Have you toured Wade & Gatton Nursery's Hosta Garden near Bellville?

Here is a link that might be useful: Wade and Gatton

Thanks mrgpag for the link. I've never have been their. We have a member that really likes Hosta's. Thanks again.

Don't know if this would be close enough for you, but a neat "back-roads" place to stay and/or eat is Murphin Ridge Inn in West Union. It's the middle of a tiny, non-touristy Amish area, and there's an herb farm nearby, as well as a garden place called "Good Seeds." And there's also an interesting nature preserve with plants not found anywhere else in the country.

I'm hoping this summer to tour Valley of the Daylilies in Lebanon -- but I haven't done it myself, so can't speak from experience. They specialize in spider daylilies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Murphin Ridge Inn

I should have mentioned that Murphin Ridge Inn has a nice garden -- they grow many of their own veggies and herbs for the restaurant, and sometimes do special cooking classes and weekends -- they might be willing to set something up especially for your group.

Thanks gdionelli, Looks like a really neat place to tour. I sure would like to spend the weekend in one of those cabins.

I was looking for a listing for the Chadwick Arboretum at OSU, when I came across this list that might have some good ones.

Chadwick is a fun place to walk around. And of course, the Franklin Park Conservatory is always a good afternoon. (Plus they have a cafe with cocoa!)

A bit far afield for you perhaps, but I grew up in Cincinnati, and I always love to wander thru Sooty Acres, the Hauck Botanical Gardens in the spring. The gardens are great, very naturalized, and there is a lovely little center with a great library. When I lived in the neighborhood and my only "garden" was the balcony I used to curl up on the sofa there and read about all kinds of wild exotics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ohio Gardens

Alison, Thanks for all the info. That was a great link. I think I'm gonna copy that page and just put that in our book. Does anyone know of any backroad nurseries. Maybe some places that people have started up at their home. I have found some really neat places like that. Or even some gift shops. We like going to those off the beaten path places. I appreciate all the info I have gotten. I will use it in our books. Thanks again!

A year or two ago, my mother and sister and I went to a little daylily farm near Oxford. We were there in late fall, after almost all of the plants were finished blooming, but it was still a really neat place. Acres of plants, a nice pond with ducks and geese, and when I asked to use the bathroom, the owner sent me into the house.

Could be a lot of fun, especially in the spring when everything is in bloom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top O' the Hill

I don't know how far you want to drive, but Munchkin Nursery in Milltown, IN does garden tours, and you can arrange hypertufa classes with JoAn. It is probably about a 3 hour drive from Cincinnati. If you go, tell Gene Karen sent you, maybe he'll give me a discount on this springs order!

Spring Grove Cemetary and Arboretum in Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo are both worth visiting, Dawes Arboretum is closer to you and has work shops from time to time. David

Valley Of The Daylilies is about 2 miles from I 71 east on RT 123. Big round sign on left. Dan will take good care of you.

Link to Adams County. Page 5 gives names and numbers. For Good Seed. Don't forget Combs Nursery ( Suck Run Road off RT 41) south of West Union bigger than Good Seed.
Grace Run Road is a small nursery on Rt 32 before you get to Adams Co

Miller's bakery (Weatridge Road) and Keims Market (On Rt 32) are Amish
Serpent Mound is in the area

I did not like Murphin Inns food, don't like my chicken cooked on the outside and frozen in the middle.

Mike G

Here is a link that might be useful: Adams County Tourism Maps

Mike, sorry you had a bad experience w/Murphin Ridge's food. I've stayed there a number of times and never had that experience. They do, however, have a lot of guest chefs, so we've had meals cooked by several different people. I hope you let them know you had a bad meal -- they're the type of people who would want to prevent it from happening again.

gdionelli I think the might have changed owners since I ate there. They thought the chicken was funny.

Mike G

I'd like to offer my little nursery, I'm a one man show an can send pics of the garden, also can give tour of my facility, grafting greenhouses, container area an were i do my propagating, pretty educational to those who do not understand the process
Matt
P.s. only have rare an unusual hardy plants. email me an I can shot back my list for example Ginkgo biloba 'Variegata'

cheri,
don't know where you are, but i did a stop at Baker's Acres on my way home from the central ohion swap this weekend.
what a great place. they like to do tours too and yiu get a discount. they also qualify as 'backroad' they are in alexandria, ohio -- basically at routes 310 & 37. I noticed that nobody mentioned them. you could combo a trip there with a stop at Dawes Arboretum near Newark-- it be about 30 -45 mins. travel time between the two. and dawes is really a great place to go.

diggerb

Cheri and all, I just discovered a wonderful backroad nursery, Mary's Plant Farm. The nursery and gardens are behind the owner's home. They specialize in native, heirloom, and rare hard-to-find specimens. They also offer some sort of seminar or event each month (July is an afternoon tea in the garden) and are happy to give groups such as yours a detailed tour of their gardens (time reserved in advance, of course). Since they have so many requests to bring a snack or picnic lunches while perusing the gardens, on weekends they even offer a Garden Cafe, with desserts, coffees and teas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mary's Plant Farm

Looking to get in touch with Matt-grafter...still in business?

Here I was doing another search to find some places for our garden club again and came across this. I want to thank everyone for their response. I missed some of these. genesis2, I hope Matt-grafter sees this and is able to help you.

Would you come to Lexington, KY? The Lexington Cemetery is magnficent in the spring.

If you make it down to Lexington there's Daylily World at Lawrenceburg and Quarles Daylilies at Waddy, Throughbred Daylilies in Lexington. It might be a long day but you'd see some fantastic daylilies during the middle of June and early July.