I was talking with a gentleman whose garden Northern Gardener will be profiling in 2011. (Yes, we really work more than a year in advance!) He was excited about having a photographer come out to his place because he expected it would look really, really good this year. “We had a perfect winter for gardens,” he said. Why? Snow. Early…
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Except for my driveway, the raised boxes I use to grow vegetables and a couple of utility beds near the house, the straight line has pretty much been banned from my garden. Our house sits near a nature area, and curved shapes seem more appropriate in a wild(ish) setting. Still, I cannot help but appreciate the discipline and beauty of…
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The seasons are changing rapidly here — and, in true Minnesota style, changing back. We went from mid-60s much of last week to mid-30s today. Sunday I spotted the first bloom in our front yard. It is an Iris reticulata, an early blooming bulb that usually comes up about the same time as crocuses. (The timing is right on. My…
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The garden blogosphere is aflame with arguments about this post on ugly gardens from Robin on Garden Rant. Her argument basically is that ugly vegetable gardens give gardening a bad name, and gardeners should clean up their act — or at least their vegetable patch. I’m not sure how to respond to this. I love a good-looking ornamental garden. Northern…
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The wonderful sunshine we’ve been having the past few days and exciting natural phenomenon like Sun-Still-Up-at-5:30 p.m, have got me itching to grow things. It’s still a little early to plant seeds here (though I’m sorely tempted), so I’ve been goofing around with my kitchen window plants. Somehow, despite meager light, I’ve managed to overwinter basil — two plants! —…
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