Growing Strawberries in Northern Gardens
Sometimes it seems like our northern gardens are reluctant to get growing in the spring. It’s as if everything is in slow motion… the first…
Sometimes it seems like our northern gardens are reluctant to get growing in the spring. It’s as if everything is in slow motion… the first…
Dahlias are a true knock-your-socks off plant. Nothing produces a “ta-da” in your garden like the dahlia, especially at the time of year when our…
Sedum (sometimes now called Hylotelephium) is a large genus of plants, many of which are hardy to USDA Zone 3. Whether you plant creeping or…
Here in the North, we can grow daylilies to our hearts’ content. They’re hardy and reliable and we can count on them even when winters…
Perhaps you’ve seen an unusual orchid in the store and wondered, is that real? It may have been a brilliant red for Valentine’s Day or…
A chickadee zips overhead, landing deftly on the edge of its tiny nest. Three bald babies bounce up for a bite from the bug buffet…
The Monstera has been enjoying star status as of late. In houseplant circles, it’s been a leading lady for decades. I remember my mom growing…
I was perusing holiday clearance racks at the local big box store and happened upon a shelf of abandoned amaryllis bulbs. They looked so sad,…
Now that everything’s pretty much dead outside, are you noticing your houseplants a little more? I sure am. I noticed that several of them were…
I haven’t always loved growing plants, and I definitely haven’t always been good at it. In fact, there was a time when I could barely…
By early December, the garden is freezing up and most northern gardeners are settled in for the winter. Besides checking for garden catalogs, taking classes…
Poinsettias are a classic holiday plant, filling churches, malls and other public spaces with their red, pink and white splendor. But if poinsettias are not…
After the last Ice Age, Minnesota was a land with vast expanses of pine tree forests, so it’s no surprise that homeowners and gardeners have…
Let’s face it: gardening in a northern zone means November is about as depressing as gardening gets. I mean, I love my plants, and watching…
Happy Halloween! I admit, I shuddered a bit to see Target being transformed into a Christmas wonderland this week, but at the same time, it…
Early October is one of the best times to plant bulbs in the North. These tiny, dried bulbs will bloom from early April until June,…
In October, many northern gardeners’ thoughts turn to winter clean-up. But don’t scrub your trowel just yet—many plants thrive when planted in the fall, even…
The intensely seasonal nature of the greenhouse and nursery industry in our region means that many gardeners only shop for plants in spring and early…
My massive black walnut tree has behavior issues. With the help of hordes of nut-addled squirrels, it drops a mess of debris and stains the…
Some plants reliably look good in a northern fall garden. Asters, goldenrods, sedums, maybe a Russian sage and some grasses. Add a hydrangea with big,…
A huge moth with a 4″ wing span lands on a twig a few feet in front of you. This Great Ash Sphinx moth takes…
Brand Peonies, Minnesota’s first peony breeding operation, opened in Faribault, MN, in 1868, just two years after the founding of the hort society. Peonies have…