Published April 7th, 2015 Deer and rabbit damage to plants is such a problem for some of us that we’ve almost given up trying to plant home gardens, landscapes and orchards. Short of surrounding our yards with ten-foot fences, no deer deterrent seems to work for long. According to the U.S. government, “… there is …
Published December 11th, 2017 At sundown on December 21st each year, members of the Friends of Serpent Mound host a ritual “Lighting of the Serpent” at Serpent Mound State Memorial. With the help of volunteers, they carefully place over 1000 luminary bags around the perimeter of the prehistoric effigy, creating a magical display. In a …
Published November 24th, 2014 Winter is the time to work on pruning your trees and shrubs. Once the sap starts to rise in spring and the buds on your woody plants start to swell, you could cause “bleeding” by cutting your shrubs and trees. Get it done now. Black walnut, Birch and Maple trees should …
Published November 17th, 2014 We recently had the pleasure of restoring the landscape at the Salem Academy in Ross County. The Salem Academy is a stately Federal-style building with locally quarried limestone walls eighteen inches thick. This historic landmark is the focal point of South Salem, a small town near Greenfield. The Village of South …
Published November 4th, 2014 The biggest and most frustrating problem with most landscapes is plants that get too big. Overgrown shrubs are the most common reason why people are unhappy with their landscaping and want to do it over. It’s possible to shear, prune and trim shrubs to contain them, but as soon as you …
Published October 20th, 2014 For most gardeners, Lilac means the traditional “old-fashioned” shrub that graces so many old farmhouses, and probably your grandmother’s garden. We can all remember the huge bouquets of fragrant purple blooms filling our grandma’s huge glass vase and how they filled the entire house with perfume. The traditional Lilac family “Syringa …
Published September 23rd, 2014 One of our favorite autumn rituals is our annual buying trip to the Bainbridge Produce Auction to buy fall pumpkins, Indian corn, decorative squash and gourds. This is an expedition we look forward to every year, and one that you and your family would probably find fascinating and entertaining. Over the …
Published August 25th, 2014 Deer damage is a special concern during fall and winter, starting in September. The first problem is “buck rubs” during the fall rut season. Bucks can’t resist sapling trees and will shred them as part of their mating ritual. Later this season when there’s less natural forage, hungry deer will become …
Published August 11th, 2014 Are you a homeowner who is dissatisfied with your landscaping? Perhaps you’ve been living with the shrubs your builder installed “way back when”, or landscaping done by the previous owner. Perhaps you’ve nibbled your way to your present situation in many small steps, afraid to do anything really bold. Most likely …
Published August 4th, 2014 Summer isn’t just about harvesting the vegetables you planted in the spring. Serious gardeners are getting started with their late season crops during the next few weeks, and it’s a bigger deal than you might think. In our garden center we’ve had a brisk demand for late season vegetable plants and …