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Do You Say, Pee-O-Nay?
I have always said Pee-a-nee, but I’m surprised how many gardeners I know who say, Pee-O-Nay (accent on the O). And, even though my Iowa husband often accuses me of speaking with what he calls “the...
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A Well-Behaved Cranesbill
'Tiny Monster' cranesbill Cranesbills, also called hardy geranium, are noted for their wild look. They can get very scraggly and leggy, after the first flush of bloom. I usually cut back my ‘Johnson...
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Right Plant, Right Place
One of the most repeated mantras in gardening is “right plant, right place.” Like other garden sayings, there is a lot of truth in the advice to choose plants that fit the conditions of a landscape...
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Best Garden Advice of 2011: Shearing Perennials
Cut back in June, sedum is short, squat and blooming in October. Back in September 2010, Don Engebretson suggested in Northern Gardener’s perennial column that gardeners shear back some tall, floppy...
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Growing Perennials in Cold Climates
A Gardener’s Reading, seventh of 30 By Mike Heger, John Whitman and Debbie Lonnee (University of Minnesota Press, 2011) For many northern gardeners, the 1998 edition of Growing Perennials in Cold...
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A Good Year for Clematis
'Bee's Jubilee' first flush of bloom With the mild winter and ample rain in April, 2012 is shaping up to be a great year for clematis. Several gardeners have told me their clematis are blooming much...
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Poor Luck for Peonies
Calm amid the storms. It never fails — the day after my peonies start blooming, there is a downpour accompanied by heavy winds, then maybe more wind or cold or heat. My peonies started blooming last...
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Right Plant, Right Place II
Putting the right plant in the right place is an adage in gardening — and a true one. (Maybe all adages are true?) I’ve written about it before, but more evidence of right plant, right place showed up...
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Bee on Baptisia
The bees love the nectar from baptisia. With the sun out (finally) and the temperatures heating up, many plants have started to bloom and the bees and butterflies are returning to the garden. There...
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The Garden in Spring
While mowing the yard the other night, the vibrant green of the lawn and all the plants in the garden beds seemed to radiate growth. We’ve gotten about 2 inches of rain over the last week or so, and...
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Earliest Ever First Bloom
Sunday (March 13) I noticed this little Iris reticulata blooming in my front garden. This plant is often the first one to bloom in my Minnesota garden, and 2016 is the earliest ever for it to bloom. In...
View ArticleWhat!? A USDA Zone 6 Plant Thrives in Minnesota?
Pictured above is an anise hyssop that I planted last summer for a little color with absolutely no hopes that it would survive the winter. Yet, come April, it was sprouting its pretty chartreuse...
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