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Weed of the Week: Prickly Lettuce (and Sow Thistle)

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Glass and gardens, you bet! We’re heading home

Glass and gardens, you bet! We’re heading home after spending a few weeks in Sarasota, Florida. A highlight of our time there was seeing the Tiffany exhibit at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. It was creative and fun and the plant-themed art glass really did shine a light on this tropical garden. So worth a visit if you’re ever in the area!
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#sarasota #tropicalgardens #gardensofinstagram #artingardens #mngardenwriter #gardentravel #snowbird

Has your garden been transformed in the last year

Has your garden been transformed in the last year or two? I'd love to see it! I'm back to editing Northern Gardener for a bit and one of the new features in the magazine highlights garden or yard transformations. We need help finding some great ones!

The spring issue "Before and After" features a vegetable garden created out of a blank backyard in Bloomington, MN. The homeowner worked with Rustic Hills Garden Co. to add raised beds, fencing, paths and trellises. It's incredibly productive and really nice looking, too!

I'm looking for more transformations to feature in upcoming issues. They can be DIY or something you worked on with a garden pro. The goal is to give our readers ideas and inspiration.

Send me a DM with details. Don't worry about writing the piece yourself. We've got a bunch of great writers available to help with that. But you need to have photos of both before and after. I can't wait to see your gardens!

PC: @rustichillsgardenco

#coldclimategardens #gardendiy #gardentransformation #beforeandafter #showmeyourgarden

Are you trying winter sowing this year? Now is a g

Are you trying winter sowing this year? Now is a good time to sow perennials. Winter sowing is a way to get more plants at less cost by sowing seeds outdoors in mini-greenhouses in winter. The best greenhouse is a one-gallon milk jug. (Edit: leave the caps off! This was my first attempt at winter sowing and I did it wrong. The podcast episode explains why.)

For advice on how to do it from an expert, check out a podcast episode from 2021 where Michelle Mero Riedel explains her process. Great info! Link in bio and in stories. #wintersowing #mnpodcast #mngardening
#gardenpodcast
#growyourownflowers

What’s new in 2023? My winter break in Florida c

What’s new in 2023? My winter break in Florida coincided with the Tropical Plant International Expo so I had to attend. Research! So many cool houseplants. And pots! And roses with scent. And new ideas about everything from pest control to house plants as decor and gifts. Enjoy!
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#tpie #tpie2023 #houseplants #gardentrends

When you’re up to your knees in new snow, it’s

When you’re up to your knees in new snow, it’s time to dig out your lists of favorite plants and start planning ✍️ this year’s garden.

My January newsletter includes lists of best annuals for pollinators (of course zinnias are on the list), best herbs for beginners and a link to a slightly older blog post about best trees for urban gardens in our current and future climate. Check it out and start making your own list of go-to plants!

Link to the newsletter is in bio and stories. Please subscribe for occasional tips for Northern gardeners.
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#gardeningtips #annualflowers #pollinatorfriendly #urbantrees

2022 — uff-da — what a year! A few photos al

2022 — uff-da — what a year!

A few photos all reeled together that mostly weren’t on instagram. Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a bloom-filled, homegrown 2023.

Highlights include: Garden shots from Florida, England, my home garden, St. Cloud and Washington County, Minnesota, plus the Minnesota State Fair dahlia garden. Steve and I at Hadrian’s wall, then being escorted off the cruise ship after we got Covid (do NOT recommend!), harvest dinner at my brother’s farm in Wisconsin, my friend, Julie’s, indoor ripening set up for the Aleppo peppers she helped me trial, a bit of garden philosophy and @resawithoutherspoon’s amazing Christmas cookies.
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#gardenforlife #gardenyear #mynortherngarden #zone4gardening #happynewyear

Poinsettias are nice but kind of tough to keep goi

Poinsettias are nice but kind of tough to keep going with the heat running 24/7. So how about some holiday plants that are not poinsettias. Norfolk Island pine, rosemary, paperwhites, amaryllis or any houseplant with red veining add that holiday cheer and are easier to keep alive or are not meant to last, so no need for guilt when they are gone.

I have a post over on the @mnhort website with info about great holiday plant gifts that are NOT poinsettias. Link in bio and stories.
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#holidaydecor #holidayhouseplants #amaryllis #norfolkislandpine #paperwhites

My new favorite holiday plant is lemon cypress. Co

My new favorite holiday plant is lemon cypress. Cool color. Interesting form. Not too hard to take care of. Put this on your houseplant must-have list!
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#lemoncypress #holidayhouseplants #houseplantslover #coldclimategardening #mngardener

Extra! Extra! My latest newsletter for cold-climat

Extra! Extra! My latest newsletter for cold-climate gardeners is out. About every six weeks, I send seasonal info on plants and garden tasks plus lots of links to gardening resources, books to read and more.

The current issue includes a cute idea for a hostess gift for the holidays (pictured), a free download on recommended tomato varieties for northern gardeners and some musings on talking about gardening with folks suffering from dementia (lots of memories grow in the garden!) It's free, not too long and only comes out once in a while.

Link to the current issue in bio plus stories.
Pix: the hostess gift, my mom's amazing blue hydrangeas, one of the recommended tomato varieties (can you guess which one?)
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#holidaydecor #coldclimategardening #mngardening #besttomatoesever #gardeninspo

Happy Birthday to my book! It was five years ago t

Happy Birthday to my book! It was five years ago today that the Minnesota Historical Society Press published The Northern Gardener: From Apples to Zinnias.

The book is about 85 percent how-to for gardeners in USDA Zones 3 and 4 and 15 percent history of organized horticulture in Minnesota. It's still available and selling. It's always a thrill when gardeners tell me that they read the book and it helped them. That's why garden writers write garden books (believe me, it isn't the money!).

If you are looking for a gift for a northern gardener in your life, this might be an option. It's widely available and because it's been around awhile, it's frequently discounted.

Photos include two of my favorite sections of the book -- one on martagon lilies (more gardeners should grow them) and one on buckthorn, which gardeners used to love (hence they photographed their families near the shrub) and is now a terror in the woods here. We're always learning.
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#mnhspress #mybook #gardenreading #thenortherngardener #mngardening #mnhort

So much growth in 5 weeks! This scented geranium h

So much growth in 5 weeks! This scented geranium has put on a lot of foliage and the reason must be the light in my new sunroom. It gets east, south and north light. Even in November when we are pretty dark in Minnesota, it’s doing fine. Great plant that I picked up for $1 at the @hennepin.extension.gardeners sale in October. #happyhouseplants #scentedgeranium #attarofroses #sunroom #houseplantsofinstagram #northerngarden

Is it too early to think about decorating for the

Is it too early to think about decorating for the holidays? Nah! I checked out the ideas at @shopbachmans Holiday Inspiration nights this week. Looks like sparkles and an updated Mad Men vibe is trending this holiday season. Love it! #holidayporchdecor #holidayideas #notanad #sparkle #bachmansideahouse #christmasdecor

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