2026 Annual planter combos


Mon. May. 11, 2026

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Pots, check! Potting Mix, check! Trowel, check! Gloves, check! Plants, checking….!

Finally we can safely plant our annual outdoor containers. Ogling online our favorite garden center offerings, we put together ideas in our heads and roll! Arriving at the garden center, we see WAY more options and overthink it. Or maybe that’s just me!

Remember the easiest recipe: Thriller, Filler and Spiller

For full sun, I LOVE strawflowers. They just don’t quit on me. There are yellows, oranges, reds and white too. One  … [Continue reading]

AAS 2026 – a new tomato in town and a superfood are highlighted


Sun. May. 3, 2026

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 Today I’m sharing two All America Selection Winners for 2026. First a little background on AAS. Started in 1932, this non-profit is the oldest, most established international plant testing organization in North America. 

Between 6 and 12 plants are selected each year. This year they’ve selected one herb, four vegetables, four perennials and one annual. Check out all the Winners. 

The most planted homegrown vegetable in America is the tomato and this year AAS has selected, what they’re calling,  … [Continue reading]

No Mow vs Slow Mow


Tue. Apr. 28, 2026

Click below to listen to my podcast: No Mow vs Slow Mow

 Lawns… we tried No Mow May for pollinators and discovered that that’s not really the best option for a number of reasons. I look forward to debates on this one from my listeners! As lawn experts from the University of Minnesota pointed out, grass can grow over 12 to 18 inches during the month of May.

Not only can it look very messy but it obviously creates a real problem when you do try to mow it back.  … [Continue reading]

Arbor Day 2026


Thu. Apr. 23, 2026

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 Happy Arbor Day! The first Arbor Day was celebrated in 1872. Proposed by J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist and politician, the holiday was designed to encourage tree planting for fuel, building materials, and environmental benefits, with over 1 million trees planted on the first day.

 

Why are trees so important? Trees play a vital role in combating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air.  In  … [Continue reading]

Dwarf Trout Lily – protected species


Sun. Apr. 19, 2026

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite podcast: Dwarf Trout Lily – protected species

 My area has had glorious days along with days that the wind and cold kept me indoors. It IS spring after all!

On a recent walk along a local creek I was able to enjoy MY IDEA of a Spring Opener! Viewing spring wildflower natives, one of which is, as the Minnesota DNR explains is an endemic spring ephemeral restricted to Rice, Goodhue, and Steele counties in southeastern Minnesota. 

It is the only known vascular  … [Continue reading]

Wild Blue Phlox appearing soon


Sat. Apr. 11, 2026

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite podcast: Wild Blue Phlox

This spring feels different in many ways which has sent me out into nature more often. I’ve also had more time to do that as I retired from the Monday thru Friday workforce last October.

Wandering the woods along the river and streams within my community we will very soon be seeing a wonderful welcome to spring. Wild Blue Phlox, also known as Woodland Phlox, is an early welcome sight in shaded areas.

It is a native  … [Continue reading]

Blowback on Algae praise


Sat. Apr. 4, 2026

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 Hooo boy did I get blowback on my praise of algae. Thank you to my listeners!!! You made me want to do a deeper dive and, as always, too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing.

This is from the University of Minnesota extension: Algae occur naturally in almost all surface waters. They are an essential source of food for many aquatic organisms and come in many shapes and forms.

Under the right temperature and water conditions, blue-green  … [Continue reading]

Oh you beautiful Burl


Thu. Apr. 2, 2026

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My neighbor and I frequently walk in the woods along our nearby river. We like to go “off roading” and skip pavement, generally there are some bicycle trails we can find … or not… Basically we wander…

We were noticing a number of trees with small multiple bumps growing up from the trunk and continuing up the tree almost like steps.

I’ve seen singular large bumps called burls and LOVE the look of them. What I didn’t realize was many could  … [Continue reading]

The importance of Algae


Fri. Mar. 27, 2026

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I posted on Instagram recently about the role of algae and I promised to explain further on my next garden bite. Let me set this up first. My neighbor, Corliss and I go walking nearly every day that is above 45 degrees. I’m very fortunate to live about a quarter mile from the entry to 2 lovely trails along each side of a river. Corliss doesn’t like the “ugly” algae that is growing right now.

Granted it doesn’t necessarily look pretty  … [Continue reading]

The winter of 25/26 and pruning


Fri. Mar. 20, 2026

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For most of the country this winter has been erratic to say the least. Temperatures all over the place, storms that caused chaos. While we seem to be over the worst of it, now is a time you can get out and do some damage control and some light pruning on summer/fall blooming shrubs.

From temps dipping down to 30 below zero in December to 55 degrees in March, no snow to heavy snow… the Winter of 2025/26 has been one  … [Continue reading]