Northern Gardener - May/June 2020

MINNESOTA’S HOMEGROWN GARDENING MAGAZINE

Gardener Northern

A MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION

MAY/JUNE 2020

Shady Sustainable AND

Tough Roses FOR THE

NORTH

Better Basils

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May/June 2020 Volume 148, Number 3

in every issue 3

Editor’s Note

4

MSHS News: Classes,

20

calendar and more.

Northern Natives: Spotted beebalm, spotted horsemint.

BY BETH STETENFELD

contents

A MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION

24 26

Sustainably Scenic With planning, a landscape can be lovely and low maintenance, even in shade.

50 53

Plant to Pick: Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf hydrangea.

28

DIY: Make your own concrete pot.

BY ERIC JOHNSON

Follow these recipes for containers that thrive in the shade.

29

Public Faces / Private Spaces

Pollinators: Flowers flaunt it.

BY RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

Easy strategies to help you fashion your garden for hospitality and seclusion.

BY DIANE MCGANN

46

Kitchen Garden: The humble radish.

BY DEBBIE LONNEE

7 Stylish Container Gardens

BY MICHELLE MERO RIEDEL

42

Creeping Charlie.

BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON

BY GAIL BROWN HUDSON

38

Garden Solutions:

BY LAURA SCHWARZ

features 32

22

30

Ensuring a Rosy Future

By Design: Choosing color.

BY DIANE MCGANN

Beautiful, resilient roses emerge from tough trials.

BY RANDY NELSON AND DAVID ZLESAK

56

Gardener’s Market

Hooray for Horseradish

60

Northern View

Tame horseradish’s vigor and treat yourself to its heat all year.

Battling cute.

BY JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

BY CAROL J. MICHEL

Better Basils Choices are as abundant as the flavor in these disease-resistant basils.

BY THERESA MIESELER

www.northerngardener.org

about the cover

Toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) brings pattern and texture to the shade garden.

Photo by Gail Hudson Brown Northern Gardener l May/June 2020

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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welcome!

Welcome to the May/June issue of 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 membership information, or to subscribe to Northern Gardener magazine, 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 Email info@northerngardener.org

Northern Gardener, a publication of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS).

Each issue, we strive to engage, inform and inspire northern gardeners with articles from experienced gardeners and experts from across our region.

You’ll also find information about upcoming classes and webinars, and links to other online resources at northerngardener.org.

@MNHORT

MSHS Board of Directors

Mike Heger, Waconia, Chair Joel Karsten, Roseville, Vice Chair Margaret Klis, Minneapolis, Treasurer Laura Wagner, Minneapolis, Secretary At large: Tina Dombrowski, St. Paul Jennifer Ebeling, Maple Grove Del Hampton, Minneapolis Debra Kvamme, Blaine Judy MacManus, Sunfish Lake Mary Marrow, Minneapolis

MSHS Staff

Acting Executive Director: Lara Lau-Schommer Community Outreach Director: Lara Lau-Schommer Communications and Marketing Director: Becky Swee Development Director: Diane Duvall Community Outreach and Program Manager: Courtney Tchida

Northern Gardener Magazine Editor: Mary Lahr Schier Horticultural Editor: Debbie Lonnee Copy Editor: Julie Jensen Design: Barbara Pederson

Copyright 2020 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.

If you’re new to MSHS, we invite you to check out the overview of our signature programs and member benefits inside the back cover.

If you have suggestions for classes or programs, or ideas for future issues of Northern Gardener, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@northerngardener.org.

We’re always glad to hear from our members and readers!

editor’s note

P

erhaps you’ve seen the T-shirts that read, “Keep Calm and Garden On.” As we put this issue of Northern Gardener to bed, 2020 is looking like a very good year to keep calm and garden on.

With the global spread of COVID-19, many of us are hunkering down at home, limiting our trips to the grocery store, worrying about relatives who are older or living near coronavirus hotspots, and keeping the many health care workers, researchers and others who are on

the front lines of this pandemic in our thoughts and prayers. We are looking for things we can do to help. People who sew make homemade masks. Neighbors offer to shop for each other. Children send cards to elders who are isolated at home.

As gardeners, there are things we can do. Share your seed stash or seedlings with someone who wants to start a garden this year. Offer advice and suggestions for the easiest things to grow to young or new gardeners—from 6 feet away. Plant a little extra to share. Make your front yard beautiful—the folks walking by will be cheered by it. And, please support our wonderful garden centers and greenhouses by buying plants or gift certificates. The economic impact of the virus is huge and many are thinking of creative ways to serve you.

As we have for more than 150 years, we at MSHS are committed to providing the best resources for northern gardeners we can. Check our website for ideas and places to go for information. Let’s all garden on.

—Mary Lahr Schier, editor mary@maryschier.com Northern Gardener l May/June 2020

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Submit and view more events online at northerngardener.org/community-calendar.

Questions? Contact shoehn@northerngardener.org.

Community Events Orchid Society of Minnesota Orchid Viruses Robert Emmit, Agida, Inc., presenter Saturday, May 16, 1 to 3 p.m.

Bachman’s on Lyndale, Heritage Room, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Robert will talk about orchid viruses and the diagnostic kits available to identify and verify a potential orchid virus.

Contact: orchidsocietyofminnesota@ gmail.com.

Garden Club of Ramsey County Daffodil Society of Minnesota Spring Flower Show Saturday, May 2, 7 to 10 a.m., entries accepted; 10 a.m. to noon, judging; noon to 6 p.m., open to the public Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., open to the public Bachman’s on Lyndale, Heritage Room, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.

View hundreds of daffodil blooms.

Contact: daffodilmn1@gmail.com, https://daffodilmn.org.

St. Anthony Park Garden Club Horticulture Scholarship Winners Tuesday, May 5, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 2323 Como Ave., St. Paul.

Contact: stanthonyparkgardenclub.com.

Lake Owasso Garden Club Garden Design For All Seasons Mary Maguire Lerman, presenter Monday, May 11, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Presbyterian Church of the Way, 3382 Lexington Ave. N., Shoreview.

Contact: joyce.lasecke@gmail.com.

Wild Ones Prairie Edge Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers Phyllis Root and Kelly Provo, authors, presenters Wednesday, May 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Eden Prairie Community Center, 16700 Valley View Rd., Eden Prairie.

Contact: wildonesprairieedge.org.

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Unusual, Interesting and Uncommon Herbs to Enjoy Theresa Mieseler, author and founder of Shady Acres Herb Farm in Chaska, presenter Monday, May 18, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

St. Luke Lutheran Church, 1807 Field Ave., St. Paul.

Contact: https://ramseygardeners.org.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners Planting for Pollinators Tuesday, May 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Ramsey County Extension Office, 2020 White Bear Ave., Maplewood.

Learn the latest research on the health of Minnesota pollinators and get suggestions about what you can do to create pollinator habitats in your own yard.

Registration required.

Contact: ramseymastergardeners.org/ index.php/events/rcmg-classes.

Anoka County Master Gardeners A Walk in the Garden: Planting Herbs Wednesday, June 3, 7 to 8 p.m.

Bunker Hills Activity Center, 550 Bunker Lake Blvd. N.W., Andover.

We will discuss planting, care and harvesting techniques of common and notso-common herbs. Register online.

Contact: anokamastergardeners.org/ event-details.

Anoka County Master Gardeners Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic Wednesdays, June 3 through Aug. 19 (except July 1), 6 to 8 p.m.

Bunker Hills Activity Center, 550 Bunker

2020 MSHS Office Hours M-F: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Or by appointment

Lake Blvd. N.W., Andover.

Free plant and insect clinic to help homeowners identify plants and diagnose common insect and disease problems.

Contact: anokamastergardeners.org/ services.

St. Louis County Master Gardeners No Garden? No Problem: Container Gardening —Vegetables Stephanie Fehringer, Kitt Sitter and Jadell Cavallin, master gardeners, presenters Presented twice: Monday, June 8, 6 to 7:15 p.m.

Mt. Royal Branch Library, 105 Mt. Royal Shopping Circle, Duluth.

Thursday, June 11, 6 to 7:15 p.m.

Mt. Royal Branch Library, 105 Mt. Royal Shopping Circle, Duluth.

Free containers available.

Contact: ellynwiens@gmail.com.

Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Water Gardens in Minnesota Jan Schreir, founder and past president of the Minnesota Water Garden Society and owner of Happy Ponds, presenter Tuesday, June 9, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Lakewood Cemetery Garden Mausoleum Reception Room, 3600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Jan will share her enthusiasm for water gardening in Minnesota landscapes.

Contact: gardenclubmpls.org.

American Hosta Society Hosta Vision 2020 National Convention Wednesday, June 10, through Saturday, June 13 Minneapolis Marriott Northwest, 7025 Northland Drive N., Brooklyn Park.

Hostas continue to be America’s No. 1 perennial due to their versatility in the landscape, plus they thrive in Minnesota’s USDA Zone 4 climate.

Contact: hostavision2020.com/registration.

Community Events continue on page 6

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0 Invincibelle® Ruby Hydrangea: NATIVE, STURDY STEMS, EASY CARE AND CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE

2020

Before they reach your garden, our flowering shrubs undergo years of trials and testing for color, quantity of blooms, stem strength, foliage, and ability to thrive with ease. Only a few prove they’re worthy of the #1 plant brand.

provenwinners-shrubs.com

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IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Community Events continued from page 4

Minnesota Water Garden Society Selection and Care of Koi and Goldfish Cheng Lee, past president of the Upper Midwest Koi Club, presenter Sunday, June 14, 2 to 4 p.m.

Bachman’s on Lyndale, Heritage Room, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Cheng will discuss how to choose and care for koi and goldfish.

Contact: mwgs.org or 612-803-7663.

Plant Sales Hennepin Technical College

Lake Owasso Garden Club Friday, May 15, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

824 W. Cty. Rd. B2, Roseville.

Unusual perennials and annuals.

Contact: Ron, 651-734-8480.

Selecting Bulbs for Spring Blooms Sue Bagge, presenter Thursday, June 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Rochester Community and Technical College, Heintz Center, Room HB117, 1926 Collegeview Dr., Rochester.

Contact: sphein@charter.net.

Wednesday, May 6, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 7, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, May 8, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Greenhouses, Hennepin Technical College, 9000 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park.

Choose from a huge variety of quality plants, hanging baskets, containers, fairy gardens and so much more. All plants are grown by college students; proceeds benefit the college’s landscape and horticulture program.

Contact: debra.kvamme@hennepintech. edu.

Orchid Society of Minnesota

Wedge Community Co-op

Paphiopedilums Harold Koopowitz, University of California-Irvine, presenter Saturday, June 20, 1 to 3 p.m.

Bachman’s on Lyndale, Heritage Room, 6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Contact: orchidsocietyofminnesota@ gmail.com.

Friday, May 8, to Sunday, May 31.

Greenhouse in south parking lot, 2105 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Local and organic plant starts for herbs, flowers, vegetables, berries and more.

Contact: tccp.coop.

Rochester Flower and Garden Club

Fillmore County Master Gardeners An Evening in the Garden Mary H. Meyer, professor and extension horticulturist, presenter Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Berwood Hill Inn, 22139 Hickory Road, Lanesboro.

Tour the gardens of Berwood Hill Inn and learn about using native grasses in your landscape.

Cost: $15 includes light refreshments.

Register by June 15. Event is limited to 75 attendees, rain or shine.

Contact: hbarth@umn.edu.

South St. Paul Community Garden Tour Sunday, June 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

2121 Wentworth Ave., South St. Paul.

Tour eight to 10 area gardens in a variety of styles.

Cost: $6, in advance and age 65 plus; $8, day of tour.

Contact: Lois, 651-457-3403 or lglewwe@hotmail.com.

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Due to the COVID-19 virus, many garden groups were considering postponing or canceling their plant sales as this issue of Northern Gardener went to press. Please check the group’s website, Facebook page or the MSHS event listing online to see if an event has been changed. Thank you for your understanding. —Eds.

Petal Pushers Garden Club Saturday, May 9, 8 a.m. to noon.

12970 Baltimore St. N.E., Blaine.

Perennials and some annuals.

Contact: collen30@hotmail.com.

Champlin Garden Club Saturday, May 9, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Willy McCoy’s Parking Lot, 12450 Business Park Blvd. N., Champlin.

Annual fundraiser to support club gardens and junior master gardener program. Plants grown at local nurseries; no neonicotinoids.

Contact: gardeninginchamplin@gmail. com.

Montevideo VFW Wednesday, May 13, 3 to 6 p.m.

VFW Southtown Plaza, 570 First St. S., Montevideo.

Annuals, perennials, tomatoes, vegetables, houseplants and woody plants.

Benefits community projects and agricultural scholarships.

Contact: doleson56@hotmail.com.

South St. Paul Garden Club Friday, May 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Alleva Gardens, 2024 Third St. N., South St. Paul.

Featuring homegrown perennials, shrubs, rhubarb, berry bushes and heritage hostas.

Contact: lglewwe@hotmail.com.

Lakeville Area Garden Club Friday, May 15, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 17, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Near Kenwood Trail Middle School, 9975 194th St. W., Lakeville.

Member-grown perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs and bulbs. Proceeds benefit community projects.

Contact: lakevilleareagardenclub.org.

Garden Club of Ramsey County Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. to noon.

Edgecumbe Recreation Center, 320 Griggs St. S., St. Paul.

Hundreds of plants from some of the best gardens in Ramsey County. Perennials, natives, grasses, vegetables and herbs, plus garden accessories.

Contact: https://ramseygardeners.org.

Apple Valley Garden Club Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Redwood Park Pavilion, 104 Redwood Dr., Apple Valley.

Variety of plants from members’ gardens. Prices start at $2. This year we also have a “gardeners’ garage sale.”

Contact: janmew55@yahoo.com.

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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.

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Classes

Classes are sponsored by MSHS and held at various locations. Enrollment is limited, and registration is required. Register online at 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.

Grow Your Vegetables Webinar

Backyard Heroes: What You Can Do to Be a Hero to Wildlife Including Bees, Butterflies, Birds and More in Your Own Landscape Webinar

Thursday, May 7, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.

Free for MSHS members, $5 nonmembers Location: Your computer.

From arugula to zucchini, this class will cover vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers that you can grow in Minnesota.

Learn about both the easiest and most challenging crops to grow in cold climates and tips for successfully growing every crop in between. We will also touch on pest and weed control strategies for beginning growers. Prepare for an abundant harvest from your garden after taking this class!

Instructor: Courtney Tchida is the MSHS community outreach manager.

Growing Day Neutral Strawberries Webinar Tuesday, May 12, 7 to 8 p.m. $30 members, $35 nonmembers Location: Your computer.

Is there anything more delicious than a ripe strawberry fresh from the garden?

In Minnesota, June-bearing berries are the norm and the harvest window can be short. Everbearing day neutral strawberries are planted in the spring and start producing in July, after the June berries are done, and they continue to produce until the fall frost. New varieties are making this a reality in Minnesota. In this make-and-take class, we will cover everything you need to know to ensure success for growing day neutrals. Class participants will be mailed bareroot plants of two day neutral varieties.

Instructor: MSHS staff.

Astounding Astilbes Wednesday, May 13, 11 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7 p.m. $20 members, $25 nonmembers Location: Scarborough Fair, 2238 Carter Ave., St. Paul.

A mainstay for gardens with moist soils and morning light, astilbes primarily hail from China and Japan. However, one North American species (Astilbe biternata) exists. You will learn about the various options to grow these attractively foliaged pink, white, red, lavender or rose beauties that attract bees, butterflies and moths to your garden. Ranging from ground creepers to plants reaching 4 feet in height, the flowers are typically upright, but there are several cultivars with semi-pendulous blooms. You will receive a new selection of astilbe for your garden as part of the class fee.

Instructor: Mary Maguire Lerman was the environmental horticulture coordinator for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for 32 years.

Thursday, May 21, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Free for MSHS members, $5 nonmembers Location: Your computer.

Soil health is connected to pollinator, water and climate health. During this webinar, we’ll look at bee lawns, rain gardens, food forests and pollinator patches to discover how we can all be heroes in our own environment. We’ll start by exploring soil from the microbes up and learn how to protect our soil, the life-support system for all life on earth.

Instructor: Russ Henry is the president of Minnehaha Falls Landscape & Giving Tree Gardens, and the founder of Bee Safe Minneapolis.

Plant Your Garden, and Cook It, Too! Thursday, June 4, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. $75 members and nonmembers Location: The Good Acre, 1790 Larpenteur Ave. W., Falcon Heights.

Summer planting season is almost upon us! If you’re starting a backyard garden from scratch or want to up your game with the one you already have, this class is for you. You’ll learn what to plant and how to use what you grow, and then we’ll head to the kitchen to create seasonal recipes based on produce available throughout the season so you can be sure to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables!) of your labor.

Instructors: Courtney Tchida, MSHS community outreach manager, and Beth Jones, executive chef at the University of Minnesota Campus Club.

NOTE: Please be sure to follow MSHS on Facebook or on our website for information about event cancellations or postponements.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the COVID-19 virus, many garden groups were considering postponing or canceling their plant sales as this issue of Northern Gardener went to press. Please check the group’s website, Facebook page or the MSHS event listing online to see if an event has been changed. Thank you for your understanding. —Eds. Plant Sales continued from page 6

Dakota Gardeners Saturday, May 16, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Oak Hills Church, 1570 Yankee Doodle Rd., Eagan.

Member-grown plants for sun, shade and pollinators. Master gardeners on site to answer questions.

Contact: joyce.vickers712@yahoo.com.

Anoka Area Gardeners Saturday, May 16, 8 to 10 a.m.

St. Stephen’s Catholic Church parking lot, 525 Jackson St., Anoka.

Large variety of perennials, natives and annuals at reasonable prices, all grown by club members.

Contact: anokaareagardeners@gmail. com.

Wright County Horticultural Society Saturday, May 16, 8:30 to 11 a.m.

Sturges Park, Highway 25 and Second Avenue South, Buffalo.

Annuals, perennials, shrubs and vegetables grown locally.

Proceeds go to community projects. Cash or check only.

Contact: 763-276-1002.

Perennial Garden Clubs of Stillwater, Trillium Chapter Saturday, May 16, 8 a.m. to noon.

601 Olive St. W., Stillwater.

A zone-specific sale featuring a wide variety of well-labeled perennials from our own gardens, including many pollinator-pleasing natives.

Contact: trilliumchapter@outlook.com.

Shoreview Community Garden Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nursery-grown annuals and member-grown perennials at reasonable prices.

Contact: dfwalsh@thewalshcompanies. com.

Washington County Master Gardeners Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Washington County Fairgrounds, 4H Building, Highway 5 and Manning Avenue, Stillwater.

Quality perennials from master gardeners’ home and demonstration gardens as well as vegetables, herbs, annuals and MN Winners started from seed.

Contact: www.mastergardenersinwashingtonco.org.

Rochester Flower and Garden Club Wednesday, May 20, 4 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 21, 7 a.m. to noon.

Olmsted County Fairgrounds Horticulture Building, 1570 Fairgrounds S., Rochester.

Over 150 plant varieties as well as garden decor, tools and more.

Contact: www.rgfc.org.

Fergus Falls Area Garden Club Thursday, May 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

VFW, 420 E. Washington Ave., Fergus Falls.

Hardy perennials from members’ gardens, vegetables, annuals and garden decor.

Contact: Mary Ann, 218-731-8603.

Grandview Gardeners Thursday, May 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, May 29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Grandview Gardeners, 726 Grandview Ave. W., Roseville.

Perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetables, including divisions from our gardens.

Contact: mmagnuson11@yahoo.com.

Oakdale Garden Club Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Corner of Granada Avenue and Stillwater Boulevard, Oakdale.

Perennials, natives, vegetables, houseplants, garden items. Most potted plants $2 to $5.

Contact: aschram3@msn.com.

Avenue Neighborhood Association, Hopkins Saturday, June 6, 9 to 11 a.m.

Alice Smith Elementary School Parking Lot, 801 Minnetonka Mills Rd., Hopkins.

Divisions from gardeners’ homes. Enjoy treats and beverages while treasure shopping.

Contact: plantsaleinfo@gjd.io.

Robbinsdale Diggers Saturday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Robbinsdale Historic Library, 4915 42nd Ave. N., Robbinsdale.

Plants from members’ gardens and nursery grown; perennials and annuals.

Contact: kennedypj4@comcast.net.

St. Anthony Park Garden Club Saturday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 2323 Como Ave., St. Paul.

Natives and perennials for shade and sun, including divisions from the neighborhood library. Some houseplants, annuals, fruits, herbs and vegetables.

Contact: stanthonyparkgardenclub.com.

Isanti County Master Gardeners Saturday, June 6, 8 a.m. to noon Cambridge Community Garden, 1700 East Rum River Dr., Cambridge.

Contact: isanticountymastergardeners. com.

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MSHS News Plant Sales continued from page 10

Landscape Revival Shoreview Saturday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Shepherd of the Hills north parking lot, 3920 Victoria St. N., Shoreview.

Expo: learn how to select and grow native plants from local conservation and restoration groups, and how to create a yard that benefits pollinators, other wildlife and water quality.

Market: Purchase native plants from a variety of local growers. No cultivars or systemic insecticides.

Contact: john@metroblooms.org.

MN Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Roseville Central Park Jaycees Shelter, 2540 Lexington Ave. N., Roseville.

Alpine and rock garden plants, sun and shade perennials. Auction of rare plants 10-10:20 a.m. Sales follow until 12:30 p.m.

Contact: mn-nargs.org.

St. Louis County Master Gardeners Sunday, June 7, 9 a.m. to noon.

Peace United Church of Christ, 1111 N. 11th Ave. E., Duluth.

Plant sale and garden rummage. Park in lower level.

Contact: ellynwiens@gmail.com.

Landscape Revival Oakdale Saturday, June 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Oakdale City Hall Parking Lot, 1584 Hadley Ave. N., Oakdale.

Expo: learn how to select and grow native plants from local conservation and restoration groups, and how to create a yard that benefits pollinators, other wildlife and water quality.

Market: Purchase native plants from a variety of local growers. No cultivars or systemic insecticides. Food truck will be present.

Contact: john@metroblooms.org.

Membership Matters Temps are rising, the ground is thawing and soon we’ll have dirt under our fingernails again. Before heading out to your favorite garden centers and greenhouses, members should make sure they have a current membership card handy to save when you shop. The best place to keep your membership card is on your mobile phone.

More than 80 nurseries and garden centers If you don’t have a digital card or can’t find are MSHS Discount Partners. it on your phone, call 651-643-3601 or email membership@northerngardener.org anytime for assistance.

Find a full list of participating 2020 Discount Partners on page 59. We recommend supporting these trusted area businesses and taking advantage of their special offers just for MSHS members. Not a member yet? Or, just ready to subscribe to the magazine? Visit northerngardener.org/membership to join and start saving today.

Join MSHS for the Annual Garden Gathering Looking for garden inspiration? Join MSHS staff, board of directors and fellow supporters for a tour and reception at one of the most beautiful private gardens in the Twin Cities metro area. The Garden Gathering is a favorite annual event for donors who give $200 or more and our Heirloom Circle members. If you have not already, please consider giving—you won’t want to miss this year’s garden.

For more information about this event, or to find out if your recent gift makes you eligible for an invitation, please call 651-643-3601 or email dduvall@northerngardener.org.

Remembering Scott Wagner MSHS mourns the loss of Scott Wagner, co-owner and operator of Wagners Greenhouses and Garden Center in Minneapolis, and a longtime supporter of gardening and horticulture in the state.

Wagner was killed in a single-engine plane crash near Rogers, Minn., in Scott Wagner, far right, with other family members who work at Wagners Greenhouses.

February, leaving behind a wife and two children. His niece, Laura Wagner, currently serves on the MSHS board of directors.

Wagners has been a longtime, ardent supporter of public horticulture, including MSHS and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, donating thousands of plants to signature MSHS programs Garden-in-a-Box and Minnesota Green. This commitment to giving was initiated by Scott’s mother, Nola, who was also a board member for MSHS before her death in 2018. She instilled the value of community support in her sons and their children, which continues today.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the Wagner family.

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COWSMO MSHS Resource Hub Links Vital Garden Sources While many things have changed as the outbreak of COVID-19 has hit Minnesota, gardening is still a great activity for families and individuals. Spring is not canceled! To help people get growing this spring even more than usual, we have created a new resource hub page on the MSHS website, northerngardener.org.

The page is filled with links to resources and articles about vegetable gardening as well as garden projects you can do now and throughout the season. We will be offering many of our excellent webinars free online, too, and you’ll find links to them on the page, as well as links to other podcasts and instructional videos. You can check out the resource hub at northerngardener. org/resource-hub.

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Como Rice Garden Partnership

SPOTLIGHT are worth caring about, and fosters initiative in people to care for them over time.

CAAPB initially approached MSHS after receiving funding through the city’s Commercial Vitality Zone grant.

“We worked with the city, stakeholders and community members to develop a community-based strategy for lower Rice Street here in the Capitol area,” explains Peter Musty, CAAPB principal planner and zoning administrator. “It always helps if you start with a simple idea, and then ask for help. In this case, the idea SUBMITTED PHOTO

Over the past year, MSHS has been helping create connection through gardening at the intersection of Como and Rice streets in St. Paul through our Minnesota Green program. At this intersection, MSHS, the city of St. Paul, the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB), Hmongtown Market, Clear Channel and the Women’s Junior League of St. Paul have worked together to establish a garden where once only cracked asphalt lay.

The goal of this partnership is to create a community space that encourages positive, face-to-face interaction between people and develops an otherwise underused space as a community asset.

Participants call this “placemaking.”

Active placemaking creates places that

was to transform the look and feel of a public space in the heart of the district.

Then, all it took was good old Minnesota volunteerism to figure out how to make it happen. It’s like a barn-raising; seemingly impossible if you take it on yourself—but if a committed and caring community shows up, things happen quickly.”

For more information, contact CAAPB at https://mn.gov/caapb.

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This Spring look for premier hanging baskets, annuals, perennials and vegetables from your local

Farm Fresh Selects® retailer.

Garden-in-a-Box Strengthening Communities by Helping Gardeners Grow

In our Farm Fresh Selects® greenhouses we select only the finest performing plants.

These Farm Fresh Selects® varieties are chosen by testing in trial gardens and selecting the varieties that will perform well for you.

Special thanks to our sponsors and donors: Cargill Foundation, CreekSide Soil, Garden Circles, HealthPartners PowerUp, North Oaks Garden Club, Ramsey County SHIP, Seed Savers Exchange, St. Paul Garden Club, Sustane Natural Fertilizer, Wagners Greenhouses and Garden Center and MSHS members and garden clubs.

The Garden-in-a-Box program donates raised beds, soil, vegetable and flower plant starts and seeds along with educational support to organizations serving low-income, at-risk children, adults and families. Through the program, participants learn how to grow their own food and foster a sustainable connection to the earth.

Visit us at farmfreshselects.com.

MINNESOTA GROWN DIRECTORY Find garden centers, farmers markets, wineries, berry farms, and much more!

GARDEN-IN-A-BOX

northerngardener.org/ garden-in-a-box GIAB@northerngardener.org

minnesotagrown.com Northern Gardener l May/June 2020 15

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The Sheridan Story

MINNESOTA GREEN Co. started a similar growing project in 2017 in a community garden. In 2019, these community gardens donated over 2,000 pounds of vegetables to The Sheridan Story, Head Start and the Islamic Community Center of Minnesota.

What began with providing food for 27 kindergartners at Sheridan Elementary School each weekend in 2010 has grown into serving 6,500 kids in over 200 schools in 2019. The Sheridan Story also runs a summer program distributVolunteers from Surly Brewing Co. toast their ing food from their community garden 2019 harvest, which was donated to the nonprofit food program at The Sheridan Story. partners to feed students’ families mid-July through September via free mini-CSA shares. To expand their For more information or to donate food, contact Christine Dummann at cdummann@ summer produce program, The Sheridan thesheridanstory.org or 612-568-4281.

Story recently received approval for a new garden space at its facility.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

2020 Minnesota Green signups and seed pickups are well under way. More than 60 community, school, church and public gardens have already joined the program this year!

New this year, Minnesota Green is serving two community gardens run by volunteers from breweries that are sharing their harvest with The Sheridan Story, a Roseville-based nonprofit group that fights child hunger. In 2015, volunteers with Surly Brewing Co.’s SGAD (Surly Gives a Damn) started renting planting beds from a community garden and donating the food they grew. Since 2016, they have been working with The Sheridan Story to distribute their harvest. Based on the SGAD model, volunteers from Dangerous Man Brewing

THIS CLASS HAS BEEN MOVED ONLINE

LEARN HOW TO GROW DAY NEUTRAL STRAWBERRIES! [Class participants will receive 2 varieties of bareroot day neutral strawberries by mail.]

Grow Day Neutral Strawberries in Your Garden!

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 7-8 p.m. $30 Members, $35 Nonmembers

For more class info go to: northerngardener.org/mshs-events/ 1935 County Rd. B2 West, Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113 northerngardener.org l 651-643-3601

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No sale this year DUE TO COVID-19

www.FriendsSchoolPlantSale.com/faq-2020 updates, details, and a list of nurseries selling some of our plants Photo by Michelle Mero Riedel

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Nature’s Best Hope

HOT OFF THE PRESS

By Douglas W. Tallamy In Nature’s Best Hope (Timber Press, 2019), Douglas Tallamy urges homeowners to take conservation into their own hands—and yards.

He advocates steps that any homeowner can take now to improve the ecosystem around their home and to make their landscape more alive with creatures we depend on, particularly insects. Tallamy is inspired in part by noted conservationists Aldo Leopold and E.O. Wilson, who argued that half of the Earth must be left human-free to preserve biodiversity. But Tallamy offers an alternative to setting aside vast expanses of land exclusively for conservation—turning private property

READY TO

into mini-nature preserves.

The concrete steps Tallamy suggests are not new or difficult, but they work best if lots of gardeners take them.

Shrink the size of your lawn; plant lots of native trees, shrubs and perennials; stop using pesticides; remove invasive species; and plant fewer (if any) exotic plants. Tallamy urges gardeners to plant “keystone genera” as much as possible. These are the native plants that serve an abundance of insects, birds and other animals. Oaks support more than 900 types of caterpillars in the United States, for example, and are probably the best tree any conservation-minded gardener could plant. But don’t forget about cherries, willows, dogwoods, goldenrods, asters and

sunflowers. You can find a list of local superstar plants at nwf.org/NativePlantFinder.

Nature’s Best Hope outlines clearly the environmental and climate problems we are facing, but it also offers hope—and it’s a hope you can act on at home.

GROWAS A GARDENER?

JOIN OR RENEW TODAY.

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Cherokee Heights Garden Club

GROWING TOGETHER

By Janet Favorite I am a lifelong, self-educated gardener and my internal motto has always been “create beauty wherever you go.” That motto prompted me to join Cherokee Heights Garden Club several years ago.

Gardening with friends has enriched my

own gardening life and my connections to our community.

Like many garden clubs in Minnesota, Cherokee Heights was founded in the 1930s—1934 to be exact—with the help of MSHS. It started with 30 St. Paul neighbors who wanted to share their love of gardening, educate themselves about gardening and use their talents to create beauty in the community. Today, the club has members from Mendota Heights, South St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights as well as St. Paul, and some of our members are children or grandchildren of the club’s founders.

Current members reminisce about their mothers’ dressing up in high heels and white gloves for garden club meetings. We maintain a more casual dress code, although we do “clean up nicely” for our traditional Christmas lunch.

We may be best known for the public garden the club created in 1984 on the south side of the High Bridge that connects our neighborhoods with downtown St. Paul. The club tapped local businesses

and government for resources to build the garden. We continue to maintain this garden with its spectacular panoramic view of downtown St. Paul.

Currently, members’ dues pay for the maintenance—and most of us spend time working in the garden, planting or putting it to bed. As with many gardening groups, we have an aging membership.

We sometimes have to hire help for the more physical tasks of our garden. The city of St. Paul allows us access to water for our hoses, but some members remember toting water from across the street. A generous neighbor eventually allowed us to connect a hose!

Being in a garden club means working together and taking responsibility. Our members share the tasks of watering, weeding and trimming our garden during the summer months. We rotate other responsibilities every three years. This year, I volunteered to coordinate the group tours our club enjoys. We have toured gardens all over Minnesota, including the prairie garden at St. John’s University, a concrete sculpture garden in River Falls, Wis., and a daylily development garden in Jordan, Minn. We also enjoy speakers, sponsor a flower show in a local assistedliving center and chat with admirers as we care for our High Bridge Garden.

During the past two summers, the High Bridge underwent reconstruction and our summer sanctuary was assaulted with jackhammers and other construction noise. Renovations are finally finished, with a new sidewalk installed, framing the bridge beautifully. Many of the construction workers

enjoyed having a break on the benches facing the garden and the city panorama. They remarked that they had liked the garden so much they had installed similar plantings at their own homes.

The garden is also a popular site for wedding pictures. What a glorious backdrop the garden with a view of downtown St. Paul makes for a newly wedded couple.

Our garden has certainly changed over the years. Now we focus on native plantings to attract birds and butterflies. We still plant annuals for color but look for plants that require less water and fertilizer. Often our perennials are too successful and need division, a happy time for those who still need plants for their own gardens.

The members of our club are all passionate plant lovers and many work with other organizations to improve our communities and our environment. One member coordinates city volunteers who help maintain St. Paul’s bluffs.

Being part of the West St. Paul Park and Recreation board enhances another member’s life. As an employee of Gertens Greenhouse, another member has knowledge of new plant varieties, interesting speakers and acts as Mrs. Claus during the holidays. Other members have volunteered time and energy to city garden projects.

My own garden has a mix of showy peonies, lilies, dahlias and plants for local pollinators. I love sharing unusual arrangements of my garden’s delights that I get to experience every day. All of the gardeners in our club share in some way—either their knowledge, time, plants or the joy of gardening.

Janet Favorite is a gardener and writer in St. Paul.

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northern natives

Beth Stetenfeld

Monarda punctata (Spotted beebalm, spotted horsemint)

BETH STETENFELD

S

potted beebalm is a guaranteed pollinator magnet. Add it to your garden and you will see pollinators—butterflies, bumblebees, honeybees, hummingbird moths, hummingbirds and others. While it’s a biennial or short-lived perennial, it readily self-seeds and naturalizes when the conditions match its needs.

The colors of this aromatic plant are unusual—lavender and white leaf-like bracts form whirls around the stem and under the light yellow tubular flowers, which are peppered with dark spots. Sometimes the flowers are white or green. Leaves have a minty scent and, like other beebalms, can be dried, crushed and steeped for tea.

This particular species is not as commonly grown in gardens as are wild bergamot (M. fistulosa), scarlet beebalm (M. didyma) and various cultivars, but spotted beebalm offers the benefit of being more drought-tolerant. Allowed to naturalize in a garden area, it forms swaths of “buzzing” blooms for about six weeks in late summer.

Spotted beebalm provides special value to native bees, bumblebees and honeybees, and it attracts predatory and parasitoid insects that prey on pest insects.

The rare Karner blue butterfly uses it as a nectar source. It is also a host plant for gray marvel and snout moths.

In addition to attracting pollinators, it provides excellent cut flowers, tolerates black walnut (Juglans nigra), and is deerand rabbit-resistant. Added as a groundcover or a patch surrounding a vegetable garden, spotted beebalm will attract pollinators for other plants.

Good companions for this plant include those that thrive in prairie settings and high-quality sandy habitats, and those that bloom or peak before, during and after it. The foliage merges well with other prairie plants. Examples include Rudbeckia hirta, Penstemon digitalis, Erigeron spp., Asclepias tuberosa and Symphyotrichum spp.

Spotted beebalm surrounded by flea bane

At a Glance: Spotted Beebalm Hardiness: USDA Zone 3.

Native Habitat: Sandy prairies, savannas, sand dunes and sandy fields, from Quebec to Vermont and Florida in the east, and west to Ontario, Minnesota, Kansas and New Mexico.

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall; 9 to 12 inches wide.

Site: Preferred habitat is old fields, meadows, pastures, prairies, savannas, sandy patches near lakes and sand dunes. Partial to sandy soil and well-drained plots, but will grow in porous garden soil.

Propagation: Can be grown from a purchased plant, but easily started from seed: dry or moist stratification. Can grow from seed that is not stratified, but fall planting is recommended if planting outdoors. Difficult to divide or transplant because of deep taproots.

Established plants and groupings of plants readily reseed.

Cultivars and Other Species: A member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, the genus Monarda includes roughly 20 species, mostly native to North America, and more than 50 cultivars.

Several are commonly grown in perennial gardens, including wild bergamot (M. fistulosa), scarlet beebalm (M. didyma) and lemon beebalm (M. citriodora). There are 10 recognized subspecies and varieties with subspecies of M. punctata in North America; M. punctata L. ssp. punctata var. villicaulis is considered native to Minnesota.

—B.R.S.

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Spotted beebalm has somewhat unusual cultural preferences: sandy soils, sun to part shade, well-draining plots. The species is indigenous to sandy prairies, savannas, sand dunes and sandy fields. Plants often occur in disturbed or recently restored habitats. It’s a great choice for reclaiming land from invasive plants, such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata.

While it’s considered a short-lived perennial or a biennial, this Monarda, like others, can be reliably propagated by seed sown directly in the soil or in pots and transplanted to the garden. It can also be propagated by cuttings of young foliage.

Spotted beebalm will be equally at home in an open meadow, a naturalized area surrounding a formal garden or a small planting in a side garden. If you’re looking for ways to attract and benefit pollinators, this plant is a contender.

Native-plant enthusiast Beth Stetenfeld is a garden blogger and writer, and a master naturalist volunteer and instructor.

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garden solutions

Laura Schwarz

Creeping Charlie

ISTOCK

M

ost gardeners have strong opinions about “creeping Charlie,” the weed more formally known as Glechoma hederacea. Some love it, claiming creeping Charlie provides food for bees and a savory, minty smell. Others wage war against this weed as though their lives depended on its eradication.

Glechoma hederacea is an herbaceous groundcover perennial native to the United Kingdom, but it has grown in North America for almost 200 years, creeping throughout most of the United States and southern Canada. It spreads quickly via stolons, horizontal stems that root as they grow along the ground. The plant can easily regrow from tiny pieces of stem that break off when you try to pull it up, which is one of the reasons creeping Charlie is so difficult to remove.

When conditions are right, creeping Charlie effortlessly crowds out other plants. It grows best in shade to part shade and in moist, disturbed soils.

Conditions that are ideal for creeping Charlie are usually not good for turfgrass, which helps creeping Charlie beat out the turf and become well established.

Aside from infesting poorly managed lawns, creeping Charlie is also a common garden weed.

I’m currently experiencing a personal crossroads regarding creeping Charlie.

Our small urban yard is surrounded by other yards, and these lawns and gardens are full of creeping Charlie. It’s impossible to police all of the borders, especially in the areas where my lawn is directly connected to the other lawns.

By the end of last fall, I realized that most of my front “lawn” was actually made up of creeping Charlie. I was briefly alarmed before also realizing that this “lawn” had been increasingly easy to care for all season, requiring little mowing and no watering whatsoever, while still remaining green enough that I hadn’t noticed the change. The creeping Charlie also held up remarkably well to my dog’s high-energy sprinting, which destroys

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)

the grass. I started to wonder if creeping Charlie was an acceptable alternative to my sad, half-hearted attempts at growing grass.

Eradication vs. Tolerance Before you come after me with your hoes and garden forks, consider that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources does not categorize Glechoma hederacea as a threat to healthy native plant communities (although it is classified as an invasive plant). Creeping Charlie isn’t on any of Minnesota’s noxious-weed lists.

It doesn’t propagate much via seed, so it can’t spread as quickly as other invasive plants. As an early-flowering perennial, creeping Charlie can serve as a decent source of nectar for bees, although it doesn’t have pollen readily available for them.

Consider, too, that creeping Charlie is often a lesser of two evils: its matlike cover can prevent other, nastier weeds

from taking hold. As someone who has pulled a lot of weeds in a professional setting, I believe that creeping Charlie is one of the easier weeds to remove by hand, unless it gets completely entangled in a big patch of desirable groundcover. I would much rather encounter creeping Charlie than creeping bellflower, buckthorn, Canada thistle or quackgrass.

In most garden settings, repeated weeding will control small infestations.

It will definitely take numerous attempts and will be easiest when the soil is slightly moist. For my gardens, I rely on other groundcover plants to outcompete the creeping Charlie, and then I regularly scout the garden borders for any rogue Charlies.

For gardeners who desire a well-manicured turfgrass lawn, creeping Charlie is a bigger problem than for those who find it contained within their gardens.

Maintaining healthy dense turf that can crowd out weeds is the most important factor for keeping creeping Charlie out of your lawn. For small outbreaks, selective broadleaf herbicides such as 2,4-D, triclopyr or dicamba are good options for spot spraying. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends triclopyr as the most effective of these three. However, don’t spray these chemicals over tree root zones, as trees can absorb them and be injured.

For now, I’m practicing tolerance regarding my creeping Charlie problem.

I know that I can’t stop this plant from coming into my yard unless I wage a full-fledged war on all of the surrounding neighborhood yards. While I might try to improve my lawn’s overall health, which should discourage the creeping Charlie from being as vigorous as it is now, I also might just leave it alone as a low-maintenance substitute for my turfgrass.

Horticulturist and writer Laura Schwarz lives in Minneapolis, where she works in garden design, installation and maintenance.

22 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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MSHS Travel Tours 2021 Join C. Colston Burrell to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

CHILE’S GARDENS & GLACIERS With optional pre-extension to Atacama Desert or post-extension to Patagonia

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If you are interested in any of these tours and would like to be notified when they open for registration, please email CWT Vacations at cwtgroupsus@mycwt.com or call 800-533-0324.

For more information: northerngardener.org/ travel-tours/

Live outdoors.

Summer is short. Fill it with color.

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kitchen garden

Samantha Johnson

The Humble Radish

I

Plant Now My favorite thing about radishes is that you can plant them early in spring, even before your last frost date. Sow your radish seeds directly into the garden, approximately ¼- to ½-inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart. (Helpful hint: If you’re also planting carrots, you can sow them along with your radishes. The radishes germinate so quickly that they’ll help mark your carrot rows while you wait for those oh-so-slow carrots to germinate.)

Choose a location in full sun and aim for soil that’s loose, sandy and well drained. Water regularly; you can also consider adding mulch if your soil tends to dry out.

My second-favorite thing about radishes is that they mature so quickly— most spring varieties are ready in less than a month. You could be harvesting fully grown radishes in the time it takes your carrots to decide to germinate.

Varieties like Early Scarlet Globe epitomize the stereotypical image of a round, red radish, but you can also find white radishes (White Icicle), yellow radishes (Helios), purple radishes (Plum Purple) and many others, including elongated radishes that are somewhat reminiscent of colorful carrots.

Cooked or raw, radishes are delicious.

ISTOCK

t’s springtime and that means it’s time to talk about one of the best (and sometimes overlooked) vegetables: the radish. As gardeners, we praise the merits of peas and pole beans and carrots and lettuce yet fail to truly appreciate the wonder of the humble radish.

Radishes are found in a delightful array of colors and shapes, they’re incredibly easy to grow, and they mature at lightning speed. And lest you think that their use is limited in the kitchen, let me reassure you: radishes are surprisingly versatile in a variety of dishes.

The radish is a reliable, hardy spring vegetable that deserves far more credit than it gets, so let’s shine the spotlight on it today.

It’s time to harvest radishes when they reach approximately 1 inch in diameter, and then the fun begins in the kitchen.

Raw or Cooked If you prefer the spicy, peppery flavor of raw radishes, then you can’t go wrong by serving them in salads or thinly sliced on open-faced sandwiches. (The perfect combination: Sliced radishes with butter on toasted bread or a baguette—it’s ohso-simple but oh-so-good!) Raw radishes also shine when added to slaws instead of or in addition to cabbage.

Grilled, roasted, sautéed—cooking your radishes presents endless opportunities for culinary adventure. Roasted radishes make an excellent accompaniment when served with roasted carrots, onions and potatoes, or go ahead and let the radishes be the star.

Roasted radishes pair well with garlic and rosemary, especially with a touch of Parmesan cheese. Or roast with honey or maple syrup for an added element of sweetness.

Parmesan isn’t the only cheese that suits radishes—ricotta is another excellent choice. Try radishes and ricotta

together in salads, on bread, or even in a frittata. Or take it one step further and add sugar snap peas into the mix for a perfectly harmonious trio.

Feta cheese is another excellent companion for radishes and both ingredients pair well with cucumbers, which opens up even more options for innovative salads. Or you can skip the feta and opt for a sour cream dressing for your radishes and cucumbers. A crème fraiche dressing is another popular option.

If you prefer a hint of citrus, then you’re in luck, because lemons, oranges and limes are flavorful friends for radishes and perfect for salads. For a hardier meal, serve along with your favorite fish or chicken entrée.

And if I haven’t yet piqued your interest in radishes, let me leave you with these words: sautéed radishes with bacon. Need I say more?

Based in northern Wisconsin, Samantha Johnson is the author of several books, including The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, (Voyageur Press, 2013). Visit her online portfolio at http://samanthajohnson.contently.com.

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8rin9

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plant to pick

Debbie Lonnee

Hydrangea macrophyll ‘Bailmacfive’ PP30,359 Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea

PHOTOS: BAILEY NURSERIES

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wenty years ago, northern gardeners didn’t consider using Hydrangea macrophylla, commonly known as bigleaf hydrangea, in their gardens. While many cultivars were crown hardy in USDA Zone 4, bigleaf hydrangea formed flower buds in autumn, which usually froze over the winter, resulting in plants with no flowers in early summer.

That all changed in 2004 with the introduction of the Endless Summer® hydrangea by Bailey Nurseries and the multiple cultivars of the Endless Summer brand. While the original Endless Summer has been an unreliable bloomer in northern gardens, the more recent introductions have been hardier and more reliable blooming plants in our gardens.

In 2019, the fifth cultivar in the series—called Summer Crush®—was introduced. Developed by Bailey Innovations, the Georgia-based breeding company of Bailey Nurseries, Summer Crush was extensively tested before being introduced, not only in northern gardens but across the country.

The breeders wanted to create shorter, more stout and heavily branched hydrangea with thick, dark foliage that resists mildew and wilting from summer heat.

Summer Crush is the first in the Endless Summer series that exhibits these characteristics. One of its parents is Endless Summer BloomStruck®, which has been reliably hardy in zone 4. Gardeners in zone 3 can use Summer Crush beautifully in containers, and if you overwinter it carefully, it just may come back for you.

The color of Summer Crush makes it unique in the series. In Minnesota’s naturally alkaline soils, the color is a rich raspberry. In acid soils, it is a gorgeous purple color, but you will find it sold in the garden centers in the raspberry color.

If you want to try to achieve the purple bloom, you will need to acidify your soil.

For that, I recommend soil sulphur rather than aluminum sulphate so that you don’t burn the roots.

Reaching a mature height and spread of 18 to 36 inches, this is a wonderful plant not only for container culture but for garden or foundation planting. It is best planted in evenly moist soils (use some wood mulch around it) where it receives sun in the morning through early afternoon. If you can give it some relief from the hot afternoon sun, that is best, but I’ve seen Summer Crush perform well in full sun, with adequate moisture.

There are no major insects or diseases to worry about.

Like other varieties in the Endless Summer series, Summer Crush is remontant, which means it forms flower buds on both old wood in autumn and new wood in spring. Depending on how much snow we get and how cold the winter is, we can sometimes lose those fall-formed buds to cold, but be assured that it will create new flower buds in early summer.

It will then throw out flowers throughout the season.

My Experience Many readers of Northern Gardener know that I work for Bailey Nurseries and, full disclosure here, I am responsible for product development. The testing and

introduction of Summer Crush has been an important part of my duties over the last six years. I have had a Summer Crush in my yard in South St. Paul for six winters and can say with confidence it has come through every single winter (even 2019!) and has bloomed consistently for me each year. I have tested it in containers on my back deck and it is just a great plant in a pot. While I understand some of the disappointment in the original Endless Summer, I feel that our breeders have made huge strides in improving the species and creating varieties that work for northerners. When I speak to garden clubs and master gardener groups, I always recommend that northern gardeners use either BloomStruck or Summer Crush for consistent hardiness and bloom.

You’ll find blooming Summer Crush hydrangea in local garden centers in spring 2020.

Debbie Lonnee works in the horticulture industry and gardens in South St. Paul.

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Make Gardening a Part of Your Legacy MSHS

H

e ir

l o o m C ir c

l

e

a

“I work in a garden center and always recommend the Hort Society as the best resource for new gardeners who don’t know where to begin. I’ve included the Society in my estate plan to ensure that those outstanding resources will be available for the next generation.”

—Terry Beitlich, Society Heirloom Circle member

READY, SET, GROW! New online resource hub inspired by current events Links to free webinars, articles and videos

Legacy gifts from members like you

Tips for foodscaping, seasonal garden projects and more Bookmark and check back for updates

help to ensure that MSHS programs inspire generations of

northerngardener.org/resource-hub

GROWING TOGETHER

gardeners to come.

For more information about ways to make a legacy gift to MSHS, please contact: Diane Duvall: 651-643-3601 dianed@northerngardener.org

@MNHORT

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diy

Eric Johnson

Make Your Own Concrete Pot

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rue gardeners are always on the hunt for the perfect place to put plants. Containers let you make a garden wherever you want.

They also elevate the plants to help them grab attention, and they are just plain fun to put together. It’s extra enjoyable when you make your own containers.

With cement, you can use everyday items to make a pot of any size you wish.

It’s a little messy, but the result is worth it. There are endless ways to form cement pots. You start by creating a mold. Using two plastic pots, one inside the other, is an easy and inexpensive way to do this.

Then you fill the mold with cement and let it cure or dry.

Gather Supplies You’ll need two plastic garden pots—one smaller than the other. When the smaller pot is placed inside the larger pot, there should be a 1- to 3-inch gap, which will form a wall. The bigger the pot, the larger

the gap you want. In my example, I used 16- and 20-inch pots and had a 2½inch gap. Look for pots with a relatively smooth interior profile. You’ll also need concrete mix (any ready-to-use variety will work) and vegetable oil to lubricate the side of the pot. You can use cooking spray, but I like vegetable oil in a bottle because it’s cost-effective to apply a lot, which you want to do. If you wish, purchase the concrete colorant of your choice.

You’ll need sand (enough to fill the inside pot) and a small cube of wood, about 1 inch by 1 inch and 1 to 3 inches tall, depending on the size of your pot. This is what forms the drainage hole. Finally, be sure to wear rubber gloves and a dust mask. Cement is hard on your skin and you don’t want to breathe in the dry mix.

Prepare the Pots Cover any existing drainage holes on both pots with several layers of duct tape. You will need to thoroughly lubricate the inside of the larger pot and the outside of the smaller pot to help them release from the cement form after it has dried. I apply the oil liberally with my gloved hands. Note: I wrapped the inside of my larger pot with a piece of coated burlap to give the pot a textured finish.

Prepare the Concrete

PHOTOS: ERIC JOHNSON

Use sand to keep the mold in place.

smaller pot on the layer of new cement and fill it with sand, adjusting the pot so that the gap between the pots is relatively even all around. Slowly pour cement in the gap, working your way around the pot until it has reached the top.

Cure and Release You want the pot to dry relatively slowly.

Cover it loosely with plastic and place it out of the sun for about five days to fully cure.

When it is cured, turn the pot over on an old blanket or cushion. You may be lucky and the concrete form will instantly release from the larger pot when overturned. If it sticks, tap with a rubber mallet and lift and gently drop on the ground until it does. Removing the interior pot can be tricky. Test and see if it will slide out. If not, slice the plastic, vertically, several times around the inside of the pot with a box cutter to help it release. Duct tape the cuts to reuse the plastic pot. Paint the inside of your pot with concrete sealer and allow it to dry.

Plant your new pot with all your favorites and bask in the satisfaction that you made your own container garden, top to bottom.

Minneapolis-based Eric Johnson is a garden writer and designer. He blogs at gardendrama.wordpress.com.

Mix the concrete according to the directions on the package, adding a bit more water than directed to reach the consistency of melted ice cream. A 5-gallon pail is a good size for mixing and allows you to pour the mixture. You can add colorant at this time, by mixing the colorant with water and using that mixture to wet the cement. I used charcoal gray with the pot in my example.

Pour the Concrete

If necessary, slice the plastic to release the inner pot from the new concrete pot.

Fill the bottom of the large pot with 2 to 3 inches of cement mix and place the cube of wood in the center so that its top extends above the cement, but only a little. Allow the cement to sit for about five minutes to set up just a bit. Place the

The concrete pot is durable and adds an industrial look to your plantings.

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pollinators

Rhonda Fleming Hayes

Flowers Flaunt It

Color According to the recognized syndromes, bees prefer white, yellow and blue flowers. They also see ultraviolet light that we don’t. Butterflies are drawn to bright reds and purples. Moths visit pale red and purple colors as well as white, which brings to mind blooms such as nicotiana and moonflower. Flies like dull purple and brown, the colors of rotting meat.

We all know that hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers. I immediately thought of an exception, though—the blue salvias that hummingbirds flock to in my garden. That led me to wonder about other generalizations. However,

when searching photos on my laptop, I noticed that when I searched specifically for bee or butterfly pictures taken in my garden, the screen was indeed dominated by the flower colors noted above.

Odor Bees and butterflies fall in the fresh-asa-daisy category when it comes to odor: they prefer mild and pleasant scents, much like humans do. Just as flies like the colors of rotting meat, they are said to like putrid smells. That doesn’t explain the flies that congregate on umbellate flowers, such as dill and fennel, in my garden. I would imagine, too, that flower flies, the ones that mimic the appearance of bees, may have a completely different syndrome since they forage among such a variety of blooms.

Shape Not all bees go for the same flower shape, depending upon the length of their tongue. Some bumblebees mine deep tubular blooms while other species may pick at a cluster of shallow florets.

Most bees like a landing platform to grasp while feeding, a steady petal structure, sometimes a spur that triggers the flower to open with its particular weight.

Butterflies with their long proboscis can delve into narrow tubes for nectar.

They like the ease of a wide landing pad on which to balance but can also grasp other flower parts if necessary.

Not to be forgotten, beetles are responsible for lots of pollination, simply because there are so many species. They often target pollen-rich, bowl-shaped flowers that are easy to access, the most familiar being magnolia. Their habit of chewing petals and pooping while they eat pollen earns them the title of “mess and soil” pollinators. I’m thinking of the Japanese beetles that ruin my rugosa roses!

Nectar Most pollinators seek nectar since it fuels their flight, although flies and beetles are not as interested. Often the nectar

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

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hey arrive like clockwork with the first warm breezes of spring, magazine covers at the grocery store checkout line plastered with bikini bods and six-pack abs.

Whether you buy a copy or simply roll your eyes and pass by, these not-so-subtle displays are part of the plan to carry on the species.

Plants are no different—they know that sex sells and they aren’t afraid to flaunt it. Flamboyant shapes, silky petals and seductive scents are just some of the ways flowers appeal to pollinators.

Over thousands of years, flowers have evolved to possess certain traits designed to lure insects that will, in turn, help transfer pollen from a male anther to a female stigma, guaranteeing pollination and seed development, ensuring another generation of their species. Collectively, these traits are called pollination syndromes.

Pollination syndromes are divided into categories of pollinators—bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, birds and even bats—and then associated with flower characteristics such as color, odor, shape, nectar, pollen and the presence or absence of nectar guides.

Knowledge of pollination syndromes is key to understanding and expanding plant-pollinator relationships in your garden.

The fancy blooms of a Michigan lily attract eastern swallowtail butterflies.

is hidden deep within the flower. Some flowers replenish their nectar at different times of the day. The various concentrations and other characteristics of sugar within a particular flower’s nectar that might attract one pollinator over another is a topic for further study.

Pollen Beetles look for blooms with abundant pollen; bees and butterflies don’t require as much. Without a microscope, it may be hard for the average gardener to see how much pollen is present in individual flowers.

Nectar Guides We’ve all seen nectar guides—those stripes and spots and raylike designs emanating from flower centers, but did we know their purpose? Sometimes they are even invisible to the human eye. What we do see has an ornamental aspect, but pollinating insects use them like road maps that signal nectar location.

Although there are exceptions to the rule, pollination syndromes give us lots to consider when planting for pollinators. The more we learn, the more we discover how a diversity of plants in our garden creates better habitat value for pollinators.

Minneapolis-based Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyageur Press, 2016).

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by design

Diane McGann

Choosing Color

P

1. Pick your favorite color. Start with your preferences. If your favorite hue is purple, find plants that will bloom at the same time in different shades of purple.

Want to perk it up a bit? Try purple’s complementary color, yellow. Or, choose analogous shades on the color wheel, perhaps a soft red-violet, to place next to your favorite purple flowers.

Bright yellow pops in a border with darker plants.

2. Don’t forget foliage. While mostly green, leaves also offer other hues to enhance your color scheme. Think of burgundy heuchera adjacent to softpink carnations. Green also provides the sense of serenity and renewal most people want in their backyard refuge, so it may be a good choice for that part of your garden you consider your sanctuary.

3. Make it serene. Want to add to that calming green escape outside your back door? Look for purples and blues, which induce quiet and peacefulness among their viewers.

PHOTOS: DIANE MCGANN

assing a flower display at the Chicago Botanical Garden last summer, I stopped abruptly, mesmerized by the sight of purple salvia dancing with red hibiscus.

Color. We all love it, and it’s what we often think of first when planning our gardens. Which hues will most satisfy us and help us achieve the effect we’re seeking? Thankfully, there are guidelines to aid us in making our choices. Here are 10 tips to consider before heading to the nursery this spring.

Orange and other warm colors show best in sunny areas.

4. Red and orange are hot! Highlight a dashing birdbath or handmade mosaic with bright red lilies or zinnias.

Red or orange, analogous on the color wheel, also might frame your front door, drawing attention to your home’s entrance—as long as the hues complement your house colors. Keep hot colors out of shady areas, however, as they disappear into the background in dark corners.

5. White pops at night. If your view is mostly seen after hours, add white to your repertoire. Keep in mind, however, that silver and gray, also neutral colors, similarly stand out at night but are more calming.

6. Play with color. Cool hues (blue, green and purple) recede into the background and are at home in shady areas, while the hot colors (red, yellow and orange) appear closer than they really are.

7. Use the same hues repeatedly throughout your garden to create a cohesive tapestry. Think masses, rather than individual plants placed here and

there, and try for a color scheme, rather than randomly spotting different colors in your garden. Lack of a scheme and too many colors can lead to a messy look, rather than the calm and inviting vista you seek.

8. Consider complementary colors.

While you might expect colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel to be disruptive when seen together, these combinations actually please the eye and create harmony. Complementary pairs include yellow-blue, blue-orange and redgreen, but any opposites on the wheel will do.

9. Pastels work well with other pale hues and combine nicely with silver foliage. Soft colors wash out in bright sunlight, however, so they are probably not the best choices for your sunny border.

10. Keep the pleasing colors coming throughout the season; as one set fades, have another ready to take its place.

30 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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Talking about Color Primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

Secondary color: the result of mixing two primary colors together, such as orange (red and yellow), green (yellow and blue) and purple (red and blue).

Intermediate or tertiary color: the result of mixing a primary and a secondary color, for example, blue-green or violet.

Neutral colors: black, white, silver and brown.

COLOR WHEEL

Color Combinations Analogous: pairing colors next to each other on the color wheel, such as red and orange, or blue and violet.

Complementary: combining colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green.

Triadic: most often a grouping of the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow or, less often, the secondary colors of purple, orange and green.

—D.M.

Shades of pink give this garden a cohesive look.

Lake Pepin Garden Bluff What colors or color combinations have spoken to you recently? Perhaps you were taken by a room display in a home décor magazine or drawn to a fashion layout at the local department store. Color hints aren’t just confined to gardens. Use those experiences to fashion your own personal sea of color that pleases you every time you view it.

Diane McGann is a Stillwater-based master gardener and award-winning garden writer.

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Unique secluded property for garden lovers on the bluffs of Lake Pepin.

Wisconsin agricultural use land plus much more. Five building sites identified. Must see to believe. www.LakePepinGardenBluff.com Northern Gardener l May/June 2020 31

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In a shady landscape, the white blooms on trillium stand out.

Sustainably Scenic Story and photos by Gail Brown Hudson

With planning, a landscape can be lovely and low maintenance, even in shade.

“I won’t have a plant [that requires a lot of water] because I’m not going to water it.” Tough words from Fred Rozumalski, a well-known Twin Cities landscape architect, ecologist and horticulturist, especially since he’s talking about his shade garden with sandy soil.

And yet, Rozumalski’s garden is not only sustainable but features show-stopping blooms, a beautiful mix of foliage textures and unusual native plants, all of which look great all season long. His

small Minneapolis yard dazzles with everything from a colorful display of martagon lilies to a brilliantly white paper birch grove.

How does he do it? “This garden is my experimental ground on plants,” he says. “It’s got to look good and it’s got to be low maintenance. What is it that can grow without a lot of attention? And by that, I mean, without a lot of fertilizers and pesticides.” Rozumalski maintains that by mowing, spreading synthetic

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Right: In his backyard, Fred Rozumalski keeps lawn to a minimum and frames it with stonewalls. Center: Rozumalski; toad lilies thrive in shade. Bottom: Tsing Tsing lilies

fertilizer and pumping water, many gardeners have created landscapes that are detrimental to the environment, instead of something that’s natural, beautiful and functioning ecologically.

The benefits of sustainable landscapes are great: “We have one opportunity to sequester carbon, the one way we can do that is in our landscapes,” he says. “We can’t pull carbon out of the atmosphere any other way.”

Some of Rozumalski’s accomplishments include creating and implementing sustainable landscape plans for Macalester College in St. Paul, the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph and the Minnetonka City Hall, and designing the wetland restoration of the Spring Peeper Meadow at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

“I won’t have a plant [that requires a lot of water] because I’m not going to water it.”

Grow for the Conditions The first step in developing a sustainable landscape is simple. Look at the conditions, he advises. “Understand your soil, understand your moisture levels and understand the light levels,” he says.

“That’s where you start, always.” Then, go to the nursery and buy plants with those conditions in mind. Ask specifically for plants for dry shade or plants to compete with tree roots or whatever your conditions are.

Rozumalski’s garden has sandy loam soil, which means it will quickly drain excess water but can’t hold significant amounts of water or nutrients. That’s why he won’t plant anything that’s a wetland fringe plant. “If I had heavier soil, I’d be looking at a lot more species,” he says.

Developing water conservation strategies is all about understanding how the water flows over your property—where it soaks in, where it does not—along Northern Gardener l May/June 2020 33

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Sustainably Scenic

with selecting the right plants and good mulching, he says. But he knows gardeners are often tempted to buy thirsty plants anyway. “Look at the tag, try it if you want, and if you have to water it too much, let it go,” he says.

Rozumalski also improves water retention by mulching his entire yard with several inches of Cowsmo, a composted manure-based soil amendment. It adds nutrients to the soil and the dark mulch color makes plants stand out.

“We have one opportunity to sequester carbon, the one way we can do that is in our landscapes.”

Design with Less Lawn One of the first things Rozumalski recommends for designing a sustainable yard is to consider shrinking the lawn, since turf soaks up lots of resources (water, fertilizer, pesticides). “I have a turf major and I don’t have anything against lawn,” he says. “We just plant so much that we don’t use … there are other ways you can accommodate neatness through a lot less lawn.”

To make sure native plants appear tidy rather than weedy, Rozumalski suggests gardeners create a visual frame, with a 34 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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Opposite page, top: Structure keeps Rozulmalski’s garden looking neat.

Center: Wild aster; European wild ginger; Bottom: Variegated sedge (Carex)

border of lawn or some kind of structure. In his yard, for example, it’s a small square of red fescue turfgrass with a low stone wall. Red fescue is easy on the environment, too, requiring less water, mowing and fertilizer than other turf varieties.

He repurposed the previous homeowner’s cement patio by breaking it up and making paths that wind through large areas of plantings and guide visitors from the front all the way to the alley behind the house.

“I like it a little wild-looking,” he says.

“I know overall it looks really nice, at least in my eyes, and I’ve done enough to create framing—like the walls and beautiful walks. I keep them swept. It can look just fine, always.”

“We just plant so much that we don’t use … there are other ways you can accommodate neatness through a lot less lawn.”

A Shady Grove In a neglected side garden, Rozumalski achieved structure by planting a grove of white paper birch trees. Then he interplanted them with many white and soft-colored blooming natives and nonnatives, such as a peach-colored bishop’s hat (Epimedium x warleyense), white bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’), white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), white trillium, pink foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), periwinkle lungwort and a little bit of dark green hosta with white edging.

Top: White primula Center: The patio is surrounded by plants, including these pink peonies that bloom in June.

Left: Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia) adds soft color and texture.

Low Maintenance You might think a garden filled with so many different kinds of plants would require many hours of work every week through the season. But Rozumalski thinks of himself as a “lazy gardener.”

“This landscape is very low maintenance,” he says. “It’s almost embarrassing how little I’ve done here.”

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Sustainably Scenic

Top: ‘Album’ martagon lily shines in June.

Center: Ballerina tulips add warmth in spring.

Bottom: Solomon seals adapt beautifully to dry shade. This is Polygonatum odoratum ‘Chollipo’.

In early spring, he mows the whole perennial garden in a half an hour. “I fire up the lawn mower and the ground is often still frozen,” he says. “As soon as the snow melts, I run the lawn mower over everything. I chop it and everything is just left there.”

Then he weeds (mainly tree seedlings) around the emerging plants, adds mulch, and the job is pretty much done for the season, except for sweeping the paths when they need it.

“As soon as the snow melts, I run the lawn mower over everything.

I chop it and everything is just left there.”

Plant Selection This is the perfect environment for plants that do well in a dry shade garden. Among them are many unusual varieties of Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum), a USDA Zone 3-hardy, easy-to-grow plant with arching branches. “There’s something about the texture and there’s enough variegation and variety in them,” he says.

“They really are drought tolerant and they hold their form really nicely.”

One of Rozumalski’s favorite Solomon’s seals, which may turn into one of yours, too, is ‘Angel Wings’ (zone 4a).

This eye-catching variety throws light into dark areas of the garden, with its extra-wide, creamy leaf edge, blushing maroon stems and tiny, fragrant blossoms. He combines it with ‘Purple Palace’ coralbells (Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’) for contrast in color and texture.

Another drought-tolerant plant that holds its form is the gray-green Japanese painted fern ‘Brandford Beauty’ and the red-stemmed variety ‘Lady in Red’ (Athyrium), which is hardy to zone 3. Rozumalski says these plants shine all the way into the fall. “I go, ‘OK, if you’re still looking good, you’re a winner!’ ” But the star performer in this garden is the extremely showy and exotic-looking martagon lily. Rozumalski grows 36 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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Right: A birch grove fills the side yard.

Below: White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

many varieties, and in June, their Turk’s cap-shaped flowers sparkle and sway above the rest of the garden in orange, red and white. The final stunner that blooms in early July, Lilium ‘Mahoghany Bells’, sports 4-foot-tall brown stems and bountiful, rich mahogany-red blooms.

Near the front steps to the house, a martagon with a mouthful of a name, Lily ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’, features downward-facing, light peach petals.

Their creamy undersides remind me of the orange-and-vanilla Creamsicles® I ate as a youngster.

Trillium flowers in white (Trillium grandiflorum), yellow (T. luteum) and red (T. recurvatum) are a sight to behold, scattered around the garden with their elliptical petals.

Rozumalski loves pairing all-gold Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), Solomon’s seal, boxwood and hydrangea, just for the delicious mix of textures.

In the front yard, a springtime show of the light orange ballerina tulip glows, replaced in the fall with pink turtlehead and a swath of delicate Japanese toad lilies (Tricyrtis hirta).

Rozulmalski says he’s thought carefully about creating combinations of textures—fine and coarse—and combinations of foliage colors. You can’t “just throw a bunch of stuff together … especially in a shade garden,” he says.

Versatile Gardeners While Rozumalski observes his garden as it grows and matures, he knows a changing climate means he will have to adapt, too. Ten years from now, he says, gardeners may have to understand about more diseases, new pests and how to conserve water and other resources.

“We’re up against huge changes and we’re going to have to become more versatile gardeners,” he said. Understanding the conditions and taking steps now to become a little more sustainable in everything we do, he says, will make us better gardeners.

Gail Brown Hudson has a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Minnesota. She is an award-winning garden writer.

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When you combine plants, reach for solid- and multi-colored foliage, plus a variety of leaf shapes and textures

Story and photos by Michelle Mero Riedel

7

Stylish Container Gardens

Follow these recipes for containers that thrive in the shade.

Designing containers with maximum impact for low-light garden areas doesn’t have to be intimidating. You can work with tried-and-true impatiens, fuchsias and begonias. Or you can try unexpected options, using hostas, ferns, coralbells and more.

While flowers can be a big source of color, especially in sunny spots, too many flowers can overwhelm containers. Instead, when you combine plants, reach for solid- and multi-colored foliage, plus a variety of leaf shapes and textures. For example, unite a large elephant ear with a grass, or a wide-leaf hosta with a delicate fern.

Always consider the container itself when designing with plants. If my pot isn’t overly attractive, I will add an abundance of trailers. For a formal look, I’ll restrain from adding too much plant color, concentrating on the presence of the pot. For an informal look, I’ll go for an assortment of bulbs, perennials, annuals, houseplants and small shrubs. If I’m adding more than one plant, I try to include at least three plants per container; odd numbers create a more interesting design.

Shade containers need less water than those enjoying an abundance of sunshine, and it’s easy to overwater. Bottom line—water infrequently but deeply. Pot size also makes a difference. Large pots need less water, making them the perfect choice for the less energetic gardener. Always check pots under trees and structures after a rainfall, as they may not receive as much water as you thought.

Here are seven attractive, shade to part-shade container recipes to get your creativity going. (Plant descriptions are listed in clockwise order from top.)

On the Bright Side Perennial Japanese forest grass is the best grass to evoke movement; its bright, cheery golden color adds dramatic trailing texture to the container above. Next door, the purple passion houseplant cascades with thick, velvety green foliage and tiny purple hairs. ‘Kong Salmon’ coleus—a big, bold filler plant— picks up the golden color in the grass and hosta. This low-maintenance plant has a chunky center with orange, salmon and maroon that echoes the red-orange fuchsia flowers. The fuchsia’s variegated cream, green and blush leaves demand attention; the lively lime hosta completes this friendly composition.

Plants: 1. Fuchsia hybrid ‘Firecracker’ 2. Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) 3. Purple passion plant (Gynura aurantiaca ‘Purple Passion’) 4. Kong coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Kong Salmon’) 5. Hosta ‘Lakeside Lime Time’ (Container is 15 inches in diameter.)

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Drama Queen This stunning combination includes a bit of everything. I found a perfect-sized dracaena in the houseplant section of the garden center; the yellow stripes beg for attention. I divided the spotted Pulmonaria from my perennial garden. The foliage contrasts nicely with the dracaena stripes and lengthier leaves. My favorite black coleus added a major accent. I also included two begonias with different looks. For the background, I used ‘Gryphon’ with its superb upright habit, large palmate leaves and orange/ red undersides. The color repeats when combined with ‘Waterfall Encanto Red’, a fast-growing trailer with a colorful punch.

Plants: 1. Coleus ‘Colorblaze Dark Star’ 2. Dracaena ‘Giganta’ 3. Lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘Mrs. Moon’) 4. Begonia ‘Waterfall Encanto Red’ 5. Begonia ‘Gryphon’ (Container is 14 inches in diameter.)

A Fern Foundation Looking for something eye-catching? Plumosa fern’s thread-like foliage maintains a shrubby appearance, and it will get tall while providing a soft backdrop for other plants. Astilbes are wonderful, reliable pot additions even when they’re not blooming, and they fill in their assigned spot with density. Fuchsias come in upright and trailing; you can’t go wrong with a plant loaded with colorful blooms. And ‘Blue Eyes’ offers an appealing flower duo.

Here I chose another Kong coleus, introducing ‘Mosiac’ with deep red tones that create an excellent mix with the other two flowers.

Plants: 1. Plumosa fern (Asparagus setaceus) 2. Astilbe ‘Delft Lace’ PP19,839 3. Fuchsia ‘Blue Eyes’ 4. Kong coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Kong Mosaic’) (Container is 14 inches in diameter.)

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Most gardeners don’t think of using English ivy for a casual trailer, but I like its old-fashioned look.

Fresh Foliage This striking, no-flower combination uses ‘Colorblaze Dark Star’ coleus as the main focus; the plant reaches 16 inches in height.

Using spider plant, a common grasslike houseplant at the edge, adds up and down motion while lightening up the look of the container. Most gardeners don’t think of using English ivy for a casual trailer, but I like its old-fashioned look. Hostas belong in the garden and in pots. ‘Guacamole’ is one of my favorites and its golden hue accentuates the pot color. Silver brake fern, famous for its foliage, adds a decorative, spreading touch and mimics the white in the spider plant.

Plants: 1. Coleus ‘Colorblaze Dark Star’ 2. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) 3. English ivy (Hedera helix) 4. Hosta ‘Guacamole’ 5. Silver brake fern (Pteris ensiformis ‘Victoriae’) (Container is 16 inches in diameter.)

Merry Cherry Warm tones are my favorite, especially as we ease into fall.

‘Marrakesh’ is a dense, mid-size plant that’s stunning for three seasons of the year. I added a pop of airiness to the container with a delicate asparagus fern, an easy-to-find plant that works in any container combination. I could put a coralbell in every container, too. Its foliage stays upright and trails, or you can pop it into the middle of the container for an even more important role. I like how ‘Cherry Berry’ complements the red in the coleus. The ‘Pineapple Poll’ hosta has long, thin leaves that beautifully complement all the other leaf shapes and textures in this simple pot design.

Plants: 1. Coleus scutellarioides ‘Marrakesh’ 2. Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’) 3. Coralbell (Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’)PP21,871 4. Hosta ‘Pineapple Poll’ (Container is 12 inches in diameter.)

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Finding Plants on the Cheap To save money, I divide what I have inside and outside of my home, and look for small potted perennials and annuals. I search my shade gardens for plants with interesting foliage and texture, avoiding plants that grow too fast. I shop nurseries that sell perennials in 3- to 4-inch containers, which combine nicely with the same-sized annuals.

I also shop the shade houseplant section at the garden center.

—M.M.R. Bold Move The first thing you notice in this container is the toppling elephant ear. ‘Malanga’ has bold, expansive 2-foot leaves that add drama to any container. Finding one that loves the shade is definitely a plus. Variegated wax ivy trails upright and continues to climb as the summer progresses. It’s a slow grower that’s worth bringing into the house for the winter. I use impatiens in the garden, and I like to repeat them in a pot or two each summer. The plant’s red flower plays well with the red edging in the dracaena, whose thin, elegant leaves are beautifully striped with green and yellow. I recommend bringing this fast-growing plant indoors at the end of the season and putting it in a generous pot.

Plants: 1. Elephant’s ear (Colocasia esculenta ‘Malanga’) 2. Variegated wax ivy (Senecio macroglossus ‘Variegatus’) 3. Impatiens ‘Dazzler Red’ 4. Dracaena ‘Marginata’ (Container is 9 inches in diameter.)

Mocha Motion Every spring I buy several of the ‘Non-Stop Mocca’ begonia series. I’m not too picky about the flower color because the chocolate purple leaves are outstanding when they’re combined with gold and lime. That’s why I swiped a division of ‘Kiwi Gold Rush’ from my garden. Hostas always need dividing, so it’s the perfect upright, filler plant. I’m not overly fond of common vinca vine, but ‘Illumination’ casually arranges itself over the edges of the pot, and I love the plant’s spectacular yellow leaves outlined in green. Snip it regularly so it continues to get fuller, and the longer vines can be draped around other plants for a layered look.

Plants: 1. Tuberous begonia (Begonia ‘Non-Stop Mocca Cherry’) 2. Hosta ‘Kiwi Gold Rush’ 3. Vinca minor ‘Illumination’ (Container is 15 inches in diameter.)

Master gardener and photographer Michelle Mero Riedel gardens in Washington County and frequently contributes to Northern Gardener.

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Public Faces / Private Spaces Easy strategies to help you fashion your garden for hospitality and seclusion.

Story and photos by Diane McGann

Do you long for a private outdoor escape where you can take your cup of coffee in the mornings, yet want your home to be welcoming, too? Spaces for open arms and spaces for seclusion—most of us want both. This is one case where you can have everything you want, by using easy design strategies for different locations.

Your Public Face Let’s start with the front. You want it to say, “Welcome!” to you and your family, as well as visitors. With a well-designed front landscape, everyone will have a minute or two for the magic of horticultural therapy to work its wonders, and you will receive calmer, happier guests.

• Plant a necklace of greenery around the front porch. Choose from an array of your favorite shrubs and flowers, with some offering fra-

grance. Be sure to include evergreens, plants with fall color and spring bulbs for all-season interest.

• Fill porch containers with plants in summer and seasonal boughs in winter. When flanking the doorway, containers signal to your guests that this is the appropriate entrance. When space allows, arrange containers to climb the steps leading to the door, further pointing out the correct path to callers.

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MARY LAHR SCHIER

• Install a bench or chair that allows you to survey your front garden and welcome visitors.

• Add something unique to your gardening interests, such as plants that attract birds or butterflies, or a water feature to add a gentle sound.

• If you’re building or remodeling, build a wide path—4 feet minimum—in an attractive material that clearly defines the way to the front entrance. Consider bordering that path with plantings, including some that emit fragrance when your visitors brush by them on the way to your door.

• Install lighting to ensure safe passage at night. A decorative porch light may do the job, but soft yard lights emphasizing interesting plantings and decorative features add to the aura.

• Finally, position a welcome sign near the front door. Nothing warms your callers more.

Above: Tall plants in containers and shrubs serve as dividers.

Left: Welcome friends with shade and front-yard seating.

Below left: Tall trees, shrubs and perennials screen this yard in summer.

Below right: A privacy fence is a blank canvas for art and plantings.

Opposite page: With an arborvitae wall and pergola ceiling, this patio feels like an extra room.

Your Private Place You’ve welcomed guests, and made your home inviting, but now you want to retreat to your outdoor escape, to be surrounded by foliage, and sit or work unseen. You seek a feeling of enclosure and protection. We all need some secluded time, a space to be ourselves without judgment and to have control over what others know about us. Research recently conducted at Chiba University in Japan found that even just sitting quietly in an outdoor green area confers benefits to physical and mental health. To create an accessible, comfortable, private garden, hedges and fencing spring to mind, but a host of other options exist.

• Think about where you want to place your outdoor retreat. A private area right next to the house has one side shielded from view and allows for an escape just a few steps out the door. However, you might want to position your haven in a part of the yard that is already largely concealed from view. Wander around your landscape, looking in all directions to see if neighboring structures (perhaps a garage or outbuilding), slopes or existing

vegetation block a part of your yard from others’ view. Then build on that to create your private area. If a shed, greenhouse or other outdoor structure is in your plans, consider strategically siting that edifice to block undesirable vistas.

• Employ hardscaping to create a visual barrier. Many local ordinances limit the height of fences to 6 feet, but a short trellis placed on top of a fence will extend that elevation. Planting

woody vines that form strong canes can also extend fencing height. Top prospects include wisteria and trumpet vine.

• Cap fences of any height with window boxes filled with your favorite lofty plants. If privacy is desired only when people are seated, a low fence topped with leafy containers works. If you prefer to build an open, decorative fence, such as a picket fence, front it with shrubs to create a layered screen.

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Public Faces / Private Spaces Design a living screen composed of tall grasses, small trees, dense flowers and shrubs, strategically placed to block unwanted views.

Right: A mixed border of shrubs and perennials Below left: Open fencing will fill with climbers.

Below right: Even a half wall lends privacy.

You might also attach planter boxes or decorative pots to open fences; they liven up the fence and provide another layer of screening.

• Put your carpentry skills to work building a pergola or decorative screen that will help hide your retreat, or use your imagination to contrive a whimsical or unusual screen, such as stained-glass panels, a mosaic board or decorative metal forms. Consider combining hard surfaces and plants.

An open trellis, covered with vines, creates an effective screen. Placing the trellis around three sides of a comfortable bench makes for a cozy, private getaway.

• How about curtains? Install all-weather fabric beneath a deck or porch overhang. Are neighbors’ second-story windows overlooking your yard? Mount a large canopy or umbrella in the area where you’d like privacy, or plant a horizontally branched tree

to mask the site.

• Design a living screen composed of tall grasses, small trees, dense flowers and shrubs and strategically place it to block unwanted views. If space is minimal, fill containers with lofty grasses or other soaring plants and line them up between your retreat and the views you want blocked.

• Place hanging baskets so that they screen anyone seated in the space where privacy is desired. The baskets

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Hedge Alternatives Cotoneaster. Known as “hedge cotoneaster” for its dense upright habit, Peking cotoneaster takes shearing nicely. At maturity, it is 10 feet tall.

Lilac. A popular shrub screen, the amazingly fragrant common lilac can be pruned drastically when needed.

Nanking cherry. This hardy shrub explodes with showy light-pink flowers in early spring. It stands 8 feet at maturity.

Above: Tall roses shield a gazebo.

Left: Grasses provide visual seclusion.

Below: Plants and fencing enclose this patio.

Forsythia. Forsythia is the undisputed harbinger of spring.

‘Northern Sun’ was developed by the University of Minnesota and makes a dense 8-foot tall hedge.

MARY LAHR SCHIER

Privet. Straight Talk®, a recent introduction by Bailey Nurseries, is only 2 feet wide but grows to 12 feet tall, very handy when space is scarce.

Another option is ‘Cheyenne’ privet, which grows 12 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

A formal hedge adds structure to large gardens.

Serviceberry. With stunning three-season interest, a few varieties make outstanding hedges. The columnar Standing Ovation™ is 3 to 4 feet wide and 12 feet tall, while its shorter cousin ‘Regent’ tops out at 3 to 6 feet.

Viburnum. Usually 6 to 10 feet high and wide, this plant’s dense foliage offers great screening. Choose from several cultivars, depending on your height needs.

—D.M.

might hang from an overhead frame or roof, or drop from a tall plant stand. A combination of hanging baskets and tall floor plants creates a living barrier on an open porch.

• Evergreen hedges provide yearround seclusion. Those with larger lots can choose from a variety of conifers, but keep in mind that balsam firs, so handy for a shady area, may not thrive in our changing climate.

Arborvitaes, junipers and upright yews

are often chosen to frame a smaller lot. They may be kept unpruned or can be sheared for a formal look. If space allows, soften the straight line of the hedge with shrubs and small trees.

Both evergreen and deciduous hedges not only act as a backdrop for other plants, they also will serve as a noise and wind barrier. The desired height and density will determine your choice of plants.

Welcome your guests and delight your neighbors with an inviting front entry, and have a backyard retreat ready so you can rest and rejuvenate, sight unseen.

Then, you’ve made the best of both gardening worlds.

Diane McGann is a master gardener in Washington County and an award-winning garden writer.

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Beautiful, resilient roses emerge from tough trials.

In midsummer, the A.R.T.S. test garden is in full bloom.

RANDY NELSON

Ensuring a Rosy Future

By Randy Nelson and David Zlesak

NESTLED IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER of Oak Tree Park in Dilworth, Minn., lies a bed of roses that visitors have enjoyed since 2010. The roses provide more than just beauty, however.

They also provide critical data on disease and insect tolerance and winter survival in the harsh conditions of northern and western Minnesota.

Roses are the most popular flowering plant in the world. Yet, if you ask a room full of northern gardeners whether they grow roses, you’ll often hear “No, roses take too much time and energy to keep them healthy.” While that is true for some roses, many roses grow well and produce abundant blooms in our region.

The key is to select the right ones. And the best way to determine which are the right roses is to set up a trial garden, just like the one in Dilworth, a city of 4,500 just east of Fargo.

Because of trial programs in the harsh Minnesota climate, researchers (helped by dozens of master gardener volunteers) have identified 14 rock-star roses that thrive here with minimal maintenance and will probably grow well in your garden, too.

Making a Trial Garden

trial consisted of 26 rose cultivars with four plants of each.

During the fall of 2009, the late Don During the four-year trial, roses were Vogel, maintenance supervisor for the not sprayed for insects or diseases and city of Dilworth, was approached about received no winter cover other than putting in a trial garden for roses at snow. Roses were watered as needed one of Dilworth’s many parks. Don during the first year embraced the idea and, only and they received within a week, city officials no additional fertilizapproved the garden.

Earth-Kind rose er. The roses were not That spring, city mainother than to tenance workers tilled a trialing started in the pruned, remove canes that died 4,000-square-foot sunny area, which was spread 1990s with the goal over winter, and were not deadheaded. The with 40 yards of plantbased compost and covof identifying roses trial was intentionally tough—yet many roses ered with 40 yards of wood that grow well in thrived. mulch, enough to cover The Earth-Kind® trial the planting bed with a specific regions with ended in 2014 and a 3-inch layer. By early May, new trial through the it was time to plant. little maintenance.

American Rose TriThe first trial roses were als for Sustainability part of the Earth-Kind® (A.R.T.S.)® program was started. This Environmental Landscape Manageprogram has trial sites all across the ment System, developed by horticulture United States, including Dilworth, and specialists at Texas AgriLife Extension follows strict protocols similar to those Service. Earth-Kind rose trialing started of the Earth-Kind program: a 3-inch in the 1990s with the goal of identifying layer of wood mulch, no pesticides or roses that grow well in specific regions supplemental fertilizers, no deadheading with little maintenance. The Dilworth

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BAILEY NURSERIES

Earth-Kind Results

Sunrise Sunset™

The Earth-Kind® trials of northern hardy roses tested 20 cultivars at five sites around the country, with two in Minnesota and one in Iowa. Six roses had more than 75% plant survival at the end of the study and were in the top 50% of performers for overall mean horticultural rating at each of the three north-central U.S. sites. They were ‘Frontenac’, Polar Joy™, Sunrise Sunset™ and the three Northern Accent™ roses: ‘Lena’, ‘Ole’ and ‘Sven’. For full results go to: https:// doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH03681-17.

While the ‘Lena’, ‘Ole’, and ‘Sven’ roses have been unavailable commercially for several years, the University of Minnesota is relicensing the roses now and they will be sold at Schulte’s Greenhouse and Nursery in St. Michael in 2020.

—Eds.

RANDY NELSON

or pruning to alter growth form and no Each trial had a maximum of 20 rose winter protection. (It should be noted cultivars with three plants of each, that Dilworth has not been invaded by planted in three different areas. Rating Japanese beetles.) The trial did allow 60 roses each month and compiling the roses to be watered after the first year data required hundreds of hours of work. but only up to the equivalent of 1 inch of Fortunately, skilled volunteers from exrainfall a week. tension master gardener Starting the first year, programs at both North roses were rated monthly Dakota State University Roses were rated during the growing season and the University of using a 10-point scale. for floral attributes Minnesota assisted with Roses were rated for floral the evaluations. Their (4.25 points), attributes (4.25 points), passion for plants and foliage health and quality desire to learn made the foliage health and (4.5 points) and plant evaluations possible. growth form (1.25 points). quality (4.5 points) Control cultivars—known Results and More good performers, such and plant growth Trials as Double Knock Out® At the end of each twoform (1.25 points). year trial, roses that (‘RADtko’) and Sunrise Sunset™ (‘BAIset’)—were scored equal to or higher also rated for comparison than the average of the purposes. Depending on the month, it two control cultivars for a given region took 20 minutes to evaluate one rose. are given the A.R.T.S. Local Artist award.

As part of the trial, roses received no cover during Dilworth’s windy winters.

Roses that earn the award in four or more regions are named Master Roses to highlight their adaptability.

So far 14 roses have earned A.R.T.S. Local Artists awards from four trials in our region. The roses were trialed as own-root plants and they all survived the winter and grew well the second year of the trial. For gardeners in our region, any of these roses are worth growing.

B

Climate and Roses Gardeners know that plants need a specific growing environment to flourish and no plant will flourish everywhere. With that in mind, A.R.T.S. uses a climate-based system called the Köppen Climate Region system in trialing roses. This system divides the globe into climate zones based on temperature, moisture and elevation.

All of Minnesota is located in what is called a deciduous forest biome or Dfb. These climates are humid and have cool summers. For more information on the Köppen system, go to thesustainabilitycouncil.org/ resources/the-koppen-climate-classification-system.

Results from other rose trialing sites can be found at trustedroses.com.

—R.N. and D.Z.

Randy Nelson is a University of Minnesota Extension educator in Clay County, and David Zlesak is a professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Both serve on the board of directors of A.R.T.S. Northern Gardener l May/June 2020 47

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Icecap™ (‘MEIradena’) This densely growing, double white shrub rose produces masses of blooms throughout the growing season. Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

Peppermint Pop™

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

Look-A-Likes® Apple Dapple (‘MEIplumty’) This low, spreading shrub rose has large masses of blushpink, single blooms reminiscent of

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

Look-A-Likes® Apple Dapple

Look-A-Likes® BougainFeelYa

apple blossoms. Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

burgundy, turning green as it matures.

Introduced by Certified Roses.

Look-A-Likes® BougainFeelYa (‘MEIckinava’) This very compact, spreading shrub rose produces masses of vibrant red single blooms in clusters. Petals are thick and long lasting. Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

Music Box™ (‘BAIbox’) Each multicolored double bloom is distinct as the buttercream-colored petals transition to warm pink in sunlight. This shrub rose has glossy foliage and plants are symmetrical and floriferous. Introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

Miracle on the Hudson® (‘Bartholomew’) Mounded, well-branched plants produce relatively large, single, velvety red blooms with bright golden stamens. New foliage growth on this shrub rose starts out a deep shade of

Petaluma Cover® Towne & Country®

Peachy Knock Out® (‘RADgor’) Beautiful, relatively large, semi-double, shellpink blooms are generously produced on a mounded, symmetrical plant. Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

Phloxy Baby™

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

Highwire Flyer™ (‘RADwire’) This very vigorous, yet relatively compact and dense climbing rose produces a wealth of semi-double to double hot pink blooms.

Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

Icecap™

POULSEN ROSER AS

Highwire Flyer™

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

And the Winners Are . . .

Raspberry Kiss™

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Screaming Neon Red™

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

BAILEY NURSERIES

CERTIFIED ROSES

Raspberry Kiss™ (‘CHEwsumsigns’) Clusters of single soft-pink blooms open to display a rich raspberry-pink eye framing golden stamens. This shrub rose has a spreading habit and the leaves are glossy. Introduced by Certified Roses.

True Passion™ (‘LIM10’) This petal-packed, vibrant orange hybrid tea rose is complemented well by its dark green, glossy foliage. Introduced by Altman Plants.

Screaming Neon Red™ (‘BAIneon’) The vibrant, neon-red, single blooms have wavy edges and bright gold stamens. The leaves on this vigorous, large shrub rose are thick and leathery and

True Passion™

True Integrity™ (‘LIMbird’) The bright salmon double blooms of this floribunda stand out against the backdrop of its dark green glossy foliage. Introduced by Altman Plants.

—R.N. and D.Z.

True Integrity™

ALTMAN PLANTS

Phloxy Baby™ (‘RADcleome’) This compact, densely branched shrub rose delivers an abundance of petite, single, soft-pink blooms. Small scarlet hips add

Peachy Knock Out®

typically have good fall color. Introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

ALTMAN PLANTS

Petaluma Cover® Towne & Country® (POUltc004) This compact, spreading shrub rose has semi-double, vibrant, orange-pink blooms. Introduced by Poulsen Roses.

Music Box™

fall and winter interest. Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

BAILEY NURSERIES

STAR® ROSES AND PLANTS

Miracle on the Hudson®

Peppermint Pop™ (‘RADcarn’) Very double, multicolored blooms of cream through deep pink are generously produced on this mounded shrub rose.

Introduced by Star® Roses and Plants.

CERTIFIED ROSES

es® elYa

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Hooray for Horseradish!

Tame horseradish’s vigor and treat yourself to its heat all year.

Story and photos by Jennifer Rensenbrink

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I

love to eat prepared horseradish—I’ve put scoops of it on everything from roast beef to bratwurst, and it gives a nice oomph to my deviled eggs. After reading that the plant also repels potato bugs, I decided to give it a try at my community garden plot, which had been plagued by bugs. I’d also read that horseradish can be an aggressive plant, so I proceeded with caution.

Here’s how to grow it, how to keep it in check and most importantly, how to make it into a tasty condiment that keeps well in the freezer.

Getting Started I bought two tiny horseradish plants in 2014 at a plant sale.

They thrived that year, bookending a row of potatoes in my sunny community garden plot. I did not harvest any roots that fall because I wanted to make sure the plants survived the winter. I laugh at that now, knowing how indestructible horseradish is.

After my plants were established, I began to see just how big they would get, and how quickly. Each plant grows 2 to 3 feet wide and tall, and they love to spread. Horseradish plants spread in two ways: first, they get flowers that set seed. Pollinators love the flowers that come in early June, and they’re pretty! I usually leave them on the plants until they’re done flowering but not all the way out to seed. Then I cut off all the spent flowers and compost them. This is the first control method.

The second way that horseradish spreads is by its roots.

Some of the roots grow straight down, almost like a carrot.

But some of them take a sharp 90-degree turn and start spreading underground, sending up new vertical shoots. This is the second way that the plant expands its territory over time. We control this aspect of horseradish by making sure we harvest every year.

The author divides a horseradish plant.

Inset: They start small, but grow vigorously.

Harvest Time The best time to harvest horseradish is in late fall—preferably after a good frost. Harvesting is a little bit like dividing a perennial, such as a hosta. You spade down as deep as you can in a circle all the way around the plant. If your plant is large, spade through the middle too so you have manageable clumps to work with. Dig up as much of the plant as humanly possible, because small fragments of root will break off in many places, and they will pop up next spring. You will not kill the plant. I promise.

Lay your roots down nearby and take a look at them. Some of them will be about the size of a pencil. These don’t yield much after peeling, so I replant them for next year. Just dig a few holes and drop them into the spot where you dug the whole thing out. Those roots, plus whatever fragments you accidentally broke off when you were pulling the roots out will become next year’s plant.

Nice younger roots—similar in size and shape to a carrot—are easier to process than larger, tougher older roots. These days, I get such an abundant harvest that I compost some of the difficult older ones.

Processing Time Now comes the fun part, but first a very strict warning. You must (like really, really must) process your horseradish outdoors. If you do it inside, you will be running out the door within five minutes, tears streaming and lungs burning. The gas that is released when horseradish is grated (by hand or in a food processor) has effects similar to tear gas.

I wait for a nice day, usually in October, to process my horseradish. After pulling it out (you could store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days before processing it), wash it thoroughly and scrub off as much dirt as you can.

Next, peel and chop your roots. This is easier said than done because they can be quite knobby, but do your best. With a sharp knife, cut your roots into 1- to 2-inch pieces if you’re using a blender or food processor.

Leave them closer to carrot-size if you’re grating by hand.

“You must (like really, really must) process your horseradish outdoors.”

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Hooray for Horseradish

Above left to right: A root breaks during harvest; grate horseradish by hand outdoors while wearing gloves; ready for storage.

Right: Horseradish adds bold leaves to a boulevard garden.

Now it’s time to grate your roots, and this is the time it is critical to be outside. I’ve done this two ways. You can grate them by hand with a fine cheese grater, or you can use a high-quality food processor or blender. If you use a machine, add a little water to each batch you process. I make a lot and use a blender.

Your horseradish will taste hotter the longer it’s exposed to air. If you have a large amount to process, you have a choice: grate it in small batches, then finish and squirrel each one away in a tightly covered jar, or say to heck with it and let your big bowl of grated horseradish sit there getting hotter and hotter until you’re done grating. It’s up to you.

Either way, after you’re done grating, add 1 healthy pinch of salt and a nice splash of white vinegar (1 to 2 tablespoons) for every 2 cups of grated horseradish. The vinegar slows down the chemical reaction enough that you can take your bowl of prepared horseradish inside and taste it, and add more salt and vinegar as necessary. Then transfer it to half-pint jars for storage.

If it’s a little on the dry side, I like to add more vinegar at this point so that each jar is at least half full of liquid. The total amount of salt and vinegar that you add can vary according to your taste. Your prepared horseradish can be eaten right away, or it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two months. For longterm storage, freeze it and it will remain good for up to a year.

Prepared Horseradish 2 cups grated horseradish 1-2 pinches salt 2-3 tablespoons white vinegar

Mix and place in clean half pint jars. Keep in refrigerator for two months or freezer for up to a year.

Landscaping with Horseradish As a garden plant, I’ve come to appreciate horseradish. I divided one of my two community garden horseradishes a couple of years ago and added a new clump to the wildflower garden in my front yard. The plant is in part shade, so it doesn’t produce many flowers—one less control practice to worry about.

It provides a nice solid green, structural backdrop to my wildflowers, yet dies back to the ground in the winter. I don’t need to worry about shoveling snow onto it or protecting it from rabbits.

The tender, early-spring leaves are edible.

I’ve never noticed if horseradish actually repels potato bugs, which was the first reason I planted it! But I’ve never seen a potato bug in my community garden plot since I added it there, and I grow potatoes every year.

If you’re ready to commit to some control practices, horseradish makes a great perennial addition to a mixed edible landscape or a vegetable garden. Or both!

Jennifer Rensenbrink grows wildflowers, vegetables and fruit in her tiny south Minneapolis yard as well as at a local community garden.

Follow her gardening adventures at stackingfunctionsgarden.com or on Instagram @jenniferrensenbrink.

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GENISIS SEEDS

Better Basils

Choices are as abundant as the flavor in these disease-resistant basils.

Story and photos by Theresa Mieseler

B

asil is a pleasure to touch, smell, taste and harvest.

It pairs with tomatoes as deliciously as strawberries pair with rhubarb! While northern gardeners love the traditional sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), basil downy mildew (BDM) disease and a desire for something different have led gardeners to explore basils grown across the globe.

Of the 10 basils below, I have grown eight without any disease issues. The other two are newer varieties that should do well in northern gardens. Try one or more this season to add oomph to your garden and your cooking.

1 Mrihani Basil (O. basilicum) About 10 years ago, I came across the work of plant explorer Richo Cech, who was collecting varieties of basil from southeast Africa. One of those varieties was Mrihani basil. I conducted several unofficial experiments in my greenhouses. When downy mildew affected my Genovese basil crop, Mrihani basil was on the same growing bench. None of the Mrihani basils were

infected.

Some hybridizers are working on a cross of Mrihani with other basils, but I prefer Mrihani as it is. It has superb fragrance and flavor.

I use it in any recipe calling for basil.

The leaves are light green and ruffled, sometimes purple streaked, and it bears small lavender flowers.

Mrihani flowers later in the summer,

1

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Better Basils

2

6

3

7

4

8

Prospera® Basil (O. basilicum) Prospera® basil leaves are medium to large and dark green with a traditional sweet basil aroma and flavor. Seed is certified and protected internationally by Plant Breeders Rights. No symptoms of downy mildew were found on plants in a Cornell University evaluation in 2018.

This is a beautiful plant that is slow to bolt. The name Prospera is a play on words between the disease Peronospora and prosperity. Prospera has been tested globally and commercial seeds are now available.

3 Rutgers Devotion-DMR is an excellent, aromatic sweet Genovese-type basil for container and garden plantings. Devotion grows 2 feet tall, with a uniform, upright habit and dark green leaves that are flat to cup shaped. While it produces many harvests in a season, it requires careful handling as the leaves bruise easily.

4 Rutgers Obsession-DMR is a

compact (26 inches tall), vigorous grower that is an excellent edible landscape plant.

Its dark green, thick, glossy leaves are up to 2½ inches long. It is slower to flower than the Rutgers Devotion-DMR. When it is cut back in midsummer, it regrows prolifically and allows for more harvests.

VDF SPECIALTY SEEDS

Rutgers DMR (O. basilicum) Rutgers downy mildew resistant (DMR) basil seeds have been sold by VDF Specialty Seeds to commercial basil growers since 2018. The following two DMR basil varieties are now available to home gardeners.

CREATIVE COMMONS

2

GENISIS SEEDS

which gives more time for the plant to grow and produce foliage to cut and use. It has a sweet perfume with fennel undertones. It dries well, too, unlike most basils.

5

5 Thai Sweet Basil (O. basilicum)

Thai basil has small, narrow leaves, purple stems and pink-purple flowers with a hint of licorice. A favorite addition to noodle soups, fried rice and chicken dishes, you can also deep fry the leaves to use as a garnish on the dinner plate.

Basil Basics Basil loves full sun—a minimum of 6 to 8 hours—with warm days and nights above 55 degrees F. It likes well-drained soil and grows well in containers. I always keep a large container on my deck, making it handy to harvest sprigs for a salad or a recipe. It works well in both sweet and savory dishes, and can be frozen as pesto for use all winter.

54 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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9

9

Tulsi Amrita Basil (O. tenuiflorum) Tulsi Amrita basil has green leaves with purple highlights on a bushy plant. It is used to make tasty Tulsi tea, which provides gentle stimulation to body, mind and spirit.

Enjoying a cup of Tulsi tea is a good way to begin the day.

Basil varieties other than (O. basilicum) offer different looks, tastes and uses.

10

7 Kivumbasi Lime Basil

(O. canum) Native to Zanzibar, Kivumbasi lime has a fruity flavor in the leaves and is delicious added to tea, fish and seafood. The plants are compact with many branches, growing to a height of 2 feet with woody and hairy stems.

The narrow oval leaves are 3 inches long, pointed at both ends. Flowers are white or pale purple.

CREATIVE COMMONS

8 Holy or Sacred Basil

(O. tenuiflorum) The species tenuiflorum, meaning slender leaves, is known as holy or sacred basil. A hairy plant that is typically vigorous and upright, it’s common in India and Taiwan, as well as northern and eastern Africa. This basil is not used in cooking, but is typically consumed as a tea. Where Ayurvedic medicine is practiced, holy basil is known as “The Queen of Herbs” for its therapeutic properties.

10 Tulsi Vana Basil (O. gratissimum) Another name for Vana basil is clove or tree basil. The largest basil in my garden, it reaches a height of 5 feet. Native to India and East Africa, it is a wild species brought into cultivation. The large hairy leaves grow 6 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide. Vana basil is highly fragrant and keeps its aroma for several years when dried. As I wrote this article, I sipped a cup of clove-scented Tulsi Vana tea that I dried last summer.

Delicious!

Theresa Mieseler operated Shady Acres Herb Farm in Chaska for 39 years. Currently she writes a bimonthly herbal newsletter and is the author of Beyond Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme (Shady Acres Herb Farm, 2019). Her website is www.shadyacres.com.

Basil downy mildew (BDM) is an airborne disease caused by the pathogen Peronospora belbahrii. Sweet basil, including the popular Genovese variety, is highly susceptible to BDM. Infected plants look like they have a nutrient deficiency. As the infection moves upward on the plant, leaves turn yellow and gray spores appear on the undersides of the leaves. Once a basil plant is infected, you must destroy it to prevent the spores from spreading. Some fungicides may protect plants, but I do not use or recommend them. —T.M.

Growing from seed: Basil can be germinated indoors or outdoors. For an early harvest, plant seed indoors four to six weeks before transplanting into the garden in early June. It’s a good idea to soak seeds for 15 minutes in a 1:10 ratio of bleach to water to disinfect the seed from diseases, such as Fusarium oxyporum f. sp. Basilicum, which harm mature plants. Fill 3- to 4-inch containers with soilless mix. Then sprinkle 10 to 15 seeds on top and add enough extra mix so seeds are not visible. Cover with plastic wrap; place in a warm area. Expect to see seedlings in three or four days. Place seedlings in a sunny window or under lights. Do not overwater. A small fan placed nearby will keep air moving.

UMN EXTENSION

6 Green Pepper Basil (Ocimum selloi) Green pepper basil is a novelty basil.

A sturdy, upright tender perennial, it grows about 30 inches tall with long, serrated, deep forest-green leaves. Its fragrance is a cross between sweet basil and green bell peppers and its flowers are pink with reddish bracts.

It is not my favorite for culinary uses, but as an ornamental, it is very showy, disease resistant and cold tolerant.

Grow it in a container.

Harvest: Begin harvesting and using basil just before the first flowers open. These tender flowers are flavorful as well and can be added to any recipe. As flowers get older, they become stiff and should be discarded. Clipping the flowers encourages branching and allows the leaves to flourish.

—T.M.

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58 Minnesota State Horticultural Society l www.northerngardener.org

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northern view

Carol J. Michel

Battling Cute MOVIESTORE COLLECTION LTD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

W

e can blame Walt Disney for making chipmunks so darn cute, and thus making us gardeners a little reluctant to outright kill them when they wreak havoc in our gardens, especially among our outdoor containers.

What gardener hasn’t walked out to the yard on a sunny morning, tea mug in hand, a day or so after planting hundreds of dollars’ worth of plants in containers only to see that chipmunks have dug out all of those plants, which are now root-side up in piles of potting soil on the patio? Feelings of angst, anger and absolute disgust fill our normally mild-mannered gardening souls at the sight of the carnage. We are ready to kill those chipmunks.

But then we remember the old Chip ‘n’ Dale cartoons. Oh, so cute they are.

Perhaps there is another way to rid ourselves of chipmunks besides killing them? Perhaps we can make our gardens uninviting for chipmunks? Some gardeners place big heavy rocks on the exposed soil of their containers, a favorite spot for chipmunks to dig, to make it so they can’t do much digging. That might work. But I’d rather make my garden a better habitat for owls and hawks, and let them do the dirty deed. It would be a win for them, a win for me. There would be peace for all, except for the chipmunks.

Another alternative is trapping and moving the chipmunks.

But I’ve heard stories of how they just wait for you to pull away from wherever you dumped them and then scamper back home.

Plus, where can you leave them that isn’t someone else’s garden?

So we continue to figure out ways to live with these awful messy rodents.

Yes, they are rodents, just like mice and rats. They are somewhat tidy, however, at least as much as rodents can be tidy.

Chipmunks dig their long tunnels to include little side tunnels to put their waste in. Now we envision a family of chipmunks including a mama chipmunk with an apron tied to her waist as she busily tidies in her family’s tunnels. Her children—and she will have at least two litters of them—will come home from a day of scampering about in your garden creating havoc to find a tidy burrow in which to eat dinner and tell their tales of the adventures of the day.

And we gardeners fall for it. All the time. Because many of us were raised on cartoons featuring sweet, cute, mischievous, entertaining chipmunks. Even Beatrix Potter, who lived in England where there are no chipmunks, included a chipmunk named Chippy Hackee in at least one of her books, The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (Frederick Warne & Co., 1911). After observing chipmunks at a London zoo, Potter quickly figured out that they were not to be trusted. She made Chippy the villain in her story, playing tricks on a poor unsuspecting squirrel.

Our sympathies now lie with the squirrel, even though they bring their own troubles to the garden.

So where does that leave us when faced with these cute rodents, with names like Chip ‘n’ Dale and Chippy Hackee, not to mention Alvin, Simon and Theodore, and many others? There are so many chipmunks in children’s literature calling out to us with their cuteness and then slapping us back with their deviant behavior in our gardens.

I will let you decide where it leaves you. And I will tell you the story of Helen Hoover. In her book, The Years of the Forest (Alfred A. Knopf, 1973), Hoover describes how she and her husband taught chipmunks to trust them and eat nuts out of their hands at their cabin in the remote woods of northern Minnesota. I guess if you have a cabin in the middle of a forest, there is no way you are going to get rid of the chipmunks. So you might as well train them to come running toward you when you open the door to give you a happy greeting and beg for food, which you can then offer from your own hand. This is what Hoover and her husband did.

If you decide to do this, it is probably as close as many of us will get to being that Disney princess or prince, that all the little animals love and help. If you don’t know how to train your chipmunks, just look on YouTube and you’ll find plenty of videos posted by people who train chipmunks to eat out of their hands or off their shirts while they lie still in hammocks. Maybe this is the answer? A fat, domesticated chipmunk won’t need to dig in your garden. Maybe Hoover had the right idea after all?

Carol J. Michel is an award-winning author and gardener who fights chipmunks in her own garden. She wrote about them and many other garden visitors in her latest book, Creatures and Critters: Who’s in My Garden (Gardenangelist Books, 2020).

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We know cold-climate gardening can be challenging.

That’s why we provide resources and inspiration for northern gardeners of all skill levels. MSHS offers hands-on classes, lectures, webinars and community outreach programs, and produces the award-winning Northern Gardener magazine.

Our education and outreach programs can help.

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signature programs GARDEN-IN-A-BOX helps underserved children and families experience the benefits and joys of gardening: affordable healthy food, outdoor activity, education and community building. This MSHS program provides vegetable gardening kits for hundreds of community groups, and helps childcare providers, community program coordinators and teachers incorporate hands-on learning into their programs.

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Last year we cultivated more than 35,000 gardeners. Over 3,500 low-income children, ages 2-18, gained gardening experience though our Garden-in-a-Box program. And our Minnesota Green program supported more than 90 public-space gardens across the state of Minnesota.

MINNESOTA GREEN promotes community gardening as a means to strengthen neighborhoods through activities that connect people and plants and help people grow their own healthy food. This MSHS program partners with generous donors— including growers, garden centers, nonprofit groups and individuals— to provide seeds, plants, gardening tools and supplies to community and public gardens.

Roll up your sleeves and dig in!

Sign up for a class, volunteer to help us at the Minnesota State Fair or other events, subscribe to Northern Gardener or give a gift subscription, make a donation to support our signature programs, or join MSHS and enjoy the benefits of being a member.

Learn more at:

www.northerngardener.org.

grow with us! @MNHORT

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membership benefits NORTHERN

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Plants don’t get to choose, but you do.

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