OSU Extension: How about showing a little ‘Buckeye Spirit’ in your landscape?

Connie Smith
·4 min read

The Red Buckeye Tree…Have you noticed those beautiful red trees blooming now? Those are “Scarlet” buckeye trees! Another common name for this small tree is “firecracker plant” due to the stacked, showy red flowers, which suggest firecrackers.

The Red Buckeye is a native tree found growing as far north as Illinois and Ohio, thriving south through North Carolina to northern Florida, and then growing as far west as central Texas. Aesculus pavia is often called a handsome shrub or small tree and it can be both. Remember the distinction between shrub and tree is often height, 12-15 feet for shrubs and 15 feet or more for trees; additionally, multi-stemmed is more often associated with shrubs, while single stem is more indicative of a tree.

The Red Buckeye is a wonderfully small, slow-growing tree in a landscape setting that will eventually reach 15-20 feet in height with a crown spread of 15-20 feet. This beautiful little tree prefers moist, well-drained soils with adequate organic matter and acid soil pH but is adaptable to pH’s slightly above neutral (6.8-7.2).

Red Buckeye placed in full sun landscape sites, forms a densely branched tree with a rounded crown; however, if sited in a partially shaded landscape setting, the crown may be less densely branched, be more open and irregular. The palmately compound leaves are smooth with a lustrous, deep-green upper surface while the lower surface is whitish-green and either completely glabrous or slightly pubescent. The typical five leaflets (rarely seven) making up the compound leaf are often irregular, fine double-serrated margins.

Red Buckeye flowers are stunning. These very showy panicles, more botanically correct to call them “thyrses”, are a brilliant deep red with tubular flowers appearing like pillars of scarlet flame on branch tips in Spring. These flower pillars of scarlet are 6-10 inches long with the individual flowers being 1-1.5 inches long. Flowers of the typical Aesculus pavia have another neat feature, in that the tubular flowers with their exserted stamens are pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds!

Or maybe add a ‘Buckeye Belle’ Peony

This cultivar ‘Buckeye Belle’ is in the plant family Paeoniaceae that has only one genus Paeonia with approximately 30 herbaceous species and 8 woody species! And the common spelling when referring to this large, flowered family can be peony or paeony, they are both correct! ‘Buckeye Belle’ is considered to be a very early bloomer in the world of peonies.

It is categorized as a semi-double flower that is upward facing and is 4-6 inches across. It is described as having moderately large flowers composed of four, or so, layers of large, dark mahogany red, cupped and rounded outer petals and narrower and more deeply cut central petaloids, interspersed among thick, yellow anthers. Centers can appear turbulent, varying from bloom to bloom and developing with age. If for no other reason than just its stunning color, huge bloom size and GREAT NAME, enjoy the ‘Buckeye Belle’ and now you have another way to… GET OUT, get SCARLET and GET YOUR BUCKEYE… ON!!

SOURCE: Buckeye Yard and Garden Line. Author: Eric Draper

2022 Food Preservation Classes offered in person and online

Are you planning to preserve summer produce? The Ohio State University is offering several opportunities to Savor Ohio Produce. Join the Food Preservation Team on Tuesdays from 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST for a free webinar series. Register at: https://go.osu.edu/2022foodpreservationwebinarseries. Topics and dates are:

  • June 14: Greens

  • June 28: Beans

  • July 26: Peaches

  • August 9: Corn

  • August 23: Melon

  • September 6: Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and Cauliflower

  • September 20: Potatoes

For in-person workshops, please join Shannon Carter, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator and Sandy Bohl, Instructor, with Ohio State University Extension Fairfield County. Classes will be offered at both the Wagnalls Memorial Library and Fairfield County District Library – Main Branch. There is no cost for attendance, but registration is requested to reserve your space. Register at: https://go.osu.edu/FCFoodPreservation.

Canning Basics:

  • Wagnalls Library: Tuesday, June 14, 6 to 7 p.m.

  • Fairfield County Main Library, June 16, 1 to 2 p.m.

Freezing:

  • Wagnalls Library: Tuesday, June 21, 6 to 7 p.m.

  • Fairfield County Main Library, June 23, 1 to 2 p.m.

Fairfield County Main Library is located at 219 N. Broad St, Lancaster, OH. Classes will be held on the third floor.

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This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: How about showing a little ‘Buckeye Spirit’ in your landscape?