April is a fickle month


Tue. Apr. 19, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: April is a fickle month

April is fickle in the Upper Midwest. From sandals to Sorels, ya never know what we’re gonna get.

So what’s a gardener to do? Check the weather! I’m optimistic that this is the week we turn the corner! The projected forecast for my area is finally looking at lows above freezing and highs closer to 60!

Your perennials and hardy spring bulbs that are peeking out don’t need extra protection—they can take whatever  … [Continue reading]

Caring for your Easter Lily and planting it


Mon. Apr. 18, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Caring for your Easter Lily and planting it

Did you receive an Easter Lily this past weekend?

These plants are forced to bloom out of their normal flowering time to be ready for the Christian Holy Day as it is marked by many traditions including the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers of lilium longiflorum. They symbolize purity, hope and life.

Caring for your Easter lily:

  • Lilies prefer it a little cool, around 60 to 65 degrees
  • They also prefer
 … [Continue reading]

Rain barrels and compost bins


Fri. Apr. 15, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Rain barrels and compost bins

Yes, it’s a perennial topic but with 18 million new gardeners recently, I want to share about these awesome garden tools!

April Showers bring May flowers and an opportunity. Of course, the hope is that moisture isn’t in the solid form of snow!  Rainwater is the best kind of water for your lawn, trees, shrubs and flower gardens. Capturing it is a good thing for several reasons.  First, it’s free!

It’s also a  … [Continue reading]

Mole or Vole?


Thu. Apr. 14, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Mole or vole?

Moles or voles, neither is great in the landscape. Voles are common in yards. They eat grasses and roots and leave trails. We usually see their small surface tunnels winding through lawns right after snow melt. Voles love munching on small trees and shrubs, they can be a problem with newly planted plants that don’t have protection in winter.

Large vole populations can most effectively be reduced using toxic baits. There are some available  … [Continue reading]

Fun plants for pollinators & people


Wed. Apr. 13, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fun plants for pollinators & people

 Eighteen million new gardeners all want pollinators too! I’m sharing some pretty plants for them and you…

This annual is hot pink prolific bloomer. Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ grows to 2 ft tall and wide, has no problem thriving in a drought and delivers blooms from planting to hard frost! 

Give it full sun and watch the pollinators stop by. Oh, and you don’t need to deadhead it either.

The Suncredible Yellow sunflower  … [Continue reading]

Epsom salts in your landscape – Yay or Nay


Tue. Apr. 12, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Epsom salts in your landscape – Yay or Nay

A listener recently asked me about using Epsom salts. Thank you, Dawn, for a great idea for a Garden bite! There are varying opinions as to the wisdom of using them.

First, I need to explain that Epsom salts contain magnesium. So I will debunk the notion that Epsom salts will prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes. Can’t do that because blossom end rot is a lack of calcium.  … [Continue reading]

Lawn spots from Fido or snow mold


Mon. Apr. 11, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawn spots from Fido or snow mold

We love our dogs but not so much what they do to our lawns over the winter.  Spot may have left some dead spots around the yard.

You can buy a lawn repair kit at most garden centers or you can mix your own.  After the soil has warmed up and isn’t wet, you can lift out the dead grass, loosen the soil and mix a handful of seed with a  … [Continue reading]

Low mow/no mow grass choice


Fri. Apr. 8, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Low mow/no mow grass choice

If mowing is not your thing or you’re looking at being more environmentally friendly, consider Eco-grass. A low mow or no mow lawn option.

Prairie Moon Nursery offers a blend of fine-leaved fescue grasses as an alternative to an energy-intensive conventional turf lawn. This blend is hardy from Zone 2 – 7. It is not native to our region, however, due to the other benefits it offers, it’s worth it even if you  … [Continue reading]

Best planting practices for trees and shrubs


Thu. Apr. 7, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite: Best planting practices for trees and shrubs

We discussed planting bare-root trees and shrubs last week, today we’ll talk about planting container grown. Conventional wisdom was to plant at the same depth your plant came in but studies have shown that sometimes our plants have been placed in their containers too deeply. That means you need to pull the plant out of the container and remove the soil to the trunk flare or graft. 

Experts recommend planting this about an  … [Continue reading]

Pre-sown seed tapes and discs


Wed. Apr. 6, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Pre-sown seed tapes and discs

During the pandemic, the U.S. has seen more than 18 million people get into gardening! Wahoo and welcome!

If you feel a bit daunted by planting a vegetable garden and think it might be costly, try pre-sown seed tape and/or discs. I just learned about these through the National Garden Bureau and had to share!

They’re great for any level of gardener. These seed tapes are for direct sow when the soil is  … [Continue reading]