Dayton "Dirt" - June 7, 2013

Yesterday’s rain was a real blessing in that as much as 2 inches of needed rain fell most gently all day! Our irrigation lake has been replenished with fresh water supplementing the recycled water that has collected some salts from the fertilizer leached from the plants. Another exciting piece of news is that more Paw Paws have arrived with any coupons from our garden club newsletter still valid. The back order of these 150 Paw Paws was quite a disappointment even though the trees were ordered in October 2011 for delivery in mid April of 2013! The varieties Overleese, Potomac, Atwood and Taylor are available. Some of these named varieties have been bred and tested by the University of Kentucky for such aspects as taste, vigor, production and quality of fruits and sometimes the longevity of the ripened fruit after picking. The perennial house is gorgeous with all the plants available now from our early spring production. Especially gorgeous are the shade-loving Astilbe with their feather-like blossoms in red, white, pink and peach colors. Other interesting perennials will come on line in about 6 weeks as we ramp up production for our summer program of perennials. The perennial house too is decorated with beautiful hanging baskets of verbena, lobelia, calibrachoa and petunias that add to the splash of color. While the annual flower house is winding down, another crop of beautiful 2 gallon size geraniums just became available for those gardeners that are geranium lovers of the color red. I’ve got to go as there is trimming, fertilizing and weed pulling are calling! Tom