Dayton "Dirt" - October 18, 2013

Perennial gardens appear “tired” at this time of year and are ready for a fall clean up. Most herbaceous perennials are not fussy about their old stems and foliage being cut back to the crown but there are two genus varieties of note: Delphinium and Chrysanthemums. Delphinium have hollow stems which will retain water damaging the plant’s crown from alternating freezes and thaws. Chrysanthemums are a tender perennial and will benefit if the old dried foliage remains until early spring. The old foliage shades the crown and thus protects it from rapid temperature changes. In the case of Delphinium bending over the dead stems will prevent water from entering as cutting them off would allow. On trimming of trees and shrubs, the Franklinia does not like to be cut back in fall. A few years ago, some young Franklinias were cut back only marginally and the result was the death of the plants in spring while others that were untrimmed opened with healthy new growth in spring! A fall feeding now of trees and shrubs will result in a healthy flush of growth in spring. It is now late enough in the growing season that the plants will not be pushed into growth and early enough that root systems are still active. After 2 years of stress (drought in 2012 and wet soil in 2013) the fall feeding would definitely be of benefit to get trees, shrubs and perennials off to a good start in spring of 2014. November is still a good time to plant trees, shrubs and Holland flower bulbs as the plants will be fully dormant except for the root system. When planting flower bulbs, a little planning will go a long way to extend the bloom season from late March through early June. The trick is to plan and plant now for a spring that is only 5 months away. Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - October 11, 2013

No doubt that the trees should have adequate moisture for a brilliant fall display but maybe a crisp frost is missing to brighten the leaf colors as it seems the fall season is not as bright as usual. Moving our back stock of trees and shrubs into winter storage houses has begun although covering the huts with white polyethylene won’t occur until about the first week of November as covering too early will prevent the plants from hardening off properly for winter. It’s now digging time for most trees and shrubs as the cool nights and falling leaves lessen the transpiration that would damage or kill the plant with a disturbed root system resulting from digging. One small tree that is noted for its fall show is Franklinia altamaha, also known as the Ben Franklin tree. In late September and October, the Franklin’s trees leaves start changing from a medium green to a mahogany color that contrast nicely with the white flowers with their golden yellow stamens and anthers. Franklinia was found on the banks of the Altamaha River in Georgia before 1790 and strangely enough is winter hardy to climatic zone 5. A search in 1790 for Franklinia yielded no results so that this tree has never been found in the wild since 1790. All existing Franklinias originate from the specimens collected in the late eighteenth century and planted in James Bartrum’s garden in Philadelphia. Mr. Bartrum was a friend of Ben Franklin and hence named the newly discovered tree for Ben. Another small to medium tree of note for fall color is the Serviceberry, or Amelanchier. With colors of yellow, red and orange sometimes mixed on the same tree, the serviceberry stands out in the landscape. In Akron, there is a grouping of these trees at the intersection of W. Market St. and Halifax that seems to glow with a mellow orange hue that’s especially beautiful when the sun reflects off the shimmering leaves. The short days are signaling the poinsettias in the greenhouse to just start setting a hint of color on some of the varieties. I’m anxious to see how some of our new Dummen varieties fare as compared to some of the older types. One of Dummen’s new creations about 4 years ago was ‘Ice Crystals’ that is a peculiar mix of pink, magenta and muted pink overtones that colors up so much better then the older variety called ‘Monet’. Don’t forget to take a soil test of your lawn and garden now so you can correct any irregularities before spring. The kits we sell are from Penn State University and are quite complete in the necessary chemical analysis of the soil. So long for now, Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - October 4, 2013

Barberton’s Mum Fest was wildly successful especially since the predicted rain on Sunday held off. The nursery mum sales are just starting to wind down but there is no winding down of the other activities that must be completed before winter sets in. Transplanting of our rooted azalea cuttings from the summer has been completed as well as the repotting of many plants to a larger pot size. Inventory is the big deal for fall as many plants must be kept separate as some are ready to sell now and others won’t be ready until next spring and in some cases until 2015 and beyond! Unrooted annual flower orders with various companies must be completed this week in order to receive shipments in February. One of the newest developments is the proliferation of new petunia colors that are appropriately named Crazytunias. The new rage also is a more tall blue petunia called ‘Heavenly Blue’ by the Suntory Company. This is the last weekend the Owl Barn market will be open for business before it shuts down for winter and will resume with fresh produce sales not until late June. Newly dug trees are to arrive the week of October 15th as they are able to be dug then. No doubt the fall color will be near it’s peak October 14th week and soon the leaf raking chores will follow. Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 27, 2013

The cool nights and shorter days are a signal to trees that it’s to prepare for a long winter’s nap. The Autumn Blaze Maple has been displaying its customary scarlet red color for about 2 weeks that will be followed by the more crimson red of the Red Sunset Maple. The native Sugar Maples are in my opinion, the most spectacular in fall color as reds, yellows and oranges are frequently mixed on the same tree just like Joseph’s Coat. Sadly, at the nursery, Sugar Maples are not popular with the general public which attests to their slow growth rate compared to other trees. Shrubs with colorful fall foliage include Blueberries (red & yellow), Aronia (red), Clethra (yellow), Itea (dark red) and of course the brilliant red Euonymous alatus or Burning Bush. I’m not thrilled with the burning bush as it can be somewhat invasive as reported by Ken Cochran, the currator of the Secrest Arboreteum in Wooster, Ohio and even the State of New York has banned its importation from other States. A new development has been the “creation” of a new Igloo mum that is a pink-lavender daisy type that will be in peak bloom about October 1st week so that it will extend the bloom time of the Igloo season with the dependability of this species. This new Igloo has a number and no name as of yet so that my hope is it will be a new release for next year as it did well in trials at the nursery. The Owl Barn market is still open but sadly the sweet corn season is over for another year so that now the emphasis is on apples, squash, pumpkins, gourds, peppers and still tomatoes, potatoes and garlic. The fall digging season is starting so that still we are stocking the nursery with gorgeous hemlock and next week with more Spring Grove western red cedar and the nearly uniform and oh-so-blue, Baby Blue Spruce. Tune in to Ready, Set, Grow on Saturday 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. on 1590 WAKR to hear the interviews with the folks behind the mum madness call Mum Fest in Barberton this weekend. Hope for good weather! Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 20, 2013

Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox and the start of shorter days with longer nights until the winter solstice. The lower light levels are a signal for winter hardy plants to shut down to prepare for the long winter. The below ground roots however will keep expanding until ground temperatures reach 40ºF or below so that fall planting is definitely an advantage because of this root growth which results in an established plant in spring. The Igloo series of mums has been quite the hit this year because of their dependability of returning without fail year after year. The 3 new colors available added to the pallette of colors formerly available making the Igloos even more desirable. Last week’s Fall festival had more activities then ever and seemed to be well attended. I found the petting zoo interesting complete with goats, chickens, rabbits, a pig, turkey and a lama. As we all know, animals tend to bite and nibble but fortunately there were not any incidents. At the nursery, mums still fire in a wide array of colors and the fall sale still goes on with perennials, some grasses, trees and shrubs on a 50% off sale. The trees are just starting to display their fall colors with the peak of color appearing about October 20th. Remember the Mum Fest next weekend! Enjoy the good weather while you can! Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 13, 2013

Tomorrow is our annual Fall Festival complete with a petting zoo, food, music and lots to do for children of all ages. The nursery is loaded with gorgeous mums of all sizes and colors that color the grounds similarly (but not equivalent) to the mum planting at Lake Anna in Barberton for the upcoming Mum Fest. Another new item for fall planting that I’ve been waiting to bring out into full view are the Cool Wave pansies that are blooming now in shades of white, violet, blue, and yellow with flowers much bigger than the Icicle pansies from a few years ago. Cool Wave pansies as well as all pansies like cool weather and will eagerly bloom in fall and early spring when planted in the fall. Remember what I wrote earlier that the plants will overwinter after exposure to a temperature as low as -20º F. Another fall crop that will usually last into early winter are the ornamental Cabbage and Kale with the hues of white and purple that will light up any landscape especially when planted in a group of 3 or more. A slew of arborvitae is now in stock along with some Green Giant Western Red Cedar that make an excellent screen or hedge even in moderate shade. Coming soon are pines and spruces for planting this fall. The fall sale is still on with a recently updated listing on our website which is accompanied by our entire listing of inventory (sale and non-sale items). Hope to see you at tomorrow’s festivities! Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 6, 2013

The “big” fall sale for the Garden Club members seemed to be success judging by the amount of empty space that is visible where once there were plants. There are still some “good” buys to be found as the 50% off sale will continue on some items through October although as time goes on, more and more of the choice stock will be depleted especially since the sale is now open to non-Garden Club members also. The garden mums are showing good color now except for the later blooming varieties which seem to be somewhat of a “season extender” to quote a phrase used by the former Yoder Brothers (now Aris) of Barberton as it pertains to the later blooming Chrysanthemums. Saturday, September 14th is the day for our annual fall festival. This event with the train ride, petting zoo, bouncy house and happy music makes for a family atmosphere for parents and children and for grandparents and grandchildren. The food choices will be supplemented with fresh produce in the Owl Barn along with plenty of sale items in the nursery department. The festivities start at 10 a.m. and go on all day until 5 p.m. Check out the web site section for the festival for more details. The Barberton Mum Fest then will be Saturday, September 28th and Sunday 29th. This year there were some trials as to growing the mums in the display beds as the heavy rains and especially of July 10th that did noticeable damage to some of the planting. Bill Aulenbach of the Aris company is responsible for the design, selection of varieties and supervision of the growing of chrysanthemum display in the Lake Anna planting. Aris is the horticultural company based in Barberton whose beneficence makes the festival possible with its donation of the thousands of young plants installed in June. Soon the fall color of the trees will be upon us but I do hope the Seiberling sweet corn and other produce from the farm that supplies the Owl Barn remains available for awhile longer especially since it’s a long wait until the next July! I almost forgot that we now have at least 100 parking spaces available so that parking should not be as much of a problem as it was last year during the festival. Hope to see you at the festival! Tom