Spotted touch-me-not aka Jewelweed


Thu. Sep. 23, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spotted touch-me-not aka Jewelweed

I was recently on a bicycle ride with a friend along a trail the city created. They did a really nice job of weaving it through wooded areas and open spaces. It was also fun to see all the native plants including helianthus laetiflorus aka cheerful sunflower…

…and solidago aka goldenrod. Which is NOT the plant that makes you sneeze!

But then there was this little jewel of a flower you had to look  … [Continue reading]

Autumnal Equinox – savoring Fall


Wed. Sep. 22, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Autumnal Equinox – savoring Fall

Happy Autumnal Equinox Day!  We turn the Autumnal corner at 2:20 central time this afternoon! I just love this time of year.  

Sweatshirts and flannels, leaving the windows cracked open at night with that cool air making good sleeping weather, that feeling of nesting as we bring our garden harvests in and preserve, can, dry or freeze them for winter. 

The change of seasons means we need to watch those temps as they  … [Continue reading]

Fall herbicide care in a drought


Tue. Sep. 21, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall herbicide care in a drought

In a “normal” year, now through late October would be the best time to put down a herbicide for broadleaf weeds. Dandelion, plantain lily, white clover and wild violets are actively growing.

HOWEVER, for 2021, for drought stricken areas, homeowners are being urged NOT to use treatments. The biggest reason is that, if the weeds are wilted the herbicide won’t be nearly as effective and if your lawn is dormant, the chemicals  … [Continue reading]

Overabundance of produce?


Mon. Sep. 20, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Overabundance of produce?

 Got a problem with too much produce? Neighbors done accepting more cucumbers and zucchini from you? What do you do? Preserving, canning, drying and even fermenting are great options.

Comprehensive information on varied ways to safely preserve your harvests [Univ. of MN Ext.]

When harvesting vegetables, be careful not to break, nick or bruise them. The less you handle your vegetables, the longer they’ll last in storage. And only harvest the best stuff! Rotting produce  … [Continue reading]

It’s not too early to prepare your plants for winter


Fri. Sep. 17, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: It’s not too early to prepare your plants for Winter

This year it is especially important to continue to water our plants, trees and shrubs till the ground freezes, which means likely through November and perhaps into December!

For newly planted trees, they can use 10 to 20 gallons of water a week when they’re getting established! The crabapple above was planted just last year.

Fall watering is especially important for evergreens as they continue to lose moisture  … [Continue reading]

Permeable pavers


Wed. Sep. 15, 2021

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

Beautify and preserve. It’s possible with permeable pavers.

When most of our neighborhoods were built, the idea was to get the water off our paved surfaces as quickly as possible, neglecting the fact that that water has to go somewhere. It goes into our storm drains and directly into our lakes and streams.

Storm water runoff creates a litany of issues including contaminants and pollutants that enter our waterways. 

Stormwater runoff continues to collect pollutants along  … [Continue reading]

Soil potpourri


Wed. Sep. 15, 2021

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

There’s still harvesting to do, perennial, tree, shrub and bulb planting; but this is also a good time to start preparing a new garden bed. Maybe you want to expand your vegetable garden or start a new perennial bed, add some shrubs.  Whatever your plan is, make sure you mix in plenty of organic matter.

Fallen leaves are usually abundant and certainly cheap. Run your lawn mower over the pile of leaves a couple of times  … [Continue reading]

Uncommon trees for Fall color


Tue. Sep. 14, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Uncommon trees for Fall color

Fall is such a pretty time of year. This red maple is not uncommon, I’ll get to those!

Honey locust! This isn’t the messy one, but a beautiful cultivar called ‘Sunburst’ that is thornless and seedless.

The leaves emerge golden yellow in Spring, turn green in Summer and then golden yellow with a touch of green in Fall. It’s also a good street tree, tolerant of drought, road salt, and pollution. ‘Sunburst’ grows  … [Continue reading]

Planting garlic


Mon. Sep. 13, 2021

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

I LOVE garlic!

For the first time, I planted garlic last October. For zone 4 folks, the middle of October is a good time, after the first killing frost. If you live in Zone 3 then a couple of weeks earlier is sufficient.

There are a LOT of varieties of garlic but the best type for our cold zones is a ‘Hardneck’ variety. They tolerate our climate conditions much better than the softneck type.  Don’t plant  … [Continue reading]

Fall plant picks – perennials


Fri. Sep. 10, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall plant picks – perennials

As we work our way into Fall there are some plants that we all associate with that time of year.  I talked about some Fall picks last week, in particular, mums – the annual kind and the hardy mums! 

But what about other perennials. There are a number of Asters. I have Sky Blue Aster, Smooth Blue and New England! All natives, all growing at various heights and delivering blooms from  … [Continue reading]