Laura,
Yep, I'm from Cincinnati. Lived here all my life. Will be glad to converse with you offline about the good & bad, plants, etc. Don't worry it's a great place to live, and there are a lot of great greenhouses around here.

Send me an email.
Diane

I live in Cincinnati too, although I'm not a native. Diane is right, there are some very good greenhouses. I'd be happy to answer any questions, but it sounds like she may be a better source. :)

I also am from Cincinnati, just East in Milford, What a great place to live, you will probably find a slower pace then in PA which is great and the people are very friendly.

Lots of Nurseries in the area also. Where will your hubby's new employer be located? Unless you like the country and then it would be at least a long commute back and forth, I you like to drive no problem. If you have children be sure to check out the school systems in the area you are looking at.

E-mail me I can also chat with you anytime.

JoAnn

Cincinnati is pretty unique, just a place you have to experience to appreciate. We are known for our conservative nature, strong Catholic influence and pride, as well as a few other things too.
With almost 2.5 million people, you would be hard pressed to not be able to find something that exists in other metro's like it.
Lots of social activities that range from Bockfest to Fringefest, to the second largest Oktoberfest in the World, as well as Catholic parish festivals every weekend in the summer.
Cincinnati has always had a love for the arts, and it's Symphony, Opera, and Art Museums will not dissappoint, considering they are all considered to be some of the best in the U.S. and even the world.
As far as climate goes, probably pretty similar to where you are from. Cincinnati is the rainiest and cloudiest large city in the midwest states, so lots of lush greenness.
One of my favorite things about Cincy, are her hills, forests and rivers. The downtown is perfectly framed by all 3, and she shines like no other at night.

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hey im from cincinnati too! eastern cinti... bethel ... out farther than thinkdirt is ( who btw is a great gardening friend!) ( hello joanne!! )

Welcome to our little corner of the world
Cincinnati is a rather small city when compared to others and rather conservative too. Which can be both good and bad lol... depending on personal interests
i was raised in Silver Spring MD ( Wash DC suburb ) which is totally different but i have grown to love the slower pace of life and the chance to stop and smell the roses.

Sue
"The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"

id love to chat or email anytime you want...

Sue
"The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"

well, I just have to post again. Cliff what a great way to show off our Fine city with the pic's, i would guess that you are great with a camera LOL. I think You did a great job with the post of explaining our great city and you did make it look wonderful and those of us that have lived here all our lives know that you described just why we love Cincinnati and always will. It is home.

JoAnn

yeah cliff!! do you work for the cincinnati chamber of commerce??? even i was impressed by your description and i am rather jaded when it comes to these things lol

btw... awesome photos you took there!!

Sue
"The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"

Count me in as another Cincinnatian (import from Northern Ohio) and really like it here. Just be prepared for all the funny looks you might receive if you don't like "Cincinnati" (Skyline/Goldstar) style chili!

I just wanted to echo what the other readers stated here. Just do your research and you can always rebuild a garden once you've found a place and know what the conditions are. Soil conditions can very.. I know I have parts of the garden that have clay soil, far are less then ideal.

If your selling your house in PA, a lovely garden is more likely to get you more in the selling price then it would to buy new plants here. If your not planning on leaving the plants, you might try and sell them locally and use those funds in the new garden. You could read up on native plants to Ohio and Kentucky.

Good luck and contact me off-line if you want any help, I know several really good realators locally that might be able to help you with your search.

Shannon

I better give credit to where it is due. Unfortunately I did not take those photos, but aren't they great?
Credit to the original photographer.

Sorry I don't work for the chamber of commerce and wouldn't really want to. I think the ordinary citizens who actually enjoy the city are the best to find out about it. I just really like my hometown, but know she has a lot of growing to do to make her even better.

Thanks all, for your comments and taking the time to contact me.

For those I have contacted off-line, your time and help are greatly appreciated.

I may contact a few others in the near future, as I was away most of the weekend.

Again,
Thanks.
Laura

I live in Northern KY, just south of Cincinnati in Boone County- one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Great gardening except for a couple of native pests- Tent Caterpillars which do no damage to trees just their nests look hideous, and fire-blight virus that ravages my Asian Pear trees every year and seems to just love this part of the country. Natorps is a great plant store with several locations, always very helpful.

I grew up south of Pittsburgh, PA (swPA), moved to Wheeling, WV, and fifteen years ago moved to northern KY. Like bothenjs, I'm in Boone County, and live two miles from the local Natorps! I love it here, and even convinced my mom to move here. It's about five degrees warmer than swPA and WV, and we get a lot less snow. There are wonderful nurseries, and though I certainly haven't visited all of them, I have shopped at a fair number of the larger ones on both sides of the river. Funke's has a email newsletter and frequently has email specials. One year I got several amaryllis bulbs for free because of the newsletter. Delhi is more likely to have off-season herbs and has a bonsai section. I live in a condo and do container gardening, but please feel free to contact me if I can be of any help.

This is the first time I believe I have posted. I am presently in Virginia, 10 minutes north of Richmond. I am seriously bummed over the possibility of moving away for several reasons. One, I have family here and two, I have spent so much time and money in my gardens. If we must move then we must. My youngest will be graduating in a year and going on to college that following fall. We will probably move as soon as school is out. I know she can stay with my older daughter and I can come down to visit...still a hard thing.

Next dilemma: what to do about my many plants here, especially the irises and daylilies and other sentimental (heck, they are all sentimental)?

I went throught the Master Gardener program here in 1997 and have accumulated so many wonderful plants. I am a member of the Central Virginia Iris Society and have at least 250-300 different varieties of Iris. I know Cincinnati is zoned 5B-6B and that will also depend on where we end up moving. My husband's business will in Blue Ash, Ohio.

What to do about all these irises! I saw my Master Gardener neighbor move from her home a year ago and discovered the people that moved in (with three small children) dug most of her plants up and brought them to the dump. I could not believe that. I don't want that done to mine. I would love to bring one or two rhizomes of each and every one of them, along with the 30 or so daylilies, some unusual hostas, and then some.

I thought about digging them all up and having a huge plant sale but that's a lot of work and I don't know what kind of yard or possibilities exist on our future home.

I don't even know which zone most irises can handle. There may be different ones for different irises.

I have 10 months before we must move to Cincinnati. Any ideas out there?

Regards,
vicki

Vicki,

Cincinnati is in zone 6 and I grow irises here without any problems. My daylilies grow like weeds, so it would matter finding the right spot for them as far as water and light needs. It appears Virginia is in zone 6, northern part of the state or 7 for the southern part of the state... check out the USDA cold hardiness maps to check for sure, but either way, any plants that you may want to bring along should do just fine. My soil here is pretty heavy in clay, so you might want to prepare yourself for that. I have heard that Azaleas don't like the clay soil here as it's not well draining enough, so depending on what you might want to grow, you may have to amend the soil and try to find plants tolerant of less then ideal soil.

Good luck and hope you enjoy Cincinnati as much as I do!

Shannon

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Zones

I just moved to Troy, OH from CT. I brought a good many of my plants with me...the ones which were special because of who gave them to me , or the ones which were special because they were rare....Most of them made it just fine...including the ones I surreptitiously packed with the movers (don't worry, I didn't send things which shouldn't go across borders...like purple loose strife). You can dig stuff up and bare root them for bringing out, or you can dig and pot up at the appropriate time and stash them with friends and neighbors before you move out.

I was lucky enough to come out in the spring and see what was lacking in the new garden before bringing it all in mid-June. I'm going back to take other stuff from the neighbors etc. which I potted up BEFORE the house went on the market to bring back.

I had a couple of things I misplaced and didn't unpack them. While they had been boxed inthe garage in great heat for 3 weeks, only one of the grasses died and that was because I had wrapped the top and it fungused...

I know now how to pack plants so they can travel a great deal.

Relax, you'll enjoy it....I'm originally from Michigan and lived in CT for 20 years, and went from MI to Williamsburg, VA where I did grad school...I'm happy I'm going back to the mid-west...Think of it...you can design a new garden and maybe over come one of your weak points...I'm repeating to myself..."I will not pack too many plants in too small an area"...and hopefully I'll do it....

Laura-
I grew up in Cincinnati, moved away for 12 years, and moved home last year. We are so happy with the move. We live in Montgomery, which borders Blue Ash and shares a school system.
I'm happy to help you if I can- feel free to send me an email.
Karen

Hi Laura --

We live near Cincinnati, just north of Oxford (home of Miami University) but both my S.O. and I work in Cincinnati.

Our soil, as mentioned, is heavy and contains lots of clay, but it's also very rich. I usually have very little trouble with it if I amend each new planting with some peat compost and some manure compost. I just started my back garden this year and transplanted lots of stuff from friends with 'extras', and most of it is absolutely thriving.

Cincinnati has lots of cool stuff to do, some great restaurants, and a wonderful downtown. (Oxford has its own charms, too!) Sue is right about the conservative climate here -- if you are a conservative, you will be in heaven :-). If you're not, well, you might have some frustrating conversations -- LOL!

There is a butterfly show every year at the Krohn Conservatory which is just amazing (www.butterflyshow.com). The Labor Day fireworks at the beginning of fall are some of the best in the country, so be sure to check that out.

Delhi nursery, as Gloria mentioned, often has some wonderful selections -- I have gotten quite a few plants there and have been very pleased with them.

:-) Mel

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly Show

Welcome to the area! I'm from Cincy, too. Loveland area actually. A lifer. You've heard a lot of great info. One comment I'll add. Although Cincinnati is listed as hardiness zone 6a, I usually look for plants that are hardy to zone 5. Although our winter temps can be mild, every few years we get zapped with extreme cold temps. And late frosts... and early freezes. Pretty much like every other area of the country, weather varies. But CIncinnati seems to have more variations than most!!

I'm from the Cincinnati area but I live on the Kentucky side of the river and of course I think that the Kentucky is better! :)

It does have it's advantages.

Hi Laura....don't know if you've had enough info about Cincinnati, but I'll be glad to fill you in on things. I moved here 13 years ago. It's a different place, but I like it. I'd be happy to correspond with you. I live in Blue Ash.

Amnesia!!!!

dont you know why there are so many bridges over the river between Cincinnati and Newport/Covington? because everyone is trying to get out of Ky and into Cincinnati!
lol

Sue
"The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"