Seed ordering


Fri. Dec. 17, 2021

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

 The plant and seed catalogs for 2022 are starting to arrive. I just received one from a company I’d never heard of, Seeds N Such. I did a little research and found some mixed reviews. That got me thinking about how we order things and our own expectations.

I prefer to buy locally whenever possible. Many nurseries carry seed packets from companies they’ve already vetted. That’s not to say you shouldn’t order something you’d like  … [Continue reading]

Knock it off? Snow, that is


Thu. Dec. 16, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Knock it off? Snow, that is

Well, we got snow!  Now what about those evergreens?

Should I knock it off or not?  That is the question some folks in the northland ask when faced with snow and ice covering their conifers and other shrubs and trees.

Our first instinct is to knock that stuff off, set the branches free, however, you might do more harm than good.  And put your own safety at risk.

The ice that can  … [Continue reading]

Gardener gifts for “the Littles”


Wed. Dec. 15, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Gardener gifts for “the Littles”

As you go about your gift shopping don’t forget the little gardeners in your life. Plastic has become passe unless it’s recyclable. And even then, most of the plastic garden tools of kids just isn’t worth buying.

In comes metal and wood tools styled to fit childrens hands. And bonus, they’re sturdier! There are a couple of companies worth checking out.  EverEarth has a Childrens Gardening Bag With Tools set containing a  … [Continue reading]

Legends of holiday plants


Tue. Dec. 14, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Legends of holiday plants

Some holiday plants are heaped in legend. Starting with the Christmas tree which has several, but I’ll stick with this one…  The primitive cultures of northern Europe believed that evergreen trees possessed godlike powers and also symbolized immortality.

The Germanic peoples would bring evergreen boughs into their homes during winter to insure the protection of the home and the return of life to the snow-covered forest.

The first record of a Christmas tree is  … [Continue reading]

Identifying holiday cacti


Mon. Dec. 13, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Identifying holiday cacti

Let’s just clear it up! Identifying Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter cacti!

Every year there’s a lot of social media chatter about those holiday cacti. Is it a Thanksgiving cactus, a Christmas cactus, an Easter flowering cactus? Their common names suggest their bloom time! 

The main thing we can all agree on is how lovely they are and it gets even better. Some of these plants have lived over 100 years! Can you imagine how many  … [Continue reading]

The story of the Poinsettia – Flowers of the Holy Night


Fri. Dec. 10, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The story of the Poinsettia – Flowers of the Holy Night

Every year at this time I share the legend of the Poinsettia as we celebrate National Poinsettia Day in the U.S. on December 12th. This year, that’s on Sunday.

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a native of Mexico, where it grows like a weed and can reach 10 feet tall. 

Mexican legend holds that the leaves, shaped like the star of Bethlehem, first bloomed red for a  … [Continue reading]

Birds and their many benefits


Thu. Dec. 9, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Birds and their many benefits

 A couple of weeks ago I talked about the benefits of bats and birds. I want to add to the list of birds that bring joy AND munch on those unwanted pets.

Take the adorable wren! These energetic, perky little darlings are fun to watch with the bonus of them munching on ground bugs like beetles, caterpillars, grubs, snails and my recent nemesis, ANTS! 

They’re picky about where they hang out. Some tips  … [Continue reading]

Adaptive gardening


Wed. Dec. 8, 2021

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

There’s no better healer than being out in Nature. I’m talking physically and mentally. But, as I recently experienced, age can catch up and you may not be as “bendable” (ha) as you used to be. (I had hip surgery 2 months ago).

The point is, we can all use some help sometimes. Adaptive gardening is a way to help everyone enjoy gardening.

The National Garden Bureau had an article by Toni Gattone who has written  … [Continue reading]

2022 AAS Winners


Tue. Dec. 7, 2021

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

The 2022 AAS plant winners have been selected! The first I’ll talk about is a new eggplant. Don’t roll your eyes yet (that’s what I did). ‘Icicle’ is a white oblong cultivar.

The large, durable, and vigorous plants hold up to insect damage and the environment. The pure white skin doesn’t yellow and kids even liked it! The plant grows to 4 ft. It’s best growing on a trellis.

This next plant I had to  … [Continue reading]

The what and why of AAS


Mon. Dec. 6, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The what and why of AAS

The All America Selections for 2022 have been released. 

 A little history on AAS, in 1932, Ray Hastings (who owned a seed company) encouraged all seed companies to set up trial grounds, cooperatively test new varieties and agree to develop marketing efforts for new vegetables and flowers.

He recommended a national network of trial grounds throughout North American climates where flower and vegetable varieties would be grown and assessed by skilled  … [Continue reading]