Rejoice! Bulb Foliage Sighted

I have been feeling pretty glum the past few days, what with winter seeming to drag on in a gray and unpleasant way. So, today I resolved to perk up with a long walk. The temps were flirting with 50, and the wind had died down at last. While the signs of winter’s continued presence [...]

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Water pH and Your Plants

Malcolm Burleigh, an award winning grower and breeder of cacti and succulents, approached me last summer with an idea for an article in Northern Gardener about the pH of city water and its effect on plants. Malcolm and one of his cactus-growing friends from California had discovered that city water tends to be much more [...]

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More People Planning Vegetable Gardens

I just received a press release from Garden Writers of America on the organization’s 2008 trend survey. The highlight of the survey is a significant increase in the number of homeowners saying they plan to spend money this year on vegetable and fruit gardening. The survey found 39% of homeowners are planning expenditures in the [...]

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Fun With Floral Arrangements

A real highlight of the Rice County Horticulture Day Saturday at St. Olaf College was the presentation by Pam Strouth and Cheryl Steinberg of Bloom Floral Design in Faribault. Apparently Pam and Cheryl are TV personalities in Faribault where they host a regular show on floral design on the local cable channel. While both [...]

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Dr. Mark Seeley on Climate Change

Dr. Mark Seeley, author of the Minnesota Weather Almanac and a regular radio commentator on climate and weather, spoke at the Rice County Horticultural Day this morning. Seeley gave the full-house of gardeners attending the event an overview on how the weather is changing in Minnesota, with a few ideas on how to accommodate it.
Here [...]

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Definitely, a Par 5

The Northfield Public Library was a real flurry of activity about 5 this evening as members of the Teen Advisory Board set up the holes for tonight’s Cabin Fever Mini Golf Tournament. My hole, number 6, is at least a par five. It is a dog-leg, and golfers will need to go around several obstacles [...]

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Hey! It’s Working!

I don’t know why, but I am always surprised when some new gardening endeavor actually turns out. About a month ago, I decided to try to force some red-twig dogwood branches. I followed the instructions for making a sugar water/bleach concoction to give the branches food and, presumably, protection from bacteria. The branches [...]

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Plant Groups Gather at Gertens

I mentioned in an earlier post that March is a huge month for garden get-togethers and educational events. I’ve got two events on the docket for this weekend. On Saturday, I’ll be attending the annual Rice County Horticulture Day at Buntrock Commons at St. Olaf. This all-day event features Terry Yockey, web-mistress over at northerngardening.com, [...]

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Fore! A Garden Hole at the Library

I’ve been a member of the board of the Friends of the Northfield Public Library for about eight years. We raise money for the library and literacy in Northfield, and we have a good time while doing it. For years, the Friends sponsored a great silent auction, and more recently, we have sponsored the Northfield [...]

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Seeds Arrive with a New Gadget

My order from Baker Creek Seeds arrived a week or so ago. I set the seeds aside for now, but could not stop fiddling with a new gadget that I ordered. It’s called “Clyde’s Garden Planner,” and is basically a simplified slide rule for seed starting times. (For those of you too young to know [...]

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