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Calling all nature, gardening, and outdoor enthusiasts! Richland County has just what you need this summer to spruce up your home, garden, yard, or all three!
Before getting started on your landscape, head to Kingwood Center Gardens where you can gain inspiration from the stunning floral displays and gather planting tips from the pros. The 47-acre estate, built in 1926, was turned into a public garden in 1953. The estate includes a mansion that houses a horticulture library with over 8,000 volumes on gardening, a greenhouse, giftshop, and more than a dozen gardens open to the public. Enjoy a stroll through the gardens or rent a golf cart for a relaxing ride around the estate. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see a peacock or two roaming along the brick walkways. For groups of 15 or more, guided tours are available. For smaller groups looking for guidance, try out the Kingwood Center Gardens app! By downloading their app on your smartphone, you will have access to information written by Kingwood’s horticultural staff about the area you are in. Although you may be thinking about calling up a babysitter as you plan your trip to Kingwood, don’t bother! Bring the kids along and make a stop at the Peacock Playhouse where they can read, learn, create, and play games. For those who just can’t get enough of Kingwood, be sure to also check out Ribbit the Exhibit starting August 5, Yoga In The Garden, tune in to the next Plant Talk on WMFD, or inquire about the many different membership choices Kingwood has to choose from.
After your trip to Kingwood, get your green thumb ready to put what you’ve learned to the test. Let Alta Florist and Greenhouse, Wade and Gatton Nurseries and Wayne’s Country Market help make your dream landscape a reality.
At Alta Florist and Greenhouse, one of the largest collections of perennials in North Central Ohio, you can pick from over 160 species of perennials as well as shrubs, foliage, houseplants, vegetables, annuals, and gardening accessories. From sun to shade plants, butterfly or hummingbird favorites, come to Alta to find the perfect perennial for your yard. If you’re not sure what plant best suits your needs, the friendly staff and specialized perennial grower is there to help. Although it’s too late in the season now, Alta offers programs, speakers, and vendors throughout the spring, so be on the lookout for those next year!
Wade and Gatton Nurseries also sell perennials, but they specialize in American Hostas and daylilies. Hostas, the featured plants of the Wade Botanical Gardens, come in over 3,100 different species and named cultivators, a multitude of sizes, and colors ranging from blue, gold, green, white, and everything in between. You can find daylilies in more varieties than you could ever dream of. The Daylily area at Wade and Gatton consists of over 6,000 potted daylilies for you to choose from. However, if you find a daylily you like that’s not potted, you can place an order and pick it up later! Besides perennials, Wade and Gatton Nurseries sells shade trees, ornamental trees, and provides landscaping services. If your yard needs more help than you can handle, let the landscapers at Wade and Gatton give you a hand.
Then, after your planting is done, Wayne’s Country Market will help you put the finishing touches on your landscape and assist you in keeping it beautiful all season long with a wide selection of mulches, gravel, top-soil, fertilizers, and repellants. If you’re not sure how much mulch you’ll need, Wayne’s makes it easy with their mulch calculator featured on their website. Once you know how much mulch, gravel or soil you’ll need, you can stop by to pick it up or have it delivered right to your house. Wayne’s Country market also sells annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, trees, and a variety of fresh produce to take home and enjoy.
Even though you won’t find peacocks strutting in your lawn this summer like Kingwood Center Gardens, your yard can still be the talk of the neighborhood. Whether your home needs a total revamping or just the finishing touches, let the experts and horticulturalists at our local greenhouses and gardens help bring your home up to its full potential.
Written by Rachel Geis, Destination Mansfield – Richland County Intern