Mt. Lebanon library offers garden programs
The Mt. Lebanon Garden Tour Committee is planning several free programs leading up the annual Mt. Lebanon Library Garden Tour on July 10.
A three-part comprehensive landscape design course by Phipps Master Gardener and professional landscape designer Claire Schuchman will be offered twice, at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 29 and March 7 and again on May 12, 19 and 26. This program is limited to 30 participants and advanced registration at the circulation desk is required.
A shorter landscape design course will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 20, featuring Evan Evanovich, Penn State horticulturalist and owner of the Evanovich Landscape Center, Bethel Park. The emphasis will be on how to make your landscape add value to your home or business.
Other gardening events include:
• 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. March 19: Doug Oster, Tribune-Review home and garden editor, will present a program on “Growing Everything Organically (including roses).”
• 6 to 7 p.m. March 28: Nancy Heraud, Penn State master gardener, will present “In the Shakespearean Garden,” about plants mentioned in the literary works of William Shakespeare.
• 6 to 7 p.m. April 11: Landscape designer and garden writer Martha Swiss will present a program highlighting plants and techniques for gardening in small spaces, such as garden plots, patios or small urban gardens.
• 1 to 2:30 p.m. May 11: American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian David McKibben presents “Love's Labors Need Not be Lost: Keys to Success Growing Today's Roses.”
Details: 412-531-1912 or mtlebanonlibrary.org
Roses inspired by ‘Downton Abbey'
“Downton Abbey” may be coming to an end, but a small part of the show can live on in your backyard with Weeks Roses' Downton Abbey Garden Rose Collection.
The first rose introduced by the California company to honor “Downton Abbey” — ‘Anna's Promise,' named for lady's maid Anna Bates — became available last spring. It is a Grandiflora with golden petals and a pink blush.
‘Pretty Lady Rose,' inspired by the character Lady Rose MacClare, has been introduced for spring 2016. The deep-pink flowers on this Hybrid Tea bush are large, with ruffled petals.
Weeks Roses plans to introduce two new show-inspired varieties in 2017. ‘Violet's Pride,' named for the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (as portrayed by Maggie Smith), is a spicy-scented lavender floribunda with a magenta heart, and ‘Edith's Darling,' named for Lady Edith's daughter, Marigold, is an English-style shrub rose that boasts pale yellow blossoms.
Details: WeeksRoses.com
Where's Doug?
• Doug Oster, Tribune-Review home and garden editor, will be at Soergel Orchards at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 to teach gardeners how to protect the garden from deer. The cost is $5, and attendees receive $5 off any pest repellents in the garden center. Registration is required. Details: 724-935-2090 or soergels.com
• Oster also will be presenting a program on seed starting and extending the gardening season with cool-weather crops at 6:30 p.m. March 3 at the West Overton Village in Scottdale. Tickets are $5 and must be purchased in advance. Details: 724-887-7910, ext. 3, or westovertonvillage.org/events
— Staff and wire reports
Send Homework items to Features in care of Sue Jones, Tribune-Review, D.L. Clark Building, 503 Martindale St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212; fax 412-320-7966; or email sjones@tribweb.com.
