TOMATO TRICKS FOR ZONE 3 GARDENERS
Gardener Northern
A MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION
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FALL 2023
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FALL 2023 l VOLUME 151 l NUMBER 3
Table of Contents 41 GARDEN 55 FALL TO-DOS The growing season is winding down but some golden garden moments still await. Here’s what to do as we move into the autumn months. BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON
IN THIS ISSUE 2 Director’s Note 4 MSHS News: Classes and Calendar
30
47
30 Blue Ribbon
44 Meet Me in the
These grandstand beauties would look good in your garden, too.
Which are the best pumpkins for northern gardeners? Arb researchers tell all. BY JENNIFER RENSENBRINK
Dahlias
BY GAIL BROWN HUDSON
Pumpkin Patch
36 Keystones and
47 Loads of Lovely
A lush garden with a tree and plants below will bring in the bees and more.
Woodbury garden is big, bold and bursting with 700 daylilies and much more. BY GAIL BROWN HUDSON
Soft Landings
Daylilies
BY JENNIFER RENSENBRINK
41 Innovative
But Not New
Local chef moves Indigenous cuisine into modern mainstream.
52 Garden Gallery
Nature inspires this artist’s work and decorates her garden. BY SONI FORSMAN
BY MICHELLE BRUHN
8 Garden Plan: Spring Bulb Garden 10 Ask the Expert: Getting Rid of Canada Thistle 12 Quick Project: Container Refresh 14 Plant Profile: New Ninebarks 16 DIY: Patio Time 18 Garden Solutions: Tomato Tips for Zone 3 20 Kitchen Garden: Lettuce Introduce You 24 Garden Design: Rain Garden Rock Stars 26 Northern Natives: Plant a Pocket Prairie 28 Growing Together: A Giving Garden 60 Before & After: From Blah to Beautiful
ABOUT THE COVER: Dahlias shine in gardens in early fall. Photo by Gail Hudson Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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MSHS Board of Directors
BECKY SWEE
Mary Hockenberry Meyer, Chair Mary Marrow, Vice Chair Paul Markwardt, Treasurer Renay Leone, Secretary Nan Eserkaln Gail Brown Hudson Judy MacManus Randy Nelson Steve Poppe Jill Rulli Don Smith Robin Trott Laura Wagner Rhys Williams
A NOTE FROM
The Director how can the minnesota state fair be just around the corner? It feels like yesterday that we were distributing plants to our Minnesota Green and Garden-in-a-Box participants, hoping for rain and nurturing seedlings. Summer in the North is swift and sweet! We hope you’ll make the most of the remaining weeks of the garden season, and if you have a chance, come see us in the Horticulture Building at the fair. Our educational display is about cut flower gardening and, of course, we’ll have a supply of garden-pun T-shirts for sale. You can also get a free 30-page northern gardening calendar when you join or renew at the Society membership level at our booth. This issue highlights one of the many gardens around the fair—the dahlia display garden near the Grandstand Plaza. The garden boasts 90 different dahlias and is the brainchild of Del Hampton, a dahlia enthusiast and former member of the hort society board. Read about Del’s fair garden on page 30. Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find stories on growing lettuce, tomato tips for USDA Zone 3 gardeners, how to install a paver patio around a tree, making art for your garden, and much
more to help you garden better and Pick up your copy of the have fun MSHS 2024 Planning doing it. Calendar at the fair. The fair is nostalgic, too, and this year, I’ll be remembering with gratitude long-time supporters Maureen and Ira Adelman, whose estate recently made a significant gift to support our work. Maureen won a few ribbons in the MSHS Potted Plant Show at the fair and served as chair of the hort society board of directors in 2009. She was an effervescent, smart volunteer who loved gardening and gardeners. Ira, a longtime professor of fisheries and wildlife biology at the University of Minnesota, was her biggest supporter and a true friend to the hort society. As members of our Heirloom Circle, Maureen and Ira remembered the society in their estate plan. Their gift will make a huge difference in our ability to spread the love of gardening to more people. We remember them with fondness and gratitude. Lara Lau-Schommer Executive Director
651-643-3601 l info@northerngardener.org
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Minnesota State Horticultural Society
@mnhort
MSHS Staff Lara Lau-Schommer, Executive Director Becky Swee, Communications and Marketing Director Diane Duvall, Development Director Mary Ohm, Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator Betsy Pierre, Advertising Sales Manager
Northern Gardener
Mary Lahr Schier, Editor Debbie Lonnee, Horticultural Editor Julie Jensen, Copy Editor Barbara Pederson, Designer Joe Luca, Newsstand Consultant
Copyright 2023 by MSHS. Printed in the USA on recycled paper. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission from MSHS. The information published in Northern Gardener® reflects the experiences and opinions of the writers and is not necessarily endorsed by MSHS. Northern Gardener is a registered trademark of MSHS. (ISSN) 1529-8515. Northern Gardener is published quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) with an additional digital issue in January by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minn., and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northern Gardener, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
MSHS Calendar The Trouble with Jumping Worms: An Update
Mushroom Gardening!
Tuesday, Aug. 15, 4 – 5 p.m. and 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Price: $15 members, $20 nonmembers Location: University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus Mall Instructor: James B. Calkins, Ph.D.
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $10 members, $15 nonmembers Location: GoToWebinar Instructor: Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging Co.
Although invasive jumping worms (Amynthas and Metaphire spp.) have been getting a lot of attention, many gardeners have never seen one. Join us on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus mall for a discussion about nonnative earthworms with a focus on jumping worms and the threat they pose to native ecosystems, yards and gardens. The St. Paul campus is one of the places where these invasive earthworms have unfortunately taken up residence. This presentation will provide a hands-on opportunity to observe and learn to identify these invasive earthworms and how they are spread to new areas during their peak season in Minnesota.
Food Forest Series (Live Conclusion) Tuesday, Sept. 5, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $15 members, $20 nonmembers Location: GoToWebinar Instructor: Russ Henry, owner of Minnehaha Falls Landscaping and founder of Bee Safe Minneapolis
This presentation is for homeowners who want to maximize their yard’s ecological and economic potential while taking steps toward decolonizing the landscape. We’ll discuss creating landscapes filled with fruiting native trees, shrubs, edible perennials; maximizing rainwater capture; planning for ecosystem succession; and growing a multi-layered canopy of edible native plants. Create a habitat that will heal the land and provide sustenance for your family. This series includes eight videos, each focused on one layer of the food forest, to watch at your leisure and a final, inreal-time conclusion on Sept. 5 during which you can ask Russ questions.
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Minnesota State Horticultural Society
Join Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging Co. and learn how to add edible mushrooms to your garden. We’ll cover mushroom growing techniques, annual and perennial mushrooms, mushroom identification and more.
Autumn Planters Date: Tuesday, Sept. 12, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $5 members, $10 nonmembers Location: GoToWebinar Instructor: Jenn Hovland, owner and lead designer of Studio Louise Flowers in Stillwater, Minn.
Join us for a demonstration and discussion on transitioning your summer planters to an autumn display. We’ll discuss cool-season plants that will extend your growing season, design elements that bridge the seasons and general care of container plantings.
Fruitful Roots: The Art of Growing Fruit Trees Tuesday, Sept. 26, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $5 members, $10 nonmembers Location: GoToWebinar Instructor: Derek Carwood, horticulturist and owner of Greenwood Horticulture
Join Derek Carwood’s online class about caring for fruit trees in Minnesota. Discover what types of fruit trees grow well in northern climates, how to take care of them and how to harvest your crops.
Join our circle of visionary gardeners. Decorative Fall Arrangement Date: Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Price: $20 members, $25 nonmembers Location: Gibbs Farm, 2097 Larpenteur Ave. W., St. Paul Instructors: MSHS Judging & Exhibiting Committee
Join the MSHS judging and exhibiting committee for a make-and-take decorative fall arrangement class using available products sourced locally. This is a handson class where you will receive instruction and personalized support with your arrangement in class.
Sustainable Landscape Design Basics Five sessions: Mondays, Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6; 6 – 9 p.m. Registration deadline: Price: $199 members; $209 nonmembers. Price includes 15 hours of instruction, a comprehensive course packet and a set of basic landscape design tools Location: Zoom Instructors: Julie Weisenhorn, University of Minnesota Extension educator, and Jim Calkins, Ph.D.
This five-session workshop is your opportunity to learn the theory and basic principles of sustainable landscape design and avoid the mistakes commonly made by novices and professionals alike. The curriculum is comprehensive and has been specifically developed to allow participants to use their own property as a class project by designing an entry garden, a deck/patio garden or other landscape space. Students will receive a materials packet before the first class. Each workshop session will culminate in a hands-on, take-home assignment that will allow participants to put pencil to paper and apply the techniques learned to their personal landscape project in preparation for the next class and the next steps in the landscape design sequence. The workshop will also include time for personalized critiques of your ideas during the last four sessions as you develop your designs.
“
MSHS programs inspire me as a gardener, so I have decided to share that inspiration with future generations.” –terry beitlich, society and heirloom circle member
Houseplants 101 Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $5 members, $10 nonmembers Location: GoToWebinar Instructor: Jenn Hovland
As the weather changes, many gardeners turn their thoughts to houseplants. Join us for houseplants 101 where you’ll learn about the basic care and common issues of houseplants. In this class you’ll enjoy two bonus topics: transitioning your houseplants back indoors for the winter and forcing bulbs for a winter floral display. An assortment of bulbs will be available to order from the instructor.
LEGACY GIFTS FROM MEMBERS LIKE YOU HELP TO ENSURE THAT MSHS PROGRAMS INSPIRE GENERATIONS OF GARDENERS TO COME.
MSHS Calendar continues on page 6
To make a legacy gift, call 651-643-3601 or email diane@northerngardener.org
Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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UPCOMING EVENTS
MSHS Calendar continued from page 5
Community Events Best Trees You’re Not Planting (But Should) Isanti County Master Gardeners Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Location: Cambridge Public Library, Great Northern Room, 111 Dellwood St. N., Cambridge Are we planting the best trees for our climate? Maybe not. In this talk, Mary Lahr Schier will recommend a dozen or more trees you may not be planting that will thrive in your northern garden. Registration begins Aug. 12 through the library website, ecrlib.org. Contact: isanticountymastergardeners.com.
Plant Predators: Crafting Carnivorous Terrariums Date: Tuesday, Nov. 7, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Price: $60 members, $65 nonmembers Location: Bad Weather Brewing, 414 Seventh St. W., St. Paul Instructor: Derek Carwood, horticulturist, and owner of Greenwood Horticulture
This make-and-take class is a great way to get involved in the art of do-ityourself. You will learn about designing your very own carnivorous plant glass terrarium, complete with plants and decorations. You’ll have the opportunity to create something that can be used in your home or given as a gift. All materials are included in your registration. Horticulturist Derek Carwood will guide you through all steps to make your terrarium and provide you with tips on how to care for it at home.
To register for classes, visit northerngardener.org/classes.
Seed Saving Washington County Horticultural Society Tuesday, Sept. 12, 7 – 8 p.m. Location: Hope Church, Room 421, 7910 15th St. N., Oakdale Courtney Tchida will describe how to save seeds from your favorite plants. Contact: Barbara J Ronningen, bjronningen@yahoo.com. Daffodil Society of Minnesota Fall Bulb Sale Daffodil Society of Minnesota Saturday, Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., or until all bulbs are sold Location: Bachman’s on Lyndale, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis Come early for best bulb selection. All are Minnesota hardy and hard-to-find varieties. Only $5 per bag or five bags for $20. Proceeds support daffodil society educational activities. Contact: Chris Vickery, daffodilmn1@gmail.com. Growing Heirloom Pumpkins, Squash and Gourds St. Anthony Park Garden Club Tuesday, Oct. 3, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. Location: St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 2323 Como Ave., St. Paul John and Jenny Thull have managed the U of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center's pumpkin patch for over 10 years. They will talk to the club about growing heirloom pumpkins, squash and gourds. See story on page 44 for more on heirloom pumpkins and sqaush. Contact: stanthonyparkgardenclub.com. Houseplants to Enhance the Indoors Washington County Horticultural Society Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7 – 8 p.m. Location: Hope Church, Room 421, 7910 15th St. N., Oakdale The presentation will focus on houseplants for any indoor location. Contact: Barbara J Ronningen, bjronningen@yahoo.com. Community Events continue on page 9
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Minnesota State Horticultural Society
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GARDEN PLAN
Spring Bulb Garden Plant now for a feast of color in spring. does your yard need a pop of color in spring? Plant this easy spring bulb ring garden this fall and enjoy the beauty next spring. For this design, dig out a 24-inch diameter ring garden bed under a deciduous tree, birdbath or flagpole. The bulbs will be planted in concentric circles within the ring, creating a layered look. Choose a location with soil that drains well. You may need to work around tree roots when planting. Sprinkle a little bone meal into your planting hole to promote fall root growth. Plant each bulb three times as deep as the height of the bulb.
Planting Plan
You will create five ring sections in this garden layout. Ring 1: 2 inches in diameter. Leave this area around the tree or center object empty. Ring 2: 8 inches in diameter. Cluster 30 Darwin hybrid tulip bulbs in this ring— in orange, pink, purple, red, yellow and white—five of each color, placed 2 inches apart. Ring 3: 6 inches in diameter. Stagger 45-50 white daffodil bulbs inside this ring, 2 inches apart. Recommended variety: Mount Hood. Ring 4: 8 inches in diameter. This ring includes yellow daffodil bulbs (Dutch Master) and single late tulip bulbs in red. Cluster each variety in six separate groups. Daffodils will have eight bulbs per cluster (48 total), planted 2 inches apart. Tulips will have 10 bulbs per cluster (60 bulbs total), 2 inches apart.
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Minnesota State Horticultural Society
Bulb Height/Depth
UPCOMING EVENTS
Community Events continued from page 6
Plant each bulb three times as deep as the height of the bulb.
Bulb Layout
Successful Orchid Growing Rochester Garden and Flower Club Thursday, Oct. 19, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Location: Eagles Club, 917 15th Ave. S.E., Rochester Paula Zollman, presenter Learn the different types of orchids, how to repot them, proper maintenance and steps for bringing them back to life. Contact: https://rgfc.org.
Ring 1 A tree, birdbath or other decorative object can go at the center of this colorful fall planting.
Ring 2 Ring 3 Ring 4 Ring 1
Ring 5: 2 inches in diameter. Stagger 76 grape hyacinth bulbs inside this ring, 1 to 2 inches apart. After planting, water well and add a 1-inch layer of mulch over the garden. Happy fall planting!
Amy Kainz is an organic flower and vegetable gardener living in central Minnesota. She specializes in pollinator-friendly landscaping, edible flowers and customized garden layouts. Follow her on Instagram at @milkweed.and. daisies.
African Violet Society Fall Display and Sale African Violet Society of Minnesota Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20 and 21, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Northtown Mall, 398 Northtown Dr., Blaine Many African violets and other Gesneriads on display and for sale. Contact: rcjsch@prodigy.net.
visit northerngardener.org/ community-events for more events.
Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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ASK THE EXPERT
Getting Rid of Canada Thistle PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS EVANS, BUGWOOD.ORG
Be relentless to remove this weed.
“
Canada thistle is invading our rain garden, veggie garden and lawn. Is there anything we can
a nasty invader, do about it?” canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) –Lisa F., online can be difficult to recognize and hard to get rid of. Several varieties of thistle grow in the Upper Midwest, and while some are native and desirable, others are thugs that need to be removed. Canada thistle is a particular problem because it is allelopathic—its roots secrete chemicals that are toxic to surrounding vegetation. Canada thistle drains nutrients from nearby soil and damages crops and pastures. It’s also a moisture guzzler and can dry out the soil, leading to erosion. It’s tough to get rid of because each plant can produce up to 1,500 seeds per
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shoot, and the seeds can remain viable for 20 years. Thistle roots sometimes spread as far as 18 feet and grow as deep as 15 feet. No wonder this plant is a scourge.
Identification
To tell Canada thistle apart from its harmless counterparts, look for seedlings that resemble small rosettes in early spring. Watch to see if the plants quickly grow flowering stems that reach 2 to 5 feet tall. Flowers, which emerge in late June and bloom into August, are usually purple but occasionally pink or
white. This thistle is easiest to recognize in mid-July when its purple flowers turn to white fluff, which then sprouts seed heads. This is a dangerous time because the seeds are then carried by wind and birds, dropped and begin to form new colonies.
Eradication
A prohibited noxious weed under Minnesota law, Canada thistle must be controlled so that it does not spread. You must prevent seeds from forming and spreading and also stop the root growth. A few tips: • Don’t pull Canada thistle. Pulling simply breaks off the stem and allows multiple plants to regrow.
• Check any disturbed soil near your home, including under large, low-hanging evergreens, because these are spots where it’s likely to grow. It may take a few years of effort to get rid of Canada thistle, but persist in attacking this invasive plant. You will be successful in the end, and your neighbors will thank you for your efforts. Diane McGann is a University of Minnesota Extension master gardener in Washington County.
• Regular mowing, before the seed heads emerge, will help halt its spread by seed, but foliar herbicides that transmit chemicals to the roots, such as glyphosate, are usually necessary to kill the plant and its rhizomes. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recommends applications in both spring and fall.
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QUICK PROJECT
Container Refresh Swap a few plants for a fresh fall look. containers add a pop of color and seasonality to outdoor spaces, and it’s easy and fun to change containers along with the seasons. When considering container plants, think about short-term and long-term plants. Short-term plants can be flowering annuals that will bloom profusely but may fade over the season. Longterm plants, such as a grass or foliage plant, may bridge more than one season. Grasses, for example, could be planted in the spring and left in a planter all the way through winter because the seed heads provide winter interest.
Ready for fall with purple fountain grass, yellow and orange bidens and a few pansies, this container will stand up to cooler temperatures.
Summer heat takes a toll on some plants; others, like tropical plants, stop growing or die with temperatures below 50 degrees F. By the end of the summer, many containers need refreshing. For an autumn upgrade and to get the most longevity from your new plantings, look for late-season blooming plants or annuals labeled “cool-season.” These plants will thrive in lower light and can tolerate the occasional dip to near freezing temperatures. Options include Dianthus, Sedum, annual Rudbeckia, pansies, dusty miller and snapdragons. These will bloom well and thrive in the cooler weather. Also look for foliage plants and grasses that provide interesting textures, autumn colors and movement in your container. While more expensive, late-blooming perennials such as asters, coneflowers or goldenrods are a nice way to include blooms as well as fall textures and leaf colors. Perennials usually will not survive the winter in a container, but they can be transplanted to the garden at the end of the season or treated like an annual in your planters.
PHOTOS: JENN HOVLAND
Time for a Change
A Note about Frosts
A surprising number of plants will tolerate temperatures around freezing—or below, as is the case with pansies! Also, keep in mind that a container on a paved surface, such as a patio, or above ground level, such as on your porch, near the house or on a deck, will have a microclimate a few degrees warmer than the air at ground level. This could be enough to help the plants survive a night hovering around 32 degrees. But always, research the plants before you buy, keep an eye on the weather and cover planters as needed.
Ready for Fall
This summer container included coleus, elephant ears, moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia), Astilbe and coralbells (Heuchera). Tropical plants will have leaf damage with temperatures below 50 degrees. The astilbe was no longer blooming, so it was removed. For the refreshed planter, I added fountain grass for seasonal color and seed heads. Rudbeckia and bidens, a cool-season annual, provide late-season bloom. Pansies, which bloom in the cold and can tolerate temps below freezing for a short time, add a splash of purple. With these changes, the container is fresh and ready for fall.
learn Join Jenn on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. for an online demonstration and discussion on more transitioning your summer planters to an autumn display. We’ll discuss cool-season plants that
will extend your growing season, design elements that bridge the seasons and general care of container plantings. Register at northerngardener.org/classes. —Eds.
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Right: Before its re-do, the container featured tropical plants. Below: A purple coralbells and flowing moneywort could handle fall weather and remained in the container.
CONTAINER TIPS • Contrast colors and textures for container interest, using in-bloom plants appropriate for each season. • Cram the plants in. Use every inch of the container for a lush, full feeling. Our growing season is too short to wait for plants to grow. • Water well. • Fertilize. In summer and fall, use an all-purpose (10-10-10) or super-bloom (10-50-10) fertilizer to keep the blooms coming. —J.H. Jenn Hovland, an avid gardener, is the owner and lead designer at Studio Louise Flowers in Stillwater.
Plants Selected for Your Success
In our Farm Fresh Selects® greenhouses we select only the finest performing plants. These Farm Fresh Selects® varieties are chosen by testing in trial gardens and selecting the varieties that will perform best for you.
Scan for a list of retail locations or visit FarmFreshSelects.com Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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PLANT PROFILE
New Ninebarks These new shrubs bring on the color.
Spicy Devil® ninebark glows orange and red as leaves emerge. Right: It darkens as the season progresses but maintains a smaller size.
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Lucky Devil® features yellow leaves and early summer flowers.
PHOTOS: BAILEY NURSERIES
ninebark is a great shrub for northern gardens, especially the newer cultivars, which feature deep leaf colors and more refined growth habits. Breeder David Zlesak of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls has developed two ninebarks that are new to the market in 2023: Lucky Devil® (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘ZLEMichael’ PPAF) and Spicy Devil® (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘ZLENatalie’ PPAF). You may be familiar with Zlesak’s Little Devil® ninebark, which was introduced in 2010 and revolutionized the mature size of a ninebark. Ninebarks are naturally a tall and gangly shrub, but Little Devil grows to only 4 feet in height. It was also one of the earliest dark-leaved varieties. Little Devil® has been a huge success in the United States and internationally, bringing different colors with the same landscape-friendly size. Lucky Devil® has bright chartreuse foliage from the moment it emerges in the spring through autumn. The yellow foliage contrasts beautifully with the round, white flowers that bloom in early summer. And, that yellow foliage does not bleach out during a hot summer, even when grown in full sun. Spicy Devil® has foliage that is reddish purple. When the foliage first emerges, the leaves are a fiery combination of orange and yellow. They mature to the reddish purple. The stems also have red tones to them. Both of these dwarf ninebarks have a similar
form to Little Devil®. They are upright and vase-shaped in habit, reaching a mature height and spread of 3 to 4 feet. Both are hardy to USDA Zone 3. Best planted in full sun, they grow well in average, well-drained soils. Prune them in early spring, but don’t give them a haircut. Instead, take out the largest branches at the base of the plant to encourage new growth to sprout from the base.
Design Tips
These are versatile shrubs. They can be used as a short, informal hedge; in a foundation planting, especially for small yards; or even as a backdrop in a perennial garden. The leaf color makes these great substitutes for barberry in Minnesota. This smaller plant is so much easier to care for than older cultivars, such as ‘Diabolo’, which can grow more than 10 feet tall. The one disease that affects ninebark is powdery mildew. These hybrids are not immune to it, but little has been seen on them until the end of the summer. To reduce powdery mildew, plant them where there is good air circulation and water them at the base of the plant, not with sprinklers. There are few insect issues with ninebark. Introduced by Minnesota-based Bailey Nurseries, both of these new ninebarks are available in 2023. Debbie Lonnee works in the horticulture industry and is horticultural editor for Northern Gardener.
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Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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DIY
Patio Time How to build a patio near a tree. a shady patio—what could be better? One major thing stood in the way of my dream patio last summer: tree roots from our mature silver maple tree. My husband, Adam, came up with a clever way of avoiding many of them while installing this DIY paver patio.
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What You’ll Need Materials for a 10-by-10-foot circular patio: • 7-by-9-inch blocks (we used 41) • 300 holland paver blocks • 70 square feet of landscape fabric • 10 bags of paver base sand • 12 bags of leveling sand • 30 feet of black plastic edger Tools: • Mallet • Block splitter • Level —J.R.
Lay out a rough circle of blocks and look at it from as far away as possible. Does it look like the correct scale for your yard? I thought a 6-foot circular patio would be fine until I created a rough brick circle, tried to put two chairs in it, and realized that it was too small. Once you decide on the size, work a little flexibility into your design—the final size of ours is about 10 feet, 4 inches in diameter.
My patio is barely big enough for four chairs and a firepit, though usually we have just two chairs. It would have been much easier to create a square-shaped patio, but I really like the way the circle looks. We don’t have any turfgrass so we added steppingstones from the deck, making it easy to get to the patio with bare feet. And with that, our backyard is complete! Well, until I change my mind about the plants.
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PHOTOS: JENNIFER RENSENBRINK
Jennifer Rensenbrink gardens and writes in Minneapolis.
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Lay down landscape fabric over the whole thing, then place the 7-by-9-inch blocks in your trench, so that the longer side is down. You may need to cut one in half to finish the circle. Place the black plastic landscaping edging tight up against the outside of the blocks to hold them in place.
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Trim the excess landscape fabric; fill in with soil, plants and woodchips; and you’re done! Our patio has held up nicely for the first year. I like that it’s slightly elevated. I surrounded it with Pennsylvania sedge for a calming transition between the seating area and the native perennial border.
Dig a trench 5 or 6 inches deep and wide enough to place bricks in a circle. You will have to hack away some tree roots, but happily this is the only place. Level off the middle flat area of the circle with a square-edged shovel.
As you get closer to the edge, you’ll need to split some bricks in half, thirds, or even fourths to get a tight fit against the edge.
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Shop Over 1,500 Houseplants for Sale including tropicals, succulents, orchids, and more divided by light levels. • Teams of Master Gardeners to help you select the best plants for your space. • Pet-friendly plant recommendations • Watch demonstrations of repotting, dividing, and other techniques • Child-friendly activity • Sales tax included in all prices • Great prices • Free admission • Free parking
Pour in the paver base sand to a depth of 2-3 inches, then place your bricks in whatever pattern you like—Adam used a basket-weave. Check the sand depth with a paver brick. Bricks should line up just shy of the level of the edge pieces. Pound them into place with a mallet; use the level often to check your work. Work in the leveling sand with a broom, checking frequently to make sure you haven’t inadvertently created a slope. You may need to adjust bricks to make it all flat and neat.
To learn more: https://hennepinmastergardeners.org/events/
Do you have a love of gardening? Do bees just make you “buzz” with enthusiasm? Do you enjoy sharing with others about a topic that is important to you? If so, the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program of Hennepin County may be for you! Master Gardener Volunteers take their knowledge and love of horticulture into the Hennepin County Community and share it with others. Volunteers learn while they are volunteering; they also learn by attending required continuing education classes offered by the University of Minnesota, MN Landscape Arboretum and Minnesota Horticultural Society.
To learn more: https://hennepinmastergardeners.org/ become-a-master-gardener/
MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM | HENNEPIN COUNTY
hennepinmastergardeners.org/events Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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GARDEN SOLUTIONS
Tomato Tips for Zone 3 Choose carefully and nurture plants for bushels of fruit.
Tomatoes: In the Bag
Fast plant growth is a must in the North. Don uses his greenhouse to accelerate seedling growth in May and doesn’t let up when moving his plants into the garden. He cages plants on planting day, then covers each cage with a white plastic garbage bag. This “mini-greenhouse” has been key to his tomato triumphs. “I really believe the bags shave about a week off maturity time,” he says. Two small vent holes prevent overheating during the day. The trapped warmth inside the bags keeps plants cozy during the chilly nights of early June. The combination of warm humidity by day and protection from cold at night pushes plant growth into overdrive. The bags come off when plants reach the top of the cage and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 50 degrees F. Early blossoms are nipped, giving the roots and the stem time to
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DARREN LUKENBILL
can a usda zone 3 garden produce enough ripe tomatoes to make the endeavor worthwhile? Northern Minnesota gardener Don Lukenbill—who happens to be my father—says yes. Located in southwest Koochiching County, along the transition from zone 3b to 3a, Don’s garden delivers large crops of ripe tomatoes every year, thanks to strategic planning and tending. The first step toward vine-ripened northern tomatoes is selecting varieties suited for short growing seasons. Don favors varieties that mature in 65-70 days; 75-day varieties work, but if a variety needs 80 days or more to ripen that pushes the harvest into late August, when day/night temperature swings slow the ripening process. Don sows tomato seeds indoors, under lights, in early April and hardens off plants in a greenhouse before putting them in the garden around Memorial Day to avoid the dreaded, almost inevitable, late-May frosts that haunt zone 3 gardeners. strengthen after such rapid growth. By Father’s Day, the fruiting process begins. Don lets each large-variety plant start about 20 tomatoes, then prunes all additional blossoms and eventually removes the smallest five to eight fruits. The goal for each plant is 12-15 ripe tomatoes.
average 10-12 ounces. This is a very sweet tomato with few seeds—a terrific slicer. Don allows about 12 fruits on each Hybrid plant to maximize size and guarantee full ripening of all fruits.
Recommended Varieties
Don plants about four varieties of tomatoes each year. He always plants one determinate (bush) tomato, and most years he likes to grow something new. He’s accumulated a long list of zone 3 success stories! Here are a few of his favorites: Hybrid Goliath – Some varieties of Goliath tomato produce larger fruit than the hybrid but not as fast, and the fruits are not as beautifully shaped. The deeply oblate tomatoes of the Hybrid Goliath mature in 65 days on an indeterminate (pole) plant and will
Merit
Merit – Part of the Mountain series, Merit is a hybrid determinate with a maturity range of 70-75 days. Similar in size to Goliath and similar in shape to
Tasty Treat – A true cherry tomato on a truly indeterminate vine, Tasty Treats are in my section of the garden every year. This hybrid matures slower than most cherry varieties—65-70 days—but produces copious amounts of snacking tomatoes in long, orderly groups. Beware, this plant will grow and grow, so keep pruners handy and use the tallest cage available. Most fruits are less than an ounce, but they’re packed with an explosion of juice and flavor.
Juliet
Juliet – A “mini-Roma,” this indeterminate hybrid races to ripen in 55-60 days and doesn’t let up until the frost shuts it down. With enough moisture, the Juliet will produce fruits of 1-2 ounces that hang in clusters of a dozen or more. It’s low maintenance—the plant grows strong and requires little pruning, even when loaded with its grape-shaped fruit. And, the fruit re-
TOMATO PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS
Ultra Sweet, Merit is a good multi-purpose tomato that takes center stage as the earlier varieties begin fading toward fall. Merit requires less maintenance than other indeterminate tomatoes, but it also produces fewer fruits.
sists cracking and has a good shelf life. There’s no need to stress about picking or eating right away! Ultra Sweet – One of many in the Ultra series, this indeterminate hybrid also matures in about 65 days. Weighing in at 10 ounces or less, the Ultra Sweet is a firm tomato with a flattened globe shape. With a good balance of sugar and acid, Ultra Sweet is the tomato my mom, Mary, uses for canning salsa and spaghetti sauce. Gardeners of the North, take heart. You can harvest abundant ripe tomatoes in your zone 3 gardens. Care diligently for the correct varieties, and by summer’s end, your gardens will glow with the red results of your efforts. Darren Lukenbill is a teacher, writer and gardener in central Minnesota. Follow his outdoor activities on Instagram at @armstrongriverfarm.
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KITCHEN GARDEN
Lettuce Introduce You … Grow more greens with these smart techniques. gardeners are often told that salad greens are an easy vegetable crop for beginners. Greens do grow quickly, but beyond that, lettuce can be tricky for northern gardeners. Meet Jesse Edgington of Edgie’s Veggies, a salad-centric farmer who’s happy to guide us. He grows in USDA Zone 4 around the Twin Cities and sells at the St. Paul’s Farmers Market. He’s a pro at pushing the early and late shoulder seasons and dealing with those hot, high humidity days that plague many gardeners. Here’s what I gleaned from spending a day on his urban farm.
Left: Jesse Edgington plants greens on his urban farm. This photo: A mix of head and leaf lettuces ready for market
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PHOTOS: MICHELLE BRUHN
Starting with healthy soil will give you a leg up and allow you to plant tighter. Crop rotation also helps keep soil-borne diseases in check.”
Lettuce is a Diva
Lettuce wears its lungs on its leaves. Plants have a mechanism that shrinks their cells when it is hot, so even though a leaf looks wilted in the afternoon, it may perk up in the evening. Don’t rush to water the plants.
Seed Selection
The best harvests start with the best seed varieties. When looking through catalogs, look for traits specific to your needs: faster maturity, disease resistance, heat or cold tolerance or being slow to go to seed (bolt). Baby green blends can be ready to harvest in 30 days, while romaine heads generally take more than 60 days to fully mature.
Jesse uses a broadfork to minimize soil disturbance.
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Things can get out of balance so the best organic option for keeping pests from devouring our crops is covering them with netting.”
Jesse plants seedlings at three weeks old.
Soil Health
Because Jesse grows a lot of lettuce in a small space (harvesting between 200-400 heads per week), he works with a soil scientist who recommends specific nutrients based on in-depth soil tests. For the home gardener, Jesse recommends following basic soil principles, such as keeping soil covered, rotating crops and disturbing the soil as little as possible with tilling. “Starting with healthy soil will give you a leg up and allow you to plant tighter,” he says. “Crop rotation also helps keep soil-borne diseases in check.”
Timing is Key
You can grow multiple plantings of lettuces in zones 3, 4 and 5 with some planning. For example, starting seeds indoors in early April and transplanting them under cover (a simple low tunnel or cold frame) can get you harvesting by the end of May. Continuing to sow seeds every few weeks or even once more by mid-May (directly sown in the ground or indoors) will mean more homegrown salads during the heat of summer.
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To prevent bottom rot, Jesse recommends transplanting three- to four-week-old seedlings with some space under the outermost leaves. “Lettuce is happiest growing when the temperature averages 66 degrees F,” says Jesse, “so most lettuces will bolt by mid-July without some shade cover.” Start lettuce seeds again in August for fall harvests. Most lettuces require 50-60 days to reach maturity, so consider your average frost date when planting. While lettuces can survive temperatures as low as 20 degrees, surviving is not thriving. They prefer to be kept above freezing, so provide cover for longer harvests.
Heat and Humidity
Jesse often mists plants for a few minutes on hot summer afternoons to cool them off. He does it early in the afternoon so the leaves can dry before nightfall. “It is a little counterintuitive, but lettuce hates humidity,” he says. Choosing varieties with disease resistance and promoting air flow keeps plants healthy.
Jesse uses row covers to protect young plants.
Fewer Pests
Flea beetles are notorious for putting those pinprick holes into arugula and radish leaves, and they enjoy lettuce as well. Their damage is mostly cosmetic. Aphids feed at the heart of the plant, which is harder to catch. Watch closely for signs of aphids early on. Growing a pest-free garden isn’t an attainable or sustainable goal. “Things can get out of balance so the best organic option for keeping pests from devouring our crops is covering them with netting,” Jesse says. Gardeners may choose insect netting, row covers or shade cloth, and each has a role in growing great greens. Row covers are typically a spun-bond (not woven) polyester material. These will trap heat while letting water and light in but keeping bugs out. Shade cloth is woven to let heat escape but still cuts the sun exposure and, therefore, keeps the temperature down. It also keeps out big bugs. Insect netting will cast some shade and is designed to keep out even tiny insects. Each of these materials comes in different weights. Jesse uses them all. As a home gardener, I have a medium-weight row cover and insect
Favorite Lettuces I grow these in my zone 4 garden. All have a sweet flavor and satisfying crunch. Iceberg (50 days) Red Iceberg. Dark red, super crunchy ribs, decent bolt resistance. Summer Crisp/Batavia (45-55 days) Canasta. A bronze-blushed plant that is crunchy and bolt resistant. Romaine/Cos (50-60 days) Intred. A ruby-colored Little Gem, great flavor. Winter Density. A bibb-romaine that’s super cold hardy and slow to bolt. It has overwintered in my cold frame. Canasta lettuce is slow to bolt and crunchy.
Jesse’s favorite is Salanova (50-55 days), a variety farmers grow for its baby-sized, sweet leaves and very high yields. The seeds are a hybrid and specific to Johnny’s Selected Seeds. You can find Jesse slinging salad at local farmers markets and online at edgiesveggies.com. —M.B.
netting, and switch between those two. I use a few old sheets to add shade as needed.
Harvesting Tips
Since lettuce is 96 percent water, harvesting in the morning before the sun wilts it is best. You can submerge wilted lettuce leaves in cold water to plump them up. Plastic bags are great for keeping lettuce fresh. Keep bagged lettuce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Michelle Bruhn is co-author of SmallScale Homesteading (Skyhorse, 2023). She writes and teaches about local food via her website, forksinthedirt.com.
Check Your Seed Packets Lettuce is prone to diseases such as bottom rot, downy mildew, fusarium wilt and lettuce mosaic virus. Many varieties have had resistance to these issues bred into them. Most seed companies will list these (BR, DM, FW, LMV) as either low or high resistance levels. Read your seed packets! —M.B.
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Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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GARDEN DESIGN
Rain Garden Rock Stars Wet or dry, these plants shine. Black-eyed Susans and Joe-pye weed thrive in a rain garden.
Great Rain Garden Plants Wet or Moist Soil Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) Bebbs sedge (Carex bebbii) Bottlebrush sedge (C. comosa) Lake sedge (C. lacustris) Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) Prairie blazing star (Liatris pychnostachya) Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Great blue lobelia (L. siphilitica) Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
MARY LAHR SCHIER
Upland (Drier) Soil Prairie wild onion (Allium stellatum) Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) Pennsylvania sedge (C. pensylvanica) Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) Purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) —M.O.
fall is a great time to plant rain gardens, as the cooler temperatures make it pleasant to work outside and plants have time to establish before winter. Rain gardens are designed to capture potential pollutants in runoff from buildings, roads and other hard surfaces before they reach rivers, lakes and wetlands. Rain garden plants must tolerate moist soil and filter out potential contaminants. Because these plants are often native plants, rain gardens benefit pollinators and attract wildlife. Once established, they are also low maintenance.
Before You Plant
Naturally low areas make the best sites for rain gardens, though you can create berms and low areas to collect runoff. Rain gardens need to be at least 10 feet away from any building or basement to prevent water from entering these structures. You also want to steer clear of
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septic fields, water wells or utility lines and check with Digger’s Hotline before digging. Testing soil for water absorption is another important step. A rain garden that holds water for more than two days will drown plants and become a breeding ground for mosquitos. To determine the water’s absorption rate, dig a hole about 10 inches deep near your potential site and fill it with water. If the water is gone within two days, you can use the site for a rain garden. An average rain garden will absorb runoff from an area three times its size. Most rain gardens are 100 to 300 square feet. Many rain gardens are designed in the shape of a crescent or kidney, but you can also create a rectangle if your garden is between structures, like a house or sidewalk.
Selecting the Plants
When choosing plants, consider the tiers of the rain garden. Plants in the
bottom tier of the garden will naturally experience wetter soil, while plants in the upper areas will have better drainage and drier conditions. To keep your rain garden attractive each season, select plants with different bloom times and plant clusters of each species instead of individuals. Use a variety of plants with different sizes and textures to carry the eye across the space. Many rain gardens have only perennial flowers, but you can also incorporate shrubs and small trees. One more thing to consider: leave your perennials up in winter to help pollinators and retain structure in the garden for winter interest. Choosing plants for a rain garden is that simple! These gardens check off all the boxes with ease of maintenance, environmental benefits and year-round beauty. Horticulturist Matthew Olson gardens in western Wisconsin.
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Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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NORTHERN NATIVES
Plant a Pocket Prairie have you considered adding native prairie plants to your garden but held back? Perhaps you want to grow them, but you have limited sun. Or maybe you have a large sunny swath, but you want to devote only a small part of it to native prairie plants. Time for a pocket prairie! Whether your garden is urban, suburban or rural, you can try this technique if the light, soil and other elements are appropriate. A prairie can grow in a variety of locations if you select plants that match the conditions of your site. Native plant nurseries and catalogs have great information about the growing conditions required for each species. By growing small pocket prairies, gardeners can help re-establish food and habitat for pollinators, butterflies, birds and other animals. And those who’ve established pocket prairies on their properties describe them as rewarding, beautiful, inspiring and self-sustaining.
In autumn, many prairie plants are gold and purple.
What Is a Pocket Prairie?
As the name implies, pocket prairies are relatively small areas—from a section of a yard to up to 3 acres—that are devoted to native plants. Whatever the size, pocket prairies should be planted with many species of grasses and wildflowers of diverse sizes, functions and bloom times. Select plants that grow well in your region and match the soil type (sand, loam or clay) you have. Having soil that allows for deep roots, as well as adequate drainage and full sun most of the day, will give plants the best chance to thrive, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.
Prairie Planting and Care
Installing a prairie often starts with checking with city authorities to make sure a prairie is allowed where you live. The next steps are having your soil tested and clearing the area of weeds. Pocket prairies can be planted with
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PHOTOS: BETH STETENFELD
All you need is sun, the right plants and time.
Milkweed, wild bergamot and prairie coneflowers at Linda Grosz’s garden
plant plugs (small plant starts) or seeds. The choice is between speed and cost. Seeds are much cheaper, but it will take the plants two to five years to reach full size. If you choose to plant seeds, the U recommends seeding at a rate of 30
seeds per square foot. Be sure you select seeds that are native to your area. If you are not certain, check with local native plant nurseries or a native plant society. Don’t expect a new prairie planting to be easy care, says Linda Grosz of Middleton, Wis. She has about an acre of prairie planted at the back of her property, surrounding her other garden spaces. Grown entirely from seed 25 years ago, her prairie embraces the yard with an abundant and colorful mix of native wildflowers and grasses. Special attention and care were required at the start. Because the site was an old field, Prairie Nursery of Westfield, Wis., mowed the vegetation and then applied a glyphosate herbicide to eradicate pernicious weeds before planting. Though the prairie has thrived without supplemental water or fertilization, regular weeding is necessary to keep invasives in check. Burning is done every three to four
years, and mowing is done in the spring of years when the prairie is not burned. The care she took with her prairie has produced a pollinator haven, a native wildflower showcase and a “sponge” for rainwater runoff. The highlights vary with the seasons—from spring prairie ephemerals, to summer perennials and grasses, to autumn asters, and seed heads for winter interest. Once established, watch your prairie change and grow over time. Species will thrive and fade, and the pocket prairie will constantly shift from season to season and year to year. Change is part of its beauty. Each pocket prairie can contribute to swaths of native plants across the state and the region—to support reestablishment of the prairie ecosystem and the plants and animals that rely on it. Consult the resources listed for more guidance. And good luck with your pocket prairie! Native-plant enthusiast Beth Stetenfeld is a garden blogger and writer, and a master naturalist volunteer and instructor.
RESOURCES Plant a Pocket Prairie, (University of Minnesota Press, 2014) by Phyliss Root and Betsy Bowen, was written for youngsters, but it offers quick, practical tips for establishing a pocket prairie. It’s a good start for generating ideas for your prairie. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, wildflower.org, has articles on pocket prairies. Plant a Pocket Prairie webinar. The University of Minnesota Bee Lab has a webinar on planting pocket prairies available on its Youtube channel. Search for @UMNbeelab to locate the recording. —B.R.S.
A mix of prairie plants shine in summer at Linda Grosz’s Wisconsin garden. Linda took extra care in establishing the pocket prairie and continues to maintain it with weeding and periodic burning and mowing.
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Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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GROWING TOGETHER
A Giving Garden Lake Elmo plot grows partnerships and produce. The abundant harvests from the RCS Giving Garden are donated to Valley Outreach, a local food shelf.
PHOTOS: DIANE MCGANN
a ton of food, hundreds of children learning to garden, a community working together to help others—those are the rich harvests of the RCS Giving Garden in Lake Elmo, Minn. A grassroots partnership between a local business, Retail Construction Services of Lake Elmo (RCS), and the Washington County Master Gardeners, the Giving Garden is a food and fruit production resource that feeds those who otherwise might go hungry. It started in 2009, when Joni Fletty, an RCS employee, saw empty land next to her worksite near the Lake Elmo City Hall and imagined what it could be. With the company’s blessing and funds, she and other employees tilled the soil and planted seeds, giving excess produce to local food shelves. As the garden grew, so did the amount of work required to tend it. The master gardeners—led by Kathy Luoma for 10 years—stepped in to help increase food harvests and expand the youth-education program. When Kathy moved to Tennessee in 2020, it took four other master gardeners to fill her shoes.
garden. Local nurseries donate plants. Business, church and school groups volunteer to plant and weed the garden.
Visitors and Friends Serving Clients and the Community
Most of the produce goes to Valley Outreach, a local food shelf, and plantings are adjusted based on client requests. The volunteers now grow okra, Asian greens, bok choy and tomatillos along with large quantities of beans, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, raspberries, herbs, onions, spinach, broccoli and radishes. While a bit of a space hog, the master gardeners always plant a row or two of corn because the children so delight in watching it grow. The community has pitched in to make the Giving Garden prosper. A local grocery supplies watermelons to feed the hungry young helpers on their well-deserved breaks. RCS installed a watering system, provides parking and maintains the grounds around the
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This bustling 6,000-square-foot plot in the middle of the city of Lake Elmo attracts many visitors. One resident of a nearby senior housing complex often stopped at the garden to visit and occasionally asked for a “small” vegetable to take home. When she died, the master gardeners were touched to learn that she had left $500 of her modest estate to support their efforts. Neighbors regularly visit to offer encouragement and to see how the crops are progressing. They often go home with a vegetable or two. Before the Covid pandemic started, almost 500 students a year volunteered at the garden, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, the students are returning to learn about beneficial insects, garden planning and planting methods, and then put their knowledge to work by planting seeds, pulling weeds
Students visiting the garden plant and harvest.
and harvesting produce. The four current garden team leaders see their work as a labor of love, but also a way to form friendships and serve others. “It keeps me humble,” says Patty
“
We love knowing we are addressing food insecurities and helping our neighbors.”
Student volunteers range from pre-school to high school age.
–diane knoll Medlicott. “Not a pun, but the garden keeps me grounded in life.” Team members Leslie MacKenzie and Liz Smith echo her observation and describe the garden as their happy place. “It’s a community event—all of these efforts are going to feed the community, and the community is making it happen,” says Liz. When asked what they enjoy most about the garden, the answers tumble over each other: empowering others, teaching children, seeing older people, giving food to those who need it, the circle of thank yous, the friendships. “One of the rewards I enjoy most is seeing the look when someone tries their first ground cherry, enjoying a sweet treat that comes in its own wrapper,” says leader Diane Knoll. “We love knowing we are addressing food insecurities and helping our neighbors.” The garden is always evolving. Volunteers recently started using the square-foot gardening method, a practice that divides the garden into square sections so that gardeners can more
readily calculate the number of plants and seeds needed. They have visions of installing a water-wise and lawn-alternative demonstration garden. They’d love to see the garden become a center of learning for the community. The team sees itself teaching visitors about native-plant choices, turf alternatives,
composting, drip irrigation, rain barrels, and raised-bed and square-foot gardening methods. Given their zeal and track record, this just might happen. Garden writer Diane McGann is a Washington County master gardener.
TIPS FOR STARTING A COMMUNITY GARDEN • Start with a plan, and be prepared to adjust it as needed. • Get the soil tested. • Determine garden size based on available land and the number of potential volunteers. • Don’t be afraid to ask for donations of plants, mulch, equipment, whatever you need. Consider joining Minnesota Green. Be sure to thank the donors. • Celebrate your successes with those who helped create them. —D.M. Northern Gardener l Fall 2023 29
PLANT PROFILE
Blue Ribbon Dahlias Story and photos by Gail Brown Hudson
These grandstand beauties would look good in your garden, too.
‘Hart’s Bonnie’ dahlia grows in the garden near the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair.
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It’s a labor of love. I have the time to do it, the resources to do it, so I do it.” THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF THINGS TO SEE when you visit the Minnesota State Fair, including gardens dotted around the fairgrounds’ 322 acres in Falcon Heights. When garden-gawking at the fair, be sure to stop by the Grandstand Plaza, where a display of delightful dahlias simply dazzles. The garden is a testament to the hard work and expertise of Del Hampton, or Farmer Del, as he’s sometimes called. “From the big dinner-plate dahlias to the single mignon dahlias, the smaller sizes, the poms—just the variety of dahlia blooms that are available is just magnificent,” says the St. Paul gardener. Among the 1,200 (yes, 1,200!) dahlias that Del planted last year in various places around the Twin Cities, nearly 90 of them create the dahlia party for state fairgoers. “They take a little work,” Del says, “but if you understand what the plant wants, and you give it what it needs, and you put in a little effort, you can have a beautiful garden.” Del’s fair dahlias include some standouts such as ‘Robin Hood’, ‘American Dawn’, ‘Fire Magic’, ‘Jacs Butterscotch’, ‘Sissaroo’ and ‘Crazy 4 David’. Like to add some to your garden? Here’s some of the wisdom Del has gained from dedicating his summers to growing dahlias.
Above: Del plants more than 1,000 dahlias around the Twin Cities each year. These grow in Del’s St. Paul garden. Right: ‘Hapet Blue Eyes’ dahlia
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Blue Ribbon Dahlias
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They may like the sun, but they don’t always like the heat. Native to Mexico, today’s dahlias have been hybridized in Europe and prefer a cooler climate.” Below, left to right: ‘Clearview Lila’; ‘Verrone’s Obsidian’; Del keeps careful records of the dahlias he starts. Far right: ‘Edinburgh’ dahlia.
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Dahlia Demands
Dahlias are not especially easy to grow. They are heavy feeders—needing lots of fertilizer at the right times. They all require regular maintenance, such as pruning, throughout the season; some varieties are easier to manage than others. Once fall arrives and temperatures begin to drop, many Midwest gardeners dig up the dahlia tubers. An overwintering process can save (most of ) them for planting next year. The hardiest dahlias survive year-round in USDA Zone 8 or higher—that’s the southern edge of the United States from Texas to North Carolina and along the west coast. “It’s a labor of love,” Del says of growing dahlias in the North. “I have the time to do it, the resources to do it, so I do it.”
The Basics
For the best blooms, dahlias require well-ventilated, sunny sites. But Del offers a caveat to this recommendation. “They may like the sun, but they don’t always like the heat,” he says. Native to Mexico, today’s dahlias have been hybridized in Europe and prefer a cooler climate. Last year’s heat wave and drought in Minnesota showed Del which dahlias could handle the heat and which could not. Varieties such as ‘Ivory Palace’, ‘Askwith Minnie’ and ‘Hillcrest Kismet’ really struggled. “Adjust your expectations,” he says. “If you do put them in heat, you have to be careful in how you handle them.” Dahlias also require what Del calls “well-developed” soil. That is, welldrained soil generously amended with compost and manure, plus a
slow-release fertilizer. Nitrogen in the spring helps generate leaves; adding a fertilizer with more phosphorus in the summer promotes blooms. If you’re a Minnesota gardener, he recommends not feeding dahlias after August 1.
leaves when May rains come. “That’s why I do it inside [my house],” he says, “so I can control the environment and get a fairly sturdy plant in the ground,” usually around Memorial Day. Del surrounds dahlias with cages for support placed 2 to 3 feet apart.
Planting
Del recommends planting tubers in a rectangular tray in the spring. It’s a handy way to not only evaluate a dahlia’s health before you put it in the ground, but it also gives you much more control over the environment in early spring. If plants have curly leaves or stunted growth, it could be a sign of the dahlia virus, Del says. Don’t hesitate to throw them out. Dahlia tubers don’t like cold temperatures and wet conditions. If you put them in the ground too early, they may rot before they produce any
Watering
Water deeply at the base of the plant, then let the soil dry out. Wet leaves can lead to diseases such as powdery mildew. “When you give it a good drink, the tubers absorb water,” Del says. “If you give it too much water, [the tubers] will rot.”
Pruning
As with all plants, remove dead and diseased stems, damaged stems and crossing stems when pruning. Del also uses a technique called “disbud-
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Blue Ribbon Dahlias
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And if you only have time to do one thing, deadheading will give you a nice-looking, full garden with lots of blooms. Trim with confidence.”
ding.” He clips or pinches off the two opposing leaves under the flower, to allow more energy to go to the bloom. It’s better for viewing the flower, too, Del says. He clips off the lower leaves closest to the ground because they often turn brown. It’s not only unsightly, he says, but drains energy from the plant. Growers who want to win prizes for their dahlia flowers also limit the number of stalks on an individual plant to four. “Then the energy just goes to those four,” he says. That’s why those dinner-plate dahlias, along with proper watering and fertilizing, can be the size of dinner plates in a dahlia show. And if you only have time to do one thing, Del says deadheading will give you a “nice-looking, full garden with lots of blooms.” As long as the plant continues to put its energy into reproducing, it’s going to produce blooms. His mantra for dahlia pruning is, “Trim with confidence.”
Above: ‘Stoneleigh Joyce’ dahlia Left: ‘Mignon Variegated Lavender’ dahlia
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Pests
Japanese beetles like dahlias as much as Del does. Collect the beetles in a jar of water and dish soap as often as you can and cut off the damaged flower buds. The beetles find white and yellow blooms particularly tasty, so consider that when choosing your dahlias. Follow in Del’s footsteps as you create your own “dahlia party.”
‘Little Miss White’ miniature dahlia Inset: ‘Clearview Lila’ dahlia in bud Below: Horticulturist Tina Dombrowski assists with planting the dahlia garden at the Grandstand.
Gail Brown Hudson is a horticulturist, an Emmy® award-winning journalist, writer and video producer, as well as an avid gardener in Minneapolis.
Resources Dalias can be tricky to overwinter, even for a pro like Del Hampton. “My first couple runs were not successful,” he says. Then he learned how to do the food-wrap method, which involves wrapping tubers in cling film for storage. “All of a sudden, my success for overwintering dahlia tubers went from 5 or 10 percent to 90 percent,” he says. Learn more about that method and other dahlia techniques at the American Dahlia Society’s website: dahlia.org. —G.H. Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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GREEN GARDENING
Story and photos by Jennifer Rensenbrink
A lush garden with a tree and plants below will bring in the bees and more.
Keystones and Soft Landings “
A planting that lacks keystone species will not support a significant number of organisms within a food web.”
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Picture a nest full of chickadees, newly hatched. Now imagine you are their parent. You must find at least 300 caterpillars to feed them, every single day, until they are fledged, for a total of about 9,000 caterpillars. I first read the chickadee example in Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants (Timber Press, 2009), by Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware professor who studies ecosystems and promotes ecological restoration. He is one of many scientists working to educate American gardeners about
native plants. Here in Minnesota, pollinator conservationist Heather Holm and Leslie Pilgrim of Neighborhood Greening, a Minnesota nonprofit dedicated to environmental education and stewardship, work together to promote two very important concepts that northern gardeners can implement in their own landscapes to nurture insects and other wildlife: keystone species and soft landings. Let’s dig deeper into each of these ideas and discover how you can bring nature to your yard, no matter how large or small.
A Nashville warbler perches in a soft landing. These plantings support insects and birds.
Keystone Species
Tallamy, Holm and others who research insects have identified certain tree and shrub species that are hosts—providing pollen, larval food and shelter—to many kinds of insects. Oak trees, for instance, host more than 500 species of butterflies and moths, not counting fungi, lichens and other invertebrates. These plants are keystone species. “They are the main structure in a network that holds everything together, a reference to a keystone in an archway,” says Holm, who has written
several books about insect life cycles and how to support them. “A planting that lacks keystone species will not support a significant number of organisms within a food web.” Keystone plants are often trees or shrubs, but some perennials, such as goldenrods and asters, are also keystone plants. The main criteria: They must support many different insects, from caterpillars to bees. Fortunately, you probably have a keystone species in your yard already—an oak, a maple, a river birch, a cottonwood, even a crabapple. So
Top: A butterfly visits an aster bloom. Above: Bees on goldenrod in fall
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Keystones and Soft Landings
how can you turn your yard into an insect- and bird-supporting super center? This is where soft landings come in. The brainchild of Pilgrim, a soft landing is a mini ecosystem around a keystone plant. “It’s the tree, the plants underneath, the duff and the world below, and the recipe is really specific,” says Pilgrim. The ideal ingredients? A variety of native perennials that offer flowers across all three growing seasons. Dead plant material, including the leaves from the keystone plant, is left in place. Plants are used as living mulch instead of mulching with weed fabric, wood chips or rocks. Plants are allowed to fill in and the area is not cleaned up in the fall. By creating a soft landing of native plants under your keystone plant, and leaving it a bit messy in the fall, you provide places for insects to overwinter, find food, hide from predators, and simply live out their full lives. Added bonus? Those insects are bird food.
Getting Started
Start by identifying the keystone species that are specific to the ecoregion in which you live and see if any are already in your yard. The National Wildlife Federation provides keystone plant lists for ecoregions of North America on its website: nwf.org. Search for “keystone plants.” This is a fascinating database to explore, and Minnesota is an especially interesting area because it contains three unique ecoregions: Northern Forests, Eastern Temperate Forests and Great Plains. The plant lists for each area include the number of caterpillars and other pollinators that use each plant as a host. Using ecoregion-specific plants is important because those are the plants that insects and birds have evolved with. Many of the garden plants we love are imports from
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This plan includes some of the best-behaved native plants I have grown. All natives will spread; some more rambunctiously than others. This is not bad: the goal with a soft landing is to have the plants form a living mulch. The garden will also change over time as plants find their niches. We are creating an ecosystem here, not merely a garden.
FENCE/PROPERTY LINE
Soft Landings
Resourcess Interactive website about soft landings: https://arcg.is/1Lvry Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants, (Pollination Press 2014), by Heather Holm Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard (Timber Press, 2020), by Douglas Tallamy
Planting Plan My soft-landing garden:
1 Existing mature silver maple tree
2 American bladdernut shrubs (Staphylea trifolia)
3 Early meadow rue
(Thalictrum dioicum)
Plant milkweed for monarchs to lay eggs on.
4 Giant
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design (Fields Books, 2023)
—J.R.
5 Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
6 Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
7 Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans)
8 Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
Europe or Asia and offer little to no benefit to local wildlife. With invasive species, such as buckthorn and garlic mustard, displacing native plants in natural areas, it’s even more critical for gardeners to create habitat wherever we can.
Plant Shopping Tips
When choosing plants for your keystone and your soft landing, look for native species plants rather than cultivars of native plants. Many popular native plants (especially coneflowers) have been the subject of a lot of breeding work. As pretty as these new plants are, they may have less value to insects than the original parent plant had, especially when the flower shape is changed through selective breeding. If your goal is to help wildlife, go with
the wild species. Brush up on your botanical Latin when plant hunting. I’ve become a big fan of Pennsylvania sedge in recent years but only this spring learned that it also goes by the name common oak sedge. Knowing Carex pensylvanica (the Latin name) helps me find exactly what I’m looking for, as well as illuminating the fact that the Carex genus contains many valuable sedge species in it. Consider how your plants are grown when selecting for your new wildlife garden. Many nurseries still treat all plants with neonicotinoids or other systemic pesticides, and those can linger for at least an entire growing season for herbaceous perennials and for many years in trees and shrubs. Ask how plants are grown or seek out Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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Keystones and Soft Landings
Garden Keys Keystone species vary depending on your location. A few common ones for the Upper Midwest include: Quercus: White oak Black oak Prunus American plum Black cherry Chokecherry Betula River birch Sweet birch Populus Eastern cottonwood Acer Boxelder Silver maple Sugar maple Malus Southern crabapple Sweet crabapple Cornus Dogwoods Salix Pussy willows Viburnum Nannyberry American highbush cranberry Corylus American hazelnut Perennials such as asters, goldenrods, sunflowers (Helianthus) and rudbeckias are also keystone species in many places. Visit nwf.org and search for “keystone plants” to find keystones for your area. —J.R.
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Above: The berries on red-twig dogwood bring in orioles and other birds. Left: Wild columbine provides late-spring color.
native plant nurseries; we are lucky to have several in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Keystone plants with soft landings under them can be adapted to many different situations, from a small serviceberry tree with a handful of perennials under it to a mature oak with a middle layer of shrubs and a ground-level layer of perennials. Choose a keystone species you like, add plants below and watch the insect magic happen. You may change how
you see insects eating your plants— from tolerance to curiosity and, finally, joy. Oak trees have survived for millennia with bugs munching on them every year. If we learn to see the beauty in this process, we can help safeguard the future for the entire web of life. Jennifer Rensenbrink gardens in Minneapolis. Follow her garden adventures on Instagram at @jenniferrensenbrink.
DIGGING DEEPER Local chef moves Indigenous cuisine into modern mainstream.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY BUNDT
INNOVATIVE BUT NOT NEW “ Story and photos by Michelle Bruhn
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world-renowned leader in the Indigenous food movement, local chef Sean Sherman shows us how undeniably delicious the food growing naturally and often right under our feet can be. Sherman has always focused on “telling the story of the land through the food we eat.” As gardeners, we all know how wonderfully unique each garden is and how a friend’s garden never grows the same plants in quite the same way as our own. Vegetable gardeners can often even taste this difference. In the wine world, they call this “terroir”—the way the natural environment is infused in the food it produces. “Food should taste like the place you are,” Sherman says. “Each place has its history, and stories of their specific varietals from that space—chiles, corns or squash varieties, from the Hidatsa, Mandan or Iroquois are each unique.”
Sowing Seeds of Change
Sherman is an Oglala Lakota activist who has dedicated his career to “re-identifying North American cuisine.” His work stands at the crossroads of many food and cultural movements: permaculture, native planting, locavore, seed saving, clean eating, regenerative agriculture, food access and foraging. This position has exponentially expanded Sherman’s reach and influence, which led him to be named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023 and win
Food should taste like the place you are.”
the Julia Child Award from the James Beard Foundation this year. In some ways, he was primed to lead this change. He spent his childhood on the Pine Ridge Reservation, later moving to a South Dakota town where he started working in restaurants. He honed his cooking skills in Minneapolis, rising through the chef ranks. He realized that while there were restaurants serving food from all over the world in the Twin Cities, you couldn’t dine on Indigenous food anywhere. In 2014, Sherman started a catering business called The Sioux Chef and then opened the Tatanka Truck food truck with the mission to bring more locally grown and pre-colonial foods to Twin Cities diners. After releasing the cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen (University of Minnesota Press, 2017), he forged deeper relationships with local farmers who now grow most of what is served at his restaurant, Owamni by The Sioux Chef. In 2017, he started the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), a nonprofit organization focusing on re-establishing Native foodways to address economic and health crises. NATIFS launched the Indigenous Food Lab, a professional kitchen, classroom and template of how
to bring healthy Indigenous foods to people. In June, Sherman opened the first Indigenous Food Lab Market in Minneapolis.
Living Local + Thinking Global
Sherman and his partner, Mecca, are slowly creating an environmentally friendly and productive oasis in their urban Minneapolis backyard. They’re integrating permaculture design and more native plants as they grow. Gardeners speak of planting “native plants;” chefs work with “pre-colonial ingredients.” But both terms refer to the same thing: a plant or ingredient that is
Foraging morel mushrooms
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Innovative But Not New
In 2017, [Sherman] started the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), a nonprofit organization focusing on re-establishing Native foodways to address economic and health crises. Aronia berries
Your Indigenous Garden The first time I realized that I could eat lamb’s quarters instead of adding them to the compost pile, my whole yard became a potential vegetable garden. And it started with knowing the plant’s name. Most foragers and Indigenous food lovers start their journey by “eating their weeds.” You might grow anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) or bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) for the pollinators, but did you know they also make delicious teas? Planting annual Indigenous varieties of flint corn, beans and squash is another great place to start. Buying directly from Indigenous farmers or markets like the 4 Sisters Farmers Market in Minneapolis keeps it local and ethical. Companies, like Seed Savers Exchange and Experimental Farm Network, may carry Indigenous varieties. Other options? Try Aronia, cranberry, Echinacea, elderberries, fiddleheads, knotweed, nettles, ramps, rose hips, serviceberries, sumac or thimbleberry. When foraging, be sure you know what you are collecting and consult a reputable guide to ensure food is safe to eat. —M.B.
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endemic to the land on which it grows. Whether Monarda, amaranth or cranberries, these pre-colonial ingredients are also native plants. NATIFS staff members also work alongside the Indian Health Board and other Indigenous-led organizations at the Mashkiikii Gitigan Garden in Minneapolis. This community teaching garden features raised beds and a permaculture herb spiral while practicing organic and no-till gardening. Gardeners focus on medicinal herbs and Indigenous crops, as they save seeds and educate Indigenous families about gardening.
Foraging is a big part of Indigenous food. Sherman describes how keeping to permaculture practices—observing the land, reducing waste, integrating plantings—takes care of the earth and cultivates a closer relationship with the land. “Now we’re getting back into seeking out diverse flavors while learning to see plants as food and medicine,” he says. “We’re getting people interested in knowing how this plant can help you and how you support the plants.”
Yarrow, left, has medicinal uses and can be brewed as a tea. Some of the many varieties of squash grown at Dream of Wild Health farm, right, cure after harvest.
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Owamni Ideals
“When sourcing foods for the Owamni menu, we purchase Indigenous, first locally, then nationally,” Sherman says. Much of the restaurant’s produce comes from Dream of Wild Health, an Indigenous-led, 30-acre farm in Hugo, Minn., and Wozupi Tribal Gardens of the Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Shakopee. From salad greens to specialty chile peppers, corn, squash, sunflower seeds and oil to herbs and spices, much of what is on the menu is locally grown. “We have built relationships with local farmers and often partner with them to see what they need to move and work that into the menu, which can change weekly as we follow the seasons,” says Sherman. Just as it takes time for a garden to establish itself and flourish, it has taken time to get systems and networks in place to support the growth of Indigenous foods as well as native plants. Sherman and his team have been tending many projects, and they’re ready to reap the harvests. Michelle Bruhn is co-author of SmallScale Homesteading (Skyhorse, 2023). She writes and teaches about local food via her website, forksinthedirt.com.
Chef Sean Sherman in the kitchen of his award-winning restaurant, Owamni
HEIDI EHALT
When sourcing foods for the Owamni menu, we purchase Indigenous, first locally, then nationally.”
Cedar-Braised Beans Excerpted from Indigenous Kitchen Cookbook Hˇ aŋté Apé úŋ Omnícˇa Lolóbyapi Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups Just a small branch of cedar adds flavor to these beans and helps to stimulate digestion and strengthen the immune system. Soaking beans reduces the cooking time by half. You can easily double or triple the recipe; or cook several types of heirloom beans individually, then combine them in soups and salads. 1 cup dried beans 3 cups cold water 1 5- to 6-inch branch cedar Salt and freshly ground juniper to taste Put the beans in a large pot or bowl, and cover with water by 3 inches. Allow to soak for at least six hours or overnight. Drain the beans and transfer to a medium saucepan or soup pot. Add 3 cups of cold water to the pot and lay the cedar branch over the beans. Set the pot over high heat; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the beans are very soft. Begin tasting after about 25 minutes of simmering. Remove and discard the branch. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid for soups and stews. Serve the beans, store in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days or freeze. For Maple Beans: Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup into the pot before removing the beans from the stove.
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KITCHEN GARDEN Which are the best pumpkins for northern gardeners? Arb researchers tell all. Story and photos by Jennifer Rensenbrink
Meet Me in the EVERY FALL, THE MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM’S APPLE HOUSE sells pumpkins and squash, an eye-popping pile of every shape, color and flavor imaginable. The couple behind the piles of gourds are John and Jenny Thull, who work for the arboretum’s Horticultural Research Center as research viticulturists—developing and perfecting Minnesota-hardy wine grapes with the University of Minnesota, as well as other fruits such as apples and pears.
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Why Pumpkins?
“We both thought pumpkins were fun to grow,” says John. “So back in 2007, we convinced the arb to let us use a quarter acre and see what we could do as a fun side project.” Fast forward more than 15 years, and the Thulls’ fun side project has grown to at least 328 varieties of pumpkin and squash on 4 acres. “We’re lucky to have such good soil here,” John says, noting that they generally don’t irrigate or apply herbicides or fungicides, letting the
pumpkins spread out and crowd into each other as they grow. They have taken advantage of programs offering free milfoil—an invasive aquatic plant—pulled from Lake Minnetonka, spreading it on the pumpkin fields in the fall and letting it compost in place to enrich the soil. Although both John and Jenny are trained in horticulture, Jenny has also worked as a chef and is the driving force behind the large variety of heirloom squash that they grow each year. Jenny spends each winter perfecting new recipes with each of the edible varieties that they grow, making careful notes about how long each one stores and when its flavor peaks. She also seeks out unusual seeds to try in next year’s pumpkin plots, buying seed from at least 12 different companies. “We feel it’s our mission to educate people about the great variety of heirloom pumpkins and squash that are available,” says John, and the Apple House is a great place to do that.
Growing Tips
Every spring, John, Jenny and arboretum volunteers wait until the weather is warm enough, usually around the end of May, then spend a frenetic several days sowing seeds in the ground. They choose to plant seeds rather than transplants because seed-grown plants tend to have a longer, healthier taproot and need less irrigation. The seeds are planted 6 feet apart, in troughed rows 9 to 10 feet apart, with four to six seeds per spot. Planting in troughs rather than hills helps concentrate rainwater to the seeds and aids germination. Jenny draws a map as they go to keep track of the many varieties that they plant. They cultivate and weed between rows as long as possible, with the goal of keeping everything weed-free before the vines become too unruly to
Jenny Thull shows off Violina Gioa, one of 12 types of butternut squash grown at the arb.
weed around in midsummer. By the time the vines start spreading around and setting fruit, they are thick enough that they naturally shade the ground, preventing many weeds from sprouting. To manage pests like squash vine borers, the Thulls take advantage of the borers’ natural tendency to prefer Turk’s turban squash. They grow at least one patch of the turban squash to every row as a sacrificial plant to attract the vine borers away from the other plants. The Thulls and a small army of volunteers harvest the squash over the course of two long Tuesdays in late September. The grounds behind the Apple House then get covered in piles of pumpkins, which are sorted and grouped by type. Last year, they had 12 types of butternut squash alone. Most of the pumpkins and squash are sold at the Apple House, but many are also taken to the arboretum to create stunning displays, including last year’s rainbow pumpkin tree. During the height of the pandemic, when people were seeking outdoor adventures, pumpkin sales at the Apple House increased dramatically, and the program is now self-supporting.
Pumpkin Patch Saving Seed? The Thulls tend to stick with openpollinated varieties of squash—not hybrids—though they plant them too close together to make seed saving practical. With open-pollinated plants, cross-pollination can be a concern when many varieties are grown in the same field. Seed saved from cross-pollinated plants can be unpredictable. —J.R.
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Meet Me in the Pumpkin Patch Harvest, Store, Eat
During the harvest, the Thulls carefully look at each variety and choose three individual fruits that they feel best represent its type. They then label those fruits and set them aside in the “key”—a living library of pumpkins and squash that showcases every variety that they grew that year. The Thulls also store samples of each
variety of pumpkins and squash on metal shelves in an area of their basement that is kept dry and cool—around 58 degrees F—so that Jenny can experiment with them all winter long. To bake the fruits, she recommends cutting the pumpkin or squash in half, and putting the cut side down on a cookie sheet with a little water. Bake at 350 degrees until soft. After baking, Jenny samples
each one without any seasoning in order to make notes on flavor, water content and texture. After the season, they start studying seed catalogs to see which gorgeous and tasty squash to grow next year. Jennifer Rensenbrink gardens in Minneapolis. Follow her garden adventures on Instagram at @jenniferrensenbrink.
Jenny’s Favorite Squash These are all hardy to USDA Zone 4, but most have a 100-day growing season, so they must be planted as soon as possible in the spring.
Marina di Chioggia Squash: Fruits average 15 pounds, 100 days, excellent for baking, and also recommended for gnocchi and ravioli. This is Jenny’s favorite all-around squash for its looks as well as its flavor. She describes the flavor as sweet, tasting like chestnuts. Musquee de Maroc Pumpkin: Fruits weigh 5-10 pounds, 90-100 days. Orange rind with dark green warts, also great for baking.
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Shishigatani Pumpkin: A historic Japanese heirloom dating to the 1600s, traditionally grown near Kyoto. 110 days. Fruits weigh around 6 pounds, turning orange as they ripen. Similar to a Kabocha squash with a nutty flavor, it is used for savory dishes in Japanese cooking. Speckled Hound Pumpkin: Fruits weigh 3-6 pounds, 100 days. This is the only pumpkin that Jenny will use for pumpkin pie. “It has the perfect moisture content and the perfect sugar content,” says Jenny.
Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioa Squash: Fruits weigh 7-10 pounds, 100 days, excellent for baking. A rich butternut flavor. “This is the best butternut squash you’ll ever taste,” says Jenny. “Of the many different varieties of butternut squash we grow, this one is my favorite.”
Strawberry Crown Squash: Fruits weigh about 6 pounds, 90 days. A reliable producer and good keeper. It turns pink when it is completely cured, which can take a few months.
Autumn Frost Pumpkin: Fruits weigh around 4 pounds, 100 days. These compact pumpkins develop a beautiful, frosted appearance as they ripen. Jenny recommends them for soups. —J.R.
BALL HORTICULTURAL
Australian Butter Squash: Fruits weigh 7-10 pounds, 90-100 days, excellent for baking and storage. Jenny describes the flavor as creamy. “It’s called butter because it’s like butter,” she says. Australian butter squash taste best after curing for at least two months in a cool, dry place.
GREAT GARDENER
Loads of Lovely Daylilies Steve Horan
Woodbury garden is big, bold and bursting with 700 daylilies and much more. Story and photos by Gail Brown Hudson
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ll gardens start somewhere. For Steve Horan of Woodbury, the moment came in 2001 when he hired a landscaping company to install some plants and gravel to disguise a utility box in his front yard. One of the plants was what Steve calls a “five-dollar daylily” (USDA Zone 3, Hemerocallis) named ‘Missouri Beauty’ with flowers the color of lemon custard. “They planted that Missouri Beauty daylily, and it was October 5,” Steve
says. “I would never plant a perennial that late. But they did and it fell over.” The landscapers explained the plant had gone dormant. But Steve worried all winter that his new daylily would die. “The next spring, I was pulling apart those little rocks and there are the green shoots,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, it came back! What is that thing? I’ve got to get more of those.’ ” Soon Steve had 20 daylilies in his garden. “I’m kind of a collector by nature,” he says. Today, Steve’s large yard Northern Gardener l Fall 2023 47
Loads of Lovely Lilies Left: While daylilies are the stars of Steve’s garden, he uses grasses, trees and shrubs to enhance the beauty. Right: Rock-lined, wood chip paths wind through the garden.
contains 700 daylilies of many colors and sizes, plus just as many other plants including perennials, trees and shrubs. “I think it’s important that a garden be balanced,” Steve says.
Transformation of a Farm Field
When Steve first bought his house in the early 1990s, the barbed wire enclosed backyard was mostly 4- to 6-foottall weeds with a bit of lawn. His only gardening experience had been as a child, planting annuals around his father’s funeral home. For three summers, Steve gradually cleared out unwanted vegetation with herbicide and black plastic. Then he hired a landscape company to plant primarily ornamental grasses with some perennials mixed in. That design created the foundation for his garden today. Steve says he’s heard visitors comment, “What I like about here is that it’s a real garden.” Broad paths of lawn flow around the planting beds. Steve added a stream, a mini footbridge, some wood chip and gravel paths and several seating areas so he could enjoy his newfound passion for daylilies. He carefully added other perennials, shrubs and trees that would complement the swordlike leaves and the architectural quality of the hundreds of daylilies he was collecting. He looked for complementary colors, shapes and varied foliage. The blue of a spruce and its vertical shape, the red of a barberry Left to right: ‘Rainy Days & Mondays’ ‘Violet Pinwheels’, ‘Omega Red’
Daylily Companions With its fan of leaves and abundant, showy, short-lived flowers, daylilies are distinctive in the garden. They play well with others, too. Steve Horan chooses perennials and annuals with contrasting heights, colors and foliage as companions for his daylilies.
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shrub, the fan-shaped leaves of a ginkgo tree all provide good structural bones in the garden. Steve also added lots of stone for its rounded shapes. “Sometimes I’ll go look for ones that are more sparkly,” he says. At one point, Steve surveyed his garden to assess what kind of bloom it had throughout the growing season. “As a result, I added a lot in the spring,” he says. Now, as soon as temperatures rise, the garden lights up with 250 daffodils, which like growing conditions similar to daylilies, as well as spring-blooming bulbs, early blooming perennials and flowering trees such as crabapple and honey locust. He also pays attention to fall and winter interest, leaving perennials such as joe-pye weed and sedum with seed heads intact, as well as the ornamental grasses. “You leave them up for the winter because you still have all that [interest], plus the snow gets on them— oh, it’s just gorgeous,” he says.
Broadening the Collection
Steve carefully expanded his daylily collection with varieties that bloom early and those that bloom late. Few daylilies bloom as early as the popular ‘Stella de Oro’, but there are a few, such as ‘Joy of Spring’ and ‘Sundance Hill Orange Crepe’, and Steve has them. After joining a daylily growers group, he discovered, “there are all different sizes, size of flower, form of flower
Steve began pairing his growing collection with ornamental grasses. He now uses daisies, martagon lilies, rudbeckias, coralbells, calamint, joe-pye weed, coneflowers, sedum, salvia, veronica, Culver’s root and alliums in sunnier locations. In shadier spots, he uses Jacob’s ladder and hostas as a backdrop.
The blue of a spruce or the red of a shrub like barberry can be complementary or contrast with the color of a daylily. “Oh, man, that can make it stand out,” Steve says. —G.B.H.
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Loads of Lovely Lilies A pond forms the visual center of this portion of Steve’s garden.
(trumpet, double, ruffled, recurved), colors (white to purple), and I’m like, ‘you could just go forever.’ ” Steve’s collection grew as he added ‘Found My Mojo’, ‘Five Flights Up’, ‘Enchanted’, ‘Slug a Bug Yellow’ and ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’—some of them from other parts of the country. While Steve says his 212-foot-wide landscape filled with plants is not low-maintenance, daylilies are generally easy-care perennials, rugged and hardy. “You put the daylily in, and you don’t really worry about it,” he says. “It handles all kinds of conditions.” Their roots hold water, whether it’s a wet or drought year. “They’re fine with clay or sand, they’re just so adaptable,” he says. His newly acquired daylilies are planted with generous amounts of compost and mulched to retain moisture, keep the roots cool and reduce the weeds.
New Garden Challenges
The garden continues to “take on different personalities,” Steve says. This past summer, the loss of a prominent redbud tree in the middle of his garden meant Steve had to redesign the area. He replanted with more sun-loving perennials and added a stone birdbath and a new path to it. Every year, Steve brings in 20 to 30 new daylilies, but “something else has to go.” The tough decisions are made in the fall when he pulls off the
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Planting and Dividing Steve usually plants daylilies during the first two weeks of May. He never plants after September 15 to give the daylilies time to settle in. Steve believes in digging a “$100 hole” and adding compost to give them a good start. To plant, make a mound in the hole, fan out the roots, then tamp everything down to make sure there aren’t any air pockets. “To me, the optimal size [plant] is five fans,” he says. Each fan (leaf) produces one flower scape or stem. To give them enough room, Steve plants them 2 feet apart. Steve divides daylilies every three to five years, typically in the spring. Some daylily roots pull apart easily, while other varieties require a shovel to separate them. In the fall, he pulls the flower scapes off and leaves the foliage on the plant, which he says helps protect the plant in years with little to no snow cover. —G.B.H.
flower scapes of each daylily. “That’s a good time to take a good look at the plant,” he says, “because when it’s in bloom, everything looks pretty. You’re not influenced by that pretty face.” If the scape has only a few buds or stem branching that crowds larger flowers when they’re blooming, he digs it up. Now that Steve is retired, he says he has more time to relax in a chair among the flowers in his garden, listen to the burble of the stream and enjoy the collection he has put together. He says, “The colors, they’re just so pretty!” Gail Brown Hudson is a horticulturist, an award-winning journalist, writer and video producer, as well as an avid gardener in Minneapolis.
Left to right: ‘Picket Post’ ‘Enchanted’ ‘Red Twister’
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GARDEN DESIGN
Garden Gallery Nature inspires this artist’s work and decorates her garden. Story and photos by Soni Forsman
Whether purchased or created, art is central to Nancy and Dave Pinkes’ garden.
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S
Taro leaves pressed in cement and mounted on rebar stems grow in the garden outside the Pinkes’ deck. Their most complicated work, this tree sculpture is made of wire, rebar and cement. Its branches hold hosta containers.
he is an artist who comes from several generations of gardeners and has a fondness for gardening. He is a capable do-it-yourselfer who learned how to garden. Together, Nancy and Dave Pinke transformed the once blank landscape at their Elko home into an art and floral showpiece. Perennial gardens, an expansive hosta glade and little outdoor niches form the galleries where you will find Nancy’s original pieces of nature-inspired art. The art complements striking trees, shrubs and perennials, with many of the specimen trees identified by signs made from slices of wood Dave cut from branches of downed trees. Using acrylic paint, Nancy writes the plant name on the wood slice, followed by several coats of varnish. The slices are attached to 4-foot metal rods. Floral highlights of the gardens include hybrid daylilies, peonies, shrub roses, lilies, coneflowers and clematis. There are also lotus and small waterlilies growing in containers of waters.
Looking for Light
The Pinkes moved into their custom-designed home in 2000. They chose the walkout home site because it allowed them to have large, south-facing windows on the upper and lower levels for overwintering tropical plants. It also had large windows in Nancy’s lower-level art studio and even a narrow, horizonal, south-facing window in the attached garage for winter storage of Nancy’s hardy bonsai. The lot also had a cattail swamp in the back, and the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District gave them permission to convert the wetland into a natural pond for the 10 large koi they were moving from an in-ground
liner pond in Prior Lake. With so much art already in her garden, Nancy keeps busy with smaller pieces. In addition, she sculpts Papillon dog figurines and paints a variety of subjects. A retired middle-school science teacher, Dave is a gardening convert who describes the garden as his “fitness center.” Let’s take a walking tour of Nancy and Dave’s garden gallery and perhaps you’ll be inspired to create some sculptures for your own garden.
Bonsai-Inspired Tree Fountain
Next to the front porch is the largest of Nancy’s garden sculptures, a bonsai-inspired tree fountain. Nancy drew the original sketch in 2011; a magnet held it on the refrigerator for a year. Early spring of 2012, the couple began bringing the sketch to life. Framed in rebar and chicken wire, the sculpture was covered in Sakrete, a mix of Portland cement and sand, with added acrylic concrete reinforcer. When finished and dry, it was very carefully moved to a reservoir Dave had dug and lined with a piece of pond liner. The tree has three branches that hold basins of live greenery, the leaves. Water flows through a PVC pipe in the trunk and out into the basins, dripping to the reservoir below. The sculpted tree roots secure the tree to two concrete blocks sitting in the reservoir.
Taro Leaves
Just off the back deck is a large sculpture of three cement taro leaves on small-diameter, bendable rebar stems. The cement leaves were painted with metallic acrylic paints and sealed with many coats of clear Krylon spray paint. To make the sculpture, Nancy bent the rebar into the desired shape and attached a piece of chicken wire to one end and set it aside. She then laid a large taro leaf upside down on a pile of sand and covered it with Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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Garden Gallery
Make Your Own Garden Mushrooms Garden mushrooms sprout up all over Nancy and Dave’s garden. Here’s how they make them. Supplies: Sand, cement, water, tar paper, duct tape, rebar or some large spike nails. Start by digging a hole in the ground and fill it with at least 3 inches of moist sand. Scoop out some of the sand to form a cap. Roll the tar paper into a tapered cylinder and fasten with duct tape. This is the form for the stem. Cut a piece of rebar to extend 12-15 inches beyond the rolled tar paper. A large nail spike(s) can be used for a smaller mushroom. Mix the concrete to a consistency that pours easily. You can use a bagged mix. The Pinkes prefer one part Portland cement to three parts sand and about one part water. They added an acrylic cement fortifier for extra strength. Pour the cement mixture into the cap and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Insert the rebar into the cap a few inches and hold or brace it until it stands on its own. Place the tar paper mold around the rod with wider end up. The rebar should extend 12-15 inches beyond the tar paper. (The rebar will anchor the mushroom in the ground.) Mix more cement and pour into the stem mold. Wrap the structure with damp towels or newspapers and cover with a plastic bag. Allow it to cure for at least a day before unwrapping and moving. You can embellish the mushroom cap and stems with natural-looking texture by adding more cement. To do this, mix cement powder and water to the consistency of thick cream. This slurry bonds the new cement to the old. Brush on the slurry and add the cement, being creative with the design. When finished, rewrap the mushroom to keep it damp for another week. Spray the mushroom with water every few days until it cures sufficiently. It can be left the natural gray or painted with Patio Paint and sealer. —S.F.
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cement. Nancy suggests covering the sand with a piece of wax paper before adding the leaf to keep the sand out of the wet cement. She chose taro (Colocasia) leaves but you could use hosta, rhubarb or burdock to create something similar. While the cement was still wet, Nancy attached the rebar (chicken-wire end) and held it in place until it was secure. Nancy and Dave describe this last part as “tricky.”
Repurposed Christmas décor
Imagine how surprised I was to learn that the almost full-size deer sculpture standing on the far side of the natural pond was formerly a lighted, wire holiday decoration. Nancy and Dave repurposed it into the lifelike sculpture. Rebar in the legs secures it to the ground. To make it permanent, they filled the inside with newspaper. Next it was wrapped in chicken wire and then cement. The cement did not adhere easily, so they held it in place until it did. Glancing across the pond, it looks like the real thing. Soni Forsman is a longtime contributor to Northern Gardener.
Sculptural Plants Walking the path around the Pinkes’ natural pond, I brushed by some tall, large leaves splashed with yellow and white. Variegated butterbur (Petasites japonicus ‘Variegatus’) is an herbaceous perennial that has the sculptural heft of a shrub. It likes full to part shade and lots of moisture, making it perfect for wet woodlands and along pond and stream banks. It spreads by rhizomes and can be aggressive, so give it plenty of room. An unusual spring-flowering plant, its clumps of flower buds poke up in early spring while the foliage is still dormant. The low-growing flowers initially look like little heads of cabbage but open to resemble asters. The leaves begin to emerge as the weather warms. The Pinkes say the plant is the prettiest in the spring when the variegation is most prominent. If sited correctly, the petioles can reach 3 feet in height and hold roundish leaves the size of dinner plates. USDA Zone 3 hardy, it seems to be deer resistant. —S.F.
GARDEN CHECKLIST
FALL GARDEN TO-DOS
By Samantha Johnson Photos by Dan Johnson
The growing season is winding down but some golden garden moments still await. Here’s what to do as we move into the autumn months.
SEPTEMBER n Harvest dry beans
’Tis the season to save seeds from heirloom flowers and vegetables. Some are easy to save (peas), some are hard (tomatoes) and some are fun (sunflowers), but they’re all worth it. You’ve been enjoying snap beans all summer, but if you planted any dry bean varieties, they’re probably ready to harvest now. Look for brittle pods and seeds.
n Divide peonies
It’s prime time for dividing peonies—late enough that they’ve stored energy for winter and early enough that they’ll have time to settle in before the ground freezes.
n Harvest pumpkins and winter squash
Wait until the rinds are hard and they’re the appropriate final color (the stems will be hard, too) before harvesting. Ideally, harvest them before the first frost.
n Watch for frost
The first frost typically occurs in September for USDA Zones 3 and 4, and can occur in September for zone 5, so watch the forecast and cover tender plants as needed. If you can protect plants through an early frost, you might gain another week or two of growing time
n Harvest fall fruits
If you haven’t already, harvest apples, plums and pears from your fruit trees.
n Continue to harvest fall crops
The lettuce, kale and other greens you planted back in August are ready to harvest—enjoy the late-season bounty while you can! (See page 20 for more lettuce growing tips.)
n Relocate houseplants
Your porch or deck may have been the perfect location in July and August, but cooler nights mean your houseplants should go back indoors. Clean pots and check for bugs first.
n Keep watering
While the possibility of frost looms, it doesn’t guarantee that the growing season will end this month. Keep watering and enjoying the late-season harvests.
n Keep weeding
It’s tempting to slack off on weeding when the season is almost over, but if you can prevent weeds from going to seed now, you’ll minimize your weed problem next year.
n Dig up rhizomes
If you’re going to overwinter rhizomes (like canna lilies) indoors, now’s the time to dig them up and bring them in.
n Rake, rake and rake
PAULETTE JOHNSON
n Save seeds
Keep
WATERING!
Depending on how many trees you have, raking can be a season-long activity. Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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Fall Garden To-Dos
Keep
RAKING!
Plant bulbs. It’s time to get those tucked into the ground.
OCTOBER
n Plant garlic
The ideal time for planting garlic in zones 3, 4 and 5 is from mid-September to mid-October, so be ready!
n Plant bulbs
Remember those spring-flowering bulbs you purchased back in August? It’s time to get those tucked into the ground. (See page 8 for a bulb planting plan.)
n Fertilize trees and shrubs as needed
Replenish depleted nutrients and give your trees and shrubs a boost before spring.
n Plant trees and shrubs
It’s also a great time of year to add new trees and shrubs to your landscape.
n Deadhead annuals; don’t deadhead perennials
Your annuals will keep blooming if you keep them deadheaded, but you may want to leave some sunflowers, rudbeckias and other flowers in your garden to keep your neighborhood birds fed.
n Prepare beds for spring
Once your garden beds are cleared out, you can prep the beds for spring by adding compost and leaves. If you’re going to plant a cover crop, now’s the time.
n Test soil
n Rake up fallen fruit
While you can test your soil at any time of the year, fall is a smart choice because it gives you time to amend as necessary before spring.
No matter how much you pick, some of those apples are always going to end up as windfalls. Keep your garden tidy—and healthier—by raking them up.
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BULB PHOTO; MARY LAHR SCHIER
Tear out spent plants and roots from your raised beds before the snow begins falling. (If any plants are diseased, throw them away—don’t add them to the compost pile.)
n Put vegetable beds to bed
BRINGING HERBS INDOORS FOR WINTER
Y
our herb garden brought you so much joy this summer, why let the culinary fun stop just because winter is coming? Bringing herbs indoors for winter allows you to continue harvesting fresh herbs for several more months. Simply transfer some herbs to small containers and place them on a sun-soaked windowsill or under grow lights and water as needed. Sound good? Here are some tips: • Choose the right plants: Some herbs overwinter easily in the northern garden (mint, chives and sometimes dill and thyme) while others (rosemary and basil) won’t survive the ravages of winter. You might choose to bring in the more delicate individuals for the winter, or you might choose the ones
you use most when cooking and keep those at your fingertips. Some herbs transplant to containers more easily than others, but you’ll find what works best for you. (Heads-up: many gardeners recommend NOT trying to overwinter basil indoors. Rosemary can also be tricky.) • Take things slow: Just as you harden off plants before putting them outdoors in the spring, you’ll want to give your herbs the chance to gradually adjust to life indoors in the fall. After you transfer your herbs to containers, don’t bring them indoors immediately. Help them acclimate slowly. • Be patient: Herbs may go through an adjustment period where they don’t look their best and aren’t producing new growth. But once they’ve acclimated and settled into their new growing conditions, you’ll start to see fresh growth again. • Watch for bugs: Beware of tagalong insects looking for a free ride into your home for the winter. Examine your herbs before bringing them indoors to intercept any unwanted guests. Wash pots thoroughly, and quarantine plants when you first bring them in the house. —S.J.
Samantha Johnson is the author of several books, including Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: Learn to Grow Anything No Matter Where You Live (New Shoe Press, 2023). Northern Gardener l Fall 2023
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BEFORE & AFTER
From Blah to Beautiful Plants and stone evoke an English cottage garden in the city. tom weaver’s home in the hiawatha neighborhood of Minneapolis looks like an English cottage, and he wanted a garden to complement its character. When Tom and his husband, Michael, bought their home nearly five years ago, the yard was blah. Surrounded by a chain link fence, turfgrass covered the front and back, with a mature crabapple dominating the front yard and two pear trees and a Japanese tree lilac in the backyard. “I wanted to make sure the garden was not just pretty, but also had wildlife value and could help filter runoff from our roof before it got to the street,” Tom says of his decision to incorporate at least 50 percent native plants in the design. In the front yard near the sidewalk, Tom added a crevice garden—a space where plants are placed between stones. This garden houses his collection of hardy cacti. In the sunny space behind that garden, Tom planted prairie natives, such as beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflora), giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia), milkweeds (Asclepias tuberosa and A. verticillata), ornamental grasses, lupines (Lupinus perennis) and coneflowers (Echinacea angustifolia). In spring, an array of rabbit-resistant daffodils and alliums add color. With the stunning crabapple shading the other side of the front yard, Tom opted for hostas of “every shape and size,” as well as Aralia ‘Sun King’, bleeding hearts, woodland strawberries, ferns, martagon lilies and other shade-loving perennials. He used leftover stones from the crevice garden to add a path that winds through the space.
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Much of the backyard has been left in turf for the family dog to enjoy. But Tom added five columnar apple trees and two tart cherry trees to the space. When they started the project, Tom and Michael hired Minnehaha Falls Landscaping to remove sod on the sunny side of the yard and place three large boulders. “Hiring a landscaper to remove the sod was an enormous help,” Tom says. “It saved us from having to worry about how to dispose of the leftover sod and there was no way we’d be able to move landscape-sized rocks.” The couple have done the rest of the designing, planting, weeding and watering themselves. While most of the renovation was completed in 2020, Tom continues to tweak the plantings. This year, he added an obelisk for a climbing rose to replace a chokeberry chewed to the ground by rabbits over the winter. On-going mainte-
BEFORE
native plants. A favorite of Tom’s is rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), which features lavender, spike-covered blooms. These plants will “set your garden apart while still helping our native pollinators,” he says. Tom also advocates using annuals in perennial beds to carry your garden through any dull stretches. He switches out the annuals he chooses each year. This year, he planted tassel flower (Emilia javanica) and blue lace flower (Didiscus coerulea) to provide airy color all summer long. AFTER
“
I wanted to make sure the garden was not just pretty, but also had wildlife value.”
nance includes regular weeding of some of the too-happy perennials, such as hyssop. A horticulturist by trade, Tom suggests gardeners look beyond the most commonly available species when choosing
With the crabapple branches arching over the south Minneapolis doorway and a bloom-filled space, you can almost imagine yourself outside an English cottage. Mary Lahr Schier is a longtime Minnesota garden writer. Follow her on Instagram at @mynortherngarden_mary.
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The Minnesota State Horticultural Society is a 501c3 nonprofit. We are thankful for our Discount Partners and members. Your support powers our mission to deliver valuable programs, education and resources to northern gardeners of all skill levels and backgrounds.
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