Garden Art in Public Places

During the recent America in Bloom competition, this sculpture was installed at the Northfield Public Library. Made by artist Jennifer Wolcott, the steel sculpture has the working title of Bookheads Dancing. In creating the piece, Wolcott walked all around the library looking for the right place to put the sculpture, and settled on this [...]

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Raspberry Face-Off and a Recipe

Well, it’s pretty clear which raspberry is bigger, but which is better? I did an unintentional taste test yesterday, comparing some of my home-grown raspberries (the little guy) with raspberries from the supermarket.
I bought the big guys for a baking project my daughter was doing, but we did not need them. After a few days [...]

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Bee Condo Update: Solitary Insects Move In

As I noted a while back, critters have taken up residence in my bee condo. But they do not seem to be orchard mason bees. When an orchard mason bee moves into a condo like this, the signs are a rough mud plug in one of the holes. The bees use the holes to protect [...]

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Bloom Tuesday, No. 13

Hard to believe it has been almost three months of bloom….and we’re in August already! Some perennials are looking a bit bedraggled this week, but the annuals still look nice. (Left to right, zinnia, nasturtium, and petunias.)

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An Anniversary Visit to the Landscape Arboretum

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen, the staff and board of directors of the Minnesota State Horticulture Society toured the arb last Friday. The society played a key role in founding the arb back in the 1950s. Seeing the arboretum today, it’s hard to imagine the area as the [...]

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