Overheard at the Garden Gate May 2021
SLGC
Buttonbush - GCA Plant of the Year
Cynthia Druckenbrod
Buttonbush is easy to germinate. It does not need to be pre-chilled. It can be spread onto the surface of a good seed starter mix and not covered with any additional soil. This seed needs light to germinate. You can start it on a tray, in pots or even spread it in situ. Just make sure to keep it nicely moistened, (perhaps tented to retain moisture) but not inundated!
Once the plant has germinated, continue to keep it well watered. This plant can live in a lot of standing water when it is mature...up to 3 feet of water according to some sources. That is one of the many reasons it is such a valuable native plant. It is truly adaptable as well as being a superb plant for pollinators, the host plant to two types of sphinx moth, a great plant for preventing erosion, wonderful cut flowers for arranging....the list goes on and on! If you want seed, contact Cynthia.
Here’s a list of many of the nurseries that sell native plants throughout the US. This google doc was compiled a few years ago and is continually updated. Click here to access the spreadsheet.
Free Front Yard Tree Program
The City's Tree Advisory Board in collaboration with The Heights Tree People is pleased to announce The Free Front Yard Tree Program. Click here for details.
Proper Pruning Pays Off
During the recent snowstorm that hit Northeastern Ohio, some trees and property owners suffered serious damage. But not all. Click here to read full article about the proper way to prune your trees.
Dandelion Detectives
Know any child in grades 3-7 who might like to be a Dandelion Detective this summer? Click here for more information.
Hairy Bittercress Busting!
Hairy Bittercress getting ready to create seed dispersal havoc in landscapes of NE Ohio. Check it out!
Cuyahoga County will need ‘all hands on deck’ to grow a healthy tree canopy
Read this interesting article from Cleveland.com here.
Earth Month Tips
Let's face it. Not all clothing and shoes can be donated or repurposed. They are simply too worn out, stained, old, you get the picture....
The North Face has a fantastic innovative program called Cloth the Loop. Check it out.
How to Recycle Oral Care Empty Containers
For those of us who feel recyclers remorse when we toss pretty much anything in the trash, the bathroom can bring on some serious recycling anxiety. Unfortunately, in Cuyahoga County we can not recycle toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, or dental floss containers. But now we can relax because Oral B has a great program called RECYCLE ON US... CHECK IT OUT.
The Real Dirt
Have you been reading The Real Dirt, GCA’s monthly horticulture magazine? This month’s issue focuses on native plants and has an article about the Buttonbush, as well as one about good and bad bugs, from our own Cynthia Drukenbrod. (ed. note: links to the latest GCA magazine are updated on the home page of the SLGC webpage.)
