Sustainable and Green: The Cincinnati Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent the afternoon today at the BYGL Diagnostic Walk at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical gardens, which to us in the horticultural world passionately refer to it as the Cincinnati “Botanical Gardens and Zoo”.  Our host today was Steve Foltz, who is the Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo and a highly knowledgeable horticulturist. There is a great deal of activity abuzz on the grounds these days, all of the new annual beds are being amended and planted. Steve referred to the Zoo as a, “giant container planter”, this he explained is because of all of the concrete that makes up the Zoo exhibits with small plots of soil here and there. If you have ever been to the Zoo you would know about the world class displays that can be found all over the Zoo grounds. It begins in April with Zoo Blooms. If you have not experienced this event then you are missing out on the vibrant palette of colors of 100,000 tulips amassed throughout the zoo grounds.

.

As the month of May is ushered in all of the tulips are dug up and the beds are prepared for annuals to take over the landscape. The Cincinnati Zoo prepares all of their bed with a blend of pine fines and peat for the best results. They find that this mix gives the soils the ability to drain off quickly, which is important to be able to work the soils and get all of the plants into the ground as quickly as possible. Steve shared some of the challenges at the Zoo such as, the Lions in the African Savanna exhibit having the need to mark there territory on the trunk of trees in the display with his sharp claws. Then there are the giraffe that can pick the trees clean of their leaves. It’s not just the animals that are horticultural challenges, but Zoo visitors are challenges too. Steve showed us how the Zoo protects the visitors from getting to close to dangerous animals with fences that have to be masked with dense shrubs and bamboo to maintain the experience each exhibit is designed to represent.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens isn’t just a place of beauty and wildlife, but an example of sustainability and green stewardship. As you arrive at the Zoo it’s hard to miss the massive series of solar arrays that cover the parking lot. This structure not only provides shade for the cars that park below them, but provide about 20 percent of the zoo’s electrical needs. You can also find other examples of green living such as waterless urinals in the men’s restrooms, there are pervious pavers laid as walkways that allow storm water to drain thru them and into a huge tank that is used in exhibits on the Zoo grounds. Did I mention that they have examples of green roofs on several of the buildings. In addition to these examples, the Zoo also has a trial program that rates plants according to how well they perform in the Greater Cincinnati region. This allow them to grow plants that do well, and eliminate plants that are not suitable for this area. All of this information is available to the public on http://www.plantplaces.com and is given out during sustainable symposiums held at the Zoo. If you want to learn more about being green in Cincinnati the Zoo is a great place to start, and did I mention they have world class animal displays too?

 

~ Michael

Change is on the way

I guess this is kind of an announcement, even though I don’t have any date right now. I have been listening to podcasts for just about a year now, and find them very important in my life. I listen to Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt and several others. I have been able to use the content that they put out in my daily life. Then recently I started listening to podcasts about social media, and very recently about podcasting. This is something that I can do and share things in more detail than trying to write it. I find my brain moves a lot faster than my hands can get it down, and with this in mind I am working on putting together my first podcast. I hope to be able to share the things that I have been able learn over the years, but more important to me I want to learn more from those who have more experience than I do. I’m pretty excited to see where this might lead me on my journey within horticulture. My focus will be on hobby gardening in all of its aspects. I’m not going to go into much detail in this post, mainly because my first podcast will be an intro of who I am, and where I desire this podcast to go. So I am working on the recording, ironing out the detail, and understanding how all of this works. I hope to be able to announce the podcast schedule soon.

 

~ Michael

Farmers Market first weekend

Opening weekend for the Boone County Farmers Market

It has become a tradition for me to work the first couple of Saturdays at the Boone County Farmers Market and answer questions as a master gardener to earn my volunteer hours for the year.. I’m not very sharp when it come to the vegetable questions, but I have no problems when it comes to ornamental trees and shrubs. I enjoy seeing all the annuals and the vegetable seedlings, the hanging baskets and begonia planters for sale. I bought a sweet potato vine and several coleus for my front garden beds. In the past I had the opinion that I wouldn’t waste my time on a plant that was only good for one season. I have changed my opinions, and gained a new respect for a plant that can go through all of the stages of plant life in a single season. I now enjoy all of the beauty that many of these plants offer us, and gladly offer many of them a place to share their full potential in my landscape.

The Boone County Farmers Market is open 7 days a week May through October, 10am – 5pm Spring hours and Summer hours are 9am – 6pm (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Market re-opens the day after Thanksgiving: 7 days a week, 10am – 8pm (weather permitting). I will be at the market one more time this year to answer question in the booth at the canter of the market, I’d love to meet you and answer any question you might have.

Death and New Life

What a beautiful day we had for the first BYGL diagnostic walk about of 2014 at Spring Grove Cemetery.

This is a very special place for many reasons, one of them is the dead. Many of the people who have been laid to rest here were those who played a part in shaping what Cincinnati is today.

Up until a year ago the Carew Tower was the largest structure in downtown Cincinnati. You will find the Galbraith’s here, Galbraith is also a major road in Cincinnati that runs East and West across the entire city. The who’s who of early Cincinnati can all be found here. Another thing that makes Spring Grove special is the fact the cemetery is home of 25 Ohio state champion trees, including a Yellow Buckeye with a diameter of 178 inches DBH, a height of 104 feet and a width of 77 feet.

The grounds of the Cemetery are a magnet for bridal photography, the views available here make for breathtaking backdrops for those special pictures.

Then there is the revival of life in the Spring of the year. There is no place better that I can think of to experience it than at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Not Pretty, But Effective

The forcast for the morning is a balmy 25 degrees F ! My Japanese Maple is in a Southern exposure and has begun putting on tender new leaves. The only option to protect this new vegetation is to cover it which creates an insulation barrier. It’s not exactly a good fashion statement, but I’m giving my fancy little tree the best chance to avoid damage and possible a costly setback this season.

The Beauty Of Nature

This is what I saw this morning as I left my home. Two forces coexisting in a beautiful battle, Winter desiring to continue on and on the other side Spring trying to usher in new beginnings. I’m more than ready to leave the cold behind, the Winter snow has worn out its welcome. Beautiful or not I’m ready for Spring.

Who’s Your Pawpaw ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an incredible time of the year it is in Northern Kentucky with Spring finally arriving, and I was fortunate enough to attend one of the first classes of the new season sponsored by the Boone County Arboretum entitled, “Who’s Your Pawpaw?”. This class proved to be more than just have a catchy title.

Sheri Crabapple of Kentucky State University Community Research Service was quite knowledgeable about pawpaw.

Ron Powell of Fox Paw Ridge Farm and president of North American Pawpaw Growers Association was available to share his knowledge and expertise with those in the class. This pawpaw duo guided the class every step of the way through the process of bud grafting pawpaw. By the end of the class I was feeling pretty good about the work i had completed and can’t wait to see the results of my work.

Oh, did I mention that at the end of the class you walk away with your Pawpaw trees you just finished grafting.

If you would like more info please contact Ron Powell, this is his business card.

Sheri Crabtree’s contact info is posted below in the image, just click on the image to view a larger size image.

 

 

 

Brown is the new green this year

As the weather breaks and you get out into your landscape your very likely to find leaves that are normally green are actually brown this year.

Why you ask? Is it dead you ask?

Well this is the same boxwood from above, and as you can see there are plenty of green leaves on the inside.

This Southern Magnolia might look like it’s half dead, but actually it isn’t.

These leaves are dead, but this tree will put out new leaves sometime late May or very early June.

These Cherry Laurel look really bad, from a distance they look dead. But wait, as you take a closer look.

Do you see all of those bumps along the stems?
Those are new buds that will develop into new leaves as the weather continues to warm and the days become longer. So the answer is, no the tree or shrub is not dead or dying. So why are the leaves brown, and many of them dead? Here in the Greater Cincinnati area, as well as much of the midwest region, we have had rather mild Winters. This Winter was much colder, the winds have been very persistant, and snow on the ground has paved the way for our temperatures to plunge during the overnight hours. These conditions freeze tissue cells, and burn leaf surfaces causing the blemishes and dieback you are likely seeing as Winter slowly releases it’s grip and allows Spring to arrive.

I know it’s difficult, but be patient and the new growth will flush out and the appearence of your tree or shrub will improve. So let’s not be too quick to remove a perfectly good tree or shrub just because it’s showing some Winter damage.

Thank you for taking the time to read this short article. If you have found it useful, please press one of the social media buttons below and share it with others that might like to see it also.

~ Michael

via PressSync

Winter Aconite: An Early Spring Woodland Flower

I was working on a property in Terrace Park, Ohio today and made this wonderful discovery.

What a beautiful yellow flower with an interesting leaf structure, which I found a discription of “Jesters collar”, which I must agree is accurate.

I was not familiar with this flower, but was able to identify it as Winter Aconite or Eranthis hyemalis. This beautiful woodland flower is native to Europe growing in rich organic soils, which are moist but, well drained. Winter Aconite is known to bloom before the crocus and goes dormant by late Spring.

Terrace Park is at a lower elevation of Cincinnati with a small river running along its border. Notice that these blooms are not open yet, but wait, it gets better.

One of the next properties I went to was in Indian Hill, Ohio. To my delight, there were more Winter Aconite, and these were open!
Indian Hill, as the name indicates is at a higher elevation and borders Terrace Park. The distance between the two properties is no more than two miles, but notice the huge difference between the blooms. This is a great example of how elevations and exposures make the difference.

I hope this short article is useful and helps you expand your garden knowledge. I would appreciate if you would help others find this posting by clicking on one of the social media buttons below and share it with others.

via PressSync

Upcoming Boone County Extension Classes

If you have wondered how they get tropicals to grow in cooler climates, this class is for you. VooDoo Horticulture meets at the Boone County Arboretum.

Want to try you hand at growing a productive fruit bearing tree with a tropical look. “Who’s your pawpaw” can give you the edge and insight to grow them like a pro.

You want to live a bit greener but you just don’t understand composting. “Don’t Waste It!” will help you what can be composted and what is just waste.

For more information or to register for any of these or other classes you can visit the link below.

https://secure.boonecountyky.org/fbca/eventregistration/