Tree of Heaven


Wed. Jun. 10, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tree of Heaven

It sounds so lovely… and it is… elsewhere in the world. But in the U.S., and just recently Minnesota and Wisconsin, it’s on the ERADICATE list! Tree of heaven – U of MN Ext.

 Every obnoxious, noxious weed was brought over with good intentions. These plants worked well and were beautiful in other countries, so there was an assumption they would do fine here. It took decades, and in some cases, a century to find  … [Continue reading]

Controlling late blight on tomatoes


Tue. Jun. 9, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Controlling late blight on tomatoes

Nobody wants to see that!!!!

 If you lost your homegrown tomatoes due to a nasty disease called Late Blight, will the disease affect this years crop?  Not likely, the pathogen doesn’t survive our winter.  It’s generally brought in from elsewhere.  It can only survive on potato culls or tomato fruit that are sheltered in soil or a warm compost pile.

Late blight is caused by a water mold and needs high levels of  … [Continue reading]

Vegetable garden tips for June


Mon. Jun. 8, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Vegetable garden tips for June

June is an exciting month for vegetable gardeners!  We’ve got our warm season plants in the ground and we’ve already been munching on salad greens!

Although most folks have got their tomatoes, peppers and herbs in the ground, you still have a week, however, it would be best to find tomatoes like ‘Early Girl’, short season growers.

You can start successive plantings of beets, peas and shorter season crops.

Also fans of broccoli,  … [Continue reading]

Annuals for punctuation


Fri. Jun. 5, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Annuals for punctuation

Punctuate your landscape by stuffing some annuals in with your perennials!  Annuals make great transitions for filling in those “holes” in our perennial gardens.

As the tulips and daffodils fade, don’t pull them out, just put some pretty annuals around them!  Either right in the ground or in pots.

The ‘Wave’ petunias are some of my favorites for sun.  They fill in very nicely, offer a wide variety of colors and generally don’t get as  … [Continue reading]

Shrubs, shade and dogs


Thu. Jun. 4, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Shrubs, shade and dogs

A listener asked me about shrubs for shade, but she had a caveat, dogs… there are some shrubs to avoid when you have a curious dog or two…

Take the Yew, please, it’s toxic to nearly everything. The seed inside the berries is toxic to pets and people.

The yew we yanked…

Hydrangeas are pretty but poisonous to pups. In fact, the leaves and buds are also toxic to cats and horses. These parts  … [Continue reading]

Ants are not social distancing


Wed. Jun. 3, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Ants are not social distancing

 If there’s one creature I really wish would social distance it’s ANTS. Holy cow have they come out in abundance this year.

They’ve already lifted several of my plants right out of the soil including a beautiful grass that is in danger.

 I tried the non-toxic diatomaceous earth, a fine white powder that sticks to their bodies and dries them out. It killed some and sent the rest of them fleeing. No  … [Continue reading]

Quackgrass and your garden bed


Tue. Jun. 2, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Quackgrass and your garden bed

A friend of mine asked me about getting rid of quackgrass in the garden. So I did some research, turns out the best defense is not to have any to begin with. Uh, too late!

Yes, I said quacking… this is a nasty infestation of quackgrass. It COULD have come from a plant you brought home and inadvertently tucked into your garden.  A little more information from the University of MN on quackgrass … [Continue reading]

Amid a pandemic, a garden explosion


Mon. Jun. 1, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Amid a pandemic, a garden explosion

I visited a few local garden centers last weekend to buy my tomato and pepper plants. They were all nearly sold out! The employees said many folks bought too early, even when they were encouraged to be careful with those plants, the new vegetable gardeners had to restock after planting them and not covering their tender little leaves.

First thing I’ll say to that is, don’t get discouraged!!! No one thought we’d  … [Continue reading]

Roses take over


Fri. May. 29, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Roses take over

If you’ve been listening to me, you know I’m not fond of fussy plants. Roses were in that category for quite some time until I learned more!

I love my carpet roses. For gorgeous bloom all summer, they deliver year after year.

 I also have Easy Elegance roses from Bailey Nursery that have delivered for 6 years.

My favorite magazine, Northern Gardener, has a fantastic article on roses for those of us in cold  … [Continue reading]

Ode to Creeping Charlie


Thu. May. 28, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Ode to Creeping Charlie

Creeping Charlie ever present in our lawns will be, blooming purple flowers, oh so pretty to me.

Ode to the weed that creepingly reseeds with stem and rhizome. Not content to stay in place, Creeping Charlie, sets a pace to cross your lawn, it’s a race.

Embrace the creeper or let loose on the leaper?

Creeping Charlie really doesn’t spread as quickly as, say the dandelion, but it is annoying to those with lovely  … [Continue reading]