Sowing seeds in winter – vernalization


Mon. Feb. 7, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Sowing seeds in winter – vernalization

Plant some seeds in a container that forms a greenhouse effect and set them outside. Cheap, easy and allows for the seeds to be ready to plant in your garden when the soil warms up!

What happens with this method is vernalization, a process in which frigid temperatures stimulate seed germination.

This can work for perennials such as delphinium and thyme for example (plants hardy to your climate zone which is  … [Continue reading]

Very Peri – Pantone color and plants


Fri. Feb. 4, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Very Peri – Pantone color and plants

 I mentioned a few weeks ago that Pantone picked their color of the year for 2022. ‘Very Peri’ as described by Pantone, “displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression”. I really do love that.

Moving on to Very Peri and plants. Incorporate some joy with an allium called ‘Globemaster’.

Hardy to zone 2, this flowering onion has silvery purple globe flowers  … [Continue reading]

Cankers/Galls and late winter pruning


Thu. Feb. 3, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Cankers/Galls and late winter pruning

With all the leaves gone on our trees and shrubs, it’s a good time to take a careful look at their branches for galls or cankers. Now through early March is a good time to prune out these problems. The wound is exposed for a shorter amount of time (a good thing) before the new growth starts to seal the wound.

As explained by the University of MN Hort Dept. : A … [Continue reading]

Groundhog Day “weather” you believe it or not!


Wed. Feb. 2, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Groundhog Day “weather” you believe it or not!

February 2nd each year brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and the only one led by a rodent.

Legend has it that on this morning if a groundhog, specifically Punxsutawney Phil, can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way. I wrote this last week, so I’m not going to say I know what  … [Continue reading]

Sprouting seeds


Tue. Feb. 1, 2022

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

 It has been a cold winter so far. Temps well below zero… brr. We’re missing our greens but we don’t have to. Where I work, one of our employees did a video on Sprouting seeds indoors. Watch the full video below. 

What’s so cool is how EASY it is! Growing sprouts doesn’t require any soil, just water, air, and a little sunshine on the last day or two to develop chlorophyll. (Turns them green)

Sprouts are  … [Continue reading]

Dead trees for life!


Mon. Jan. 31, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Dead trees for life!

I was snowshoeing with friends when one of them pointed out a ‘snag’ and said, “you should write a garden bite about that”. So, Lisa, I did!!  

You may wonder what the heck is a snag? It’s a dead tree left upright to decompose naturally and it’s a fantastic cover for wildlife while also providing food.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, Dead trees provide vital habitat for more than 1,000 species of  … [Continue reading]

Bird & Butterfly garden


Fri. Jan. 28, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bird & Butterfly garden

Who loves seeing songbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies in their garden? I think it’s safe to say that most every gardener does!

Some basics they need include food, water and shelter. Supplying a bird feeder, houses and birdbaths is a great start but food is a priority.

A natural food source will bring them to your landscape while enhancing the beauty for you!

As you ponder those plants in the catalogs on a snowy day,  … [Continue reading]

Companion planting


Thu. Jan. 27, 2022

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

After some snowshoeing, I’m looking forward to the soup I made using herbs from last year!

 

They are a wonderful family of plants.  They offer fragrance, taste, medicinal properties and they repel some pests.

Until fairly recently, companion planting wasn’t really given it’s due credit by University based Horticulture departments, even if some of the instructors may have written a book or two!!! One I’ve used to plan my vegetable garden is called ‘Carrots love  … [Continue reading]

Orchid (Phalaenopsis aka Phal) care


Wed. Jan. 26, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Orchid (Phalaenopsis aka Phal) care

Orchids! Phalaenopsis orchids, specifically, are the most popular indoor houseplant gift.

Catching your eye in the produce aisle of the grocery store or in local garden centers, they can often be an impulse buy.

The good news is they are relatively easy care. Light and watering, however, are always an issue with houseplants. The American Orchid Society recommends using a pencil or wooden skewer to determine whether an orchids needs to be watered. … [Continue reading]

Air plants


Tue. Jan. 25, 2022

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

Air plants have become a fun, trendy plant. Their Latin name is Tillandsia and they are native to South and Central America with about 500 species!

Do they really grow with no soil? Yes, they are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants, usually tree branches but they’re not a parasite. They’re a cousin of bromeliad. 

They take in nutrients through their leaves from the air and occasional rainfall. They have tiny hair-like parts on their  … [Continue reading]