Size does matter – when planning your garden


Wed. Feb. 10, 2021

Click below to listen to my  2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Size does matter – when planning your garden

Urbanites have joined suburbanites who joined those with some acreage, into the vegetable growing trend.  From urban apartment dwellers to folks moving out to hobby farms to community gardens. That’s great but I still want folks to consider SIZE.

My intent is to help you make the best choices so you can fully enjoy your veggie garden.  What I don’t want to see happen is people becoming overwhelmed and losing  … [Continue reading]

Prepare to Prune


Tue. Feb. 9, 2021

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

We’re in late winter now, heading into the Spring home stretch.  Gardeners! Prepare your pruners! That is if you can get to those trees and shrubs through the piles of snow!  Cold temperatures provide the best time to prune because the plants are dormant, their sap flowing less freely and the insects are not a bother.

Timing is everything! Do NOT prune any spring blooming shrubs now, however, it IS a good time to prune  … [Continue reading]

Buckthorn, bunnies and blue pee?


Mon. Feb. 8, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Buckthorn, bunnies and blue pee?

Years ago, I lived on 5 acres in Lakeville, MN.  While wandering through our woods, I discovered smurf blue stains in the snow!

Since the property had been deigned a “farm dump”, we lovingly cleaned it up.

But after spotting that blue stain, we thought “oh no, there’s a bubblin’ crude but it ain’t oil!  What the heck is it?”. It’s not like we went out there to spit out our mouthwash, or  … [Continue reading]

New gardeners and a philosophical take on gardening


Fri. Feb. 5, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: New gardeners and a philosophical take on gardening

With Covid-19 came a huge increase in new gardeners. Gardening offers so much more than the flowers, the vegetables, the shrubs and trees.

It’s enjoying the sunshine, the playing in the dirt, the thrill of creating something and watching nature do her magic. It brings an appreciation for our planet that we don’t always see in busy lives.

It’s my hope that this slow-down in running from here to there  … [Continue reading]

EAB, wasps and replacement trees


Thu. Feb. 4, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB, wasps and replacement trees

Emerald Ash Borer is alive and well. So many cities that planted all Ash trees are now faced with Ash tree removal and naked boulevards. 

This is a good reason to use diverse plantings. Scientists working to contain EAB with progress using a type of wasp. The parasitoid wasp flies through the forest, heavy with eggs, following the scent of beetle infestation.

She locates a promising tree, lands and finds beetle larvae feeding  … [Continue reading]

Cankers and galls, oh my!


Wed. Feb. 3, 2021

Click on the link below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Cankers and galls, oh my!

Do you suffer from galls or cankers?

I just have to grin when I hear that.  The thought of some medication commercial coming up with side effects so horrific, I’d rather have a canker!  Maybe …

With all the leaves gone on our trees and shrubs, it’s a good time to take a careful look at their branches for galls or cankers.

Cankers and Galls [University of Minnesota Extension] This  … [Continue reading]

Milkweed and more milkweed!


Tue. Feb. 2, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Milkweed and more milkweed!

Milkweed, THE monarch magnet!

But it’s not just the common milkweed.  There are, in fact, several options. I’ll get to those.  Part of the massive decline of the monarch is weather related.  Early, warm springs tend to be associated with low monarch numbers. Habitat loss, is the number one reason for the decline.

While the common milkweed is easiest to grow and smells wonderful, there is also the ‘Rose Milkweed’ which prefers the soil  … [Continue reading]

New plants for 2021


Mon. Feb. 1, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: New plants for 2021

It’s the start of a new week, a new month and new plants!

Lantana is an annual that adds beauty AND nectar filled blooms that attract bountiful butterflies and bees! Luscious Royale ‘Red Zone’ is the 2021 introduction from Proven Winners.

Small fire red flowers are packed into clusters on deep green foliage. This mounded form can grow from 12 to 24 inches tall and wide. Gorgeous in containers or hanging baskets all season  … [Continue reading]

Forget me nots


Fri. Jan. 29, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Forget me nots

Some friends of mine live on land that’s in a State Park. Every spring they have a sea of blue in their yard. It’s not because it’s all that natural, but because, when their daughter was little she received a packet of Forget-Me-Nots.

I don’t know anyone that has donated for some school activity that hasn’t received a packet of Forget-me-Nots.

You can still almost see where they were tossed and Forgotten About! These  … [Continue reading]

Companion planting


Thu. Jan. 28, 2021

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

Gazing out at a winter wonderland, I’m making soup using herbs from last year.  They are a wonderful family of plants. They offer fragrance, taste, medicinal properties and they repel some pests.

They offer fragrance, taste, medicinal properties and they repel some pests.  While not always substantiated by University based information, there are a number of books and articles, as well as old gardeners around that swear by the use of herbs and companion planting.

So  … [Continue reading]