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]

The Year of the Lilac


Tue. Mar. 8, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The Year of the Lilac

The National Garden Bureau has chosen 2022 to be the Year of the Lilac. You may ask why? Lilacs are among the most carefree spring-flowering, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs (or small trees).

They are well-loved for their toughness, reliability, and fragrance. My area has battled some with lilac blight. And another Garden Bite on blight. 

That said, lilacs are some amazing shrubs/small trees. There are about 30 species of lilacs, Latin  … [Continue reading]

Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not!


Mon. Mar. 7, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Change is gonna come, weather we like it or not!

The only constant thing in life is change and that really follows us into the garden. Whether it’s change WE choose, the PLANT chooses, a hungry critter chooses or the weather! 

And this Winter has been all over the place! With drought last year and sustained cold this winter along with mini stretches of really warm temps, we’ll have to see how it plays out in the garden.  … [Continue reading]

Sod busting – turning lawn into landscape


Fri. Mar. 4, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Sod busting – turning lawn into landscape

More and more, a trend is to break up your lawn and fill it with native plants. There are a ton of reasons and I’ve discussed many of them on Garden Bite!

But how should you tackle getting rid of that lawn? The most brutal method is a shovel and your back!

It’s also the best way in terms of cutting up that sod and removing all offending lawn grass. However,  … [Continue reading]