More Garden Heidi-ology

A big part of the fun of gardening is getting to know your fellow gardening peeps. This past year, I got to get up close and personal with great gardener Heidi Heiland of Heidi’s Lifestyle Gardens of Plymouth, MN. My profile of Heidi and her gardening lab and studio — which also happens to be…

Establish your signature garden emblem; your own personal logo

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Heidi Heiland this past year. She is a great Minnesota gardener and a profile of her and her Plymouth waterfront yard and garden will be in the May issue of Northern Gardener magazine. The issue will be online and on news stands soon. I picked up so…

Full-frontal gardening spotted in the Twin Cities

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…

Think pink: ‘Pink Fantasy’ clematis gets me wanting color everywhere in the garden

More and more, I find myself picking pink for the garden. Nothing soothes my soul and picks up my spirits like a pink flower. That said, ‘Pink Fantasy’ clematis is a jubilee of pinkness, and a clematis worth a try in your garden. It’s blooming early this year, as are all clematis, and most garden…

Garden art on the cheap DIY: Glass marbles in your fence

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Lake Owasso Garden Club this week. It was a full classroom of avid, fun-loving gardeners and the topic at hand was Art in the Garden. As I told the group, I think art and the garden go together like peas and carrots and as I prepped my…

Add Monarda and lilies to you gardens now for a jolt in your overall look

Now is the prefect time to look for those holes in your garden beds and fill them in with a fabulous Monarda or lily. The nurseries and garden centers (and fronts of many local grocery stores) are popping with varieties from which to choose. The plants are in bloom at the centers and it’s fun…

Dusty Miller saved my gardening butt this summer

An accent plant that has always bored me a little worked its way into my heart this past summer and I now declare “I love Dusty Miller.” Botanically speaking, its Senecio Cineraria. Native to southern Europe (but with less attitude), it is a perennial to zone 9, but an annual up in these parts. When…

Kiss my aster

I could kiss my perennial aster I love it so much. I am not sure of the particular variety , but I believe it is ‘Purple Dome.’ It is hardy to zone 4 and was purchased at Home Depot when it was in bloom. All the tag gave me was “Hardy Aster.” I used to…

Anyone can have a pond in their backyard

If my diminutive back 40 can support an aquatic ecosystem, anyone’s can. My patio pond area started with a store-bought, maybe 25 gallon pre-formed container that I dug (and dug!) a hole in the ground for. Then I added water and stirred! The fountain is an old cistern pump from the farm I grew up…

Late Summer Garden Memories of the Minnesota State Fair

Do you have an iconic garden image or landscape design that sticks in your head, maybe even inspiring a plan that you have incorporated into your own home? I hold memories of a late-summer garden that was installed by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society at the Minnesota State Fair, sometime in the very late 1990s….

A Tale of Two Pink Flamingos

My love of garden ornamentation began in the window of the Coast to Coast hardware store in the small town of Gaylord, Minnesota. It was right around the corner from the Sibley Hotel, which my Grandma owned and ran her catering business out of. The Coast to Coast was a bastien of tchotzke, a haven…