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Don’t Let Your Flowers Go to Waste—3 Creative Ideas to Try
Do you ever wonder what to do with your flowers once they’ve bloomed in the garden? Here are three fun ways you can make the most of your blooms even after they’ve passed their prime. Whether you’re...
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Ask a Master Gardener: Growing Marijuana
Have you heard the news? Marijuana/cannabis became legal in Minnesota on August 1. It only took about 15 days for me to get my first Master Gardener question about it, so I did some digging into this...
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Photosynthesis—How Your Garden Grows
Here’s an interesting question: where do your plants’ stems and leaves actually come from? In other words, where do plants get the raw materials that they need to grow? A tiny seedling begins with...
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True Companions: Edibles and Ornamentals
Growing ornamental, blooming plants alongside fruits and vegetables offers many benefits, and it’s fun! The term “companion planting” is defined by WebMD as “the practice of enhancing your crop...
View ArticleNew Tree on the Block
We gardeners get as excited about new plants as some people do about new restaurants. The day I heard about the new InnovaTreeTM poplar developed by the University of Minnesota, I was as excited as I...
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Pest Update: Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
While North America is home to several species of native stink bugs, those getting the most attention recently hail from Asia—the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). First reported in the...
View ArticleSettle in with the Northern Gardener Winter Issue
It’s time to button up the garden and watch the forecast for snow. It’s also a good time to curl up with the Northern Gardener Winter issue, which should be in subscriber homes early next month and on...
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Agroecology in the Heartland
Have you heard about agroecology? There’s a movement among some farmers and growers toward “greener” crops—switching from genetically modified (GMO), non-native plants to native crops that can help...
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40 Best Daylilies for Northern Gardeners
The garden of Wayne Johnson and Bonnie Beresford in Alexandria, MN, is filled with unusual trees, shrubs, hostas and large flower beds. But Wayne’s favorite flower is the daylily, and his 2½-acre...
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Meet the Herbs: Thyme
Is your garden in need of a plant that’s charming, tasty, delicate and hardy? Then it’s high thyme you plant this herb and begin exploring all the delights of this crowd favorite: thyme. Thyme at a...
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Late Bloomers
Lilacs blooming in September? Apple blossoms in October?Perhaps you have seen spring blooming plants flower this fall in your garden. It has not been uncommon in the past few years to see spring...
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Peat Alternatives: One Gardener’s Experience
Like many gardeners, I’m concerned about the depletion of peat resources around the world. The main ingredient in many potting mixes, peat comes from slow-forming peat bogs. It takes generations for...
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Ask a Master Gardener: Invasive Insect Update
My gardens are still not quite put to bed yet for the year—I’m still harvesting collard greens, kale, walking onions and a variety of herbs. They taste even more precious this time of year, knowing...
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Garden Plants You Might Want to Toss in the Trash
When you’re pulling everything out of the garden at the end of the season, some plants are best placed in the trash rather than your compost pile, as they’ll easily spread about your property where...
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Meet the Herbs: Rosemary
We’re northern gardeners, so we lovingly embrace our short growing season and we don’t whine about winter weather (at least not very often). But that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a bit of...
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5 Tips for Keeping Houseplant Gifts Thriving
If your friends and family know you’re a plant person, chances are houseplant gifts are coming your way this holiday season. Now your job is to keep them alive and thriving so you can enjoy them...
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10 Takeaways from the New Hardiness Zones Map
When the USDA-Agriculture Research Service and Oregon State University released the updated map of plant hardiness zones for the United States, there was a collective gasp heard across Minnesota....
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Ask a Master Gardener: Tool Libraries
We’re almost there, folks: the shortest day of the year. Photography is a dream right now—the golden hour lasts all day long. If only I had some plants still alive to photograph. I am keeping my green...
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Planning a Seed Swap
Looking for an easy way to expand your seeds for this year’s garden and a way to build community at the same time? Why not plan a seed swap? Bean seeds The fundamentals of a seed swap are simple:...
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Garden Photography Tips
Winter is a natural downtime for gardening in the North. There are always a few months after the garden has been put to bed (and before you start seeds) when the work is at a minimum. This is good...
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