In The Garden

14/11/2024

I was so excited last night when I found that our rose bush on the Southside of the house was blooming again! I had trimmed it earlier this summer and haven't looked at it much in the meantime. This rose not only looks wonderful but also has a delightful scent. An added bonus is no thorns!

03/09/2024

Today I had to work for my toughest client, myself!
My own landscape & gardening needs often go left undone until the last minute because I have so many things going on all the time and at home it is often not a priority because my family needs me for other things. Today I had to prioritize this. The shrub, a Lemon Candy Ninebark, had gotten so big that the utility boxes were not able to be accessed easily. Seeing as one has a service light on and the alarm (before being silenced) going off I needed to get this managed so the technician can get to the box and take care of the problem(s).
On a side note, Lemon Candy Ninebarks are listed as only getting 3-4' tall. As you can see, this was not true for this particular plant as it was happily going for 7'+! It was even bigger than my Summer Wine Ninebark that is supposed to top out at 6'. I don't know exactly why this particular shrub has decided to defy what is listed about it. It could be that it hasn't "read the guidelines" or is just its way of saying "you can't tell me what to do!" It could be that it was just mislabeled from the grower (though I don't know of any tall yellow varieties), or even that the area is more shade than I originally thought when I planted it so it is stretching for light. Whatever the reason it doesn't matter now. It's been pretty happy and I'm glad I got it pruned before the tech had to try and climb around it to get to the box.

10/08/2024

Here are two plants that are currently in bloom all over our area but often people don't realize they are related to each other. The Rose Mallow or Hibiscus, [Hibiscus moscheutos], that are growing in landscapes and even naturally in marshy areas (currently outside of Dellroy OH in the marsh area of Atwood Lake they are blooming in multiple clumps and colors!) is often loved by gardeners for its "tropical" appearance. Though late to begin its growth each season (usually doesn't begin pushing any growth until late April or early May depending on temperatures) these perennial Hibiscus amaze with their large flowers and variety of colors.
The Rose of Sharon [Hibiscus syriacus] is an older garden standard that is loved or hated depending on who you talk to! Older varieties seed freely and prolifically and can become a nuisance with the number of offspring they produce. If you like Rose of Sharon but hate how they spread there are a couple of things that can be done. If you're looking to do a new planting that includes a Rose of Sharon look for newer varieties that are considered sterile or less prone to self seeding. If you already have Rose of Sharon in your landscape you need to prune them as soon as possible after flowering, before the seed heads have time to fully develop and open. Don't be afraid to prune hard to remove all spent flower heads, as these plants are great at putting out new growth each year and the flowers only appear on new growth.

11/06/2024

A little candle light on a quiet evening really brings out the design on this beautiful Celtic cross.

09/06/2024

A before/during and an after photo of pruning a hedge of hollies in front of a home. What a difference a pruning makes. Now the homeowners can open their casement windows and not get branches trapped when they try to close the windows later. Once the pruning and clean up were done I reorganized and decorated the bed between the wall and hedge with statuary and other items already on the property.
The original homeowners put these hollies in a long time ago and they are planted too closely together. The current homeowners are considering removing them in the future when they can afford to do something else.

15/04/2024

Spring weather is here! With all the rain we have been getting things are growing like crazy, including the weeds. Beware of poison ivy that may be in your flower beds! Not all plants have pushed new leaves yet and poison ivy is one that has not in some areas, but it is still able to cause pain because the vines also carry the irritant (urushiol) that causes many to break out in a rash. Preventative measures such as wearing gloves and long sleeves should help to reduce the risk of irritation, but they are not fool proof.
If you haven't guessed by now, yes I have poison ivy right now. I know some people might ask, how did you not realize it was poison ivy that you were pulling? It was covered by other weeds in the bed that I was focused on and though I was suspicious I had on gloves so I thought I was pretty well protected. Sadly it was not true. I have ended up with poison ivy on both of my gloved hands! Between the fingers and on top of them. I ended up with a rash at both wrists because my gloves didn't cover and my arms were bare because I was wearing short sleeves because the weather was warm. This rash did not appear until 2 days after I had weeded but when it appeared it appeared with a vengeance.
Moving forward into the season, especially now that it seems I am more prone to poison ivy than I was when I was younger, I will be more vigilant about my routine when I am working and when I finished at the end of a job daily. I definitely will be wearing gloves that are of a tighter fabric weave and coating, and I will be wearing sleeves for gardening. The most important change will be that I will be carrying and using products to clean up immediately after I am done and not waiting until I get home to wash. I am a busy mom and often when I leave a job I am heading to a family activity, chores, or errands, not to a bathroom with soap and a possibility of changing our of my dirty clothes into clean ones.
Today I am unable to work outside on a job even though it's so beautiful because of the pain and stiffness the poison ivy is causing my hands, but I will be taking the time to sanitize and wash all of my tools and gloves and prepping my supplies to be ready next time.
Be careful everyone!

13/02/2024

Spring is coming. . .
My husband's daffodils are pushing growth and my Lenten Rose is loaded with blooms!

24/12/2023

30/11/2023

Looking forward to supporting Carrollton's Drama program. This weekend, Friday & Saturday. The curtain goes up at 7 both nights so be sure to come early for tickets and seating!

20/11/2023

It's the time of year when people begin thinking about what needs to be cleaned up or cut back in their landscapes. Ornamental grasses are something that can go either way- some people prefer to cut them back while others like to leave them up, either as a habitat for winter wildlife or for the structural interest they provide to a winter garden. Personally, it depends on the type of grass and its location as to whether it gets cut back now or in early spring before new growth starts. I like to tie up my grasses so that they look like old fashioned hay stacks or corn shuck bundles and leave them up for a good portion of the winter. Snow on them looks amazing & they provide refuge for birds and other small wildlife during the winter. Then when I'm ready to cut them down I tighten up the rope holding it all together and cut them as close to the bottom as possible before new growth begins. (Sometimes I'm late getting them cut and they can be trimmed quite as low!) Having them already bundled makes clean up much easier.
Whether you leave them up or cut them down, using something to tie them up is very helpful when trimming because you can see the base of the plant much easier and most of the blades of grass don't go flying everywhere as you work, making clean up a bit easier.
The grasses in the pictures below were between two driveways along an alley. The homeowner had them cut earlier this spring, after they had already pushed new growth. She didn't want a repeat of the grass being smashed down by snow load from plowing/shoveling. She was not aware that they could be cut back in this hard and was concerned they would not grow back. I have assured her they will be great next year as I was able to break out quite a bit of dead at the base that needed to be removed to allow the plant more air flow and reduce the chances of insect or disease problems.

26/09/2023

Welcome to In The Garden!
Interested in landscape & garden advice for our area? In The Garden is here to help!
Hello, my name is Roxie and I am the person behind In The Garden . Prior to starting In The Garden I was the supervisor at a garden store and have numerous years of experience with landscape maintenance. I am looking forward to answering a lot of the same questions I was asked at the garden center such as: what will grow in these (?) conditions; which plants would be best in this area around my home; what is this plant?, and many more.
What I'm offering is knowledge from 20+ years of education and experience. Will I have all the answers? No, but I'm willing to do the work to find them if possible. I am also currently offering individualized garden/landscape maintenance to residents of Carroll County, OH. Need a small job done, such as planting some annuals & perennials, or need that flowerbed weeded & kept up? Maybe you just need a few shrubs pruned and you're just not able to do it yourself right now? Small residential jobs are what I'm interested in.

14/09/2023

Sometimes landscapes need to be updated!
The previous homeowner had a small water feature (pond) out in the backyard, but it had many faults: it was overshadowed by a large ornamental grass, it was too far from the house, and it lacked much wow factor. The current homeowners wanted to move it closer to the patio area so they could enjoy the sound of the running water while sitting out in the evenings. The new location allows for this and makes supplying power to the pump and possible future lighting much easier. With new plantings of smaller ornamental grasses it looks more natural and in scale. The pea gravel around the edges lends a nice transition from the hard concrete patio to the rocks surrounding the pond liner. The flat rocks are positioned to hide the liner and also give the falls the look of coming from a hidden cave at the top. There is also #57 river gravel lining the bottoms of the pond's two levels, and several rocks that the homeowners granddaughters hand picked for their interesting colors are displayed around the pond. The old pond had a hardy water lily in it and it is now proudly on display in its refurbished home. We can't wait to see it bloom!