Collecting, processing and sharing seeds—that’s how 485 people spent much of summer 2021 as part of our newest program, the MN SEED project. We got started in spring and didn’t wrap until late fall, and participants loved the experience. “I loved seeing and experiencing mature plants in their natural state. I loved experiencing this joy…
Read MoreLike a broken record, I’m always repeating this mantra for gardening success—the right plant for the right place. Re-creating native conditions for any plant is the key to seeing it thrive. Yet the heart wants what it wants. And, so it goes for growing lavender in a cold climate. There aren’t any sun-baked coastal hillsides…
Read MoreThe January/February 2022 issue of Northern Gardener is on newsstands now, and it’s a special one for several reasons. First, we are marking 150 years of publishing garden information for the North! Sharing Plant Knowledge It was in 1873 that the young Minnesota State Horticultural Society published the transactions from its meetings-sharing information with a…
Read MoreWinter is a great time to plan future plantings, and adding shade trees to the garden is something that should be considered carefully. We have many wonderful choices here in Minnesota, but it is important to not overplant any one species, as we’ve learned with American elms and ash trees. To protect your tree canopy…
Read MoreEach issue of Northern Gardener is packed with tips for those of us who grow food and flowers in the North. It’s hard to pick our favorite tips of each year, but here are 18 that we really like. Growing Food 1. Writer Meg Cowden recommends espalier for growing apples and other tree fruits in…
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