The Garden Scoop

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!

As garden enthusiasts, many of us look to see what the new trends are for the coming year. Monrovia, one of the nation’s largest growers of plants, trees & shrubs, conducts surveys online, in garden stores and searches connections between gardening & art, design, cooking and all the other things that make “houses” homes!

Oh boy, All America Selections has chosen their winners in an array of categories but today, we're celebrating a few of their chosen Annuals. And, WOW, they are amazing. The 'Scoop gives some background on AAS and shares photos of these annuals along with a little story about a wild "pet" rabbit... 

January 6th is the official last day of the 12 Days of Christmas, the Epiphany. The word itself has several meanings but for Christians it signals the coming of the Magi, or 3 Wise Men. Celebrations abound around the world, some involving plunging into icy water. For many of us it means packing away the Christmas decorations and taking out our fresh Christmas tree. Before you kick it to the curb, The Garden Scoop has some fun ideas to put that tree to good use!!

Many years ago, I went on a local garden tour and saw these AMAZING yellow flowers. I found these flowers were NATIVE annuals to Minnesota! Super easy to start from seed and a pollinator magnet.

"It's YOUR turn, Monstera", so says the National Garden Bureau, of which I am a member. From their website: Each year the National Garden Bureau selects one annual, one perennial, one bulb crop, one edible, one houseplant and one shrub as our "Year of the" crops. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse and veratile.