Clearly, winter has overstayed his welcome. Enough said. No more complaining from me. No more overstating the obvious. Winter is the one-night stand who wants you to cook him breakfast. Like at the dinner party that won’t end, I’ve conspicuously yawned, I’ve brought up the lights and I’ve even opened the front door. “This has been fun, … Continue reading »
So, the title is a little racy, a little out-there, but it describes to a tee what front-yard and community gardeners do. They put it there, they expose themselves in their gardening exploits. They don’t keep it in the backyard — they bring it out front, full-front, where it can change lives and make a … Continue reading »
I’m a lucky man. I love gardening and because I write about it to help pay the bills, I get to meet a lot of gardeners. I feel a kinship with most of them–and then some knock me slightly off my epicenter. This fall I have gotten to know Betty Ann Addison, a garden designer … Continue reading »
I spent last weekend with my sister in Gaylord, Minn., prepping and tending the rummage sale to prepare for selling my mom’s house. Selling off family possessions, whether in a sale or auction, is not for the faint of heart. We were lucky. The three day crowd was a friendly lot. Considerate, and in awe … Continue reading »
Every spring as I do my garden clean-up in the Garden Drama test garden, I deposit woody plant materials into a large tub and soak them, to break them down a bit before adding them to the compost pile. Well, as it sometimes goes, the tub soaked quite a while this year (a path and … Continue reading »
One of the greatest things about gardening in Zone 4, is that you get a pretty big break from it. Absense makes the heart grow fonder, and I guess I can only speak for myself, but by frost, I am ready to hang up the hoe for a while. Then comes the winter winds and … Continue reading »
I was compelled to rise this morning and write about why I garden. I garden in quite a small space, actually–a typical city lot in south Minneapolis, closely flanked by two houses that look quite similar to mine. Behind me lies the typical depressing alley, with bits of broken glass and tall weeds that people … Continue reading »
In the newly released holiday film “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Streep plays a professional chef/bakeress with a kitchen to die for and a garden of all our dreams. I am all for a good fantasy flick where dream jobs abound for all and everyone lives in homes that they probably couldn’t really afford, but even I … Continue reading »
The elusive Minneapolis miniature front yard moose was spotted this week fleeing the crazy-driving mini-vans near a school at 4th and 47th in south Minneapolis. It is a long-held belief that his sighting indicates the we have seen the worst of winter and spring is on its way. His sighting is a more reliable forecast … Continue reading »
I’ve always shyed away from using the terms cabin fever or stir-crazy to describe my January state, fearing that the naming of it would even more fully claim it. Well, I’ve got it big time. I think it’s a worse state of affairs for those who rely heavily on digging in the dirt. I come … Continue reading »
