Dayton "Dirt" - February 26, 2016

The 60º weather on Saturday with its high winds was more an April day then one in February. Narcissus shaded by evergreens are now popping out of the ground especially since the ground has not been frozen hard lately even with the cold temperatures of below zero on the 14th of the  month. The nice weather brought out the garden club members this past Saturday about landscape renewal; however, I think many in the audience yearned to be outside in the warm sunshine. Six years ago, the winter seminars were extended well into April on various educational topics. As the weather warmed and the daylight hours expanded, attendance waned. This year, the final seminar on March 19th will end with the “What’s New” subject that always draws a crowd.

Clematis in winter storage have seen a premature swelling of growth buds so that in early March they will have to be removed, trimmed and spaced before the rapid new growth that expands like magic might cause them to intertwine into one tangled mess. Today is the day that production in  the perennial house resumes and will continue at a fever pace at least until early April. The conditions this year are much more favorable for speedy work as large clumps of frozen potting mix and biting bitter cold, as was the care last year, are absent. Other than a severe attack by mice in only the one over-wintering house, the nursery stock has over-wintered quite well.

Next Tuesday is the first of March which looks as though it will come in like a lion. I wonder if it will go out like a lamb?

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - February 19, 2016

Enough of the Alberta Clipper especially after the below zero temperatures of last week. The cold was not quite enough to kill the flower buds on evergreen azaleas so that unless -10º F or an unusual warm up, then a severe cold snap ensues, the bloom on the plants should be spectacular this year.

Tomorrow’s seminar will be a program of renovating an existing landscape in the cookie-cutter category of shall we say, “boring”. Sometimes because of physical restrictions such as sidewalk locations or overhangs, it is nearly impossible to renovate an existing foundation planting so that only a “tear out” and replanting must be done. Last Saturday’s seminar by Greg Snowden on the subject of Wetlands was very well presented although it was not particularly well attended with  Saturday’s coldest day of winter. Educating not only the gardening public but the public at large about the importance of various ecosystems as they have to do with a healthy, clean environment is our goal.

In a week we’ll be hanging up hanging baskets that are now sitting on the greenhouse benches waiting for their final trim before they are hung up. Without a final trim the plants tend to be leggy and overgrown by Mother’s Day when many will be sold. Five years ago, I accidentally sprayed the baskets with a miticide and fungicide in order to keep the blooms vibrant but the combination of the two substances burned the open flowers so that the full bloom of the hanging baskets was compromised. Then, the next week the same hanging baskets literally exploded into bloom and so much so that some of the plant’s leaves were hidden by masses of colorful blooms!

So much work is ahead to get ready for spring and the “fun” is almost here.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - February 12, 2016

There’s no doubt about it now that winter has returned! Some of the coldest air of the season has arrived but at least it is accompanied by an insulating blanket of snow. At the nursery, the insulating cover called microfoam had to be pulled over the perennial plants as for the past 2 weeks it has been pulled to the side in order to allow for ventilation. Outside projects have now been placed in the “on-hold” mode with the cold weather although inside chores will prevail for the coming week until training sessions for the next week will commence before the production season begins at the tail end of February.

Last week’s seminar with Cynthia Druckenbrod of the Cleveland Botanical Garden was quite popular with the subject matter of container gardening. In fact, Cynthia mentioned several plants which we don’t normally stock but now the search begins to find them. One such plant is the Cardinal Vine that climbs up a trellis and blooms all summer with red tubular flowers that are a magnet for hummingbirds, Even shrubs such as hydrangeas and grape vines can be used. Tomorrow’s seminar is all about wetlands with our expert Greg Snowden of the Davey Tree Resource Group. Greg monitors constricted wetlands in order that they meet the standards for a wetland such as the presence of native plants, water quality, wildlife, etc. Greg now has 5 years of experience building on his Masters degree from Notre Dame College. He will discuss too the value of the wetlands to our environment and how they act as nature’s water filter. Hope to see you at the seminar.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - February 5, 2016

Even though it’s sad to go back to winter after a taste of spring, most gardeners know that too warm of a winter is as worrisome as a too cold of a winter as in the last two years. The breaks in the weather have made it possible to perform some necessary watering on the stored nursery stock that last year could not receive waterings because of the bitter cold of last February. Repair work on the greenhouse ebb and flow (self-watering benches) is complete which will finally save time,  work, money and water as opposed to long drawn out hand watering.

Last week’s seminar on people and trees by Chad Klink was more informative than I expected. Chad’s knowledge of trees in urban and non-urban settings was quite extensive as he detailed the causes of the declining tree canopy in the City of Cleveland and other cities around the country. Holden Arboretum and the City of Cleveland in addition to other partners do have a plan in place to address the declining tree “infrastructure” to eventually increase the canopy to about double of  what it is today. Chad spelled out the benefits of urban trees with the “tree calculator” which calculates actual monetary benefits of the trees. Now after this “wider view” seminar, Cynthia Druckenbrod of the Cleveland Botanical Garden will return to the backyard with her informative presentation on container gardening for year round interest.

See you tomorrow at the seminar!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - January 29, 2016

Tomorrow is the first in our series of educational seminars in the Owl Barn. While some of the seminars will deal solely with gardening topics and to do with our “backyards”, others will cast a wider net with subjects on environmental stewardship. The first will deal with the environmental side of things concerning the threats to the urban forest with Chad Clink of the Holden Arboretum. Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is a great resource for viewing numerous displays of plants, educational seminars and activities such as hiking trails across its vast 3600 acres. Even the Cleveland Botanical Garden is now a part of the Holden family so that now Holden’s reach extends to the east side of Cleveland. Chad’s presentation should be particularly relevant in our area as the  vast metro parks surrounding Cleveland are well known as the Emerald Necklace. As always, the seminars begin at 11 am in the Owl Barn with wonderful snacks and refreshments to boot. The cost is $8.00 for the two hour seminar which I’m sure will provide a wealth of information and hopefully numerous questions from the audience.

I can’t help but thinking about it; that is, what a nice winter so far for the end of January! As I stated before, gnawing mice have been the main problem in the winter storage houses as the normal mouse traps have not been sufficient to control their numbers. One week after various baits were applied, the damage seems to have stopped!

Enjoy the winter as it won’t last long and we’ll see you at the seminars!

Tom

The Dayton "Dirt" - January 22, 2016

With only 3 relatively cold days this past week, things are looking up again in the temperature department resulting so far in an “easy” winter.

Making cuttings, transplanting, making more cuttings, transplanting, etc. is getting old in the greenhouse but on a cold winter day, it’s not a bad use of time. Looking at the achievements for new insect control products from various companies, it looks as though neonicotinoids are fast falling out of favor. Much controversy has surrounded this chemical class that may be linked to the Colony Collapse Disorder of honey bees. Last year we did away with sprays and grub control products containing neonicotinoids that we use and sell and we’ll continue to look for suitable replacements to offer for sale that will not effect pollinators. The “evil” of the neonicotinoids is in their systemic properties in which pollinators can come into contact long after they are applied. Other chemicals are no less deadly except that they are of little consequence as long as they are not applied when pollinators are foraging.

January 30th is seminar #1 on the relationship between the urban forest and people that will be given by Chad Clink of the Holden Arboretum. No doubt he will shed some light on the problems urban trees are facing and what we can do to mitigate or even eliminate the perils to the trees. Be sure to join us in the Owl Barn on Saturday, January 30th at 11 a.m. for Chad’s presentation.

See you soon.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - January 15, 2016

The snow has finally arrived to blanket the ground with its life giving recharge of the water aquafer and the insulating effects on the ground which is a must for the survival of winter wheat and many ornamental plants that depend on this “insulation” from bitter cold and winter wind.

At the nursery, the snow slides off to the sides of the overwintering houses which further tightens the plastic covering and provides even more cover as it piles up on the sides of the structures. It was early January of 2014 that the cold and wind arrived with a fury and without snow that did so much damage to plants in the landscape as well as in storage under cover! In mid April, some of the nursery stock was pulled out for spring sales only to still be frozen to the ground somewhat!  Luckily on this past Saturday, the day was above freezing with a break in the rain so that the product Deer Stopper could be sprayed on susceptible plants in the botanical-display garden a second time since receiving the first application on Thanksgiving. Some deer browsing was evident on Azalea ‘Herbert’ again as it is the favorite of the deer.

Although plenty of winter remains, in four short weeks the average temperature will begin to rise. Keeping busy definitely help to pass the long winter.

Tom