Overheard at the Garden Gate May 2017
SLGC
Condolences
Sincere condolences to Joan Gretter on the recent death of her husband Tom, a friend to many, an accomplished physician, and a fine and gentle man. He will be missed.
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Plant Sale!
Saturday May 13, 9:30 am to 1 pm
Shop and choose from a beautiful variety of affordable herbs, vegetables, perennials, annuals, natives and hanging baskets. Activities for families included. Parking is available on nearby streets, and curbside assistance with purchases is provided. Members-Only Plant Sale Preview Saturday, May 13, 8:30 to 9:30 am. New this year! A preview of Plant Sale offerings open to members only one hour before the public arrives. Click here for more information.
Suzy Shares Quarterly Climate Summary from OSU
Click here for the winter climate summary from the OSU Extension service.
More Information from Suzy about Plants Attractive to Bees
Click here to read the article from Buckeye Yard and Garden.
A Recycling Warning from Robin
Should you recycle your paper receipts? Click here to see the answer.
Roundup-Be-Gone
Try this safe alternative: 1 gallon white vinegar, 2 cups Epsom salts, 1/4 cup liquid Dawn. It will kill anything you spray it on, and it really works!
Soil Temperature Affects Planting Time
Create a planting schedule in accordance to soil temperature, not air temperature. Seeds require specific soil temperature in order to grow. You can find this information on many seed packages, in some seed catalogs and on the internet. Doing your homework is essential.
Note these are the lowest temperatures that seeds will germinate but warmer temperatures may yield better results.
- 35 degrees: Lettuce, onions, parsnips, and spinach
- 40-45 degrees: Beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, parsley, peas, radish, and turnips.
- 50 degrees: Swiss chard
- 60 degrees: Beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash (cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash prefer soil temperatures at 75 degrees)
- 75 degrees: Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplant and okra grow best as transplant rather than from seed.
Eliot Paine Inspired by Vertical Gardening
This photo made its way back to SLGC from New Zealand where Eliot and Linda toured the botanical gardens in Christchurch.
Holden Arboretum Featured in Wall Street Journal
A recent Wall Street Journal featured three spring walks in -- and over -- the woods. Cleveland is featured! Click here to read article.
Hellebores Abound!
Click photo to enlarge
In our January Newsletter, Martha Marsh wrote of her fondness for the hellebore plants that Heinen's and Whole Foods offer in winter. She suggested that they be enjoyed as houseplants and then planted outdoors in early spring. I am a fan of this practice and over the last 4 or 5 years have filled this corner of my garden with an assortment of hellebores, all from the grocery store. I admit that it is a hodgepodge of varieties, but they thrive and because they are all different cultivars, there is bloom from February through June. Plus, they reseed and spread; what a plant!
Margaret Ransohoff
Congratulations, Carole!
Carole Obernesser is our current winner of the Horticulture Sweepstakes Award. Club members are encouraged to bring especially lovely and/or unusual cut specimens (from their garden, we hope!) to Membership meetings. Carole provided many fine examples to become the current keeper of the silver tray that is engraved with each recipients name. Congratulations Carole!