Dayton "Dirt" - October 17, 2014

Much progress has been made this past week on the large new addition to the annual production greenhouse that will greatly expand the product line of the retail greenhouse during the frenzied May selling season. The hanging basket drip lines are going up now to be followed by other waterlines for hand watering and then with the final step of the self-watering benches that will definitely take a long time to construct as they must be level, fitted with water and drain lines and finally the gluing together of numerous ribbed fiberglass panels on which the plants sit in order to be watered.

Last Saturday, the killing frost finished off the flowers along the road and the big annual pots along the driveway but not the petunias in the gutters of the Owl market or Calliope geranium hanging baskets. The flowers will survive until temperatures drop below 28º F although the short days and cool nights have slowed their flowering and growth. The unofficial temperature at the nursery was 30º F so that the evergreen azaleas had to be covered to preserve the flower buds on the top portion of the plants. There too were a few perennial plants covered as they were not potted until late August and early September and are in need yet of the foliage to feed the root system before winter arrives. One of the Heucheras not covered, as it is well established, is the new Proven  Winners variety called Cinnamon Curls. The wavy, cinnamon colored foliage is thick and vibrant even after the freeze. This variety should be a major hit with gardeners next spring.

Hopefully the leaves will color up with last week’s frost but there is not much time left in the leaf- viewing season. Just as road trips to view the spectacular leaf colors are popular here, in Japan during the eighteenth century, special parties were hosted to view different varieties of Japanese maples. Unfortunately, many of the old cultivars have been lost as they were cut down and burned for firewood as the Japanese people tried to keep warm during the dark days of World War II.

Adequate rainfall is still elusive in that the rear irrigation pond at the nursery is at least 1 foot low which translates into at least 2 inches of rainfall that is collected over about 20 acres of land  including the runoff from the buildings and parking lot. The somewhat dry weather though has not stopped the spectacular red and yellow fall color of the Virginia creeper vines on the trees in the woods and also that notorious vine known as poison ivy that must be “enjoyed” at a distance.

Tom