Category Archives: Uncategorized

The push for a BIG PULL

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Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) – you may be related to my beloved brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower – but I LIKE YOU NOT! You are just as hated as the obnoxious Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) which I successfully eradicated from my yard last year. So there! You just think you can wander into our lands and choke out and out-compete our native plants and wildflowers with your aggressive growing manners. Well some of us have had it and we’re not going to take it any more. In fact, YOU are now on the hit list.

lonicera

Honeysuckle invasion

Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm and Five Rivers MetroParks are working together to remove garlic mustard at Aullwood Garden MetroPark, the fomer home of Marie Aull. Marie was known as the Dayton (OH) area’s beloved naturalist and conservationist. In 1956 the gift of her land to the Audubon Society resulted in the creation of the Midwest’s first nature center, Aullwood Center and Farm. In 1977 her home and gardens were given to what is now known as Five Rivers MetroParks. She passed away in 2002 at the age of 105.

As in other areas of our state, invasives plants are overtaking the land. Garlic Mustard and Lesser Celandine (formerly Ranunculas ficaria now known as Ficaria verna) are running rampant. Ohio’s Former First Lady Hope Taft is asking for help.

Lesser Celandine

Lesser Celandine

On Tuesday, May 21, volunteers are needed for a BIG PULL. Learn how you can help research the best methods to remove garlic mustard, lesser celandine and other non-native invasives. There will be two work shifts. The first shift runs 9:30 am to noon, the second shift runs from 1-3:00 pm. Pack a lunch. Bonus: volunteers will get a special tour of Marie Aull’s home! Cookies and water will be provided.

The group is also looking for about 20 people to ‘adopt a plot’ and monitor (look at it and take a photo of it and describe what you see) what happens in it about 3 times over the growing season.

Marie Aull's home

Marie Aull’s home

For more information or to register for The BIG Pull, please contact Hope Taft, ohiohoper@yahoo.com, (937) 848-2993 with your name, address, email and phone number and garden club. Last day to register is May 14.

Mrs. Taft is also available to give a short presentation on this topic and the value of removing invasive species for a club meeting.

Be sure to visit the EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES tab at the top of the page.

Heads Up

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I don’t know what it is, but lately I seem to have an interest in watching the sky. No matter that I’m going 65 mph (or a little over) on the freeway or standing in a parking lot – I whip out my camera and take a picture. There is no time to stage or drive to a better spot – just get the image on the camera. Last week we had a spectacular showing in the evening sky. Just look at the first photo below. The photo doesn’t do it justice. Here are some other sky scenes from this past year.

Be sure to check the EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES tab at the top of the page.

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What is that smell?

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Brugmansia blooms – the business end.

I have a perfume factory in my family room. The fragrance? Brugmansia. LOTS and LOTS of Brugmansia. It is also known as Angel’s Trumpet. This 7-foot tree like plant was one of the last plants I brought in from outside for the winter. It proceeded to thank me for saving its tender tropical life by dropping its leaves. Five to ten a day. You can hear them: plop, plop, plop.

Just when the plant looked its worst, it started to bloom. Five blooms opened Sunday night – ten more opened last night. Five more are expected tonight. Twenty glorious flowers – and they are spectacular – over a foot long, including the scape. Brugmansias are in the Solanacea plant family as are the potatoes and nightshades. Native to tropical South America regions it relies on pollinating moths who are allured by its overpowering scent which kicks into high gear in the early evening. I can even smell them upstairs! Thank goodness it is a pleasant scent.

Gardening author in town

Wegerzyn Auditorium (1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton OH) is the place to be this coming Sunday, October 21 from 2-4 pm when  Stephanie Cohen will share, “Native Plants with Bling!”  Join popular garden lecturer and writer Stephanie Cohen for a discussion about selecting and incorporating the best of native plants in your garden to add sparkle and bling.

Native plants are sustainable, good for wildlife and the environment, and some have even become superstars in the perennial plant industry. Unfortunately, some native plants also have a reputation for looking weedy, boring or out of control and not being a good choice for the home garden. Au contraire – gardening with native plants will benefit the native insects and wildlife, save time and money, conserve water AND look great all at the same time.

Stephanie has taught herbaceous plants and perennial design at Temple University for over 20 years. She was the founder and director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University. She is a contributing editor for “Fine Gardening” and The HGTV Newsletter and her recent books include Fallscaping: Extending your Garden Season into Autumn and The NonStop Garden.

Call (937) 277-6545 to register. Event is free and all are welcome!

Second flower show winners

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The 2012 Montgomery County Fair Flower Show wrapped up its second and final flower show held during the run of fair in Dayton, Ohio. The Garden Club Federation of Dayton and Vicinity would like to thank all those who helped make it a success – especially considering the difficult drought this summer.

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

Best of Show – Section 1 (Roses): John Adams

Best of Show – Section 2-6 (All Other Cut Specimens): John Adams

Best of Show – Section 7 (Container-Grown Plants): Dale Rodgers

Best of Show – Section 8 Cacti/Succulents: John Adams

Best of Show – Section 9 (Junior Horticulture): Michelle Keck

Best of Show – Section 12 (Adult Artistic): Joni Duncan

Best of Show – Section 14 (Junior Artistic): Lilly Svisco

OTHER AWARDS

Judge’s Award of Distinction – Adult Horticulture: Jan Vomacka

Green Thumb Award – Adult Horticulture (for Cultural Perfection from Sections 1-6): Jan Vomacka

Container Growers Award – Adult Horticulture (for Cultural Perfection From Sections 7-8): Barbara Warner

Judge’s Award of Distinction – Adult Artistic: Babs Sabick

Green Thumb Award – Junior Horticulture (Horticultural Excellence of a Junior Exhibit): Ben Zink

And the winners are……

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The 160th Montgomery County Fair (Dayton, OH) is now underway running August 29-September 3, 2012. The Garden Club Federation of Dayton and Vicinity (‘like’ us on Facebook) produces two flower shows during the run of the fair. The first flower show was held Wednesday, August 29 and the winners are noted below. Reminder to exhibitors: the first show entries will be released at 5 pm, Friday, August 31.

Anyone who is a Federation member or is a resident of Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble or Warren Counties is eligible to enter these flower shows. Entries for the second show on Saturday, September 1, will be accepted from 6-9 pm, August 31 and 7-9 am, September 1. There are no entry fees and no premiums will be given. You’ll just win beautiful ribbons, maybe some big rosettes and be the envy of your green (and brown) thumbed friends. Check out the complete flower show schedule and exhibitor rules HERE. The second show entries will be released at 5 pm, Monday, September 3. We hope to see you there!

BEST OF SHOW AWARDS

Best of Show – Section 1 (Roses): Ed Marrinan

Best of Show – Sections 2-6 (All Other Cut Specimens): Jean Beecher

Best of Show – Section 7 (Container Grown Plants): Caralynn Appenzeller

Best of Show – Section 8 (cacti/succulents): Nancy Denlinger

Best of Show – Section 9 (Junior Horticulture): Grace Hansford, age 6

Best of Show – Section 10 (Artistic Special Class): Joni Duncan

Best of Show – Section 11 (Adult Artistic): Louise Bennett

Best of Show – Section 13 (Junior Artistic): Rachel Dalyrmple

OTHER AWARDS

Judge’s Award of Distinction – Adult Horticulture: Marcia Heil

Green Thumb Award – Adult Horticulture (for Horticultural Excellence in Sections 1-6): Caralynn Appenzeller

Container Grower Award – Adult Horticulture (for Cultural Perfection in Sections 7-8): John Adams

Judge’s Award of Distinction – Adult Artistic: Babs Sabick

Green Thumb Award – Junior Horticulture (for horticultural excellence from Section 9): Rebekah Hansford, age 13

The Beauty of Nature

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My garden club – the Here & There Garden Club (affiliated with The Ohio Association of Garden Clubs, Inc.) – is having a special Open Meeting, 7 pm, Tuesday, August 7. 2012 at Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren (800 E. David Rd., Kettering OH 45429). Our guest speaker is club member Louise Bennett. Her program “The Beauty of Nature” will feature Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) designs of the Ohara school style.

Louise is is an Associate First Degree Master (10th Level) of Ohara School of Ikebana and a member of the North American Ohara Teachers Association. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Dog Days of Summer

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When I was a young girl, I collected insects. Mostly the pretty ones; butterflies, moths and the like. I had the killing jars, the mounting boards and, thanks to my high school science teacher Mr. Orr, I had professional insect mounting pins – not my mom’s short stubby sewing pins. I had a great time foraging the woods and fields in my discovery quests. I loved to freak out my friends by placing a couple of empty cicada shells on my clothes – or for greater impact – on my friends! I was in seventh heaven when I took my entomology class in college.

While tending to the ‘back 40’ last week I discovered an unusual sight: a newly emerged cicada nymph crawling on the ground. Bug geek that I am, I gave it a bit of help and placed it on a vertical surface to assist the molting process. I knew I was about to witness some cool stuff – the emergence of a dog-day cicada (Tibicen spp.).

If you want to skip the background on a cicada’s life-cycle, proceed to the photos below. A dog-day cicada starts its life when a mated female slices into a twig with her ovipositor and deposits her eggs. Newly hatched nymphs will drop to the ground and spend the next 2-5 years underground dining on root juices. Yum! (For comparison, the famous periodic cicada broods spend 13 or 17 years underground, depending on the species. Remember 2004?) They are very capable diggers and spend much of their life 1-8 feet down under chillin’ out. Lately, I’ve seen quite a few of the 1/2″ wide exit holes so the dog days of summer must be here. Under one hosta alone, I noted 8 empty shell cases.

A face only a mother could love….

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Bold Jumper spider (Phidippus audax)

With the exception of the beloved children’s book Charlotte’s Web, the mere thought or surprise presence of a spider evokes fear in most of us. Where does this fear come from? If we were more informed, that fear might (ok, maybe not for all of us) be replaced with respect.

Spiders are scientifically classified as arachnids (Class Arachnida). They differ from insects (Class Insecta) in several key ways. Primarily, insects have three body sections (head, abdomen and thorax) and six legs.  Spiders have two body sections (cephalothorax and abdomen) and eight legs. The front part is a combination of the head and thorax – hence the name cephalothorax. This part usually bears four pairs of eyes, four pairs of walking legs, a pair of smaller leg-like palps at the front. The spinnerets, which secrete the silk web strands, are located at the rear of the abdomen.

I have always found jumping spiders to be quite comical and easy-going. Sort of a spider version of a teddy bear. The accompanying photo is a close up one of the many species of jumping spiders found in Ohio: the Bold Jumper (Phipippus audax). Bold jumpers are very active and have a cute way of facing AND approaching any movement – even me! While trying to get a close up, this specimen would lift its forelegs and try to touch the camera. It even tried jumping on for a ride. The act of jumping toward you should not be perceived as an act of aggression; they rarely bite unless handled roughly. They spin no web but rather stalk their prey. They do, however, put down a silk dragline wherever they go as a sort of safety line in case of a fall.

Educational opportunity

The Greene County Master Gardeners are offering the program, “All About Herbs” from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Xenia Church of the Nazarene (1204 E. Second St., Xenia OH 45385 ). Speakers and topics include: “Edible Gardening: Herbs, Vegetables Fruits and More” by Debra Knapke, Garden Designer, Lecturer, Author, Teacher; “Cooking With Herbs” by Candace Rinke, owner of The Hawthorn Grill in Kettering; ” Herbs and Container Gardening” by Susan Tyree, Meadowview Growers; “Herbs – Learn, Explore, Grow” by Susan Liechty, Delaware County Master Gardener; and “Herb Garden Design” by Cindy Hill, Greene County Master Gardener. Click HERE for the registration brochure.

Visit Belize without leaving Ohio

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Join Rebecca Wood, Hopewood Holistic Health, and Kim Hupman, Horticulturalist-Master Gardener, for an evening of exploring gardens, foodways, and traditional use of common and uncommon plants of Belize. Discover common and not so common Pan-American Plants, their uses, traditions, ways to grow them and incorporate them into your home, landscape, and culinary endeavors.

Plant Lover’s Journey through the Plant Traditions, Gardens and Cultures of Belize

Tuesday, July 24th from 6:30-9:00 pm, in the Fireside Room of the  Xenia Nazarene Church (1204 West Second St., Xenia, OH 45385).

You will taste, feel, see and smell your way through this presentation and learn how you can join in on the adventure with upcoming International Eco-Culinary and Garden Tours. This event is co-sponsored by the Master Gardeners and the OSU/Greene County Extension. For more information contact: Barbra Mills (mills.35@cfaes.osu.edu) or Rebecca Wood (becaherbtravel@gmail.com)

 

Water Garden Tour

The Miami Valley Water Garden Society is having a self-guided Public Pond Tour on Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29. The tour will be from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm on Saturday and 11:00 am till 5:00 pm on Sunday. There will be 11 private water gardens to see. These gardens are located in Franklin, Centerville, Bellbrook, Dayton, Beavercreek, New Carlisle, West Alexandria and Eaton. For ticket information please call (937) 428-9564 or go to http://www.mvwgs.org.

Long time no see

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Two months have flown by since my last post. Volleyball season finished (hubby coaches, I photograph), the backyard honeysuckle fencerow was removed and replanted and then…..there was a hospital visit. Emergency. Come to think of it, I’ve accompanied two people to emergency, lately. The first was when I drove to the hospital like a mad woman with dear hubby in tow. Let’s just say that our huge ‘Skyline’ locust tree didn’t like being limbed up and took out the chainsaw operator AND the ladder upon which said operator was standing with vengeance. End result? Over $8K in medical charges and a broken bone in his face. He is so very lucky it wasn’t worse. The second opportunity to visit another emergency room was when I accompanied my mom in the squad car after she suffered a heart attack at church. She’s home resting and will recover with time and new meds. And if she listens to her doctor. Easier said than done!

Hummingbird nest

Miracles abound. Take, for instance, the vengeful locust tree. She now is protecting a miniature cup woven with fluffy down and held together with spider webs; she holds a hummingbird nest in her branches. I discovered the location this past Sunday by following a female who was gathering fluff from my nesting material cage. If only the nest was closer to the ground – it sits about 10-12′ above my head.

Nesting Material Cage

The American goldfinches are just now getting into the nest-making mode and are also making a dent in the fluffy stuff. Check out one of the dispensers sold at your local Wild Birds Unlimited store. Nesting birds will thank you.

Sales alerts

Seasonal sales going on: Check out your local garden center/nursery for some fantastic sales. As they say at my favorite place to eat (Hot Head Burritos), “Get out and get you some!” Some of the sales/discounts going on that I am aware of are:

Knollwood Garden Center – 25% off store wide and 50% off select items.

Grandma’s Gardens –  vegetable plants, flats of annuals, flowering almonds, fruit trees and 1.75″ caliper ‘Sargentina’ crabapples are 50% off;  2.5″ caliper ‘Bosque’ elm trees and 5-6′ ‘Autumn Brilliance’ serviceberrys  are 30% off; 4″ annuals, tropicals and in-stock azaleas are 25% off; variegated red twig dogwood (reg. $29.99) are now $19.99; $7.99 1-gallon perennials of the week include ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint and Blue Star Creeper

Siebenthaler’s Garden Center – all annuals, herbs, vegetables and tropicals are 30% off.