Popular annuals for 2023


Tue. Feb. 21, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Popular annuals for 2023

The plant breeder, Proven Winners, analyzed the most sought-after annuals from nurseries who purchase seeds and/or plugs of plants to grow for their upcoming season and came up with some predictions for the most in-demand Proven Winners annuals for the spring of 2023.

Supertunias tops the list and they happen to have a brand new one called ‘Persimmon’.

First, Supertunias are petunias with more vigor and a more mounded habit. ‘Persimmon’ flowers  … [Continue reading]

Mexican vacation and plant discoveries


Mon. Feb. 20, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Mexican vacation and plant discoveries

As you know I was on vacation in Mexico a couple of weeks ago and did manage to take a few pictures of the plant life! The hibiscus were blooming. That was a welcome sight in the middle of winter!

Correctly identifying the other flora pictures turned out to be more challenging than I thought.

The one I id’d easily was Monstera deliciosa. The leaves are WAY larger outside in their native  … [Continue reading]

How invasive species get around


Fri. Feb. 17, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: How invasive species get around

We have many invasive plants and insects that affect our ecosystems. It’s hard to imagine NOT having them based on the fact that humans are a traveling invasive species! Centuries ago our ancestors traveled to the Americas bringing with them all kinds of plants and taking other plants back to their homelands.

There wasn’t a thought to the ramifications of what one species would do to the local plant and/or insect populations.  … [Continue reading]

Should we plant more trees or not?


Thu. Feb. 16, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Should we plant more trees or not?

Is planting trees enough to reverse climate change? Short answer: no.

Last week I re-aired Garden Bites from last year as I was on vacation. One of those was titled a Change of Climate for gardening and I talked about the various ways to help our planet including planting trees.

My arborist friend, Faith Appelquist of Treequality, came out with another awesome article regarding that very thing. She got a  … [Continue reading]

Buckthorn, bunnies and blue pee


Wed. Feb. 15, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Buckthorn, bunnies and blue pee

Years ago, I lived on 5 acres in Lakeville, MN.  While wandering through the woods, I discovered smurf blue stains in the snow!  The property had been a “farm dump”.

After cleaning up a bunch of barbed wire, old farm implements and plastic toys, that blue stain was worrisome. I knew it wasn’t mouthwash that I’d spit out or what I called “Blue Juice” back in my traffic reporting days, out in the  … [Continue reading]

Valentines Day traditions around the World


Tue. Feb. 14, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Valentines Day traditions around the World

Be with someone you love, do something you love, eat something you love, grow something you love!

In the meantime I’ll share some Valentine traditions around the world. In Denmark people traditionally exchange pressed white flowers called snowdrops instead of fresh bouquets. It’s also traditional for people to send their crushes “joke letters” called gaekkebrev. These poems or rhymes are signed only with dots, so the recipient has to guess who  … [Continue reading]

Symbolism behind the color of flowers


Mon. Feb. 13, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Symbolism behind the color of flowers

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, just in case you hadn’t heard! Flower color symbolism dates back centuries and is found in most cultures!  What DO those colors mean? You might want to know before you buy, just in case your special someone DOES know!

Red, in particular with roses, stands for romantic love and passion, but can also mean desire, strength, courage and respect.

  • Pink is playful, innocent and a more platonic
 … [Continue reading]

A new sunflower for bees and a “parasol” for humans!


Fri. Feb. 3, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: A new sunflower for bees and a “parasol” for humans!

Last year I planted several sunflowers in support of Ukraine and also for bees and the finches too!

This year, as I was perusing my Burpee catalog, I noted a new sunflower they’re offering for 2023 called ‘Creme Brulee’.

This is their description: Elegant crowns of golden-yellow petals surround fluffy, amber-bronze centers, a floral reflection of the caramelized sugar atop that fabulous dessert, crème brulee! It really  … [Continue reading]

Native salt tolerant plants


Thu. Feb. 2, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Native salt tolerant plants

 Minnesota has had one of the snowiest winters in a long while. The ice has been awful.

400 crashes reported on icy roads one morning in the Twin Cities! The salt truck was BACKING UP my hill so the salt preceded the truck! YUP, those salt trucks are necessary to help prevent more crashes and falls.

I expected it and finally received it… a note from my poor mailman to get rid of the  … [Continue reading]

EAB 2023 update and Ash tree alternatives


Wed. Feb. 1, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: EAB 2023 update and Ash tree alternatives

As of January 5th, 2023, the USDA reports that Emerald Ash Borer has been located in 36 states across the country. First discovered in 2002 in Michigan, it is believed to have actually arrived in the 1990’s on infected wood used in shipping. It is native to northeast Asia where it only attacks dying Ash trees.

Here in the US, it is responsible for killing tens of millions of once healthy

 … [Continue reading]