MINNESOTA’S ONLY HOMEGROWN GARDENING MAGAZINE
Gardener Northern
Japanese Garden Style FOR THE NORTH
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a nonprofit organization 08
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U.S. $4.50 Can. $5.50 July/August 2019 Display until August 31
DIY SHED Invite Good Bugs to Your Garden
editor’s note a nonprofit organization
The Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) is a nonprofit, educational and charitable organization established in 1866. Our mission is to serve northern gardeners through education, encouragement and community. For information about subscribing to Northern Gardener magazine or becoming an MSHS member, visit northerngardener.org/membership, call 651-643-3601 or email membership@northerngardener.org.
Minnesota State Horticultural Society
1935 County Rd. B2 West, Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113-1334 Phone: 651-643-3601 Editor: Mary Lahr Schier, 507-581-4145 Horticultural Editor: Debbie Lonnee Copy Editor: Julie Jensen Design: Barbara Pederson
MSHS Staff
Executive Director: Gretchen Ambrosier; GAmbrosier@northerngardener.org Director of Development: Diane Duvall; DDuvall@northerngardener.org Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator: Lara Lau-Schommer; LLSchommer@northerngardener.org Membership Marketing Manager: Becky Swee; BSwee@northerngardener.org Garden-in-a-Box Coordinator: Maria Brosofske; MBrosofske@northerngardener.org Accounting: Dennis Feit; DFeit@northerngardener.org
MSHS Board of Directors
Mike Heger, Waconia, Chair Wayne Damerow, Shoreview, Vice Chair Margaret Klis, Minneapolis, Treasurer Joel Karsten, Roseville, Secretary At large: Tina Dombrowski, St. Paul Jennifer Ebeling, Maple Grove Del Hampton, Minneapolis Debra Kvamme, Blaine Mary Marrow, Minneapolis Susan Rupert, Forest Lake Laura Wagner, Minneapolis JoAnne Wahlstrom, Sunfish Lake Thank you to out-going board members Wayne Damerow and Susan Rupert. Copyright 2019 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 bimonthly (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/ August, September/October, November/December) by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113. 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.
Mary Lahr Schier
Patient Gardening
I
t was a cool, very wet spring day when I interviewed Linda Hoeschler about the remarkable Japanese garden that she and her husband, Jack, nurture in St. Paul. Linda was caught in the storm and a long meeting that day, so she was a bit late. Comfortable under the roof of the entry to the Hoeschlers’ home, I could observe the rain fall on the calm courtyard garden before me. It dripped from the branches of hemlocks and pooled in the dark recesses of two boulders that form an ama-ochi or “place where raindrops fall.” Nothing was blooming that day, but this is a garden that does not need blooms to be beautiful. It takes time to create a garden as lovely as the Hoeschlers’ landscape—they’ve been at it seriously for more than 20 years—and, as Linda notes, the slowness of the process is a good thing. Taking the time to find the right plants, the right stones, the right position for each element—and then being open to making changes if it does not work—requires
patience and some humility. But it leads to the best results. As gardeners (and humans!), we don’t get things right on the first try everytime. Gardens are not like a sculpture that’s done when it’s done. They grow, they struggle, they shine, they fade. They change constantly. We can only take patient care of the plants and landscapes in our hands. The article about the Hoeschlers and their garden begins on page 26. Patience emerges as a gardening necessity elsewhere in this issue, too. Rhonda Hayes’ story about insectaries, which take time but are well worth developing, begins on page 38. And, please, be sure to read Eric Johnson’s delightful story about building a shed from pallets. It starts on page 34. Finally, please stop by the MSHS booth in the Horticulture Building at the Minnesota State Fair. We’ll be patiently waiting for you there! —Mary Lahr Schier, editor mary@maryschier.com
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www.northerngardener.org
contents
July/August 2019 | Volume 147, Number 4
in every issue
features
1
Editor’s Note
26
4
MSHS News: Classes,
16
calendar and more.
31
Northern Natives: Purple prairie clover.
34
Annual maintenance.
Pollinators:
38
Kitchen Garden:
42
By Design: Plastic edging, the right way.
Don’t be afraid to DIY a garden shed.
Bring on the Bugs! Invite good bugs to your garden with an insectary.
Bulbs of Summer For a showstopping garden all season, rely on summer bulbs. BY MICHELLE MERO RIEDEL
BY DON ENGEBRETSON
24
From Pallets to Palace
BY RHONDA FLEMING HAYES
Savoring summer squash. BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON
23
For a long, lovely harvest, try a garden of pale vegetables this year.
BY ERIC JOHNSON
Lesser known butterflies of Minnesota. BY RHONDA FLEMING HAYES
22
White Wonderland BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON
Garden Solutions: BY LAURA SCHWARZ
20
A Japanese garden evolves to fit its northern home. BY MARY LAHR SCHIER
BY LYNN M. STEINER
18
Stones and Plants
46
Plant to Pick: ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan.
On the Edge Choose edging materials to enhance your garden’s style. BY DIANE MCGANN
BY DEBBIE LONNEE
25
How-to: Garden wall mosaic. BY ERIC JOHNSON
49
Gardener’s Market
52
Northern View: Is that an elephant in your garden? BY CAROL MICHEL
about the cover
‘California Gold’ calla lily shines in any summer garden. Photo by Michelle Mero Riedel
a nonprofit organization
Northern Gardener is published by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.