Monday, May 26, 2014

The Best Plants are Free

It's always a great day for a gardner when family or friends invite you over to take some plant divisions for free. This weekend I was able to get my hands on some beautiful Brunnera and some medium sized hostas for a shady spot in my back garden underneath the deck stairs. I also picked up some "Hot Lips" Turtlehead, which I hope will do well in a boggy area of my yard near my Joe Pye Weed.

Brunnera and Hostas

Turtleheads

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Solomon's Seal

It's easy to spot the perennial Solomon's Seal,  if you know what to look for, that being long arching stems with bell-shaped flowers hanging from the stalks.  Unfortunately,  you usually have to bend over to see the dainty flowers. I see this plant more in shady,  woodland settings in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Tulips in the Garden


I tried some new Tulips this year which have some great color variations. One thing I have learned for Tulips in Minnesota is that if you want them to come up each year make sure to look for those that are Darwin Hybrids. Any others will most likely only bloom one year.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Time to Divide Some Coneflowers


While cleaning up the beds and checking on new growth, I came across two coneflower plants, which are about five years old, much in need of division. The tell-tale sign is the dead center of the plant with a circle of growth around the edges.

It's pretty simple to divide coneflowers. All you need is a garden shovel and your foot. The one pictured above was about a foot wide, so I divided it into fourths. One went back into the hole, and the other three were happily placed in other parts of the garden.