The Garden Scoop

Many years ago, I went on a local garden tour and saw these AMAZING yellow flowers. I found these flowers were NATIVE annuals to Minnesota! Super easy to start from seed and a pollinator magnet.

"It's YOUR turn, Monstera", so says the National Garden Bureau, of which I am a member. From their website: Each year the National Garden Bureau selects one annual, one perennial, one bulb crop, one edible, one houseplant and one shrub as our "Year of the" crops. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse and veratile. 

Literally, it's not easy to dig in clay soil. It's heavy, sticky and a bit stubborn to work with. You could work trying to amend the soil, but I choose to work with what I have and choose plants that naturally "thrive" in clay soil. A reminder of the Master Gardener creed, "Right Plant, Right Place". You may be questioning my sanity right now but stick with me... no pun intended.

Fall is here and we are now looking at our depleted vegetable gardens, spent perennials and brown lawns; our trees in various stages of color and/or "balding"! Is there anything we can do right now to help tuck them in for winter? Yup, there sure is. And in particular, new plantings.

Ahh fall... Our summer flowers are fading, and autumn colors are reintroducing themselves. Can anyone say, "road trip"? Heading north you'll find plenty of color change already.

The ‘Scoop recently wrote about how our annuals & tomatoes are suffering with torrential downpouring from above, however, there are more issues in our landscapes. This article discusses what you need to know for this time of year!

Come again some other day. Who knew we’d be saying that? The last couple of years we’ve been in a drought. This year our soils are saturated, and our rivers, lakes & ponds are overflowing.

With the moisture we’ve had the ‘Scoop has received plenty of inquiries about some gross looking thing in their mulch. People don’t panic!!  Its prime season for slime mold. Learn more about what this slime is & what is means for your yard...

The National Garden Bureau, of which I am a member, loves celebrating plants. Me too. Every year they create a list of their choice for Perennial of the Year. For 2024 it’s HOSTA!

Is there a benefit to flowering weeds? The Garden Scoop discusses a few plants that can have a positive impact on your outdoor space!

Is there a difference between soil mix for your houseplants, potted annuals, vegetables and herbs? This Garden Scoop discusses the differences between soil types!

Bugged by ticks? You are not alone! This Garden Scoop discusses a few plants to naturally repel ticks!

We talked about this... yes, our local area has been deemed zone 5a. So, let’s just dive in and peek at some of those zone 5a plants we’ve only dreamed of...

Did you know that last year the USDA updated our country’s Plant Hardiness Zone (PHZ) Map and portions of Minnesota have been changed from zone 4b to zone 5a?! Learn more about what this means for your garden!

“Top of the mornin’ to ya!” and “Happy St. Patty’s Day” albeit a bit early. I may be only slightly Irish, but I am all American, as are those phrases! The 'Scoop talks all about Oxalis & more...