Search Results for: clay soil

Lawn alternatives

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

I talked about overseeding your lawn and what types of grass seed there is. Today, let’s talk about alternatives to lawns. You know about my mostly clover lawn…

…but there are other options out there that can provide that grassy look without the chemicals and water consumption of the typical American lawn.

Pennsylvania sedge has fine textured leaves, a 6 to 10 inch height with a creeping habit. I bought mine from Prairie Moon Nursery

More  … [Continue reading]

A low salt diet for our roads

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: A low salt diet for our roads

22 inches of snow in Duluth! Yowza… Well it’s definitely plow time! Road treatments and sidewalk treatments are important for public safety. However…

Did you know that one teaspoon of salt pollutes 5 gallons of water? Neither did I!   From the MN Pollution Control Agency – what sodium chloride does 

A friend of mine, Sonya Goins, reported this story a few years back. Same good information to know!

An estimated 365,000  … [Continue reading]

Spotlight on New Jersey Tea and Winterberry Holly

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spotlight on New Jersey Tea and Winterberry Holly

 I wanted to highlight a little native shrub that is super tolerant of some lousy conditions as well as being a butterfly and hummingbird magnet.  New Jersey Tea is also recognized for being a native bee magnet too.

The shrub is a larval host for Spring Azure, Summer Azure, Mottled Duskywing butterflies. Turkeys and quail consume seeds. New Jersey Tea is part of the buckthorn family BUT, it’s not the  … [Continue reading]

Lawn alternatives

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

I talked about overseeding your lawn and what types of grass seed there is. Today, let’s talk about alternatives to lawns. You know about my mostly clover lawn…

…but there are other options out there that can provide that grassy look without the chemicals and water consumption of the typical American lawn.

Pennsylvania sedge has fine textured leaves, a 6? height with a creeping habit.

Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin says it’s good in dry soils in  … [Continue reading]

Read the plant label!

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Read the plant label!

I’ve had several people ask about replacement plants for plants that have moved on to the garden in the sky.  I’ve advised them about the differing cultural requirements including sun and shade, soil and watering, the usual stuff.  But another thing that must be mentioned when talking about buying plants is to make sure you know what you’re getting. Read the label carefully.  

Take, for instance, these plant labels. This two plants are the  … [Continue reading]

Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not (not a typo)

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not

The only constant thing in life is change and that really follows us into the garden. Whether it’s change WE choose, the PLANT chooses, a hungry critter chooses or the weather!

And this Winter has been a doozy!  Between record cold, record snowfall and the potential of flooding in the Spring, it’s going to be interesting to see how our landscapes come out of this.

Blizzard conditions rendered  … [Continue reading]

It’s raining climate change in the Big Woods

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  It’s raining climate change in the Big Woods

It’s raining climate change in a State Park in Minnesota. The Minnesota DNR’s new Park Ranger for Nerstrand Big Woods, Katie Foshay, recently shared that 12% of the park is experiencing forest death due to lack of oxygen around flooded tree roots. Note:  photos courtesy of MnDNR

The loss of maples, oaks, basswood and more is devastating and, worse, Ash trees, that tolerate wet soil are sprouting up but they’re  … [Continue reading]

Garden design principles

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

Aside from plant diagnostics, Garden Design probably gives more folks a nervous tick.  It doesn’t have to be that way. As we nestle in for Winter and ponder our landscapes, I thought I’d share, once again, Andrew Sankey’s 10 principles of design. 

Many years ago Andrew spoke at the MN Landscape Arboretum.  He is a lovely man and a wonderful speaker!  

  1. Don’t fight nature.  Work with what you have, don’t be too quick
 … [Continue reading]

A low salt diet for our roads

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  A low salt diet for our roads

It’s time to put us on a low salt diet… it’s snow and ice season in our cold climates and that means road treatments and sidewalk treatments are important for public safety.  But did you know that one teaspoon of salt pollutes 5 gallons of water? Neither did I!   From the MN Pollution Control Agency – what sodium chloride does

An estimated 365,000 tons of road salt is applied in the  … [Continue reading]

Read the plant label

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio feature:  Read the plant label

Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Well…..

Let’s take Viburnum for instance.  This group of shrubs consists of more than 150 species and cultivars.  Light preferences can vary from full sun to shade, heights vary from 2 feet to 30 feet and, some berries are edible while others are not!  You really need to know what cultivar will fit your needs.

The Viburnum called ‘Highbush Cranberry’ is known as Viburnum Trilobum in latin.  This bush will  … [Continue reading]