Coming Up: Gardening and outdoor events the week of Sept. 12
Gardens may have reached their peaks for the season, but garden tours are still plentiful, including the specialty Columbus Garden Railway Tour.
Fall also offer plenty of opportunities for learning about plants, including a bonsai day as well as a plant identification class at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. And those who have already learned how to identify milkweed are invited to drop off extra seeds that can be used to grow the plants, which notably serve as hosts for monarch butterflies, at the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District.
Kids have plenty of options this week as well, with both Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts invited to programs at the Dawes Arboretum.
• Visit 22 garden railways around central Ohio from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 12 in the annual Columbus Garden Railway Tour. Set-ups vary widely, with some having up to 1,000 feet of track and many including garden and water features. The self-guided tour includes railways in Columbus, Westerville, Dublin, Minerva Park, Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, Grove City, London, Marysville and Mount Sterling. Download maps, driving instructions and information about the railways for the free tour at www.thecgrs.org
• If you have milkweed pods to spare, drop them off any time between Sept. 15 and Oct 31 in the large green collection bin outside the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District, 1404 Goodale Blvd., Suite 100. Pods collected in the annual Milkweed Pod Collection, a collaboration with the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative, will be sown by the Ohio Department of Transportation onto “conservation corridors” along highways planted with native plants. Make sure you're dropping off pods from common milkweed, not other plants, and leave some of the pods on the plant. Collect the pods when they are dry and brown or gray, and store them in paper rather than plastic. For more information, visit franklinswcd.org/milkweed
• See what the Highland Youth Garden has been up to at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 18 at 67 Highland Ave. Check out the garden's outdoor beds and high tunnel raised beds, and get a chance to meet and talk to the staff about what's happening at the garden this fall. For more information, call 614-653-8263 or visit www.highlandyouthgarden.org
• Girl Scouts can participate in the Girl Scout Fall Hiking Challenge from 2 to 6 p.m. Sept, 18 at Dawes Arboretum, 7770 Jacksontown Road NE, Newark. Take a hike of 2,500, 5,000 or 7,500 steps and receive a prize. Scouts must be accompanied by an adult and families are welcome. The hiking challenge is free with admission to the Arboretum ($10, or $5 for ages 5 to 12, free for members). From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 18, Cub Scouts can enjoy a guided arboretum night hike. Registration is $8 for all participants (Scouts, adults and siblings aged 5 and up). All participants will receive a patch. For more information, call 740-323-2355 or visit dawesarb.org.
• Learn the basics of plant identifications in a class from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 18 at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. The class will cover skills needed to identify plants and plant families, and pitfalls to avoid. The cost is $20 for conservatory members and $25 for nonmembers. Masks are recommended when in the conservatory. For more information, call 614-715-8000 or visit www.fpconservatory.org.
• Learn about the classic Japanese art of bonsai from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 18-19 at the Columbus Bonsai Society's annual show at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. Bonsai trees raised by members and others will be on display, and workshops will cover bonsai care and styling techniques. Admission to the show is free with admission to the conservatory (free for members, $19, or $16 for those 60 and older and college students with ID's, $12 for kids 3 to 12, and free for those younger than 3). Masks are recommended. For more information, visit the Facebook page of the Columbus Bonsai Society.