Show Date: 29 May 09

A great weekend for planting your tomatoes and peppers! If you’re new at this, then I suggest you plant in rows and follow the packet directions. The reason you plant in rows is so you’ll have an easier time identifying the weeds from the sprouted plants!

All veggies need full sun, that means a minimum of 6-hours of direct sunlight. Tomatoes, peppers and most herbs prefer 8-hours. ‘Honey Bear’ is a nice size squash you can grow in a large container. I’m trying ‘Sweet Olive’ grape tomato this year in a container. It’s supposed to be crack-free! Wahoo.

Once your seeds have sprouted, your plants are situated, then the rule of thumb is one inch of water a week. Either Mother Nature or you! Please feel free to email me with any questions you have:

Show Date: 28 May 09

Thrillers, fillers and spillers! The Thriller is your main plant; think Big, Bold and Beautiful. Usually this is a single stunner, the filler is the plant(s) with foliage or flowers that help accent your Thriller. The spiller is your trailing plant(s) which falls over the side of your container. Keep color and texture in mind with these.

Here’s a recipe for a 14-inch container I created that’s airing on WCCO-TV:

The Thriller: 1 plant Purple Millet, 2 orange (purple eye) Osteospermum, 1 purple Osterospermum, 1 purple sweet potato vine, 1 Swedish Ivy and 1 ‘White Nancy’ lamium (which is a perennial here and can be planted in the ground this Fall).

Show Date: 27 May 09

Two new varieties of Echinacea are named for comfort food: ‘Tomato Soup’ and ‘Mac & Cheese’:

Echinacea Tomato Soup and Mac 'n Cheese

They grow to about 28-inches tall with a 24-inch spread once established. These are prairie plants and need full sun. They tolerate drought well. Unfortunately many of the newer Echinacea (aka Coneflower) are susceptible to Aster Yellows, a deadly disease. So, weigh the risk of losing them after a couple of years to the beauty you’ll get.

Show Date: 26 May 09

Oh joy! I have a couple of plants that I call the “workhorses.” They give and give, sometimes too much! The Obedient Plant (aka Physostegia) tops the list:

"Obedient" plant

Zone 3 hardy, good for sun to partial shade and drought tolerant, could be considered invasive. I can’t kill it. A newer variety is called ‘Miss Manners’ and apparently she minds hers. Another workhorse is Wild Bergamot (aka Monarda or Bee Balm):

Wld bergamot

It blooms all summer with a wonderful scent. This cannot be killed and I TRIED back at my old place. Our newer place has more land, more room to set Monarda free! Bees and Hummingbirds love this stuff. Some cultivars are more susceptible to powdery mildew:

Monardo gardenview

Leave them in the sun with good air circulation and you can help lessen that problem.

Show Date: 25 May 09

The following poem was written during World War I in a field in Belgium. It has become iconic with Fallen Soldiers:

Corn poppy aka Flanders poppy

Show Date: 22 May 09

They’ve compared it to the “Victory gardens” of WWII. I applaud you new veggie gardens and hope that you’ll start small so you’re not overwhelmed. Please email me with any questions you have and I will do my best to get back to you asap! As you head out to your vegetable garden, the flower bed, the lawn or the hammock for rest and renewal, please take a moment to reflect and remember our soldiers who gave everything for this great country. Maybe plant some red poppies!

Red poppy
Photo: American Meadows.

Show Date: 21 May 09

… but I’ll hold off planting my peppers till the very end of May. They’re the last to go in the ground as they like it warm! Bells are great for stuffing, jalapenos are great for my roasted tomato mix and I grew habaneros for pepper spray to deter rabbits. They’re all lovely looking too! Peppers thrive in hot weather but they get thirsty. Give ‘em plenty of water!

Show Date: 20 May 09

… that’s a traditional planting weekend for many northern gardeners. Tomatoes can be planted now but keep the sheet handy to cover them up!! Tomatoes are one of the VERY few plants that like to be planted deep. They will grow roots from any point that touches the soil.

If you have transplants that are getting leggy, plant them deep for a sturdier plant. This year I’m trying a couple of different varieties. The ‘Yellow Pear’ which is an heirloom variety that’s supposed to be very good in salads and ‘Sweet Olive’ a small grape tomato known for not cracking. I’m going to try ‘Sweet Olive’ in a container this year.

Yellow pear tomato

Show Sate: 19 May 09

Caladiums cause you to pause!

Fanny munson caladium

Frieda hemple caladium

White Christmas caladium

Give them moist, partial shade and warm soil. That’s the ticket to good production. Choose now, plant in another week giving the soil a chance to warm up a bit more. Fill the hole with peat moss to fluff the soil and add a little acid. Plant tubers knobby-side-up about 2-inches deep and 8- to 12-inches apart.

Another bulb is the Elephant Ear. There are several varieties, the Lime Zinger has 2 foot long chartreuse leaves on a plant that grows 3- to 5-feet tall and 4- to 5-feet wide.

Lime zinger elephant ear

What a dramatic background for caladiums!

Show Date: 18 May 09

Now can I have a Canna? You bet!

Tropicanna canna

Cannas are really rhizomes and make for a gorgeous tropical look to the garden. Those big leaves and flowers with delicate grasses make a great contrast. Plant them in the ground or in containers in sun or very light shade. If you deadhead the spent flowers you’ll encourage more lush foliage growth. Come fall, dig them up, CUT the foliage; don’t pull it off and then store in your basement for next year.