GOG recap

I went to the Gathering of Gardeners here in Rochester yesterday—the morning sessions only—and thought I'd relate just a few things I found interesting from each of the two talks.

Bill Hendricks, of Klyn Nursery in Perry, Ohio, is a man who knows his shrubs.

It turns out I've been a little light-handed with one of my fall favorites, Callicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amythest'. The plant should be cut back hard in the spring, like a buddleia. This will keep it in check size-wise, and it does bloom on new wood (not all do, so check each other species). (My image.)

I've seen sorbaria growing in public gardens in England, and I've always found it very interesting, but I never remember to look it up when I get home. (Here it is, left, at Wisley.) It's also rather large, like a sumac. Bill had images of the truly dwarf 'Sem', however (see below), and I'd love to try that. I dig the tri-colored foliage.

Below that, we have Young Lady (TM) smokebush (cotinus), special in that in blooms on new wood. We also learned that the best yellow (or chartreuse) hops is 'Bianca', and that there's an elderberry that blooms early, has red berries and will thrive in sun or deep shade, Sambucus pubens.

Next up was C. L. Fornari, who was very entertaining and had these tidbits to share (among many others):

- One inch per week is the perfect amount of rain for the standard garden. A rain gauge is a good investment.

- Put used kitty litter in woodchuck holes to repel the rodents.

- Homemade rabbit repellent: 1 beaten egg, one cup milk mixed in 1/2 gallon water.

- Good deer controls: Wireless deer fencing and the Scare Crow motion-activated sprinkler.

- Did you know you can grow beautiful dahlias from cuttings? These are bigger and better, she claims, than her tuber-grown ones. cgdahlias.com.