The Rainbow Gardeners of Shelby

The Rainbow Gardeners of Shelby County always welcome new members and guests to our monthly meetings. We get together at CJ Highmarks, 2599 Michigan St. in Sidney, on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:00 for lunch and programs. Feel free to call or e-mail for more information. The theme of this year’s programs is “Our Feathered Friends.” Join us as we learn more about the wild birds in our gardens and back yards.

We have some great programs in store for this winter and early spring:

• February 9 – Dick Thoma, former President of the Ohio Bluebird Society, will discuss the impact that we can make in protecting and nurturing the remarkable comeback of the Eastern Bluebird.
  
• March 9 – Ann Heeley will lead a show-and-tell on birdhouses and bird feeders.
  
• April 13 – The staff at Andy’s Garden in Troy will present “Gardens Galore” with a focus on plants that provide food and habitat for our feathered friends.
  

Fast forward to JUNE 5, opening day of the Farmer’s Market. The Rainbow Gardeners will be located where we were last year, in a space across from the old G.C. Murphy building. We’ll be selling an amazing variety of annual and perennial flowers, ornamental grasses and ground covers, hanging baskets, and container plants at equally amazing low prices. All of our plants are locally grown, healthy, and ready to beautify any garden.

Think it’s too late to plan for the 2010 holiday season? Think again! Now is a great time to shop for silk flowers, Christmas ornaments, and a myriad of other items to decorate for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. Prices have been slashed at most stores and online suppliers, and while pickings for some merchandise may be slim, there is still a huge inventory to be had for pennies on the dollar. Peg Sparks gave a spectacular program on decorating for the holidays using items that many of us already have. Click Here to read her presentation complete with photos.

Winter is a perfect time to think ahead to spring, so why not consider dedicating a little (or large) garden space to chocolate? That’s right, a Chocolate Garden, as promoted by Sharon Allen in her January program. Plants that have chocolate colored flowers and leaves as well as plants that smell like chocolate are not always easy to find, but are well worth the search. Sharon made it a little easier for us to locate the most appealing choices. Take a look at her Chocolate Garden presentation. Click Here

We love to share timely gardening tips that have proven useful by our members. During these late winter and early spring months, gardening catalogs begin their trek from nurseries and garden centers all over the country to our homes. But beware (and here’s where the tips come in)…

-- Many of the plants offered are not suitable for our Shelby County climate unless given tender loving care and special growing conditions right from the start.

-- Photos of thick, lush, colorful flowering plants belie what you’ll
receive when your order arrives. Perennials may require 2 to 3 years of growth before they look anything like their photos.

-- Reputable companies ship garden plants only when temperatures are warm enough to preclude freezing or frost damage. If a shipment arrives before that time, be prepared to baby your order indoors.

-- Some companies substitute one variety for another if they run out. Confirm your order when it is placed, and let the company know ahead of time whether substitutions are acceptable.

-- Check online to verify a company’s reputation before placing an order. Dave’s Garden has a “Garden Watchdog” section where customers rate their experiences with thousands of different mail-order gardening companies. (Bluestone Perennials, by the way, is a northeastern Ohio company that is rated in the top 30 for price, quality, and service. Bluestone Perennials partners with the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs to provide discounts to members.) Before placing an order with an unfamiliar company, check “Garden Watchdog” to read what others have to say.

See “Garden Watchdog” at http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd .

-- Read the company’s guarantee policy before ordering. Some require you to return DOA plants, shipping labels, and receipts. Others require notification within a specified period of time.

-- Sometimes Mother Nature or huge demand causes varieties pictured on websites to become unavailable. Most websites will post “Sold Out” or “Unavailable” when this happens, but call first to make sure that the specific variety you want is in stock.

-- Look for Internet specials and combine orders with friends and family to save on shipping.

-- Order early if you plan on purchasing rare or unusual plants or seeds.

-- Have fun browsing the catalogs and websites. It’s a great way to garden in the winter.

And speaking of birds (that’s the Rainbow Gardeners’ theme this year, isn’t it?) here’s a great website to access information on feeding and providing habitats for birds. Cedar Works is a southern Ohio manufacturer of bird feeders and birdhouses sold at garden centers and home improvement stores. Although their products must be purchased through retail outlets, the information on their website is both interesting and educational. Check it out at
http://www.cedar-works.com.

Thanks for visiting. Please contact us for more information on attending a Rainbow Gardeners’ meeting as a guest. We look forward to hearing from you.