I have always pronounced peony as Pee-a-nee. So I’m surprised at how many gardeners I know who say, Pee-O-Nay (accent on the nay) when they pronounce peony. And, even though my Iowa husband often accuses me of speaking with what he calls “the Roseville O” (for non-Minnesotans, it’s a long O that you’ve probably heard Garrison Keillor use when he…
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Argghh! It’s happened to me again. I’ve inadvertently planted an invasive plant in my garden. This plant is illegal, too. A couple of years ago, I attended a garden tour in the Twin Cities. Sponsored by a garden club, the tour ended with a sale of plants. This yellow flag iris was among the plants on sale. “You will love…
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See the pile of compost in the image at left? That pile represents all of the food waste from St. Olaf College from a year. Amazing. I was one of a dozen or so University of Minnesota-Extension Master Gardeners from Rice County who had a chance to tour St. Olaf’s composting facility, its student farm, and its food-service operations last…
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The sun is high enough in the sky so that even with the cool temperatures, plants are starting to bloom. It’s an exciting time of the year. Here are a few things blooming in May in my yard today. Isn’t May lovely?
It was so exciting to see a trio of bees really working over the crocus in my front yard this afternoon. Other bees were gathering pollen from my neighbor’s patch of crocus. If you blow up the more horizontal picture below, you can see the bee’s back covered in pollen. Crocus are one of the best bulbs to plant in…
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