Repellex – a later version


Thu. Oct. 10, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Repellex – a later version

Oh yes, those big brown eyes are beautiful… till that deer moseys over to your gardens to start munching!

As gardeners we’ve used loud noises, Irish Spring soap, pepper spray and a variety of other so-called surefire ways to keep the deer at a distance without consistent results.  

There’s also another critter that creates chaos for young trees in particular, it’s the lowly mouse and it’s cousin the vole.  Mice like to nestle  … [Continue reading]

Planting Spring bulbs


Wed. Oct. 9, 2019

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

 I remember many years planting Spring bulbs with my fingers so dang cold they felt like frostbite! Oh but the delight of spring blooms is worth it… most of the time!  As I was scrolling for some new tulips, I found a 2018 tulip that I shared with you last year, its called ‘Rainbow Parrot’ from a company called Dutch Grown. Last year it was sold out, it’s not right now! YES, I bought 10  … [Continue reading]

EAB – Chaos and Creation?


Tue. Oct. 8, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB – Chaos and Creation?

 It’s an EAB update on GB, Emerald Ash Borer, the bug that will destroy the vast majority of ash trees.  Notice I said, WILL.

The exotic beetle from Asia, was discovered in southeastern Michigan in the summer of 2002.  And now, in 2019, it’s been discovered in 35 states and 3 Canadian provinces. EAB has killed well over 8 billion  Ash trees so far.

White Ash, for now, is faring better than the  … [Continue reading]

Honeysuckle vines – the beautiful and the bad


Mon. Oct. 7, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Honeysuckle vines – the beautiful and the bad

I have two outstanding honeysuckle vines.  

The one below is covering an iron sculpture… 

They grow like crazy and offer beautiful trumpet like flowers that attract hummingbirds late into the season. 

Then come these lovely berries…

…but as I was looking up information about those berries, I was stunned to find so much differing and confusing information on whether the berries are toxic. They most definitely are for CERTAIN kinds. … [Continue reading]

Best time to fertilize your lawn


Fri. Oct. 4, 2019

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. 3, 2019

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

 Last year at this time, we had some crazy wild weather where I live in southeastern Minnesota.  I cited the Old Farmers Almanac which said our Upper Midwest weather for the winter of 2018/19 was supposed to be a little warmer and drier. That wasn’t even close, so I’m not even going to hint at a prediction for this coming Winter!! If you’d like to see what the Almanac says, you can click on that  … [Continue reading]

Bird loss


Wed. Oct. 2, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bird loss

I was astonished when I heard a report that North America has lots nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. Smithsonian Magazine reports that a study in Science Journal says in less than half a century, the avian population of the continent has declined by some 29 percent, or more than one in four birds.

For the first time, researchers found that threatened species aren’t the only birds suffering population loss. In fact, common birds—including sparrows and  … [Continue reading]

Itoh peonies


Tue. Oct. 1, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Itoh peonies

Apparently I’m late to the game but I had never heard of an intersectional peony, also known as Itoh peony. This plant is a cross between a garden peony and a tree peony. Here’s more on Itoh Peonies from the American Peony Society

The combination means a longer bloom time and a sturdier peony. In 1948, a Japanese plant breeder,Toichi Itoh, achieved what no one else could, the perfect combination that are now called  … [Continue reading]

Planting peonies


Mon. Sep. 30, 2019

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

Now’s a great time to plant peonies!  These hardy long lived herbaceous perennials are pretty as specimen plants or borders.

Give them full sun and good drainage. (Although the above beauty was in part shade)  Dig a hole 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 ft. deep, add organic matter such as leaf mold, peat moss or compost.  Plant the peony with it’s “eyes” up no deeper than 2 inches below the soil surface (this is really  … [Continue reading]