As we creep, slowly, damply, coldly, toward spring, the latest issue of Northern Gardener celebrates early summer — and who isn’t looking forward to that.

The lovely ‘Purple Sensation’ lilac on the cover is from Eric Johnson’s story about spring-blooming shrubs. Using a selection of shrubs and small trees, gardeners can create color in their garden from mid-April (forsythia) through late June (ninebark, weigela and more). It’s a great guide with photos of most of your options.

Elsewhere in the issue, Rhonda Hayes profiles the garden of Barb Gasterland, a Minneapolis Master Gardener, who has transformed her one-quarter acre lot into a mini-farmstead, complete with chickens and prairie. Barb is a thoughtful gardener with lots of ideas on growing food and creating a sustainable landscape. You’ll love touring Barb’s garden through this article.

Appropriate for the time when gardeners are getting to work, the May/June issue is filled with practical articles, too: how to use a variety of plants as living mulches (from Terry Yockey), how to grow blueberries successfully (from fruit-master Lee Reich), how to employ vertical gardening techniques (from Susan Davis Price) and how to design a simple, beautiful herb garden (from Nancy Leasman). Then, there are the columns, the news from MSHS and a garden essay from local blogger Jennifer Ebling.

We have a couple more rainy days ahead, so settle in and enjoy this issue. It’s available on the newsstands at Barnes & Noble and at many Lund’s and Byerly’s locations in the Twin Cities, or you can call 651-643-3601 to subscribe or join MSHS.