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December 4: Landscape Plan for Gateway Learning Gardens
December 11: Greens Brighten Holiday Decorating
December 18: Controling Moles
December 25: Garden Version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
December 4: Landscape Plan for Gateway Learning Gardens
The Master Gardeners of Clark County have a big idea - and we're excited
about it. Anyone who gardens or enjoys gardens will enjoy it, too.
As a result of strategic planning, the Master Gardener volunteers
determined that we need to develop a landscape plan for the Gateway
Learning Gardens. In case you aren't familiar with the gardens, they're
located behind the Clark County Agricultural Agencies building on Gateway
Blvd., PrimeOhio Corporate Park.
The gardens have been around since 1996 and are used to teach
horticultural practices to various audiences. There's nothing better than
hands-on learning, especially in horticulture.
The gardens have been on tours for international conferences - as well
as training grounds for other Master Gardener programs and residents of
Clark and surrounding counties. They've also been used for annual and
turf grass research in connection with Ohio State University.
Each year, we've added new gardens until we've developed a patchwork
quilt of gardens. The strategic planning process revealed that we need a
professional design in order to make sure we don't end up with a mess. We
need something that flows, goes with the building and surrounding area,
and meets our future needs.
This past year, we met with designers from EnvisionWorks out of Dayton.
They were great and developed a master plan that fits what we want for the
future of the Gateway Learning Gardens.
This 5- to 10-year plan is a big idea. Upon completion, the garden will
draw people from a large area. The educational opportunities will be
endless - as will the potential for research projects.
This is a big undertaking, but the Clark County volunteers are up to it
and I'm confident we'll indeed pull it off.
The gardens are designed in a geometric pattern to go along with the
building's geometrics. There is a north-south and an east-west axis of
flowering trees. Also, shade trees radiate in lines from the center of
the drawing.
The gardens will include many that we already have, but they'll be in
different locations. These are the field trial plots, the turf research
plots, perennial and herb gardens, and a children's garden.
New gardens will include a water garden, an alpine garden, a Japanese
garden, and a fruit and vegetable garden area.
Woven in and among the pathways that move around the property are areas
for plant collections. We're planning on a collection of daylilys,
ornamental grasses, and shrubs. Others may follow.
Our first step to expand these gardens was to have a storage barn built
- and it's nearly completed. Thanks to the JVS carpentry program, the
40-by-48-foot building is almost done.
I'm impressed with the JVS program. Ron Howard and the students have
done an incredible job. Their program is second to none and the youth,
instructors, and administrators are to be commended.
After the building is finished, our next step will be to install
irrigation so we can begin moving gardens. Volunteers are in the process
of developing a fundraising plan to accomplish the move.
Watch for more information in the coming weeks. I'll let you know when
we get the drawing on our Web site.
December 11: Greens Brighten Holiday Decorating
If youıre decorating for the holidays, take a look around your landscape to find some of the best materials to be used for wreaths and greenery.Juniper, holly and spruce are great to tuck in here and there for house decorations. Also, some evergreens provide good fragrance.
Firs (concolor and fraser) provide a good fragrance too. Firs, however, donıt easily grow in Ohio soils; you can purchase them.
Junipers easily grow in our landscapes and they last a long time in the house. The only problem is that youıll either love or hate their smell. Check them out before you use them. I like the hetz blue juniper for its color and the berries. (Juniper berries are used to make gin).
Spruce lasts a long time; you can use blue or green spruce. Spruce branches are very stiff, so I donıt use it for a Christmas tree. Theyıre also more difficult to work with.
Hemlock adds a nice soft touch with its fine feathery foliage. Its only drawback is it wonıt last a long time in the house.
Donıt use pine from your landscape - unless you know where to make cuts. If you prune the terminal buds from a pine bough, it wonıt grow again. Instead, buy it.
My favorite greens for decorating are boxwood and holly. They donıt last long either, however. Cut more as you need it. They can be pruned anywhere on the plant.
Another favorite is a deciduous plant, winterberry holly or Ilex verticillata. These plants develop spectacular red berries on long stems. A vase of cut stems makes a striking centerpiece.
Ornamental grasses also can be used for holiday decorating. A large vase full of stems with white lights tucked in and around the stems is beautiful.
In the past, Iıve found osage-orange (also known as hedge apples) fruits and spray painted them shiny gold. I also sprayed the leftover fall gourds gold and put everything together in a copper kettle on the front porch.
Donıt bring the osage orange fruits indoors, however. They rotted and were nasty. I like to experiment with different plants, and this one failed.
Remember that greens are living plants and need to be cared for in a similar manner.
If you plan on decorating early, choose greens that last longer. Plants, such as holly or boxwood, donıt hold their leaves as long as a juniper. If youıre using holly, replace it after about 10 days in the house or wait until closer to Christmas to make your arrangement.
Some products can be sprayed on the greens to prevent drying out or desiccation. These tend to add a few days to boxwood and holly longevity.
Anti-desiccant also can be sprayed on a Christmas tree to improve needle longevity. If you take good care of a fresh cut tree (keeping it watered), it will last through the holidays.
A reminder: join Master Gardener Carolyn Allen and me on Saturday mornings from 9 to 10 a.m. on 1600 AM WULM radio for Garden Chat with Pam. Call in with your gardening and plant questions.
December 18: Controling Moles
This is the time of year that you start to notice an increase in tunneling activity of moles. They are probably one of the toughest and most frustrating critters to control in the landscape.In order to help with control, it is very important to understand the life cycle and behavior of the mole. It won't necessarily make mole control easier, but it will help to focus your control methods and narrow down your search and seizure.
First of all, you must know that moles are primarily insectivores. They eat insects and earthworms with the latter being their primary diet. Why is this important?
Since moles are insectivores, they don't eat grains or cereals. This also means that they don't eat gum or poison peanuts. They don't have the dental structure to chew the poison peanuts or gum so even though you think it might be working, it isn't.
They don't eat (or drink or absorb) Ex-Lax either. I saw an article once that claimed that if you feed moles chocolate Ex-Lax, they will explode. Not true; Ex-Lax is not in their diet either.
Tom Schmidt of Cincinnati, also know as the "Mole Man", has made a career out of trapping and eliminating moles. He has a list of unreliable methods. Some of them are quite old and quite interesting. Some dated back to the early 1900s.
Some of the old newspaper advertisements he shared included traps with live bullets and traps that actually shot spears. Needless to say, these didn't stick around too long.
Other controls included cannons, shotguns and dynamite. One may feel like resorting to these methods after battling a mole for a while.
The ultrasonic rodent repellers don't work. Nor do the gas cartridges. The problem with the gas cartridges is that the tunnels are not airtight. Therefore, once you light it, if it is not focused right on a captive mole, the gasses escape.
Castor oils and soaps do not work either. Remember, their runs are quite extensive. One lady even tried holy water and said the verdict is still out on this one.
What does work? Well, Tom said that you can go nuclear and still not get rid of all of the moles. However, he notes that with time, you can get the mole problem under control by trapping. There are no easy, chemical solutions today that will work.
Numerous traps are on the market today, including the live trap and the killing trap. Remember, if you use the live trap, move the little critter well over 5 acres away before you release it.
Focus your trapping efforts on the runs that are being actively worked. You can determine these by stepping down the runs in the evening and checking them in the morning to determine what specific areas the mole is working in.
If there are mounds of soil, you can remove the soil and place the trap at the junction of the runs. Tom suggests that you place the traps near the last or second to the last mound as this is where they are usually working. If you are not successful within 24 hours, move the trap. Again, it does take time. When you place the trap in the ground, make sure that you cover the opening back up with soil. Remember, they don't like daylight.
You may be able to focus your efforts on a woody perimeter, fence row or man-made borders as these are areas of high activity.
Early spring is an excellent time to trap - around February and March. Check your local hardware stores for traps and the styles available. And remember, it does take time and you may never eliminate the entire problem, especially if you live near a wooded area.
As for right now, if you don't mind the mounds of soil, live with them. Or you can smooth them out and refill the holes, but I guarantee you'll be doing this more than once.
My suggestion, though not what you want to hear, is to learn to live with them for the time being. After all, they are doing you a slight favor by aerating your lawn. Then when spring comes, show them your thanks by eliminating them.
December 25: Garden Version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas
Merry Christmas - and here's a garden version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas:"- Twas the night before Christmas and all through the yard,
Not a vegetable was growing, not even Swiss chard.
The hoses were stored in the cellar with care
And I, rest assured, knew they wouldn't freeze there.
The perennials were mulched, all snug in their beds
While visions of springtime danced in their heads.
The new planted shrubs had been soaked by the hose
To settle their roots for the long, winter's doze.
And out on the lawn, the new fallen snow
Protected the roots of the grasses below.
When out in the drive there arose such a clatter,
I ran with my hoe to see what was the matter.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a truck full of useful gardening gear.
Saint Nick, the driver, so plump and so jolly
Jumped out of his truck with a sack full of holly.
I've brought trimmers and clippers and tubers and seeds
And landscape fabric to eliminate weeds;
Well-aged manure, strained finely for spreading,
Just what you need for your annual flower bedding;
And colorful flagstones for a new garden path;
And for birds and bird watchers, a feeder and bath.
I've an insect pest guide to help you to know
Which of the bugs will cause plants to grow slow;
A new sprayer to fill with safe soap and oil;
A floating row cover - there are insects to foil!
For gardening with ease, I've a new rototiller,
Pads for your knees and organic bug killer.
For pH detecting, here's a soil-testing kit
For soil preparation that's sure to be a hit;
A new mulching mower for grass blade clipping,
And a long soaker hose that saves water by dripping.
With jolly Saint Nick's gift-giving complete,
He started his truck and took off down the street.
And I heard him exclaim through the motor's loud hum,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green thumb!"
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