Big Changes for Minnesota in New Hardiness Zone Map

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Mary Schier

From USDA

A sliver of Minnesota is officially in USDA Zone 5, according to the new hardiness zone map released today by the USDA, the first update to the map since 1990. Beyond that corner of Jackson and Martin Counties going officially zone 5 (a place where the lowest winter temperatures don’t sink below -20 degrees F — like say, Chicago), a huge chunk of Minnesota is now rated zone 4b (lowest temp: -25) and the area around St. Cloud has shifted from borderline zone 3 to a firm zone 4a — break out the Japanese maples!

According to the USDA, the changes in zones are the result of several factors. Mapping techniques are much better than in 1990, allowing for finer distinctions. For the first time, cities with urban heat islands may show up a zone or half-zone warmer than in the past — though not the Twin Cities.  USDA also had access to more accurate data and more data because it has more weather stations checking in with information. This map also is based on 30 years of weather information (1976-2005) rather than the 12 years (1974-1986) used for the 1990 map. This smooths out the weather fluctuations plants experience and gives a more accurate picture of growing conditions, according to USDA. For instance, mountainous regions may now be rated colder because the new data takes altitude into account more accurately.

The fact that about half the U.S. is a half zone warmer than in the previous map certainly brings up the issue of climate change. The USDA takes a cautious approach, noting that this map may merely be more accurate than previous maps and that climate change shows itself over even longer stretches of time (50 to 100 years).

The USDA has a very informative website about the new map, which allows folks to input their zip code to get very detailed information.

Posted in Weather | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Mrs. Greenthumbs

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Mary Schier

A Gardener’s Reading, 25 of 30

By Cassandra Danz (Three Rivers Press, 1993)

Mrs. Greenthumbs: How I Turned a Boring Yard into A Glorious Garden and How You Can, Toois a march through the gardening year with a hilarious, opinionated guide: Cassandra Danz.  I was sorry to read elsewhere that Danz died in 2002, but she left behind two books full of stories and advice. This is the first one, and Northfield readers can find it in the Northfield Public Library.

Mrs. Greenthumbs started out as a character in comedy sketches Danz performed, but Danz was a knowledgeable gardener and her advice is spot-on and delivered with humor and joy.  In a chapter on Japanese beetles she notes that “to have a cultivated garden, you have to be prepared to kill something.  You have to pull out weeds, cut down weed trees, and scare off, fence out, or murder woodchucks, rabbits, deer and destructive insects.” The beetles, she says, “would make a lovely brooch,” but the have to go. Many northern gardeners would agree.

In addition to rants on beetles, Mrs. Greenthumbs will tell you how to prune a tree or shrub, how to avoid double digging, and which seven perennials you must have in your garden (columbines, peonies, irises, hollyhocks, daylilies, phlox and asters). Like a good friend, she’ll tell you the garden truths you do not want to hear (In my case, that you really need to have a fence or other form of enclosure to have a truly comfortable garden), and she’ll keep you laughing all the way through.

Find it, read it.

Posted in A Gardener's Reading | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Snow Blooms, at Last

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Mary Schier

Snow covered chokeberries.

“Well, you got what you wanted,” my husband said as he stomped the snow off his feet from shoveling our back deck. Over the past 24 hours, we got a good coating of ice (not what I wanted!) followed by about 4 inches of snow, according to our shoveling estimates. Northfield seems to have picked up more than the Twin Cities, which is fine by me, as we at last have snow on the gardens.

Ice clings to 'Karl Foerster' grass. (click to see more clearly)

The ice formations were pretty last night, but the sidewalks and roads were more than a little treacherous. It’s good to have snow — we’ve had a brown winter long enough!

Posted in Winter interest | Leave a comment

Back to the Books! You Grow, Girl

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Mary Schier

A Gardener’s Reading, 24 of 30

By Gayla Trail (Fireside, 2005)

I can’t believe (well, yes I can) that my 30 book reviews planned for the holiday season stopped at 23. Life and laziness intervened, but I’m back at it this week with some new and old books – and, with any luck, we’ll hit 30 by spring.

Today’s book is You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening by Gayla Trail, one of the first blog-to-book publications. In 2000, Trail – a stalwart Canadian, so she has northern gardener credentials – started a website called YouGrowGirl.com. It’s still a lively site for folks with an interest in small space and food gardening. Since the publication of You Grow Girl in 2005, Trail has written two other books. Grow Great Grub on small space food gardening and the soon-to-be released Easy Growing on growing herbs and flowers in small spaces.

You Grow Girl has a fun, cool vibe. It covers a lot of the basics of gardening: choosing a space, deciding what to grow, how to deal with poor soil. But what distinguishes it from other basic garden manuals, other than its hip tone, are the projects. Trail tells readers how to make a simple planter box, a wire cloche to protect plants, tea bags for herbal teas, seed packets and a succulent container among many others. All of the projects are well-illustrated and easy to follow. She lets readers know how difficult the project is, and truthfully, none of them are that hard. When I first got the book, I made the garden apron for my sister, who cheerfully modeled it at our family Christmas party.

There isn’t a lot in You Grow Girl that is new but it is loads of fun to look at and, if I knew a young woman who had an interest in gardening, I would give her this book. It would provide a good start in the garden and lots of crafty fun to boot.

 

Posted in A Gardener's Reading | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Garden Trends 2012

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Mary Schier

Not sure what this daylily is called, but the color will be hot in 2012.

At this time of year, there’s plenty of discussion about what’s hot, what’s new and which trends will influence gardening this year. Some of the trends are fun, if superficial. Expect to see even more hot orange flowers now that Tangerine Tango is the color of the year. More gardeners are also playing with succulents and a few are heading back to the 70s with terrariums. (We’ll have an article on terrariums in Northern Gardener later in 2012.)

But beyond what looks good and what is fashionable, gardens reflect some underlying social shifts. For instance, interest in food gardening continues to be on the rise, including among young people, who traditionally are nongardeners. (According to a Garden Writers Association trend report, 59 percent of homeowners are now growing some food.) Whether trend watchers call them Urban Knights or The New Beginners, these are folks who want to eat healthy and to know what they are eating. They are concerned about food miles, eating seasonally and growing really tasty, clean food. To help these young gardeners, you’ll see even more information about small-space gardening and plants that are easy to grow as well as organic methods and heirloom seeds. Renee’s Garden Seeds, for example, recently introduced “Easy to Grow Seed Collections,” one for a container kitchen garden and one for a colorful kitchen garden.

Another trend can be loosely called concern for the earth. After growing food, the issues homeowners want information about most included earth-friendly gardening (49 percent) and native plants (41 percent). Planting for butterflies, bees and birds — pollinators — is motivating plant selections by more gardeners and more gardeners are committing to heirloom plants and organic methods.

Another not-exactly-surprising change is that more gardeners are seeking information about growing plants on the Internet. About 25 percent of gardeners turn to the web for information. (Only 8 percent turn to garden blogs!)

In many ways, these are continuations of trends from as far back as 2008. I’m excited about all these trends (even the terrariums!) so it’s an good time to be a gardener.

Posted in Garden Trends | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Northern Gardener Available

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Mary Schier

The January/February issue of Northern Gardener has been on the newsstands a couple of weeks, and I’ve heard lots of compliments about the wonderful profile of Lynn Steiner’s garden in Stillwater. (Heck, even my husband noticed this issue has a stunning cover!)

Lynn is a native plant enthusiast and has written several books on natives, but her home garden is a mix of prairie, native plantings and traditional garden plants. She pulls it all together in  a lovely country setting. It’s a great story by Susan Davis Price and Lynn provided the photos.

Elsewhere in the issue, we have a bundle of articles to get you excited about your 2012 garden, including articles on what to plant under trees, how to design a curb garden and what to expect from the Japanese beetle next year.

Posted in See it in Northern Gardener | Tagged | Leave a comment

Another Plant that Refuses to Stop Growing

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Mary Schier
Sweet potato vine makes an encore.

I wrote earlier this week about the weirdly warm winter we are having and its effect on a few perennials in my yard. But I have another plant that just won’t stop in the house.

Last summer, I planted sweet potato vines in a couple of pots with the houseplant Mother in Law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) and some petunias. It was a pretty container and, when the annuals faded in fall, I decided to bring the mother-in-law’s tongue (I think it’s also called snake plant) in for the winter. I pulled out all the annuals, cleaned the plants and pots off, and put two matching containers of mother-in-law’s tongue flanking our fireplace.

A few weeks passed, and as I was getting ready to put up the Christmas tree, I noticed something growing in one of the pots — and it’s not a pointy, desert plant. A piece of the sweet potato vine was growing! Now that the holidays are past, the plant has really taken off. I’ve watered it a bit, and it gets very little direct sunlight (sweet potato vines are said to need 6 to 8 hours of sun) but it keeps on growing.

I’ve written before about the persistence of plants. Their drive to survive, to live, to flower, to set seed, to grow, grow, grow, always amazes and humbles me. So, I won’t be pulling the sweet potato vine from its pot. Let it grow, and we’ll see how far it gets.

 

Posted in Amazing Plants, Houseplants | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Winter Weirdness

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Mary Schier

Salvia in January

I’m not sure which is more disconcerting–that I spent 15 minutes outside today wearing only a cardigan and was comfortable doing it, or that I found an unusual number of signs of life in the garden. Just a reminder: It’s Minnesota and it’s January.

Yet, today when I pulled aside some leaves I found this Salvia sending up several new shoots. In the backyard, the Clara Curtis daisies I ripped out in October had sent up new leaves — green ones. And, in the vegetable bed, a few sprigs of parsley were growing. Now all of these plants are decidedly in the hardy category. I have found parsley under snow in spring before, but still, there are far more green things in my yard than is usual for January (when things are usually covered in snow).

We’ll see what the rest of winter holds. But, so far, it’s just weird.

Posted in Nature, Weather, Winter interest | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Deer Resistant Landscaping

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Mary Schier

A Gardener’s Reading, 23 of 30

Like many northern gardeners, I’ve battled critters pretty much as long as I’ve gardened. At my old house, the issue was raccoons, who had a cozy home in the storm sewer under our street. At my current house, we’ve dealt with mice, pocket gophers, and most recently moles and beavers. Unlike many northern gardeners, deer have not been a problem where I live–at least not yet. In the past year, we have had many more encounters with deer than in the previous 11, so I’m just waiting….

If deer are a problem where you live,  however, run out right now and get Neil Soderstrom’s new book, Deer Resistant Landscaping: Proven Advice and Strategies for Outwitting Deer and 20 Other Pesky Mammals. Soderstrom offers a sane approach to dealing with unwanted garden visitors. Readers learn why these creatures are in our landscapes, what their role in the environment is, and what you can do to discourage their presence or live peacefully with them. The book focuses first and foremost on deer, including in-depth profiles of nearly 200 plants deer don’t like.

While that is extremely helpful information, it’s Soderstrom’s discussion of animal behavior that is most interesting. For instance, expectant deer mothers become very territorial. They spend most of the year traveling with other female relatives, but when they are close to delivery, they head out on their own.  Opossums, which seem more prevalent here the last couple of years, move their dens every few nights, and while they can be a terror if they get in your garage, opossums are helpful in that they feed heavily on snails and keep the populations of mice and voles down. Mice enjoy making nests in the spare tire well of cars and while voles breed pretty much constantly, moles breed only once a year.

If you have a critter problem, but aren’t sure what it is, Deer Resistant Landscaping has photos to help you identify it, including shots of animal tracks, tunneling and burrowing systems, mug shots of the various suspects, and critter doo-doo pictures. What I really liked about the book is that Soderstrom helps homeowners consider their options carefully.  For instance, the mole who has been bugging me since last summer is actually eating a lot of bugs in my yard and there’s likely only one mole, so maybe doing nothing — and adjusting how I mow the lawn to camouflage  his tunnels – – is the best bet. Soderstrom offers practical advice on how to dispatch animals in the least inhumane way possible and he’s quick to point to the situations that really demand a professional. (Transporting a skunk: No, thank you!)

For sound and responsible advice on dealing with critters, you can’t do much better than this book.

Posted in A Gardener's Reading, Critters | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Northern Heartland Kitchen

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Mary Schier

A Gardener’s Reading, 22 of 30

By Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press, 2011)

I mentioned in an earlier review that I was hoping to get a copy of The Northern Heartland Kitchen, a new seasonal, local cookbook from the University of Minnesota. Well, lo and behold, in the most recent batch of books I picked up from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for review, was a copy of Beth Dooley’s cookbook. Dooley has been writing about food in Minnesota for many years, and if you read Mpls/St. Paul magazine, you are probably familiar with her restaurant reviews.

In this book, Dooley marches through the seasons, creating recipes and meals with ingredients most likely to be local in markets in the North. So fall is filled with delicious ideas for using squash, apples, cranberries, duck and kale, while spring boasts recipes for lamb, arugula and asparagus.  While the ingredients used are local, the recipes span the globe with Dooley offering an Asian-inspired Chicken Noodle Soup, Scandinavian Baked Beans and Spring Vegetable Curry as well as Midwest standards such as Corn Relish, Apple Crisp and Beer-Can Chicken.

The front of the book provides information on how to eat more locally by shopping farmers’ markets and joining a Community-Supported Agriculture farm. I haven’t had a chance to cook from the book yet, but an interested to try her recipe for Ox-Tails in Stout and the recipe below for a winter salad of carrots and parsley:

Carrot and Parsley Salad

For the salad, combine: 7-8 organic carrots, grated (3.5 cups); a large bunch parsley, finely chopped; 1/3 cup dried cranberries. Mix the dressing: 1 large clove garlic, mashed, 2 TBSP raspberry (or other fruit) vinegar, 2-3 TBSP vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 TBSP smashed fennel seeds. Whisk dressing together, combine with carrot mixture. Cover the bowl and let the salad rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight so the flavors blend.

Posted in A Gardener's Reading, Fruits and Vegetables, Garden of Eating | Leave a comment