MONTHLY THEME: Gorgeous Ground Covers!

Are you tired of mowing that steep incline or narrow pathway? Does your yard have way too much grass? Instead of another bag of mulch under the Maple tree, how about a beautiful carpet of color from a hardy ground cover? Are you fed up with weed-whacking the grass under the fence or do you just want to reduce the time spent weeding? Wouldn’t it be nice to fill in that dirt between the stepping-stones with a vibrant ground cover? Let’s talk about ground covers this month and open up your options for new and decorative vegetation in your yard.

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MONTHLY THEME: Let’s Talk About Native Plants!

It’s finally SPRINGTIME in Ohio! The glorious time of the year when all gardeners rise up, dust off their garden gloves, dig out their gardening tools, and head outside to work in their gardens. This month let’s talk about plants that are native to Ohio.

Gardeners tend to be people who honor and appreciate nature, and more than likely are ecofriendly and concerned about biodiversity, which is why gardening trends like woodland, wildflower, prairie, and rain gardens are all the buzz.

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MONTHLY THEME: Winter Blues Varnish with Blueberries!

Don’t let the winter months make you blue – instead focus for a few minutes on growing and baking with blueberries! If you enjoy munching on blueberries half as much as I do, it will be worth your time to plant your own blueberry bushes in your yard. I planted my first two Jersey Highbush Blueberry bushes in 2008. I quickly learned I would need to plant another variety – so I added two Bluejay blueberry bushes in 2009. Also, I replaced one that died in 2020. However, one of the first bushes I planted, continues to be my best producer. I call her my ‘mama’ blueberry bush because she does all the hard work.

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MONTHLY THEME: Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze…

Don McLean's song ‘Starry, starry night’ about Vincent van Gogh's life always makes me think of an aster. I wonder if McLean would mind if I added a verse to his song that said, ‘Starry, starry night asters bloom with such delight?’ If you haven’t already guessed, this month’s ‘star’ performer is the aster.

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MONTHLY THEME: I’m simply wild about WILD Geraniums!

This month’s feature plant is the Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum (genus Gernaium). In 2019, I introduced one small potted Wild Geranium plant to my yard and now I have a 3’ mounded circle. Mine are nestled next to my Lenton Rose Hellebores, Shasta Daisy’s Leucanthemum × superbum, and Bleeding Hearts Lamprocapnos spectabilis. The Wild Geranium is a native wildflower and can grow in full sun to shade. Of course, the more sun, the more flowers. It will survive in average soil, but thrive in richer soil (like the forest floors). Anyone can grow this plant – no need for a magical green thumb. You don’t even have to deadhead because the plants do not repeat bloom.

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MONTHLY THEME: You too CAN grow CANNA Lilies!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve grown Canna Lilies for over 20-years. My plants originally came from my Great Aunt Angie’s home in sunny Florida. She gave starter rhizomes to my mom who faithfully planted them for years and years. Mom gifted me some rhizomes and I have carried on the tradition. Since they are a tropical plant, they can’t survive our harsh Ohio winters. So, they have to be dug up and replanted yearly. I won’t lie – it’s a lot of work, but their beauty and grace are worth the effort. I believe the variety I grow are called Mr. President.

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MONTHLY THEME: Botanical names, common names, Latin names, regional names, which one is correct?!

I wanted to write this month about my Moonflower, Brugmansia, a lovely plant I started from seeds my son, Joshua, gave me years ago. However, once I started researching, I learned that I am not growing Brugmansia, but genus Datura! See, you can teach an old gardener new facts. The name Datura is from Sanskrit dhatūrao or thornapple. In fact, Datura is known by many names: Trumpet Flower, Floripondio, Jimsonweed, Devil's Trumpet, Indian Apple, Thornapples, and Horn of Plenty. Like so many other plants it gets confusing with the various names people recognize them by. Apparently, William Shakespeare was accurate when he wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Plants are often named by their appearance, their medical benefits, their fragrance or even folklore.

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MARCH/APRIL THEME: Spring into Spring!

Plan and plot, dream and draft, envision and execute. With springtime just around the corner, my gardening brain is going a mile-a-minute. What should I plant? What should I transplant? I need to finally set up my rain barrel. Why didn’t my garlic grow? What should I remove from my landscape? My deck needs to be stained. This is the perfect time to visualize your landscape and implement a plan of action to make those dreams come true.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY THEME: The Ins and Outs of Garden Journaling

Winter. I’m sitting by my computer with my morning cup of java while watching the snow gently drift down to the ground. Gardeners can feel trapped in the winter months because they long to be outside digging in the dirt. It’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday and later I plan to take a self-guided MLK history walk at Goodyear Metro Park. Since we can’t get out and actually garden, it’s a great time to spend indoors planning our gardens. Whether you grow vegetables, herbs or flowers, it’s wise to keep a garden journal.

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MONTHLY THEME: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

Alas, another gardening season has quickly come to an end. The yardwork is all done (hopefully), the plants are cut back, the Red Cannas rhizomes are dug up, the tulips bulbs I received for my birthday are planted (thanks Chris!), and the outdoor yard art is stored away in the basement. While our plants sleep under a blanket of white snow, we can focus once again on indoor plants. With Christmas just around the corner, I decided this month’s feature plant should be the Angel Wing Begonia Begonia coccinea x Begonia aconitifolia. As we decorate our homes with Christmas Angels, let’s learn a little about the Angel Wing Begonia.

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MONTHLY THEME: Is it a scrub, bush or hedge?

Before we get into our featured plant this month, let’s clear up the confusion over scrubs, bushes, and hedges. A shrub is usually taller and has more foliage than a bush. Bushes grow naturally or wild, but shrubs are often pruned and groomed into a desired shape. Technically, they are both woody plants that can grow up to 13’. Since bushes are less manicured, they tend to look like small trees. What about hedges? A hedge is made up of multiple shrubs or bushes (or even trees) grown close together to form a boundary or fence-like structure.

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MONTHLY THEME: Bring on the herbs!

It’s time to bring on the herbs! If you enjoy cooking and have even a tiny yard, I’d strongly encourage you to plant some culinary herbs. Once you start growing your own herbs and cooking with fresh herbs, you’ll never go back to those store-bought jars of dried herbs. This month we are going to spotlight Common Basil genus Ocimum basilicum.

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MONTHLY THEME: Winds of Change

This month’s feature plant is the Japanese Anemone, Windflower genus Anemone hupehensis. This late summer to fall overachiever brings much-needed flowers to the garden when so many other flowers are already done for the season.

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MONTHLY THEME: Let’s get PASSIONATE!

Now that I have your attention, let’s get passionate about gardening with this month’s featured plant the Purple Passion Flower genus Passiflora incarnata.

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MONTHLY THEME: Bring on the ANNUALS!

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t invest a lot of money in annuals. Since they only last one season, I can’t justify the expense (feel free to call me cheap or preferably thrifty). However, I do start several annuals from seed. For the low price of a package of seeds, I get to enjoy colorful blooms and whimsical greenery in my garden throughout the summer.

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“I must have flowers, always and always.” Claude Monet

Most people prefer a bouquet of a dozen red roses, but I would rather have a handful of pink or yellow tulips. Like you, I’m still anxiously waiting for drier and warmer days to work in the garden. We’ve had one or two nice weather days and then it goes right back to dark and dank days. However, the weather hasn’t deterred my tulips from peeking their cup-shaped faces out of the murky ground.

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“I must have flowers, always and always.” Claude Monet

Most people prefer a bouquet of a dozen red roses, but I would rather have a handful of pink or yellow tulips. Like you, I’m still anxiously waiting for drier and warmer days to work in the garden. We’ve had one or two nice weather days and then it goes right back to dark and dank days. However, the weather hasn’t deterred my tulips from peeking their cup-shaped faces out of the murky ground.

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With the fear of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) hanging over our heads, we need the beauty of spring more than ever. I long to be outside, with the breeze blowing through my hair, dirt between my fingers, and the robins singing. It’s been a difficult March and it looks like it won’t end anytime soon. So, at least we have spring.

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Not your everyday houseplant

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