Danny McKeown, Cincinnati gardening guru and radio host, has died at age 81.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER – If you ever needed some gardening know-how, Danny McKeown was your go-to.

McKeown was known to many for his Saturday morning radio program Denny McKeown’s Gardening Show and for his Blue Ash business, Denny McKeown’s Blooming Garden Center and landscape.

According to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer, he died Sunday at the age of 81. His show aired throughout the Midwest, but at home, McKeown was always known as Cincinnati’s gardening guru.

According to his son Chris McKeown, his influence extended beyond the garden. He is remembered for his community work as well as his humor and kindness towards others.

“He knew how to make people laugh, even at his own expense,” he said of his father.

McKeown was widely known for his green thumb, but his influence was far-reaching. He was previously a member of the Deer Park City Council and a Sycamore Township Trustee after moving to each community. “He always wanted to give,” his son said.

According to his son, one of his most valuable community initiatives was the organization of the WSAI haunted house charity in the 1970s. In the first year, $21,000 was raised. This was a small fraction of what they would raise in the coming years: $121,000 would be raised at next year’s event with a $1 entry ticket.

However, gardening was both a main job and a passion. The passion turned into a radio program and a column in The Enquirer, which was taken over by his son.

McKeown’s word was the law of the land in the world of horticulture.

“If he said he liked the knockout rose on the radio, by the time he finished talking about it, everyone in Cincinnati had a knockout rose,” said Chris McKeown.

The same thing happened with his famous three-stage fertilizer program.

“If he did it a certain way, they did it that way,” said Chris McKeown.

McKeown is survived by son Chris, daughters Jenny and Molly, and wife Pat. A Christian funeral mass will be held Friday at 10:30 am at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, located at 7754 Montgomery Road in Sycamore Township.