Garden tour of what?s new for 2016

Washington County Master Gardeners and guests were treated to a garden tour of new annual plants for flower beds and planters and vegetables grown in pots. Marianne Reha Van Roekel gave a presentation on ?What?s New for Spring? to a group of 25 garden enthusiasts on Feb. 23 at the Washington County Extension office.

Van Roekel gave a pictorial tour of the plants she has grown at her home and at Reha Greenhouses. Many plants mentioned were standard plants like petunias, begonias, coleus, and impatiens, but her pictures told a new story for these plants.

?Drama is in,? Van Roekel shared. ?Use plants of varying heights, bold colors, and textures,? she added.

Easy wave petunias make wonderful mounds in hanging baskets with many new colors available. Whopper begonias can grow to nearly 30 inches tall and are full of color. Under the Sea coleus have vibrant splashes of color and bounce impatiens in mass plantings would make any home gardener proud. Van Roekel also talked about plantings for butterfly gardens, fairy gardens and succulent planters.

A piece of advice she gave was ?Scissors are your friend. Don?t be afraid to cut things back,? she added. Annuals are flowers and shrubs that go through their entire life cycle in one season. Because these plants are short-lived, you may want to get as many blooms out of them as you can. Pruning annuals is a way to keep the plant flowering and to improve its shape.

A business meeting followed the program conducted by president Don Pfeiffer. Roll call was answered by 18 members and was to name a plant you would like to try in your garden. In new business the 2016 program was completed. There will be one Master Gardener scholarship awarded this year. Upcoming events were shared. Refreshments were served by Mary Langr and Regina Snyder.

The next meeting will be held on March 22 and will be a presentation by Shirley Pfeifer.