What a nice day it was on Easter! The weather was near perfect as we attended Mass, had a nice dinner with the girls, went for a walk in the Carleton Arboretum — and, oh yes, in between those activities, I built a new raised bed for my vegetable garden. I mention all the other things I did Sunday to…
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Native plant guru Lynn Steiner spoke to a packed room at the Friends of the Northfield Library annual meeting last night and I’m pretty sure everyone who attended left the event very excited about planting more native plants. Lynn has a real passion for native plants and she makes a persuasive case for using them: Native plants create environments that…
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Last week, a reader commented on the post on Best Bets for Beginning Vegetable Gardeners that she wanted to start a garden but her lot was very sandy. This reader lives in Sherburne County, just north of the Twin Cities, which is known for its sandy soils. I faced a similar dilemma when we first moved to our current home,…
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I went outside to take photos of this morning’s short-lived snow fall and what to my wandering eyes should appear but blooms! The squill (Scilla siberica) in my front yard has started blooming. There are not many blooms yet — and they looked a little chilly this morning, but I’m not complaining. My neighbor’s crocus are also in bloom. So,…
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Last week’s warm weather seems to have jump started some plants. On Saturday, I noticed that the first of the Scilla siberica, a.k.a., squill in my front yard had emerged. This one not only has a few leaves, but tiny buds. For reference, I posted on this same topic last spring — on April 4 — a full two weeks…
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