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July 26, 2011 · 1 Comment

Short Season Gardening

Climate

The growing season where I live would never be considered long—most folks consider my climate one that requires short season gardening. Even in a year with an unusually early spring, like 2010, the season is no more than five months long. And, with a later spring, like this year, we’re lucky to get four full months of good gardening in.

But on a recent trip to the North Shore of Minnesota, I was struck about how intense a much shorter growing season is. Driving up Highway 61 from Duluth to Grand Marais and then Grand Portage, my husband and I noticed the vast numbers of lupines in the ditches. This prompted choruses of the Monty Python classic song, “Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore,” in which the inept Robin Hood demands lupines for tribute, but it also struck me as late for lupines to be in bloom.  Mine usually bloom in early June.

lupines in Grand Marias mn

In a short season, the plants bloom rapidly, making for unusual combinations of bloom.

everything blooms at once with short season gardening

More blooms!

When we got to Grand Marais, the city’s gardens were in full, glorious bloom – with all the plants that have bloomed in my garden since late May blooming simultaneously. Instead of a series of blooms, from lupines to peonies to roses to spirea to daylilies to lilies, all the blooms were out together. The front yard garden in the photo is one example of many that I saw, wildly in bloom as if May, June, July were one month—this is the essence of really short season gardening.

This must present challenges to gardeners, both practically and emotionally. Not only do they have to anticipate how their flowers will look together, once they have all bloomed – then what? My guess is fall color and a long, gray winter. Luckily, they have those big views of Lake Superior for solace.

Gardeners Up North, as we Minnesotans say, must relish every moment of the season. Seeing their short season gardens led me to cherish our longer short season even more.

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Comments

  1. Karen says

    July 27, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Yes, we northern gardeners do have to pack as much into our short growing season as possible. It does seem very late for lupines to be blooming, but this is a strange year. We’re either snowing or sweltering; there’s no in-between!

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It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for special days (sorry, siblings, I missed that one last week) but any excuse to post a picture of a gorgeous peony, I’ll take! 

Peonies are a huge part of Minnesota’s horticultural heritage. They aren’t native but our cold climate is perfect for peonies. They’ve been hybridized in Minnesota for over 150 years, and the state still has several peony breeders based here. If you ever get a chance to go to a peony open day in June, jump on it. Seeing rows and rows of peonies all blooming at once is a northern gardener’s joy. 

Peonies will last forever, too. Plant one in the right place and it will outlive you by decades. What’s your favorite plant? 
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This week’s podcast and blog post are about grow This week’s podcast and blog post are about growing summer bulbs. I grow lilies in containers, 1) because they look great and 2) because the rabbits 🐇 can’t get them as easily there. Growing bulbs in containers means you can move them around the garden for extra color where you need it. 

Bulbs aren’t that tricky to grow, though you will have to pull dahlias, gladiolus and canna lilies for the winter. Lilies can stay in the ground. This winter, I left some in their pots and held  them in the unheated garage. They survived and are already putting up foliage. 

Check the 🔗 in bio for links to my interview with Mike Heger as well as the blog post on growing bulbs in containers. 
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#bulbs #summerbulbs #lilies #liliesinpots #containergardening #summergarden #garden #mygarden #monalisalily #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
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In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These lo In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These look pretty but most of the in ground columbines are just greening up in Minnesota. That’s one thing to remember when shopping for perennial plants now. If it’s in bloom, it’s a spring plant and will probably be green all summer. Nothing wrong with lots of spring bloom in the garden, but plan for the whole season by picking things that bloom in July, August, even the fall, too. 
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#columbine #plantshopping #gardentips #minnesota #mngarden #coldclimategardening #zone4b #springblooms #garden #perennials #perennialgarden #perennialflowers
So many things are suddenly blooming! . . . #spri So many things are suddenly blooming! 
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#garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo #spring #mnspring #daffodil #springbulbs 
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This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Madd This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Maddie Poling of @sacredspacegardensmn while rain gardens are great for water filtration, they also can be incredible pollinator gardens, especially if you plant lots of milkweed. Link to the entire episode is in bio. 
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#growitminnesota #raingardens #pollinators #pollinatorplants #milkweed #growitandtheywillcome #coldclimate #coldclimategardening #minnesota #mngarden #gardenpodcast #mnpodcast
Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming iss Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming issue of Gardening for Health, a special interest publication of Better Homes & Gardens. It’ll be on newsstands and in grocery stores, home centers, drugstores and more starting tomorrow. The essay is about why gardening matters, for our health, our spirits and our communities. I haven’t seen the layout yet, but I’ll be prowling my local Barnes & Noble tomorrow! Can’t wait to see it. 
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#gardenwriter #gardensmatter #gardeningforhealth #bhgspring #bhggarden #bhgspecialinterestpublications
Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? C Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? Check it out. I’ve got three of these dwarf Alberta spruce. This is the worst case. One has no burn, the third just a bit. This one faces south so it gets the most sun and wind. After it starts growing this spring, I’ll trim off the burn. May need some wrapping next winter. 
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A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on fast, though we know Mother Nature can slam on the brakes anytime she wants. Enjoy the early blooms and have a great weekend! 
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My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisie My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisies on the @growitmn podcast got me thinking about annuals that are easy to grow from seed. There are a lot! She grows some I haven’t had in years, like hollyhocks and snapdragons, plus plenty of my favorites. Seven really easy options are listed in a new blog post (🔗 is bio) on the My Northern Garden blog. Cosmos, zinnia and sunflowers may be the easiest of  all. 

The sunflower 🌻 pictured is The Joker. The zinnia photo is one I took of the zinnia beds at the @ballseedgardens I’m not sure about the cosmos, which are from a tour garden. 

Plant any of these annuals in sun and let them grow. Suggestions for annuals to try this year? I’d love to hear them! 
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#annualflowers #cosmos #sunflowers #zinnias #growfromseed #growyourownflowers #coldclimategardening #minnesotagardening #northerngardener #zone4b #mnpodcast #gardenpodcast
The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is melting, and the crocus continue to bloom. Hang in there, little flower, spring is on the way. 
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