Shrubs & Vines

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.

Our Crew members weighed in on their favorite drought tolerant plants.

Ryan, of Baileys, takes a walk around the Gertens lot to talk all about Roses!

Ryan, of Baileys, takes a walk around the Gertens lot to talk all about Hydrangeas!

This winter season 2022/23 has been one for the books. And for the bunnies. One local television station’s headline was “Twin Cities sees snowiest start to winter in 30 years”! And let’s not forget the cold!  

Garden Guy Dale is in Florida checking out where hibiscus and ferns grow.

Michaela explains why it's important to prepare our shrubs and perennials for winter.

The adult Japanese Beetles feed on our prized plants for about 6 to 8 weeks beginning in early July. The Garden Scoop dives into some ways to deter JB from your garden.

Karen's Top Ten Roses for Minnesota Gardeners!

Tim's Top Ten Shrub Recommendations!

One of the first things we do for all our plants, from lawn to roses to evergreens, is to water them until the ground freezes.

The soil is warm and the air is cool. A wonderful time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Get the Scoop on Fall planting and the importance of root pruning, mulching and watering. 

You can almost hear our plants slurping it up! But is it enough to restore our lawns and help our drought stressed trees, shrubs and other established plantings? The experts at Gertens can answer that question!

The experts at Gertens offer advice on what different types of soil causes hydrangeas to change.