It happens every year. The beautiful native Goldenrod gets blamed for Ragweed's "achoo season". It's understandable as they belong to the same plant family but from very different genus. So which is really responsible for those sneezes and watery eyes? Find out...
Blight is baaack.... Coming out of a tough winter (2024/25) into a cool, wet spring, it was bound to happen. Lilac blight thrives in that environment.
I start with my number one pet peeve in landscaping. Anyone recommending (and using) plastic and rock to keep weeds at bay. This combo will also suffocate your landscape plants. NEXT, a list of lots of great suggestions for planting groundcovers aka weed barriers!
Got your attention? We’re talking about plant sex aka pollination. There’s a lot of activity taking place in our gardens right now but no need to avert your eyes or cover the kids’ eyes.
Like 7 inches from the midday sun! (nod to Santana) Not only do WE feel it, but our plants do to. And not all of them are fans. While most of our tropical plants look good, they also cry out for water… just not soggy feet.
Creeping Bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides), a European import from colonial times (before they knew better) very easily escapes cultivation. According to minnesotawildflowers.com its status is Invasive – ERADICATE! No punches pulled there!
This year’s shrub choice is Dogwood aka Cornus. It’s been a part of human history for centuries and, since the 1800’s, it’s become a favorite of American gardeners. I’m one of them!
The ‘Scoop has heard from so many of you about how your perennials have not come back or are late to the party. I feel ya. My Joe Pye Weed that I planted a few years ago are just sticks poking out of the ground. Fellow longtime gardeners are bereft at the loss of so many long-established Coneflowers.
It’s a nay for the ‘Scoop’s lawn. There’s no doubt it was a noble endeavor to help the bees, but anything related to the world of nature takes time to consider all the ramifications.
Something old is new again. Keyhole Gardening has (re)gained popularity. It originated in Africa out of necessity. Creating an organic recycling tank in the center of a garden to help grow vegetables in dry, rocky soils.
As our climate continues to warm up, native plants continue to capture our attention. There is nothing wrong with planting cultivars, let’s face it, they’re gorgeous!
Pots for Pollinators! That reads like a poster. It really should be on t-shirts too. Soon garden centers will be filling up with all sorts of amazing annual flowers. I had a chance to go on a Nursery Tour at Gertens and I can assure you they’ve got it growing on!
Why would a leader in the Gardening Industry choose a “weed” as their choice for perennial of the year? Easy, it’s not a “weed” but it can be abundant! I’ll have more on that in a moment…
Our “average” last frost date for Spring has been May 15th in zone 4 for a long time, but according to Dr. Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota professor emeritus and meteorologist, he reported in 2021 that we can expect new normals, adding that in the last 20 years, April 20th was the average date for the last frost in zone 4!
