Should we plant more trees or not?


Thu. Feb. 16, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Should we plant more trees or not?

Is planting trees enough to reverse climate change? Short answer: no.

Last week I re-aired Garden Bites from last year as I was on vacation. One of those was titled a Change of Climate for gardening and I talked about the various ways to help our planet including planting trees.

My arborist friend, Faith Appelquist of Treequality, came out with another awesome article regarding that very thing. She got a  … [Continue reading]

Buckthorn, bunnies and blue pee


Wed. Feb. 15, 2023

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

Years ago, I lived on 5 acres in Lakeville, MN.  While wandering through the woods, I discovered smurf blue stains in the snow!  The property had been a “farm dump”.

After cleaning up a bunch of barbed wire, old farm implements and plastic toys, that blue stain was worrisome. I knew it wasn’t mouthwash that I’d spit out or what I called “Blue Juice” back in my traffic reporting days, out in the  … [Continue reading]

Valentines Day traditions around the World


Tue. Feb. 14, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Valentines Day traditions around the World

Be with someone you love, do something you love, eat something you love, grow something you love!

In the meantime I’ll share some Valentine traditions around the world. In Denmark people traditionally exchange pressed white flowers called snowdrops instead of fresh bouquets. It’s also traditional for people to send their crushes “joke letters” called gaekkebrev. These poems or rhymes are signed only with dots, so the recipient has to guess who  … [Continue reading]

Symbolism behind the color of flowers


Mon. Feb. 13, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Symbolism behind the color of flowers

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, just in case you hadn’t heard! Flower color symbolism dates back centuries and is found in most cultures!  What DO those colors mean? You might want to know before you buy, just in case your special someone DOES know!

Red, in particular with roses, stands for romantic love and passion, but can also mean desire, strength, courage and respect.

  • Pink is playful, innocent and a more platonic
 … [Continue reading]

A new sunflower for bees and a “parasol” for humans!


Fri. Feb. 3, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: A new sunflower for bees and a “parasol” for humans!

Last year I planted several sunflowers in support of Ukraine and also for bees and the finches too!

This year, as I was perusing my Burpee catalog, I noted a new sunflower they’re offering for 2023 called ‘Creme Brulee’.

This is their description: Elegant crowns of golden-yellow petals surround fluffy, amber-bronze centers, a floral reflection of the caramelized sugar atop that fabulous dessert, crème brulee! It really  … [Continue reading]

Native salt tolerant plants


Thu. Feb. 2, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Native salt tolerant plants

 Minnesota has had one of the snowiest winters in a long while. The ice has been awful.

400 crashes reported on icy roads one morning in the Twin Cities! The salt truck was BACKING UP my hill so the salt preceded the truck! YUP, those salt trucks are necessary to help prevent more crashes and falls.

I expected it and finally received it… a note from my poor mailman to get rid of the  … [Continue reading]

EAB 2023 update and Ash tree alternatives


Wed. Feb. 1, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: EAB 2023 update and Ash tree alternatives

As of January 5th, 2023, the USDA reports that Emerald Ash Borer has been located in 36 states across the country. First discovered in 2002 in Michigan, it is believed to have actually arrived in the 1990’s on infected wood used in shipping. It is native to northeast Asia where it only attacks dying Ash trees.

Here in the US, it is responsible for killing tens of millions of once healthy

 … [Continue reading]

Pericallis – a must-have annual


Tue. Jan. 31, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Pericallis – a must have annual

Suntory is a world wide family of companies involved in a lot of areas including flower breeding. I shared last week about a beautiful new pericallis they developed in their Senetti series called ‘White Red Heart’. It’s a lovely annual.

Pericallis are plants you’ll instantly know but their name doesn’t really roll off the tongue! They remind me of daisies but come in many colors and are annuals.

Pericallis are  … [Continue reading]

Prairie up – your lawn converted


Mon. Jan. 30, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Prairie up – your lawn converted

Many years ago I interviewed Benjamin Vogt on his book “A New Garden Ethic’. Last December I mentioned his latest book, “Prairie Up – an Introduction to Natural Garden Design”. It was just released last Tuesday, January 24th.

Vogt is a native to Minnesota, growing up in the western suburbs when they were NOT suburbs. He talks about when, during an exploration of the undeveloped land, a flock of geese flew  … [Continue reading]

Plant catalog terms


Fri. Jan. 27, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Plant catalog terms

The plant catalogs have been arriving or you’ve been googling and finding all kinds of fun plants. Every year, and 2023 is no different, I grab a hot chocolate and enjoy perusing plants.

One question I get every year, and generally when people are looking to plant vegetables, is what those terms mean.

If you’re looking up lettuce and see the term “slow to bolt” – that’s a good thing. It means that your lettuce  … [Continue reading]