The peony season is short and sweet, but the folks at the Micheal and Judi Denny Peony Garden at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden in Oshawa, Ontario, have managed to extend the peony season to seven weeks by carefully choosing varieties that bloom early and late. I had a chance to visit this lovely park and garden as part of…
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While mowing the yard the other night, the vibrant green of the lawn and all the plants in the garden beds seemed to radiate growth. We’ve gotten about 2 inches of rain over the last week or so, and the plants have responded with enthusiastic growth. The borage I planted next to my vegetable garden last year shot up about…
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Last weekend, I had a chance to speak at the Duluth Garden and Flower Society (MSHS District 8) Spring Luncheon in Duluth. The luncheon attracted about 80 enthusiastic gardeners from Duluth, the North Shore and the Iron Range. It was a fun event and I was honored to be asked to talk about MSHS, Northern Gardener and gardening trends. One…
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Maybe it’s because it has not warmed up too fast, or we had moisture at the right times (though parts of Minnesota are technically in a drought), 2015 has been a good year for bulbs in my garden. Over the past couple of years, I’ve planted more bulbs in the fall for spring bloom, including lots of crocus*, Siberian squill…
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Over the years, I’ve had lots of successes and failures with indoor seed starting. While seed-starting time is in February or March in many parts of the country, early April is actually a really good time to start seeds indoors in Minnesota, especially if you are planning to grow warm season crops such as tomatoes. So, here are my top…
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