Perennial of the Year 2022


Mon. Jan. 10, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Perennial of the Year 2022

 The Perennial Plant Association announced their winner for Perennial of the Year 2022. It’s Schizachyrium scoparium and its cultivars. It’s common name is Little Bluestem and there are some real gems.

One in particular for our zones 3 and 4 was created at the University of Minnesota Department of Horticulture by Mary Meyer. ‘Blue Heaven’ grows to 4 ft. tall at maturity.

The foliage is dark blue to burgundy during summer turning purple,  … [Continue reading]

Garden planning


Fri. Jan. 7, 2022

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

Odds are pretty good you’ve already been getting catalogs in the mail from plant and seed companies.

Here’s to a bigger, bolder, saucier YOU in 2022! HA!

As you peruse those catalogs, it’s also a  good time to look over last year’s journal.

As you page through those wish books, jot down some of your favorites and do some research or email me with your questions, tkgardenbite@gmail.com.

Most catalogs paint a glossy picture of the  … [Continue reading]

Epiphany and what to do with the Christmas tree


Thu. Jan. 6, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Epiphany and what to do with the Christmas tree

Today is the official last day of the twelve days of Christmas. It’s the Epiphany, the time when Christians around the world remember the three Wise Men.  January 6, according to Merriam-Webster, is observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ.

Other  … [Continue reading]

More 2022 plants


Wed. Jan. 5, 2022

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

I’m having fun looking at new plant introductions for the 2022 season! One I came across is called ‘Drumsticks’ in its native Australia, an apt name! I lived in the Northern Territory for a couple of years when I was a kid. Great place, great people!

On to Drumsticks, also known as Craspedia globosa. The cultivar ‘Sun Ball’ is new from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

One inch sunny yellow globes sit atop long, stiff stems. The  … [Continue reading]

Peperomia plants


Tue. Jan. 4, 2022

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

Oh peperomia how I love your vast foliage options. I recently treated myself to a new plant and sassy pot.

‘Watermelon’ peperomia argyreia, is a sweet little beauty. The leaves are green and silver while the stems are red!

Peperomia like bright, indirect light, a bit of warmth and humidity in our cold climate homes but not too much water. They are tropical plants, native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. You can see from  … [Continue reading]

Clean your plants, clear the air – vice versa


Mon. Jan. 3, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Clean your plants, clear the air – vice versa

Uh, you might want to give that plant a bath. I’m not saying that there’s an odor, but… no, seriously, that crusty layer of dust and, maybe cooking residue, diminishes the plant’s ability to clear your air! Which I talked about last week!

I wiped down my snake plant yesterday!

Periodically cleaning the leaves of your houseplants is actually less work than letting it go until a year  … [Continue reading]

Toasting Champagne!


Fri. Dec. 31, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. radio show: Toasting Champagne!

Here’s to 2022… may we be able to breathe

No day is more associated with Champagne than today, New Years Eve. The bubbly’s start was dubious and it’s history riddled with lawsuits.

Dom Perignon, (the guy from the Champagne region of France!) tried many times to get the fizz out of his wine. When wine has bubbles, it’s a sign that it has continued to ferment inside the bottle.  The quintessential guide to Champagne – a little history  … [Continue reading]

Greening up with gardening


Thu. Dec. 30, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Greening up with gardening

 I have a saying “The garden is no place to stress for success but to soak up some sun and renew your spirit”. Not only does gardening relieve stress but it gives us a wonderful opportunity for fresh air, some exercise and fresh produce. I love the feel of soil in my hands, the thrill of harvesting that first juicy tomato.

Gardeners now come in all habitats. From suburban to urban, sprawling landscapes to  … [Continue reading]

Clearing the Air


Wed. Dec. 29, 2021

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

Many of us are still sticking close to home and filling our homes with houseplants. There are many reasons, certainly one is to brighten the mood, the other is to CLEAR the AIR! 

Decades ago NASA proved plants could remove volatile chemicals from the air including formaldehyde which is found in, or used to produce, a multitude of everyday products, from fabrics and furniture to tobacco smoke and gas stoves. 

Skip to page 9 and  … [Continue reading]

Saving Prairie


Tue. Dec. 28, 2021

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

Tallgrass Prairie are among the most decimated and threatened natural plant communities in the Midwest and the world.

The tallgrass prairie ecosystem is dominated by native grasses and wildflowers, but the most dominant species defining the prairie are big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass.

Their root systems stretch many feet into the soil, leaving deposits that enrich the soil and keep it from blowing away. That deep, rich, fertile soil was easily transformed into crop land  … [Continue reading]