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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More