Lawns and drought


Mon. Jun. 28, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawns and drought

 Lawns are looking rough and we haven’t even made it to JULY!

Kentucky bluegrass, which is what most lawns are, can start turning brown after about 7 days without water. 

This browning appearance is the grass going into dormancy in order to survive the drought. Some leaf tissue will die, but the base and roots of the grass are still alive and will green up when water returns. (I’m hopeful, because I might as well  … [Continue reading]

Garden bed renewal


Fri. Jun. 25, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. 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.

When I first bought my home in 2012 it was a mess.  I ripped out the overgrown mess and,the spent, spirea, siberian iris and hosta.  When a garden hasn’t been tended for a while, which is what happened when I bought  … [Continue reading]

Hummingbirds


Thu. Jun. 24, 2021

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

The little garden jewel, the hummingbird, the bestower of Joy…

Hummingbirds have long been a part of traditional western cultures.  They represent joy and tenacity.   The hummingbird’s wing movement, which uses the up stroke as well as the down stroke for power,  appears to be the sign for infinity.  They also symbolize eternity.   In Caribbean cultures, it is believed that hummingbirds represent those we love who have passed on.  So if you see a hummingbird, perhaps that’s  … [Continue reading]

Weeds in the vegetable garden


Wed. Jun. 23, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show: Weeds in the vegetable garden

The heat wave those of us in the Upper Midwest have experienced has been mostly okay for our tomatoes, peppers and herbs (so long as we watered them).

But that means it’s been pretty good for the weeds too!

I just weeded yesterday! HA!

Lightly cultivating is a way to get those annual weeds but the perennial weeds are more industrious, their roots tend to break off underground and just make more! Hand  … [Continue reading]

Diagnosing Plant Problems


Tue. Jun. 22, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Diagnosing plant problems

Why do my leaves lay over?  How come they’re yellow? What are those holes in the leaves? My plant just doesn’t look healthy, what’s wrong?  UGH, I think the toughest part of gardening is trying to figure out why a plant isn’t thriving!  Sometimes it’s easy, like the photo below:

Sometimes, it’s not easy at all and could be a number of ailments at one time. Is it an insect, is it a disease, are  … [Continue reading]

When flowers fade, the foliage flashes!


Mon. Jun. 21, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: When flowers fade, the foliage flashes

A gardener can hardly help themselves to love flowers but foliage really lends color and texture that is capable of showing off flowers then becoming the show itself.

And sometimes, in the case of coleus in a container, clearly it’s kickin’ it from the get-go.

Other amazing foliage plants include caladiums, perfect for part shade.

They are annuals for us, but worth every penny. I told you about the ‘Heart to  … [Continue reading]

Summer solstice is Sunday


Fri. Jun. 18, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Summer solstice is Sunday

The Summer Solstice arrives on Father’s Day this year. The “official” start of summer… although in my area that heat’s been turned on for weeks. Outside heat, that is. Temperatures soaring past the 90’s and we’re already looking at a drought.

Cultures have celebrated this day in a variety of ways, mostly centering around fertility and/or religion. Ancient Greeks celebrated the God of Agriculture, Cronus.   (I would have put a picture up but, frankly,  … [Continue reading]

Garlic Mustard, an invasive with value?


Thu. Jun. 17, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Garlic Mustard, an invasive with value?

Garlic mustard, a weed or an herb? Or both? Garlic mustard was first introduced as a garden herb but escaped and has been causing problems ever since.

An herbaceous plant, it takes two years to reach maturity. The chemicals in garlic mustard reduce the growth of neighboring plants, so when it’s introduced to a site it can quickly outcompete native understory vegetation. It can thrive in fully intact forests. No good  … [Continue reading]

Weeds away! Using ground covers


Wed. Jun. 16, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Weeds away! Using ground covers

 Weeds a problem? Likely.. They are in my landscape.

But ground covers come to the rescue! 

Ground covers can also enhance soil health, provide food and habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, and reduce soil erosion.

The University of Minnesota Extension has a great article “Ground Covers for Gardens”. There’s a list of ground covers in the article.

As many of you know, I have a new rain garden, however, there’s  … [Continue reading]

What the heck is mycorrhizae?


Tue. Jun. 15, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What the heck is mycorrhizae?

It’s the fungi with the funny name. Mycorrhizae fungi have a symbiotic relationship with the roots of many plants. Mycorrhizae play an important role in plant nutrition.

The fungus, because it does not photosynthesize, cannot fix its own carbon. Consequently, it receives all of its necessary carbohydrates from the host plant. In return, the mycorrhiza absorbs nutrients from the soil which are passed along to the plant. Cool, huh!

In most situations, the  … [Continue reading]