Trees of Utah Power Point

Jerry is gracious enough to share with you his Trees of Utah power point--so sit back and enjoy the show.
Trees for Utah

Upcoming Master Gardener Clean Up Day

Master Gardeners get ready to work in the gardens on Tuesday, May 4th.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will have a sunny day.  We will be celebrating Cuarto de Mayo with Cafe Rio burritos, so sign up with Kathy to bring something to go with our lunch.  You should be receiving an email from Kathy with more information.

Raised Bed Gardening

For those of you who missed Jerry on KSL Studio 5--here you go.  Hope that you enjoy the blog and we're always open to comments.

MAY Plant Sale

Get started now towards a beautiful and tasty growing season . . .

Annuals, Perennials, &

Veggie Starts Plant Sale

Thursday, May 13, 2010

12:00 noon to 6:00 pm

This is one of the largest plant sales of the year. Don't miss out on great prices for strong, healthy plants. Plus, the Ogden Botanical Gardens staff and Master Gardeners will be there to answer questions about selecting and growing annuals, perennials, and vegetables.

HANGING BASKET CLASS

Thurs, May 13, 2010

Ogden Botanical Gardens

This wildly popular class has returned with the convenience of even more times to come learn how to create spectacular hanging baskets.

Choose from: 10-11:30 am or 1-2:30 pm or 6-7:30 pm

This is the perfect time to dig in and get your hands dirty while learning the basics of designing containers whether it's patio planters or hanging baskets. Participants will take home their own personalized 14-inch hanging basket, and a working knowledge of how to be creative with containers.

Pre-register: Call 801-399-8201

Fee: $25/member*, $35/non-member

*To save money on this and other classes, receive discounts on plants sales and merchandise, attend special events for members, and support the Ogden Botanical Gardens/Utah Botanical Center click here.

Free ANNUAL BED DESIGN CLASS

Thurs, May 13, 2010
12-1:00 pm

The time for planting colorful annuals is almost here! This community class will teach color and variety combinations to create beautiful displays in flowerbeds. Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to really use annuals in the landscape for the most impact. Susie and Dori will be designing one of their annual flower beds and will show their step-by-step process.  After the demonstration, the these same plants will be for sale so that you can take them home and plant at in your gardens.  Quantities are limited.  No need to pre-register, just meet at the Education Building at the Ogden Botanical Gardens.

Herbaceous Plants Power Point

Due to popular demand by our Master Gardeners--here is our presentation on Herbaceous Plants.  Hope you enjoy the presentation and that you will join us for our free Annual Bed Design on May 13th.  We are so excited to demonstrate how we design our annual beds and to offer you the same plants to take home and plant.  It will be awesome!  Our plant selection is out-of-this world and they are growing beautifully in our greenhouse.  This is the first year we are offering to show and sell the same plants that we use in our own beds--so we will take out the guess work for you.  Kathy will be posting more information soon for sign ups and volunteer opportunities for May.
Herbaceous Plants 2010

What's Blooming

Do you want to see what's blooming at the gardens?  Check out the slideshow.  I have decided that I will be updating the slideshow as often as possible so that you can enjoy all our blooms from your computer.  With all the rain and cool temperatures the flowers are loving it and so will you.  Let me know what you think.

How to Control an Ugly Forsythia

Ok, I know that some of you might get mad at me, but I'm going to speak the truth--Forsythia is an ugly shrub. Yes, I know that it's one of the first shrubs to bloom in the spring, that it's neon yellow flowers brigthen up the drab winter landscape, and that it tells you when to apply your lawn pre-emergent. But after all the yellow petals drop, you are left with is a generic shrub that is often forgotten in the landscape. Over the years a forsythia's branches can become a tangled mess, and most homeowners give it a hack job just to keep in line. Just like we did on this poor forsythia.

I get sad as I drive around neighborhoods in the spring I see many overgrown forsythias with only a handful on blossoms on the tips of the branches. It's such a travesty! Homeowners want to shape them into balls and circus animals, not realizing that forsythias bloom on two-year old wood.

So, here at the Ogden Botanical Gardens we experimented with how we pruned our forsythias last year. Last spring after they were done blooming I asked Vic to cut a few of them all the way down to ground. Now don't panic. There usually is a method to my madness. I remember hearing my old boss Peter Lassig tell me that forsythias can be cut down to the ground on a three year rotation and it will improve their blooming potential. So, after I reassured Vic that the forsythia would thank us later for cutting it back, we did just that. At first you are left with a few stumps, but as the summer progressed the forsythia put on about four feet of new growth. This spring I am happy to report that it is the best the forsythia has looked in a long time.

The yellow blossoms begin at the base of the shrub and go all the way to the tips. I'm impressed, and that saying a lot because I'm not a huge fan of forsythia. So if you're skeptical and are scared to cutting your ugly forsythia back, just come to gardens I will make you a believer too!

A Smashing Success

Thanks to everyone who came out to our classes and plant sale on Thursday, April 15th. We had a great time and a wonderful turnout.
Jerry and Richard taught the "Backyard Bounty" classes about growing veggies in raised beds. The classes were taught right in our new raised bed demonstration garden that was installed last year. It was a great visual of how to construct, irrigate and what soils to use in raised beds. We hope that you all enjoyed the class and came away with a some new ideas for your own gardens this year. Come back and see how our demonstration garden produces throughout this growing season and enjoy the harvest.

We were also fortunate to have Mike Pace, the extension agent for Box Elder County, teach a workshop on grafting fruit trees. Each student was able to learn the art of grafting scion wood onto a rootstock and then take two apple trees home with them. Mike said that this is his most favorite class to teach and it shows. All those who attended had a wonderful time and came away with a better understanding of how to propagate fruit trees.

Our first plant sale of the season was also a huge hit and we had an awesome turnout. Thanks to Richard for growing such beautiful perennials such as Firecracker Penstemon, Suncatcher Daisy, and Iceplant--just to name a few. We are excited to have many more plant sales this year.

Look for our next sale May 13th from 12-6pm--we will have many more perennials, annuals, and veggies to buy. Susie and Dori will be teaching a free class on Annual Bed Design with a demonstration at noon-1pm. Also, there will be Hanging Basket Workshops at 10-11:30am, 1-2:30pm & 6-7:30pm. Come a plant a hanging basket for yourself or your mom.

Daffodils in the Garden

The daffodils have started blooming in our little aspen grove. It is so much fun to see a pop of color in the gardens when everything is still slowly waking up from it's winter sleep. Daffodils are a great addition to the garden since they can take care of themselves. Unlike tulips, deer despise them and there bulb does not get smaller as they get older. In fact, it's just the opposite. Daffodils will naturalize, which means that their bulb will continue to divide and the clump will get bigger over time. We love their little cup and saucer faces and the warmth they bring to a bleak landscape this time of year.

The trick when designing with daffodils is to use a lot of them close together. Have you ever seen one daffodil on it's own? It's not a pretty site and you probably wouldn't even notice it. Planting large numbers of them will give the impact you are lookin for. There are many colors and varieties to choose from. Plant some early, mid and late blooming daffodils in your garden this upcoming fall and you too will be able to enjoy them next spring. They truly are worth the wait.

Master Gardeners--I'm Sorry

Let me apologize about cancelling our Clean-up Day this morning. With all the rain last night and forecast for more I decided this morning to cancel the work day. After Kathy called some of you and told you the news, more Master Gardeners showed up ready to work.

We were able to clean up all the rose clippings in the Rose Garden and then moved onward through the Horseshoe bed. The rain cleared up and by the end of the day we were working in the sunshine. The gardens look amazing--in fact, it's the best the Horseshoe bed has looked in a long time! So, thank you so much for coming out and helping us weed, pull out stumps, take clippings to the green dump, dig out iris and the dreaded yarrow. We think that all you Master Gardeners are wonderful and we thank you for all the hours that you have put into our gardens. They truly look spectacular because of you!

As always we look forward to working beside each of you this upcoming year. Hopefully the weather will cooperate next Clean-up Day, which is May 4th, only 3 weeks away. Again, I'm sorry about the last minute cancellation this morning. Darn Mother Nature is always tricking me.

Fruit Tree Grafting Class

The Ogden Botanical Gardens is offering a golden opportunity to learn how to graft fruit trees. Register now for this educational, hands-on class. Participants will learn how to propagate perfect fruit trees, and take home two apple trees of their own.

Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 6:00-7:30 pm

To register: Call 801-399-8201 right now to be added to the participant list. Next, mail or take in the registration fee to secure a spot in the class.

Fee: $35/person for non-members, $25/person for members of Ogden Botanical Gardens/Utah Botanical Center*. (Please pay in advance at Weber County USU Extension, 1181 North Fairgrounds Drive, Ogden, UT 84404)

*For information on receiving discounts on classes and plant purchases, special tours and other great benefits of membership in the Gardens: http://extension.usu.edu/htm/horticulture/ubcobg-memberships

Raised Bed Garden Class

With all the excitement of spring, this is the perfect time to add something new to your garden. There was so much interest last year in our raised bed gardening class at the Ogden Botanical Gardens that Jerry Goodspeed is teaching a free class this year.

"Backyard Bounty--Get Growing!"

Thursday, April 15, 2010

12:00-1:00 pm, again at 5:00-6:00 pm

The class will include instruction on building raised beds and the how-to's of growing your favorite vegetables. Richard Anderson, from the Utah Botanical Center, will join Jerry to provide instruction on heirloom varieties. No need to pre-register for this class, simply join us at the Education Building, 1750 Monroe Boulevard in Ogden. Join us for some great educational instruction just in time to update your own garden.

First PLANT SALE of the Season

We are excited to announce the seasons first PLANT SALE--April 15th featuring spring-blooming perennials, vegetable plants (including tomatoes) and heirloom seeds. The sale will be open 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm at the Ogden Botanical Gardens. Questions? Call 801-399-8201

Change of Plans Master Gardeners

Sorry Master Gardeners it looks like snow is forecasted tomorrow for our Clean Up Day, so we will have to postpone our work day until next Tuesday the 13th. We hope that you will all be able to join us then and that we will have better weather. No one wants to weed in 4 inches of snow! Sorry about the inconvenience. We can't wait to see you next Tuesday 9am-2pm. We are planning on have a yummy lunch and working with y'all in the gardens!

Secrets to Improving and Prepping Your Soil

For those of you who missed Jerry on Studio 5--here you go!

Mother Nature's April Fool's Joke

What's up with all the snow? It's April and we have a lot on our to-do list here at the gardens, just like I'm sure you do in your own yards. There is pruning that needs to be finished, cleaning out all the perennial junk from last year, weeding, and raking. Instead Susie and I are forced to stay inside and clean up the building. It's a necessary evil and unfortunately it really needed to be done. We got our tool closet organized, which has never been done, washed walls (Uck!),and vacuumed up the sawdust from our recent construction project. Yah, we are getting a kitchen in our classroom.

We are so lucky here at the gardens to work with wonderful master gardeners--you know who you are. Everyday Susie, Jerry & I marvel at all the wonderful things you do for us. We are excited that a new kitchen area is underway behind our classroom. It looks wonderful with a new slate floor, a tiled counter, a sink, and cabinets. It truly is a work of art and the nicest thing in our building. Jerry said that we will be teaching classes in there from now on.

When it is finished I will post a picture. So stayed tuned and don't let Mother Nature trick you too.