Monthly Archives: March 2010

First Bloom

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Mary Schier

The seasons are changing rapidly here — and, in true Minnesota style, changing back. We went from mid-60s much of last week to mid-30s today. Sunday I spotted the first bloom in our front yard. It is an Iris reticulata, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, Seasons | 4 Comments

Are Ugly Gardens a Feminist Issue?

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Mary Schier

The garden blogosphere is aflame with arguments about this post from Robin on Garden Rant. Her argument basically is that ugly vegetable gardens give gardening a bad name, and gardeners should clean up their act — or at least their … Continue reading →

Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Musings, Online gardening | 8 Comments

More on Plant Anti-Transpirants

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Mary Schier

I blogged earlier this week about a new product called Vacation that puts plants in stasis for up to two weeks. The idea is gardeners can go on vacation without finding someone to water their plants, particularly those in containers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Stuff to Try | 3 Comments

Tulip Sighting

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Mary Schier

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I looked out at the front garden bed — an area that had been under two feet of snow about a week ago — to see this fine stand of tulip foliage. It will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, Seasons | 2 Comments

Putting Plants to Sleep?

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Mary Schier

Today I attended the Outdoor Living Extravaganza in Minneapolis, one of six events sponsored by Proven Winners, a plant propagation and marketing firm. (It’s the company with the nice white pots at garden centers.) This is the first time Proven … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Stuff to Try, Events, Gardening Know-How | 2 Comments

New Northern Gardener Available

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Mary Schier

Last June, I had the pleasure of being one of about two dozen people invited to the home of Frans Officer to view the blooming of the martagons. Martagon lilies are a hardy, shade-tolerant lily that is not widely available, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, See it in Northern Gardener | Leave a comment

Spring Fever with Plants

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Mary Schier

The wonderful sunshine we’ve been having the past few days and exciting natural phenomenon like Sun-Still-Up-at-5:30 p.m, have got me itching to grow things. It’s still a little early to plant seeds here (though I’m sorely tempted), so I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Container Gardening, Herbs, Houseplants | 1 Comment