All Things Secrest: Spring 2024

All Things Secrest

Inside this issue you'll find updates from the curator, featured plant, person spotlight, what to do in your garden, and much more!

Click on the sections below or click here.

In This Issue:

From the Curator

  1. Join Us for the Inaugural Ohio Landscape Plant Symposium

Secrest Select Plant

  1. Helleborus

Featured Event

  1. Artists, Crafters, Growers & Fun Showcased in Secrest Garden Fair

Friends of Secrest

  1. Update

Person Spotlight

  1. In the Spotlight—Susan Sivey Parcel, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Secrest Arboretum Master Gardeners

  1. Work Smarter, Not Harder—aka Brains Before Brawn

Seasonal Tasks

  1. Seasonal Tasks--Spring

Coming Events

  1. Coming Events

  1. Join Us for the Inaugural Ohio Landscape Plant Symposium

    This March 22nd will hopefully be the first of many celebrations of plant knowledge I’ve formally dubbed the Ohio Landscape Plant Symposium. I can think of no better way to spend a gloomy late March day than to gather with fellow plant lovers and learn from some of our country's foremost horticultural experts. We hope this will be the perfect kick-off to spring and provide ample inspiration for the year to come.Ohio Landscape Plant Symposium

    I am very proud of the excellent group of speakers we have assembled for this event. First, Tony Avent is the well-known owner of Plant Delights Nursery, arguably one of the world's finest purveyors of rare and unusual perennials. A world-traveler and collector, Tony has forgotten more about plants than most of us will  ever know. His presentation will focus on the rich palette of southern U.S. native plants that are perfectly at home in northern gardens.

    Second, Andrew Bunting served as the curator of the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College for 23 years and is now the Vice President of Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. His book, The Plant Lover's Guide to Magnolias, was published in 2016. Andrew will be speaking about the many magnolia species and varieties best suited to Midwestern 
    landscapes.

    Next, Ed Lyon is the director of Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University. He will present a thought-provoking argument for a balanced approach to horticulture in our modern era of concerns about native plants, non-native plants, and climate change.

    Our fourth speaker will be Dr. Richard Olsen, director of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. Richard will delve into the important role of botanical gardens and arboreta in  conserving, evaluating, and promoting rare and threatened species.

    Finally, Tim Wood is the Product Development and Marketing Manager at Spring Meadow Nursery in Michigan, where a large proportion of the shrubs we buy begin their lives. Tim has the enviable responsibility of circling the globe in search of new and improved plant varieties. In doing so, he has forged relationships with the world’s leading plant breeders and will be sharing some of their stories, as well as discussing how new and better plants go from inception to production. 

    On top of all these wonderful speakers, a respectable lunch is included in the cost of your registration! On behalf of the Secrest Team, I hope you will join us for the first annual Ohio
    Landscape Plant Symposium     by registering here.

    Thanks to our generous sponsors who have helped make the symposium possible: Friends of Secrest Arboretum, Bartlett Tree Experts, Kingwood Center Gardens, and the Ohio Landscape Association.

    --Jason Veil, Curator veil.11@osu.edu

  2. Helleborus

    Everyone anticipates spring’s arrival and the subsequent awakening of plants from their winter slumber. If you’re like me, every plant exhibiting signs of life is exciting: from the complex flowers of Acer saccharinum to the showy flowers of the magnolias, all are welcome. At Secrest Arboretum you can find many plants unknown to the average gardener, but there is one plant that seems to remain in obscurity—Helleborus, or Lenten Rose. The people who know and grow this plant love it, but for many it remains a mystery. 

    Hellebores, members of the Ranuculaceae family, are perennial plants native to Europe, where they are found in open meadows. In our gardens we usually plant them in the shade in moist but welldrained soils, though they will thrive under drier conditions or neglect. Hellebores are susceptible to root rots in wet soils, so avoid planting in such locations. These care-free perennials are a 2024 Secrest Select* perennial because of their performance at Secrest.

    The showy part of the plant, what we would call the petals, are not petals at all, they are actually sepals. Sepals serve to protect the developing reproductive structures on the inside. The real petals are inside the sepals and are considered tubular nectaries. Hellebores can flower anytime from November to April depending on the species.

    Helleborus nigerHellebores are divided into two groups, those with stems (caulescent) and those without stems (acaulescent). Most of the plants in the nursery trade today are the acaulescent types,  most notably Helleborus × hybridus and several newer hybrids. These plants have flowers that emerge from the soil in late winter or early spring and provide a floral display for about  eight weeks. Even after the foliage emerges, the sepals retain much of their color and remain showy until finally bending to the ground in June. Most acaulescent types, including  Helleborus × hybridus, mature to around 12” tall and have dark green leathery leaves. The foliage is evergreen in nature, though it begins to brown in late winter. Foliage of acaulescent  types should be removed just as the flowers begin to emerge from the crown of the plant. The leaves act as a protectant for the flower buds, preventing them from opening too early and  being damaged by cold.

    Plant breeders have been improving hybrids by selecting for plants that hold their flowers upright, and thus more visibly. New colors, patterns, speckles, foliage, and sepal numbers are constantly being introduced to the trade, contributing to the excitement about this plant. Hellebores will selfseed in the garden but have never exhibited invasive tendencies. Seedlings should be removed if one desires to maintain the parent cultivar. All parts of the Hellebore contain alkaloids, making the plant poisonous. The poisonous nature contributes to Helleborus being deer and rabbit resistant, though human poisoning is rare in modernity. The plant was used as a poison in ancient times. One report by the Greek geographer, Pausanias, states that statesmen Solon ordered hellebore roots to be thrown into the water supplies of the towns he was going to besiege. The towns were overthrown because the residents were  suffering from the effects of the poisoning. Stop by Secrest Arboretum or your local public garden to see these wonderful plants.

    *Secrest Select plants are plants cultivated at Secrest Arboretum that have displayed outstanding ornamental, ecological, and functional traits.

    --Paul Snyder, Operations Manager snyder1062@osu.edu

  3. Artists, Crafters, Growers & Fun Showcased in Secrest Garden Fair

    Garden Fair Volunteers

    Over 50 juried artists and crafters will be featured in the third annual Secrest Garden Fair. The free event will be held Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 9 am-4 pm at Secrest Arboretum, 2122 Williams Rd., Wooster, Ohio.

    Secrest Garden Fair 2024Along with awesome garden-themed arts and crafts, the event will include activities for kids, a plant sale, and local food trucks. Free workshops will be held inside the Secrest Welcome Center. Master Gardener Volunteers will lead tours of the Arboretum and give insider information about the expansive 110-acre outdoor laboratory, which includes the landscape gardens and over 2,500 varieties of perennials, shrubs, and trees.

    The highlight of the event is, of course, the craft show. Artists and crafters will line the paved pathway through the arboretum showcasing their handmade wreaths, jewelry, pottery, signs, garden art, and much more. Bird baths, wooden flags, chimes, natural soap, vintage garden décor . . . There will be so much to see!Volunteers will be needed to help with a myriad of tasks: parking, set up and tear down, leading tours, assisting with children’s activities, and helping with the plant sale and raffle. SignUpGenius will be emailed closer to the event, so be sure to save the date. Contact Merry Gentry at merryroyd@yahoo.com or visit www.friendsofsecrest.com/garden-fair for more information.

  4. Update

    Even though it is a quiet time for gardeners, Friends of Secrest Arboretum (FSA) has been busy working on 2024 events.

    FSA is proud to be a lead sponsor of the first Ohio Landscape Plant Symposium. See details here.

    Plant Discovery Day and the spring plant sale are scheduled for Saturday May 11th with the members only presale scheduled for the 10th.

    Our third annual Secrest Garden Fair will be Saturday June 8th. Many vendors are returning, and some new ones have already signed up. Stay tuned for details in the next Newsletter.

    FSA is again partnering with ORMACO (Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach) for the fourth four-concert season of Music at the Arboretum. All concerts are scheduled for 6:30 pm at the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater with a backup location of Fisher Auditorium. This year’s include:

    Alla Boara: Italian Folk Songs - Friday, May 31
    This Cleveland-based ensemble reimagines Italian folk songs by adding elements of modern jazz and world music. Showcasing works from two recent albums, Amanda Powell, Anthony Taddeo, and Dan Bruce connect audiences through storytelling.

    Erin Nicole Neal & The Chill Factors - Friday June 21
    This Cleveland-based eclectic band performs blues, rock, pop, soul, jazz, and funk. The band has performed throughout Ohio and beyond since 2015.

    Rachel Brown and The Beatnik Playboys - Friday, July 19
    Rachel is a singer/songwriter/pianist who has opened for many top artists including Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith and The Judds. Be carried away by powerful vocals as the band performs various country, oldies, rock, and blues covers.

    Grady Miller: Blues, Americana, Country, and Bluegrass - Friday, August 16
    This Akron-based duo will be playing their own style of blues and Americana, with a mixture of some country and bluegrass. Tunes range from funny to contemplative, all the while telling a story full of imagery and depth.

    The FSA Board hopes that you can come to many of these events and enjoy the beauty of Secrest Arboretum at different times of the year. You can keep track of coming events through our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Friends.of.Secrest, our website https://www.friendsofsecrest.com/ or Secrest’s website https://secrest.osu.edu/.

    As I mentioned in the last newsletter, this year’s Secrest Select class of 6 plants* was approved by the Support Council in December. Details of them and the 13 plants from last year’s class can be viewed at https://www.secrestselect.com/

    As always, please reach out to me at friendsofsecrest@gmail.com should you have questions about FSA or if you are interested in volunteering.

    *2024 Secrest Select winners: Taxidium distichum (Bald Cypress), Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese Cedar), Abies concolor (White Fir or Concolor Fir), Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea), Viburnum nudum `Winterthur,’ and Helleborus (Lenten Rose)
    --Bob Everett, President, Friends of Secrest Arboretum

  5. In the Spotlight—Susan Sivey Parcel, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

    When it comes to questions about growing herbs and nourishing vegetables, Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) Susan Sivey has answers. Since 2016 she has taught the herb unit to incoming Secrest Arboretum MGV interns and has volunteered at the Friends of Secrest Arboretum plant sales. In summer you will find Susan promoting the MGV program and  answering gardening questions at the Wooster Farmers’ Market. In the past you might have encountered her teaching gardening classes at Wooster’s Local Roots.

    A Wayne County native, Susan spent much of her early life on her family’s farm. At 3, she followed her father along his vegetable garden rows, dropping seeds in the holes he made.  Today she lives with her husband, Charles Snodgrass, on the farm property where they have built a home and created extensive gardens and landscaping. Over the years she has raised hostas, many perennials, and over 350 daylilies in addition to vegetables. She has given away many of these, replacing them with shrubs and more “useful plants,” such as elderberry, raspberry, and asparagus, while concentrating on “pollinator friendly plants.” As she gained more gardening knowledge, she gave up tilling and converted her vegetable gardens to raised beds which she enriches with leaf humus and manure.

    She comments, “Gardening is a part of every day of my life. Even in the winter, I have plants growing in the house that are food or herb plants for harvesting. I am a vegetarian, so I try to grow much of what we eat. I freeze, can, and ferment foods and cook mostly from scratch. I have a hoop house and unheated greenhouse. Until the January cold blast, I had greens still growing.” Susan adds, “My favorite gardening task, especially since I’ve gotten older is watering. I love the excuse to stand there with the hose and enjoy the plants and nature without having to bend over and actually work. Yes, I know that watering the roots is better!”

    Susan's GardenAlways looking for gardening answers, Susan enjoys trying new plants. When she had difficulty growing standard celery, she discovered a solution with the flat-leaf biennial herb parcel, which tastes like a combination of parsley and celery without the stalk. Susan has shared this plant with her MGV students along with starts of rosemary, sage, and thyme. Parcel has become a staple in her extensive gardens, and each year many MGVs request new starts from Susan.

    Throughout her gardening life, Susan has had many great teachers, including Joe Cochran, Denise Ellsworth, Paul Snyder, and Kingwood Gardens’ Charles Applegate. She first trained  as a Master Gardener in Knox County in 2006 with most of the required 50 volunteer hours occurring at Secrest Arboretum. She has earned two MGV specializations under Denise  Ellsworth, one in Backyard Gardening and Local Foods, and the other in Pollinators. Both specializations greatly influence how she now gardens. When the Secrest MGV program restarted in 2016 with Paul Snyder, she was able to recertify. During the recent pandemic, she took many online courses to further her knowledge of
    herbs. Currently, she is interested in learning more about the wild herbs, ginseng, and golden seal.

    Of herself, Susan states, “I am a retired special education teacher and administrator, a wife, a gardener, an herbalist, a knitter, and a golden doodle mama.” Beyond improving her own  gardening practices, she has enriched the gardens of countless others as she teaches them about best practices. Susan Sivey is truly a master gardener.

    --Pat Warner, Secrest Arboretum Master Gardener Volunteer

  6. Work Smarter, Not Harder—aka Brains Before Brawn

    Don’t let a sign of spring be your aching back. Working in our gardens uses our bodies in various ways: bending, stooping, lifting, pushing, pulling, and kneeling. Although good exercise,
    these activities can be overdone. The result? Sprains and strains and overuse injuries take away all the fun of working in the yard and garden. But, by understanding some ways our
    bodies function, we can enjoy gardening AND protect ourselves from pain. Below are a few tips.

    Pre-plan: Gather your tools and plan the most efficient way to complete your tasks to avoid repetitive trips to the garden shed to retrieve items. Think of your body positions: Hinge from  the hips instead of bending from the waist, rotate from the hips instead of the waist when using a rake or broom, sit or kneel rather than bend for longer periods. When choosing to sit to weed or clean out beds this spring, position a chair or kneeling bench nearby to make it easier to safely get up again. Dragging heavy items on a slippery tarp is more efficient than  carrying.

    Don’t carry, push, or pull more than you can handle. If you are jerking the load, are unable to hold proper posture, or are staggering, you need to lessen the load. Most injuries occur when we get over fatigued. Use a wheelbarrow, wagon, or hand cart/dolly to help carry materials. Push and pull with the power coming from your legs and hips, not the waist and back.

    Prevent hand, shoulder, and neck strain by pruning with the proper, sharpened tools. Hand pruners for stems and small branches, loppers for medium branches and a hand saw or mini chain saw for branches too large to easily cut with the loppers. Sometimes we try to “lop” a branch more appropriately cut with a saw.

    Above all…. know your limits! Work a while, rest a while, then back to work. Nothing better than enjoying a nice glass of cold mint tea while sitting in your garden admiring the beauty of  your surroundings.

    --Erin O’Neill, Secrest Master Gardener Volunteer

  7. Seasonal Tasks--Spring

    Hairy bittercress

    March
    • Finish sharpening, cleaning, and organizing tools and equipment which you were supposed to do over the winter. Try soaking in white vinegar to remove rust and sap.
    • There’s more green to St. Patty’s Day than shamrocks. March 27th is the traditional date for planting peas in the garden. Since peas can’t read the calendar, check for soil temperatures in the mid 40’s. Stake or provide a trellis to save space and make harvesting easier.
    • Still time to order those special seeds you can’t find at your local garden shops.
    • Purchase or clean your old containers, trays and grow lights. Start seeds indoors using a soilless mix to get a jump on the season. Obey the seed packet information for best success.

    April
    • No garden is complete without hummingbirds. The Rubythroated Hummingbird (Ohio’s only hummer) returns to Ohio late April to early May. Clean, rinse well, and fill the
    feeders. Ratio: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Place near a sitting area and enjoy the show as they flit from the feeders to your flowers in the garden.
    • Continue pulling weeds. Get that tenacious hairy bittercress now. It forms tiny white blossoms early and soon goes to seed and will scatter far and near when touched or brushed up against, becoming a bane to all gardeners.
    • Rise Up. Think about raised beds this gardening season whether you buy or make them yourself. Check out garden catalogs and the internet for new
    bittercress and better gardening information. They come in all sizes, materials, and heights. Pick the one that fits your aching back.
    • Time to plant cool weather crops in the ground such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Don’t be too impatient. Walking in your garden and working the soil when
    wet can compact and damage the structure of your soil.
    • Take a break to celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 26).

    May
    • Gently press frost-heaved plants back into the soil.
    • Delay cleanup to give overwintering insects time to emerge.
    • Cut off the tattered leaves of early blooming hellebores, epimedium and fern fronds.
    • Use Phenology to determine when to plant in your garden. For example: When forsythia blooms, plant peas, lettuce, and onion sets. When crocus bloom, plant radishes, parsnips, and spinach. Check out The Ohio State Phenology Calendar website at https://weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd/.
    • Start dividing and potting perennials to donate to the Secrest Garden Fair plant sale June 8, 2024. Set aside and bring to the Visitors Center the morning of the event. Contact Sue Cook or Lori Everett for more information.

    --Sue Cook, Secrest Arboretum Master Gardener Volunteer

  8. Coming Events

    March 7 – Pruning Workshop, 9 am – 2 pm, Secrest Welcome Center, register by March 5, $30 fee
    March 8 – Spring Master Gardener Volunteer gathering, 11 am – 1 pm. Bring a dish to share and an item for the bag auction. Program is about winter annual weeds.
    March 14 – Guided Tree Walk, 1 pm – 2:30 pm, Secrest Welcome Center
    March 22 – Landscape Plant Symposium, 9 am – 4 pm, Secrest Welcome Center, registration required, $85 fee

    April 11 – Guided Tree Walk, 1 pm – 2:30 pm, Secrest Welcome Center
    April 19 – Crabapple Walk, 1 pm – 3 pm, Secrest Welcome Center

    May 9 – Guided Tree Walk, 1 pm – 2:30 pm, Secrest Welcome Center
    May 10 – Members Only Plant Discovery Day Pre-Sale, 3 pm – 4 pm, Secrest Welcome Center
    May 11 – Plant Discovery Day, 9 am – 1 pm, Secrest Welcome Center
    May 31 – Music at the Arboretum, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, John Streeter Garden Amphitheater/Fisher Auditorium, registration recommended

    Helpful Links
    https://secrest.osu.edu Find links to events, plant collections at the Arboretum, Master Gardener Volunteers, and past and present newsletters.

    https://www.friendsofsecrest.com Find links to Friends of Secrest Arboretum membership, donations, and events sponsored by the group.

    https://bygl.osu.edu Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine contains articles written by Extension, Nursery, Landscape and Turf team members that benefit both home and professional gardeners.

    Newsletter staff: Janet Broda, Sue Cook, Karen Edgington, Pat Warner