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With our erratic springs in northern climates—70 degrees one day, 30 the next—it’s often a challenge to figure out when to plant your vegetables or…
Updated for 2025 “Oh, the lovely fickleness of an April day,” wrote naturalist William H. Gibson a long time ago. And, April certainly is fickle….
Ordering seeds whether using a catalog or just perusing websites is a time honored tradition among gardeners and many of us have our own special…
Walking in the neighborhood this week, I noticed the beautiful red berries of winterberry on several shrubs planted around the foundation of one of my…
By the time we hit November, many gardeners are ready to throw in the trowel—or at least, clean it up and put it away. November…
There’s been a lot of conversation recently about the most resilient trees to plant in the North to endure climate change. One that is always…
Some gardens seem to ooze the sentiment “welcome to my garden” whether through gates, entries, welcoming pots or window boxes. After seeing about 40 gardens…
A reader contacted me recently about her very old (and very beautiful) American elm tree. The tree, she noted, had a circumference of 17 feet…
A few late tulips and daffodils are still blooming, but many spring-blooming bulbs are past their prime now. So how do you care for bulbs…
There’s no denying this has been a cold, late spring. Last week, I talked with a very knowledgeable and experienced gardener who told me that…
Phlox are among the most adaptable perennials for northern gardens. Garden phlox stand tall while creeping phlox spreads along the ground. Some bloom pink or…
Gardeners have long known the value of a good fence or hedge. Putting a barrier between your garden and the outside world creates calm and…
It looks like we are in a for a frigid weekend, which makes it a great time to look out the window and dream about…
If you are considering adding a shrub to your garden next year, think about elderberry — a native plant with unusual foliage, creamy blooms in…
Ginkgo trees can be stunning in fall. The broad, fan-shaped ginkgo leaves turn a brilliant yellow that is particularly striking at sunrise and sunset. Then,…
We got a question over on another blog post about whether it was too late to plant now. Despite our gloomy, cold, snowy (ugh!) October,…
As fall plods on and more plants start to brown or whither, the urge to “clean up just a little” is strong, and for many…
As we near the end of the gardening season, herbs become more precious than ever. By now, many basil plants will have been nipped by…
The weather folks were invoking the “F” word the other night — frost, which may hit the Twin Cities Friday night. The rest of the…
Smells are powerful, and the scent of popcorn plant (Senna didymobotrya) will bring you right back to the movie theaters of your childhood. This plant,…
Whenever folks walk into my back garden, they are shocked by the height of one plant. It’s close to 7 feet tall, narrow in stature…
Shasta daisies are one of those flowers that just say, “Summer.” With their white and gold ray flowers, standing upright above green foliage, they are…
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