Ready, set, BLOOM!

Spring in Batavia conjures images of trees coming back to life, tulips blooming and spending time gardening in the months ahead. Take a drive through Batavia in late spring and you’ll be greeted with bold colors and blooms that reveal a community passionate about their gardens. Any gardener will tell you that a little planning and research can go a long way towards a successful growing season. With spring just around the corner it’s not too early to begin thinking about what that means for your garden and yard.

“We are famous for our hostas, we have over 300 varieties of hostas in our yard,” says Barbara King who, along with her husband Jim, has lived in the 14th Colony in Batavia for the past 31 years. “We find them to be such interesting plants. There is such variety to them. They range from mini plants that grow to just six inches all the way up to six feet high. And they come in so many different colors and styles.” Barbara goes on to say, “This year our main plan is to refine what we have. Maybe reorganize a little bit. Plants tend to look tired after many years of blooming in the same place. They need to be divided and moved and we plan to do a lot of that this year.” In fact, while most people have garage sales in the spring, the Kings have started holding a yearly hosta sale from the divided plants in their yard.

If the King’s hosta garden sounds familiar, you may have been lucky enough to tour it on the Batavia Plain Dirt Gardener’s Walk back in 2007. The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners is a non-profit group that formed in 1991 when a group of volunteers started a wildflower sanctuary along the Batavia Riverwalk. The group currently has about 100 members who focus on working with native plants and encouraging gardeners to use them creatively in their landscape. Native plants are known to provide natural food and cover for native wildlife, are low maintenance, and help to retain natural heritage for future generations. Among others, the Riverwalk has had visits from mink, box turtles, northern water snakes, black-crowned night herons and wood ducks. Spring is an especially beautiful time to take a stroll along the Riverwalk and view the native plants that grow along the river’s edge.

Spring is also a time to start thinking about what you’ll be growing in your garden. “A continuing trend is increased interest in edible plants like fruits and vegetables,“ says Matt Zerby, co-owner of Waso Nursery in St. Charles. “People are really starting to get back into vegetable gardening. The best sellers are tomatoes and peppers, but we also sell a lot of potatoes and asparagus as well as leafy vegetables like lettuces and spinach. On April 10th we’ll be hosting a seminar called ‘Beyond Peppers and Tomatoes—expanding your vegetable repertoire.’ The seminar will cover growing items such as garlic, onions, kale, beets, potatoes and others. A lot of these great vegetable plants are easier to grow than tomatoes.”

As people become more educated about the long term effects the food in their diet has on the environment and themselves, they seek out chemical free alternatives. In addition, consumers have a larger variety of items that can be grown in home gardens than ever before. Produce that comes from out of state has spent days on a truck or train and then sits on a store shelf for a few more days before it ever makes it to your home. Craig MacLean of the Pure Gardener in Geneva says “there’s nothing like going out in your backyard, picking it, and having it on your plate ten minutes later. There’s no comparison in flavor and nutritional value.“

Another popular trend is container gardens, such as the EarthBox, which require very little maintenance, controls soil conditions and can produce yields up to double that of a conventional garden. With container gardens you can get a jump on the gardening season by planting vegetables that are tolerant of the cold. Lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower can be planted in a container as early as March. Simply watch the weather and if it’s going to freeze bring the container indoors.