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Today's Notes
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Enlarge photo | | Quick Takes....
This 'Genetic Artist' iris is just one of irises that surprised us Saturday at the Iris Show held by the Iris Society of the Ozarks in Springfield. It was a good event, and we'll be posting as many pics as we're able in the next few days.
Have you noticed the spectacular flowering of our Ozarks trees and shrubs this spring? Some say it's caused by the record rains we've received this year, others that it's the result of the severe ice-storm "pruning" the plants received in 2007. Whatever the reason, it's been nothing less than glorious.
If you're wondering just how much rain we've had this extra-soggy, flash-flood year, it's 26.71 inches, compared with our normal average of 13.92.
With warmer days, it's time to turn to the great list of spring garden to-do's on Master Gardener Mark Boernsketter's wonderful website, www.gardenonthe.com. Once there, find the "Monthly garden to-do list" and click on "May." Note: The site has a great many links to outstanding gardening information, particularly for Missouri gardeners. We can't recommend it highly enough.
Talk about generosity, Duane Cookson of St. Louis gave 3000-4000 daylilies for the Daylily Garden in Springfield's Close Memorial Park and the recent Ozark Daylily Society's plant sale in the park last weekend. We met Mr. Cookson briefly at the sale and found him to be, not surprisingly, affable and very helpful.
Whew! Dept.: Bob Childress of Friends of the Garden, the nonprofit group that helps create and maintain the botanical gardens in Close Park, tells us that he and others had to cover 70 flats of annuals planted in the gardens just before the last freezing temperatures April 29. By our count that's 3,360 plants. Words fail us.
A look at the last item below reveals a new development regarding Ozarks media and gardening news.
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Enlarge photo | | The Biggest Gardening News...
...is still the amazing $4.3-million Botanical Center to be built in Springfield, Missouri. It'll include 34 gardens and provide a world of botanical resources. For more, take this link:
The Botanical Center and You
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Enlarge photo | | The Iris Society's Biggest Show
The Iris Society of the Ozarks held its biggest show of the year yesterday at the Library Center in Springfield, Missouri. We'll be posting some pictures here soon. (You won't believe these flowers.) Meanwhile, the beauty at left is 'Megabucks'. a tall bearded iris photographed by Ed Giddens, the Iris Society's vice president. We thank him for its use.
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Enlarge photo | | It's Open!
The Greater Springfield Farmers Market--the biggest growers-only farmers market in Missouri--is open again. Visitors will find a record 108 vendors offering everything from buffalo meat to homemade pies to handicrafts, plants, and produce. It's from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday through November 1 in the north parking lot of the Battlefield Mall shopping center in Springfield, Missouri. This is one of the Ozarks' most colorful gardening events, and fun for everybody--including the kids.
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Enlarge photo | | Uh, Oh...We Have a Winner
We didn't know what to expect from Becky Homan's brand-new book, The Missouri Gardener's Companion, but when it arrived this week and we began to read...well, mercy. For now, let's go with P. Allen Smith's take on the book, since he's smarter than all get-out and shoots as straight as can be. His verdict: This is a great go-to book for every gardener in the state. Becky's easy-to-read style and thorough listing of resources make it a superb guide. Our verdict: Once again, he's right.
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Enlarge photo | | A Peony for Your Thoughts...
For many in the Ozarks, no flower stirs as many fond memories as the Peony. Easy to grow and thriving in nearly every type of soil, they were favorites of our parents and grandparents, who welcomed them every spring. These grow today in the Xeriscape Garden in Springfield, Missouri's, Phelps Grove Park. You can visit them.
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Enlarge photo | | Success!
Graphic designer Dolores DeLong and friend Emily Sill scored a wheelbarrowful of plants they really liked at the recent Master Gardeners Plant Sale in Nathanael Greene Park in Springfield, Missouri. Word is that most of the 4,000 plants up for grabs were grabbed up before 10 a.m. Bravo, Master Gardeners.
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Enlarge photo | | An Oddity?
Well, not really. We'd never seen it before, but then we found a University of Kentucky source that says redbud blossoms are often found on the trunk of the tree. These are happening even as we type. They're in the beautiful Xeriscape Garden in Springfield, Missouri. You can go there. Let us know if you run into the Abominable Snowman.
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Enlarge photo | | Pink Dogwood...
One of the Ozarks' most beautiful flowering trees, Pink Dogwood (Cornus florida var. rubra) is also reputed to be America's favorite tree. Happily, it's now in full flower throughout our region. (We know, this photo was on our Home Page--we just wanted to keep it around for a bit before moving it to the less-obvious Spring page.)
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Enlarge photo | | Readying Roses in Spring
What are the best ways to prune and otherwise prepare roses for the new garden season in the Ozarks? A look at a past Rose Society of the Ozarks Pruning Workshop will show you. These folks know how. To catch them in the act, check this link:.
Readying Roses
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Enlarge photo | | A Glorious Day...
It was Saturday, March 1st, in Springfield's Close Memorial Park, so sunny and warm that folks were even flying kites--you can spot two in this photo. As they darted overhead, the Ozark Daylily Society were busy spring-cleaning their pride and joy, the new Daylily Garden. Come see.
Daylily Garden Spring-Cleaning
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Enlarge photo | | Holy Compost! Another New Garden?
It's true--launched last year with the planting of hundreds of daylilies, the Daylily Garden is the newest garden on the beautiful Greene/Close Park acreage in Springfield, Missouri, a site that's fast-becoming a botanical oasis. For a look, come on in.
A New Daylily Garden
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Enlarge photo | | Want to REALLY Know Your Soil?
Ever wonder how getting your soil analyzed makes for a better, healthier garden or lawn? Mark Boernsketter tells all about it and even spells out how to make up a sample and get it analyzed at the University of Missouri Extension-Greene County office in Springfield, Missouri. Just click here.
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Enlarge photo | | An Easy Way to Lots of Color
A great plant to look for this spring is Geranium 'Rozanne', the Perennial Plant Association's 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year. This beauty bears masses of violet-blue, violet-veined, white-centered flowers all season long. It likes moist, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Its 20-inch height and 20-24-inch spread make it perfect for ground cover, border edging, mass plantings, or containers--just the ticket for gardeners who like low maintenance but lots of color.
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Enlarge photo | | A Gift in Honor
One very nice way to support the Botanical Center, state one's support, or honor a loved one is with an inscribed memorial brick in the Memorial Walk in the English White Garden in Close Memorial Park. The bricks may be purchased for a $50 donation mailed with the desired inscription to Major Close, 1425 S. Fairway Avenue, Springfield, Missouri 65804. Where does the walk lead? Here.
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Enlarge photo | | A Missouri Boy
Like most Missourians, this boy just kept on keepin' on right through the 2008 Ice Storm in the Ozarks. George Deatz caught this and more truly remarkable photos of the storm as it happened in Springfield, Missouri. It's a story. Have a look.
The 2008 Ice Storm
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Enlarge photo | | This Moon Loves the Sun
'August Moon' is one of the Hostas that will do well in the sun. The plant grows vigorously to 20-24 inches tall and 36-42 inches wide. Leaves are large, leathery, deeply veined and green-gold in color, becoming more harvest gold with summer. It's also one of 45 beautiful hosta varieties we've added to A Hosta Garden, our page about a very special botanical garden in Springfield's Close Memorial Park.
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Enlarge photo | | All-America Roses
'Mardi Gras' is one of two All America Rose Selections for 2008.This beauty is a floribunda with 4-inch-wide blossoms and petals that start out apricot-orange and turn into a blend of pink, orange, and yellow. The plant itself has dark green, semi-glossy foliage and grows in a columnar shape that makes it perfect for mixed borders. Our thanks to AARS for the photo and info.
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Enlarge photo | | The Other 2008 All-America Rose
'Dream Come True' is a big, vigorous, bushy rose that bears yellow blooms with petals blushed ruby red and carrying a mild tea fragrance. The blooms are also long-stemmed and long-lived, making them beautiful in the garden and also a great choice for bouquets.
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Enlarge photo | | All-America Selections Classics
The All-America Selections organization, founded in 1932, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary by honoring five plants as classics--plants proven over the years to be especially superb.
To see them, just click on
AAS Classics
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Enlarge photo | | Yay for the Media!
In a region with a longstanding (and paradoxical) lack of media coverage of gardening, we're surprised and pleased that 1) the March 24th Springfield Business Journal has a special Home & Garden section; 2) the Community Free Press now has biweekly gardening coverage; 3) the Springfield News-Leader March 30 edition ran a superb column by Sarah Overstreet on Gaylord Moore, retired MU-Greene County Extension horticulturist, and an excellent article by Laura Valenti on heirloom seed wizard Jere Gettle; 4) The News-Leader also has an excellent piece by Sony Hocklander on garden decor, 5) a fine piece by writer Steve Koehler on freeze risk and protecting threatened plants, and a good article by Didi Tahg on farmers markets; 7) The April Greene County Medical Society Journal has an article on the new Botanical Center; 8) the April Missouri Conservationist has a fine piece by Francis Skalicky on Springfield's Close Memorial Park, the site of the Center; and 9) The spring issue of 417 Magazine's 417 Home has three good garden articles here, including a superb interview by Tiesha Miller with garden visionary Bill Roston. Bravo all.
More good media news: In Springfield, KOLR 10 TV News Director Polly Van Doren says her station will be doing a regular weekly garden feature on its Morning Show. KOLR 10 March 26 ran the best local news gardening feature we've seen. Written by Carlos Correa, it featured good interviews and plenty of down-to-earth, solid info on spring gardening. In addition, KY3 TV News Director Brad Belote says his station will soon start regular gardening coverage and is even exploring establishing a gardening blog on its website.
Important Note: Folks who like this coverage and would like to see more of it could do no better than to let the people responsible know their appreciation.
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