The July/August 2014 issue of Northern Gardener will be appearing in mailboxes and on newsstands over the next week. This issue captures all the glory of midsummer in Minnesota and features a fabulous cover shot by Canadian watercolor artist Kathleen Maunder of ‘Party Girl’ mallow. ‘Party Girl’ is one of the perennials featured in Terry Yockey’s article on long-blooming perennials for northern gardens. This is one of those articles you will want to clip and take with you to the nursery this fall or next spring as you are adding plants to your garden. Terry really knows her plants and she has some unusual and wonderful suggestions.

The issue also includes a profile from Michelle Mero Riedel of a Cottage Grove garden that was a highlight of the MSHS/Washington County Garden Tour held last summer. The garden was created by Myra Peterson and parts of it were designed as a memory garden for her son who died unexpectedly in 1995. Memory gardens are a wonderful way to keep thoughts of a loved one present, but they can also be planted to memorialize significant events (weddings, births) or even a beloved pet.

The issue also includes articles on growing edamame, beekeepers of the North, uses of sedges in northern gardens and how to create an attractive front-yard vegetable garden. Columnist Meleah Maynard also offers a thoughtful discussion of the issues surrounding neonicotinoid pesticides and their effects on bees.

It’s a great issue, so when the weather gets hot, grab a glass of iced tea, lemonade or beer, and settle in the shade for some garden reading.