A Greener View

Description

Last week, we talked about 3 of the 4 new plant varieties that have won the 2020 Green Thumb Awards presented by the Direct Gardening Association (formerly called the Mail-Order Gardening Association). This week, we look at one more plant winner and the tools category winners. The winning products are judged on their uniqueness, technological innovation, ability to solve a gardening problem or provide a gardening opportunity and potential appeal to gardeners.

I do love rhubarb and strawberry pie. I just don’t like waiting a couple of years after planting to harvest the leaf petioles. If you start harvesting too soon, the plant doesn’t produce as much as it would if left alone. Thankfully, I have some rhubarb plants already growing. I like the dark red of the KangaRhu Rhubarb, so I may have to get a few more plants.

It offers outstanding quality and superior summer production. But perhaps best of all, this new variety makes it possible to grow delicious garden rhubarb in areas where warm summer nights restrict production of typical rhubarb varieties. KangaRhu Rhubarb was developed using genetics adapted to Australia, one of the most challenging gardening environments to be found anywhere. The red stalks of KangaRhu are the darkest of any rhubarb. They cook up a brilliant red, and they taste great. The plants grow up to 36 inches tall and thrive throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4-8. KangaRhu Rhubarb bare root plants are available online from Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co.

Most garden trellises are made out of thin slats of wood and aren’t very tall. At 97 inches, the Vertex Wall Trellis is much taller than most plant supports and other trellises. Made of sturdy rust-proof aluminum, the trellis won’t decay and is perfect for training vines up walls and fences. This attractive trellis is modular, so multiple units can be combined to create a custom-fit trellis for larger walls. The Vertex Wall Trellis is available online from Gardener’s Supply Co.

Are you tired of your children looking at their phones and complaining there is nothing to do? Maybe they would be interested in gardening. They can grow their own vegetables and flowers. They can grow flowers to help bees and other pollinating insects. They might be more interested if they had some knowledge and could get their hands dirty.

The Garden Tutor Online Course and Kit is a unique, multimedia course that teaches beginner gardeners how to grow a garden like a professional.

Unlike conventional ways of learning about gardening, Garden Tutor provides a concise, step-by-step framework of knowledge, plus essential tools for hands-on education. Instead of learning by trial and error, Garden Tutor provides the foundation for a beginner gardener to begin a lifelong hobby of successfully growing plants of all kinds. In addition to the Garden Tutor course, the kit includes essential tools needed to plan and plant a garden, including a kit for testing soil pH, a compass, measuring tape, a soil testing jar, a handy reference guide and more. It’s the perfect start for anyone who wants to begin to garden. Get the Garden Tutor Online Course and Kit from the Garden Tutor website.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.