Often considered the work horse of the garden, Coreopsis is well-adapted to Ohio's summer weather and blooms from early summer until late in the growing season. If it gets a little straggly, a simple haircut brings it back in shape!

The daisy-like flowers are usually yellow and about 2" in diameter. Numerous cultivars have been introduced with variations of yellow as well as pink, white, and shades of orange and red. Make sure the cultivar selected is hardy for the garden. Some of the introductions have not been reliably hardy. The foliage is also quite attractive, depending upon the cultivar. For instance, 'Threadleaf' has very fine, leafy foliage that adds nice contrast to the garden.

Provide full sun and well-drained soil. They are drought tolerant and don't appear to be a favorite of deer! Once they finish blooming, simply sheer the flowers and the foliage takes over. However, goldfinches also like to feed on the seed so the seedheads can be left on the plant.

Today's petunias are nothing like the one's grandma used to grow! Extensive breeding for flower color, size, and amount has resulted in numerous different cultivars of petunias with great features. The petunias on the market today don't require deadheading and continue on blooming all season, up until a hard frost. The plants vary in size and shape, depending upon the cultivar. The upright or multiflora varieties grow to around 12-15" tall and about as wide. The spreading varieties grow anywhere from 2-6' wide to around 4"-1 1/2' tall. Colors range from white to purple, pink to fuchsia, and red to burgundy. There are also picotee and striped flowers as well.

Petunias grow best in full sun but will take light shade. They are excellent in bedding displays as well as hanging baskets and containers. Select the right variety for containers as some can get quite large and take over. No deadheading is necessary as these plants keep blooming without it, right up until a hard freeze. Cultivars that tend to do well in the Gateway Learning Garden field trial plots in Springfield, Ohio include Surfinia, Wave, and Supertunia.

Garlic is a member of the onion family that is usually planted in the fall. After getting a head start over the winter and putting on most of its growth in the spring, the plant begins to send up flower heads in early summer. Some gardeners remove these heads to encourage larger cloves. Shortly after flowering, the entire plant will begin to dry, signaling that bulb development is nearing completion.

As the tops dry up and turn brown, the "heads" (bulbs) can be carefully dug. The entire plant with bulb attached should be cured by leaving them to dry in a sheltered area for a day or two, either in the garden or in flats or drying racks. If rain threatens, move the garlic under cover. Do not pull the stems from the center of the garlic head as that will shorten the storage life. Soft neck varieties can be braided and hung in a cool dry area for long-term storage. Stiff neck varieties will not braid but can be bundled and tied with twine. The leaves and stems of either variety can be cut just above the head and the heads stored in trays or net bags. Best storage is achieved at low humidity and temperatures around 40F; this discourages sprouting and mold growth.