A Final, Busy Day

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I started the day by taking a trip north to Mansfield, OH where I enjoyed the Kingwood Center Gardens.  This 47 acre estate garden was created in 1926 by Charles Kelley King and became a public garden in 1953 following Mr. King’s death.  Mr. King acquired his wealth through his rise in the Ohio Brass Company.  I had always been told to visit this garden if I ever had the chance and I was glad that I did!  They use almost as many annuals as we do!  I didn’t tour the mansion (above) but saw the beautiful surrounding gardens.  I then returned to Columbus and systematically went through the Cultivate ’16 trade show and chatted with lots of folks including some that I knew previously.  I also sat in on some presentations.  While there is no such thing as “horticultural overload”, I’m ready to head home with my 3,000 images, new ideas and renewed conclusion that we have a pretty nice garden in Janesville, WI!

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In touring the Cultivate ’16 Trade Show, I focused on photographing new varieties and talking with some of the folks at these various growers…..Ultimately, we can get most of their product through the correct “channels” and I was pleased to see so many neat new plants.  While many of the vendors included greenhouse suppliers and other green industry vendors, it was fun to experience the energy of this crowd.  I did get to meet Dr. Steven Still at the Perennial Plant Association booth and we had a nice chat.  I probably ran in to 20 or so folks that I knew…many from the Midwest.  I have enough catalogs that I’m glad I’m not flying or my bag weight limit would likely be exceeded.  Below are just some of the highlights (not including individual photos of a couple hundred new plants I’ll be searching for this winter!).  Ready to come home.

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this container above is lit up which I thought was cool!

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