Dayton "Dirt" by Tom Dayton

Dayton "Dirt" - February 10, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

This weekend being more like February than March or April will bring some welcome relief from the seemingly abnormal warm temperatures. Any gardener knows the consequences of warm weather pushing growth this early in the season.

At the nursery, I’ve noticed how muted the warm temperatures influence is on flower bulbs in the shade of evergreens or a building. Many of the thousands of daffodils at the nursery are growing on a north slope and in some shade from evergreens with the result that they are barely out of the ground. Conversely, the daffodils with no shade and no north slope are well advanced due to the sun and warm temperatures.

For many plants, especially ericaceous ones, that is why they usually thrive with winter shade that will protect the leaves from the dehydration from the sun and slow down effects of a late winter or too early spring push due to elevated temperatures.

I’m anxious to add exponentially to our cache of spring photographs in Wolf Creek Gardens as last year’s rainy days contributed to the trees and shrubs growing as if they were on steroids! The numerous dogwoods, rhododendrons and azaleas are budded so heavily that the show this May should be spectacular; that is, unless Mother Nature pushes things along too early.

In a walk through the garden earlier in the week, I noticed annual weeds such as cress and yellow rocket growing quite nicely until I hit them with a shot of Roundup! When the weather is above freezing and no rain for at least 24 hours, Roundup can be sprayed in winter to get a head start on weeds in the garden as long as green stems of trees and shrubs and above ground crowns of perennials are avoided.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the seminar last week about ornamental trees and Michelle Riley’s instruction on attracting wildlife. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. will be our guest Chuck Gleaves from Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio giving his presentation on rock gardening. Then Michelle will present ‘Mulch, Everything You Wanted to Know’ afterwards. In essence, you’ll end up with a head full of ideas when you leave the nursery. That’s not bad for five dollars including refreshments.

See you tomorrow.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - January 27, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0000

This past week completed another year of the nursery trade show in Columbus at the Convention center. The show consists of a multitude of vendors displaying their wares that include everything from trees and shrubs, tropical plants, greenhouses, wheelbarrows, lawnmowers .... I think you get the picture.

The seminars that were held are quite informative with subjects such as growing and propagation, marketing, insect and disease research and so on. The convention is an opportunity for me to investigate new products and speak with many business people and professors to find out the latest in the horticulture industry.

Our first seminar on trees and shrubs for the home landscape is just about a week away so that I’ve been brushing up on some of the trees that I don’t know enough about.

Our winter seminars are usually well attended as there’s not much gardeners can do outside in the winter beside shovel snow here in northern Ohio. Then too, where else can you get an hour and a half of an educational seminar with decent refreshments for $5.00!

I well remember our January 27th seminar in 2007 as the wind began howling and the temperature dropped quickly. That winter was uncanny in that up until that January 27th, the weather was more like early spring. The whole night the winds howled at 40 miles per hour as temperatures dropped to 4º F below zero! Hopefully we won’t see that kind of “change of seasons” this year but we’re not out of the woods yet.

See you at the seminar on the 4th of February.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - January 20, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:33:00 +0000

We are in the depth of winter and the planting in the greenhouse seems to go on and on.

This coming week we’ll be receiving about 10,000 cuttings of various annual flowers from Guatemala. These cuttings will require a light misting until rooted and in addition some of the varieties need to be dipped in a weak solution of IBA (Indolebutyric Acid) and supplemental lighting with a high pressure sodium lamp that will provide about 1000 foot candles of light during these cloudy dark winter days.

Another aspect of our winter growing is weekly testing of the growing media of the plants to make sure that the pH remains in an acceptable of 5.6 to 6.2, depending on the plant. The fertilizer or salt level is monitored along with the pH to ensure that it is neither too high nor too low. Values that are too high might burn the roots and could damage or kill the plant. Values of salt readings that are too low indicate not enough fertilizer has been applied to keep growth going so that the plants are full and beautiful for sales in May.

It takes a lot of preparation and planning well ahead of the planting to develop a system to yield a good crop of flowers and make it profitable!

I remember the “old days” when we sold 8, 4½ geraniums in a wooden basket for $8.00 or $9.00. The trouble began when natural gas prices literally went through the roof and many greenhouses in our area were of the energy hungry, single pane glass type. Needless to say, the geranium greenhouses went out of business which caused these inexpensive geraniums to vanish.

Today, new types of compact geraniums can be grown in packs that have 6, 3 inch pots that enables our customer to purchase plants at an affordable price and allows us to make a reasonable profit. For sure, the free market has brought a whirlwind of changes in just a few short years.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - January 13, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:55:00 +0000

The warm weather this past week has been welcomed by almost everyone but as I stated in my January 6th blog it can create problems for plants too.

On the upside, anyone who heats with natural gas and is on a floating rate, costs are going down. In fact the gas company may even run out of storage space due to heavy production in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and because of mild winter temperatures. Well do I remember the dreaded gas meter indicator clicking round and round when the price for the gas alone was closer to 8.00 per MCF instead of the now 4.50 on the floating rate.

While the nursery will save greatly on natural gas costs this year as compared to 2 and 3 years ago, other costs have risen such as pot and flat prices for our greenhouse product. However, we did lower prices on many greenhouse products last year and did not raise others that have remained the same for years and found that our total revenue and profit was up over the last two year’s average.

I’d like to see such a strategy of some lower prices in the grocery store but I think that would be just wishful thinking.

Our seminars are getting closer and with mine being the first one on February 4th, I’m having to do a lot of research as I’m finding out that I don’t know enough about some of the trees I’ll be speaking about.

So far, winter has been “good” to us but we still have a long way to go.

Dayton "Dirt" - January 6, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:55:00 +0000

The weather is acting more like it’s late March to very early April instead of the depth of winter in January!

A little colder temperatures would be nice for our plants in cold storage as a few varieties of plants want to break out of dormancy and fungus problems increase because of the warmth and high humidity in the storage houses.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t run away to Florida all winter as I’m busy in the greenhouse, busy reviewing spring orders, busy researching new products, busy with the upcoming seminars and busy with tax work. Winter for me is an opportunity to get a lot of behind the scenes work done.

Be sure to review our upcoming seminars that start February 4th that are not only educational but give a welcome break from winter’s grip.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - December 30, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Every year as we are about to turn the page on the new year, the age old question is “Where did the time go!”

So it goes at the nursery in that once spring has come and then gone it seems as though we’re planting for the next spring! With all the transplanting, sticking of cuttings and other work of the greenhouses, we’ll be plenty busy in January and February. The new busyness from the additional greenhouse duties will make winter seem to end more quickly.

Another busy endeavor is the preparation needed for our winter seminars that begin on February 4th. The seminars will continue through March but there are some in April which will include Debra Hardwick’s seminar on Clematis that last year drew such a crowd that I was thinking that we would have to turn some folks away! I have said many times, please notify us beforehand if you want to sign up in order that we are able to do planning for adequate refreshments and seating. I think for $5 most participants will agree that they are getting a good value for the dollar.

The word at the nursery in January is “watch” as I must constantly be on the lookout for mice and vole damage in our overwintering structures and on the outside, deer and rabbit chewing.

Just keep busy and you’ll wonder whatever happened to winter as spring begins spring forth.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - December 9, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:50:00 +0000

In early December, the sun sets even before the sunset of the winter solstice on the 21st making the days appear even shorter than the shortest day of the year! No wonder that Christmas is all about lights and evergreens during the cold dark winter days.

We’re still fabricating more grave blankets and custom decorating many of them. In fact, I thought last week that we had plenty of spruce and pine branches to finish the season but instead we had to cut more this past week to insure a supply of blankets through the Christmas season.

Poinsettias have sold surprisingly well which I think much of the better sale is due to the high quality of the plants since we began growing our own.

The rain this past week has been no surprise as it’s been raining consistently every few to several days since the first of March!

We still have a decent selection of all Ohio grown Fraser Fir which will easily last past the New Year when the tree trunk is set in water.

Christmas was always a big baking extravaganza at our house when my grandmother (my mother’s mother) was alive in that cookies, nut rolls and poppy seed rolls would seem to breed in the oven.

I’ll be decorating my own tree soon but I think not until Christmas Eve as I’m somewhat tired after a long day at work.

Hope for snow!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - December 2, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Last Friday, the so called Black Friday was busy at the nursery with sales of wreaths, roping, poinsettias and cut trees in full swing.

At the nursery our “Black Friday” is the month of May as that month pays for all our expenses for about the entire year when there are fewer sales or no sales such as in winter.

Predictably, the large trees of 10 feet and taller are about all sold but we do have a good source of Canaan Fir which can be cut for $100 retail. The trees are gorgeous with some approaching 12 feet. Canaan Fir is similar to Fraser Fir and has the same needle-holding capability when they are cut around Thanksgiving or after.
This week for us has been a real crunch time as our cuttings of flowers from Guatemala arrived and must be stuck quickly in the rooting media. These plants will be potted up to hanging baskets in late January and will grow on until May before they can be sold. Our next batch of cuttings will arrive in late January for more hanging baskets and smaller pots.

The months of January and February are only a brief interlude at the nursery before full production starts in March. I’ll be giving you some insight on what’s new for 2012 as soon as the holidays are over.

Remember Santa Claus will visit the nursery between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. on December 3rd and 4th so that you’ll want to bring your camera, children and/or grandchildren for a photo opportunity.

It’s been wet enough this year so that the cold rain might as well change to snow.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - November 25, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:51:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time to get in the swing of the Christmas season. Our poinsettia crop turned out better than expected with almost all of the varieties having large colorful bracts of red, white, marbled and pink.

I am so thankful too that our Christmas tree grower is very fussy about quality as he hires extra labor to harvest the trees late in November in order that they remain fresh for our customers. In the past two years I have inspected the cut trees at some of the home improvement stores and was shocked that they would ever sell as most of the trees were so dry! In fact, I was in one of the stores buying plumbing supplies on Christmas Eve two years ago when a young couple with a baby bought one of the last three cut Douglas Firs for $5.00 in which the bottom one third of the needles had fallen off!

I will be doing my inspection of at least 5 stores this year to see if the quality has improved at least in the freshness department but I’m not setting my expectations very high. Cutting your own tree can be a fun family experience which will sure insure that your tree is fresh but if you don’t want to bother with cutting your own, we’ll have the next best thing which is a ready-cut fresh tree from Ohio.

Wreaths, roping, greens and our grave decorations that we’ve been making for almost thirty years are ready for pickup or delivery. We can even custom decorate the blankets to fit your own personal taste.

Tom

P.S. Don’t forget that you can tag your cut tree if your not ready for it and then pick it up or get it delivered when your ready. Keep in mind that we will even set it in the stand for you if you prefer.

Dayton "Dirt" - November 18, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Thanksgiving, the holiday that President Lincoln proclaimed should be celebrated on the last Thursday in November, is upon us.

At the nursery, we’re still collecting branches for our different styles of grave blankets and tomorrow we bring up our poinsettias we’ve been growing in our rear greenhouse as they are now showing lots of color. The variety Polar bear is a gorgeous pure white that benefits polar bear preservation when this variety is purchased.

Live wreaths, white pine roping and greens will be ready on Saturday afternoon as well as all styles of our grave decorations.

Other things going on at the nursery are a general clean up, propagation of geraniums for our spring crop and the finishing of construction of our new greenhouse for the production of perennials.

In Wolf Creek Gardens we’ve planted more Hemlock, White Pine and Dogwood varieties in order to enhance this ever expanding botanical garden display. Another chore I’m tiring of is having to erect a 6 foot windbreak on the west side of the rhododendron-azalea portion of the garden. The Norway Spruce screen that was planted 4 years ago should be big enough to do the job in another 2-3 years so that the windbreak job will be no more!

Next week our cut Christmas trees come in from southern Ohio of which the varieties will include Fraser Fir, Scotch Pine, White Pine and Douglas Fir. I’m impressed especially with the Fraser Fir as Frasers do not like to grow too far out of their native range which is the Appalachian Mountains at elevations of 2200 ft. and up! In fact, our Frasers from southern Ohio are superior to the normal North Carolina Frasers as they are so much fresher!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - November 11, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:41:00 +0000

On this Veteran’s Day of November 11th, we remember the Americans that are both dead and living who have secured our freedom and the freedom of our friends and allies around the world.

Unfortunately, the armistice that was signed on November 11, 1918 that ended World War I was suppose to be the finish of the war to end all wars.

November’s weather is still overall quite pleasant enabling many of us to finish yard work such as raking leaves, planting flower bulbs and mowing the lawn one last time. Below is a brief list of garden chores in November:
1 Take a soil test and apply lime if necessary to the lawn or garden to elevate the ph to 6.5 - 7.0.
2. Apply the last fall feeding of the lawn to insure a quick green up next spring to crowd out weeds.
3 Dig and store any tropical bulbs such as Dahlias or Cannas.
4 Finish planting any spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and such.
5. Water shrubs deeply under house overhangs to prevent winter burn or death of the plants due to dry soil.
6. Protect valuable plants from deer browsing or rabbit gnawing by spraying them with liquid fence.
7. Erect wind screens on the west side of broadleaf evergreens that are susceptible to winter wind burn.
8. Plant the tree now that you have been thinking about planting in spring so that the tree can root in this fall and very early spring.

I was relieved that we finished planting and mulching our blueberries last week as the planting would normally have been completed a little earlier this fall but was delayed because of the wet October. While tilling in the sphagnum peat for the blueberries, the nursery’s 37 year old walk-behind rototiller finally “died” when its Wisconsin engine had a bearing failure.

Many of our cascading grave blankets and pillows will be ready for delivery or pick-up this weekend with our spruce decorations ready toward the end of next week. Don’t waste the weekend as the weather will be sunny and mild.

Enjoy November.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - November 4, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:07:00 +0000

The weather has been almost perfect this past week which has given us the opportunity to plant our blueberry plants.

The blueberry field is just on the east side of the irrigation lake on high ground and will be a future patch for a pick-your-own type of operation. The varieties include the old time favorite Bluecrop, along with Patriot, Elliot and the early type called Duke. It may seem strange to some of you to plant in November but as I have been preaching for years, fall is for planting.

We’ve harvested are first batch of pine branches for our cascading grave blankets and pillows and we’ll harvest the blue spruce branches we need about a week from now so that they remain fresh when we store them outside.

Again, tress and shrubs for planting are still available with some of the trees at a good buy on the 50% off sale until mid-November.

Other happenings at the nursery include the installation of a new roof on our store building, the replacement of our worn out main sidewalk and the continuing construction of our new movable roof greenhouse for producing more and higher quality perennials.

So it’s been a busy November!

Dayton "Dirt" - October 28, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:31:00 +0000

Needless to say, the freeze last night put an end to the 2011 growing season.

The gradual cooling in fall is beneficial as trees and shrubs are able to adequately harden off in order to survive the long winter that is ahead.

At the nursery, the only plants we like to protect from a heavy frost in fall are the evergreen azaleas as sometimes the flower buds that formed in summer are not quite ready for a freeze and will be killed inside the bud sheath so that the bloom in spring would be limited.

With all the constant rain, we had to move our German iris from outside to an area under cover as a too wet German iris begins to rot if drainage is not adequate.

This year has been so incredibly wet that it gives new meaning to the phrase “well-drained soil”.

In fact, a customer bemoaned the death of a Royal Red Norway Maple as he planted it in a too wet area that maybe in normal weather would have been just fine.

At the nursery, the sales yard is almost empty except for some trees athough we sill can retrieve trees and shrubs from our storage area.

Our selection of trees includes Sugar Maples, Red Sunset Maples, Cleveland Select Pears, Autumn Blaze Maples and some Dogwood varieties.

Soon we’ll be cutting branches for our grave blankets and then getting ready for Christmas trees.

The Owl Barn is already somewhat decorated for Christmas with a good selection of apples, pears, cider and fresh backed goods from a local baker all along side the artificial decorated trees.

Even the poinsettias in the greenhouse are echoing Christmas as they are now showing a significant red hue in the flower bracts.

A few sunny days would be nice or maybe an Indian summer before we rush into Thanksgiving and then Christmas but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - October 21, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:04:00 +0000

What a change from last year!

Last year it was so warm and dry as it had been all summer that many established plants were suffering from drought that lasted well into November.

Now this year we all wish it would just stop raining for just a few days a week!

A least this weekend the sun is supposed to come out but with the weather forecast, my thoughts are that there indeed may be some frost in low lying areas if the sky is clear at night and the air is still.

In fact, the first frost date for northern Ohio is usually about October 10th although some years it can frost as early as mid-September and as late as November 10th!

This weekend is the last weekend for our fall sale although there will be a few trees that will still be on our 50% off sale.

In a little over a week from today, we’ll be covering our over-wintering structures for the small trees and shrubs as they cannot take the full blast of winter when they are in a pot above the ground.

Even with the end of the growing season, our greenhouse is still growing poinsettias, geraniums to use for cuttings and the plants of azaleas and blueberry we rooted last summer as these must be kept on what I call minimum heat, that is about 45 degrees.

For about another month, tree and shrub plantings can still go on along with the “planting of spring”, that is, Holland flower bulbs.

Hopefully the remainder of the fall will yield a significant number of sunny days as I have had enough of the cold rain although we should count our blessings as we could be in the same sad situation as Texas that has been hot, dry and burning.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - October 14, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:33:00 +0000

The progression of fall and then winter reminds me of the problem that many of us experience caused by grazing deer on a variety of plants especially certain evergreens.

Taking a proactive approach is the best way to avoid major deer damage by spraying valuable plants with Liquid Fence. Spraying the product about mid-November and again a month later will teach the deer that their food is elsewhere.

One evergreen deer love to chew is the Taxus (Yew) genus that otherwise is a wonderfully sturdy group for sun or shade.

I think it’s utterly strange that all parts of the Taxus plant except the red aril (berry) are poisonous to humans and cattle when ingested and yet the plant is a deer salad.

Another evergreen deer love is Arborvitae. They will strip the foliage as high as they can reach.

At the nursery, we are suggesting to customers that have deer problems to plant the Thuja plicata species or more commonly known as the Western Red Cedar.

This evergreen is perfectly winter hardy to climate zone 5 and has numerous advantages over the similar looking Arborvitae genus.

The benefits of using the Western Red Cedar as a hedge or screen are:

1. As stated before, deer won’t browse the foliage.
2. The plant has a single leader so that heavy snows or ice do not split it apart.
3. Western Red Cedars grow much better in moderate shade than Arborvitae as well as growing well in all day sun.
4. Growth on Cedars is rapid sometimes as much as 3 feet per year depending on the variety.
5. Plants for a screen can be planted 5-6 feet on center making the planting cost effective.
6. For a shorter hedge or screen without the burden of trimming the variety, ‘Can Can’ grows only to 8-10 feet.
7. Although the two conifers Arborvitae and Western Red Cedar are similar they are different in that the cedar will grow again from older mature wood when trimmed while the Arborvitae will not re-grow from old wood if trimmed hard.

Right now at the nursery we have the variety Green Giant in stock that will grow to about 20 feet in 5-6 years when planted at the beginning 5 foot hedge while only gaining a width of about 6 feet.

As I have stated many times before, fall is for planting about any tree or shrub as well as many perennials but Holland flower bulbs must be planted in fall so the cool moist soil will foster root growth so that the flower bulb can fulfill its spring promise of a flower.

See you at the nursery,
Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - October 7, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:03:00 +0000

In my last blog I touched on the beauty of nature with the changing of the leaves of the trees with their different hues of red, yellow, orange and gold..

In the landscape, vibrant colors of Autumn are easy to create by the addition of native plants. The maples seem to be the favorite for brilliant reds such as the Autumn Blaze hybrid maple and red maples or the multicolored Sugar Maple that displays colors of red, orange and yellow frequently mixed on the same tree.

Red oaks have a more subdued red hue in fall than the maples although the Ohio and Pennsylvania forests come alive with the massive fall displays of so many oaks.

One of my favorite native trees for fall color is the Oxydendron arboreum or Sourwood tree in that its Lily of the Valley-like-flowers hanging on the tree in clusters in August through early October while the rhododendron-like leaves begin to change to shades of mahogany and finishing up in a brilliant red display.

The Aronia brilliantissima or Chokeberry shrub is noted for it’s white bloom in late April and early May and the rich dark green leaves of summer giving way to a brilliant red and yellow glow in October.

As I have stated many times, though the various blueberry varieties are brightly colored in red, orange or yellow leaves in fall depending on the variety. The clear yellow is well known from the compact variety called Bluegold which will attain a height of about 4-5 ft. I’m sure the advantages to using blueberries are evident as they bloom with clean white flowers in spring, have handsome foliage in summer, brilliant fall colors, winter-colored wood and lastly if not most important, delicious and nutritious berries to eat!

The non-native Euonymous alatus Compactus or Burning Bush seems to be on the wane as a favorite of fall color in the landscape. How many times have I heard the complaints of homeowners fighting to keep the size of this plant in check or fighting spider mites that defoliate this euonymus.

With a little research and planning, you can create another season of interest in your landscape using all native plants which for years have been undervalued and neglected in the landscape.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 16, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

The crisp cool nights have made it ideal for fall festival time. Tomorrow is our big day for family fun from hayrides, crafts, animal shows, live bands, balloon tricks, etc. I will, as always be driving the hayride around the nursery and Wolf Creek Gardens. Our annual fall festival is an extra incentive to keep the grounds clean and neat as many of you will be able to view the “behind the scenes” areas of the nursery.

I don’t want to forget the food that will include various hot sandwiches, hot dogs and my favorite, roasted corn on the cob that in my opinion tastes so much better then boiling the corn.

The Owl Barn will be open for business as always with local produce from the Seiberling Farms, Bauman Orchards and other local growers. The other addition’s are ‘fall things” like gourds, pumpkins, corn stalks and mums, mums and more mums.

Entrance to the festival is $10 that will buy tickets that may be used at each particular event and should cover all events. I’m excited about Bobbie that will play in the Celtic music band as she is the moderator on our radio show Get Ready, Set, Grow that airs live every Saturday morning from 8 am - 10 am on WAKR 1590 AM.

The nursery still has a good selection of trees and shrubs in which many are on sale for 50% off the regular price.

If you don’t want to join in the festivities and just want to shop the nursery or Owl Barn that’s fine but you might find the hayride enjoyable and don’t have to buy the whole package of tickets and of course it costs nothing to enjoy the music from the Dulcimer Band or Bobbie’s Celtic Music Band.

The festival begins at 10 am and I’ll be there as soon as I can drive from the Akron Radio Center on West Market Street in Akron.

See you at the nursery!

Dayton "Dirt" - September 23, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

The fall festival last week seemed to be a success in that there was plenty to see and do for adults as well as children. The chef carving food into beautiful shapes and the making of carmel apples seemed to be a big hit with adults while the Bouncy House, balloon man and animal show was a hit with children. The hayride was equally liked by young and old.

The mums at the nursery are just gorgeous including the reliable Igloo mum types. We’ve just received shipments of more nursery stock so that if your landscaping your home we’re sure you’ll find a good selection of trees and shrubs with many at 50% off.

Remember that tomorrow and Sunday are very busy days with three events:
The Cider Festival in Norton
Mum Fest in Barberton
Horticulture show at the Akron Art Museum featuring Horticulture as an art.
With all the events going on, you’ll have to get an early start or you may not have time to go to all events!

On our program Ready, Set, Grow on Saturday morning beginning at 8 am on WAKR 1590 AM, I will be conducting interviews with the Barberton Mum Fest organizers and a representative from the Barberton Historical Society. Tune in to find out about the chrysanthemums and some of the behind the scenes activities that go on to put on the show.

Fall decorating is here with pumpkins, corn stalks, and gourds to make your home more festive. Be sure to check out everything on the market web site.

Happy Fall,
Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 30, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:47:00 +0000

The short days and cool nights are the signal to the trees to start shutting down for winter. After the first hard frost the colors of the leaves will become more vibrant. In the Pacific Northwest, the season for brilliant Autumn leaves is muted due to a lack of frost until November when leaf drop is already occurring.

No where in the country are Autumns so brilliant as in the Midwest, Northern Atlantic States and New England.

Although it is still not too late for lawn renovation: thatching, reseeding and repairs, time is running out so that lawn chores should be accomplished as soon as possible. Other garden chores such as mulching to protect tea roses or digging up dahlias and cannas for winter storage are still a long way off.

On the subject of Chrysanthemums, the Mum Fest in Barberton was a huge success as the festivities were not spoiled by rain last weekend. Mums in bloom are the final hurrah before the perennial garden edges close to it’s winter slumber.

At the nursery, many varieties are in peak bloom while others will not be at their peak until the second or third week of October.

Don’t forget that Autumn is a great time to plant your favorite type of shrub as well as most perennials.

I am finished with my new plant “hunts” now which will result in dozens of new varieties of dwarf conifers, trees, shrubs and perennials being introduced next spring although I will give you hints of what’s to come in future blogs and on our radio program.

So long for now.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 9, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Our Labor Day sale was success even though on Friday I was wondering if it could get any hotter and more humid!

Now with the sale open to everyone you don’t have to belong to our garden club to receive the sale prices but I think it is to anyone’s advantage to be a member in order to be informed about special events, sale promotions or products before non members.

View our website for all the items in our sales listing. Our specialty, blueberries, are quite numerous in a 1½ gallon or 3 gallon size and make a nice addition to the landscape especially with the coming fall colors of reds, oranges and yellows frequently mixed on the same plant similar to a Sugar Maple.

We still have some large Maples and Flowering pears as well that are on a sales price of $40-$75 off the regular price.

This fall is starting out very moist. Seeding a new lawn soon as possible would be a capital idea if your thinking about it. Just make certain that the type of seed you use fits your situation as far as shade or sun, amount of wear the lawn might incur and whether a fine texture of a mainly bluegrass lawn or the more coarse texture of a tall fescue lawn.

Our chrysanthemums are mostly tight in the bud but many are showing color and will open beautifully as September progresses. The Mum Fest will be here soon on the weekend of September 24th and 25th with various vendors of arts and crafts, artists, food and even the display of mums around Lake Ann.

Years ago I remember seeing the Governor of Ohio, Bob Taft walking around the lake quickly to view the mums on a Saturday morning but I never even got the chance to just say “hello”.

Our own fall festival is Saturday, September 17th so of course we’re hoping for good weather.

We’re still bring in stock for fall in order that our selection is good of you’re considering landscaping or just planting your favorite tree.

Remember, fall is for planting!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 2, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:28:00 +0000

Today is the start of our annual fall sale for garden club members only before we open the sale to everyone after Labor Day, September 5th.

One of the benefits of being a garden club member is that coupons, notices of big sales and other good buys are always relayed to members first.

Please remember that not everything is on sale as some stock is meant for spring sales but can actually be sold now.

Be sure to take a look at our extensive listing of trees, shrubs, roses and perennials on our website.

Even though some items are numerous, inventory changes rapidly and you might want to call ahead before traveling a long distance only to find the plants are already sold out.

Mum is the word too at the nursery as they are in plentiful supply from 8 1/2" pots to large 14" pots that will dress up any deck, patio or front porch.

Note too that we have a good supply of Igloo mums that will display flushes of color in June and again in September when the plants are cut back severely in mid July.

The nursery will be open on Labor Day from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and we open the doors early at 7:30 am on Friday, September 2nd for the start of the big sale!

See you this weekend!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - August 26, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:02:00 +0000

I just can’t believe that we’ve come through August without the usual hot, dry weather like last year!

The fresh produce just keeps coming and the nice rains are resulting in sweet corn filling out to the very tip of the ear.

The asters and garden mums are ready now but remember that only the asters and Igloo mums are dependable to return year after year. You may ask “Why use garden mums instead of Igloo mums?” The answer is that right now, the Igloo only come in six different colors while garden mums come in almost an infinite number of shades of colors and many different flower forms too. Garden mums are useful to decorate porches and decks as they will brighten up any home.

The weather is good now for planting trees and shrubs and even dividing perennials such as hostas and daylilies. Just mow or cut the plants back to the ground, dig them up, divide them and then replant!

Again, just a reminder to use your Dayton dollars as the coupon will be good only through August 31st .

Our big annual fall sale will start on Friday, September 2nd as we will open our doors early at 7:30 a.m. Only garden club members can take advantage of the sale price through Labor Day but after Labor Day the sale is open to everyone. Anyone who is not a member of our garden club can sign up and can take advantage of the great sale prices the same day.

Mark your calendar for our fall festival on Saturday, September 17th as it’s fun for the entire family with music, animal shows, hay rides . . . .

I’ve got to go.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - August 12, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:46:00 +0000

Mid-August is the time to finish ordering our perennial “starts” for planting next spring.

It’s amazing how every year more and more new varieties are available from the grower and breeders of this product. The breeder of plants are sometimes quite an odd bunch as they cross and recross plant varieties to come up with something novel.

I remember some years ago watching a National Geographic documentary on tulips and the story of the boom and then bust of the tulip bulb market in the Netherlands with a continuing story about the long quest for the elusive black tulip.

The breeder accomplished this feat of the black tulip and held a news conference to announce his creation. All the while, I’m thinking why anyone would want a black tulip as the flower would not be very showy and difficult to see from a distance!

Plant “finds” come from all over the world and must be tested before marketing as to whether the new plant will do well when exposed to factors such as local climate and soil conditions. For example, plants that are rated for our climatic zone 5 may very well tolerate our cold winters but may not do well in our hot, humid summers.

I remember talking to a young woman in a garden center in France about the French climate just southwest of Paris. Even though my French was rusty, I was able to communicate that I was jealous since normally that area of the country does not get nearly as cold as Ohio in winter and not nearly as hot in the summer. She just laughed but agreed that most of France is fortunate to have such agreeable weather with much of it due to the Gulf Stream current from North America!

Don’t worry, they’ll be plenty of new stuff for 2012.

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - August 19, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:45:00 +0000

With the blueberry crop done on our patch in Wolf Creek Gardens, we’ll e concentrating soon on developing more plantings of blueberries in the back field so that there will be plenty for a pick-your-own operation.

My favorites are still Bluecrop, Toro and Duke although I am very impressed with the variety Bluejay as it is a compact upright plant and just loaded with medium to large sweet berries about July 15th.

I like planting the blueberries in the early fall as they have time to root in before winter in order to get a head start in spring.

This week and next week is the time to kill out unwanted invaders from your lawn such as tall fescues, bent grasses and any others that must be killed with a non-selective herbicide such as Remuda or Round-up so that these weeds have time to die and deteriorate in order to re-seed the area in early to mid September.

Fall planting of trees and shrubs will soon start with the cooler temperatures and adequate moisture although the summer has been adequately moist for the most part.

Chrysanthemums may be showing color a little later this month as abnormally warm nights will cause a heat delay although we do have reliably hardy Igloo mums that seem to be budding up nicely.

Another problem that I have seen driving down the road are the bronzing of leaves of Azalea due to the sucking of the lacebug nymphs on the Azalea foliage.

Treatment is easy though with a spray of an insecticide containing acephate and then repeated in 10 days or the Bayer Rhododendron, Azalea and Camelia Insect & Disease Control works well too.

Mark your calendar for our annual Fall Festival on September 17th which is mainly a family event for all ages.

Remember to use your Dayton Dollars by August 31st as they expire after that date.

For those of you that are frequent shoppers, the points do add up!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - August 5, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Dayton "Dayton Dirt") — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Even with the dog days of summer just beginning, the nursery is abuzz with activity getting ready for next spring.

The grading for our new movable roof greenhouse is underway so that we may produce high quality perennials all spring and summer long. The construction of this new greenhouse will allow another of our existing houses that we used for perennials now to be used for annual flowers that will be sold in May. The other addition to this greenhouse will be a rooting station that includes an automatic mist system to root flowers for our hanging baskets and pots.

Right now though, we have just completed the potting of about 1000 small clematis of 40 varieties that will develop roots this summer and fall in order that they can be sold in the spring with a healthy, vigorous root system.

Another project for next week is potting thousands of Daylilies, Hostas and German Iris. These plants, just like the clematis must develop roots in late summer and fall to make healthy, robust saleable plant in spring.

The Owl Barn farm market seems to be in full swing now with some Amish produce but mainly produce from the nearby Seiberling Farms. I want to repeat again that while much of our produce is grown organically, we cannot state that it is organic as the produce and farm would have to be inspected and certified by an organic farm inspector.

Outside the Owl Barn are two picnic tables with umbrellas for shade should you decide to relax at the summit of the hill overlooking the waterfall.

Happy Summer,

Tom