Pennsylvania Garden Expo Feb. 22-24 2013

The Pa. Garden Expo has come and gone with 13 major exhibits and approximately 200 vendors. The displays were well planned and carried out. Hardscapes were keynotes to many but plant material was well selected, in excellent condition, and in nearly all cases appropriate. Under new management this show brings renewed hope to Harrisburg gardeners after a cancellation last year and a poor show in 2011. Hopefully next year we will see the return of student programs and local gardening clubs. The Presentation Stage had 41 speakers all total on such diverse subjects as "Rain Water Harvesting", "LEDs in Landscape Lighting" and "John Gidding, Host of HGTVs Curb Appeal".

Plant material was well labeled and questions I ask of display representatives were answered in a knowledgeable fashion. Ric

The show was well attended, and the vendors were varied and mostly garden oriented. Considering 3 shows are beginning next weekend I believe it was a sucess. Ric

Nice. I like the waterfalls.

Thanks fr the review and pictures Ric

That looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for posting -- I love reports like yours. That reminds me that one of these days I'd like to put in a "water feature." We have so many mosquitoes though -- I would imagine adding water to the mix would increase that population....

This message was edited Feb 25, 2013 10:16 AM

Mosquitoes don't breed in moving water and if you have any quiet pools a couple of goldfish will get fat on the larvae. That's why down south especially, you may see pumps moving the water nowhere. I have seen them in many parks that have tidal bogs and wetlands. Goldfish are cheap enough, and voracious feeders left to fend for themselves. Just don't release them in Lake Tahoe. LOL Ric

That is our only insect control we use in our water features, and if you have a deep pool they even overwinter with an air hole to prevent gas buildup. I believe it's methane from decomposing organics.

Really? Do you think they might even reduce my mosquito population, which is truly out of control?

Plus, since my yard is shady, the "water feature" would be in the shade. Is that a problem? What I was hoping to put in was a circulating waterfall, but I wouldn't want it to run all day long (wasted energy). So I would still have to have a pump to keep the water moving to address the mosquitoes? Would goldfish not be compatible with a waterfall? (MIght they find it fun?)

Devon being shady doesn't matter except with the type plants you want. In fact that my reduce the amount of algae you develop. The pumps for mosquito control only run at high tide, although you will most likely run a small filter pump for cleaning and aeration. Gold fish can thrive almost anywhere, including lake Tahoe. Your pond or whatever will not effect your current mosquito infestation. Ric

So sad -- I though maybe you had given me the keys to being bite-free for a summer!

Ric didn't even mention the half dozen or so wine merchants that were handing out samples. I visited them all. LOL
This is a bit fuzzy but I really liked these and wanted you to see them. I could see us making them out of the hypertufa and you know you never can have too many water features. BTW no I didn't take this picture after sampling the wine. LOL

Thanks for sharing the pics


happy, you need to put up some bat houses. Bats will take care of the mosquitoes for ya!

Really? We do have a few bats -- I thought they were hard to attract to bat houses, though. I'll do ANYTHING to reduce our mosquito population (other than chemicals -- my neighbors are all about insect mists and the like). Do you think bat houses would really make a difference, or is that just theoretical?

If you put them in the right location they'll find them
bats are our friends! I love watching them during the summer at dusk

So do I Jen. I used to loft something like a soft ball or Frisbee into the air a few times to see if they were out. They would zoom in nearby to check it out, the kids loved it. Ric

Happy, you might want to try Citronella Geranium. A friend of mine said she didn't get any mosquitoes in her backyard with this plant around. I grew a couple of them each year in the past few years, and put them by the kitchen door. There were still plenty of mosquitoes in the garden, but this plant did help in the small surrounding areas. You can put one by the patio table in place of a citronella candle.

Thanks flowAjen -- I'll add that to my projects for this summer.

And Donnerville, how hard can it be for me to add a few more plants to the patio.... Do any of you happen to have any Citronella Geraniums from which I could steal a few cuttings?

Unfortunately I have never kept Citronella Geraniums over the winter, although they are supposed to be very easy to root. You should be able to find them in nurseries before mosquitoes come out in full force.

Ok, thanks; I'll be sure to look this spring!!!