The last Friday in April is Arbor Day in Ohio. That’s today – April 30, 2010. According to the Arbor Day website, Arbor Day was first conceptualized by J. Sterling Morton, who moved to the Nebraska Territory from Detroit. He and his wife were lovers of nature, and planted lots of trees and shrubs at [...]

A former student from my herbaceous plant I.D. course at U.C. wrote to ask: What were some of my favorite spring blooming annuals and perennials? We had covered the summer bloomers in some detail in the class that runs from mid-June through August. So what did we miss? I thought it would be interesting to [...]

I haven’t blogged in over ten days. I was out of town on personal business, and when I got back, I was busy with organizing a local garden writer’s conference. These are my excuses. The fact is, I haven’t yet figured out how to blog when away from home. I’m sure it’s not that difficult [...]

I gave a presentation at the Civic Garden Center in Cincinnati the other night on Edible Landscaping. Edible landscaping is the use of food-producing plants in the landscape. Many trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants with edible parts can serve the same function as ornamentals, and look just as good. Edibles can be incorporated into any garden [...]

Home grown potatoes have a sweetness and tender texture not found in store-bought potatoes of the same variety. That’s why I like to grow enough for fresh eating. Potato plants require full sun and a light, well-drained soil that is loose for a good 12 inches deep. I’m planting my potatoes this year in a [...]

I’ve been on spring break in Washington, D.C. and Colonial Williamsburg, VA. We had beautiful, sunny weather every day, with temperatures up to the mid-90’s. We were in Washington, D.C. for the cherry blossom festival. Things seemed to be about a week or two ahead of  in Washington and Williamsburg. Now I know what to [...]