Top 10 performing annuals of 2021


Tue. Nov. 16, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Top 10 performing annuals of 2021

Each year, hundreds of annual flowers are on public display as part of the annual flower variety trial at the University of Minnesota Horticulture Display Garden in Morris, MN. 

In 2021, they trialed over 500 varieties ranging from ageratum to lantana to petunias to salvia, representing plant breeding companies from around the world. The top 10 winners were just announced.

Angelonia ‘Angelissa™ Rose’, also known as a “Summer Snapdragon”. It grew  … [Continue reading]

Bringing houseplants back in the house


Mon. Nov. 15, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show; Bringing houseplants back in the house

Your houseplants that spend the growing season outdoors should be inside by now or they’re likely toast. My area south of Mpls/St. Paul had just a smidgen of snow but Up North, you guys had a bit more! 

Hopefully you brought them indoors and checked for “travelers” such as plant debris and bugs. Use a loop or magnifying glass with a light to check under the leaves.

If you find webbing, egg  … [Continue reading]

Winter shrub care and salt tolerant options


Fri. Nov. 12, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Winter shrub care and salt tolerant options

Consider ways to give our shrubs a little extra TLC during winter. Using snow as a type of mulch isn’t a bad idea for your shrubs but you have to be careful how you PLACE that snow over your plants.

Sending the kids out to pile it on might not be the best idea unless they know not to heave it onto delicate branches that could break. Especially the wet, heavy  … [Continue reading]

Veterans Day and the healing power of Nature


Thu. Nov. 11, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Veteran’s Day and the healing power of Nature

Today is Veterans Day and I want to honor all those who have served our Country and for those who have come back from war with injuries we see and those we don’t.

Transitioning from combat to civilian life isn’t easy. Experts are going back to lessons from long ago about the role nature has in healing. Years ago, on another radio show I had called “15 with the Author”,  … [Continue reading]

Indoor compost stuff


Wed. Nov. 10, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Indoor compost stuff

Compost happens, even in winter. I was leery about putting a kitchen compost bucket on my countertop.

I thought, it’s gonna stink and attract fruit flies, ugh those things are annoying!  The fact is, they do, BUT there are some things I’ve learned.

For one, clean it every time you empty it. That includes taking the filter out and scrubbing in the nooks and crannies of the lid. I found stuff there I did NOT  … [Continue reading]

Amaryllis bulbs


Tue. Nov. 9, 2021

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

Where I work, the amaryllis bulbs have been out for a while, and there’s a NEW type I’d never seen before. It’s covered in decorative wax with no watering necessary. PS, those waxed bulbs do not rebloom.

Amaryllis are synonymous with the holidays as we watch their growth and those incredible blooms!

Bulbs take 4 to 6 weeks from planting to bloom, depending on how much sun and warmth they get in their location, writes Eric  … [Continue reading]

Perennial seed picking and the plea to leave those perennials standing


Mon. Nov. 8, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Perennial seed picking and the plea to leave those perennials standing

 I leave my perennials up for winter for a couple of reasons, winter interest for me and food and shelter for the birds.

I had a goldfinch munching early on the seeds of my coneflowers and blackeyed susans.

The chickadees are picking away at them too. I still have berries on my honeysuckle vines that, last year, the cedar waxwings went wild for. They devoured all the  … [Continue reading]

Alas, Burning Bush


Fri. Nov. 5, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Alas, Burning Bush

 I love burning bush.

And I’m so disappointed that it is invasive. But, there it is, the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture has deemed it a noxious weed due to how it has overtaken as an understory plant in our forests, knocking out our natives.

It’s “legal status” at the moment is Specially Regulated with a 3 year production phase-out which will then be moved to Restricted beginning January 1, 2023.

That means nurseries will not  … [Continue reading]

Remove those annual vines


Thu. Nov. 4, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Remove those annual vines

Vines are wonderful to soften fences. Annual vines are fun because you can change them out every year.

Leave your perennial vines alone right now, but it’s time to pull out those annual vines like Scarlet Runner bean, Morning Glories and Black-eyed Susan vines.

The University of Minnesota extension says it’s easier to remove these vines now as the stem is firmer.

Start by using your pruner or hedge shears to cut the  … [Continue reading]

Wood betony – an overlooked native


Wed. Nov. 3, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Wood betony – an overlooked native

Always a favorite, my Northern Gardener magazine, did not disappoint.

As you know I have a butterfly garden and also a rain garden, I plant “mostly” native plants.

And wouldn’t you know, there’s one I hadn’t scoped out before. Wood betony aka Pedicularis canadensis.

It’s a bit of a parasitic plant with a taproot and lateral roots that attach to the roots of grasses, asters and a few other plants, making  … [Continue reading]