Drought tolerant plants


Tue. Jul. 11, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Drought tolerant plants

It’s coming…  the “dog days” of summer.  90 some degrees will brings on crackling lawns and drooping flowers

Characterisitics of a drought tolerant plant:

  • fuzzy leaves – fine little hairs capture water
  • gray leaves – their light color reflects sunlight
  • large fleshy roots – below ground storage units
  • succulent leaves – above ground storage units

And one of my favorites!  Sea Holly

Sea Holly

While large fleshy roots hold water underground, succulent leaves like those on Sedums, hold their  … [Continue reading]

Host plants for butterfly larvae


Thu. Jul. 6, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Host plants for butterfly larvae

When I first saw the red long-horned beetles all over my milkweed plants, I freaked out and went on a mass killing spree.  And they’re back.  The jury is out on whether to kill them, they’re pretty easy to squish this time of year while they’re trying to procreate.   8e4d322d187aa233064841a784ea852f

As Milkweed are host to the Monarch butterfly larvae, I don’t want to use any chemical to rid the plant of those bugs!

If you like  … [Continue reading]

Mosquito Eaters


Wed. Jul. 5, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Mosquito Eaters

I get up very early and am on my way to work at about 4:45 in the morning.  It’s about the same time the bats are flying back to their homes after a grand night of feeding.  Let me introduce you to the Little Brown Bat.

Little Brown Bat

Little Brown Bat

This little fella can munch down 1200 mosquitoes in an hour and when you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you gotta give props to ‘em. They may not be  … [Continue reading]

Vines to shade


Fri. Jun. 30, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Vines to shade

The caveat to “vines for shade”, is that they all need SOME sun.  That said, here are some lovely options.

Honeysuckle vine is just lovely!  I have quite a bit of it.  It gets morning sun and afternoon shade.

It blooms repeatedly all summer and the hummingbirds LOVE it!

I’ll be cutting it back in late winter!

Virgin’s Bower is a native clematis that’s been growing in another Master Gardeners garden quite nicely.  It flowers from July  … [Continue reading]

Garden bed renewal – choosing plants and elements


Thu. Jun. 29, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Garden bed renewal – choosing plants and elements

Selecting the plants for your new bed is the fun part!  Keep in mind your sun/shade conditions.  The type of soil you have (amend if necessary).  As I said yesterday, I added 2 inches of compost into the top 8 inches of soil.  This added nitrogen and helps fluff the soil for better drainage.

Grass Sticks to coreopsis

Grass Sticks

Adding garden sculptures “pauses” your eye, as Jennifer Wolcott describes.  She’s the creator of these grass sticks that  … [Continue reading]

Garden bed renewal


Wed. Jun. 28, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Garden bed renewal

Sometimes you just have to start over.  I know, it can be painful but pulling out plants that have become overgrown and loaded with weeds is sometimes easier than trying to pick through it.  That’s what I did at my new home in July of 2012.  [tomorrow you’ll see what it looks like in 2017!]

perennial before with thistles and more

Thistles and phlox and trees oh my

First I hand pulled as much as I could.  I never did use a total vegetation killer , although I pondered it!   … [Continue reading]

Soil and compost selection


Fri. Jun. 9, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Soil and compost selection

So you’re standing in the garden center thinking, hmmm, what compost or soil should I buy.  Finished compost is a deep, dark brown, almost black, no clumps or chunks.  It will feel slightly damp and should have a sweet, fresh, earthy smell, even if it smells a little barnyardy, don’t worry.

If it smells like rotten eggs, it was not finished composting when put in the bag.  If you see red worms squirming around the pile,  … [Continue reading]

Salad bowl fiasco


Wed. Jun. 7, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Salad bowl fiasco

At the risk of being ridiculed, I’m going to admit to several mistakes in my attempt to create a Salad Bowl.  What looked to be a fun project….

Sometimes as a gardener, you just want to experiment.  There are all these clever ideas and, most of the time, I don’t HAVE the time to do them but this year I was peeking back at some old gardening magazines and found instructions on creating a Salad Bowl!  Well,  … [Continue reading]

Making a burlap hanging basket


Tue. Jun. 6, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  Making a burlap hanging basket

I did the following burlap basket project a couple of years ago.  It was fun and the burlap lasts for 2 to 3 years!

After so many uses of the cocoa bean shells, they become ragged.  I wanted to find something a little different and not spend that much.  I found some burlap bags in a big box store for 99 cents and thought, hmmmm, I could figure something out with those.  So I gave  … [Continue reading]

My new butterfly garden


Tue. May. 30, 2017

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show:  My new butterfly garden

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of enthusiastic gardeners about pollinators and plants.  I already had pollinator friendly plants but I really wanted to take it a step further.  My day job is a News Director for a radio station.  I get lots of emails, one was from my local Soil and Water Conservation District wanting me to mention they had raingarden and butterfly garden plants for sale.  I jumped all over it! … [Continue reading]