Back Yard Living

Last week two of the magazines that I had subscriptions
for stopped publication.

Country Home magazine was a wonderful magazine for
those who were into country decor, antiques, gardening
and cooking.It had so may great ideas and I am going to
miss it. They are replacing the rest of my subscription with
Better Homes and Gardens which is a good magazine but it
seldom had articles that interested me so I am not pleased
with the replacement.

The other magazine which is stopping publication is Backyard
Living.

I have been a subscriber to Backyard Living for five years
since its first issue. This magazine I am
really going to miss so much. It was packed with so many
wonderful gardening ideas.



From the plant doctor to new plants being introduced.
From veggie know how to blunders.
Landscaping to raised beds and container gardening.
Visiting the wonderful gardens of everyday people.

I hate to see such a wonderful magazine cease to be around
anymore for gardeners.The remainder of the subscription is being
replaced by Country magazine which is a good magazine
some really great pictures in it, but it is not a gardening and
landscaping magazine.

I realize that in this new day and age the internet has caused
the decline in printed materials such as newspapers and magazines.
Some would say it is good and we are saving trees and resources
but there are recycling ways that can get around that.
I for one like to take my time and relax while reading the
printed word whether it is a book or magazine. I do not like
to be staring at a computer screen every time I want to read
something. Reading a book online is just not the same as
kicking back with a good book. I enjoy Blotanical so much but
with it I still want books, gardening shows and magazines.

With the bad economy and more and more people going
back to backyard gardening it is a shame that so many
magazines and gardening shows are going by the wayside
instead of increasing. I still want to have hissy
fits because The Home and Garden Channel has no gardening
shows anymore. To me they may as well take gardening out of the title.
Landscaping and backyard kitchens are on the rise in some
form and fashion according to everyones budgets but I am so
sick of remodeling and decorating shows.
I have nothing against landscaping shows but I want gardening
also when I watch the Home and Garden Channel.
One half hour show a day in the morning is not gardening
but I am always glad to see Paul James or A Gardeners Diary
even for that length of time.
I have written HG several times complaining about the lack
of gardening shows and I know others have also, plus many of
us have written about it in Blogs hoping someone would
take the hint, but nothing has happened to remedy the situation.

Since many of our gardening shows and magazines are slowly slipping
away Blotanical has become even more important to we gardeners who
are always looking for information, ideas and help.
So thanks Stuart for starting Blotanical and filling the void, and
to all of you great gardeners and designers in Blot land
"don't you go anywhere".

Finale, Finish, the End

These are the last of the pictures that I managed to take at
the Central Ohio Home and Garden Show. They were taken
through the press of the crowd so they are grainy and at very
odd angles.

There were many water features but I only managed to catch
a few pictures of them.

Herbie the Love Bug was one of the garden movie themes
and a replica of it was made into a water fountain.
Stone walls, pillars, a fire pit, paved patio and a walkway were
all beautiful. Azaleas, rhododendrons and blooming cherry trees
made up the plant materials.
It was created by Five Seasons Landscape Management, Inc.



Talk about a leaking radiator!

This was a very nice water falls and stream which must have
taken a lot of work to accomplish indoors. The lighting in one section
made a green cast over the water that I was not really fond of but
other than that it was beautiful. I would take one green light and all ;-)
I cannot remember for certain but I believe it was from the Notting
Hill theme.

This water feature was from the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
display created by Seely's Landscape Nursery. A Moon gate was
set in plastered garden walls at the entry. There were bamboo, willow
and pine trees framing the display. A winding cobblestone path edged
with boulders. A waterfalls emptied into a koi pond and a Zen garden
provided a place for meditation.

The mural waterfall feature was from the theme Raiders of the Lost
Ark. Water flowed down the large hieroglyphic stone. Its jungle
effect was created by plantings of bearberry and palms.
There were bistro tables and a map set in pavers.



This water feature was from the Jurassic Park display and was
the only picture I was able to get from it. Plywood cutouts of
various dinosaurs covered with plant materials were in the garden
background which included palm trees, Australian tree ferns and
tropical foliage. The Jurassic Park display was created by the Franklin
Park Conservatory.

Other themes were:

One very large wine rack from the Ratatouille Theme was made
from a 1930's delivery truck.




One big rat was there but it was very friendly. Weeping willows,
birch trees, rhododendrons, roses and lilacs added color and texture
and fragrance to the display.

The outdoor French cafe had a pizza oven. A large white arbor covered
the patio and large vases of splashing water were included. The display
was created by Cedarbrooke Landscaping and Garden Center.

There were four themes, Tombstone, Terminator, Under the Tuscan Sun
and Hollywood at Home that I have no pictures for. The Terminator did
not work for me as a garden theme at all. Tombstone was a Old West
scene with desert plantings of succulents which I do not care for.If I lived in
where I needed them for gardening then no doubt I would love them.
Under the Tuscan Sun was a beautiful outdoor living area but there again
as I stated before I am a recycle or junk gardener and I have
no need for a large outdoor patio with kitchen. Hollywood at home was
a nice outdoor kitchen display also with a T.V. included. Many of the outdoor
kitchens had fireplaces which I do love but I noticed that pizza ovens
were in them all so I gather this is a fad that is going or is trying to get going.
They were all wonderful displays and all took so much hard work to pull
them off. The work and care showed in each.




There were many stone raised beds throughout the garden show
with numerous plantings of tulips, primroses, astilbe and hyacinths.
Greenery of ferns and hosta was everywhere.
The fragrance of hyacinths floated amongst several of the displays
and it was so lovely.



Spring was definitely in the air at the 2009 Central Ohio Garden
Show which runs until Sunday March 8th.
I hope everyone enjoyed the pictures and got a touch of spring
from them.

Cast Away Theme At The Garden Show

The Cast Away movie theme took one by surprise because
the first thing you see is what appears to be the wrecked
and burnt remains of an airplane within the palm trees and pines.
Are there pines on desert islands, since I have never been to one
I was not sure, but to me the pines did not work. But when in Ohio
fillers may turn out to be pines.



The remains of the plane served as a tunnel which upon walking through
you come upon a sandy beach area with palms and an undergrowth
of azaleas, hyacinths, magnolias and rhododendrons.

Packages were strung about the scenery from the wreck where a bamboo hut
and a fire pit was located. While in the foreground a movie screen showing
scenes of a continuation of the beach and the ocean beyond with birds
flying above the water. An engraved stone bore the names of missing friends
and Japanese maples and yellow carex grass added contrast to the tropical
paradise. Though the plantings were beautiful some of the choices used in
the setting of the tropical scene of the movie left me scratching my head.
There was a lot of hard work put into the display and it did grab your
attention. If you like beach decor in your garden patio then you would
have loved it and the serving area in the bamboo hut and patio area.
I have to admit that I have no taste when it comes to outdoor living spaces
and my own decor usually runs in the area of antique or junk decor so
who am I to judge.

Wilson was there with purple-blue hyacinths in the background.
It was a fun display all in all and I just had to take a picture of Wilson
to complete the scene.

I wish we would have had the time to snap more pictures of each
theme but it was a rush of people and with the night time settings
of movie primer night it was hard to capture many or better shots.
I enjoyed the experience for my first time attendance and came
away with an idea of all of the hard work that goes into pulling off
these displays. All of the planing and the hard labor of building
water features, stone walls and pathways, and the plantings is
amazing to me.
There are a few more odds and ends pictures left for another posting.

The Display was created by Longaberger, Inc.

Garden Show Goes to the Movies

The Central Ohio Home and Garden Show is going on
now and the theme is "Hooray For Hollywood".
I was so exited because it was my first time to take in the
Garden Show in Columbus, Ohio and I was not disappointed.
The creativity of nursery and landscape designers was amazing
in their displaying of plant materials and landscaping to
highlight the themes was wonderful.
The different Hollywood shows represented were:
Tombstone, Ratatoulle,Terminator 2, Notting Hill, Under the
Tuscan Sun, Herbie the Love Bug, Jurassic Park, Cast Away,
Mary Poppins, Lord of the Rings, Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mamma Mia, Hollywood at Home, and
The Secret Garden.
The displays were in the dark and were back lite in various was
to make one think they were having a primer night,
so some of the pictures may not be the best.

Today I will share some pictures of "Lord Of The Rings".

Japanese Maples were mixed in among many of the scenes
and Spring flowers were used in abundance along with shade
loving plants.



The house of Bilbo Baggins built into the hillside at Bag End in
the Shire. Spruce trees provide protection from the Winter
winds for white flowering dogwoods and Willows line the path to
the home. Blooming Azaleas and Rhododendron are a welcome
sight after a long, cold winter. Tulips add splashes of color.




Stone walls and paver paths invite you in while Bilbo greets
you welcome from the window.

The Lord of the Rings display was created by Oakland Nurseries
and was brilliant.

The Home and Garden Show is at the Expo Center in Columbus,
Ohio and runs from February 28th through Sunday March 8th.

Trees of Glass

Do My Eyes Deceive Me !!!

Could that really be the Sun coming up to finally shine
through all of the ice, snow and clouds of the storm we
have been dealing with since Wednesday?
Will you stay around long enough to melt some ice?
You sure are a welcome sight!

It looks like it may stay for a while to make a the
ice glitter like a million diamonds through the trees.
I love Blue Skies !!

Lilac Bush Vs. Ice Storm 2009

And the Winner Is!
In this instance the Ice Storm of January 2009.






My 45 year old, ten foot high Lilac bush has been bent,
bruised and broken. I have two of them on the bank near
the highway, this one has been severely damaged and its
twin out the bank is bending dangerously over the bank into
the ditch.I am holding my breath that it will not break off
also and that I will just be able to trim back the bent limbs
when the ice melts.



We have been upgraded from a level 3 emergency area to a level 2.
We are still without phones but they tell us they will have service back by
this evening. The news reports stated this morning that 98% of Hocking
county was without electricity so I think that means that our road is the
only part that does have electricity. Thank goodness we have a different
electric provider in this section of the county because all those under another
provider are doing without. Our electric company trims trees all year long
as the weather permits them and it has made all of the difference in this ice
storm.

Other than being hard on trees and plants, and causing all the difficulties
that comes with such a storm it is so beautiful to see. If the sun ever comes
out it will be like millions of diamonds and jewels glittering upon everything.

I could not resist taking a lot of pictures even without the sunshine to light
up the landscape.






Poor Rhodies






Crape Myrtle












And I just cannot help myself, if there is a Cardinal in sight while I have
a camera in hand I have to take the picture.