The Year of the Lilac


Tue. Mar. 8, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The Year of the Lilac

The National Garden Bureau has chosen 2022 to be the Year of the Lilac. You may ask why? Lilacs are among the most carefree spring-flowering, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs (or small trees).

They are well-loved for their toughness, reliability, and fragrance. My area has battled some with lilac blight. And another Garden Bite on blight. 

That said, lilacs are some amazing shrubs/small trees. There are about 30 species of lilacs, Latin  … [Continue reading]

Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not!


Mon. Mar. 7, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not!

The only constant thing in life is change and that really follows us into the garden. Whether it’s change WE choose, the PLANT chooses, a hungry critter chooses or the weather! 

And this Winter has been all over the place! With drought last year and sustained cold this winter along with mini stretches of really warm temps, we’ll have to see how it plays out in the garden.  … [Continue reading]

Sod busting – turning lawn into landscape


Fri. Mar. 4, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Sod busting – turning lawn into landscape

More and more, a trend is to break up your lawn and fill it with native plants. There are a ton of reasons and I’ve discussed many of them on Garden Bite!

But how should you tackle getting rid of that lawn? The most brutal method is a shovel and your back!

It’s also the best way in terms of cutting up that sod and removing all offending lawn grass. However,  … [Continue reading]

Garden trends 2022


Wed. Mar. 2, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Garden trends 2022

Some trends for the garden in 2022 include Gardening For Climate Change.  If you live in an area prone to wildfires, there are some plants that you really may want to consider. First up are drought tolerant plants, they’re less likely to ignite immediately. Firewise in Minnesota (DNR) has more information that works for any of us.  Click on the 50 things you can do to protect your home. Here’s a short list: … [Continue reading]

Perennials for shade


Tue. Mar. 1, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Perennials for shade

All I have is shade, is there any other plant beside Hosta? I’ve heard that so many times. And the answer is still the same. YES! Let’s first evaluate shade. First note that the amount of sunlight does NOT have to be all at one time and the vast majority of us have SOME sun at points throughout the day.

  • Part shade is 3 to 4 hours of sunlight 
  • Full shade is less than 4
 … [Continue reading]

Bare-root plants


Mon. Feb. 28, 2022

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

Bare-root plants are typically one to perhaps even 3 years old when dug out of the ground where they’ve been growing. They’re shipped to you with no soil, just moist peat moss around the roots. 

Bareroot plants are dormant and prefer to be planted in the cold! You just need to be able to dig a hole in the soil. These plants need to be planted right away. If not, you need to keep them refrigerated  … [Continue reading]

More to a salad than lettuce


Fri. Feb. 25, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More to a salad than lettuce

 An article on more to salads than lettuce from the National Garden Bureau really caught my eye. As someone who brings salad to work for lunch nearly every day, I can attest to the fact that there are plenty of greens to spice up your salad and add even more nutritional value.

Arugula is a favorite of mine, it has a great bite and is easy to grow. Plant seed as soon  … [Continue reading]

Long-lived perennials


Thu. Feb. 24, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Long-lived perennials

 If you’re looking to plant and be done with it, consider some long-lived plants. That said, no plant lives that long without some care which may include division. Peonies, which are perennials, come to my mind first.

They will likely far out last you! It takes them 2 to 3 years to produce blooms but they can live over 100 years. Hardy to zone 3 there are various varieties for bloom time and flower shape.  … [Continue reading]

GMO’s vs Hybrids


Wed. Feb. 23, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: GMO’s vs Hybrids

What’s the difference between hybrid plants and genetically modified plants? First, modifications or genetic mutations, if you will, take place in every living thing naturally. When 2 people (or birds) have a baby, there’s some mutation going on.

Hybridizers have been modifying plants since agriculture began, it used to take 6 to 10 generations to change characteristics. Modern hybridization speeds up that process considerably. Using a method of controlled crossing devised by Charles Darwin and  … [Continue reading]

Pussy Willows for early Pollinators


Tue. Feb. 22, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Pussy Willows for early Pollinators

 I talked last week about some new 2022 Spring bloomers. Today I’m focusing on our native Pussy willows! This native shrub provides some of the earliest flowers which means pollen for our native bees! The foliage is also host to native butterfly caterpillars.

Pussy willows are fast growing, up to 15 to 20 feet tall and prefer wet sites but will tolerate a wide variety of soils. These shrubs are either  … [Continue reading]