seasons
Planting Pansies: Is it Safe Yet?
As we dig out from yet another (please, please, please make it the last) spring snowstorm, gardeners can’t help but wonder: Is it safe to be planting pansies yet? Judging by the long-term forecast for the Twin Cities, it looks like this weekend may be a good time to plant pansies in your containers for…
Read MoreGarden Gratitude
The November/December issue of Northern Gardener included a lovely essay by Laura Schwarz on the month of November and garden gratitude. Here are some excerpts to ponder this Thanksgiving Day. The November gardening lull gives us time for gratitude. Before our fingernails fully return to their original state of cleanliness, let’s walk around our gardens…
Read MoreThe November Garden
The fall season seems to be growing longer in Minnesota the past few years, with some parts of the Twin Cities not experiencing frost until late in October. (There’s a 50 percent chance the first frost in Minneapolis will be before Oct. 5.) Still, by the time you get to November, the garden is spent,…
Read MoreWhen Can I Plant Tomatoes?
One of the most common questions we hear from northern gardeners in the spring is: When can I plant tomatoes? Our advice is: Don’t rush it. The University of Minnesota Extension Service recommends waiting until “after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed.” The last-frost date in Minnesota is generally between May…
Read MoreSpring Perennial Care Tips
With our warmer than average spring, perennials are starting to emerge. Now is a good time to begin a bit of spring perennial care. Here are five tips: Cut back last year’s growth. I’m on the fence on when it is best to do this. Many gardeners who are interested in helping beneficial insects, say it…
Read MoreContainers for Early Spring
We are in the in-between time for northern gardeners —still a month or so too early to be setting out pansy pots, but oh, my, oh, my, those winter containers of spruce tips and red-twig dogwood look old. Adding containers for early spring is a great way to perk up your front porch, celebrate the…
Read MoreIdeas for Fall Gardening
Shush….don’t tell anyone yet, but the sun is just as high in the sky now and the days are just as long now as they were in late March. Oh, no! Could fall be here? We seem to have a slow arriving autumn this year, but sooner or later (and probably sooner) it will be…
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