It’s peony season here in Minnesota, which usually means an abundance of blooms and a few peony problems. Peonies are a heritage plant in our part of the world and typically bloom for a couple of weeks in early summer. We have several peony breeders in the state and some hold open days during this time of the year. On…
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I started growing lilies in containers out of pure frustration. I had planted some gorgeous orange-red lilies I’d gotten from the MSHS Bulb Sale in my garden borders. Every time the bulbs stems or leaves popped up, a rabbit was there to munch it down—for a couple of years, I never saw a bloom. Then, I caged the bulbs with…
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This week’s episode of Grow it, Minnesota, is all about growing flowers from seed. I interviewed Amy Kainz of Milkweed.and.Daisies, who has a half-acre garden filled with pollinator-friendly plants, including many easy annuals she has grown from seed. She also grows some that are a bit more complicated, such as snapdragons, but we’re talking easy today. For garden beginners, an…
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The latest Grow it, Minnesota podcast episode is an interview with Michelle Bruhn of Forks in the Dirt. Michelle is a gardener, chicken keeper, blogger and local food advocate. She runs classes on gardening and consults with home gardeners about vegetable garden design. She’s someone who enjoys experimentation and has played around with companion planting in her own yard. Which…
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During my recent interview with Michelle Mero Riedel about winter sowing—a budget-friendly way to start seeds outside in winter—she drew a distinction between winter sowing and spring sowing. Winter sowing is done between now and about March 31—and most of the seeds you are starting are for perennial flowers, those that will come back year after year. I used this…
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