Get Excited for Spring with Northern Gardener

Our March/April 2019 issue of Northern Gardener is on newsstands today, and there is a lot in it to get gardeners excited for spring. First, this is a really pretty issue of the magazine, from Susy Morris’s cover photo of tulips in a container to Tracy Walsh’s photos of a young flower farmer and her garden to Betty Ann Addison’s images of northern-hardy rhododendrons. If you are starved for color, we’ve got you covered.

This issue is also full of information to help you plan your 2019 garden. Let’s start with Betty Ann’s discussion of northern-hardy rhododendrons. She is a rhododendron breeder and is one of several hybridizers who are discovering new colors of rhododendrons that can survive our brutal winners. Two of her favorites for Minnesota are ‘Olga Mezzit’ and ‘Haaga’, both of which can be found at local nurseries.

The cover image comes from Susy Morris’s article on how to grow your own cut flowers. Even a spot as small as 4-by-4 feet can supply blooms for the table, especially when supplemented with perennial flowers from beds and borders. If you don’t want to grow your own bouquets, why not buy a share in a cut-flower farm? Laura Schwarz brings us the story of Molly Gaeckle, who started Northerly Flora a few years ago. One just one-quarter acre in Minneapolis, Molly grows cut flowers to provide weekly arrangements for her community-supported-agriculture (CSA) farm members. A membership in the CSA would be a wonderful gift for a retired gardener or a young person who doesn’t have their own garden yet.

This issue also includes a profile of the meticulously designed and maintained garden of Joe Zachmann and John Bulloughs. The profile, by Gail Brown Hudson, includes lots of tips and plant suggestions for those who aspire to create an intentional garden.

Finally, we also have tips on growing better melons from Susannah Shmurak, and suggestions for using native plants to spruce up one of the most difficult of garden sites: dry shade. Benjamin Vogt recommends ways to approach your site as well as plants to use.

Oh yes, and Debbie Lonnee tells us about all the new (or newish) salvias that brighten up the garden and are friendly for pollinators.

If this issue does not make you excited for spring, nothing will!