Air plants


Tue. Jan. 25, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Air plants

Air plants have become a fun, trendy plant. Their Latin name is Tillandsia and they are native to South and Central America with about 500 species!

Do they really grow with no soil? Yes, they are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants, usually tree branches but they’re not a parasite. They’re a cousin of bromeliad. 

They take in nutrients through their leaves from the air and occasional rainfall. They have tiny hair-like parts on their  … [Continue reading]

Stink bugs in da house!


Mon. Jan. 24, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Stink bugs in da house!

Hear that? The sound of flushing… those ugly brown bugs have been  appearing in my bathroom, kitchen, my office… UGH. So what’s up?

Stink bugs have been enjoying the warmth of my home, and likely yours too. Bugs make their way indoors through gaps in your house. Mine was built in 1897, there are LOTS of gaps! They can come in through eaves or your attic. But MOST of the time, they’ve gone  … [Continue reading]

Best vegetables for beginners


Fri. Jan. 21, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Best vegetables for beginners

I set you up with some definitions on Monday of plant catalog terms! Today let’s talk easy vegetables to grow for beginners.

First up, full sun is ideal for ALL vegetables.  (There are vegetables that can grow in less than full sun, but that’s another Garden Bite) You can’t go wrong with lettuce, unless the bunnies get there first. For that use Plantskydd. This is completely organic and doesn’t use capsaicin, which could  … [Continue reading]

Let’s color up that shady area


Thu. Jan. 20, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Let’s color up that shady area

I love hosta but there are some other great plants including a flowering option!  If you have an area with moist soil, then astilbe is a great option.

Hardy to zone 3, Astilbes are slow-growing and produce plume-like flowers on stalks above the foliage in the spring and summer. They do best in partial shade but also can tolerate heavier shade. You’ll find flowers in shades of white, red, pink and lavender.  … [Continue reading]

Bird love in Winter


Wed. Jan. 19, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bird love in Winter

Wow, I hope you are surviving our roller coaster of cold arctic air! As I write this, the temperature is 6 below zero but tomorrow is supposed to be 30 above. And then the deep freeze comes again.

How on Earth do our wild birds stay warm? Ruffling their feathers is number one. Most of our birds look twice as chubby in winter as in summer due to fluffing their feathers to provide insulation.  … [Continue reading]

A new Prairie Grass for 2022


Tue. Jan. 18, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: A new Prairie Grass for 2022

I’ve been chatting up Prairie Grass and today I introduce a new cultivar for 2022! Developed by the University of Minnesota Department of Horticulture, ‘Golden Sunset’ Yellow Prairie grass is the 2nd grass coming out of the U of MN’s Mary Meyer!

Sorghastrum nutans is the Latin name for this type of grass, common names include Indian Grass and Yellow Prairie grass. While new to the market, it takes decades of  … [Continue reading]

Plant catalog terms – another language!


Mon. Jan. 17, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Plant catalog terms – another language

I’ve talked about cuddling up with your plant catalogs but to some, the terms used could sound like a foreign language!

If you’re looking up lettuce and see the term “slow to bolt” – that’s a good thing. It means that your lettuce won’t flower early.  Lettuce is best harvested and eaten BEFORE it flowers. Once that process begins, the lettuce leaves can be bitter. I would suggest trying a mesclun mix.  … [Continue reading]

Stretching your zone with a gorgeous grass


Fri. Jan. 14, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Stretching your zone with a gorgeous grass

I talked about microclimates on Tuesday. This zone 5 grass is one you might consider in YOUR microclimate.  Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ is a lovely grass for shade. 

It’s often used in Japanese gardens, where it originated. Variegated but nearly all yellow, the leaf blades have narrow green stripes, mostly near the margins. The leaves cascade, arching in the same direction. Makes it look a bit like a golden waterfall.

It would  … [Continue reading]

NGB Bulb of the Year 2022


Thu. Jan. 13, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: NGB Bulb of the Year 2022

Each year the National Garden Bureau chooses a bulb, an annual, a houseplant, a shrub, an edible and a perennial of the year. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse, and versatile.

For 2022, they chose Gladiolus for the bulb of the year. Glads are as American as apple pie! They are, however, actually native to Africa and other arid regions.

For those of us in cold  … [Continue reading]

Nativars


Wed. Jan. 12, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Nativars

Reading my favorite magazine, Northern Gardener, I came across an article titled ‘Nativars’ by the Editor, and a friend of mine, Mary Schier. These are plants which are cultivars of our native plants. There are a LOT of them. 

Think coneflowers alone and you’ll think of plenty from that native purple one.

The question posed in the article is how much a native plant can be changed and still perform it’s environmental functions like providing food  … [Continue reading]