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Bungalow is at 940 N. High St. in the Short North.
Dan Trittschuh
Fuss-free roses
Rosarian Caye Aiello pampered her hybrid tea roses for years. That is, until she learned an easier way to rose garden. “No spraying, no supplemental watering and no fertilizing,” says Aiello about the low-maintenance, eco-friendly approach. After attending a workshop, she became aware of newly developed low-care roses.
Today’s new shrub varieties are hardy, resist common diseases and boast a long bloom period. When Aiello first planted her trial garden in 2005 at Ohio State University’s Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, she says a lot of people were skeptical the bare canes sticking out of the ground would survive. But by the end of July, she says the rose garden was thriving, and evaluations were off the chart.
Here are her tips for planting foolproof shrub roses:
• Find a sunny location with six or more hours of sunlight and good air circulation.
• Amend the soil with compost, tilling in 4 to 6 inches for poor soil.
• Select easy-care shrub roses under brand names such as Easy Elegance, Nearly Wild, Flower Carpet, Carefree Wonder, Earth-Kind and Knock Out. Check the rose brands’ websites for retailer lists.
• To avoid root problems, purchase bare root roses versus those already established in containers. Also look for roses advertised as “own-root roses” which are hardier and more adaptable.
• In the spring, dig a hole 14 inches deep and wide. Form a small mound at the base of the hole and set the rose shrub’s roots on top. Fill the hole halfway with topsoil, then water. Finish filling the hole, then water them again. This approach helps avoid harmful air pockets.
• Mound soil around the young canes until only an inch or two are exposed. This protects the canes from drying and from fluctuating temperatures while their roots become established. As the shrubs begin to grow, gently wash away the mounded soil.
• Mulch with hardwood chips (ideally local tree trimmers’ chips of native trees) and continue watering the shrubs weekly through their first season to develop good root systems.
• Annually prune to remove dead branches and shape the shrubs.
—Teresa Woodard
Honey Grove Botanicals
In a quaint 106-year-old green and yellow house in Gahanna, Barbara Drobnick’s Honey Grove Botanicals has become a double destination.
Located directly across from Creekside Plaza at 116 Mill St., Drobnick not only offers a wide variety of handmade, all-natural bath products and candles, but an abundance of vintage and re-purposed decor for the home as well. She recently joined forces with interior designer Jeannine Kern, owner of The Little Black Chair and J Kern Design LLC, a home furnishings business. Kern has helped fill the store with one-of-a-kind items.
An ancient oak trestle table that Kern dates to the 1600s is laden with what appears to be a feast of baked goods. Actually, it’s an array of fun bath products: solid bubble bath in the shape of a cupcake with sprinkles, stacks of oatmeal bath cookies and petit fours bath melts.
With over 400 fragrances to choose from, Drobnick, a certified aromatherapist, can customize soaps, bath salts, body lotions and her 100-percent soy wax candles. “I can also custom-blend formulas for those with allergies,” she says. And since her labels are created in-house, Drobnick can personalize products for bridal showers, weddings, baby showers and corporate events.
Kern also has assembled an eclectic mix—from a vintage oval mirror with distressed blue frame to a salvaged porch column with a weathered white paint patina. Small black tables with gold leaf stencil are tucked into corners, and four framed watercolors by Henry J. Edinger hang near the fireplace. There’s an alcove of baby gifts, featuring super-soft pastel blankets from Elegant Baby, and unusual handbags from 3 Stitch Creations.
—Rhonda Koulermos
Bungalow
The home furnishings store, Bungalow, is adding heft to the Short North’s growing reputation as a go-to spot for trend-setting design. The brainchild of interior designer David M. Berg, Julie DeVito Butler and Paige Langdale, opened last November and is nestled in the space formerly occupied by Urban Gardener. Since then, Berg has left the group to focus on his interior design work.
From small accessories to commanding key pieces, Bungalow offers an industrial modern interpretation of the classics. You’re just as likely to spot a canvas saddle bag, camel size (think Lawrence of Arabia), as you are a Union Jack flag or a lush landscape by local artist Frederick Fochtman. One exclusive item with a local backstory: an indigo patchwork pillow, hand-stitched from old BalletMet costumes.
Lots of texture, like the jute pendant light fixture, is mixed into an organic scheme of rich creams, taupes, leathery browns and pure white. Butler says, “White’s my favorite—it keeps things light, simple and provides a great contrast.” Gray chairs by Verellen are paired with a dining table made from repurposed barn board, with a white painted trestle base. Above hangs a modern clear-glass pendant fixture with long tungsten filament bulbs, scrambling a message of old and new.
Covering all price points, Bunglalow has an ever-changing merchandise mix. Outdoor teak-framed sofas and chairs, with cream-colored cushions and woven rattan backs, are clustered on the store’s front terrace. For alfresco entertaining, Bungalow stocks chunky metal fire pits, stately urns and graphic antique garden gates. Bungalow is at 940 N. High St. in the Short North.
—Rhonda Koulermos
