with Teri Knight
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]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Top 3 Garden Topics for 2021
The University of Minnesota Extension, as all state university extensions do, answer a LOT of gardener questions. This year, the U identifies three top topics of 2021, so far.
Sick maples and stressed evergreens topped the list. I just snapped a photo of a maple that is overproducing seed (called masting), dropping leaves and changing color. This really started last year. Sunscald also caused issues due to our winter weather and … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall lawn seeding and care
2021 for Minnesota has meant drought. While we’ve had some glorious rain, we are still in a drought and our lawns, plants and trees & shrubs have suffered. That said, now is the time to seed your lawn (if it needs it). Many lawns have gone dormant so, before you start raking up that brown stuff, be sure grass is truly dead. If there’s been some greening up, it’s not dead. Still brown? … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Getting rid of poison ivy
Recently someone I know had a nasty run-in with poison ivy. It’s nothing to be trifled with! Poison ivy is native to Minnesota and is also on the noxious weed list. Learn more from MinnesotaWildflowers, the UofMN Ext. and the U of Wis. Ext.
Not everyone has a major reaction but once you have, you will continue to have a bad reaction. If your skin comes in contact, use water only … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Labor Day and hardworking plants
Happy Labor day, a holiday to pay tribute to the contributions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. That, according to the Dept. of Labor.
It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century after years of very poor working conditions, child labor and more. It became a federal holiday in 1894.
As for worker PLANTS, let me tell you who to salute … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Eco-friendly furniture
Can you believe it’s the start of Labor Day weekend?! Wow. Sept. 6th, 2021. There’s still plenty of time though, to spend outdoors.
As more and more, we consider our impact on our planet, have you ever considered Eco-friendly furniture? When I had my television show, Dig In Minnesota, I had the opportunity to find out more about a company that uses plastic bottles to create sustainable furniture. Breezesta.
There are many more sustainable outdoor … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Busting to plant bulbs
The fall planted bulbs are starting to show up at local nurseries. These are those spring bloomers like tulips and crocus.
But there’s also garlic, which will be ready to harvest in early August.
While catalogs, which are filling up my mailbox, offer a wider variety than some of our local stores, it’s important to make sure you’re getting a good product.
When your bulbs arrive, inspect them immediately. Your bulbs, rhizomes, and corms … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Annuals for Fall – freshening up those containers
Local nurseries, grocery stores and even some gas stations are showing off Fall annuals. It feels early but that might be due to our warmer than normal temperatures.
Anyway, the mums are dazzling and there are a whole lot of other gorgeous options to refresh those spent summer annuals. Change out those pooped out petunias for some flowering kale along with those mums.
Crotons scream fall colors! They also make … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Big bluestem – Blackhawks
Last year I picked up a new cultivar of Big Bluestem grass called ‘Blackhawks’. Oh my, the foliage evolves throughout the growing season.
The long leaves are green in spring turning hues of bluish purple by June and will be turning more purple to red as the seasons turn. By Autumn, it’s nearly black! Oh my, it is striking!
It’s also tall. The leaves grow to 5 ft with the flowers and seed heads … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Blight blues on lilacs – again
Last year’s cool, wet, rainy, spring season favored development of lilac blight and boy, did we get it! Lilac blight doesn’t go away. I know many tried to clean up the foliage and prune out the blighted branches. Garden Bite listeners sent photos…
The University of Minnesota Extension directed people to prune them hard. The problem is the disease, Pseudocercospora can persist for several years on plant debris such as leaves, stems, … [Continue reading]