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Monthly Archives: April 2008
Whole Lot of Budding Going On
I’m on bloom watch for my first bloom of the year. It looked like it would be earlier this week, but the cloudy, wet, cold weather of the past few days has slowed things down. Clearly, there is a whole … Continue reading
A Piddling Problem
Now that the snow has melted, I can see where my dog, Lily, (looking guilty, at left) has been. Certain sections of our front yard are covered with “dog spots,” those brown circular marks created by dog urine. Solutions to … Continue reading
Getting Ready for America in Bloom
Sunday I visited the going-out-of-business sale at Lansing Hardware. Like many Northfielders, I am sorry to see the store close. Many times, Dave or Lee Lansing provided me with just the right piece of advice, as well as the right … Continue reading
Posted in America in Bloom, Container Gardening
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My Love-Hate Relationship with Sumac
For the last week or so, in between sleet storms, I’ve been watching robins pecking at the fruit on the three big sumacs at the edge of our property. (The robin is on the third sumac fruit from the left.) … Continue reading
Posted in Landscaping, Shrubs and Trees
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The Advantage of April
For gardeners in Minnesota, April can be a frustrating month. It’s warm; it’s cold; it’s snowing; it’s too wet; it’s too windy–it’s all of the above on a single day! Fortunately, we have the birds back. With the trees not … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Seasons
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Fun with Wood
It’s still too early to be tromping around in the garden, so the great weather on Saturday seemed like an invitation to finish some garden building projects. So, after picking up some deck screws and 2-by-2 posts at the local … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Gardening Know-How
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Squill's Up!
The Siberian squill I planted last fall seems to have made it through the winter just fine. The first tiny leaves and flower buds emerged this week. According to the bulb sources I’ve checked, the blue and white flowers should … Continue reading
Posted in Bulbs
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A Trio of Garden Book Reviews
Spring is one of the big seasons for releasing garden books, and a pile of them have landed on my desk recently. Some will be reviewed in Northern Gardener, but we have room for only one review per issue, so … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Fruits and Vegetables, Gardening Know-How
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Northfield Joins America in Bloom
My town, Northfield, Minn., has decided to enter the America in Bloom contest this year. This morning, I attended a presentation on the program sponsored by the Northfield Downtown Development Council. Other Minnesota cities involved in AIB are Bemidji, Buffalo, … Continue reading
Posted in America in Bloom, Northfield
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April Blooms Day?
Well, Mother Nature pulled an April Fool’s Day joke on Minnesota gardeners yesterday with several inches of slushy snow. While the pergola in my backyard, coated in snow, looks as lovely as it did in November, the novelty has worn … Continue reading
Posted in Seasons, Shrubs
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