An evergreen in a garden always reminds us that hope sticks around, even in winter. There are more than 250 registered cultivars of hemlock in existence. These Hemlocks vary in color, shape, leaf type, and much more. Hemlock has a unique quality that other evergreens don’t, because they grow well in the shade. Yews can […]
Eric Larson, correspondent
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: What are the perils of Tomato Southern Blight?
In mid-July, I found out the Mansfield Extension Office got a call about a tomato problem while I was volunteering to answer gardening questions. I’m part of the Master Gardeners, a national volunteer group connected to the Ohio extension service. This year, I wanted to get more involved. Usually, I’d go to the Longwood Office […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: Serviceberry is a native American favorite
What fruit-bearing tree I would grow in my garden if I had space for only one? My choice has always been the Serviceberry, or Shadbloom, or Amelanchier, which is a tall shrub or small tree. This plant has been one of my favorite landscape trees. As a matter of fact, there are 18 native Serviceberries […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: I heard it through the grapevine
A few years back, one of our readers reached out to me with a question: “How do youget rid of this vine in the picture of a lot she was trying to sell?” Her curiosity got me thinking — does this persistent vine really affect a property’s value? Yes most of us agree it’s more […]
Posted inOutdoor
A Stroll through the Garden: Cannonball fungus attacking our walls
While I was actively working in a client’s flower bed, getting rid of the Canadian thistle a few years ago, I noticed these little black dots all over her garden walls. These dots were by her front door, on the hard surfaces of concrete blocks that formed a border for her beds. The south-facing wall […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: Bouncing bronze birch borer from your dirt patch
I got a call a few years ago from one of my readers. His Paper Bark Birch was in severe decline. From what I could see, this two-foot-diameter tree was dying. I explained the dire situation of the tree to the homeowner. He decided to take down the tree. The way the trees die from […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: These bulbs bring color in winter & spring
Now is the time to really get started with several bulbs that need vernalization, or in other words, experience some of the cold temperatures that winter brings. The main reason you start now is that the bulbs need to set roots. The roots set best with soil temperatures at 55 degrees F and above. October […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: Ferns and shade gardening
It seems that the end of the season is coming up, and we are writing this column during theAshland County Fair. My ferns are some of the last plants that turn brown. My friend asked,“Are there native Ohio Ferns that I could plant in my shade garden.” Shade gardening is a real challenge on a […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: Have you ever heard of lasagna composting?
“Should everything be composted?” was the question discussed and addressed during a Master Gardener meeting. There is a long list of items that you can compost. Here is a list of items that will decompose when placed on soil: rotten fruit and vegetables, spent coffee grounds, eggshells, paper coffee liners, loose-leaf tea, tea bags, soiled […]
Posted inLife and Culture
A Stroll Through the Garden: Chicken poop from the coop can aid a green thumb
A few years ago, I spoke at the Richland County Fair about soils and composting. While at the fair, I received several questions about how to incorporate chicken manure into compost. If you have a chicken coop where chickens spend most of their time, you should not have any problem gathering the manure. One of […]