Top Garden Trend of 2007

One word: Sustainability. That’s the top gardening (maybe also eating or even living) trend of 2007. But what does sustainable gardening mean, especially in light of the green industry’s rush to provide gardeners with new products? You can find a variety of definitions for sustainability on the Internet and in environmental journals and [...]

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Native Plants Talk Sold Out; Second Session Added

Given how hot native plants are, it’s no surprise that Cole Burrell’s public presentation at Bachman’s at 10 a.m. Jan. 12 has sold out. Fortunately, a second session has been added at 1 p.m. on the 12th. If you are interested in native plants and the historical roots of the native plant movement, contact [...]

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Garden Tool Gifts

I’m not the diamonds and jewels type, and some of my favorite gifts of all time have been garden tools. Many years ago, at my request, my husband gave me an ice scraper for Christmas. Not a small one you use to scrape the ice off the car, but a full-sized one that is just [...]

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A Coleus for Christmas

This is a gift I gave myself. Today I potted up a coleus stem-cutting that I took in November, just before the frosts killed all my coleus plants. Coleus are one of the easiest plants to grow from stem cuttings. Just snip a piece of the plant 4 to 6 inches in length, then set [...]

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Christmas Container, Part 2: Boughs and Bilbo Baggins

Saturday, I began putting together my holiday-themed container. Since it was very cold outside, I put some newspapers on the floor in our mudroom and worked there. Before starting, I brought in all the things I thought I’d put in the container. Potting soil, two bunches of spruce branches bought for $1 each at [...]

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Christmas Container, Part 1

I’ve been planning to put a holiday-themed container on our front porch for awhile, and decided I’d better get to the job before New Year’s arrives. The first step was to make a pot with a holiday look.
I’m not particularly artistic, which is why I love decoupage. For a couple of years now, I’ve [...]

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Holiday Pot Advice from a Pro

Yesterday I visited Squire House Gardens in Afton, a wonderful garden and gift shop. The shop is dressed for the holidays, with container plantings, lots of greenery, and an arbor decked with ornaments–well worth a visit on a sunny, winter day. During the gardening season, Squire House, which is owned by Martin Stern and Richard [...]

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A Picture-Perfect Winter Day

Today I drove from Northfield to Afton to visit Squire House Gardens for an upcoming story in Northern Gardener. I cannot remember a time when the hoarfrost looked so beautiful on the trees. I had to stop the car to take photos, but believe me, the picture does not do justice to this [...]

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Red-Twig Dogwood: Winter Wonder-Shrub

In summer, gardeners rely on flowers and foliage for color. But what do you do in winter? In Minnesota and other northern or snowy places, planting red-twig dogwood is one solution. This hardy shrub features bright red stems that stand out against a backdrop of snow. Botanically the plant is Cornus sericea or Cornus [...]

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It’s Garden Shopping Season

While some garden centers close late in the fall for the winter season, many stay open–or reopen–around the holidays. Special events are held at many of the large garden centers, including Bachmans, Gertens, Mickman Bros., and Linders. Several wonderful small shops are open, too, including Squire House Gardens in Afton (I’ll be visiting [...]

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