I planted this his unusual shrub two years ago for one of my clients when it was just a sprig less than a foot tall. It now stands about five feet tall and has a spread of about four to five feet. The blooms start as a deep burgundy in May and lighten to a soft maroon. I can remember having a cultivar of this species at a house I rented many years ago, but the blossoms on that plant were not as large and showy as these, thus I suspect there may be different and improved cultivars available. I also remember the bush being about 7 feet tall and almost that wide. So if you have fallen in love with this beautiful plant and want to have one of your own, be sure to place it where it has plenty of room to grow. Some people call this a "strawberry bush" since the blossoms have a light fragrance very much like that of strawberries. It was purchased at Bluestone Perennials in Madison, Ohio.
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One of my favorite woodland wildflowers is the trillium. They bloom here in Northeast Ohio in late April, and I found these today in a client's garden. Many years ago I transplanted some from a woodland to my yard, but today that would be illegal as the trillium is now a "protected species." They are, however, available from mail order plant suppliers.
This is hands-on class where you will take home 18 small pots of vegetable seeds planted and ready to go to start indoors. Class instructor, Barbara Eaton, M. Ed. and Master Gardener, will share secrets and tips for foolproof starting of vegetables and flowers from seed indoors. Linda Huston will share her tips for developing well developed roots systems on sturdy tomato starts. The vegetables you plant in this class will be ready to go into your garden in mid to late May. You will get : Free seeds for tomatoes, peppers and watermelon. your choice from 6 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and 4 hybrid tomatoes, 3 peppers and 2 watermelons. Organic potting medium Paper cups for your starts Organic anti-fungal treatment When: Monday, March 23, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Where: Kent Social Services , 1066 S. Water St. Cost: $14.00 or Crooked River Time Bank members only $8.00 plus 1 time credit. Please RSVP if possible to [email protected] or 330-283-0279. Plan to bring gardening or latex gloves and a box or trays to carry your pots home. Join me in this hands-on class where you will take home 18 small pots of vegetable seeds planted and ready to go to start indoors. Class instructor is Barbara Eaton, M. Ed. and Master Gardener, who will share secrets and tips for foolproof starting of vegetables and flowers from seed indoors. The vegetables you plant in this class will be ready to go into your garden in mid to late May. You will get : Free seeds for tomatoes, peppers, kale, and watermelon. You can choose from 7-8 varieties of tomaotes including heirloom, cherry and patio tomatoes, and 3-4 varieties of peppers and 2 varieties of watermelon. Organic potting medium Paper cups for your starts Organic anti-fungal treatment When: Monday, March 23, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Where: Kent Social Services , 1066 S. Water St., Kent Ohio 44240 Cost: $14.00 or Crooked River Time Bank members only $8.00 plus 1 time credit Please RSVP if possible to [email protected] or 330-297-8741. Plan to bring gardening or latex gloves and a box or trays to carry your pots home. Visit my gardening blog at www.flowerloveohio.weebly.com As many gardeners here will tell you, the deer population in Northeast Ohio seems to be prolific and ravenous. I have had my own struggles while trying to protect my flowering plants from the deer. This year I discovered, quite by accident, a plant that may act as a deterrent to the deer or more correctly as a bait. In recent years I had relied on my older dog to police the area between the woods and my flower gardens, and the deer seemed to have found safer pastures elsewhere. But since she passed away two years ago, the deer have returned making nightly visits to nibble my sunflowers, cucumbers and zinnias.
We had such a wet spring and summer, I was unable to get many weeds and other volunteers pulled out, and I had an abundance of this dark red ornamental amaranth in most of the rows of my annuals and perennials. These were volunteers that seeded from a previous years small patch of two ornamental varieties I cultivated. In drier years I would have weeded most of this out. Early in the season, the deer were eating the tops of my zinnias, but as the amaranth matured I noticed that something was eating the leaves of this plant and my zinnias were being left in tact. This pattern has continued through the late summer and into fall. I have not had to net or spray my zinnias since early August. On April 6th, I posted this photo and asked if anyone could help Identify this great fragrant plant. I guessed it might be a form of horsemint, and that it clearly was closely related to the Monarda family. Today a customer at the farmer's market told me that the florist she works for calls it Mountain Mint. I searched the internet for Mountain Mint and, yes, I found images that do indeed look just like it. So, I think the mystery is solved.
I will have cut stems of this great plant available at the market for sale as well as plants. The fragrance is reminiscent of monarda but also of citronella and eucalyptus. The warmer the weather, the stronger the fragrance. The variety I have grows almost 4 feet tall and bees and butterflies love it! It dries well, too and keeps its fragrance . Join me for an evening of flower fun. You bring the vases, and I will bring a car load of my fresh-cut locally grown flowers. We will meet at Kent Social Services, 1066 South Water St. in Kent, Ohio at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 12. I'll let you choose the flowers you like, make up to three bouquets to take with you, and share some of my flower growing and bouquet making tips. Cost is $16.00.* We will meet from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 12 at Kent Social Services at 1066 S. Water Street in Kent, Ohio.
Bring 2 short vases (mason jars or large coffee mugs will do) and a tall vase if you have one (about 12 " tall.) Zinnias , dahlias and sunflowers should be in abundance! *The cost is $16.00. Members of the Crooked River Time Bank can attend for $12.00 and one hour time bank credit. Pre-registration is required since space is limited. E-mail your reservation to [email protected] or all me at 330-297-8741 (please leave contact number if you reach voice mail.) We have had another very wet spring and early summer almost a repeat of last year here in Northeast Ohio. The temperatures have been quite cool, too. I have noticed that there have been very few Japanese beetles for these two summers. Did the heavy rain drown the larvae that hide in our lawns? The Hollyhocks have fared better as a result with much less damage to the leaves. There is some visible pest damage to the leaves on the hollyhocks pictured below, but they have had no fungal or pest treatment. I have also noticed that these two wet summers have brought less powdery mildew on the zinnias, the hollyhocks and the squash vines.
Ohio Gardener Magazine is a new publication that publishes both a print and a web edition. The July web edition features my article entitled "Start a Cutting Garden in as Little as 32 Square Feet." Check it out at http://www.statebystategardening.com/oh/
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AuthorBarbara Eaton, M.Ed. is a Master Gardener, a garden designer and an artist. She works as a professional gardener caring for the gardens of several regular clients. She is a published author, retired educator and a fool for flowers. Archives
January 2019
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