Projecte per a tenir un hort a una escola

End of the day distractions yesterday (Tuesday) caused me to forget to post this blog! I had loaded the photos of this wonderful shrub and simply "spaced out". The shrub is Chardonnay Pearls slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis 'Duncan') which we have found to be an excellent performer in the full sun landscape. This shrub is in the hydrangea family and is native to Japan and portions of Asia. The golden/chartreuse foliage is eye catching (and brightest in full sun) and the tight, white, spring buds ("pearls") open to some showy flowers in late May. We have used this shrub in some tough locations and it has done well with a mature size of roughly 3' tall by 3' wide. The flowers last about 2 weeks and are lightly fragrant. Full sun locations will result in more flowers. While drought tolerant (and deer resistant), this shrub does prefer more moisture as prolonged dry periods may result in some leaf burn in full sun. Light shearing is easily accomplished after flowering and consider the value of this selection as a replacement for the ubiquitous Japanese spireas and potentillas that continue to dot the Midwest landscape. Late season fall color (November) can also be spectacular as seen further below. Both today and yesterday saw plenty of action both at the Horticulture Center and out in the gardens. Warm weather and temperatures around 60 degrees F have caused all of us to think about spring. However, the last remnants of the Holiday Light Show (HLS) still linger out in the gardens and both Big John and Larry H. have been committed to finishing this monumental task. Yesterday we also saw Janice, Gary, Vern, Bill O. and members of our Garden Development & Maintenance Committee (Maury, Hal, Big John, Iza, Christy, Larry, Gary and Ron). We also saw many others. Today was busy as well with Alan M. and Bill O. heading in to the gardens for various tasks. John and Larry continued with their HLS "kung fu". Ron P. repaired more lights from the HLS prior to storage. Kay was in to staple lots of handouts for me including some for the upcoming Plantaholics Retreat which is our Spring Symposium on March 19th. It's not too late to sign up! Check out www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org for more information on this event. Myrt, Nancy and Gena did some painting and we also saw Barb C., Bev D., Karen B., Dr. Gredler, Maury and many others today.

Du sehnst dich danach, im Garten etwas entspannt tun zu können? Eine eigene Matschküche zu bauen ist die Lösung ➜ Top Anleitung

Si pensabas que solo podías cultivar en el campo, estos huertos urbanitas te demostrarán que estás... ¡más verde que una lechuga!

From creating under-the-bed shoe storage to outdoor furniture, window boxes, or DIY rocking chairs, here are several creative ways to reuse wooden pallets.

Das vertikale Erdbeerbeet ist ein Upcyclingprojekt. Es entstand aus einer alten Palette, Wühlmausdraht, alten Plastiksäcken und ein paar Erdbeerpflanzen.

Si pensabas que solo podías cultivar en el campo, estos huertos urbanitas te demostrarán que estás... ¡más verde que una lechuga!

Der Sommer ist in vollem Gange, deswegen gibt es bei mir heute eine wunderschöne, sommerliche Bastelidee. Ich habe Windlichter mit Blumen verziert und bin davon total begeistert. Dieses DIY gehört...

Wil je leerlingen nog beter motiveren om meer te bewegen? Daag ze dan uit! Lees meer dan 60 mogelijkheden om leerlingen te motiveren extra te bewegen!

Hier werden die Sinne angesprochenDer mit Naturmaterialien befüllbare Tastpfad eignet sich hervorragend zur Förderung der taktilen Sinneswahrnehmung. Barfuß können sich die Kinder über verschiedene Materialien bewegen und nehmen bewusst die Unterschiede zwischen hart und weich, grob, fein oder glatt wahr. Auch die Geschicklichkeit, Beweglichkeit und der Gleichgewichtssinn der Kinder wird auf diesem Barfußpfad angeregt. Mit verbundenen Augen ist das Sinnes-Erlebnis doppelt so aufregend. Dabei unterstützt das Handlaufseil den Orientierungssinn und gibt den Kindern Sicherheit.Unsere Tipps: Der Tastpfad kann mit geringen Mengen an unterschiedlichem Material wie Steinen, Moos, etc. befüllt werden. Der Barfußpfad ist beliebig erweiterbar. Einfach einen oder mehrere Tastpfade aneinanderbauen. Auch durch Befestigung weiterer Tast- oder Klangelemente am Handlaufseil wird der Pfad zu einem Erlebnisparcours. Material:Robinie, ein europäisches Hartholz, langlebig und robust

Vous rêvez de vous faire un petit potager, mais vous manquez d'idée ? Découvrez toutes nos idées pour aménager un potager simplement.

Each of us expresses our creativity in a different way - in all life situations and thus in the interior design. Some people like bright colors, others

I've given many presentations on Ornamental Grasses over the years and always include Japanese forest grass, also called Hakone grass. Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) is native to Japan and prefers partly shaded sites and moist soils. It's important to note that some degree of lighting will allow for the best coloration of certain varieties as seen with the 'All Gold' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) seen above in a beautiful foliage composition with hostas (Hosta sp.) and 'Mocha' coral bells (Heuchera villosa). Moist, well-drained soil is preferred for this perennial grass and while the variegated and golden forms prefer some shading to avoid summer scorching, the greener varieties can tolerate more sun without the "summer burning." I think that Hakone grass has been my most photographed perennial ornamental grass over the last couple of years as it is so valuable for color and texture in the shadier garden setting. There are many options out there and look further down for some more information on this exciting grass and some fun varieties. We had a productive morning both inside and out in the gardens. Today was the warmest at 32 degrees F for the next two weeks. It will be bitter cold by tomorrow. It was perfect weather for Urban, Ron W., Terry, Pat, Larry and Big John to get outside and bring in more lights and other elements from the Holiday Lights Show (HLS). This is a long process, affected by weather, that will continue for months. Vern, Jim and Ron Y. continued work on their carpentry projects. Dr. Gredler came in for painting while Gary B. continued his priming efforts. Maury ran errands, Dick H. helped here and there and we also saw Rollie, Gary S. and many others. Mary W. was in to work on some horticultural therapy fact finding and Janice was in briefly as well. Some members of our Horticultural Therapy Committee met later in the afternoon as well. Notice directly above how nicely the cascading habit of the 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) works to soften the edge of a pathway. While any variety of Hakone grass will lend itself as a textural component as a solitary specimen or in a grouping, the varieties with additional coloration add more visual interest in shadier areas. We use lots of the 'All Gold' variety at RBG for some "illumination" and bright coloration in our shadier garden setting. Keep in mind that some dappled lighting or bright indirect light is essential for the best coloration of the brighter varieties. Hardiness for this grass is usually listed as Z5 but I've heard many examples of this grass in colder climates with some winter protection and/or screening. I've never observed insect or disease problems and struggling specimens have usually been the result of dry soils and/or too much sun. You'll note some varieties below that have summer tinting (red/pinks) that becomes more prominent in fall. These are nice but keep in mind that the best tinting is very late in the season and some of the other varieties ('All Gold' and 'Aureola') will also get some pinkish fall tinting. Regardless, there are about a dozen varieties of Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) out there and I like every one of them. Understand that mature size may vary with the standard green selection getting the largest at 30" tall with a similar width (see directly below) and 'Fubuki' (see below) at only 12" tall and 12" wide or so. I've seen Hakone grass used well as specimens, repeated textural components, container elements and as a mass groundcover with multiple clumps. the standard green Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Albostriata' variegated Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) a textural carpet of Japanese forest grass 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) compared to the standard green form on the right specimen of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at Olbrich Botanical Garden (Madison, WI) 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) same as above in a container 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) repetition clumping groundcover of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Stripe It Rich' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Sunny Delight' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Fubuki' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Beni-Kazi' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) - red tints in late summer (look for 'Nicolas' and 'Naomi' for two other selections with significant tinting) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at RBG same as above in a container clumping groundcover of 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) mass planting of above at Chicago Botanical Garden decent winter interest of Hakone grass (until buried by wet snow or ice)

Making an outdoor easel is such a great activity to do when the weather has finally made the switch to summer - you won't regret it!