Jul
30
The Praying Mantis in My Garden
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This cute little Praying Mantis was visiting my garden the other day, gobbling up all the pesky bugs that munch on my plants. He paused long enough for me to snap a photo of him.
Having a Praying Mantis (or two, or three) in your garden is one of the benefits of gardening organically. If you use harsh chemicals or pesticides you kill the beneficial bugs with the bad bugs. Why do that when you can have visitors in your garden like this.
Jul
17
Do you want to be more environmentally responsible? Growing your own garden without chemical fertilizers and pesticides is a great way to start. Working in harmony with nature is always a great way to leave a positive footprint on this earth.
By growing your own fresh produce you are cutting down on the pollution caused to food halfway across the world to get to your back door. Buying produce locally and in season is another great way to cut back on the extra gas we use, and pollution caused to haul a grape from Peru in February.
Another great way to get back in touch with nature is to create an animal friendly garden or yard. Grow trees, shrubs, and plants to benefit wildlife all year round. Here is a more in depth look at what to grow to attract wildlife in, How To Attract Birds To Your Garden.
Jul
15
Fall garden related festivals in Ohio (September- October). Fall is the best time of year for festivals, check out these fun fall garden related festivals to see if there is one in your area.
Clinton County Corn Festival
September 07 - September 09, 2007
Wilmington, Ohio
http://www.clintoncountyohio.com
Johnny Appleseed Festival
September 15 - September 16, 2007
Lisbon, Ohio
http://lisbonchamber.com
Ohio Green Living Fayre
September 03, 2007
Johnstown, Ohio
http://www.ohiogreenliving.org
Beavercreek Popcorn Festival
September 08 - September 09, 2007
Beavercreek, Ohio
http://www.beavercreekohio.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=19
Johnny Appleseed Festival
September 15 - September 16, 2007
Brunswick, Ohio
http://www.mapleside.com
Jackson County Apple Festival
September 18 - September 22, 2007
Jackson, Ohio
http://www.jacksonapplefestival.com
Apple Daze
September 22 - September 23, 2007
Lebanon, Ohio
http://www.hiddenvalleyfruitfarm.com
Apple Butter Making
September 25 - September 29, 2007
Archbold, Ohio
http://www.saudervillage.org
Garlic Festival
September 28 - September 30, 2007
Cox Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio
http://www.coxarboretum.org/events/index.html
Fall Farm Festival
September 29 - September 30, 2007
Yellow Springs, Ohio
http://www.youngsdairy.com/fallfarm.htm
Bob Evans Farm Festival
October 12 - October 14, 2007
Rio Grande, Ohio
http://www.bobevans.com/
Fall on the Farm
October 13, 2007
Archbold, Ohio
http://www.saudervillage.org
Apple Butter Festival
October 14, 2007
Fulton, Ohio
http://www.lomocamps.org
Circleville Pumpkin Show
October 17- October 20, 2007
Circleville, Ohio
http://www.pumpkinshow.com/
Jul
14
What Are The Best Plants For a Natural Hummingbird Habitat
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Would you like to establish a natural hummingbird habitat? Here are some great plants to include in your meadow, or garden:
1. Bee Balm (Monarda Didyma, Oswego Tea)
2. Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens)
3. Columbine
4. Trumpet Creeper (Canpsis Radicans)
5. Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens Carpensis)
Try to incorporate flowers that bloom at different times of the year in your garden, so your hummingbird friends will have a non-stop supply of food. Hummingbirds love long tubular flowers, of any color, but especially red. Also make sure you have several bushes, small trees, and shrubs to provide cover for hummers when they need a short rest, or for nesting.
Jul
11
Bee Balm
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Bee Balm, also known as Monarda Didyma, Bergamot, and Oswego Tea, is a common native wildflower in North America, and one of my favorite perennials. Monarda is easy to care for, just plant young plants in sandy well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade.
Bee Balm spreads easily by sending out rhyzomes, and can spread up to a foot a season. This makes them an excellent candidate for naturalizing in wildflower gardens, and meadows. Since the roots are not deep, Monarda is easy to contain, any plants popping up where they do not belong can be removed, and given to friends, or (gasp!) added to the compost pile.
Bee Balm is excellent for attracting wildlife to your meadow or garden. Hummingbirds and butterflies love Bee Balm, and it gets its name because it reportedly soothes bees. The flowers are fragrant, and come in a variety of colors, including red, white, pink, purple, and lavender. Monarda Didyma blooms from late June to August depending on location.
These flowers are also called Oswego Tea, because they make an excellent, fragrant herbal tea. The main disease Bee Balm is susceptible to is powdery mildew, which will occur in some varieties if the summer is hot and humid or damp.
Jul
9
Chicory for Naturalizing
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Chicory (Cichorium Intybus) is a common find in ditches, fields, meadows, and along roadsides. The blooms are cornflower blue, and usually occur from July to early September, depending on the area.
Chicory is an excellent plant for naturalizing, it is not overly invasive. It spreads by seed, making it an easy specimen to plant and maintain in a wildflower garden. Chicory is easily maintained, just plant in well drained soil, in full sunlight.
Jul
7
Purple Coneflowers
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Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea Purpurea) are drought tolerant natives to the midwestern and southeastern United States. Coneflowers are great for naturalizing in borders, wildflower gardens, roadside prairies, and meadows. They self seed, or plants can be divided at the roots.
The large showy blooms are great for flower arrangements. Purple Coneflowers also have many herbal uses. Including immune booster, good for your skin, and toothaches, just to name a few. Because Purple Coneflowers are harvested so extensively for their medicinal and herbal uses they are at risk of being over-dug in the wild. The roots are harvested on three to four year plants, and it takes several years for a new seedling to catch up.
Purple Coneflowers will help attract birds, bees, and butterflies to your woodland garden. They are spectacular when paired with Black-Eyed-Susans. Both plants have beautiful showy blooms, and the color contrast between the Purple Coneflowers, and the yellow Black-Eyed-Susans is stunning.
Coneflowers suffer from very few pests, but Japanese beetles are a serious threat, and during damp, humid summers plants can develop leaf spots. Mature plants are 2-3 feet tall, and bloom during June to October, depending on the area.
Jul
6
My Lilies Are In Bloom
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Our lilies are blooming, so I thought I’d share them. They’ve naturalized down by our creek, and we also have a beautiful showing of them in the flower bed, and up by the barn.