It’s time for perennial flower school
We are fast approaching one of my favorite educational events of the year — the 20th Annual Central Ohio Perennial Flower School will be held on March 7. I love this program because of the great speakers, and because about 200 or more people get together to talk plants.
This year we have a special treat, as we have invited world-renowned bulb expert Brent Heath of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs from Gloucester, Va. Heath’s family has been in the bulb business since 1900 when his grandfather moved to the area.
Heath will be talking about Bulbs as Companion Plants and sharing the best of the best and the right bulbs for the right spots. He is guaranteed to inspire you to create a garden for all to enjoy.
In addition, he will present a new talk called Tropical Paradise (planting summer bulbs for the garden). Some think summer bulbs are too much work and don’t quite understand how to use them. In this talk, Heath will help you determine what summer bulbs to use and how and where to use them.
We are also very fortunate to have Scott Beuerlein, manager of Botanical Garden Outreach for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden talk about his Favorite Plants from Favorite Public Gardens.
Beuerlein is an outstanding speaker and you will laugh during his presentation. He loves plants and sharing his knowledge of plants with humor!
One of my favorite colleagues, Jaqueline Kowalski, Ohio State University Extension Educator in Summit County, is going to talk about Dazzling Dahlias. She has been growing them and selling cut dahlias at the farmer’s markets in Cleveland.
Kowalski will share tips on how to grow and maintain them, using them as cut flowers, and storing them successfully.
The last speaker of the day is new to our area and is called “The Garden Gurl.” Heather Pariso owns The Garden Gurl Shop LLC and has a store that is a reliable source of annuals, herbs, vegetables, perennials and more. Her topic is OMG! Those are Perennials ????
This event will be held from 9 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. on March 7 at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center. The address is 275 S. Limestone St., Springfield, Ohio, 45505.
The cost for the program is $70 and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and handouts. There will also be books (Brent Heath’s books on bulbs), as well as other garden-related items available to purchase in addition to door prizes.
Door prize sponsors include Knollwood Garden Center and Landscaping, Heart of Country Teaberries, OSU Extension, and Master Gardeners of Clark County.
For registration information and to register (either online by credit card or by sending a check in the mail), go to clark. osu.edu/events. Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.