AAS – what is it?


Mon. Dec. 23, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: AAS – what is it?

All America Selections was started in 1932 by a man named Ray Hastings.  He encouraged all seed companies to set up trial grounds, cooperatively test new varieties and agree to develop marketing efforts for new vegetables and flowers. He recommended a national network of trial grounds throughout North American climates where flower and vegetable varieties would be grown and assessed by skilled impartial judges.  Today, home gardeners can feel confident when selecting these  … [Continue reading]

Holiday cacti


Fri. Dec. 20, 2019

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

There’s been a lot of chatter on Thanksgiving vs Christmas vs Easter flowering cactus. I think the main thing we can all agree on is how lovely they are and it gets even better. There are some of these plants that have lived over 100 years! Say WHAT? Say uh huh!

 Although true cacti, these plants are native to rainforests. Think jungle not desert! The need for high humidity, bright but filtered light, and soil  … [Continue reading]

Desperate to save the bats!


Thu. Dec. 19, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Desperate to save the bats

I just recently talked about how awesome bats are in terms of eating those nasty mosquitoes. That’s not all they do, munching on our backyard bloodsuckers.

Their impact has far reaching implications including crops and environment. There is a recent article in the StarTribune paper on the plight of four native species in the Upper Midwest. (Sorry if you don’t have a subscription, you won’t be able to read the article) In fact,  … [Continue reading]

Gardener gifts for the “littles”!


Wed. Dec. 18, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show: Gardener gifts for the “littles”!

Don’t forget the little gardeners in your life. I was looking over some of my favorite blogs and information from the University of Minnesota when I found a suggestion for your littles from Extension Educator, Food – Farm Safety, Anne Sawyer.

She has small children that like to help, however, that sometimes means we don’t get as much work done! AND she explained that she doesn’t like the idea of plastics. What  … [Continue reading]

Amaryllis – an extraordinary holiday plant


Tue. Dec. 17, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Amaryllis – an extraordinary holiday plant

What are the holidays without Amaryllis?  Not quite as lovely!  And what a spectacular hostess gift!!

  • Choose large, firm bulbs – grapefruit size will give you the most blooms for your buck
  • Before bloom, keep your Amaryllis in a sunny window away from cold drafts.
  • When the flower buds start to show color, move your plant OUT of direct sunlight to a bright, indirect sunlit area
  • Water well, letting the water drain
 … [Continue reading]

Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year


Mon. Dec. 16, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year

Every year, Pantone chooses the Color of the Year. 

It’s a company that started as a printing business back in the 1950’s, however, a guy that worked with chemistry, came up with a color matching system in the early ‘60’s and bought the company. It’s a world-wide phenomenon now and every year since 2000, a bunch of color-matchers get together and decide.  They give meaning to every color depending on what the  … [Continue reading]

Adaptive gardening


Fri. Dec. 13, 2019

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

There’s no better stress reliever than to play in the dirt!  I have often taken for granted my ability to move through my gardens easily.  Oh maybe my knees give me a little trouble now and then, but I can bend down and pluck a weed or snip a flower with ease.  Other gardeners can’t.

The other day I was browsing the National Garden Bureau site and found an article on Adaptive Gardening by Toni Gattone.  … [Continue reading]

The story of the Poinsettia – Flowers of the Holy Night


Thu. Dec. 12, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The story of the Poinsettia – Flowers of the Holy Night

Happy National Poinsettia Day!

The Poinsettia is a native of Mexico, where it grows like a weed and can reach 10 feet tall.  Mexican legend holds that the leaves, shaped like the star of Bethlehem, first bloomed red for a poor girl who wanted to bring a gift to the manger scene at the local church but had no money.  Her cousin, who walked to the church  … [Continue reading]

A low salt diet for our roads


Tue. Dec. 10, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: A low salt diet for our roads

22 inches of snow in Duluth! Yowza… Well it’s definitely plow time! Road treatments and sidewalk treatments are important for public safety. However…

Did you know that one teaspoon of salt pollutes 5 gallons of water? Neither did I!   From the MN Pollution Control Agency – what sodium chloride does 

A friend of mine, Sonya Goins, reported this story a few years back. Same good information to know!

An estimated 365,000  … [Continue reading]

Oh deer!


Mon. Dec. 9, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Oh deer!

Oh, those beautiful Bambis.  Have you ever looked a deer in the eyes?  Those big brown beauties seem to apologize for destroying your perennials, your trees, your shrubs?  Oh, such a love/hate relationship with deer.

Short of hunting in your backyard, what seems to work?  An electric fence comes to mind but that’s rather impractical and expensive.  So are other fencing options. Kinda Ugly too. Some people swear by Irish Spring.  Hanging bits of soap at  … [Continue reading]