Planting before the ground freezes


Fri. Oct. 9, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Planting before the ground freezes

You can still plant healthy shrubs and trees into November! The ground in our zone 3 and 4 climates doesn’t “generally” freeze until late in November and December. That means you can get those great deals at your local nursery and get them in the ground. Now’s a good time to also see what areas of your yard “need” something!

When shopping, don’t be afraid to take the plants out of their container,  … [Continue reading]

Peony division


Thu. Oct. 8, 2020

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

This is a perennial question, when should I divide my peonies….  Wait for the tops to be killed by frost, cut the stems to near ground level then, using a spading fork, dig out the rhizomes.

Make sure you dig a hole wider than the plant to avoid damaging the root system.  Take out the entire clump with as much of the root system as possible, cut it into smaller pieces, leaving at least 3 to  … [Continue reading]

Bringing houseplants indoors


Wed. Oct. 7, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bringing houseplants indoors

Brrr, there’s been some crisp Fall air and plenty of wind. Many of those beautiful Fall leaves have already landed on the ground!

For those who’ve had tropical plants outside it’s time to start preparing to bring them indoors. Some have already had to as temperatures dipped below freezing.  If it’s just one day of cold, consider a cloth or inside a shed or garage. 

The general rule of thumb is to bring those indoor  … [Continue reading]

Digging up bulb for winter storage


Tue. Oct. 6, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Digging up bulbs for winter storage

Last week we were planting bulbs for Spring bloom, and yesterday talking about keeping those squirrels from digging them up. Today, however, I’m talking about us digging up bulbs for winter storage not munching!

Gladiolas, dahlias, cannas, begonias and elephant ears to name some! It’s important to wait until the foliage of these plants are showing that the show is over, the flowers are gone, the foliage is browning or toast.

My  … [Continue reading]

Tenacious bulb eaters and the bulbs they might not eat!


Mon. Oct. 5, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tenacious bulb eaters and the bulbs they might not eat!

You know who they are… these little menaces wrapped in fur and cute little pudgy bodies… the enemy of the bulb!

They are tenacious, they are SQUIRRELS! Red ones, brown ones, black ones, white ones, they love digging up your newly planted bulbs to feast. People have discussed ideas about what to do for as long as we’ve planted bulbs.

Some say the most effective method is to  … [Continue reading]

Best time to fertilize your lawn


Fri. Oct. 2, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Best time to fertilize your lawn

Although most plants are shutting down right now, your lawn is actively growing.  Fall is the time when lawn grasses use their energy to spread and develop deeper root systems instead of above ground blades.  The best time to fertilize your lawn now to late October.

Using a slow release nitrogen fertilizer, the actively growing plants will use some of the nutrients now and save the unused nitrogen in the frozen soil  … [Continue reading]

October perennial care


Thu. Oct. 1, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: October perennial care

Yowza, it’s October 1st. This year feels like it’s taking forever and flying by…. Into a bright future!

You can start preparing for that bright future with some October to-do’s in the garden.

Now’s the time to collect seeds of rudbeckia and coneflowers.  Cut the heads off in the afternoon when the plant is dry, open the flower head and collect the seeds. You might want gloves on for some seeds, they can be kinda  … [Continue reading]

Apple trees for our northern climate


Wed. Sep. 30, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Apple trees for our northern climate

Oh, apple season, how I love you!  Shall I count the ways or just name some spectacular cultivars. For those of us in cold climates, growing apples wasn’t always easy but with a lot of research by places like the University of Minnesota, that started breeding apples in 1888, we can grow some delicious apples!

I remember back in … a long time ago, the Landscape Arboretum had the first ‘Honeycrisp’  … [Continue reading]

Charting how to plant bulbs in the Fall


Tue. Sep. 29, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Charting how to plant bulbs in the Fall:

As I teased you with tantalizing tulips and other Fall planted bulbs yesterday, I wanted to share the ins and outs of planting the various types of bulbs. Another 2020 introduction by Brecks below:

First, remember to check to see what your local nurseries have to offer before you place an order. The catalogs, however, DO offer a wider variety than some of our local shops so if you don’t  … [Continue reading]

Spring bulbs are for Fall planting


Mon. Sep. 28, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spring bulbs are for Fall planting

If you want spring to midseason bulbs to plant this Fall, you best get to finding some! With 2020 being a wildly enthusiastic year for gardens and landscape designing, some local nurseries and online sites that sell exclusive bulbs are flashing Out of Stock signs already.

Normally I would talk about this in October, well, I guess it darn near is! But generally speaking that’s when we put those little bulbs in  … [Continue reading]