Signs Of Spring
Road Trip To See The Cowboy
Last week I went to lunch in Southern Maryland with a few of Behnke’s Best. Anita from Annuals and Becky from Perennials. On the way, we stopped by to pick up and visit John Reed from our Woody Plant Department. Many of you might remember and refer to him as the COWBOY since he always wore this big 10-gallon cowboy hat.
What’s Blooming In John’s Yard
What a lovely homestead he has tucked back in the country. While walking around, I was amazed to see the largest Spring Camelia blooming. John said it was planted by his mother many years ago. This gorgeous Camelia had to be over 15 feet high.
As we kept walking, he showed off his Pieris japonica, which appeared like a tree. And off to the front of his home was a beautiful enormous P.J. M.
Rhododendron just starting to bloom.
John lives where the deer roam, so he takes many precautions in protecting many of his plants with tall wire around them. Everywhere we looked, we could see signs of spring popping up. He had hyacinths and daffodils in bloom scattered around. Many different pathways around his home and going into the woods behind his house. The birds were all busy chirping away, and he told us of all the many different types of birds he sees, like the various woodpeckers and red-winged blackbirds. Even the bluebirds come to see him.
It was wonderful visiting with John, and while many of you and I have missed him since Behnke’s closed, it was great seeing him looking just the same and listening to him talk about what he loves so much.
Please tell me if Cherokee Brave is able to grow successfully in Takoma Park, MD?
Do deer eat them?
Also, can two kinds of tomatoes such as beefsteak and cherry be planted side by
side?
Also, the only substance that I’ve found that keeps squirrels off of tomatoes is
hot pepper spray. Thanks.
Hi there! Yes you can grow Cherokee Purple there. We grow them out here in Mt. Airy. Deer and Grounhogs and other critters seem to love all of our tomatoes so best to put some sort of netting or fencing around them. We have planted both beefsteak and cherry together. Typically we only do 1 cherry at the end of the garden since they produce so much and I like to just stand on the corner of the garden can pick. Good Luck