29 Apr 2012

Some Points about Pruning……Chapter I

Spring is probably the best time to 'prune' plant material in your garden, especially if your garden is a landscape garden..   I am about to give a demonstration for a dear client and friend of mine in her landscape garden Masteripiece installed about four or five years ago.    The 'show' will be also attended by her neighbor.    I shall have to rush. The vast majority of homeowners nearly everywhere in these parts of the good...

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19 Apr 2012

Our Garden World of Ground Covers

"Our" garden world refers to the geography of Midwest USA with a Horticultural Zone of, let's guess, 3.8  to 4.8..........So, then.... What  are ground covers in the landscape garden which I grow and have something to write about? Those plants whose forms tend to creep along the garden floor forming horizontal masses usually no higher than two or so feet, are called  ground covers. The most popular groundcover in Minnesota regardless of horticultural zone, is...

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13 Apr 2012

Reviewing the Frost Damage of This Past Week

During the evenings of the early part of this week,  our Twin Citiy, Minnesota area was hit with night frost lows of 27F, 26F, and 32F, although at my place Wednesday evening's frost of 32F didn't arrive.   Instead my landscape garden escaped the third day of damage with a low of 35F. The damage had already been done.    The blooms of my 40 year old PJM Rhododendron were on the ground by Tuesday morning.   Those...

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10 Apr 2012

Plant Deaths in the successful Landscape Garden

The temperature  low last evening was televised locally as 29F.   Plant deaths have been on my mind for the past 24 hours with the return of hard frost.    Unaware, I discovered that my sprinkler system had turned on at 3AM this morning making most of the grounds appear frozen solid.    I had potted about 100 Angelica gigas leftovers from last year's growth now  anxious to get into bloom mood for August displays, but they all...

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09 Apr 2012

Mother Nature is STILL a Creature of Habit: Frost Warnings Ahead

And what is a Minnesotan  supposed to do when it is  April 09, 2012, and  it is already May 15th in the landscape garden, and frost is in  the forecast for the evening?    French  lilacs in open sun are about to bloom, redbuds in the city are already opening their flowers, crab apples appear about to open theirs as well and the temperature is expected to drop to 26F tonight. If your  tomatoes were already set out...

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07 Apr 2012

Sawfly Alert! It’s the start of Lacy Foliage Week!

Sunny Schneiderhan, starette landscape gardener beautifying  her space in Dinkytown USA,  reported active sawflies on a mugho pine last Wednesday.   Fortunately, for those of us who live in suburban Twin Cities where our horticultural zone is not yet #5, we usually  have a  four or five day respite from such  attacks  than our city brothers and sisters who grow Scot's and mugho pines. Do note and remember that Spring on  a sunny  South and the Southwest...

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