Gardeners prep for April showers and May flowers

It’s finally spring in Oxford. While the days are growing longer and the weather is finally heating up, local gardeners and landscapers have been preparing for the season since there was snow on the ground.

For Kevin Wilson, the garden center manager at Shademakers, planning for spring planting began a full year ago. The business begins making its initial orders nine months to a year in advance and adjusts as the season approaches. By December, Wilson said they normally have their inventory finalized.

“Right about the last part of February, that’s when the beginning of the arrivals come to us,” Wilson said.

Each year brings new favorites and shifting demand, especially for different flower colors, Wilson said. Most recently, boxwoods have gotten less popular because of temperature issues and blight, and a plant called “Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae” has filled the gap. Green giant arborvitae and other plants in the cedar family have also grown in popularity because deer don’t like to eat them.

Another change in recent years has been the increased demand for native plants, Wilson said. While some types of grass lawn alternatives like clover lawns come with drawbacks, planting a mix of greens can help support local wildlife without causing extra maintenance, especially if people are open to less traditional lawn looks.

“We will be potting up a good supply of natives,” Wilson said. “So for people who are into the native material from short to tall, whether they’re doing a little tiny thing or something that’s a whole six acres, we have a plant for it.”

Since 2021, Oxford Lane Library has also offered a free seed library for local gardeners. The staff introduced a secondary native seed library this year, said branch manager Rebecca Smith, and it’s been hard to meet the demand.

The native seed library was launched with support from Three Valley Conservation Trust and Wild Ones during an early March visit from Doug Tallamy, a noted leader of the rewilding movement. Since then, more than 120 people have taken native seed packets, and Smith said she hopes they’ll be able to restock with support from Friends of the Oxford Lane Library. The library holds regular events related to gardening every winter and spring, including a March 23 event on planning pollinator gardens that attracted more than 70 guests.

“There were so many people that showed up, and that was again when the native seeds were really picked over and taken, which is great,” Smith said.

Library visitors can take five seed packets per visit up to four times per season. The packets include vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers, and Smith said two local businesses donated seed packets at the end of the season last year which have helped support the seed library this spring.

“The idea of the seed library is that you take some, and then at the end of the season, you donate seeds back,” Smith said. “The seed library is very successful, so now we can kind of turn our attention to walk people through that process again.” The seed library includes pamphlets that explain how to harvest seeds.

Sue Mavis, co-president of Des Fleurs Garden Club in Oxford, comes from a long line of gardeners, including her mother, grandmother and in-laws. She retired last April and is looking forward to devoting more time to her own yard this season.

Mavis starts planning her garden in January, looking through seed catalogs and websites to decide which vegetables and flowers to grow. She normally starts with tomatoes and peppers indoors under grow lights in March before moving them outdoors around Mother’s Day.

“The visual aspect of gardening appeals to me,” Mavis said. “... A gardener can see the potential in a plant, be it a seed, be it a plant, be it a tree. We plant for the future, not just for how it’s going to look today.”

Des Fleurs was founded in 1959 and brings together local gardeners in the area to focus on beautification, environmental awareness and horticulture. The club maintains the grounds at Inlows Park and the Oxford Community Arts Center (OCAC), as well as the flower baskets Uptown.

On May 1, Des Fleurs will hold its annual plant sale and auction at OCAC. The event will start with an 8 a.m. quick sale of plant cuttings, which Mavis said typically go fast. The organization will then hold a silent auction at 10 a.m., and visitors can pick up literature on gardening throughout the event.

Beyond maintaining local gardens and holding events, Mavis said Des Fleurs offers a sense of community for people who share her interest.

“I can share my experiences in gardening and I can also gain a lot of experience and knowledge and insight from many of the experts in the garden club,” Mavis said. “We have a shared interest in making sure that the city is beautiful.”

Business at Shademakers typically picks up in late March and early April, but people also buy seeds to start vegetable plants and herbs indoors earlier. According to Urban Farmer Seeds, the typical last overnight frost of the season falls on April 19 in Cincinnati and April 22 in Dayton. 

Ohio State University’s gardening calendar recommends planting early spring vegetables like peas, radish, spinach and onions after March 15. Some more popular vegetables like cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and peppers shouldn’t be planted until after May 15.

Wilson said demand for flowers picks up in mid-April, and Shademakers just got a new load of trees in this week. For people looking to start gardening for the first time, he said Shademakers staff responds to calls and online messages, but the best option is to come in-person to see the variety of plants available and learn more about them.