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My Northern Garden

red flowering amaryllis

Amaryllis Blooms in Spring

Plants

My two amaryllis bulbs that I saved from more than a year ago are blooming now. Why so late? It turns out that they are doing what amaryllis naturally do, not what we flower-mad humans manipulate them to do. Here’s the story of my amaryllis and its spring-blooming ways. I bought these two bulbs (I believe they are a variety…
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Quick Tips for Seed Starting Success

How to

Ready to get started with growing from seed? Now is the time! Here are my 10 best tips for seed starting success, gleaned over years of seed starting and many failures! 1) Don’t start too soon. It is soooo tempting to start seeds in February, when you are bored, indoors and eager to garden. Unless you have a greenhouse or…
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green leaves of lemon balm

Easy Herbs for Beginning Gardeners

Plants

Susan Betz, who is the author of Herbal Houseplants (Cool Springs Press, 2021), has a great attitude about herbs. Her basic approach is to understand your herbs and what they need to grow, pay attention to them and let them go when the time comes. When I interviewed her for the Grow it, Minnesota podcast, Susan explained that not all…
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native plant garden

Prairie Garden Advice You Can Use

Books/Writing· How to· Why We Garden

Prairies are complicated spaces, filled with plants, insects, mammals and microbial life, all competing and collaborating. Perhaps that is why so many books that I’ve read about creating prairie-style spaces (often called natural garden design or matrix planting) leave my head spinning. Benjamin Vogt’s soon-to-be-released book, Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design, offers prairie garden design and installation…
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jar of serviceberry syrup

Serviceberry Syrup: A Seasonal Treat

Plants· Recipes

Serviceberries are my new favorite fruit for cold-climate gardeners to grow. They are easy to grow, tasty and don’t seem to be bothered by insects or disease—though birds will fight you for the harvest. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) can be grown as a multi-stemmed, tall shrub or a single-stemmed tree. Several species are native to Minnesota and all of them offer…
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Garden News for Northerners

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Top Posts & Pages

  • Jams, Jellies, Preserves: What's the Difference?
  • Out-Smarting Japanese Beetles (And Some Good News)
  • Four Peony Problems and Solutions
  • How to Pollinate a Meyer Lemon Tree
  • Two Things You Did Not Know about Japanese Beetles
  • Growing Lilies in Containers
  • Can You Eat a Sweet Potato Vine Tuber?
  • Northern Plants Deer Don't Like
  • What to Do with Not-Quite-Ripe Winter Squash? Recipes Included
  • Serviceberry Syrup: A Seasonal Treat

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