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PrintTips & trends
© 2011 Crestock
Gardening chic
From the newest hydrangea to the hot color of pots, two landscape pros—Paul Reiner of Oakland Nurseries and Nick McCullough of McCullough’s Landscape & Nursery—share their insights on upcoming seasonal trends:
Among the plethora of plant introductions, Reiner points to two new award-winning roses: the ‘Dick Clark’ multi-colored rose and ‘Walking on Sunshine,’ a yellow shrub rose. Two new hydrangeas are ‘Bella Anna’ in magenta and ‘Incrediball,’ which has 12-inch white blooms.
Reiner says yellow and orange seem to be the season’s hot bloom colors, while metallics, especially copper, are popular among ceramic container finishes and even plant foliage.
Research from 2010 shows that consumer spending on edible gardening outpaced that on lawns for the first time in recent years. McCullough suggests adding ornamental edibles to landscapes. Raspberries’ burgundy canes add beauty and a variety, and ‘Heritage’ offers two crops. He also recommends planting dwarf blueberry varieties in containers filled with an acidic soil mix, to combat the area’s natural alkaline soils. (Look for bags labeled for rhododendrons or azaleas.)
Add an exotic twist to container designs with tropicals such as banana trees, palms and citrus trees. Or, try Phormium ‘Pink Stripe,’ one of McCullough’s favorite tropicals for containers. This plant will easily survive a week without water.
Buy containers scaled to the size of your home. McCullough says many homeowners err on the small side.
Still combating deer? Look for deer-resistant plants such as Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low.’ This catmint’s scent deters deer from its own leaves and those of other nearby plants.
Consider foliage first. McCullough reminds that a plant’s blooms are temporary, so make sure you like its foliage. One of his foliage favorites is oakleaf hydrangea.
—Teresa Woodard
Tours not to miss
The 2011 Decorators’ Show House, sponsored by the Women’s Board of the Columbus Museum of Art, is slated for April 30 through May 22 at 4125 Oxford Dr., located just east of Riverside Drive.
Prior to its public opening, the Show House preview party is 7 to 9 pm April 28. Tickets are $100 per person or $175 for two. Tickets for the public tour are $15 each if purchased in advance from the museum shop or at columbusmuseum.org. They are $20 at the door.
In June, don’t miss the 11 grand homes to be presented during the Central Ohio Building Industry Association’s Parade of Homes at Olentangy Falls, off of Hyatts Road in southern Delaware County.
Scheduled for June 11 through 26, entry is $12, plus $2 for parking. A preview party is 6 to 10 pm June 10. For more information, visit biaparade.com.
—Sherry Beck Paprocki
Cash for metal
Turn trash into treasure at Research Alloys, 799 W. Goodale Blvd., a full service metal dealer and processor.
“A lot of people are pack rats. They’ve accumulated metals over the years and rightly so,” says Joe Cusato, president and owner of Research Alloys.
Research Alloys accepts cast-off metal items, such as broken jewelry or home renovation scraps. Aluminum lawn chairs, screen doors, water heaters, plumbing fixtures, faucets, bicycles, appliances, and aluminum cans also are accepted.
“They bring it to us, and we have it ground up and turned back into metal,” says Cusato. “A necklace could be worth two to three hundred dollars—just scrap—if it’s broken, or even more depending on what it has.”
At Research Alloys, metal is valued according to type and weight by the pound, and cash is paid on the spot. But prices vary from day to day, depending on the metal markets. Generally, copper pays anywhere between $2.75 to $3.25 a pound; stainless steel, 80 to 90 cents a pound; aluminum, 50 to 60 cents a pound, and pure tin, $10 to $12 a pound.
Research Alloys is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, 8 am to noon Saturday and closed Sunday.
—Deanna Pan
