Horticulture's Premier International Meeting Columbus, Ohio 2024

 Cultivate '24 has come to an end. This amazing horticultural trade show, education venue, and networking event is an annual tradition for our grower, John Miller and me. We look for trends, new and improved plants, better ways to display, how to interact with social media and so much more. Here are some of the things we did over the 4 days of the event. 

On day 1, an all day workshop on creating content and sharing it on social media was attended by people from all over the U S and the world. Led by Kate Dubow, Clint Albin, Katie Elzer-Peters and Maria Failla,

we toured a cool garden center, Groovy Plants Ranch, first. It's hard not to compare this grower/garden center with our own. Their site was flat, (ours is not), and concentrated on houseplants, succulents, annuals, tropicals and a limited selection of  perennials. Easy to navigate and full of surprises, it was a joy to tour and talk about with the owners and members of our group. I've been here several times and have watched it grow. Groovy Plants Ranch lives up to its name creating a groovy vibe in it's surroundings. 

Beautiful gardens border the entrance...love the VW bus

This beetle has a fairy garden 

A potting area for DIYers 

One of my team members

Worth a visit 

We boarded the bus and headed to an award-winning landscapers' home.  Nick and Allison McCullough allowed us into their home landscape to view a remarkable site where entertainment areas, vegetable gardens, and other areas had their own 'rooms' divided by walls of green. 

Landscaper Nick McCullough

Nick says the lawn will go as his children grow; for now it serves as a play area for them between all the garden spaces at their home and their parents' home next door. 

Border planting between neighbors (family)

The landscape is still young. I loved their use of strong foliage elements in the containers and the color palate of green, gray and burgundy/purple. This unified the yard and house time after time. 

Loved the purple and gray accent plants and planters 

Foliage first for color, texture and design

Easy to maintain plantings between walkway and house

More gray accents with watering cans

Seating in the shade under topiary tree planting

Fun metal accents throughout the landscapes

Living walls open to a bridge to Mom's house

Upon our return to the convention center, we all shared Instagram stories and reels from our visits to the two stops earlier in the day. 

Up next, I will share some plant photos from the show and from our local trial gardens.

Mom's garden is beautiful as well 

 This book, authored by our hosts, provides wonderful inspiration to those of us who wish for help in designing our own home gardens. 

Plant of the Week: Crossandra infundibuliformis AKA Firecracker Flower

 Just as the first week of summer arrived, so did the need to have beautiful, heat-loving annual flowers that bloom all summer. Lantana, vinca, scaevola, purslane, and many other flowers handle the heat, but my favorite is the Orange Crossandra.

The brilliant orange flower atop dark, shiny green leaves is a must have in my garden. What better way for a plant-loving Baltimore Oriole's fan to show her support for the local baseball team. 

Yep, I love my O's and my bright orange Crossandra. Both are sure to have winning seasons this summer! They're all all-stars in my book! 

Height: 8-10"

Space: 10"

Water: When soil is dry to the touch

Fertilize: Every other week when growing in containers

Sometimes available in watermelon and yellow colored blooms, but, obviously, orange is my favorite! 

Plant of the Week: Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia

A shady spot perfect for Oakleaf Hydrangeas

 
Oakleaf Hydrangeas are an excellent choice for a large shrub in a shady or sunny area of the garden and landscape. Huge cone-shaped flowers may be as long as 12 inches. They fade from pure white to an antique shade of pink as summer gives way to autumn. 

Fading late summer flowers

The spectacular large, oakleaf-shaped leaves change from green to garnet red in the fall. Peeling bark on the stems add even more interest to this already fascinating shrub. 

I admit that left alone, the Hydrangea quercifolia can get too large for some areas. One planted at the edge of my stone rancher has grown well passed the roofline, needing to be trimmed back occasionally. Planted in the proper area, they do not require pruning and bloom reliably year after year. In addition, there are dwarf varieties, including one called Munchkin, that top out at 3 feet with a spread of about 4 feet. Other varieties range in size from 5-7 feet. Take a look at the Plant Finder tool on our website for more information on the many varieties we are likely to carry. 

'Munchkin', a compact variety

'Snow Flake' Oakleaf Hydrangea

The broad leaf multi-stemmed shrub has an upright spreading habit. Its leaves contrast well with evergreens, both broadleaved and needled. In my own garden, it is planted with  Variegated False Holly, Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki',  and Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia ' Fastigiata'. The bed also has perennial ferns, hostas and hellebores. The foundation plants were chosen for shade tolerance, foliage compatibility, and, with the exception of the hostas, deer resistance. 

Hydrangea 'Munchkin' in our sales yard

Plum Yew is a great companion plant

False Holly offers mottled leaves with yellow coloring

It did not take long for the Oakleaf Hydrangea to fill up a large space. I expect them to outlive me as they seem very happy in their garden setting. They have not attracted any insect pests in the 10 years they've been in my landscape. I like that they and the ferns planted in the bed easily self-propagate and cover the soil without the need for mulch. Do mulch them if they are out in the open, especially with a 1/2 day or more of sun. These hydrangeas are hardy to USDA Zone 5A and are native to our area. 

The flowers are excellent for cutting anytime as they fade from white with some pink edging to the dusty pink later in the year. For crafting, they make beautiful wreaths for the fall. 

Hydrangea Wreath photo courtesy Fine Gardening magazine

Do consider Oakleaf Hydrangeas for your garden. I've been very pleased with mine. 

The photos in this blog are mine or from Plant Finder on our website unless otherwise credited. 

June is National Pollinator Month -Pollinator Week is June 17-23

Monarch butterfly feeding on Solidago, Goldenrod, as it migrates through Maine.

 It's National Pollinator Month! We've learned so much about pollinators. We are as dependent on them as they are on us. We realize that one of every three bites of food we have is a result of the pollination of vegetables and fruits.  

How do we decide what to grow for our pollinators? 

Provide diverse plantings that bloom throughout the growing season. consider plants like Clethra and  Echinacea (coneflowers) for the summer and Solidago (goldenrod) for the fall. 

Clethra attracted swarms of Swallowtails to my garden

 

Think Native Plants. We have gotten better about promoting native plants that adapt to local climate and soil, attract wildlife, and are beneficial to native pollinators. Use Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susan's, Maryland's state flower for summer plants. I love Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells, for early spring, and Eutrochium purpureum, Joe-Pye weed for a fall native perennial. 

Lobelia cardinalis growing in shade 

Swallowtail and Bumblebee share the wealth provided by Joe-Pye weed

It's ok to plant annuals. Lantana, Salvia, Cuphea, Zinnia, and scores of other annuals provide nectar all summer for pollinators that we might attract to our vegetable gardens. Herbs are important too. I plant several 'sacrificial' parsley plants every year to feed Swallowtail butterflies. 

Hummingbird taking a break atop a dahlia

Avoid pesticides to protect pollinators. If an unwanted plant has become a major issue, consider removing it manually. For things like poison ivy, cut the plant back and treat the cut-end with Stump and Vine Killer, which works without having to spray a pesticide. I use the same practice to eradicate Tree of Heaven, the invasive host plant for Spotted Lantern Flies. 

Tree of Heaven Photo from University of MD Extension

Paint the cut of the unwanted plant for control. Use for Poison Ivy, English Ivy, Tree of Heaven. 

Provide water. In birdbaths, leave a stone in the bath to allow for perching. Fill shallow saucers with sand and water for butterflies. Put in a small pond to attract frogs and dragonflies. Your yard's diversity creates diversity in the pollinators you attract. Do be careful of standing water as we don't want to attract mosquitos. I add Mosquito Dunks to birdbaths and shallow pools to prevent them. The Dunks do not harm other wildlife. 

Provide shelter from predators in the form of small trees, perennial beds, hedgerows along fence lines and vines growing on vertical structures.

Don't keep the garden too tidy. This is my favorite tip. I've noticed bees in old firewood, and woodpeckers in dead trees.  Some bare ground will provide habitat for soil-aerating ground-nesting bees. Pollinators like weeds too.

The University of Maryland Extension provides more excellent information on the subject.

Visit us during June for an extensive choice of Plants for Pollinators!

Is Cabbage the New Kale?

 I may be late on this trend, but I'm hearing from our gardening customers that cabbage is the new kale. I'm not much of a greens lover myself, but have always liked the combinations of vegetables in Cole slaw. Cabbage is part of our St. Patrick's day fare and, in Baltimore, a much loved Thanksgiving side as sauerkraut. 

My family, (my dad in particular was a meat and potatoes guy), saw few greens other than lettuce served with dinner for our family of eight. When I began working at Valley View Farms in our produce department, I remember being handed a head of cabbage to weigh. I thought it was really heavy lettuce. Thus began my learning about other vegetables.

A few years later, my husband's parents, a German immigrant and his southern belle wife, taught me more about vegetables in the garden and in the kitchen. Collards, kale, and other greens were cooked along side black-eyed peas and cabbage. A new cuisine was introduced to me. 

Kale and Broccoli 

Vegetable transplants are grown at our farm greenhouses by John and his crew to sell in both spring and late summer (for fall harvest) at the store. Cabbage is being sought after by more and more gardeners. We had reduced varieties a few years ago and added 3 varieties of kale. Now we are considering bringing back some of the other cabbages back into our line of  transplants.

Cabbage transplants

Golden Acre cabbage is an early cabbage (65 days) with dense, compact round heads. It is a great variety to use for Cole slaw, stir fries and many other dishes. 

Photo courtesy Baker Creek Heirloom Seed

Red Jewel F1, a 3-5 pound hybrid cabbage, features round, deep heads with a short core that matures in about 75 days. 

Photo courtesy Ball Seed

China King F1, is a miniature Chinese cabbage with barrel-shaped heads and a yellow interior color. The miniature Napa cabbage can be grown in 55 days from transplant and weighs in at about 2 pounds.

 

Photo courtesy Ball Seed

We've been asked to grow Savoy cabbage again and may add it to our offerings this fall or next spring. Savoy Ace F1 has crinkled leaves and a super holding capacity.  

Photo courtesy AAS

In an article on Web MD, cabbage is chock full of vitamins, helps cleanse our gut, provides probiotics when fermented (sauerkraut), helps prevent cancer, keeps blood sugar under control, and provides scores of other benefits. It is indeed a Superfood. 

One of our young plant growers offers weekly recipes in a newsletter. Cabbage Soup, a healthy warm dish is just one of several recipes  from Bob's Market.

Jan grows greens including kale and Swiss chard in her raised beds. 

I may have to grow some myself this spring in my Earth Box on the patio. Slaw for all this summer!

Plants of the Week: Pansies and Violas

 Spring isn't officially here until the pansies and violas make their first trip to the store from our farm greenhouses. And, so, they've started to arrive. While the colors and fragrances of these plants make them a gardener's cool- weather- favorite -flowers, the incredible variety of patterns, growing habits, and bloom sizes bring new fans each season. Our farm greenhouses grow most of what we carry this time of year, with several other local growers adding to the mix as needed. 

Combine with primroses, ajuga, and other perennials 

Solid colors or pansies and violas with 'faces' are beautiful

Pansies typically are planted in the spring garden. They like growing in the cooler winter season, where they may be started from tiny plugs in our greenhouses in late January to be shipped to the garden center by mid-March. The blooms are bigger and very vibrant. We grow them in the summer for fall as well, but the blooms tend to be smaller at first. The best part about fall pansies is that they will come back up for spring, making them perfect companions to daffodils and tulips. 

Happiest during cooler weather, even surviving the snow in winter

Let's get this spring going! The daffodils and hellebores are blooming. Fresh pansies and violas will be planted in the containers along the front walk. Bulbs in pots have started to emerge. With Easter just 3 weeks away, I'm ready!

Yellow violas with tulips

Bluish pansies with tulips

Happy place, happy face

Selection

Jump-ups

Looking happy to be headed to Cockeysville from the farm.