More cool tools


Tue. Mar. 22, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More cool tools

Great tools are the gardeners best friend. Great, QUALITY tools are even better! When I first started gardening, I bought the cheapest pruners, loppers, trowels and even shovels. 

Well, that was 20 years ago and I’ve spent a lot more money on replacing those tools that fell apart or simply didn’t do the job I needed them to do! I talked about some of my favorite tools last week, today I’ll share a few more.  … [Continue reading]

What NOT to do when the temps rise


Mon. Mar. 21, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What NOT to do when the temps rise

Okay, I admit it. Last week was lovely for many of us with a reprieve from the bitter cold. I couldn’t stand it. I walked around in my yard looking at the unusual amount of rabbit poop and rabbit fur! Some cat has been hungry…

I left the bunny poop and fur but removed the “fence” that didn’t work.

After removing the evergreen garland and de-wiring it so I could  … [Continue reading]

Spring Equinox 2022


Fri. Mar. 18, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spring Equinox 2022

The Vernal Equinox is Sunday! The word vernal means ‘fresh’ or ‘new’ and is related to Spring. 

Many a gardener lists Spring as their favorite season. The freshness of it, the hope it brings and the first time we get our hands in the soil again and smell the Earth! 

Equinox means equal night. The Equinox doesn’t “officially” happen until 10:33 Sunday morning central time. I say we start celebrating now! I’m thinking happy dance…  … [Continue reading]

Oxalis – the Good Luck plant


Thu. Mar. 17, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Oxalis – the Good Luck plant

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

While you’re likely seeing green “shamrocks” everywhere, what exactly is a shamrock? It’s a kind of slurred pronunciation of the Irish word seamrog, meaning little clover. It’s really White Clover also known as  trifolium reepens.  A 3 leafed plant that WAS thought of as a weed but is now a great lawn replacement!

It’s also related to oxalis, also called shamrock. The leaves are very similar but  … [Continue reading]

Rhodos & Azaleas for the North


Wed. Mar. 16, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Rhodos & Azaleas for the North

A listener recently asked me if Rhododendrons were the same as Azaleas.  Well, kinda.

If you have a chance, visit the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and be prepared to be amazed.

Botanically, azaleas and rhododendrons belong to the genus Rhododendron. This genus is one of the largest genera of woody plants, containing over 800 species. We can’t grow them all in our cold climate. 

Basically, azaleas are deciduous (losing their leaves in winter)  … [Continue reading]

Spring woodland wildflowers


Tue. Mar. 15, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spring woodland wildflowers

I was snowshoeing with friends in the Big Woods state park in Nerstrand, Minnesota. There are signs up to stay on the trail as there are endangered dwarf trout lilies in the area.

This is one of the very rare places they grow. The flowers are tiny! This from Minnesota Seasons: When not flowering, the Dwarf is not easily distinguished from other trout lilies, though the leaves are slightly smaller than those of the average  … [Continue reading]

More 2022 AAS Winners


Mon. Mar. 14, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More 2022 AAS Winners

 I wanted to set the tone for this week with some 2022 All America Selection winners. Verbena Beats is an incredible new series of verbena that performs all summer long. The AAS Judges raved about how early ‘Purple+White’ flowers, making it a pollinator magnet from Spring to frost.

The 2 inch purple and white blooms maintain an attention-getting pattern and this 6 to 8 inch plant thrives even during severe heat stress. And bonus,  … [Continue reading]

Cool tools for the garden


Fri. Mar. 11, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Cool tools for the garden

Once again I dip into my fav magazine and find a perfect Garden Bite as spring approaches.

I’ve talked many times about buying quality tools and how much I love my garden fork. That’s on the list of ‘Most Valuable Tools’ for the gardener.

Also called Digging Fork, this tool is perfect for digging up tubers and other plants where you do NOT want to damage roots. It really helps in loosening  … [Continue reading]

Spring tips from Northern Gardener archives


Thu. Mar. 10, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spring tips from Northern Gardener archives

One hundred fifty years! That’s how long Northern Gardener has been publishing gardening advice to those of us living in cold climates. Or as I call us, Extreme Gardeners.

They will be sharing tips from the past over the course of this year. Grab a subscription, check out their online blog. I don’t get paid to say this, it’s simply one of the very best resources for “extreme gardeners”.

Today’s archived tips  … [Continue reading]

Japanese beetle and the deep freeze


Wed. Mar. 9, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Japanese beetle and the deep freeze

The University of Minnesota Extension noted that we had the coldest January we’ve had in 8 years. So how did the Japanese Beetle fare? After all, the little grubs live in the soil all winter. I’m hoping they froze their you-know-whats off…

As temperatures cool off in the fall, the grubs burrow into the soil, about 2 to 6 inches. They’ll tunnel even deeper if the soil gets too cold during the  … [Continue reading]