The Mysterious Garden Muse

I have no self-control when it comes to containers. My front yard gets hit with full sun all day, so anything in the front has to be able to survive heat, the occasional drought, and sun, sun, sun. Sometimes the heat is too much for me. It's kind of like the porridge in Goldlilocks and the Three Bears. My front yard gets too much sun, my backyard gets too much shade, but the three-level deck is just right. So, my deck is a garden in itself, with wisteria climbing the pergola -- and after five years or more, it finally bloomed this year! There are masses of hanging baskets and containers of all shapes and sizes. I like the deck to feel kind of like a jungle, so I go very over the top. I have morning glories and clematis in containers, too, so there are climbing plants to add height. I have some built-in containers where I grow shrubs. I mix styrofoam peanuts in with the potting mix to keep it light and aerated, and it seems to work. This year the dwarf Alberta spruces I started in t...

Here are some pictures from the 2006 Cincinnati Flower Show at Coney Island, which is on the Ohio River just across the river from Kentucky. I'm a big fan of this show, which used to be in Ault Park but moved to Coney Island about 3 years ago. I write for the Flower Show magazine on a regular basis, serve on the Ask the Experts panels and usually teach a class or two. The show has something new and exciting every year. The flower show is always at the end of April - be sure to check it out!

As we bake in the heat of midsummer, I'll take a minute to post some pictures taken at the spring show at Cincinnati's Krohn Conservatory. If you've never been to Cincinnati, mark it on your list of things to see. Spring Grove Cemetery and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden are two other places to see a variety of plants.

Saturday, July 8, 2006 was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining, it wasn't too hot - we couldn't have asked for a better day for the dedication of Matt Maupin's garden at Glen Este High School. Matt's birthday was last week and if, as we hope and pray, he is still alive, he turned 23. Matt attended Glen Este Middle School and High School here in Clermont County, Cincinnati and when he graduated in 2002 I, as PTO president at the middle school, had the honor of presenting Matt with a scholarship. I remember him saying he was going to use the money for college. As the mother of two college kids, I know how hard it can be to pay for college. Well, Matt did use the scholarship money to pay for a year of college at University of Cincinnati - Clermont County. He worked at Sam's Club to help pay his way, but after a year I guess he decided it would be easier to join the service and put himself through college that way. At least that was his plan. He hadn't b...