A Mystery...

Who stole the worm from the home page of the website? It was my favorite part -- always made me smile :)

From Terry

There is always a lot going at CGC, but at this time a year - the amount of activity is phenomenal! The gardens are bursting with color! The daffodils have just about completed their blooming cycle and are making room for Virginia Blue Bells, Grape Hyacinths, Bleeding Hearts, to name a few of the lower to the ground bloomers. The trees are in full bloom with Magnolias pinking up naerly our full city block. The Redbuds should be called Magentabuds - well, they take my breath away.

It's not just about blooming activity, though; we are putting the finishing touches on the preparations for our 50th anniversary of the Plant, Herb, and Hosta Sale. The Preview Party for the sale is on Friday, April 30th from 6-9pm and then the public sale is on Saturday, May 1 from 9am-3pm and Sunday, May 2, from 11am-3pm. 50 Years - can you believe it?

The Preview Party is always so much fun. We will have a silent auction, a live plant auction, great food, libations, music by Stoopid Rooster, and plants galore! Join in the fun; you can make your reservations on line at www.civicgardencenter.org/garden_files/events.htm.

Just prior to the Preview Party we will be having a Groundbreaking Ceremony for our Green Learning Station! This project has been on the drawing table for a very long time and we are all so excited that we are finally commencing repurposing of what used to be a gas station at Reading and Oak Streets. We have been using this as a garage for storage of many things (and I mean many) since purchasing it in the early 1990's. After the completion of this project we will still be able to use it for storage and it will have an additional space for a classroom/learning lab. The Green Learning Station will sport permeable pavement, water catchment systems, a demonstration green roof, and other energy conservation applications. We are happy that First Lady, Frances Strickland, will be joining us for the groundbreaking at 5:30pm on 4/30/2010.

Come on by and see our progress on our Serenity Garden. The water fall is flowing and the wall is nearly finished. We are laying out markers for plants that will be installed in the very near future. It’s really starting to take shape.

Next week, with luck on our side, we will start construction on a partial green roof on the cottage. This will show, in clear sight, how a green roof works on a slanted roof and will be easy to see from the walk way leading up to our building.

So, I wasn’t kidding when I said there is a lot of activity going on at the CGC! Make your reservations today for the Preview Party. You can order Posy Power on line, too!

More Q&A from the Helpline

Q: How can I control soil gnats (also known as fungus gnats) in houseplants?

A: 1. Let the soil dry between waterings, without causing injury to the plants.

2. Install fly tape/sticky traps to control adults

3. Spray insecticidal soap as an additional remedy.

Q: Where can I buy trees and plants which grow well in this region?

A: Well, at the Civic Garden Center's annual Plant, Herb, and Hosta Sale! The Preview Party is April 30 from 6-9pm (first dibs on shopping) and then the sale is open to the public on Saturday May 1, from 9am-3pm and Sunday, May 2, from 11am-3pm.

Q: How can I kill English Ivy from growing on a white pine tree.

A: Cut ivy off at ground level. This will kill the ivy. You can then pull off the dead vine from the tree. This works for fences, walls, houses, etc. Removing ivy from mortar may also remove some of the mortar - be prepaired to do some tuck pointing.

Recent questions and answers from the OSU Extension Horticulture/Civic Garden Center Helpline

The Civic Garden Center works cooperatively with the OSU Extension office to operate the Helpline - a service for gardeners and the curious to call with plant related questions. Here are two recent questions with answers. If you have a question, give us a call at 513-221-8733.





Q: There are small black hard shell insects on the underside of my ficus tree leaves. What can I do to eliminate them?



A: Spray with horticultural oil. http://gardening.about.com/od/naturalorganiccontrol/a/Hort_Oil.htm





Q: I have dug up some peonies; how can I store these over winter?



A: Do not wash rhizome; shake or gently break away soil.

With sterilized knife (dip knife in alcohol) cut out damaged or rotting areas.

Cut four holes in a gallon plastic bag on both sides.

Dampen peat mos, vermiculite or sawdust slightly (damp but not soggy)

Place peat moss in plastic bag, tuck in rhizome and seal bag

Store in cool dark place

Remove rhizome from bag, weekly, and check for rot

Cut off any rotting areas with sterile knife and return to plastic bag, making sure

storage material stays damp; place back into storage

Helpline Questions & Answers

Christmas Tree Sale at the Civic Garden Center!

Our parking lot smells sooooo good! We have assorted sizes from 3-4 feet all the way to 8-9 feet tall trees. All are Fraser Firs from North Carolina with perfect tops for that Angel or Star that's been in the family for generations. Or start your own tradition and use something non-traditional as your tree topper!

We are open from 9am-6pm Monday - Friday and 10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday for the tree sale. Stop in and shop our lobby for hand made pottery and CGC logo wear.

Here are some tips for taking care of that tree over the holidays.

• Keep your tree in a cool place until you bring it into your home.
• Make a fresh cut to remove about an inch thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in a stand or bucket.
• Place your tree in warm water as soon as possible (tap water is fine to use).
• As a general rule, provide your tree with 1 liter of water per inch of stem diameter.
• Check the water level daily to make sure it does not go below the base of the tree.
• Visit www.hcdoes.org/yardwaste to find out how to properly dispose of your Christmas tree this year!

Summer

It's been a great summer for the Civic Garden Center. We've had lots of classes, a fantastic Neighborhood Gardens Tour and still more classes and events are coming up. Having the coolest July on record has made for a very enjoyable gardening month!

Here's a brief run down. For more info visit our website.
Classes
7/29 Introduction to using a rain barrel 6pm $10
8/05 Lunch & Learn: Ornamental shrubs Noon Free
8/12 Square Foot Gardening for the Fall Garden 6:30pm $10
8/13 Small Trees 6pm $10
8/16 Needle Felted Flower Pins - craft class 1pm $25
8/17 Bees in the Burbs 6pm $10
8/18 Diversity in the Landscape 6pm $10
8/29 Gourd Art - craft class 9:30am $20

September will bring us the CGC first ever Organic Wine Tasting on the patio -9/18 from 5-8pm $25; reservations required 513-221-0981.

October we have two big events planned. The first and a really fun one is our annual Flavors of Neighborhood Gardens. Come enjoy a relaxing evening on the patio while you sample the harvest of our community gardeners bounty. This is a free event and donations are welcome! 10/9 from 6-8pm, rsvp 513-221-0981.

Then we have Bulb Day on 10/10. We will have a multitude of daffodils and various other bulbs for sale with guest speakers, activities, and more. Details will follow for times and pricing.

My how time flies

Hey there bloggers. It's been more than a month that I've blogged in. As usual, there is so much going at at the CGC. Our snail mail newsletter will be arriving in homes within a week or so. If you can't wait that long, please check out our website and look for the link on the lower left side of the home page under Summer Newsletter. We've added many new classes for the summer session, so make sure you check out the classes while you're on the website.

Our next big event is our annual Neighborhood Gardens Tour on July 23rd from 5:30 - 8:30pm. For $10 dollars you get to visit three our our well established gardens, ride the big air conditioned bus, and have a refreshment or two. We will be visiting the following gardens:
Over-the-Rhine People’s Garden
Pendleton Children’s Garden
Purcell-Marion Community Garden

If you'd like to join us, please call 513-221-0981 to make your reservations.

That's it for now.