Foxgloves for Father’s Day

Foxgloves remind me of my dad, who has been in spirit for nearly 25 years now. Vernon was the ultimate gardener, you could say. He was a farmer for much of his life, growing corn, soybeans, and one year, sunflowers to feed the world. This is what I thought as a kid in Arlington, Minnesota…

Geums are another source of nice spring color

As we are awash with the purple waves of lilacs, fleeting crab apple blossoms and the spent tulip blooms curling back to the earth, I can’t help but admire the humble, yet lovely geum that blooms in the front yard of the Garden Drama test garden. Geums are a diminutive little perennial (varieties range from…

Garden Clubs rule the world… one plant at a time

Last Monday evening, I had the pleasure of speaking to the South St. Paul Garden Club’s March meeting. It was a great night of hanging with the gardening peeps. Garden clubs are such a great way to connect with fellow gardeners, to share info and ideas, and during a winter like we are having, help…

A False Aralia is a True Treat of an Indoor Plant

Last month, I was lucky enough to visit Esther Filson, houseplant extraordinaire and matriarch of the local gardening community. I interviewed her for one of my upcoming columns in Northern Gardener magazine. The focus of the piece was Esther’s passion for the indoor plant and let me tell you, it is alive and well, and…

Euphoric about Euphorbia

This little stunner is sometimes commonly called Spurge! Such an overly common, common name for such a jewel in the spring garden crown. Scientifically, it’s a succulent, making it a great addition to an alpine or rock garden. It can take dry conditions like a little soldier (this spring proves it). The colorful yellow/chartreuse-green bracts…

I picked up a Passion flower vine (Passiflora) at the Mill City Market

A wonderful farmer was selling Passion flower vines last Saturday at the Mill City Market near the Guthrie Theatre, close to downtown Minneapolis. If you haven’t been to the market yet, try to get down there. It’s got great energy, great produce, great vendors and great food. A shout-out to the Chef Shack. I had…

Lobelia ‘Palace Royal’ holds court in my containers

I wrote an article for the upcoming March issue of Northern Gardener magazine on taking one pot through all four seasons, swapping out plantings accordingly. It was a hoot to have this test pot in my garden though the spring, summer, fall and into the the holidays. It was my baby, my test kitchen. I…