While central Ohioans were still shoveling out from winter last week, 11 landscaping companies
were rushing to make the season a memory, at least temporarily. The landscapers were building
patios and planting gardens at the Columbus Dispatch Home Garden Show, which runs through
next Sunday at the Ohio Expo Center.
Sponsored by Ohio Mulch, the show features outdoor rooms nicer than many home interiors, with
flat-screen televisions, see-through fireplaces, full kitchens, sculptures, waterfalls, elaborate
lighting and plush furniture, all accented by willows, maples, azaleas, magnolias, hydrangeas,
rhododendrons and the colorful blooms of bedding plants.
“Colors are very important in gardens,” said Ellen Gallucci Purcell, chairwoman of the Columbus
Landscape Association’s home and garden show committee.
“We used a lot of coral bells in our garden,” said Purcell, vice president of Riepenhoff
Landscape. “The blooms aren’t spectacular; it’s the leaves that provide the color. Everybody
tries to find plants that are different for the show.”
In addition to stressing color, many landscapers are focusing on lighting and paving
features.
Cedarbrook Landscaping and Garden Center, for example, includes trees covered in small LED
lights to create a fairy-tale setting.
Visitors will also notice jumbo planters in many of the gardens.
“Container gardening has really taken off; it’s getting to be an art,” said John Reiner,
president of Oakland Nursery, whose display features several containers. “People like all the color
and variety without the care.”
As dozens of workers scrambled on Friday setting pavers, watering plants, laying mulch, building
trellises and arranging furniture, Purcell remained confident in the result.
“Everybody’s worked very hard to create new gardens that will look spectacular,” she said.
jweiker@dispatch.com
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