My branch of the family tree is
green with DIY gardeners: a straw-hatted grandfather pruning pear trees
and snipping prize gladiolas; a green-thumb mother who collected flower
arranging ribbons; and a sister with a degree in horticulture, working
in the heart of the nursery business.
There's
something renewing about being outside in the warmth of the sun with
newly turned soil running through my fingers. It's calming, nurtures
the soul, and best of all, doesn't require a lot of expertise, at least
for the casual gardener.
I am proof of that.
With neither mother nor sister nearby I started as a garden idiot,
choosing plants by pictures, paying no attention to care or
instructions "” plopping sun plants in the shade, shade plants in spots
guaranteed to cut their lives short. I learned by doing "” a costly
venture at the cash register as I've planted, ripped out and re-planted
my way through four homes.
But it needn't be
that way. There is a cache of green-thumb expertise around Cincinnati "”
pros to lead you down the garden path, to blooming delights of your
own. You'll find them in this issue "” the Ohio Nursery and Landscape
Association members. I've yet to meet one who wasn't happy to answer
questions.
The starting point is here and now.
March and April are the months to dream about summer blooms and plan
how to get them. Just ask for help, a little or a lot.
Make yourself at home,
Joy W. Kraft