and other properties, the questions follow a trend. I call it the consciousness of the week – Everyone I meet seems to flow in the same stream of consciousness – though many are unaware of the rest of the multitude asking the very same questions. I find this very interesting and file it as the “true” gardening trend – What do I accomplish in the garden and when?
The overwhelming trend this week centered on the Goldmound Spirea. Most of you I have spoken with had many questions in regards to this plant. Homeowners who have these shrubs feel they need to replace them, as they have grown too large for the landscape. When you bought this plant you were attracted to the glowing aura of the yellow leaves with soft pink hues & the fiery red tips. Once you were told it was drought tolerant, salt tolerant and it bloomed gorgeously in June, you were sold! It fit perfectly, with its two like companions, at your front walkway. When you first installed it you grinned from ear to ear – what a perfect plant – your friends and family commented on it as well.
What are you planting in your vegetable garden?
There are so many choices – Countless cucumber varieties, gobs of green beans, hoards of herbs, limitless lettuce, a plethora of peppers, tons of tomato varieties, zillions of zucchini, and multitudes more. The colors are an artists palette and the earth your canvas.
Memorial Day is well on its way, bringing with it warm gatherings of friends and families, cookouts, boating, golfing, a day spent poolside or enjoying a mindful day of croquet on the back lawn. We all want our lawns and landscape beds to look their best to create a beautiful oasis for our guests. Almost everyone anticipates Memorial Day and if you’ve ventured into a garden nursery lately you can see the build up of energy awaiting one of the biggest outdoor days of the year. We all hope the weather is better than it was on Mothers day.
Welcome to week nineteen!
Nurseries were buzzing today. Individuals, couples, and families all trekking the nursery grounds to find that one plant to fill that one spot. We all have that “one spot”. The spot out front, the one where you feel like your living room is a fish bowl for the whole neighborhood to see in and if you could just find that “one plant” you would have your privacy back.
What are you doing this week? Have you started planting already? Frisky! Are you keeping an eye on the weather and your tender plantings? Attentive! Do you have your garden planned and ready to go? Your plant list in hand? Opportunity meets preparation!
If you have answered yes to the questions above than you are ready to put spring in to motion we have three suggestions that may help to make your shopping experience more enjoyable;
Many of us are not very fond of bees. I’ve actually had customer’s request flowers that do not attract bees. I understand the thinking behind it, though this is much like requesting a dog that does not bark. You may find a quieter breed but dogs are known to bark. Most plants are not very concerned about what we think of them, their only known vanity is for the sole purpose of survival. Flowers, as we know them, are the plants way of attracting pollinators, a bit like the shiny factor. Bees, as mischievous as they may seem, are very important in regards to plant pollination and as we know, successful plant pollination creates wonderful magic! Sustainable magic, you have to appreciate that!
Have you had enough of our Ohio spring yet? This is a great taste of a typical Ohio spring, as typical as they can get anyhow. Last spring sure spoiled a bunch of us. There were a couple posts on social media by those complaining about the cold spell this past week they had to bring their flowers and tender plantings inside. Typically in Northeast Ohio it is not safe to plant annuals, perennials or tender trees and shrubs until the last hard frost has passed. Northeast Ohio – Our last hard frost never hits until Mothers Day. O.K. last year doesn’t count! One in a million – all other years it is finally safe to plant within the week after Mothers Day. Mark that on your calendars, though, if you want first picks of the best selections you will have to get to the nursery earlier than that as everyone is yearning for a piece of spring. It is suggestible that you keep your tender plantings in the garage until the possibility of a harmful freeze has passed.
Have you heard of Bagworm? It hangs out in Locust trees, White Pine, Arborvitae and many more. The worm creates a home made from the leaves and stems of the host tree. When this little worm has completed building the pouch it resembles a Chinese lantern or maybe a Christmas ornament. The worm itself and the pouch in which it lives are quite cute – to some – quite gross to others. We have included a photo for identification. If you should happen to find this critter in your garden or landscape trees you will want to be proactive before they hatch a new generation. 500 unbelievably tiny little worms will crawl out of each female Bagworms pouch approximately late May to early June. In a recent e-mail sent to us it was described as 50 or more pouches in one tree – 50 x 500 = WOW!! Do SOMETHING!!!!!
Pictured above all of the tiny pouches of Bagworms hanging from the limbs
For more information on the identification, organic treatment or other actions to be taken with this critter visit our store and grab the e-course on Bagworms!
The photo above is a Bagworm working from its pouch.
Usually you can set your alarm to the pear trees blossom coinciding with tax day. April 15th – usually, though in 2011 they were about 2 weeks late on the bloom time we are accustomed to and last year they were early by about two weeks. Just when you think you have the schedule down, Ha – this is Ohio! Will they break out that blossom today? Tomorrow? I guess we will all have to wait and see. Spring is always full of surprises!!
As I write this Wendy Connair Owner of Garden Girls Inc. is gracefully grading an area with a mini-excavator she just finished cutting the soil out of. She is one of many contractors who have donated their time in creating a parking lot for a wonderful and local small business who needed the boost.
As always, if you have a garden question do not hesitate to call or write in, you should not spend more than 10 minutes with any conundrum – there is always an answer within arms reach. We are here for you!!
Until next week, remember, the grass is only greener on the other side of the fence because it is synthetic!
Here we go!
The nurseries will soon bustle with excited gardeners seeking the real presence of spring. They will arrive with huge smiles – sometimes ice cream cones – and grab a cart to gather spring cheer, which will be toted home to share with the rest of the family and sometimes the neighbors. Business as usual this year for the nurseries with one exception, you probably would not notice them missing from this bright and cheery scene if you were not looking for them.
Last year was quite a surprise to all of us in Northeast Ohio as the temperatures soared through the month of March. Many gardeners I have spoken to recently, each proclaimed that this time last year they had already mowed their lawns – TWICE! Last years weather was quite an experience for us here in Northeast Ohio – and will probably be the topic of much discussion as we travel through our season this year. I must say, this year has started out as a typical Ohio spring…snow…then no snow…sunshine…then no sunshine. Last week a few of us in the green industry laughed at how one of the days had temperatures to mimic winter, spring, summer and, if a couple of the leaves that are still Hanging onto the Pin Oaks from last year had dropped, we could say we had fall! I love Ohio!!
