Zonker Goes All Garden

I have about four comic strips that I have to check in on nearly every day: For Better or Worse (yes, I’m one of those saps who teared up when Farley, the dog, died); Luann, Crankshaft (the recent bit where the parents take their daughter to college was a hoot), and Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury. It [...]

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The Grape Escape

I have to admit that I feel like I have finally escaped after processing about 20 pounds of grapes from my neighbor’s vines. My neighbors were not able to do the harvest themselves this year, and I asked if I could step in, having enjoyed some of their fabulous grape jam last year. With their [...]

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September Garden

While many gardens fade after mid-August, mine often looks better in September than it does at other times of the year. It’s not something I’ve planned, but a happy accident of having a few fall bloomers, annuals that don’t take off in Minnesota until mid to late summer, and early bloomers that make an encore [...]

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Another Raspberry Recipe

The berries just keep on coming! Friday, my husband and I picked about 20 cups of raspberries from the canes in our backyard. That’s on top of several cups each of the past few days, some of which we’ve munched and some we’ve given to others. A basket sent to my mother led to a [...]

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Magnificent Mum

Way back in May, I posted about a Mammoth™ mum I bought, then neglected for several weeks. (See sad photo at right.) Well, look at that baby now! While it’s not as large as it will be in a two or three years — Mammoth mums top out at 5 feet across and 3 feet [...]

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A Fool for Raspberries

This is shaping up to be a fantastic season for fall raspberries. I was busy with a variety of work-related activities during the latter part of last week and, consequently, was away from my little raspberry patch for about four days. When I went out to pick today, the berries were literally dripping off the [...]

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State Fair Gardens 2009

I had a fun afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair Wednesday, where I worked at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society booth, selling memberships (a heckuva bargain at $55 with lots of perks and goodies) and visiting with fairgoers. The fair really is a great get-together. Not only did I talk with many readers of Northern [...]

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My Blue Heaven

Some gardeners are devoted to getting the color blue in their gardens. Blue doesn’t appear much in flowers naturally, and many times plants that are considered blue, look more purplish — at least to me. Here’s a ‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory that I planted earlier this summer. This is its first bloom (I should have [...]

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