Opinion

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The words “wildflower meadow” summon a mental picture of colorful blooms waving in the wind, fluttering butterflies, and busy honeybees buzzing from bloom to bloom. This lovely picture invites you to wade through a fragrant sea of waist-high blooms, a magnet for wildlife with color from early spring through frost.

For generations, saving for college was not a concern for parents, grandparents, or even students themselves, but as times have changed, it is now more critical than ever. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of college in the United States is $36,436 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses.

People often ask me what kind of tree to plant, and then I start asking questions. How much space do you have? What’s the purpose of the tree? Why do you want a tree in that spot? What are the growing conditions?

Boxwood, a popular evergreen shrub we’ve been planting for many years, is suddenly in the crosshairs. This reliable landscape mainstay is under attack from winter burn, a well-known insect, a non-native insect recently found in Ohio for the first time, and now a deadly disease. Pinpointing the culprit can be difficult because the symptoms are so similar.

Boxwood, a popular evergreen shrub we’ve been planting for many years, is suddenly in the crosshairs. This reliable landscape mainstay is under attack from winter burn, a well-known insect, a non-native insect recently found in Ohio for the first time, and now a deadly disease. Pinpointing the culprit can be difficult because the symptoms are so similar.

For a long-lived display of huge showy blooms, few plant families can top the diverse Hydrangea. Every year we see new Hydrangea varieties introduced, making this plant more of a problem-solver and a landscape staple. To choose the right Hydrangea you must first answer two questions: how sunny is my location, and how much room do I have? The answers will lead you to the right Hydrangea family, so then you can choose between the many gorgeous blooms available in that particular family.

“A fox should not be on the jury at a goose’s trial.”

There’s a reason that old farmhouses are surrounded by mature shade trees. After a day in the fields, farm families could retire to a cool house. In the days before air conditioning, farm wives could work in relative comfort if there were big trees casting a pool of shade on the house and farmyard all summer.

“On my father’s side I am a Northumberland, on my mother’s I am related to kings; but this avails me not. My name shall live in the memory of man when the titles of the Northumberlands and the Percys are extinct and forgotten.”