While I was traveling we received the death frost, wiping out the last of the summer annuals. Before I left, I filled a box truck with the tender plants I wanted to save or covered a few of the special plants I could not fit. It was a abrupt announcement of fall, returning to the skeleton of plants. So now … READ MORE
Tag Archives: central ohio
Boxwood Growth over Four Years
Back in 2011 I blogged about how long it takes boxwood to grow into a hedge. Being able to showcase the years of growth require me remembering to photograph the boxwood every year for a prolong period. I found another project where over the course of four years I have the grow documented. So here is an update of Boxwood … READ MORE
South Franklin Circle: Perennial Sweeps in a Retirement Community
A Saturday trip to the east side of Cleveland included picking up a Smith & Hawken teak sofa, visiting Holden Arboretum to enjoy the canopy walk and emergent tower and a walk around the town of Chagrin Falls and nearby South Franklin Circle Retirement Community. This is typical weekend activity for us, traveling to a new area and searching out … READ MORE
What’s in (post) Bloom
Often, when I go out into the garden I can quickly find blooms to cut and create an arrangement of that exact moment in the season. The other weekend when faced with the need for a large amount of blooms to decorate a table, the gardens seemed lacking blooms. We needed to get creative and look at items past their … READ MORE
Cultivate 18 – Trade Show Recap
Today marks the last day of Cultivate, “THE” horticulture industry trade show for growers, retailers, educators, designers and everyone in-between. I saw THE, because it brings horticulture leaders from around the world and fills the entire convention center floor. Yesterday it took us over five hours to walk the 3 plus miles of rows. The annual show is held here … READ MORE
Preparing for 2018 – preview/update
It’s that time for reflecting on accomplishments and misses along with planning for the year to come, and during Ohio winters those are the only two items we can really do for our gardens. I have been placing seed orders, flipping through books, designing, reading articles, giving talks, designing some more and compiling long lists of things to do, with … READ MORE
How to add Dahlias to Your Garden
As peony madness fades with the summer heat, it’s time to hail the beauty of dahlias. Dahlias are an easy addition to any existing garden and offer a large range of colors, petal shapes and sizes to fit your desires. Also, planting a tuber around the frost free date will provide you with beautiful blooms in July and August, a quick, … READ MORE
Plant ID: Amsonia
While talking plant options for our garden at home, I looked at the three varieties of Amsonia growing around our offices. I use this plant in my designs predominately for the texture of the foliage, however the flower is a strong attraction in the garden in late spring. Amsonia is the perfect plant to showcase the subtle variation between the … READ MORE
Greenhouse in the Spring
Leading up to Memorial Day weekend is our busiest planting week across all clients and projects. The weekend follows shortly after our frost-free date, which results in a buildup in the greenhouse followed by a mass clearing out by early June. The following photos show the progression of our greenhouse over the past few weeks leading up to this week and … READ MORE