Annuals & Perennials

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!

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.

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…

Preserve the beauty of your blooms! Drying flowers is easier than you think, just follow these simple steps to enjoy everlasting floral decor.

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... 

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.

Did you know that last year the USDA updated our country’s Plant Hardiness Zone (PHZ) Map and portions of Minnesota have been changed from zone 4b to zone 5a?! Learn more about what this means for your garden!

The Como Zoo and Conservatory is currently hosting the winter flower show. Garden Guy Dale has the details!