with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Mosquito Eaters
I get up very early and am on my way to work at about 4:45 in the morning. It’s about the same time the bats are flying back to their homes after a grand night of feeding. Let me introduce you to the Little Brown Bat.
Little Brown Bat
This little fella can munch down 1200 mosquitoes in an hour and when you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you gotta give props to ‘em. They may not be … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Vines to shade
The caveat to “vines for shade”, is that they all need SOME sun. That said, here are some lovely options.
Honeysuckle vine is just lovely! I have quite a bit of it. It gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
It blooms repeatedly all summer and the hummingbirds LOVE it!
I’ll be cutting it back in late winter!
Virgin’s Bower is a native clematis that’s been growing in another Master Gardeners garden quite nicely. It flowers from July … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Garden bed renewal – choosing plants and elements
Selecting the plants for your new bed is the fun part! Keep in mind your sun/shade conditions. The type of soil you have (amend if necessary). As I said yesterday, I added 2 inches of compost into the top 8 inches of soil. This added nitrogen and helps fluff the soil for better drainage.
Adding garden sculptures “pauses” your eye, as Jennifer Wolcott describes. She’s the creator of these grass sticks that … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Garden bed renewal
Sometimes you just have to start over. I know, it can be painful but pulling out plants that have become overgrown and loaded with weeds is sometimes easier than trying to pick through it. That’s what I did at my new home in July of 2012. [tomorrow you’ll see what it looks like in 2017!]
First I hand pulled as much as I could. I never did use a total vegetation killer , although I pondered it! … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Soil and compost selection
So you’re standing in the garden center thinking, hmmm, what compost or soil should I buy. Finished compost is a deep, dark brown, almost black, no clumps or chunks. It will feel slightly damp and should have a sweet, fresh, earthy smell, even if it smells a little barnyardy, don’t worry.
If it smells like rotten eggs, it was not finished composting when put in the bag. If you see red worms squirming around the pile, … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Salad bowl fiasco
At the risk of being ridiculed, I’m going to admit to several mistakes in my attempt to create a Salad Bowl. What looked to be a fun project….
Sometimes as a gardener, you just want to experiment. There are all these clever ideas and, most of the time, I don’t HAVE the time to do them but this year I was peeking back at some old gardening magazines and found instructions on creating a Salad Bowl! Well, … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Making a burlap hanging basket
I did the following burlap basket project a couple of years ago. It was fun and the burlap lasts for 2 to 3 years!
After so many uses of the cocoa bean shells, they become ragged. I wanted to find something a little different and not spend that much. I found some burlap bags in a big box store for 99 cents and thought, hmmmm, I could figure something out with those. So I gave … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: My new butterfly garden
I had the opportunity to speak to a group of enthusiastic gardeners about pollinators and plants. I already had pollinator friendly plants but I really wanted to take it a step further. My day job is a News Director for a radio station. I get lots of emails, one was from my local Soil and Water Conservation District wanting me to mention they had raingarden and butterfly garden plants for sale. I jumped all over it! … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: In Memory – Memorial Day and the Poppy
Garden Bite would like to thank all those who serve in the United States Military and their families. We honor those who gave everything.
Today is the day we reflect and remember our Soldiers. Memorial Day, which is celebrated every year on the final Monday of May was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died. By the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Clay soil
Who hasn’t had THIS dilemma somewhere in the midwest? Clay soil! When people ask how they can change their clay soil, I tell them the real question is WHAT can I plant in clay soil?
It’s always a great idea to add compost or manure to your soil but to try to change the basic soil structure is nearly impossible and a lot of work. So….
Clay soil tolerant perennials: