Why natives matter


Tue. Feb. 26, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Why natives matter

Can a cultivar be as good as a native plant when you’re trying to attract pollinators?

 The University of Minnesota says, “that depends”. Some cultivars are better than their native species, some are no different and some are worse at attracting pollinators.

Each plant should be considered on its own merits.  So how do we do that? When Annie White was a PhD graduate student at the University of Vermont, she compared several native species  … [Continue reading]

Our backyard ecosystem


Mon. Feb. 25, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Our backyard ecosystem

Our gardens support so much more than the plants and our bellies!  They support wildlife we don’t even see, including some we really don’t want to see and some we wish weren’t there!  backyardecosystem

However, it’s an ecosystem that relies on each other. Let’s consider that term, ecosystem. What’s the definition?

The “sort of” simple explanation is a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with  … [Continue reading]

Vegetables in part shade? YES


Fri. Feb. 22, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Vegetables in part shade? YES

Not every vegetable has to have full sun.  Yes, tomatoes and peppers and melons do, but there are many other choices for, in some cases, less than a few hours of direct sunlight!

In his book, ‘Decoding Gardening Advice’, Jeff Gillman (former U of M Hort Professor and currently Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens in Charlotte North Carolina) shares the number of hours for certain types of vegetables.   I found a  … [Continue reading]

Garden Apps


Thu. Feb. 21, 2019

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

I admit, my phone is smarter than me.  Although it doesn’t have the same staying power in the cold that I do!  Well, at least the battery doesn’t.

Anyway, I don’t normally “do” apps, however, there are some worthwhile applications for those of you that are smarter than your smart phone!  One app I use quite often is called PlantNet.  I use to identify plants I’m unfamiliar with. I’ve used in Mexico and it’s pretty  … [Continue reading]

Behold the Burl


Wed. Feb. 20, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Behold the Burl

Behold the burl!   

Let’s establish what a burl is first. A burl is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed way.

It’s commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus.

While some of  … [Continue reading]

Pruning in Winter – prepping your pruners


Tue. Feb. 19, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Pruning in Winter – prepping your pruners

We’re in late winter now, heading into the Spring home stretch.  Gardeners! Prepare your pruners! That is if you can get to those trees and shrubs through the piles of snow!  Cold temperatures provide the best time to prune because the plants are dormant, their sap flowing less freely and the insects are not a bother.

Timing is everything! Do NOT prune any spring blooming shrubs now, however, it IS a  … [Continue reading]

How will the Polar Vortex affect our fruits


Mon. Feb. 18, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  How will the Polar Vortex affect our fruits

It was so cold… how cold was it?  They closed schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin for days!  THAT’S cold, thanks to the polar vortex! What might that record cold do to our apples and grapes?  

APPLES:   University of Minnesota Professor of Fruit Breeding, Jim Luby, says, as far as apple cultivars go, those rated as “very good” or “excellent” cold hardiness such as Frostbite and Sweet Sixteen should not  … [Continue reading]

Valentine’s Day history


Thu. Feb. 14, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Valentine’s Day history

Uh… today is Valentine’s Day!  Just a reminder in case you would like to make an impression on a loved one… today would be a good day for that!

So when and where did this tradition start?  It’s actually a bit convoluted and somewhat mysterious.  There are a LOT of versions! 

There were 3 Christian martyrs all named Valentine and in 500 AD, Pope Gelasius created St. Valentines Day to commemorate the martyrs.  At that  … [Continue reading]

Foliage plants that sparkle


Tue. Feb. 12, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Foliage plants that sparkle

Under layers of winter, I’m thinking of my gardens.  

As I do, I ask you, have you ever looked out at your garden in the waning days between Spring and Summer, Summer and Fall and thought, man, my garden looks pooped?

Sparkle it up with foliage plants.  I’ve talked about this before, but as we start planning our gardens, it’s a good time to bring it up! 

These foliage plants are workhorses of a  … [Continue reading]

What’s that blue stuff in the snow?


Mon. Feb. 11, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  What’s that blue stuff in the snow?

In 2008, I lived on 5 acres in Lakeville, MN.  While wandering through our woods, I discovered smurf blue stains in the snow!

Since the property had been deigned a “farm dump”, we lovingly cleaned it up.

But after spotting that blue stain, we thought “oh no, there’s a bubblin’ crude but it ain’t oil!  What the heck is it?”. It’s not like we went out there to spit out our  … [Continue reading]