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Monthly Archives: February 2008
Cottage Gardens and Cineraria
The English Garden at the Minneapolis Home and Garden show is actually a series of gardens, each designed and planted by a Twin Cities landscaping firm. I’ve only been to Britain once and gardens were not on the agenda, though … Continue reading
New Northern Gardener Available
The March/April issue of Northern Gardener is now available and it’s all about spring–just what we need on a day when the landscape looks positively Arctic with the wind and fresh snow. Debbie Lonnee, Northern Gardener’s horticulture editor, wrote the … Continue reading
Posted in See it in Northern Gardener
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Update on the Instant Garden
My Instant Garden seeds have germinated and tiny little cotyledons (first leaves) are stretching toward the light. I was concerned about how much stretching was going on, so I moved the pot to this precarious post under some florescent lights … Continue reading
Posted in Container Gardening, Houseplants, Seed starting
2 Comments
Prince of Peonies Back Online
Many Minnesota gardeners are familiar with Harvey Buchite, formerly co-owner of Rice Creek Gardens in Blaine and an expert on all things peony. Harvey is a frequent speaker at gatherings of gardening enthusiasts. A couple of years ago, he and … Continue reading
Posted in Perennials
5 Comments
New Resource for Native Plantings
When we built our house nine years ago, I planted wildflowers in an area behind our lot. That area backs up to a walking path and several city-owned ponds. Knowing little about prairies or wildflowers at the time, I bought … Continue reading
Posted in Landscaping, Native Plants
1 Comment
Forcing Red-Twig Dogwood
Back in December, I blogged about how wonderful red-twig dogwoods are for providing winter color. In answer to my question about whether to coppice my dogwoods, a reader suggested taking out one-third of the branches each winter and putting the … Continue reading
Posted in Shrubs, Winter interest
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A One Hour Tropical Vacation
I was in St. Paul on business today, and one of the events I had scheduled was canceled. So, I found myself not far from Como Park with an hour to spare. Impulsively, I set out for the Marjorie McNeely … Continue reading
Posted in Gardens to Visit, Public Gardens, Tropicals
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My Instant Garden
One of the trends driving garden-marketing of late is the supposed homeowner desire for low-maintenance, no-maintenance and instant gardens. This is driven largely by younger homeowners (say, under 40) who have more money than time, and want a backyard that’s … Continue reading
Posted in Container Gardening
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I Must Have Fruit!
There’s a funny scene in the movie Time Bandits, in which Michael Palin of Monty Python and travel book fame, has a relapse of his “problem,” and yells, “Oh, Pansy, I must have fruit!” When my daughters were younger, this … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables
1 Comment
Time to Order Seeds
With the wind howling outside and highs below zero predicted for tomorrow, it seemed just the right time to make my vegetable seed order. This is the day of the year when my time to garden seems endless and my … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Seasons
2 Comments