horticulture and gardening

The first time I ever saw a crocus was when we lived in eastern Michigan. My kids and I were outside sometime during late March or early April and there was snow on the ground. While the boys explored, I stood in a corner of the yard watching them.  

The organic, self-organizing network, Green Drinks, informally gathers individuals who work in the environmental arena every month. But, with the coming of spring, Green Drinks has something fresh in the works for March. Rather than meeting up at their usual spot, The Glass City Cafe, the group is attending a garden workshop at the West Toledo Branch Library at 1320 W. Sylvania Ave., Mon- day, March 22 from 5:30- 8:30 p.m. Led by Matt Ross, Horticulturalist at Toledo Botanical Gardens, Green Drinks member  

The city of Neosho is seeking volunteers to help maintain about a dozen public flower gardens. The program, "Adopt-a-Garden," is the outgrowth of an informal proposal brought before the City Council earlier this month by the city's parks and recreation advisory board. The chairman of the board, Scott Swope, said during a meeting last week that the measure is a way to help out a parks department that has lost personnel because of budget cuts and "hopefully a way to get folks involved" in the community.  

I am itchy to get to work in the butterfly garden. Most everything is still asleep (dormant) as I write this in early March, except for the narcissus which are blooming profusely this year. They seem to love the cold, but I imagine the abundant rain this year greatly contributed to their showiness.  

The Grimsby Garden Club wants to help new home buyers spruce up their front lawns. Sue Gemmill, a master gardener and club member, will be giving a talk on what to do with a builder bare front garden at the Niagara Home and Garden Show, which returns to Grimsby April 9 and 10. Gemmill is one of three guest speakers from the club who will be doing informative talks on gardening throughout the weekend.  

Gardeners, get your questions ready. Lena Hahn-Schuman, owners of Oldies and Goodies Organic Plant Starts, will be sharing her secrets at a spring equinox celebration at Wedekind's Garden Center on Saturday, March 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Hahn-Schuman will discuss organic pest control, heirloom plant varieties and the secrets to growing a garden from seed, as well as answer questions.  

The Spring Garden Festival will be held from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Drive.

Anybody wanting to be out on a beautiful spring day should come   -Don Goodman

 

Mark Lakeman, ecological designer and community visionary, will tell the story of the City Repair Project and its larger implications for social, ecological and community restoration during a free presentation at 7 p.m. March 19 at IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave. Portland City Repair is a grass-roots organization that educates and encourages neighbors to build community through the collaborative process of designing and creating their own informal public gathering places. From brightly painted intersect

This is in the same spirit of how we got the community engaged in building community gardens last season   -Debbi Lester

 

City Council on Thursday to consider using the area in front of the current City Hall for a Victory Garden. The site is where the former Mountain Market and a commercial building once set. The city has been waiting for the ground to dry out to put topsoil down and smooth the contours and seed or sod the site.  

Murrieta will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for the Produce for People community garden that will be located behind Alta Murrieta Sports Park. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. at the garden site, 39775 Alta Murrieta Drive. Project manager Nancy Driggers said the ceremony will be short, and is mostly being held to let the public know where the garden is. She said crop planting is likely to begin in April.