Rooted Ramblings

Our family’s foray into gardening, like so many others, began in 2020 during the height of the global pandemic. It brought us all outside into the sunshine and provided us with a central hobby in which every family member contributed. Each year after, the garden expanded right along with our knowledge and botanical interest. Then one year we discovered chickens and their natural abilities to assist in the garden. 

Summer is a busy season for birds. While many people associate bird feeding with cold winter months, backyard bird feeders can also play an important role during the summer. However, there are both benefits and drawbacks to keeping feeders stocked when temperatures rise.

The Bard said, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Yet the names people in the past gave to the common plants in our gardens were rarely arbitrary.

What is wrong with my plant? I have asked myself this question so many times, I have lost count. My challenge became how to figure out a solution without killing the plant through what I thought was the right treatment. Behold, the disease triangle!

In July many herbs are at their prime and now is a perfect time to harvest and preserve them. If your herbs are abundant, try freezing them this year.

Weeds are "plants in the wrong place," but they can provide immense benefits to your garden's health, local wildlife, and even your kitchen. While aggressive invaders still require management, many common weeds actively work to improve your soil, feed essential pollinators, and offer medicinal or nutritional value.

Pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies, and some small mammals help produce about one out of every three bites of food we eat. By helping plants reproduce, they also support ecosystems and many of the natural resources people depend on.

In natural landscapes, every layer is filled with living plants, from ground covers and grasses to shrubs and trees. This “green mulch” improves soil, retains moisture, suppresses weeds, filters water, cleans the air, and provides wildlife habitat.

Roses have a reputation of being a hard-to-grow plant. Depending on the variety of rose, that can certainly be true. But it doesn’t have to be the case.

I love spring! There’s that fresh fragrance in the air. The beautiful early flowers and the new bird songs added to our winter bird songs. But best of all are the plant sales! Nurseries, greenhouses, home stores, garden clubs, master gardeners, plant swaps, and even your neighbor down the street.

In The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion sings, “If I were the King of the Forressst!” Move over, Mr. Lion, we already have a king of the forests in Eastern North America, and it’s the oak! Ironic, isn’t it, that the largest trees are spelled with such a short name?

Homegrown National Park Project: Join the movement, be part of the solution. Put your land on the map.

Our first backyard contained one Bradford Pear (later destroyed in a storm) and a topped white pine. Over 25 years we added trees, shrubs, perennials, a pergola, and two water features. Leaving the now shaded, full yard made my heart stop for a moment. After digging a few perennials to share at the PCMGV plant sale and telling the new owners to call with any questions, we moved on from our first home.

The solution to many plant problems begins in the soil. The soil your plants grow in is a living system made up of organic matter, minerals, water, air, and billions of microbes. Understanding soil and promoting soil health is one of the most effective ways to keep plants healthy and maximize your harvest.

Planting seeds, indoors or outdoors, creates the right environment for dormancy to break and new life to begin.  Watching a seed sprout feels like magic. Starting seeds indoors is a rewarding, inexpensive way to grow hundreds of healthy transplants and get a head start on the gardening season.

Many homeowners do not know when or how to prune— so they don’t. Not pruning is a big mistake. We may think it is wrong to remove healthy growth, but just the opposite is true. If you want to minimize disease and insect pressure during the growing season without pesticides, then proper pruning is a must. But what is proper pruning? Let’s explore the when, why, and how of pruning.

On any random winter day, when our Portage County, Ohio, yards are frozen and barren, I pour my first cup of coffee and prepare myself for the hidden gems ready to fly down from the trees above. I am aware my yard has been awake and alive since daybreak. I’ve learned the birds’ rhythms and routines over time; my yard has become a safe space for them.