For the Birds


Wed. Mar. 29, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: For the Birds

There are some awesome native plants to attract birds to your landscape.

These plants are vital in that they attract insects the birds need to feed their young. Natives also serve as safe nesting sites and perches.

I’m sharing some from my friends at Prairie Moon Nursery. Of course, since the birds love them for insects it’s only natural that the pollinators dig them too!

An early blooming tree would be the Downy Serviceberry … [Continue reading]

Bailey Nurseries 2023 plant introductions


Tue. Mar. 28, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Bailey Nurseries 2023 plant introductions

 In 2013 I had a local television show called DigIn Minnesota. I had SO much fun doing that show. I hosted and co-produced it. During one of the episodes I had the opportunity to visit Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. I met with Alec Charais and produced a segment on their Easy Elegance Rose series.

Today I want to talk about their new 2023 introductions which include a wonderful new hydrangea from the  … [Continue reading]

Peat-free options


Mon. Mar. 27, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Peat-free options

 A couple of weeks ago I talked about the depletion of peat bogs and a growing movement to stop using so much of a resource that is not instantly renewable.

Today is about peat replacement options. Coconut coir aka coconut fiber is at the top of the list.

It is the fiber between the husk and outer shell of a coconut and a waste product of the coconut industry.

Coco coir can hold up to 10  … [Continue reading]

Tiptoe into 2023 spring garden cleanup


Fri. Mar. 24, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Tiptoe into 2023 spring garden cleanup

Normally we’re tiptoeing into spring garden cleanup and I remind my listeners to be gentle in their gardens. While Monday was the “official first day so spring”, THIS year, 2023, has most of the listening area with still abundant snow/rain/slush and temps that are not conducive to gardening.

 

Soggy, muddy soil compacts much easier. A situation none of us wants. Frost depths vary widely. Check out NOAA where you can put  … [Continue reading]

Crop rotation in the vegetable garden


Thu. Mar. 23, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Crop rotation in the vegetable garden

We’re SLOWLY creeping into planting season and I wanted to get you thinking about crop rotation as we consider our vegetable garden. While there are many more disease resistant vegetable cultivars, crop rotation is still something to think about for a couple of reasons.

It’s really the single easiest thing we can do to keep soil nutrients working FOR us and to help prevent disease.  But what crops do you rotate with?   … [Continue reading]

Gardening in a changing climate


Wed. Mar. 22, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Gardening in a changing climate

 As mentioned yesterday I was at a Horticulture Day and was really looking forward to the main speaker, Meg McAndrews Cowden. She, sadly, had laryngitis and wasn’t able to give her talk on Gardening in a New Climate.

Her notes were in our material and I am sharing some of them with you today along with my own information over the years I’ve been doing Garden Bite. Meg has a book, “Plant, Grow,  … [Continue reading]

How NOT to kill your trees


Tue. Mar. 21, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: How NOT to kill your trees

 I just spent last weekend at our local County Master Gardener Horticulture Day and one of the speakers was a University of MN Extension Educator, Katie Drewitz. Her talk was titled How Not to Kill Your Tree.

She had some doozy stories and a lot of great reminders I want to share with you as we head into spring.

She told one story of a woman who called and wanted to  … [Continue reading]

2023 Spring Equinox – where are you?


Mon. Mar. 20, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: 2023 Spring Equinox – where are you?

Hello, Spring? Where are you? Today is YOUR big day and I haven’t heard a peep out of you. Seriously we’re all getting a big concerned! 2022/23 Winter will go down in history if you have been reading social media platforms.

Our LONG, very wet/snowy winter has started to wear on all of us. 

Ahh, but spring is here, maybe, hopefully. We look forward to the freshness of it, the hope  … [Continue reading]

Is Shamrock a real plant?


Fri. Mar. 17, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Is Shamrock a real plant?

“Top of the mornin’ to ya!”  and Happy St. Patty’s Day!  I may be slightly Irish but I am all American, as those phrases really are! But it IS St. Patrick’s day and that makes me think of Shamrocks and all things green. 

It was the Celtic druids who started the shamrock on its path to Irish glory! They believed the number 3 to be a perfect number and, as such, to have  … [Continue reading]

Rhododendrons vs Azaleas


Thu. Mar. 16, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Rhododendrons vs Azaleas

Are rhododenrons the same as azaleas?  Kinda. From the American Rhododendron Society comes this: All azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas. Azaleas have been reclassified and are now in the genus Rhododendron. There are no clear cut lines for distinguishing all azaleas from all rhododendrons WHAT?  Check out this past Garden Bite on Rhodos & Azaleas for the North. 

Very generally, Azaleas tend to be smaller with more pointed, narrow leaves  … [Continue reading]