Northern Gardener - July/August 2019

MINNESOTA’S ONLY HOMEGROWN GARDENING MAGAZINE

Gardener Northern

Japanese Garden Style FOR THE NORTH

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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

Connect with us www.facebook.com/mnhort

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www.twitter.com/mnhort

www.youtube.com/mnhortsociety July/August 2019

1

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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.

MSHS classes

2019

Classes are sponsored by MSHS but sometimes held at other locations. Enrollment is limited, and registration is required.

Register online at www.northerngardener.org/mshs-events. Questions? Contact llschommer@northerngardener.org. Refunds will not be issued for nonattendance except by cancellation at least one week before class.

New Wave Perennial Design and Maintenance - Webinar Wednesday, June 26, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Free for members, $10 nonmembers Location: Your computer This webinar on perennial design and maintenance discusses new ideas from plant luminary Piet Oudolf and his associate Noel Kingsbury. We examine the latest ideas on perennials, presenting new perspectives to apply to a garden of any size. We’ll cover types of perennials, how to maintain a perennial garden, and how to design perennial gardens using Oudolf’s methods of plant communities and four-season interest.

Instructor: Will Dougherty is a retired landscape designer and plantsman trained by Oudolf and Kingsbury. A former University of Minnesota Extension master gardener, he maintains a growing field and uses Oudolf design schemes in his home garden.

How to Enter a Plant in the MSHS State Fair Potted Plant Show - Webinar Date and time to be announced Free for members, $5 nonmembers Location: Your computer

Join us for a class on the how-to of entering plants in the MSHS State Fair Potted Plant Show. Exhibiting at the show is a fun learning experience. And, you can earn a little money and show off your plants while engaging in some friendly competition. The MSHS Potted Plant Show is held the first two days of the fair (Aug. 22-23) and is always fun and informative.

Instructor: Rosie Martinson is an experienced plant show participant and judge.

gardens and creating floral bouquets, among others. Tour options include the Harrison Sculpture Garden, the vegetable production area and the Anderson

Trending Horticulture 2019: Advancing the Art and Science of Your Gardens Thursday, July 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $99 members, $119 nonmembers Location: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska Join MSHS and the arboretum for an inspiring summer day of horticulture!

Meet other gardening enthusiasts as you learn from experts about cutting-edge design, new ornamental cultivars, behind -the-scenes tours and more. Select your perfect day by choosing among many presentations, workshops, tours and walks.

Options include: creating a resilient yard, unusual herbs, ornamental grasses, U of M grape research, prairie plant conservation, permaculture, kitchen gardens, garden photography, butterfly

Horticultural Library. Registration includes lunch at the arboretum.

Instructors: Varied. See northerngardener. org/classes for program options and registration.

Seed Saving: Planning for the Future - Webinar Wednesday, Aug. 14, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Free for members, $5 nonmembers Location: Your computer Learn to preserve nature and family treasures from the past by saving seeds.

In this webinar, you’ll learn the basics of seed saving. We’ll cover the differences between hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, how plants pollinate and when to harvest seeds for saving. The webinar will include information on choosing the correct plants to save seeds from, as well as correct harvesting techniques, drying and optimal storage conditions.

Instructor: Marty Bergland is a lifelong gardener, former master gardener and speaker.

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www.northerngardener.org

Have You Tried an MSHS Webinar?

It’s an easy way to take classes without leaving home MSHS has been offering more webinars recently to make it easier for gardeners to learn from our experts. (We’re having two in the next month.) Webinars are courses or presentations conducted live but online. You hear the instructor and see any visuals he or she presents through your computer and an Internet connection. Webinars are the perfect way for busy people to learn new skills. And, it’s easy to participate in a webinar.

Here are the basics: After you sign up for the webinar through northerngardener.org, you will be sent an email with a link to the webinar site. We use a service called gotowebinar.com. At the webinar site, you will be prompted to sign in with your name and email address. You will get a confirmation and a reminder about when to join the webinar.

Then, five to 10 minutes before the webinar begins, sign in to join the webinar. You can listen to the presentation or participate through the chat function, which allows you to type in questions for the instructor.

For the best experience in a webinar, close other tabs on your browser to ensure a good Internet connection and no interruptions. We hope you’ll try a webinar from MSHS soon. Most of our webinars are free to members and inexpensive for nonmembers.

MSHS Office Hours Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, by appointment The office will be closed during the Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 21 to Sept. 3.

GROW Minnesota Landscape Arboretum & Minnesota State Horticulture Society present:

Trending Horticulture 2019

Advancing the Art & Science of Your Gardens Thursday, July 18, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska MN

$99 member (Arboretum or MSHS members)/$119 non-member Includes customized choice of sessions, morning coffee/snack, lunch & Arboretum admission

Experienced Gardeners

Custom-select your perfect day filled with your choice of classes and special access tours about cutting-edge design, new ornamental cultivars, behind-the-scenes tours and more!

To register for this event please visit: www.northerngardener.org

E I S SW E N G E R ’ S B HARDWARE . POWER EQUIPMENT . GARDEN CENTER For 100 years Beisswenger’s has been serving your community.

Not your average hardware store, with a not-so-average garden center

Just north of 694 on 35W and Hwy 96 1823 Old Highway 8 NW, New Brighton, MN

651-633-1271 • beisswengers.com July/August 2019

5

community events Events are submitted to MSHS by community organizations, and are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Carver-Scott Master Gardeners Tuesday, July 9, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Evenings in the Garden: Fairy and Gnome Gardens Teaching gardens, Scott County Fairgrounds, 7151 190th St. W., Jordan Join us for some fun with miniature gardening with fairies and gnomes.

Contact: carverscottmastergardeners.org.

Tracy Area Garden and Quilt Tour Wednesday, July 10, 2 to 8 p.m.

Garden sites in southwestern Minnesota Tour gardens and admire more than 70 quilts in the Garvin and Lake Shetek area of southwestern Minnesota. Tickets available at Bitton’s Road House, Garvin, or at each site the day of the tour.

Cost: $15 Contact: facebook.com/TracyAreaGardenTour.

Anoka County Master Gardeners Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinics Every Wednesday, July 10 through Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m.

Bunker Hills Activities Center, 550 Bunker Lake Blvd., Andover Bring samples of insects and plant diseases to one of the clinics. Master gardeners will offer advice on how to manage the issues and will help identify your plant.

Contact: anokamastergardeners.org.

Hennepin County Master Gardeners Learning Garden Tour Saturday, July 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Gardens in suburban Minneapolis Tour 11 private gardens and a community garden in Edina, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park. Educational demonstrations at each garden and master gardeners will be available to answer questions. Food trucks, book and garden accessory sales.

Cost: $15 in advance; $20 day of the tour.

Contact: hennepinmastergardeners.org.

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County master gardeners.

Contact: ramseymastergardeners. org.

Lake Superior Rose Show Saturday, July 13, 7 to 10 a.m. entries accepted, judging to follow Public viewing, noon to 3 p.m.

Valentini’s Vicino Lago Restaurant, 1400 London Rd., Duluth Contact: info@lsrsduluth.org.

Duluth Rose Fest Saturday, July 13, 10 a.m to noon Leif Erikson Rose Garden, 1300 London Rd., Duluth Tour the Leif Erikson Rose Garden; demonstrations of planting, pruning and care.

Contact: info@lsrsduluth.org.

Northfield Garden Club “We Are Water” Garden Tour Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tour six area gardens, many with water features. Tickets can be purchased at gardens. See website for map and locations.

Cost: $10 Contact: thenorthfieldgardenclub.org.

Minnesota Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society Alpine Flora of Greece: From the Peloponnese to Macedonia Eleftherios Dariotis, presenter Saturday, July 13, 1 to 3 p.m.

Event Building, Sandcastle Park, 3060 Patton Rd., Roseville Contact: mn-nargs.org.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners

Anoka Master Gardeners

Spotting Problem Plants Saturday, July 13, 10 to 11 a.m.

North Dale Recreation Center, 1414 N. St Albans St., St. Paul Learn to identify and manage common invasive plants. Class is hosted by St. Paul Parks and Rec and taught by Ramsey

A Walk in the Garden Wednesdays, July 17, 24, Aug. 7, 7 to 8 p.m.

www.northerngardener.org

Bunker Hills Activity Center, 550 Bunker Lake Blvd, Andover July 17: What’s New in the Garden?; July 24: Diagnostic Tools: What’s Wrong with my Plant?; Aug. 7: Fall Bulbs for Glorious Spring Flowers.

Contact: anokamastergardeners.org.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners Become a Pest Detective Wednesday, July 17, 6 to 8 p.m.

Ramsey County Extension Offices, 2020 White Bear Ave., Maplewood Learn how to prevent, identify and respond to common gardening problems.

Registration required.

Contact: ramseymastergardeners.org.

Carver-Scott Master Gardeners Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Garden sites in Scott County Self-guided tour of six gardens in Scott County.

Cost: $12 through July 16, $15 after.

Contact: carverscottmastergardeners.org.

Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Seven gardens in west metro suburbs Self-driving tour or ride in an air-conditioned motorcoach.

Cost: $15 per person ($20 on day of tour) for self-driving tour: $35 per person

Submit and view more events online at northerngardener.org/communitycalendar-of-events. Questions? Contact shoehn@northerngardener.org.

(includes lunch/bottled water) for the bus.

See mwgcm.org for more information.

Contact: Denise Rust, 763-221-1466, for bus reservations.

Duluth Garden Flower Society Secret Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Duluth-area gardens Tour of members’ gardens, private gardens and Monarch Butterfly Way Station gardens. Bus available.

Cost: $37 with bus; $19 self-driving Contact: www.dgfs.org.

Rochester Garden and Flower Club Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, Rochester Community and Technical College, Heinz Center, 1926 College View Rd, Rochester Self-guided tour, demonstrations and vendors.

Cost: $15, under 8 years old free.

Contact: dcnaatz@yahoo.com.

Washington County Master Gardeners Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Self-guided tour in Lake Elmo and Stillwater area, featuring gardens designed, created and maintained by master gardener volunteers, as well as the RCS Giving Garden and the Fairest Garden demonstration garden at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Includes a tour booklet, food trucks, garden gifts market. Cost: $15 in advance, $20 day of the tour.

Contact: mastergardenersinwashingtonco.org.

Edina Garden Council Garden Tour Sunday, July 21, 1 to 5 p.m.

Self-driving tour of gardens in southeastern Edina. Proceeds will be directed to the Tranquility Garden project at Arneson Acres Park in Edina.

Cost: $12, order tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com Contact: edinagardencouncil.org.

Olmsted County Master Gardeners Garden Tour Wednesday, July 24, 4 to 8:30 p.m.

Tour six gardens in southwest Rochester, plus master gardener project gardens located at the History Center of Olmsted County.

Tickets available after July 14 at Sargent’s Gardens in Rochester or on the day of the tour at the History Center of Olmsted County.

Cost: $8 in advance, $10 day of the tour Contact: Christine, schw2317@umn.edu.

Minnesota Water Garden Society Water Garden Tour Saturday, July 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, July 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Southwest metro area Tour 11 private gardens featuring water gardens and waterfalls. Purchase tickets online or at tour sites on the days of the tour.

Cost: $15 in advance, $20 day of the tour Contact: mwgs.org, 612-803-7663.

Diggers Garden Club Bus Tour Saturday, Aug. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Visit gardens and a winery in Shakopee, Jordan and New Prague. Register by July 20.

Cost: $55 includes bus, lunch and wine tasting.

Contact: robbinsdalediggers.com.

Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Flower, Food and Foto Show Saturday, Aug. 10, flower and vegetable entries accepted, 7 to 10:15 a.m.; show from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 11, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Oswald Center, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska Any flower, vegetable or photo may be entered. Submit photo entries by July 31.

Visit website for rules and show schedule.

Cost: Arboretum admission Contact: mwgcm.org.

Daffodil Society of Minnesota Bulb Sale Saturday, Aug. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska Minnesota-hardy daffodils in a wide range of colors. $5 per bag or five bags for $20.

Cost: Arboretum admission Contact: daffodilmn.org/eventcal.

Orchid Society of Minnesota Masdevillias and Draculas: Don’t Be Afraid!

Kristen Uthus, New World Orchids, presenter Saturday, Aug. 17, 2 to 3 p. m.

Bachman’s Heritage Room, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis Learn what makes these two genera so attractive, how to grow them in intermediate to warm conditions, and some great species to try, if you are still hesitant.

Contact: infoosmn@gmail.com.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners Flowers for Pollinators Saturday, Aug. 17, 1 to 3 p.m.

Ramsey County Extension, 2020 White Bear Ave., Maplewood Learn the latest research in the health of Minnesota pollinators and get suggestions about what you can do to create healthy pollinator habitats. Registration required.

Contact: ramseymastergardeners.org.

Goodhue County Horticultural Society The Psychological Impact of Flowers Cindy Andrist, presenter Monday, Aug. 19, 7 to 8 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church, 503 Sixth St. W., Red Wing Learn about the psychological benefits of giving and growing flowers and their language.

Contact: Cindy, clp55066@yahoo.com.

Carver-Scott Master Gardeners Plant Sale Saturday, Aug. 24, 9 a.m. to noon Cub Foods parking lot, Chaska Commons Shopping Center, 200 Pioneer Tr., Chaska Perennial divisions from master gardeners’ yards, plus house plants, garden art, fresh produce and more.

Contact: Jane, oyjane2@gmail.com.

July/August 2019

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mshs news

For more information on MSHS events and activities, visit our website at northerngardener.org.

State Fair Time Enter the MSHS Potted Plant Show

Discount Partners

Do you have an exceptional potted plant?

Then we’d love to see it in the MSHS Potted Plant Show at the Minnesota State Fair, which will be held Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. This fun event brings together plant-loving individuals in a friendly competition of who grew it best. The show runs the first two days of the fair in the Horticulture Building, and we are always looking for new entries.

For more information on the categories, awards and show rules, please visit our website at northerngardener. org/mshs-event-state-fair. All ages welcome!

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It’s time for the great Minnesota get-together and we’re looking for great volunteers to help us run our booth in the Horticulture Building! MSHS volunteers talk to fairgoers about the many benefits of becoming an MSHS member, help sell garden-themed merchandise and educate fairgoers on all things gardening. This year, our educational booth will highlight cocktail and tea gardens.

But not to worry if you don’t know the answer to a question, there’s almost always someone nearby who does! If you’ve never volunteered with MSHS, this is a fun volunteer opportunity to get

MARY LAHR SCHIER

Volunteer at the Fair

started. Most shifts are four hours long, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the fair before or after your shift. (You will get a ticket to the fair when you volunteer.)

To find available shifts and job descriptions, please visit our website at northerngardener.org/mshs-mn-state-fair.

MSHS Members SAVE with these Discount Partners!

Learn more online at northerngardener.org/membership/discount-partners 101 Market Abrahamson Nurseries Alexis Bailly Vineyard Anoka-Ramsey Farm & Garden NEW! Arden Hills Nursery Axdahl’s Garden Farm & Greenhouse Bachman’s Beier’s Greenhouse Beisswenger’s NEW! Buffalo Rock Winery NEW! Cal’s Market & Garden Center NEW! Carlos Creek Winery NEW! Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Costa Farm & Greenhouse Countryside Lawn & Landscape Dan & Jerry’s Greenhouse Davey Tree Expert Company NEW! Dolan’s Landscape Center Dundee Nursery & Landscape Eco Gardens EggPlant Urban Farm Supply Extended Seasons Indoor Gardening NEW! Fair’s Nursery Farmington Greenhouse Flower Power Garden Center & Fred Holasek & Son Greenhouse Forest & Floral Garden Center NEW! Friends School Plant Sale

www.northerngardener.org

Garden Divas Garden Stories NEW! Green Earth Growers Green Lake Nursery Hafner’s Greenhouse NEW! Hartman Garden Center & Landscaping Hedberg Supply Heidi’s GrowHaus Hill’s Country Greenhouse NEW! Home Sown Gardens Hugo Feed Mill & Hardware Indian Island Winery NEW! Jean’s The Right Plant Place Kelley & Kelley Nursery Kelly’s Cottage Garden NEW! Kern Landscape Resources Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping Landscape Alternatives Lilydale Garden Center Living Sculpture Trees Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery Merschman Sales & Service NEW! Mickman Brothers Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Morgan Creek Vineyards NEW! Mother Earth Gardens My Sister’s Garden Nagel Sod & Nursery

Natural Landscape Minnesota

Nature’s Garden World Nelson Nursery Next Chapter Winery NEW! Otten Bros Garden Center & Landscaping Pahl’s Market Patio Town Pleasant View Gardens NEW! Pond King Water Gardens NEW! Prairie Restorations, Inc. Sailer’s Greenhouse NEW! Sargent’s Gardens Sargent’s Nursery Schulte’s Greenhouse & Nursery NEW! Seed Savers Exchange Seven Sisters Greenhouse South Cedar Garden Center Squire House Gardens Superior Outdoor Expressions Terra Garden Center Terrace Horticultural Books The Garden By the Woods The Winery at Sovereign Estate NEW! Travers Des Sioux Garden Center NEW! Wagner Greenhouses Walker Art Center Winter Greenhouse

Here’s to the tickle of grass between your toes, games that can be played with a drink in hand, and a fireworks display of amazingly colorful blooms.

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July/August 2019

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State Fair Garden Partners

MSHS SPOTLIGHT gardens around the pond.

The plants in the pollinator packs are grown by Glacial Ridge Growers of Glenwood and designed to provide food for four different pollinators: bees, butterflies, monarchs and hummingbirds.

To learn more about the pollinator packs and where to purchase them, visit northerngardener. org and search for “pollinator packs.”

From Shady to Sun Our hosta garden took a big hit last year when the tree shading it lost a third of its branches in a windstorm. (We know many readers can identify with this problem!) Our beautiful shade garden suddenly became a garden basking in the sun, and many of the shade-loving plants needed rescuing. Bob Russell of the Hennepin County Master Gardeners (HCMG) was there to help divide plants and organize this specimen garden. We will continue to partner with HCMG on the garden, which will be used as a hosta test garden.

Deb Kvaame and her horticulture students from Hennepin Technical

Ponds and Pollinators Twin Cities-based Minnesota Waterscapes has been maintaining a water feature in the pond area in the middle of our garden for several years. This year, they’re taking the partnership to a new level and will be adding a 6-foot waterfall. This is the first phase in a threeyear plan to rebuild the space and show the potential of water features, such as ponds and waterfalls, to enhance backyard landscapes. Volunteer Mary Maguire Lerman will use plants from the MSHS Pollinator Packs to design the

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www.northerngardener.org

PHOTOS: MARY LAHR SCHIER

Sometimes it takes a village to raise a garden, and thankfully, we’ve found a village of collaborators in the Adopt-aGarden Program at the Minnesota State Fair. MSHS is indebted to our special partners who have come together to create and maintain these gardens with us in a beautiful display of partnership.

If you have not seen it before, the MSHS Adopt-a-Garden is on the southwest corner of the Horticulture Building, near the intersection of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street.

Let me introduce you to the great partners who will be helping us this year!

College add their own special touch of color and pizazz to three small gardens on the southwest side of the space. They choose and plant annuals with foliage and flowers that pop with texture and color during the fair.

Healthy Soil, Hard Work The key to a healthy garden is healthy soil, and St. Paul-based Kern Landscape Resources has been helping MSHS build healthy soil at the fair for years. Once a year, Kern donates several cubic yards of Organic Grower’s Mulch, which is one-part cow manure and one-part finely shredded pine needles. The plants love it. Much of the plant material used at the MSHS State Fair garden was obtained through donations to the MSHS program Minnesota Green.

The staff at MSHS cannot be forgotten. A few times a year, we roll up our sleeves and plant, weed, mulch, move and generally do what needs to be done to get the MSHS Adopt-a-Garden ready for the fair.

Stop by during the Minnesota State Fair to see this work in progress!

—Lara Lau-Schommer

Experts trust the #1 brand in organic gardening Laura LeBoutillier grew up working in her parents’ garden center.

Since then, she and her husband Aaron have published hundreds of inspirational and educational gardening videos online for over 2.4 million loyal fans. Laura loves her garden and uses only the best products to ensure it looks beautiful. That’s why she trusts Espoma Organic® for her fertilizer and potting soil needs.

Espoma. A natural in the garden since 1929.

Visit www.espoma.com/video to see our inspirational videos.

July/August 2019

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Creating Sanctuary

HOT OFF THE PRESS

By Jessi Bloom Timber Press 2018 In Creating Sanctuary, author Jessi Bloom interweaves gardening practices with those of meditation, aromatherapy and Ayurvedic medicine. Readers familiar with organic and sustainable gardening philosophies will find many common techniques in Bloom’s work.

As the book’s subtitle—Sacred Garden Spaces, Plant-Based Medicine, and Daily Practices to Achieve Happiness and Well-Being—promises, gardening is just a part of what Bloom strives to address.

She emphasizes the sensual aspects of gardening as she discusses the process of creating, and then using, a personal garden sanctuary. As she writes: “We spend so much of our lives us-

ing just one or two senses—maybe squinting at a computer screen or gluing our ear to a phone—that our sanctuary garden may offer the best chance we have to enjoy the full spectrum of sensory pleasures.”

She offers some unusual garden-art options, such as mandalas, cairns and labyrinths, and highlights some noteworthy public gardens and farms that illustrate her points.

A landscape designer and International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborist, Bloom devotes about a third of the book to botanical alchemy. She describes how to grow, harvest, preserve and use plants (mostly herbs) for medicinal and spiritual purposes. She offers recipes for teas, tinctures and other products.

In the capsule descriptions of 50

plants she labels “sacred,” Bloom includes, along with care requirements, the plant’s emotional benefits (hops induce relaxation and peaceful sleep) and interesting tidbits (Abraham Lincoln put hops in his pillow).

Bloom closes with self-care rituals that can be practiced in the garden or in other natural settings, and plant-based mixtures for body care and household uses.

—Julie Jensen

We teach professional skills for creative minds.

2407 East Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55413 Visit: kdiof.com Call: 612-362-3133

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mshs news Nominate a Giving Gardener

We’ve Moved!

MSHS has a new office in Roseville. Our new address is 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN, 55113. The new offices will be home to staff and some MSHS classes. Telephone numbers and email addresses remain the same.

MARY LAHR SCHIER

Do you know a person or group that deserves to be recognized for enhancing their community through horticulture? Each year, MSHS presents awards to gardeners statewide for their efforts in neighborhood beautification and contributions to gardening and the rejuvenation of their communities through plants. Please help us recognize individuals and groups in your area who have made a difference by nominating them for an MSHS award.

Individuals, projects and activities of neighborhood groups, governmental organizations and garden clubs are eligible to receive one of several awards. You can find information about the categories and nomination forms at the MSHS website at northerngardener.org/awards.

Volunteers educate the public at the fair.

Fundraising Donate at the Fair!

When you add a donation to your membership renewal at the Minnesota State Fair, your donations help gardeners all over the state through MSHS programs: • The Garden-in-a-Box program introduces thousands of youngsters and low-income families to gardening each year. The box, soil, edible plants and educational materials help many first-time gardeners get started.

• All summer long, gardeners beautify public spaces and grow food with plants and seeds donated through Minnesota Green. This MSHS program strengthens neighborhoods by connecting people and plants.

• Your gift also helps support our classes, the award-winning Northern Gardener magazine and other MSHS programs.

Please give generously to ensure that MSHS will be here for future generations.

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Garden-in-a-Box Deliveries

Dozens of school and community programs received Garden-in-a-Box kits in mid-May. From Wadena to New Ulm, coordinator Maria Brosofske delivered the boxes, soil and plants. Thanks to sponsors—The Good Acre, Wagners and Sustane. Clockwise, from upper right: volunteer Sam Johnson carries boxes of tea compost; Tom Barrett and Maria at the Red Lake Nation site; plants were lined up for groups to choose from at The Good Acre in St. Paul; Maria and Laura Wagner of Wagners Greenhouses, load the truck with donated plants.

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PHOTOS: MSHS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

GARDEN-IN-A-BOX

mshs news Membership Matters: Take Advantage of MSHS Discount Partners Are you taking full advantage of your membership benefits?

You can save all year long with our trusted partners in the Upper Midwest.

A few examples: Proof of membership earns you a free wine tasting for two at New Ulm’s Morgan Creek Vineyards or New Prague’s Next Chapter Winery, two of our 22 new Discount Partners this year. Longtime partner Mickman Brothers of Ham Lake offers 15 percent off all plants through 2019, and Pahl’s Market of Apple Valley extends a 20 percent discount to all MSHS members. Or, zip over to beautiful Hudson, Wis., and save 20 percent on all full-price plants and merchandise at My Sister’s Garden.

The full list of discount partners is at northerngardener.org. You can join MSHS online anytime, or join or renew your membership at the Minnesota State Fair at our booth in the Horticulture Building.

Visit MSHS at the MN State Fair!

(Located in the “Dirt Wing” of the Agriculture/Horticulture Building)

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northern natives

Lynn M. Steiner

Dalea purpurea Purple Prairie Clover

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LYNN M. STEINER

P

urple prairie clover is a delicate-looking plant with unique rose-purple to crimson flowers.

The densely packed flowers bloom in a ring around the flower head, starting at the bottom and working up to the top. It starts blooming in early summer and continues for a month or more.

Older plants may tiller (split) at the base and send up multiple stems, creating vase-shaped clumps.

Purple prairie clover doesn’t look like much in spring (including in the nursery container), but it will reward you in midsummer; a mature plant is quite attractive in full bloom. Plant it in groups of three to five in perennial borders or butterfly gardens, or use a single plant as an accent in rock gardens. The fine-textured foliage remains attractive throughout the growing season, and the seed heads offer winter interest. Plant it with other summer-blooming flowers such as monarda, leadplant, butterfly milkweed, prairie onions and smaller grasses like little bluestem and prairie dropseed.

Allow seed heads to remain for winter interest and bird food.

The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of bees, including honeybees and bumblebees, which collect pollen. Wasps, flies, small butterflies, hummingbirds, beetles, and plant bugs also visit the flowers. The larvae of dogface sulphur and rieker blue butterflies feed on the plants. Songbirds enjoy the seeds.

Purple prairie clover is slow to develop, but once it settles in, it is a tough, low-maintenance garden plant. Mature plants tolerate summer drought, and clumps seldom need dividing. Be careful not to weed it out in spring. You may need to use an inoculant to help plants become established in some soils. It may self-seed in optimum growing conditions but rarely becomes a pest. Unfortunately, it is a favorite food of herbivores, especially rabbits. ng

Purple prairie clover is part of this striking summer garden combination, which also includes Heliopsis helianthoides and Verbena stricta.

Horticulturist Lynn Steiner is the author of Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty

to Your Garden (Cool Springs Press, 2016).

At a Glance: Dalea purpurea Hardiness: USDA Zones 3 to 9.

Native Range: Throughout the central United States and Canada.

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall.

Site: Grows best in moist to dry soils in full sun. The soil can be quite poor, since Dalea species are nitrogen-fixers.

Sources: Kinnickinnic Natives, www.kinninatives.com; Morning Sky Greenery, www. morningskygreenery.com; Out Back Nursery, www.outbacknursery.com; Prairie Moon Nursery, www.prairiemoon.com; Prairie Restorations, www.prairieresto.com; Shooting Star Native Seeds, www.shootingstarnativeseed.com.

Beyond the Species: White prairie clover (D. candida) is taller, growing 3 to 4 feet, and has white flowers and sparser, lighter colored foliage. The white color is good for balancing the hot colors of other summer prairie plants.

—L.S.

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17

garden solutions

Laura Schwarz

Annual Maintenance

I

magine mid-July in a lush and humid backyard garden. Tomatoes are ripening and lilies are flowering, but the resident gardener is troubled. Her annual plants (which were expensive and time-consuming to install) are best described as “bedraggled.” The petunias are stringy, the coleus plants are overgrown, and the calibrachoa stopped flowering long ago, despite the gardener’s earnest attempts. She’s been watering every day! She paid attention to all of the light requirements for each plant, and her potting soil was brand-new this year.

What has she done wrong?

In midsummer, I often encounter container plantings that look terrible.

Sometimes they’re suddenly overgrown.

Sometimes annual plants seem to stop growing altogether. The underlying problem is often that annual plants experience very different conditions in home gardens than they do while growing in the greenhouses where we buy them. Let’s troubleshoot some common issues.

Pinching

when I plant them. This ensures the first flush of new growth will be bushy and well branched. (For flowering plants, many branches equal many flowers.) After flowering, pinching back the spent flower buds will quicken the plant’s production of new flowers. For foliage plants, removing the flower buds before they open is a great way to force the plant’s energy into producing more leaves.

Before we purchase our beloved annuals, they’re subject to rigorous schedules of growth regulation. Greenhouse growers use day-length, watering, plant-growth-regulating hormones and a practice called “pinching” to manipulate plant size. Once they’re in our pots and garden beds, annuals often grow quickly and unchecked, bolting and stretching toward the sun. The voluptuous, leafy plants we potted up weeks earlier transform into gangly adolescents. Fortunately, it only takes a little extra work to prevent this from happening.

Pinching is the most user-friendly method of controlling annual growth habit. This means that you remove the tip of the main stem, cutting it back to right above the next set of leaves on the stem. This forces the plant to send out new lateral growth and keeps it compact.

I pinch almost all of my annuals

Fertilizing Annuals grown in greenhouses also experience vastly different feeding schedules than they do in our yards.

Some growers fertilize at every watering, which means that plants are receiving supplemental nutrients every day.

Many home gardeners fertilize only a few times throughout the growing season—or not at all—which definitely influences their annuals’ performance.

Uninformed gardeners might use a fertilizer that doesn’t contain the correct amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to fulfill each plant’s needs.

Unless your annuals are exhibiting signs of nutrient deficiencies (mainly leaf discoloration), they will be fine with consistent fertilizer from a natural source. A fertilizer with low amounts of each nutrient can keep your annuals (which are heavy feeders) growing up to their true potential. I’ve had good luck with Nature’s Source All-Purpose Plant Food, which is best applied every other week or so. You can also use a slow-release fertilizer like Sustane 8-2-4, which is made from turkey waste products.

PHOTOS: MARY LAHR SCHIER

Watering

Fertilizer and consistent watering leads to lush annual plantings.

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Watering is often the most obvious answer to why annual plants crash prematurely. While greenhouse professionals know the ideal moisture conditions for each plant variety, home gardeners often don’t research them before beginning a watering routine. Unfortunately for the untrained observer, the symptoms of overwatering are very similar

TRAVEL TOURS Pinch annuals when planted. This ensures the first flush of new growth will be bushy and well branched. + A fertilizer with low amounts of each nutrient can keep your annuals growing up to their true potential. + Water your annuals deeply and thoroughly.

Containers need lots of water.

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to those of underwatering, so it is deceptively easy to over-correct and water a dry plant way too much.

Water your annuals deeply and thoroughly. The entire rootball of the plant should be saturated by the time you’re finished. A container planting is easy because the water will drain out of the bottom when it’s soaked through.

For annuals planted directly into the ground, give them a good thorough drench that permeates the surrounding soil. Then—and this is the hard part—wait until the soil dries out before you water again. The top few inches (or so) of soil should be dry to the touch before you re-water.

Maintaining annual plantings requires vigilance and a little extra detail work, but it’s very much worth it! ng Horticulturist and writer Laura Schwarz lives in Minneapolis, where she works in garden design and maintenance.

Mark your calendars for 2020—

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19

pollinators

Rhonda Fleming Hayes

Lesser Known Butterflies of Minnesota

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

Red-spotted Purple butterfly

Red-Spotted Purple (RSP) As you can see, they aren’t exactly purple but a range of iridescent brown, reddish-orange and blue. Their appearance 20

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Hackberry Emperor butterfly

can vary in different areas. The RSP isn’t often found fluttering about flowers.

Rather, they mostly feed upon sap, dung and carrion. You may see them feasting off rotten bananas in your compost pile.

They are even known to eat the honeydew material from aphids. If they seek nectar, it is most likely meadowsweet, arrowwood viburnum and, maybe, milkweed.

The caterpillars of this species depend upon a number of trees as their larval host: American basswood, birch, black cherry, oak, serviceberry and willow among others. The caterpillar spends the winter rolled in a leaf before emerging the next season.

Hackberry Emperor Not a showy butterfly, but it’s not its drab looks that make it rare to encounter: This one doesn’t hide under the radar but flies around the treetops instead. As you might have guessed by the name, the northern hackberry tree is its larval host.

And once again, its adult diet is less than appetizing to humans. This emperor

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

M

onarchs get all the press.

With their eye-catching orange-and-black wings and that miraculous migration thing they do, it’s hard for a less dazzling butterfly to catch a break in the publicity department.

By now, I think there are few people who aren’t aware of monarch butterflies, their beauty as well as their plight. Yet all butterflies are threatened with many of the same issues, namely habitat loss and pesticide use. Of the 146 butterfly species that call Minnesota home, eight are on the endangered list and several more are listed for concern. You may never see these in your lifetime.

However, there are more common butterflies we don’t often see because of their behavior or coloring. Although it’s never boring to see flashier species in our garden, you might like a challenge to see if you can identify and possibly plant to attract these three lesser known butterflies. I’ve been lucky enough to see them in my garden. (Reading the descriptions you might see a trend.)

dines on rotting fruit, sap, dung, urine and sweat. When they do forage on flowers, they prefer clovers.

Your best chance to see these butterflies is when they are basking on tree trunks or the side of buildings. That’s where I found this one, on a post right on my front porch. They are so nondescript that for a moment I thought it was a moth.

Mourning Cloak If you see a mourning cloak butterfly, you’ll have no trouble identifying it. A mourning cloak, known as a Camberwell beauty in Britain, has a 2- to 4-inch span, its wings are a rich, reddish-brown outlined on the upper side with a band of blue spots with another border of creamy yellow. What an elegant butterfly with such an old-fashioned name! It’s not delicate, though. This tough creature manages to overwinter up north as an adult under wood piles, under tree bark, and in tree snags or hollow logs.

Just like the preceding two, it doesn’t go for flowers but feeds upon mostly oak

Learning Garden Tour Saturday, July 13, 2019

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Shop at the Garden Shed and Book Nook, and enjoy food trucks at several locations.

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Photo by: Lindsey Miller

and maple sap. You are more likely to see them if your garden has lots of trees or is adjacent to wooded areas.

Mourning Cloak butterfly

Plant a Tree (or More) When you look at the main food sources for these three butterflies, you almost wonder if they can be called pollinators.

They barely squeak by with the small number of flowers they visit. Nonetheless, they are important members of the natural world, supplying other animals with food (in the form of eggs and caterpillars) further up the food chain.

Yes, all three of these butterflies need trees for food, shelter and larval hosts, as do the tiger swallowtail, viceroy and others. Remember, butterfly gardens are not just about pretty flowers. You may have some of these trees in your yard already. If you are thinking about adding trees to your landscape and can’t choose what kind, let the butterflies decide. ng Minneapolis-based Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyageur Press, 2016). Read her article on insectaries on page 38.

$1 OFF ONLINE TICKETS — enter code LGTNG by July 8th To order tickets: www.HennepinMasterGardeners.org, $15 advance; $20 on-site MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM | HENNEPIN COUNTY

Ready to GROW as a gardener?

Join or renew today. northerngardener.org/membership

a nonprofit organization

July/August 2019

21

kitchen garden

Samantha Johnson

Savoring Summer Squash

Cooking with Squash Now, I’m all about comfort food and my favorite way to eat summer squash is baked in a casserole with onions and Swiss cheese. It’s super-simple and unbelievably delicious. I could eat summer squash like that every day of the week and never change up the recipe. But if 22

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PAULETTE JOHNSON

I

t’s a splendid summer day. The sky is a brilliant blue and the sun shines with warmth in its golden glow. A few wispy clouds blow by, pushed by a gentle breeze.

You’re out in the garden, surrounded by the bounty of midsummer. Plants are growing and producing weekly (sometimes daily!) harvests. And all the while, you’re eyeing the ever-growing number of summer squash populating your plants.

What a glorious problem! Too many summer squash! Yet it’s a very real issue that gardeners face each summer.

Summer squash is the quintessential overachiever. You’ll pick everything of harvestable size, use or freeze or give them away, and then go back the next day to find that a dozen more have grown overnight.

Needless to say, summer squash is easy to grow. You’ll need full sun, warm temperatures and consistent moisture.

It’s best to sow summer squash seeds directly into the garden, as they can be somewhat temperamental when transplanted. They mature so quickly that giving the seeds an indoor head start really isn’t necessary.

Summer squash varieties abound— and that’s half of the fun. Black Beauty zucchini is a tried-and-true favorite, and if crookneck squash suits your fancy, you can’t go wrong with Early Summer Golden. But of all the varieties in all the world, my very favorite is Cube of Butter, which is a yellow summer squash. It has the most delicious flavor and it produces an unbelievable yield.

One summer, I counted more than 100 yellow squash on six plants. Now that’s powerful production!

Patty Pan squash are easy to grow and prolific.

your taste buds are yearning for something different, you can prepare your squash in any number of ways.

Love pizza? Grated summer squash makes a wonderful and healthy addition to your regular toppings. Or get really creative and create your pizza crust out of zucchini for a low-carb option.

On summer weekends, grill up some sliced summer squash with an assortment of in-season vegetables and serve with cheese and French bread. Or grill the vegetables and serve as a salad along with your favorite dressing.

Summer squash can be the perfect way to make some awesome appetizers, too!

Cut into rounds and bake with cheese.

Easy and delicious!

And we mustn’t forget zucchini lasagna. Squash makes an excellent substitute for pasta noodles while still producing a very tasty meal.

Still hungry? Make soup! But the very best idea of all may be as simple as zucchini bread—an unparalleled treat that is so delightful that it really should be considered a dessert. ng Samantha Johnson is the author of The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, (Voyageur Press, 2013).

Summer Squash Pizza You can find many variations of summer squash pizza using sliced or shredded squash, but this variation from agardenforthehouse.com is one we like.

Pre-baked pizza crust 1 yellow summer squash, sliced thinly 1 zucchini, sliced thinly 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped small (parsley and basil are good) Olive oil Sprinkle squash slices with salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes, then squeeze dry in a towel to remove moisture. Mix ricotta, parmesan, spices and herbs until well combined. Spread this mixture on the crust and then arrange squash slices on top. Drizzle some olive oil on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven on the oven rack for maximum crispness for about 15 minutes.

by design

Don Engebretson

Plastic Edging, the Right Way

I

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

f you have lawn on your property plus landscaping that isn’t lawn, the slender strip of common ground between the two will require edging so that grass doesn’t grow where it’s not intended. While you have lots of options (see the article on page 46 for nine options), black plastic edging is the most popular choice.

It is by far the least expensive option and often is the best choice for homeowners. If you need 60 or 160 feet of the stuff, the difference in cost between black plastic and aluminum or steel edging will be hundreds of dollars. For a large landscape, the difference can be several thousand dollars.

Problem is, many homeowners don’t like the look of black plastic edging. But the adage, “Friends don’t let friends use black plastic edging” comes from people not installing the product properly. Do it right and black plastic edging can create as beautiful a landscape as many of the more expensive options.

Get the Right Stuff Start by buying the real stuff. Plastic edging sold curled up in a cardboard box labeled “Professional Grade” isn’t. It isn’t thick or wide enough to function well in the North. It often comes with plastic stakes, a sure sign you are buying the wrong stuff. Go to a landscape supply yard and buy contractor-grade edging.

It is sold flat in 20-foot lengths and will be both thicker and wider (5 inches). It will come with a stake kit—four metal stakes and a plastic connector—for each piece you purchase. I used the Ace of Diamonds brand during my years as a landscaper.

To install it, start by digging a 6-inch deep trench. This trench is a vertical cliff on the lawn side. On the bed side, shovel away the dirt so the ground rises at only a slight angle and extends at least 10 inches into the bed. Drop the edging into the trench so that the V-shaped lip is on the bottom and facing the bed side. Then pin it to the cliff by hammering stakes so

For best results, use contractor-grade materials and keep the edge low in the trench.

that the hoselike circle on top sits only one-third above the ground. It is not supposed to sit entirely above ground so that when installation is completed it looks like you left a black hose out in your yard. You should see only the top of the circle, not even an inch wide.

Set your stakes 3 inches from an end, then at 7 feet, 14 feet, and the other end.

Pound the stakes perpendicular (or close to it) into the cliff, not straight down.

Pounding the stakes straight down is why frost eventually heaves up plastic edging. Often you’ll be connecting multiple pieces of edging, so do that as you go along.

When connecting one length to another, insert the short, plastic connector halfway into the rounded tube of one piece, then slide the second piece onto the other half making sure you are not simply pushing the connector further into the first piece. You want about half the connector inside each piece of edging. Push them tight together so they appear as one piece.

Pull the dirt back into the trench about halfway up the edging and stomp it in hard with your feet. Repeat the process until only the curving top of the edging is visible. Sift a little loose soil into the slender gaps you may encounter between the edging and the lawn, so that grass grows tight to the edging. Next, water the top of the edging hard with your watering wand to settle the soil on both sides.

When installed as above, the edging will never heave while the narrow, rounded top will barely be visible even when the lawn is cut short. Cut your lawn to the recommended height of 2 inches or more and that infernal black plastic edging virtually disappears while completely blocking lawn grasses from creeping into the garden bed. ng Garden writer Don Engebretson is 83,000 words into his first novel. He can be reached at renegadegardner.com.

July/August 2019

23

plant to pick

Debbie Lonnee

Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ PP28498 American Gold Rush Black-eyed Susan

S

ince 1990, the Perennial Plant Association, a group of professional perennial growers, designers, retailers and educators, has promoted a “Plant of the Year.”

These plants are chosen because they are low-maintenance, have multiple seasons of ornamental interest, are suitable for a wide range of climatic conditions, and are relatively pest- and disease-free.

In 1999, the association chose Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ as Plant of the Year, and this German-bred seed strain became one of the most popular and widely grown perennials in northern gardens. I’d place a bet that at least 90 percent of Northern Gardener readers have this popular variety in their gardens.

Unfortunately, over the years, a disease called septoria leaf spot has attacked ‘Goldsturm’, and it has become a problem not only in gardens but at the nurseries that produce this variety. One other little problem that has bugged me the last few years is that ‘Goldsturm’ is a heavy seeder; you can spend plenty of time weeding out the seedlings that have germinated in your garden beds.

some East Coast gardeners are seeing it spread to almost 40 inches in width. It has a very nice rounded, neat habit.

Black-eyed Susan has always been a mainstay of the late summer and autumn garden for its colorful gold foliage with dark eyes. It will start to bloom in late July and will be in color through September. It is great in combination with Russian sage (Perovskia), fall asters and ornamental grasses. Those flowers will attract all sorts of pollinators into your garden, including bees, butterflies and songbirds.

Plant ‘American Gold Rush’ in full-sun gardens with well-drained soils. Once

established, it will easily handle drought.

If you take the time to deadhead the early flowers, you may extend the flowering season well into October. This plant is vegetatively propagated and has a patent, so propagation is prohibited.

While listed as hardy to only USDA Zone 4, I suspect that is just because it has not been thoroughly tested for winter hardiness in zone 3. Those of you in the North may want to give this one a try. ng Horticulturist Debbie Lonnee works in the horticulture industry and gardens in South St. Paul.

Just in time, Chicago-area breeder Brent Horvath, from Intrinsic Perennials, has bred and introduced a new Rudbeckia cultivar called ‘American Gold Rush’. You may look at the photo and wonder what’s different.

First and foremost, this cultivar has excellent resistance to septoria leaf spot.

That one point should motivate you to remove all of your ‘Goldsturm’ and move to this disease-free variety.

But it is a lovely plant as well. It is an interspecific cross and you may notice the foliage is different from ‘Goldsturm’.

It is longer, thinner and hairier, which helps keep the disease off of the plant.

Overall, it is a slightly more compact variety, reaching a mature height in the range of 22 to 26 inches. It will spread ultimately to 24 to 36 inches, although 24

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WALTERS GARDENS INC.

A Better Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’

how-to Garden Wall Mosaic

W

orking on a mosaic is a bit like knitting. The repetitive nature is calming, it’s creative and the result is often a showstopper. And I’m happy to tell you it has a much friendlier learning curve than knitting—it’s easy and fun to do and even your first mosaic can look wonderful.

Any sized mosaic can be striking, but when done on a large scale, as on the side of a shed, it’s spectacular and really adds character and individuality. Mosaic art pairs well with plants and fits well in the garden, perhaps because of its somewhat abstract and graphic nature. It doesn’t compete with the flora.

Your blank slate. When doing a wallsized mosaic, your wall must be relatively smooth, solid and able to bear the weight of the tiles and ceramic pieces you will be affixing to it. My mosaic wall was a pallet wall that I shored up with a layer of plywood that wrapped the entire shed like an exoskeleton.

Materials. Creating an abstract, random-patterned mosaic is an easy and effective first project. Ceramic tile, broken dishes (look for flat surfaces on plates and platters), glass pieces (again, flat is easiest), mirror fragments, and glass beads are all good prospects. In addition, you can experiment with just about anything that will accommodate a little mastic spread on it and stuck to a wall. I’ve seen keys, vintage jewelry and polished rocks work. Steer clear of items that have a pocket that could collect water, which would then freeze and crack the object.

I break up my mosaic pieces by placing the tile or dishes or whatever it is I’m breaking on a wooden surface, covering it with an old bath towel and cracking it with a hammer. It’s incredibly satisfying, but always wear safety glasses and gloves.

Design. This can truly be anything you want it to be. I find it attractive to have at least half of the materials in more subdued shades like gray, white

and beige and then use pops of bolder colors scattered throughout.

Think of finding a rhythm in your design, so that the focal points are scattered somewhat evenly. Some mosaic crafters work out the design first and then transfer it to the wall. I prefer to prepare all my pieces and materials, group them by color, and then let the pattern grow organically as I go.

Adhering the materials. Mastic is an adhesive designed to stick tile and stone to floors and walls.

It’s the consistency of toothpaste and works well for wall mosaics. You can either spread a layer over an area and then sink the pieces into it or you can spread a medium-thick layer on the back of the piece and press it to the wall. A larger piece may need to dry for a minute or so before adhering. The mastic won’t set up for Broken pottery and fun about a half an hour, so details make up this you have time to move shed’s mosaic wall. pieces once placed.

Grout. I prefer a dark grout, like slate gray, as it contrasts with the colors offers a high level of protection from and makes them stand out. Use a sanded sun, wind and rain. As you apply it, keep grout—it’s more durable and flexible. a damp towel handy to wipe off the moI like to use my hand, wearing a thick saic pieces. You don’t need to be fastidilatex glove, to apply it so I can spread it ous and wipe only the tile fragments. The across the mosaic while working it into spar urethane is absorbed by the grout the cracks and crannies. Grout is a beast and cannot be wiped off. Follow the into clean up after it dries, so be tidy and structions on the container. At least two wipe up spills as soon as possible. layers are recommended, with a drying Finishing it off. Coating the outdoor time of an hour between. ng mosaic in spar urethane after the grout dries completes the mosaic project. Spar Minneapolis-based garden writer Eric Johnurethane was originally formulated to son blogs at gardendrama.wordpress.com. protect the rigging of sailing ships and Read more about his shed on page 34.

July/August 2019

PHOTOS: ERIC JOHNSON

Eric Johnson

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A window in the home’s entry frames a view of stones, a Japanese maple and creeping thyme in the courtyard garden.

Stones and Plants

A Japanese garden evolves to fit its northern home.

Story by Mary Lahr Schier Photos by Tracy Walsh

Most of us know a Japanese garden when we see one: the mix of stones, water and carefully pruned plants; the asymmetrical balance that is so different from western formal gardens; the views and viewing points; the paths that encourage you to walk toward what you see and what is hidden. These elements and more create the sense of unhurried calm a Japanese garden evokes. The gardener also needs to take an unhurried approach. Nurturing a Japanese garden requires patience and a lot of work.

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A meandering dry stream and paisleyshaped beds of pachysandra give the east gardens texture and interest.

“I think people don’t understand the craftsmanship involved in a Japanese garden,” says Linda Hoeschler, “or the maintenance.” Placing rocks, pruning trees, selecting plants and getting the design just right has been a two-decade process for Linda and her husband, Jack, as well as garden designers, installers and gardeners working with the Hoeschlers as they have transformed their 2-acre lot into a garden of repose and inspiration.

The process has been rewarding but slow, which Linda considers a good thing.

Beginnings: A Garden for the House The Hoeschlers moved into their Ralph Rapson-designed, mid-century modern house more than 40 years ago. With children and two busy careers keeping them occupied, the garden naturally took a backseat. Later, they began to add Japanese elements to the house to soften its hard modern lines. A shoji screen and Japanese art reflected Linda’s appreciation for Asian culture (she studied it in

Crabapple trees add color in spring.

college) and gave the house a cozier feel.

Eventually, the couple decided to add a Japanese garden, too, starting with a doit-yourself effort in their front courtyard.

“Everybody loved it,” says Linda, “but we knew it wasn’t right because the stones weren’t big enough.”

In the mid-1990s, the Hoeschlers met noted garden designer David Slawson, who was working on the Garden of Quiet Listening at Carleton College in Northfield. On his first visit to the site, Slaw-

son looked out over the 1-acre west side yard, empty of everything but grass, and said, “I see a lake.” Soon, Slawson and Linda were at a rock quarry in Shakopee selecting more than 37 tons of stones for the original installation, marking the chosen stones with pink notecards and silver tape. Fortunately, Linda notes, rocks were free then and they only had to pay for hauling the massive stones.

Placing the stones, however, required a skilled crew, bulldozers and lots of digJuly/August 2019

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Stones and Plants

Practical Plants and Garden Rooms

Stone and wood walkways guide garden visitors.

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ging. This investment allowed Slawson to place them in the traditional Japanese manner, with about two-thirds of the stone buried in the ground. The stones seem to burst from the earth. “He’s very bold,” says Linda.

After the initial installation of the stone-surrounded lake of buffalo grass with a peninsula and island evoked nearby, more gardens and features were added, then re-designed, then supplemented

over the years. Personnel changed, too. In 2010, designer John Powell, a protégé of Slawson, assumed oversight of the garden. He visits several times a year to consult with the Hoeschlers and the skilled workers who help the Hoeschlers maintain the garden. Powell has increased the pruning needed as the landscape matures. “He respects what David Slawson has done and continues to improve on it,” says Linda.

Natural materials dominate in the garden.

Pachysandra is a “turkey-proof” plant for Linda.

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Throughout the many design changes, the Hoeschlers were adamant about the plants. They needed to be endemic to our northern climate and environment, and to be able to withstand rigorous pruning and unpredictable weather. For the brief but glorious shoulder seasons of spring and fall, Linda chose plants with flash: pink-blossomed crabapples and redbuds that create a cloud of color for a few weeks in May, and stunning maples and winged euonymous that are all gold and red in October. “The seasons here aren’t that long,” says Linda, “except for winter.” For that interminable season, hemlocks, false cypress, pines and boxwoods provide abundant artful places for snow to rest.

The garden is an extension of the house, with garden rooms that can be admired from inside or wandered through outside. Secluded by a redwood fence, the revised courtyard garden near the front door includes two basalt boulders that form an ama-ochi or “place where raindrops fall.” In a spring rainstorm, the dips in the stones fill with water and glisten black. Two dwarf hemlocks frame the boulders while other stones form a pattern in the courtyard, softened by thyme, moss and ferns. A river of stone leads to the east yard. In one corner, a well-pruned Japanese maple stands guard.

The east side garden may have been the most troublesome of all the spaces.

It was installed quickly at the end of the landscape season in 1997 and the river of stone that runs down a hill through a meadow toward the back of the house looked artificial at first. After years of adjustments, the stream was reconfigured completely in 2016 to give it a more meandering path. Boulders were added and rearranged to evoke nature and give water places to pool or fall. Intriguing paisley-shaped beds were planted with pachysandra and moss. Linda loves pachysandra as a groundcover for aesthetic and practical reasons. It’s evergreen, tough and attractive; it’s also one of the best plants for “turkey-proofing the yard.” The wild birds—prevalent in the wild areas near the garden—can’t stand

the feel of pachysandra beneath their feet. The moss, some of it harvested from the couple’s lake property, is Jack’s specialty. He places and weeds it, leading Linda to dub him the “moss-wrangler.”

The rear garden faces south and features a pleasant deck flanked by columnar maples for viewing the garden and the wild area beyond it. It also is the garden most open to the lower level of the house. (Since most Japanese homes are one-level, creating a garden that worked from both levels of the house was one of the many challenges the Hoeschlers faced.) The shrub Stephanandra is native to Japan and creates a cloud-effect for those who walk the aggregate steppingstones from the house through the garden. As they have matured, the maples create a cathedral effect over this quiet area.

The largest and most impressive space lies to the west of the house. The original lake that Slawson envisioned is an expanse of buffalo grass edged by rocks and a row of sculptural hawthorn trees.

Mown just once a year, the grass is bluegreen and flops like waves. A few years ago, Linda replaced the original grass, which had been weed-prone, with ‘Legacy’ buffalo grass, a USDA Zone 2 hardy cultivar from the University of Nebraska.

It greens up slightly later than the plants around it, which allows easy weeding early in the season. In the distance, beyond the lake, an ironstone rock evokes a cliff and island over Lake Superior and a wall of fir trees ensures privacy.

The east garden blends into the woods beyond.

“I think people don’t understand the craftsmanship involved in a Japanese garden.”

Columnar maples bring a flash of color in fall.

A tome-ishi signals garden visitors to stop.

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Stones and Plants

“This is a microclimate,” Linda says of the urban location. “So it’s always been zone 5, but it’s tricky.”

Traditionally, visitors waited to be invited to the tea house in a machiai. Here it offers a quiet place to view the garden.

North of the lake is a long, dry stream that wanders from a machiai shelter near a gate to this part of the garden.

Machiai structures are traditionally the place visitors wait before being invited to a tea ceremony. The stucco and tenon structure with a cedar roof and slate floor includes a bench that provides a sheltered place from which to view the garden. Large rectangular stones create a path along the dry stream and a bridge for crossing it. In 2009, the Hoeschlers converted their former garage to a

library, with large windows overlooking the stream and a magnificent sculptural redbud. The ground-level plants in this section are all about texture: yews, pachysandra, wooly thyme, short sedums and vincas. They grow around the large and small stones and bits of moss grow into the stone areas.

As perfect as the garden looks now, it has had its troubles. Plants that did not perform well, such as Colorado blue spruce and ‘Sea Spray’ junipers, were removed. A fence around the yard

The sea of grass (tan area, upper left) is flanked by sculptural hawthorn trees.

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keeps voracious deer out. Thanks to the presence of coyotes nearby, the resident rabbit population, which has attacked the Hoeschlers’ dwarf lilacs, is down.

And, what looks good and performs well in the garden is often discovered through trial and error. “This is a microclimate,” Linda says of the urban location. “So it’s always been zone 5, but it’s tricky.

“You have to see what works and not be afraid to move it or throw it out,” she says.

It also helps to focus on the essence of Japanese style rather than excess ornamentation, such as tiny Buddhas and lanterns.

“Do it with rocks and plants,” she says.

And, the process continues. In 2018, the Hoeschlers asked outdoor lighting designer Janet Lennox to devise discrete lighting for the south and west gardens.

Thrilled with the results, they plan to add more lighting to the remaining gardens this year. The lighting turns the gardens into “a moonlit dream,” Linda says.

Whether in daytime or night, the garden is simple and elegant, quintessentially Japanese yet at home in Minnesota. ng Mary Lahr Schier is the editor of Northern Gardener.

White Wonderland For a long, lovely harvest, try a garden of pale vegetables this year.

Story by Samantha Johnson Photos by Dan Johnson

‘Delicacy White’ kohlrabi

With as much snow as my area gets (100 inches a year, approximately), you’d think I’d be tired of seeing my garden filled with white stuff. But vegetables are much more interesting than snow, so when I got the idea to focus on white vegetables in my garden last year, it seemed like too much fun not to try.

I’ve enjoyed themed vegetable gardens before, including blue vegetables and pink ones. But the white vegetables were a delight all season long and I was immensely pleased with the varieties—both new and old—available.

Maybe you’re running through stereotypical vegetables July/August 2019

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White Wonderland

in your mind, thinking—white vegetables? Are there any? But you’ll find, as I did, that seed companies offer an ample selection of white varieties of our favorite vegetables, from pumpkins and cucumbers to carrots and turnips. Let’s explore some of my favorites!

‘White Icicle’ radish

‘White Icicle’ radish

Radishes are easy to love because they don’t waste time in the spring. You toss in some seeds and in just a few weeks, you’re harvesting radishes. These stunning white radishes are no exception, as they’ll be ready in approximately 30 days and they mature to 4 to 6 inches long.

Best of all—they’re beautiful!

‘Miniature White’ cucumber I’ve grown these for years, so including them in my white-themed vegetable garden was a no-brainer. The beauty of Miniature White cucumbers is in not only their exquisite, creamy white appearance but also their flavor, which is tasty and mild. This variety produces a satisfying crop of 3-inch cucumbers on somewhat compact plants.

‘Snow Man’ carrot ‘Miniature White’ cucumber plant

Even if you’ve had trouble growing carrots in the past, it’s worth putting in the effort to grow Snow Man carrots. They grow up to 10 inches long, which results in an eye-catching and memorable carrot.

They also have a lovely flavor. Gorgeous and tasty—what’s not to like?

‘Tokyo Cross’ turnip Here’s a beloved variety that’s worthy of all its accolades. Fifty years ago, Tokyo Cross was named an All America Selections winner and since then it has found plenty of fans who value it because it’s easy to grow and reaches maturity in approximately 35 days.

I loved the beautiful shape of these snow-white turnips, which can be harvested when they’re between 2 and 6 inches in diameter.

‘White Currant’ tomato Truthfully, these tomatoes lean more toward yellow than white, but their name is White Currant and that was a ‘Tokyo Cross’ turnip

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good enough reason to include them in my white-themed garden. Hugely prolific, these tomatoes are noted for their sweet flavor. While the tomatoes may be diminutive, the plants themselves are not—reaching impressive heights in the garden. If you’re looking for a larger white tomato, you could try ‘White Tomesol’, which is also yellowish-white.

‘Baby Boo’ pumpkin Of all the white vegetables in my garden last year, Baby Boo was easily my favorite. It packs a lot of cute into a 3-inch package. If you want to grow something simply because it’s charming and pure fun, Baby Boo is your answer. If it has a downside, it’s that the variety requires about 100 days to mature, and that can be hard to come by in the North. But if you’re willing to take a chance on your growing season, Baby Boo is not to be missed.

‘Candy Hybrid’ onion Candy Hybrid onions have been a mainstay in our garden for many years.

I’m not sure if there are enough adjectives to describe just how lovely these white onions are. For one thing, they’re incredibly easy to grow. They mature to a large size, they’re day-neutral, they’re mildly sweet and simply delicious. And they store very well. I don’t even experiment with growing other onion varieties anymore because you just can’t improve on perfection.

A side benefit of my white vegetable theme was that the harvests lasted throughout the season. From the earliest White Icicle radishes to the very last Baby Boo pumpkin, the growing season was filled with a steady succession of wondrous white vegetables.

Now it’s on to my next theme … orange vegetables, anyone? ng Samantha Johnson is the author of The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, (Voyageur Press, 2013). She lives on a former dairy farm in northern Wisconsin and writes frequently about pets, gardening and farm life.

More White Vegetables to Try

Scapes of ‘Premium Northern White’ garlic

My garden space is never large enough to grow all the varieties I wish to try each year, but if you have a bit of extra room in your garden this season, why not try some of these white varieties?

• ‘White Wonder’ watermelon • ‘Japanese White Egg’ eggplant • ‘Delicacy White’ kohlrabi • ‘Premium Northern White’ garlic (plant in fall) • ‘Lazy Wife’ bean (the seeds are white) • ‘Albino’ beet • ‘Early Snowball’ cauliflower • ‘Country Gentleman’ sweet corn • ‘White Wonder’ cucumber • ‘Giant Musselburgh’ leek • ‘Patisson Panache Verte et Blanc’ summer squash —S.J.

‘Purity’ cosmos

‘Rocket Mix’ snapdragon

A Bouquet of White Flowers Your white-themed garden doesn’t have to feature vegetables exclusively! Here are some lovely white flowers that are sure to add a sweet touch to your garden.

• ‘Purity’ cosmos • ‘Kilimanjaro White’ marigold • White-seeded sunflower • Yarrow • ‘Polar Bear’ zinnia • ‘Edith Cavell’ lilac • Sweet alyssum • Shasta daisy • ‘Mount Hood’ daffodil • ‘Immortality’ iris —S.J.

July/August 2019

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FROM

Eric Johnson built his shed himself and encourages others to try a DIY garden house.

PALLETS TO

PALACE Don’t be afraid to DIY a garden shed.

Research, resourcefulness and guts are all you need.

Story and photos by Eric Johnson

GARDENERS ARE AN INDUSTRIOUS LOT, and I like to count myself among them. So when it came time to build the garden shed of my dreams, a do-it-yourself approach just had to happen. I considered buying a kit or a second-hand shed, but then I remembered pallets.

I’ve used them in the past for crafting, and like anyone who has carried, cut and disassembled them, I knew how sturdy they are. Plus, most pallets mimic the general construction of a wall with vertical studs and horizontal facing boards that act as a sub wall. They scream to be built into something.

While wood pallets would be the core of my DIY shed, re-purposed, vintage and rescued pieces would round out the build. I vowed to keep new items to a minimum and followed the creed: if it was purchased new, it needed to be on sale. Building with existing components gives a new structure history and character.

There is no substitute for proper building techniques. If you plan to build a shed, study the right way to do things, get help when you need it, but above all else, forge ahead. Research, resourcefulness and guts will take you a long way. Also, please check with your city or township to see if you need a building permit before you begin.

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Roof First The roof dictates the style of your shed.

My shed has a traditional gable roof, which gives it a classic look reminiscent of a farm shed, a personal connection for me. Other options include shed or single-sloped roofs, which are like a leanto and have a hip, contemporary look.

Gambrel roofs—like barns have—are charming and offer more head room.

Do the Research Before starting my shed, I studied the structure of buildings. Garages without interior walls allowed me to see their skeletons. I crawled into my attic space to examine how the eaves come together at their apex and how they rest on the tops of walls. I studied the perimeter of my basement to see how floor joists lay on the foundation. A couple of years ago, we remodeled our bathroom and I saw up close how walls came together, how windows fit into walls

and how doorways are constructed. I also purchased a pack of garden shed plans from my local building center that gave me detailed diagrams of walls, door and window openings, and roofs. With my field research, my pack of plans and loads of Internet searches and Pinterest saves, I was on my way.

The Thrill of the Hunt Once I’d gotten a sense of the basic concepts of building, the fun of searching for shed components began. Pallets are easy to find—in your neighbor’s trash, discarded at work and along the side of the road. Craigslist and Facebook marketplace always have pallets available. My windows and doors came from a mix of thrift shops, antique stores, garage sales and hand-me-downs from friends. If you see something you like, snatch it up and store it. You can always donate it, sell it or save it for another project if it doesn’t work in the shed.

The process: Pallets rest on cement pieces inside a railroad-tie foundation.

Foundation and Floor The foundation of my shed is simple: four railroad ties butted up against each other form a rectangular frame. Railroad ties make for a solid foundation and are easy to find. I got mine at my local big-box building supply store for $10 per 8-foot-long tie. I set them in several inches of sand to help with drainage and frost heaving.

A note about railroad ties: Railroad ties are treated with creosote as a preservative, which makes them controversial for garden use. I wouldn’t use railroad ties to make a raised bed for edibles, but I’m comfortable with them supporting my garden shed. That said, I wore gloves when I worked with them.

Using six of the most attractive oak pallets I had gathered, I assembled the floor

Walls are built of pallets and 2-by-4 boards. Bracing may be necessary.

by perching the pallets inside the railroad ties on cement blocks—about six to eight per pallet. The blocks were placed at the corners, on the sides and at least two near the center span. I set each block in 2 inches of sand and leveled the pallet by raising and lowering cement blocks as needed.

The final two pallets needed to be cut to fit. The process was no more difficult than laying a simple deck.

Walls, Windows and Doors Before starting, I took an inventory of the pallets I had, knowing that I could find more if needed. Plotting windows and doors creates a clear roadmap for building a wall. I took it one wall at a time and used the windows and doors I had found as the anchor of each wall design. I decided where I wanted a window

Salvaged windows are inserted into a frame; pallets are fitted around them.

or door or both in a wall and basically built the wall around the opening it required.

Building In general, my building process went like this: I nailed together (using a framing pneumatic nailer, which I highly recommend) as many pallets as I needed, usually three, side by side, to make the bottom layer of the wall. I also nailed them into the railroad tie base. I then nailed down a 2-by-4, the length of the first layer of the wall, and then created a second layer as I repeated the process. Additional 2-by-4s here and there, as well as trimmed-down segments of full-sized pallets, filled gaps and finished walls around windows and doors to complete the peaks on the end walls.

Concrete lap siding (salvaged, of course) covers the exterior.

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From Pallets to Palace

Cosmos and zinnias grow near the French doors and mosaic wall.

Climbers and bright annuals nestle the shed in color.

Roof

Siding

The ridge board spans the length of the peak of the roof and is what the rafters are attached to at the top of the shed. The ridge board and the rafters make the skeleton of the roof. The bottom of the rafter is bird-mouthed, which is a notch that sits on the top plate of the side walls. This was probably the slowest part of the build, with many trips up and down a ladder.

Two ladders, one placed at the wall and one at the ridge board, made it easier.

To add structural support, I put down a layer of plywood under steel roof panels in charcoal gray. They were ordered custom cut to length (on sale), are very light and easy to install, and give the shed a contemporary look.

Trimming out the windows, eaves and doors with 1-by-4 inch boards finished off the shed. The trim hides little gaps and janky fittings.

Siding helps determine the “vibe” of the shed. After considering the house, the garage and the setting (in the country), I chose a style that is country but a bit contemporary. I call it “contemporary farm.”

Concrete lap siding, much of it pulled from the dumpster of a house being built on my block, was painted white to create an updated farmhouse look. On one wall, I installed the siding vertically, on another, it’s horizontal. On the back wall above the potting shed, I installed a hodge-podge of metal pieces and the last wall contains a mosaic installation.

My How-to column on page 25 contains complete instructions for how to design and assemble a mosaic wall.

ARE PALLETS SAFE?

Lighting makes the shed glow at dusk.

If there are no markings, this generally means it is a domestic pallet and is safe. Other pallets may be stamped with codes indicating how they have been treated. The code to avoid is MB, which stands for methyl bromide fumigation—it’s a powerful pesticide extremely toxic to humans.

Leave these pallets alone. You do not want to handle them, and you do not want them in your beloved garden shed. Consider wearing gloves whenever working with pallets.

—E.J.

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Interior Motives The inside of my shed supports my two main hobbies: gardening and thrift-shopping and collecting. It’s great to have a place dedicated to storing tools and books. And artfully displaying your collections somehow elevates them from clutter to décor. Decide on the purpose of your shed and mix function with everything you love most.

It took three months of working weekends to build the shed exterior, and another three months of weekends to get the interior just right. I built 99 percent of the shed on my own. My hubby jumped in a few times, usually when I needed a spotter or an extra set of hands to steady the ladder. I find most home-improvement projects to be solo work. I make things up as I go and this is just too spontaneous and organic to pull someone into and expect them to follow and maintain sanity. Shedding to me is like painting or any other type of art. It’s a solitary act that heavily relies on in-the-moment creative thinking and decisions.

The result is truly one-of-a-kind. ng Minneapolis-based Eric Johnson is the How-to columnist for Northern Gardener.

His blog is gardendrama.worpdress.com.

Garden books, collections and a comfortable place to sit make the shed homey.

The shed’s ceiling features vintage serving trays, a birch faux beam and a ceiling light fixture made from a macrame lamp shade and vintage light fixture. Personality plus!

The interior includes floral art on the walls and vintage planters set on shelves between studs.

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Beneficial insects, such as syrphid flies, flock to alliums.

BRING BUGS! ON THE

Invite good bugs to your garden with an insectary.

Story and photos by Rhonda Fleming Hayes

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY. Even a few decades ago, the idea of luring bugs into your garden might have caused all kinds of consternation. As I often lament in my talks on pollinator-friendly gardening, there was a time not so long ago when the only information on insects in the garden was how to kill them. But insects and other species play a valuable role in our backyard ecosystems.

Today gardeners find themselves on the front lines of environmental change. There’s a new sense of “Hey, we’re in this thing together, bugs included.” Decisions made in the garden go beyond the garden gate. Reducing or eliminating pesticides from our gardens while creating habitat for these vital creatures is the healthy choice. The time is ripe to make room for an insectary in your garden.

What is an Insectary?

Insectaries can range in size from those for large-scale agricultural operations to patio-sized versions. They are defined as an intentionally created area of specific plants that attract and support beneficial insects and other organisms to provide biological pest control.

Only 1 percent of all insects are considered pests. Fire ants and mosquitos are among the worst but it’s aphids, thrips, scale, whiteflies, leafminers, leafrollers, bad beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, many mites, moth larvae and more that give the other 99 percent a bad name and damage crops and garden plants.

A note on terms: while true bugs exist, I’m referring to beneficial organisms by the generic term “bugs” since some beneficial creatures, such as spiders, are technically not insects. Beneficial bugs fall into two categories: predator and parasitoid. The 38

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former, in juvenile and/or adult form, preys upon and directly eats bad bugs. The parasitoid lays eggs on or inside bad bugs and the hatching larvae parasitizes the pest. You can add a third category of pollinators who, in the process of gathering nectar and pollen, pollinate flowers, fruits and vegetables. Sometimes the categories overlap.

Common beneficial bugs include lady beetles, praying mantids, fireflies, dragonflies and spiders. Others such as lacewings, pirate bugs, ground beetles, ichneumon wasps, robber flies, syrphid flies and tachinid flies may be less familiar but just as effective in controlling pests.

The goal of the insectary is not to eliminate all bad bugs. If you do, the good bugs will go elsewhere looking for food. The aim is to keep a balance between the two so that any problem pests are held in check. In this bug-eat-bug system, good bugs sometimes also eat other good bugs, yet in the end, they are still a boon for our blooms.

While many flowering plants appeal to insects, a select group is guaranteed to really draw the beneficial bugs to our landscapes. You may already grow some of them in your garden: alyssum, angelica, anise, bachelor buttons, buckwheat, calamint, calendula, caraway, coreopsis, coriander, cosmos, Culver’s root, cup plant, dill, fennel, feverfew, goldenrod, hardy aster, joe-pye weed, lovage, monarda, mountain mint, oregano, parsley, phacelia, prairie coneflower, Queen Anne’s lace, rudbeckia, Shasta daisy, sunflower, wallflower, yarrow and zizia. Note there are both natives and nonnatives on this list.

Growing any of these plants here and there in your garden is a good thing. However, concentrating them by creating an insectary (or two or three) is even better. Choose plants with a

Roses enjoy enjoy Roses thebenefits benefitsof the of the insecthe insectary. tary.

Zinnias

Verbena bonariensis

To really attract beneficial insects and spiders, plant a variety of bug-friendly plants in your insectary. Jack Falker’s insectary helps him grow roses without chemicals. It takes time for the insectary to be effective, but your patience is rewarded, Falker says.

diversity of flower structure and plant architecture to encourage a greater number of beneficial insects over a broader period of time. Different flowers, leaves, shapes, colors and heights, with staggered bloom times, all allow for the variety of different feeding behaviors among beneficial bugs. This helps to assure the continued presence of good bugs throughout the growing season.

Insectary Installation When choosing the right spot for an insectary, consider the needs of the plants. A sunny location with good drainage and easy access to a water source, such as a birdbath, is crucial to success. As you would in any garden, rid the area of weeds before planting and amend the soil to create loose, friable soil. Be careful not to over-fertilize since most of the plants on the above list are not heavy feeders.

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Bring on the Bugs!

A damselfly feeds on blazing star (Liatris).

In late summer, parasitic wasps and other pollinators swarm goldenrod.

You should also consider the proximity of the insectary to your target—maybe a group of susceptible plants or the entire vegetable garden. Dispersal distances vary among the different beneficial species—ladybeetles and some tiny parasitic wasps don’t venture far from their origin while syrphid flies and dragonflies can fly more than a quarter of a mile.

Designing an insectary is only limited by your imagination.

For conventional vegetable gardens, locating strips between rows or spaced every so many rows works well depending upon the crop and targeted pest. Where crops will be rotated every season, it makes sense to use only annual flowers.

Perennial plants are more suited to permanent borders

adjacent to food gardens.

For ornamental gardens, insectaries can occupy borders, islands or strategically placed patches among the rest of your plants. The usual short at the front, ascending toward tall at the back, design rules apply.

Take care of the insectary as you do your other gardens— weeding, watering, deadheading and pruning when needed.

Some of the annuals, such as bachelor buttons and dill, may self-sow. Keep domineering species in check by weeding or multiply plants by moving desirable self-seeders to where they are more useful. Other plants, for example oregano and monarda, may spread and need thinning or containing.

Insectary all-stars: Bachelor buttons

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Oregano in flower

Queen Anne’s lace

Dill Rudbeckia

Lady beetles fight aphids and other garden pests.

Marigolds

Planting an insectary near vegetables keeps pest numbers down.

Another type of insectary is called a “beetle bank.” Ground beetles are good to have around in the fight against aphids and destructive moth larvae and caterpillars. They hunt at night and shelter under leaf litter and debris during the day. A beetle bank consists of a raised ridge of soil—up to a foot tall—planted with bunch-type grasses and mulched to maintain the dark, damp habitat beetles prefer, offering them a hiding place between nocturnal forays. Suitable grasses for northern gardens include little bluestem, big bluestem, Indian grass, prairie dropseed and switchgrass. The name “beetle bank” refers to the mounded soil, but think of it also like a bank that grows beetles with “interest” in your garden.

An Insectary in Action For a report on real-life experience with an insectary, I talked with avid rose grower Jack Falker. Jack likes to say he grew up in a rose garden, acknowledging that his father’s pride and joy was beautiful but full of pesticides. In recent years, he became concerned by how much rosarians used pesticides and the threat that poses to bees and other pollinators. Prompted by rose-growing guru Paul Zimmerman, Jack decided to go pesticide-free and use beneficial insects to keep pests off his show-worthy blooms.

Inspired by the Hippocratic oath that states, “First, do no harm,” Jack is on a mission to convince rosarians it is possible to grow roses organically. He started with an insectary, which includes annuals and perennials. His favorites are oregano, dill, sunflower, joe-pye weed and angelica to name a few. Beyond the usual candidates, he is also enthusiastic about stonecrop sedums, Brazilian verbena and anise hyssop.

Soldier beetles and bees are garden “good guys.”

While waiting for the number of beneficial insects to build up, he advises that a simple washing with a fine mist from the garden hose can take care of many problems with spider mites and aphids. Jack also purchases predatory mites to release among his roses to boost pest-fighting powers. But this isn’t crucial for most home gardens. Purchasing and introducing beneficial insects is a tricky proposition, requiring specific timing and expertise that may go beyond the skills or motivation of the average gardener.

Time is important, too, and Jack notes that it may take several years for results. During that time, you have to refrain from using pesticides to avoid toppling the good bug-bad bug balance.

“Step back and be consistent,” he says, and let the process work.

The most important ingredient he emphasizes is “Patience!”

Patient gardeners will be rewarded with the prospect of a pesticide-free garden—a healthy choice for both plants and people. ng Minneapolis-based Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyaguer Press, 2016) and is a popular speaker on garden topics.

Resources Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyageur Press, 2016) by Rhonda Fleming Hayes Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden (Timber Press, 2013) by Jessica Walliser Jack Falker’s blog: https://theminnesotarosegardener.blogspot.com —R.F.H.

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For a showstopping garden all season, rely on summer bulbs.

Story and photos by Michelle Mero Riedel ‘California Gold’ calla lily

BULBS OF SUMMER deep, dark red to white—and many colors in between. Begonias work well in the partial shade garden, window box or hanging container; they can handle some sun, but preferably not the hottest afternoon sun. Begonias won’t flower profusely if given too much shade. Consider buying mocha-colored foliage begonias. The leaf color is outstanding with the intense flower color. Begonias come in low-growing plants, typically 6 to 18 inches tall, or up to 24 inches trailing. I usually buy nursery-potted plants, but if you buy bulbs (also known as tubers), I recommend planting them in shallow ground, just an inch or two below the surface, as they are prone to rot if they are planted too deeply.

Spring is my busiest season. From cleaning up last year’s garden to dividing and moving plants, my to-do list is long. But one chore that always rises to the top is planting radiant, summer-blooming bulbs. No summer garden should be without them.

With a little extra work, summer-blooming bulbs are the prize of the shade or sun garden, displaying the showiest of foliage and sizeable flowers in many heights and colors. There’s truly something for everyone’s taste and garden style. Read on to learn about my favorites.

Tuberous Begonia My favorite tuberous begonia characteristic is its variety of hues—from Nonstop® Mocca Yellow begonia

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Caladium

Elephant Ears

‘Red Flash’ caladium

‘Lime Zinger’ elephant ears ‘

When I’m considering tropical color for the shade, I look to Caladium, also known as angel wings. Mainly grown for their vivacious, delicate leaves (sans flowers) and color range, caladium foliage comes in red, pink, white and green hues, plus many swirled combinations of these colors. Although they prefer shade, caladiums can handle some sun.

They love excessive heat and humidity as well as moist, warm soil. They only grow 12 to 18 inches high, so it’s best to plant them in the front or midborder of the garden, or in container gardens.

They go well with other shade-loving plants such as begonias, hostas and coralbells.

The plant’s dramatic, bulky leaves make it a special addition to the landscape.

Leaf colors range from chartreuse to black, but most are green with a few variegated varieties available. Elephant ears are large bulbs; some are 6 inches round, and some leaves may reach up to 3 feet across. They like warm soil, heat and humidity to reach their potential.

My favorite way to use elephant ears is in container gardens, where the foliage towers above the coordinating plants below. They are stunning mixed with coleus.

Calla Lilies ‘Captain Ventura’ calla lily

‘

Summer’s prettiest sight is the funnel-shaped calla lily. Elegant, and one of the easiest and fastest bulbs to grow, callas take very little time to bloom once planted with short or medium height plants. Mine usually bloom in early to midsummer, with each flower lasting a couple of weeks or more. Once the bulb is finished blooming, I leave them in the ground and enjoy the attractive, long, slender foliage for the rest of the season. Variegated or spotted leaves are especially attractive when flowers are not present. Callas prefer full sun. They also perform well in part sun in evenly moist soil throughout the season. They mix in well with astilbe and iris, with flower colors ranging from white to black. My personal favorite calla hue is lavender.

July/August 2019 43

Bulbs of Summer

From Garden to Vase One of a bulb’s best qualities is its durable stem that can last in a vase for a long time. The best time to cut flowers is early in the morning or late in the evening.

Cut stems with a clean, sharp clipper or knife. Cutting at an angle allows the stem to rest in the vase at an angle, and it allows the rest of the cut surface to draw up water. Remove the lower leaves, or any leaves under water, and place the plant in its vase in cool, clean water. A floral preservative is not necessary for bulb flowers.

Change the water every other day, and keep the plant out of direct sunlight.

—M.M.R. ‘Tecolote Red’ ranunculus

Ranunculus I love roses, so it’s natural that I’d have an infatuation with ranunculus flowers.

These romantic rose lookalikes come in whites, pinks, oranges, yellows and several shades of reds. When the soil is warm, plant small bulbs (or corms) several inches apart in a well-drained, sunny location. Be patient, as ranunculus take a couple of months to bloom, but they’re worth the wait. In the meantime, enjoy the parsleylike foliage. Once the flowers bloom, you’re bound to get compliments on them. Ranunculus also look beautiful in a vase, with each flower lasting longer than 10 days.

Cannas Most bulbs prefer well-drained soil, but cannas can thrive in a pond, clay or an area that doesn’t drain well. Cannas will also thrive in dry soil if given plenty of water. A full-sun location is needed for these lush, tropical creatures to show off their vibrant blossoms. I don’t have a garden or container without them, and I enjoy their focal point from mid- to late

summer. Cannas offer many multi-colored, plain and patterned leaves to choose from. My favorite is Tropicanna®, which has orange-and-green striped leaves with florescent orange blooms.

Cannas top out at 6 feet but I prefer shorter varieties for my containers. Tall ones go to the back of the border.

Gladiolus This sunny showstopper has it all: tall, slender stems and gorgeous blooms from summer into fall. Gladioluses are a bit old-fashioned, but newer varieties have brought them back into style. Instead of buying all one color, try one of the fancy varieties with extra ruffled-edge blooms or multi colors all in one bloom. Since gladioluses are top heavy, staking may be needed, or plant them between taller garden perennials for propping. Another support option is to add extra soil around the base of the stalk. Many cutting-garden fans plant gladioluses close together in rows, as they are spectacular in a vase.

‘Pretoria’ canna lily

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‘Sugar Plum’ gladiolus

Dahlias I consider this plant royalty in the garden.

Dahlias love heat and sun, and their eye-catching flowers explode from midsummer through frost. Growing flowers from miniature pompoms to the size of a dinner plate is easy. They come in a variety of colors and range in height from 2 feet to more than 10 feet. There’s an option for any well-lit garden area. Dahlias’ enormous flowers may need staking, so I prefer the smaller blooms, 5 inches or less, and no taller than 30 inches. Pinch off the top growth to encourage a bushier plant and extra showy blooms. I recommend a low-nitrogen fertilizer to encourage robust blooms. Cut the blooms frequently to encourage more beauties. This plant is a must for a vase.

Easy-to-grow and stunning, there’s a summer bulb for every garden. ng U of M Extension master gardener and professional photographer Michelle Mero Riedel is a frequent contributor to Northern Gardener.

Dalaya™ Raja dahlia

Getting the Best from Your Bulbs Spring is the best time to buy bulbs because the assortment is largest then. I usually buy from a garden center, which allows me to select the largest and firmest bulbs. The larger the bulb, the larger the plant and flower. Consider your site before purchasing.

I have plenty of sun and shade, so I’m shopping for plants that grow in both environments.

After the last frost of the season (mid-May where I live), plant your bulbs in well-drained soil.

Another option is to wait until the ground temperature is above 60 degrees. I’m eager to get the season started in April, so I prefer to plant in small pots and place them in my greenhouse. Then after Memorial Day, I transplant them into the landscape. Another option is to use a sunny window indoors to jumpstart the growing process.

Tender, summer-blooming bulbs need to be removed after the first frost. Dig out the bulbs, remove the stems and leaves, and shake off excess soil. To keep them through winter, place them in a cool basement room in a shallow, open container or box. Next spring, inspect the bulbs, and toss out the mushy and brittle ones. Bulbs should be firm and have some new growth.

Follow package directions for planting, but know that most bulbs are planted with “eyes,” or point, facing up.

—M.M.R.

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A cut edge gives garden beds a clean look.

ON THE EDGE LAY ASIDE THOSE GARDEN TOOLS AND TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOUR LANDSCAPE. Does it flow? Are the lines pleasing? If the answer is no, consider whether the problem might lie at the very edges of your garden.

Choose edging materials to enhance your garden’s style.

Story and photos by Diane McGann

Bed lines play an important role in landscape design—they’re what the eye sees first when viewing a site. The bed line ideally should shape the whole lawn area, with planting beds placed beyond it. Bed lines are most often curvilinear, but straight lines can also be attractive, particularly when accenting a modern or prairie-style home. If choosing curves, aim for wide, sweeping arcs, and avoid short in-and-out squiggles. If you have the luxury of laying out an entire landscape, do as landscape architects often do, and begin with the larger bedding line. Do your best to encompass any trees or accessory buildings outside the line. This not only makes for easier maintenance, but it helps create flow and unity.

Choosing Materials Now that you’ve drawn your bed lines, select the material you want to frame them. You may choose materials from elsewhere in your landscape, such as rocks or bricks. Using too many materials results in a scattered look, so aim to repeat or complement elements already there. Beyond that, your choices range from those that practically disappear to ones that create a design statement on their own.

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1

Plastic

Beginning at less than $1 a foot and relatively easy to install, black plastic is the mainstay of the garden edging department.

(See the By Design column on page 23 for tips on how to install it like a pro.) Plastic edging winds easily around curves and connects to other sections fairly seamlessly. The downsides are the fat black bump that’s often visible between lawn and garden and its vulnerability to lawn mowers, sometimes resulting in shredded plastic. Continual exposure to the sun and other elements will also reduce its efficiency, so you might find yourself having to replace it periodically. If you choose plastic, it’s worth the money to buy the heavy-duty version, which is sturdier, lasts longer and is less likely to be damaged.

2

Bricks can be used several ways to create different looks.

Wood

Treated landscape timbers are a top choice for raised beds because they are inexpensive (approximately $3 to $5 for an 8-foot section) and long-lasting. Older timbers may be more reasonably priced than newer ones and are less likely to leach creosote into the soil. Logs from fallen trees make inexpensive, straight, rustic edges, and rot-resistant redwood, cedar or pine boards may be cut into desired lengths to create a border.

3

Clay Bricks

Bricks (and the lookalike concrete pavers) add a lovely design element, appropriate to almost any style of architecture. They can be stacked, placed vertically or horizontally, and have either the short or long end of the brick framing the borderline. Bricks cost 20 percent more than similar-quality pavers, with average prices ranging from $8 to $25 per square foot.

Brick edging complements almost any garden or home style.

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On the Edge

4

Stones

If you have some on your property, stones can be both beautiful and economical. Because of their bulk and irregular configuration, edging stones easily draw the eye to the lines they form.

Adding a second edging outside of the rocks creates a mower strip and eliminates the need to trim any grasses that might grow up among them. For a cohesive look, place the rocks so that the flattest side faces up and the top plane is fairly level.

Landscape stones, such as flagstone or Chilton rock ($2 to $5 per square foot), turn a bedding edge into a design statement.

They can be placed end-to-end or stacked to create a stone ledge, which can add interest to flat, featureless landscapes and serve as an impromptu seat or base for containers. They might help terrace a sloped yard and, when filled with good gardening soil, will create well-drained, raised beds in what might otherwise be soggy areas.

Rocks give a rustic feel to the garden.

Stones in two sizes and colors add texture and interest.

Wide stone edging makes a design statement and defines beds.

5

Metal

Choose steel or aluminum edging if you want your borderlines to disappear. To install, use a square spade to create a vertical edge in the lawn, and then place the metal snugly against it, leaving about ½ inch of the material above ground. Backfill with soil, and be sure to sand down any rough edges so that the metal doesn’t play havoc with your lawn mower, or even worse, your feet. Aluminum and steel are priced similarly at $2 to $5 per linear foot, but aluminum is often chosen over steel because it is lighter and won’t rust.

Commonly used by professional landscapers, these materials may be hard to find. Try a large nursery or look online.

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Metal edges look neat, but watch your feet.

6

Cut Edge

7

Poured Concrete

Nothing sets off a garden bed better than the crisp line of a cut edge. It shouts good maintenance and instantly creates curb appeal. Best of all, it costs you nothing except a few hours of labor and some tweaking now and then. The deep cut stops any grass roots in their tracks. Occasional clipping will keep them at bay.

THE PERFECT EDGE: STEP BY STEP 1. Lay out your

More permanent than other edging, poured concrete has many pluses, including durability, little or no maintenance, and the ability to follow any bedding line. An added bonus is that extruded concrete curbing can be stained or imprinted to complement your design. While it is possible to install yourself, you may wish to hire a contractor. Professionally installed concrete curbing ranges from $10 to $18 per linear foot.

8

Plants

9

Something Whimsical

A row of one species of plant is often used to define curves or add cohesiveness to a flower garden, but it can also serve as an edge between turf and garden beds. Boxwood shines as the perfect edging plant, but consider also a thick stand of ornamental grasses or flowers with deep roots and the ability to withstand some abuse. While you might have to periodically remove grass or pebble interlopers, a thick stand of plants can be a good garden edging choice.

Wine bottles, leftover building materials, broken plates and whatever else your imagination can conjure up might also serve as border materials. New edging options appear on store shelves each spring. Choose your materials and lines to flow with your entire landscape, and whatever you select, you’ll be pleased with the results. ng Stillwater-based Diane McGann is an award-winning garden writer and master gardener.

This looping edge defines a path and discourages walking on the lawn.

line. Use a hose to mark curves or employ a taut string between two stakes for a straight line.

Mark the edge with landscape paint.

2. Grab your

tools. A spade or half-moon edger will do the job, but if you have more than several feet to cut, consider buying or renting a power edger.

(Average cost: $80 to $200 to buy, $35 to $90 to rent.)

A rolling power edger works fast and usually results in more pleasing lines.

3. Whatever tool you use, deepen the line to 6 or 7

inches, aiming for a 90-degree angle. Remove any turf inside the bedding line. Stand back periodically to assess your work and make corrections. When you’re satisfied, add mulch, gradually winnowing it down so that 2 or 3 inches of the cut edge remains showing.

The result is a crisp, sharp line that sets off the garden beds. To keep the edge pristine, you might want to periodically use hand shears placed against the cut edge to keep encroaching grass at bay.

—D.M.

Stacked stone provides seating.

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northern view

Carol Michel

Is That an Elephant in Your Garden?

W

arning. You might have an elephant in your garden. In plain view. Or you may have an elephant in your garden that you’ve attempted to hide so that others don’t notice it.

But you can never successfully hide an elephant in a garden.

That’s just a fact. They are too big or too ugly or standing in the exact spot that would otherwise give the best view of the garden. Family and close friends will, of course, learn to ignore the elephant and carry on with their lives as if it wasn’t there. Then all it takes to remind you that there’s an elephant in your garden is for someone new to come by and exclaim about it. They don’t mean any harm or want to create ill will; it’s just that they’ve never seen such an elephant in a garden.

By the time they come over, though, you have your story ready. You might actually have many stories ready. You can explain about the elephant.

“When we moved here, there was an old VW bug dumped in this spot. We managed to remove all of it except this engine block. It is too heavy to lift, so we decided to call it a garden sculpture and plant flowers around it.”

“Oh that rock? Well, they dug that up when they excavated for the foundation of the house and asked me where I wanted it. I told them to put it in the back corner. Then of course, I wanted to put a fence up and the rock was in the way. For a while, I was searching madly to find out how the Egyptians moved those giant rocks for the pyramids without big gasoline-powered earth-moving equipment. A fulcrum and a stick is all you need, right? Wrong. That didn’t work, either. And I do know that five guys pushing on that rock won’t budge it.

It actually took another guy with a front end loader who was grading the last yard around here to shove it forward 5 feet so I could put up the fence. Then I finally got the vegetable garden arranged so the rock isn’t quite in the way as it once was. Now it just looks like a nice place to sit and rest. It is also somewhat of an altar where raccoons once left me an offering of pawpaw seeds after they ate my pawpaws.”

And that’s how you explain away an elephant in a straightforward manner. Or you can tell people that your elephant is a meteor that just landed in your garden one day. You can let them know you are pretty sure it is radioactive, too. It makes the vegetables grow faster.

To qualify as an elephant, whatever it is must be something that can’t easily be removed.

Because if it could be easily removed, or removed with a reasonable amount of effort and cost, and you don’t do that, then it is a monument to your laziness. I don’t know what you think, but I believe a VW engine block is on the borderline between being a true elephant and a monument to laziness.

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My rock, on the other hand, is a true garden elephant.

For sake of argument, let’s say that you do end up with an elephant in your garden. My advice: Make the most of it. By all means, dig around it and make it part of a flower border. Or, if it is truly a monstrosity of an elephant, plant big shrubs all around it to hide it. Maybe give it a name. Open up people’s eyes to it and let them see that you know you have an elephant in your garden and let them see you are doing your best to take care of it.

I am pleased to tell you, as you read this essay and occasionally gaze out the window at that thing in your garden that you now know is an elephant and needs a proper name, that the longer you garden with an elephant, the less you see the elephant. You learn to walk around it rather than bump into it.

You learn to look past it when you look out into your garden.

You may even forget altogether that the elephant is there. It might be a poorly placed utility pole (from your perspective) or those unsightly utility boxes they now place in front gardens.

It might be junk that was too heavy to move. Or a giant rock that looks like it was dropped down from outer space. Doesn’t matter. It’s an elephant. And every garden has at least one.

By the way, my elephant, the rock, is called Mount May Dreams. ng Carol Michel is the author of Potted & Pruned: Living a Gardening Life (Gardenangelist Press, 2017), which received the 2018 Gold Award for Best Overall Book from GardenComm, the association for garden communicators. Her blog is www.maydreamsgardens.com.

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