Northern Gardener - May/June 2021

DIG IN: A GUIDE FOR NEW NORTHERN GARDENERS

Gardener Northern

A MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION

TASTE THE TOMATO RAINBOW

MAY/JUNE 2021

Fabulous Border Design

Bergenia A PLANT FOR ALL SEASONS

HOW TO OUTSMART

SQUIRRELS U.S. $4.99 Can. $5.99 Display until June 30

LET’S GET GROWING

MAY/JUNE 2021 l VOLUME 149 l NUMBER 3

Table of Contents 28

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Bordering on Fabulous

Taste the Rainbow

Under an expert gardener’s care, this garden blooms with color and joy. BY MARY LAHR SCHIER

Cherry tomatoes offer diverse colors and flavors, but not all on one plant.

BY RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

36 The Finest Phlox

Revitalize your garden and extend the growing season with colorful, vigorous blooms from spring to fall.

BY MICHELLE MERO RIEDEL

IN EVERY ISSUE 2 Director’s Note

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4 MSHS News: Classes, calendar and more.

A Plant for All Seasons

Bergenia does it all—and now there are more reasons to grow it.

BY GAIL BROWN HUDSON

14 Northern Natives: Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). By Beth Stetenfeld 16 Kitchen Garden: In defense of mint.

By Samantha Johnson

44 Heavenly Scents

Spicy, sweet, fruity, piney—scented geraniums offer aroma and delight.

BY THERESA MIESELER

46 Resistance May Be Futile …

But try these tactics for keeping squirrels out of your garden.

BY JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

18 Garden Solutions: Gypsy moth.

By Laura Schwarz 20 DIY: Outdoor succulent dish garden.

By Eric Johnson 22 Pollinators: Fast-growing vines for hummingbirds. By Rhonda Fleming Hayes 24 Plant to Pick: Calamint (Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta). By Debbie Lonnee 26

By Design: Mound it up. By Diane McGann 52 Northern View: A whiff of wonderful.

By Janet Favorite

ABOUT THE COVER: 'Jackmanii' clematis adds height to Ken Zimmerman's fabulous border. Photo by Mary Lahr Schier

MSHS Board of Directors Laura Wagner, Chair Del Hampton, Treasurer Mary Marrow, Secretary Jennifer Ebeling Mike Heger Debra Kvamme Renay Leone Judy MacManus Mary Hockenberry Meyer Rhys Williams

A NOTE FROM

The Director

W

e've been tossing around some big, bold numbers at MSHS these days. Our 2020 Impact Report had words like doubled (webinar participants) and tripled (Minnesota Green plant donations), and numbers like 5,000 (Garden-in-aBox participants) and 75,000 (pounds of food shared).

Our new five-year strategic plan (see article page 9) continues this bold trajectory: doubling (program participants, class attendees), tripling (partnerships and collaborations), launching (a signature event, 10,000 monthly Resource Hub visitors), deepening (diversity, impact, facilities, member services) and growing (10,000 members, $1 million in revenue, 98,000 website and magazine readers).

This bold path isn’t just a passing enthusiasm. It’s a fulfillment of the crucial role that MSHS serves in this time of great need. In a time of hunger, we are helping families grow food for themselves and their neighbors. In a time of racial inequity, we are building meaningful partnerships and programs in diverse communities. In a time of environmental threat, we are supporting pollinators, native plants and soil health.

In a time of isolation and stress, we

MSHS Staff Rick Juliusson, Executive Director

are creating beauty and health in our backyards and communities.

When the Legislature removed us from the state’s annual budget, I was able to present to the House Agriculture Committee with absolute conviction that funding for the hort— funding we have used effectively for over a century—is needed now more than ever.

And, when we sent out the rallying cry to our members and our community, you responded with signatures and donations and actions that reinforce this conviction. Gardening matters, MSHS matters and we are in this together. And growing this together.

Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Becky Swee, Communications and Marketing Director Diane Duvall, Development Director Courtney Tchida, Community Outreach and Program Manager Sue Hoehn, Administrative Support Ann Londrigan, Membership Associate Betsy Pierre, Advertising Sales Manager

Northern Gardener Magazine — Rick Juliusson (he/him) Executive Director

P.S. Check out our tips for new northern gardeners in the insert included with this issue! Tear out this handy guide for getting started and hang it on your refrigerator for inspiration and monthby-month growing tips. Or, if you’re already a seasoned pro, give it to a friend or neighbor who’s digging in for the first time this spring. @MNHORT

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Lara Lau-Schommer, Community Outreach Director

Mary Lahr Schier, Editor Debbie Lonnee, Horticultural Editor Julie Jensen, Copy Editor Barbara Pederson, Designer Joe Luca, Newsstand Consultant

Copyright 2021 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 (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/ Oct, Nov/Dec) by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minn., and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northern Gardener, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113.

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Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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THIS SEASON IN THE GARDEN

TIPS & TRICKS FOR YOUR

spring garden Sprinkle steppingstones in large garden beds so you can reach your plants without compacting the soil.

Plant cool-season flowers and vegetables, such as snapdragon, allysum, pansy, broccoli and cauliflower.

Set up trellises, hoops, cages and other supports for tall and vining plants (think peas, clematis, tomatoes, peonies and delphinium) before they get floppy.

MAY

Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they finish blooming.

Remove dead, diseased or damaged branches and cut some older branches back to the ground to help the plant fill in and bloom well next year.

When the chance of frost has passed, plant warm-season crops such as beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and okra.

Add organic mulch in garden beds to minimize weeds and retain soil moisture.

Install a rain barrel to catch water from your gutters and use in your garden.

small-space gardening tip Grow UP! Morning glories, hyacinth beans and cardinal climbers will happily grab onto a trellis and grow vertically.

JUNE

Building a Bee Lawn People are buzzing about bee lawns. And for good reason— pollinator populations are plummeting around the globe due to habitat loss, declining food sources and pesticide use. The good news? Planting native flowers helps local bees, butterflies and moths, and turning your entire yard into a flowering bee lawn really helps.

The most economical way to convert your lawn into a pollinator paradise is by seeding low-growing perennial flowers, such as white clover, self heal and creeping thyme, into an existing lawn. Scalp or mow grass 1 inch or shorter, aerate and then add flower seed. Sowing a mix of turfgrass and flower seeds directly on soil is a faster option since the seeds don’t have to compete with established grass. Local programs, such as Blue Thumb’s Lawns to Legumes, offer funding and other resources to help Minnesota residents make the switch. You can mow a bee lawn just like turfgrass, and you’ll be serving up a buffet of nectar and pollen for foraging wild and honey bees. to learn more about building a bee lawn, visit northerngardener.org/bee-lawn.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Not ready to give give up up your your entire yard? Adding even a small bed of native plants helps connect critical habitat corridors that pollinators depend on to survive.

FOUR GENERATIONS OF LOCAL QUALITY & FRESHNESS

Direct from the Grower The BEST VARIETIES and LARGEST SELECTION of annual plants for your garden beds and containers.

CULTIVATING

FRESHNESS AND QUALITY

GENERATION AFTER GENERATION

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CURBSIDE PICKUP & DELIVERY AVAILABLE

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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UPCOMING EVENTS

MSHS Calendar Perennial Medicinal Herbs for the Home Landscape Tuesday, April 27, 6 – 7 p.m. $10 members, $15 nonmembers Instructor: Pete Widin, Artisan Environments LLC

Perennials aren’t just for showy flowers and foliage, or even for pollinators.

There are many culinary and medicinal herbs that we can grow as perennials in Minnesota. This translates to beauty in the garden that we can eat, drink and use to create healing salves and remedies.

Join landscape designer Pete Widin for an exploration of these exciting plants and how to best use them.

How to Grow and Care for Espalier Fruit Trees Tuesday, May 4, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. $5 members, $10 nonmembers Instructor: Meg Cowden, curator of Seed to Fork gardening website

Espalier fruit trees are a welcome and decorative addition to small and large garden spaces. Join us for this class to learn tips on tree selection and trellis strategies for these space-saving edibles.

Designing Plant Communities Tuesday, May 18, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. $5 members, $10 nonmembers Instructor: Paula Westmoreland, founder and lead designer at Ecological Design

Polycultures are groups of plants and organisms that occupy a specific ecological niche.

The environmental conditions in a location are often defined by the abiotic or nonliving components of that space. Sunlight, water, temperature, soil type and minerals are the abiotic components of a site. Within this space, certain plants and organisms thrive since they are adapted to the conditions. Nature does not like empty space that can be otherwise productive. Join us for this class and learn how to design mutually beneficial polycultures to make the most out of your growing space.

Rainbow of Tomatoes Tuesday, May 25, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. $5 members, $10 nonmembers Instructor: Courtney Tchida, MSHS community outreach manager

Let’s explore the rainbow of tomatoes that grow well in our northern climates. They come in numerous sizes, shapes and colors.

In this class, we’ll look at the best varieties beyond red slicers or beefsteaks. We will explore currant, cherry, saladette, plum, pear, heart-shaped and more. Courtney will share her favorite varieties and give you tips on how to grow them successfully for the best taste.

Native Plant Identification

Let the Houseplants Out: A ‘Zone-Pushing’ Garden

Tuesday, May 11, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Free for members, $10 nonmembers Instructor: Karin Jokela, biologist with the Xerces Society

Tuesday, June 8, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. $10 members, $15 nonmembers Instructor: Gail Brown Hudson, award-winning writer and storyteller

Learn how to identify native flowers and grasses using basic characteristics of plant families and their growing conditions. This is a great class to take if you have always wanted to know how to tell the difference between a sedge and a grass, the differences between blazing star and beardtongue, white snakeroot and boneset, coneflower and coreopsis. to register for classes, visit northerngardener.org/classes.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Have you ever wanted to test the USDA Hardiness Zone you’re gardening in? In a recent cover story for Northern Gardener magazine, award-winning writer/photographer and horticulturist Gail Hudson wrote about a St. Paul garden that pushes our colder zones to the limits. Join Gail for a virtual tour and learn how this Minnesota gardener does it.

How to Take Great Garden Photos Tuesday, June 22, 6:30 – 8 p.m Free for members, $10 nonmembers Instructor: Michelle Mero Riedel, professional photographer and master gardener

Discover your garden through a camera lens and learn tips and tricks on how to take amazing photos. In this online class, you’ll learn how to photograph your garden in various weather and light conditions and all seasons. You’ll also learn how to blur backgrounds to highlight your subject and how to choose a suitable camera.

See all MSHS classes at northerngardener.org/webinars

UPCOMING EVENTS

Community Events Ask a Master Gardener Online Anoka County Master Gardeners Tuesdays, April 13 – Sept. 28, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Join Anoka County Master Gardeners live on Zoom every Tuesday evening during the gardening season and get your garden questions answered. Visit anokamastergardeners. org for the meeting link. Contact: Lia Spaniolo, 763-324-3498.

Stanhopea Orchids Orchid Society of Minnesota Saturday, May 15, 1 – 3 p.m.

Our presenter is Jason Fischer, who helps manage Orchids Limited in Plymouth with his father, Jerry Fischer. He is an orchid breeder with an interest in hybridizing neofinetia falcata varieties and Phragmipediums. This is a virtual event.

Contact: orchidsocietyofminnesota@gmail.com.

Plant Sales Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Online order dates: April 9 – 30 Order pickup: Wednesday, May 12; times to be determined.

Pickup locations in Minneapolis and Eagan. Contact: gardenclubmplsorg/2021plantsale.

Herb Gardening Webinar Ramsey County Master Gardeners Monday, May 17, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Get to know some of the herbs commonly used in cooking and learn how to harness those flavors year-round in this virtual class. To register, go to ramseymastergardeners.org and look under classes. Contact: Susan, mnsmg919@gmail.com.

Hennepin Technical College Online ordering starts Monday, April 19 Curbside pickup, selected days, May 5 – 12; time slots for pickup to be determined.

Hennepin Technical College Lower Greenhouse, 9000 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park.

To order: hennepintech.edu/plant-sale Contact: Debra Kvamme, 763-488-2470.

Virtual Tour of University of Minnesota Biological Sciences Conservatory Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Tuesday, June 8, 7 – 8 p.m.

Join Lisa Philander, curator of the conservatory, as you explore plants of the Southern Hemisphere. She will take you through the rooms of the new conservatory as we look at fascinating plants of yesterday and today. There will be a question-and-answer session after the tour. Contact: gardenclubmpls.org/calendar/events.

Ramsey County Master Gardeners Online ordering May 1 – 8; plant pickup, May 15 Shop our online catalog May 1-8.

Shoppers will be notified with details and locations for contactless pickup.

Contact: ramseymastergardeners.org.

Novelty Phalaenopsis Orchid Society of Minnesota Saturday, June 19, 1 – 3 p.m.

Peter Lin started growing orchids more than 30 years ago and turned his orchid hobby into a hybridizing business. He specializes in Phalaenopsis orchids.

This is a virtual event.

Contact: orchidsocietyofminnesota@gmail.com.

South St. Paul Garden Club Friday, May 14, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 15, 8 a.m. – noon Alleva Gardens, 2024 Third St. N., South St. Paul.

Proceeds fund a visit for kindergarten students to the Dodge Nature Center.

Contact: Jayne, 651-450-0632.

St. Anthony Park Garden Tour St. Anthony Park Garden Club Saturday, June 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Tour 10 private gardens in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul.

Tickets are $15 each and will be sold online only prior to the day of the tour.

Access to gardens will be scheduled and monitored to maintain social distancing. Pick up tickets prior to your entry time on June 26 at the St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave., St. Paul. Contact and tickets: stanthonyparkgardenclub.com.

find a full list of community events at northerngardener.org/calendar.

Lakeville Area Garden Club Friday, May 14, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 15, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Private Residence, 9975-194th St. W., Lakeville.

This event is a fundraiser for educational and community programs.

Contact: Lynn, panthers72@aol.com.

Plant Sales continue on page 10

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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ABOUT MSHS

Spring Gift Special

Discount Partners

Give the gift of gardening this Mother’s or Father’s Day—just in time for gardening season! A gift membership in MSHS at the Society level includes a full year of discounts at garden centers, free gardening webinars and special member-only deals on classes and events. Plus, your lucky recipient will receive a year-long subscription to our award-winning Northern Gardener magazine, one of the best garden tools for cold-climate gardeners.

Want to start them off with a gift subscription only? Your special someone will receive six issues of the best northern gardening tips and inspiration, delivered to their doorstep.

Our spring special of $10 off Society membership and $5 off subscription only is valid May 1 through June 15. Learn more about this offer at northerngardener.org/gift-membership.

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#GREATGARDENINGCONTEST2021 Back by popular demand, our second annual Great Gardening Contest officially opens on July 5. If you are a non-professional gardener in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North or South Dakota, or Iowa, we want to see your best photos of your garden. It’s easy to join the competition—post your photos on Facebook or Instagram, including the hashtags #GreatGardeningContest2021 and #mnhort in the caption. Then register for the contest online to tell us about your garden.

Visit northerngardener.org/great-gardening-contest to learn more.

SAVE WITH OUR 2021 DISCOUNT PARTNERS!

Society and Affiliated members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society receive a membership card and access to a long list of discounts with our trusted partners across the Upper Midwest.

Visit our online Discount Partner Guide for each partner’s unique offer, address and website, northerngardener.org/discount-partners.

*Locations are in MN unless otherwise noted.

101 Market – Otsego Abrahamson Nurseries – Scandia, Stillwater & St. Croix Falls, WI Anoka-Ramsey Farm & Garden – Ramsey Arden Hills Nursery – Shoreview Axdahl’s Garden Farm & Greenhouse – Stillwater Bachman’s – Apple Valley, Eden Prairie, Fridley, Maplewood, Minneapolis & Plymouth Beier’s Greenhouse – Grand Rapids Beisswenger’s – New Brighton Blue Sky Flower Farm – offer online only Cedar Brook Garden Center – New Prague Como Park Zoo & Conservatory – St. Paul Costa Farm & Greenhouse – White Bear Lake Countryside Lawn & Landscape – Zumbrota Dan & Jerry’s Greenhouse – Monticello Dundee Nursery & Landscaping – Plymouth Ecological Design – Minneapolis EggPlant Urban Farm Supply – St. Paul Fair’s Nursery – Maple Grove Farmington Greenhouse – Farmington Fiddles & Fronds – Minneapolis Flower Power Garden Center & Fred Holasek & Son Greenhouse – Lester Prairie

Forest and Floral Garden Center – Park Rapids Friends School Plant Sale – Falcon Heights Garden Divas – River Falls, WI Green Lake Nursery – Spicer Green Space, LLC. True nature Design – Minneapolis Green Valley Greenhouse – Ramsey Hartman Garden Center & Landscaping – Victoria Hedberg Supply – Stillwater & Plymouth Heidi’s GrowHaus – Corcoran Home Sown Gardens – Eagan Hugo Feed Mill & Hardware – Hugo Jean’s The Right Plant Place – Perham Kelley & Kelley Nursery – Long Lake Kelly’s Cottage Garden – Park Rapids Kern Landscape Resources – St. Paul Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping – Northfield Landscape Alternatives – Shafer Lilydale Garden Center – Lilydale Living Sculpture Trees – Sunfish Lake Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery – Maple Grove Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – Chaska

Mother Earth Gardens – two Minneapolis locations Nagel Sod & Nursery – Medford Nature’s Garden World – Fergus Falls Nelson Nursery Garden Center – Zimmerman, MN Otten Bros Garden Center & Landscaping – Long Lake Pahl’s Market – Apple Valley Paisley Gardens – Northfield Patio Town – Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, Oakdale Pleasant View Gardens – Long Lake Sargent’s Nursery – Red Wing Schulte’s Greenhouse and Nursery – St. Michael Seed Savers Exchange – Decorah, IA Seven Sisters Greenhouse – Prescott, WI South Cedar Garden Center – Farmington Squire House Gardens – Afton Terra Garden Center – Lakeville Terrace Horticultural Books – St. Paul The Garden By The Woods – Chanhassen Wagner Garden Centers – Minneapolis & Hugo Walker Art Center – Minneapolis Winter Greenhouse – Winter, WI

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society is a 501c3 nonprofit. We are thankful for our Discount Partners and members—your support powers our mission to deliver valuable programs for gardeners of all skill and income levels in our cold-climate region, as well as our signature programs, Garden-in-a-Box and Minnesota Green.

Minnesota State Horticultural Society

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

NEW MSHS STRATEGIC PLAN

MASTER GARDENER SPOTLIGHT

Growing Forward

Amborella House

The MSHS Board of Directors recently approved a new Five-Year Strategic Plan for the organization. This is a bold plan, building upon the successful growth in 2020 and responding to the great need for increased support for the full northern gardener community.

the amborella house, which opened its doors to victims of sex trafficking in October, underwent a landscaping makeover with support from the Chisago County Master Gardeners.

With the help of two others, Master Gardener Leslie Scharafanow designed and landscaped about 4,550 square feet of the property, adding two perennial gardens, a mulched seating area, firepit and raised garden beds, with the goal of helping residents learn new gardening skills. Amborella House also will use these newly renovated areas as safe, inviting spaces for group and individual counseling sessions.

Local garden centers donated landscape fabric, mulch, shrubs, soil, brick pavers, pea rock and garden edging materials for the project. Perennial plants were donated by individuals, including some of the gardeners themselves. The Chisago County Master Gardeners will also make a financial donation in honor of the late Bob Walz, a Chisago County master gardener and master naturalist, who was passionate about social justice.

“The project went well, and we have been thanked numerous times by the director of the Amborella House,” says Leslie. “It is meant to be a space where the residents feel safe and can heal and reclaim their lives.”

Vision: Growing, together. We are all gardeners, growing plants and MSHS in a way that brings us into unity and serves the needs of our families and our community.

Mission: Cultivating a healthy, diverse, sustainable community of northern gardeners. The physical and mental health benefits of gardening are needed now more than ever. Just as a garden flourishes with a diversity of plants and inputs, we are strengthening MSHS through deepening partnerships and programs with the rich diversity of cultures, ages, interests and locations of all northern growers. And we continue to promote and educate ourselves about the vital impact that gardening has on the health of our planet.

Goals: We are focusing on four areas of growth over the next five years: 1. Expanding Education: Expand the reach and scope of our inspiring horticultural education.

2. Increasing Our Impact: Advance our programs and partnerships in existing and new programs addressing health, environment, equity and community.

3. Strengthening Membership: Grow and strengthen our connection with members.

4. Building Capacity: Increase our financial and operational capacity to sustain growth.

This plan is an affirmation of the collective strength we have built over 150 years, and our opportunity to continue evolving in our understanding and capacity to serve northern growers.

Please enjoy the full plan at: northerngardener.org/strategic-plan.

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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MSHS NEWS

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Next Generation Gardeners when jesse and jennifer menden something to aspire to.” bought their first house in Buffalo, it did Jennifer’s grandmother, Alta Mae not have a garden. “It was a blank slate,” Asplund, is a lifetime member of MSHS says Jesse. “We loved starting from and started flower gardening at the age scratch!” of six. “My mother Jennifer is the always said that we designer, always wouldn’t have had wanting to add any flowers in the another decorative garden, if it wasn’t plant. Jesse focuses for me,” says Alta on vegetables—a Mae. Now 88, Alta longtime passion— Mae is excited to and likes things see her gardening orderly. The legacy passed on to couple’s different her grandchildren. approaches In February, she sometimes put bought four years’ them at odds with worth of gift each other, Jesse memberships for says. “But we agree Jesse’s birthday. that we will have Now in their a garden—that is 30s, Jesse and always a yes.”

Jennifer are living Their first in Chanhassen on home was on a a much smaller large property property with a hill with plenty of in the back. They But we agree that we space to grow. are planning to Jennifer planted put in a pollinator will have a garden—that petunias, moss garden on the roses, begonias, hill. “We have a is always a yes.” hydrangeas, neighbor with Bee – Jesse Menden peonies and a Safe signs in her variety of shrubs. yard, so we are Jesse’s vegetable going to follow her garden had just about everything in it, example,” Jesse says. and he put up a big fence to keep out When the couple moved to the the critters. One day he came out to the property in 2019, they joined the garden and found three rabbits and two Minnesota Landscape Arboretum right squirrels nibbling away. “Yep, you’re away and say that they really enjoy dealing with the forces of nature in spite the visits for inspiration. However, of best efforts,” he says. for serious tips on how to execute the gardens, they are relying on their Gardening Generations Northern Gardener magazines. “There’s The couple both grew up with gardeners. so much great stuff in there,” says Jesse.

While Jesse’s parents always had a “We need concrete advice on growing vegetable garden, his grandmother’s so you may have added another lifetime garden was perfect. “You could never member to your list!” find a single weed,” he says, “so it was

“

to learn more, visit northerngardener.org/membership.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Plant Sales continued from page 7 Lake Owasso Garden Club Friday, May 14, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 15, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Private Residence, 824 County Rd. B2 W., Roseville.

Unusual perennials and annuals.

Contact: Ron Kvaas, 651-734-8480.

Shoreview Community Garden Club Saturday, May 15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Shoreview Community Center, 4580 Victoria St. N., Shoreview.

Contact: sandilauer@comcast.net.

Wright County Master Gardeners Saturday, May 15, 8:30 – 11 a.m.

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

Cash or check only.

Contact: 763-276-1002.

Anoka Area Gardeners Saturday, May 15, 8 – 11 a.m.

St. Stephen’s Catholic School parking lot, 506 Jackson St., Anoka.

Masks suggested.

Contact: dmbryant02@comcast.net.

Apple Valley Garden Club Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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

Many different kinds of perennials and houseplants, grown by club members.

Contact: Janet, janmew55@yahoo.com.

St. Croix Valley Master Gardeners Saturday, June 5, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Octagon House, 1004 Third St., Hudson, Wis. Proceeds fund grants for educational and beautification projects.

Contact: cindabella57@gmail.com.

Minnesota Hosta Society Saturday, June 12, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Smith Coffee & Café, 8107 Eden Prairie Rd., Eden Prairie. Follow signs for off site parking.

Add to your collection with many varieties for sale.

Contact: karen.wright@mnsu.edu.

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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MSHS NEWS

Ready to Gather in the Garden Again?

MSHS Pollinator Paks™ in Garden Centers Most gardeners want to plant for pollinators, but wonder which plants work best in a pollinator garden. For several years, MSHS has taken the guesswork out of planting for pollinators by creating collections of pollinator plant favorites that work well in the North. Grown by Glacial Ridge Growers in Glenwood, these neonicotinoid-free Pollinator Paks™ will be available at many local garden centers, nurseries and plants sales, beginning May 15.

What’s in the collections? Each pack includes six perennials, ready to plant and known to attract particular pollinators. The butterfly pack features coneflowers, liatris and wild lupines. A hummingbird pack includes hyssop, monarda and heuchera. The bee pack includes foxglove, prairie smoke, blue wild indigo and vanilla scented clematis, and a monarch pack includes six stunning varieties of milkweed.

Buy several to create a beautiful pollinator garden near your home.

To find a Pollinator Paks™ retailer, visit northerngardener.org/pollinator-paks.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

The annual Garden Gathering for MSHS donors will be back this summer and is scheduled for July 15. Please join your fellow gardeners and MSHS supporters for a tour and light refreshments at a very special garden, which will be featured in the July/August 2021 issue of Northern Gardener magazine.

To learn more about the Garden Gathering and donating to MSHS, email Diane Duvall at dduvall@ northerngardener.org.

TO LEARN HOW YOUR DONATIONS POWER OUR PROGRAMS, VISIT NORTHERNGARDENER.ORG/ COMMUNITY-PROGRAMS.

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NORTHERN NATIVES

what a pleasant spring surprise to happen upon a mass of pink-budding, bright blue-flowering Virginia bluebells in the wild. And they’re equally happy and dramatic in a garden setting. Since they’re ephemerals, their bloom time is short—one to two weeks in mid- to late spring—and the foliage senesces and disappears by midsummer.

Foliage first appears in a dramatic deep purple shade near the last frost date. As the soil warms, the plants grow and turn green, soon followed by showy buds and trumpetlike flowers on slender stalks. After flowering, their four-lobed fruits develop, from which seeds can be harvested.

As tall (1 to 3 feet) ephemerals, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) provide early season protective cover for various wildlife species. Also, adding them to a garden is a good way to attract and provide nectar to early pollinators in spring. The flowers are cross-pollinated by bumblebees, honeybees, various flies, butterflies, sphinx moths and, in some areas, hummingbirds.

Their blooms are among the earliest colorful native flowers of the season, providing bright, vibrant hues after early-spring flowers fade and before summer blooms decorate the landscape. Don’t expect blooms the first year. Virginia bluebells tend to follow the common native perennial habit of sleep, creep, leap—in the first year, settling in; the second year, expanding a bit; and in subsequent years, spreading via rhizomes and self-seeding.

Because Virginia bluebells are spring ephemerals that fade quickly in early summer, good companions include plants with staying power throughout the heat of summer and then the changing conditions of autumn. Examples include native plants like wild ginger (Asarum canadense), Solomon seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and fall-blooming asters (Asteraceae family), as well as ferns, hostas and other plants with similar growing requirements.

At a Glance: Virginia Bluebells Hardiness: USDA Zone 3.

Native Habitat: Found in moist, rich woodlands, woodland edges and river floodplains from Minnesota south through the central plains to Mississippi and east from Maine through Georgia.

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall; 1 to 1½ feet wide.

Site: Prefers full to partial sun, moist conditions and silt/loam to clay soils; will tolerate sandy soils with adequate moisture.

Propagation: Prefers partial to full shade, moist conditions and rich soils, but will grow in average, medium, well-drained soils.

Cultivars and Other Species: Mertensia virginica and its related native species, northern bluebells (M. paniculata), are members of the borage family (Boraginaceae).

—B.R.S.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

BETH STETENFELD

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

In nature, this plant grows in woodlands and along woodland edges, so it thrives in partial to full shade, under deciduous trees and shrubs. In sunnier sites, it needs more moisture.

Moist, rich, well-drained soil is best for Virginia bluebells.

Often, this wildflower forms dense colonies in moist woodlands and along river flood plains. If left undisturbed, seedlings continue to build out from the “mother” plant over time.

Growers recommend planting these ephemerals in early spring as young plants; in late winter or early fall as bare-root plants; or in fall, late winter or early spring as seeds. Virginia bluebells develop a very long taproot over time and don’t like to be transplanted. Those who’ve successfully transplanted them recommend digging deep to preserve the taproot, and transplanting by bare root in the fall when the plants are fully dormant.

Virginia bluebells are rare in some parts of their native range. In Minnesota and much of the Midwest, fortunately, they’re still plentiful in their favored habitats. Biologists estimate that only 10 percent of flowering plant species worldwide have blue blooms, and the blue of Virginia bluebells is a striking hue—particularly when viewed en masse, carpeting a woodland floor.

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

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Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

15

KITCHEN GARDEN

once upon a time, I planted mint and my garden was never the same. I don’t say this with regret—the invasive tendencies of mint actually make me smile. I like it as an herb and as a flowering perennial. Mint gets its negative reputation because it’s such an aggressive grower. And, if you don’t want mint everywhere, you should keep it in pots. But make no mistake: mint is a wonderful addition to the garden and the kitchen.

Mint is extremely easy to grow, indoors or out. If you provide the basics of soil, light and water, mint will happily thrive. Many varieties are hardy in northern zones and you’ll find that they’re among the first perennials to pop up in the springtime.

And if mint is easy to grow, it’s even easier to propagate.

It spreads on its own via runners but you can easily transplant it wherever you want it. It’s also incredibly easy to share your mint bounty with fellow gardeners—when your mint starts popping up in new places just transplant it into small pots and offer them to friends. Be sure to tell them about mint’s spreading ways.

You can harvest mint leaves throughout the season, using them fresh or preserving them by drying or freezing for later use. After it flowers, the flavor diminishes somewhat.

Mint Variations

When it comes to mint varieties, there are plenty of options to suit your palate and provide visual interest in the garden. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) and peppermint (Mentha x piperita) are both delicious but they have very different uses in the kitchen. The menthol content is their primary difference; peppermint has a significantly higher

concentration and, thus, a stronger mint flavor. Because of the stronger flavor, peppermint tends to be associated with desserts and pairs exceptionally well with chocolate, while spearmint is used when a more subtle mint flavor is the aim (think salads and entrees).

One of my favorite peppermint varieties is chocolate mint, noted for its subtle chocolate tones. But I love it most for the beautiful coloring of the young leaves; the unique burgundygreen shade is especially striking when contrasted with other varieties of mint that feature bright green leaves.

If you decide to let your spearmint plants flower, be prepared for an incredible show. The delicate flowers are a pale lilac and prove immensely attractive to bees.

Other popular mint varieties include apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) and orange mint (Mentha citrata). Apple mint has solid green leaves but the Variegata cultivar features variegated leaves and is sometimes known as pineapple mint.

In addition to its use in the kitchen, pineapple mint makes an eye-catching plant in the garden and is as beautiful as it is flavorful.

Mint is a natural in desserts and beverages. It pairs perfectly with cakes, cookies, ice cream and brownies. And if you’ve ever watched the Kentucky Derby, you know about its association with the famed mint julep (you’ll definitely want spearmint for this use). If you like mojitos, you may be able to find mojito mint (Mentha x villosa) online or in nurseries. Mint can also be a star in salads and dressings, in sides made with peas and potatoes, or in entrees, especially lamb dishes.

Mint is a surprisingly versatile herb that packs a lot of punch, both in the garden and in the kitchen. And if you’re worried that your mint plant is going to set its sights on world dominance, you can always keep it in a container and under control.

Wisconsin-based Samantha Johnson is the author of several books, including Garden DIY, (CompanionHouse Books, 2020). Visit her online portfolio at samanthajohnson.contently.com.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

In Defense of Mint

GARDEN SOLUTIONS

the gypsy moth (Lymantria Gypsy moth caterpillars will dispar) is a leaf-eating eat leaves from more than insect native to southern 300 species of plants.

Europe, northern Africa and central to southern Asia. In 1869, an amateur entomologist brought gypsy moths to Massachusetts, where a specimen escaped from his lab and began slowly reproducing in the nearby landscape. Since gypsy moths aren’t native to North America, new moth populations aren’t limited by natural predators.

In the eastern United States, established gypsy moth colonies have defoliated large forested areas. The larvae are generalist feeders: instead of focusing on a single genera or species, the caterpillars will eat leaves on more than 300 different species of trees and shrubs, including both deciduous HOW TO HELP and coniferous plants. Though the If you think you’ve identified gypsy defoliation itself rarely kills trees, moths, contact the Department the affected plants become stressed, of Agriculture’s Arrest the Pest making them much more susceptible hotline at 888-545-6684, or send a to other pests. description and photos to Federal and regional attempts to arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us. quarantine the gypsy moth to New England were successful for several decades, but gypsy moth egg masses problems if they continue to establish and pupal cases were found in Duluth across the state and then spread in 1969. This was the first evidence further north and west. of the invasive moth’s presence in Minnesota. Adult gypsy moths have Gypsy Moth Life Cycle since appeared in the Twin Cities and Strangely enough, it’s unlikely that the northeastern and southeastern you’ll ever see an adult gypsy moth. corners of the state.

Their lives are no more than two Although the gypsy moth isn’t a months long. The adults are active garden pest in the traditional sense from late summer to early fall, when of the term, its larvae feed heavily they mate and then deposit their eggs on woody plants, especially oak and in fuzzy beige masses. The egg masses aspen. Considering that Minnesota has are roughly the size of a quarter and over 17 million acres of forested land, are usually protected by the nooks which includes seven native species of and crannies of their surroundings, oaks and four native species of aspens, so they can be difficult to find. The gypsy moths could cause serious

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

SCOTT BAUER BUGWOOD.ORG

Pest Alert: Gypsy Moth caterpillars hatch in late April to early May in southern Minnesota or late May to early June in northern Minnesota. The exact date depends on the weather each year.

Gypsy moth caterpillars are active in the summer.

Their bodies are covered in small tufts of hairs that can irritate human skin on contact. Other distinguishing features include five pairs of blue spots near the caterpillar’s head followed by six pairs of red spots. It is during this life stage that the gypsy moth causes widespread defoliation. The caterpillars eventually reach 2½ inches in length, their growth spurts fueled by consuming massive quantities of foliage.

Quarantined Counties

In 2014, Cook and Lake counties were officially placed under gypsy moth quarantine because moth populations were steadily reproducing in those counties. The quarantine regulates movement of common outdoor items that can serve as possible gypsy moth egg-laying sites. Since the gypsy moth spends most of its life cycle as an egg, this is when humans are most likely to unintentionally transport moths around the state.

Regulated objects include firewood, lumber products, Christmas trees, outdoor furniture, trailers, grills, and really anything that is outside for regular intervals. Anyone moving these items from Cook or Lake county should first inspect them using the USDA’s self-inspection checklist, available at aphis.usda.gov. Search for “gypsy moth checklist.”

As stewards of the natural world, gardeners can help protect Minnesota’s trees and shrubs by watching for

gypsy moths in our own landscapes and then reporting our findings to the Department of Agriculture so it can track this pest’s spread. From May to August, when gypsy moth caterpillars are actively feeding, keep an eye out for defoliation on your trees and shrubs. If you think you’ve identified gypsy moths (in any life stage, including egg masses), contact the Department of Agriculture’s Arrest the Pest hotline at 888-545-6684.

Or, you can send a description and photos of what you’ve found to arrest. the.pest@state.mn.us.

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DIY

Outdoor Succulent Dish Garden succulents are hot right now.

Everyone wants them. In the January/ February issue of Northern Gardener, I wrote about a low-light alternative to the much-coveted indoor succulent dish garden. Many of us just do not have the bright light required for indoor succulents, but we may have the light needed to plant an outdoor succulent dish garden. It can live happily on a patio table, on a front stoop or even on a stump in the perennial bed— anywhere the dish can bake in full sun for at least a couple of hours each day.

With the endless variety of shapes, colors and textures, a succulent dish garden is like a piece of sculpture for your outdoor space.

Succulents are available everywhere now, but they can still be a little pricey.

If you’ve got a window that gets at least a few hours of bright sunlight, you can overwinter a dish with nonhardy varieties indoors. From my experience, echeverias overwinter the best, so if you would like to create a heritage succulent dish that will live with you for years, travelling indoors and out depending on the season, consider a framework of these.

The Pot and the Potting

Shallow dish containers are readily available in garden centers, home goods stores, used shops or online. Succulents do not have extensive roots, so a 4to 5-inch container is deep enough.

Succulents demand good drainage, and it’s easy to drill a drainage hole with a ceramic tile bit if your container lacks one.

If your container is plastic, a box cutter will do the job.

Add rocks or terra cotta shards to the bottom of the container for Top: A container of succulents and moss roses Lower: DIY dish garden Inset: Echeveria can go from indoors to outside.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

added drainage. Fill the container with a planting mix specifically for succulents or cacti or create your own mix

by incorporating one part sand with two parts standard potting mix to improve drainage in the dish. Consider incorporating a slow-release fertilizer at planting time.

COWSMO Patio Table Garden To accommodate a patio table umbrella, I crafted a dish garden with a center hole (left, lower image). It’s a simple DIY project using a plastic saucer and an empty case that once housed stacks of CDs. You could use a length of PVC piping cut to size instead of the CD case. Using a box cutter, I cut a hole in the saucer and removed the base of the case, then placed the case inside the saucer to create a donut-shaped planter. The planting medium holds the case in place. I planted out the garden, then put it on the table before threading the umbrella pole through it. Instant table décor!

—E.J.

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Echeverias with their sturdy rosette forms overwinter well indoors and shine outside. You could fill an entire dish with them and have a wonderful tapestry of succulents. Sedum offers many forms that branch and trail. Crassulas are upright and make striking focal points.

Sansevieria work well in an outdoor succulent garden and overwinter nicely as they require less light. Whichever varieties you choose, strive for a mix of shapes, colors and textures. Add annual portulaca or moss rose for pops of color.

How Much Sun?

Place the dish garden where it will get as much sunlight as possible. With sufficient water it will thrive in full, all-day sun. (Remember: succulents love water, they just hate wet feet.) But it can thrive on less sun. With a couple of hours of direct sun and a few more of indirect sun, it will live happily.

Minneapolis-based gardener and writer Eric Johnson blogs at gardendrama.wordpress. com.

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Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

21

POLLINATORS

Fast-Growing Vines for Hummingbirds

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

Hyacinth bean vine is a favorite of hummingbirds.

A Resonance of Emerald A Rush of Cochineal – Just as with her recipe for prairie, “one clover, one bee,” Emily Dickinson distills the essence of nature’s wonders into those few powerful lines. She doesn’t even have to name the subject and yet we know exactly what her imagery describes.

I never get over the thrill of hummingbirds as they zip through my garden. I always have to stop what I’m doing and marvel at the sight of these tiny acrobats. And yet I can’t get enthused about setting out feeders. I’d rather plant flowers for them any day.

It’s that evanescence, as Dickinson calls it, that spurs me to plant a lot, increasing my odds of seeing more of those fleeting moments.

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Blooming vines, especially annuals started from seed, are an easy, not to mention inexpensive, way to do this. If you start right now, your garden will be buzzing with these little birds by summer. Here are some of my favorites: Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) Beautiful bean seeds mottled with lavender and black quickly grow to 10 to 12 feet, followed by bright red blossoms that attract hungry hummingbirds. Look for ‘Magic Beanstalk’ (red), ‘Painted Lady’ (bi-color red/white) and ‘Sunset’ (salmon pink). A new dwarf variety called ‘Hestia’ can be used for hanging baskets. The bean pods are edible, best if picked while still small and cooked thoroughly. Or you can let them dry and harvest seeds for next season’s planting.

Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamaclit) Feathery foliage adorned with small star-shaped red flowers make this one a lovely addition to the garden. Its vigorous nature gives it a bad name in warmer climates like Florida where it can really take off. That’s no problem in northern gardens where frost and snow stop it.

Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus) The vine is just as gorgeous as the blooms. Bronzy green foliage with purple veins and stems seems to glow when backlit by the sun. The orchid to violet blossoms are borne on sprays that reach out from the plant.

Look for ‘Ruby Moon’, or you can try the white variety, ‘Silver Moon’— hummingbirds like it as well. As the

Get Ready for Pollinator Paks™! season progresses, bright purple pods appear. It’s easy to save the seeds, little round capsules of crisp black and white; some call them ‘little nuns.”

For so many reasons, I love this plant!

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Spanish Flag (Ipomoea lobata) Often called firecracker vine for the way the flowers seem to shoot out from the vine, this plant was botanically known as Mina lobata. The distinctive blooms unfurl with a spray of tubular flowers, starting with pale yellow at the base and ending with red at the top. The fast-growing vine has attractive, deeply lobed leaves.

How to Grow Runner beans don’t transplant well, so it’s best to sow them directly into the garden once the soil has warmed to 50 degrees. You can sow the other vines indoors under lights for a head start around four weeks before the last frost. Be sure to harden them off before planting outdoors. Once again, it’s important to wait until the soil has warmed, as these three vines have tropical origins. If you forget to sow seeds, you can often find these vines as plants in garden centers.

The vines all need some type of support to climb. For cypress vine, you could use netting or string like you would for peas. I usually grow the runner beans within the raised beds of my kitchen garden on expandable bamboo tepees. I train the hyacinth beans on stronger, large diameter bamboo poles arranged in a tripod, and at other times on a metal trellis. Spanish flag with its vigorous foliage will need a stronger support, too.

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Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

23

PLANT TO PICK

Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta Calamint, Lesser Catmint i’ll bet almost every northern gardener knows the perennial catmint (Nepeta) and uses it in their garden.

But you may not know its relative, Calamintha, and I hope this article will encourage you to use this lovely summer-blooming plant.

Calamintha nepeta is a bushy, rhizomatous perennial herb from the mint family. It is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. The genus name comes from the Greek kalos, meaning beautiful, and minthe, meaning mint.

Kalaminthe means savory in Greek.

It forms a dense, rounded to spreading mound, with flowering stems that reach up from the plant to 12 to 18 inches in height. It spreads 14 to 18 inches wide. The small gray-green leaves are very fragrant when crushed and have that lovely mint aroma.

It is a vigorous grower and is not really fussy about soil. It tolerates both acid and alkaline soil as well as drought, once established. Like most perennials, having evenly moist soil is ideal. It does require a full-sun site, which is at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. There are no serious insect or disease problems with Calamintha. This perennial is definitely easy to grow!

this plant, but with some extra winter protection (and good snow cover) it may survive in your gardens.

This is a long-blooming perennial, starting in June and blooming throughout the summer until frost. The tiny

“

PPA has chosen this plant as its Plant of the Year for 2021.”

white flowers (sometimes touched with a bit of pale blue) cover the bushy plant and they are heaven for pollinators! Just watch the bees and butterflies crowd around this lovely plant. And, it is deer resistant, a huge bonus for those who deal with deer. If a plant starts to look a little ratty in midsummer, especially during hot spells, just give it a quick shearing. It will grow back and bloom again when the weather cools.

While the species is the Plant of the Year, there are a couple of cultivars to note if you are looking in the garden

Zone Hardiness Questions

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Calamint in beds at Noerenberg Gardens

DEBBIE LONNEE

All of these attributes are why the Perennial Plant Association (PPA), a national trade association for plant breeders, has chosen this plant as its Plant of the Year for 2021. The Plant of the Year program was developed to showcase perennials that stand out from their competitors.

If you go to the PPA website (perennialplant.org), you will find a lot of information on Calamintha. One fact that may make you hesitate is that the association lists this plant as hardy from USDA Zone 5 to zone 7. I have found Calamintha to be easily hardy in zone 4, and one of the best places to see this plant in action is in the beds at Noerenberg Gardens in Minneapolis. Zone 3 gardeners will need to be brave and adventurous to try

Friends School NG color 2021.qxp_Friends Plant Sale Phoenix 2010 3/30/21 12:26 PM Page 1

centers. ‘Montrose White’ has sterile white flowers, ‘White Cloud’ has flowers that are a brighter white than the species, and there are even a couple of seed-grown cultivars on the market—‘Marvelette White’ and ‘Blue Cloud’.

Use Calamintha toward the front in your perennial beds since it is relatively low. It combines beautifully with Allium, Russian sage (Perovskia), Phlox paniculata or ornamental grasses. It is relatively easy to propagate via softwood cuttings.

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

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Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

25

BY DESIGN

Mound It Up

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Above: Filled with shrubs and perennials, this mound frames the yard and welcomes visitors.

Below: A mound creates privacy.

DIANE MCGANN

strolling my neighborhood last fall, I tried to analyze why my eye was drawn to certain driveway plantings while it passed over others. It finally dawned on me that the most pleasing entrances featured a raised or mounded garden bed. It makes sense. The vistas we most enjoy in nature are ones with undulating ground forms, hills and valleys. Applying that concept to our yards may well make them more pleasing, too.

Garden mounds are slightly raised earthworks that host plants. They’re often used in corners of a yard or to strategically frame a landscape. The ones I admired in my neighborhood were entrance plantings, sited at the end of driveways near the road. They acted as a sort of welcome garden.

Berms are bigger, taller versions of mounds; they often border a roadside and are mostly used to block noise and unwanted scenery. Both mounds and berms please the eye by offering that vertical curve; they’re the upright versions of the curving lines that so many of us find pleasing in our garden beds.

Mounds create a setting for a graduated plant parade, allowing layers of plants to be readily seen and appreciated. Apart from the aesthetics, these raised earthworks offer other benefits. They can provide an area of improved garden soil in an otherwise barren spot, or they might supply the framework for a rock garden. Mounds and berms can be designed to improve drainage by filtering water away from the areas we want to remain dry. Raised earthworks can also be used to direct foot traffic, to increase privacy and noise reduction when coupled with screening plants, and to subtly mark boundaries. The loveliest mounds gradually rise to no more than 2 feet, shaped as nature would have them, in an irregular curving pattern, such as kidney, crescent or undulating oval. The goal is always to have them look as though they formed that way naturally, blending into the surrounding areas seamlessly and composed of

various heights and gradations. Any raised earthen feature should melt into the remaining landscape and be a part of it, not drawing attention to itself.

Most mounds are created using layers of materials, with gravel, sand, rubble or the like for the base, topped with a fill dirt, and then capped with a rich topsoil, blended out to the edges.

If you are planning any kind of excavation in your yard, you already have the material you need. Mounds ideally

are four to six times wider than their height with the base spreading about 5 feet out for every 1 foot of berm rise.

This prevents erosion and improves aesthetics. Placement of the mound depends on the purpose you want it to serve. For example, a berm that is intended to block the view of garbage cans would be located near that area.

Keep in mind that no portion of any mound or berm should be placed within the drip line of a tree or large shrub.

Even just a small land rise can

HOW TO BUILD A MOUND • Make sure you have enough room to construct a mound or berm. You’ll need 5 to 6 feet of width for every foot of height.

• Take time to site your mound so that it serves your purpose, enhances the beauty of your landscape and avoids any drainage issues.

trigger a pleasing reaction, because flat surfaces can sometimes seem hohum. If your garden expanses bore you, consider emulating nature’s rolling hills to give them the jolt they need.

• Mark the location, then view it from all sides.

• Think again about whether this is where you want your mound. Once placed, it’s hard to move.

Shade plants filled a raised area near a fence.

• Add the base layers, sculpting the mound so that it’s relatively flat on top and flows gracefully on all sides, varying the heights and degree of slope. Place the highest point away from the center, and have more than one peak.

Look at your new landscape feature from all directions and adjust it until it’s perfect.

• Now is the time to place any rocks or boulders, tucking them into the slope and embedding a portion of each into the soil.

• Add your plants, and if you mulch, consider edging the mound to catch any wayward chips drifting down the slope.

A ring of stones could add a design element as well as hold the soil.

—D.M.

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

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

27

Bordering on Fabulous Story and photos by Mary Lahr Schier

Under an expert gardener’s care, this garden blooms with color and joy.

GARDENING AT KEN ZIMMERMAN’S 14-ACRE PROPERTY OUTSIDE OF ROCHESTER STARTED WITH A CHILD’S ENTHUSIASM.

Years ago, Ken and his late wife, Adele, home-schooled their four children.

When the two youngest were in fourth and sixth grades, they wanted a garden.

“They did a good job, too,” Ken recalls.

From a small space with vegetables and a few flowers, the garden grew and grew along with the kids, as trees, shrubs, perennials and garden sculptures were added, including life-sized turtle and alligator sculptures that a repairman once mistook for the real thing. At one point, the family even built a large water feature with a stream and a big pond made from rock hauled from a nearby quarry. It was a fun, joyful space for the whole family.

The children have grown and the pond is long gone, but Ken’s excitement for nurturing a garden that welcomes friends and family continues.

He enhances his enthusiasm with skills learned from decades of gardening.

The centerpiece of his garden today is a 200-foot-long flower border, layered with trees, shrubs and brightly colored

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annuals and perennials. Ken tinkers with the garden each year, adding new annuals, replacing structures and continuing to seek out the best ways to battle the area’s voracious deer. It’s been a labor of love that brings joy to his family and other garden visitors.

“This is a place for having fun and happiness,” Ken says.

The Long Border Ken’s long flower border is surrounded by a layer of Black Hills spruce trees backed by a layer of 40-foot-tall arborvitae, protecting it from wind and nestling it in green. The trees will eventually grow up to 60 feet tall, but unlike other spruce, their foliage stays lush all the way to the top. Heavy loads of snow and ice in the winter don’t bother them, Ken says, making them the ideal backdrop to the main garden.

Between the trees and the garden is a utility area, where Ken stores garden equipment and his riding mower, a necessity when you have 2 acres of lawn and garden.

A layer of 12-foot-tall ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas brightens the back of the border. Ken keeps them straight and healthy by pruning them to 8 feet tall

“

It’s been a labor of love that brings joy to his family and other garden visitors. This is a place for having fun and happiness.”

– ken zimmerman with a hedge clipper after a killing frost in the fall. The severe pruning prompts extra big blooms the next summer, Ken says, and many of the flowers are nearly a foot long. Purple ‘Jackmanii’ clematis climb trellises in the back row, too. Below the hydrangeas is a wild mix of colorful perennials that grow to 3 to 4 feet tall: phlox in pink, fuschia and white; beebalm in red and pink; dramatic tall, white lilies. A huge joepye weed anchors one end of the bed.

Left: A 200-foot flower border edges Ken Zimmerman’s backyard with color.

Below: Sculpture reveals the whimsical nature of the garden, which features plants such as joe-pye weed, phlox and monarda, and dahlias.

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Bordering on Fabulous

Tips to Reduce Maintenance After four decades gardening, Ken has found ways to make his garden easier to care for while still being lush.

Use soft tap water to prevent scale and deposits on water features. If you have a recirculating water feature and hard water in your area, fill the fountain from an inside faucet at the start of the season. It will remain clear all summer.

Create “forever gardens.”

Ken plants groups of lowmaintenance perennials, such as bee balm, near the edges of his woods and calls them his forever gardens. They require almost no care, and “they’ll be around long after I’m gone,” he says.

Mark where annuals go. In a large space, it’s easy to forget where perennials and annuals should be placed. In late fall, Ken places sticks where he wants to plant annuals the next year.

Recycle potting soil. Ken purchased a trailer load of high-quality potting soil more than a decade ago for his containers.

Each spring, he empties containers and baskets into a small trailer, mixes in slow-release fertilizer and then re-uses the soil.

—M.L.S.

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The lowest layer is filled with shorter perennials, such as coreopsis, along with annuals and dahlias.

Ken’s favorite annual is the SunPatiens®, which he dots throughout the border and plants in the many containers and flowerbeds near his patio, which faces the border. Sunpatiens are a “miracle flower,” Ken says, because they grow fast, come in many colors and can handle both sun and shade. “They really perform best with some shade,” Ken says. They’ll grow in full shade, too, but only to about two-thirds their usual size. His favorite cultivar is ‘Tropical Orange’, which has variegated foliage and bright orange blooms.

To maintain his large borders, Ken fertilizes the entire bed with a 1010-10 fertilizer in fall. Fertilizing in fall avoids the runoff that can occur with heavy rains in spring, he says. He

spreads a long-lasting, pre-emergent herbicide over the area in early spring to get a jump on weeds. To keep a neat edge on the expansive border, Ken installed cement curbing on one side of the bed about eight years ago. A steel cable in the curb prevents frost from dislodging or moving the curbing, Ken notes. At $4 per foot when installed, the curb was not inexpensive, but its longevity and its resistance to being damaged by the riding mower have made it a good investment.

While the gardens near the house require regular care and Ken mows almost 2 acres of grass, the rest of the property is less demanding. About two-thirds of the 14 acres are in woods. Oak wilt has affected many trees in the woods, particularly the red oaks. Ken recommends that if you want to plant oaks, choose white oaks, which are more

From left: Trumpet lilies stand tall; ‘Jackmanii’ clematis climb a trellis at the back of the border.

Below: To reduce scale, Ken uses softened water in his fountain.

resistant to oak wilt. He loves bur oaks, as well, which are also susceptible to the disease. When he discovered oak wilt on bur oaks, he immediately removed the affected trees. “The trees’ roots are so interconnected that allowing one to hang on with the disease would spread it to the rest,” he says. Other trees in the woods include hickories, elms, cherries and walnuts as well as a majestic row of Norway pine trees that line the long driveway into the property.

Fence Them Out Ken’s biggest problem are the abundant deer around Rochester, and fencing is the best solution. For years, he’s had a nearly invisible 7½-foot-tall mesh fence around the main part of the garden. To install it, Ken hammered 10-foot, ¾-inch rebar rods around the back of the garden. The rods were then

“

Ken plants groups of low-maintenance perennials, such as bee balm, near the edges of his woods and calls them his forever gardens. ‘They’ll be around long after I’m gone.’”

– ken zimmerman

covered with black poly tubing to prevent rust and the fencing was attached with zip ties. While this has been effective, Ken added another layer of protection in 2020 after deer breached the system. The extra layer involves wires placed a foot apart stretched between

posts with a cable to hold them. Cattle panel gates are closed at night. While the system held for most of 2020, this past winter deer were able to push through one of the wires, Ken says.

He added a layer of thick mesh on the lower part of the fence, which seems to be holding. It’s a never-ending battle.

A Family Garden

Zimmerman’s children and grandchildren are frequent visitors to the garden.

While his alligator sculpture is gone, the turtle remains as well as two sculptures of children. One is of children playing leap-frog, while the other shows a mother swinging a child in the air. That’s the feeling Ken wants for his garden, he says, “fun, family, hospitality.”

Mary Lahr Schier is editor of Northern Gardener.

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Cherry tomatoes offer diverse colors and flavors, but not all on one plant.

Taste the Rainbow Story and photos by Rhonda Fleming Hayes

When your phone keeps ringing with extended warranty offers and bogus IRS threats, you can always seek refuge in the garden. Surely no scam or spam or nefarious actors will find you there? Think again, there is grift in the gardening world, too.

Enter into evidence: The Rainbow Cherry Tomato as seen on, well, let’s just say a major online retailer. It’s as if Peter Max, the psychedelic artist from the 1960s, designed this tomato plant. For a more current comparison, the glossy fruits pictured resemble a bag of Tropical Skittles—bright blue and pure purple, the greenest of greens and a lipstick pink. Sorry to say, it’s not real.

Back to Reality

But gardeners grounded in reality can take heart, there’s a wide spectrum of natural colors available in the cherry tomato world. The shades are more subtle than the technicolor tomato in the ad, yet way more tasty and appetizing to the eye. Besides tomatoes in classic red, you can find orange, gold, peach, peachy-pink, yellow, pale yellow to almost ivory, green, then rosy red, Indigo Rose smoky red, brownish red leaning into purple and blue-almostblack, described as indigo. For an extra flourish, there are newer varieties that sport stripes of orange, gold and bronze.

Add to that the different shapes to be had beyond the classic cherry orb, such as currant, grape, and small versions of pear and plum. Some are still round but a bit bigger, nearing pingpong ball size.

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The Long, Tall and Short of It

It’s tempting to want all the colors, if you have room for them. The fruits of cherry tomatoes may be smaller in size but the vines require just as much space as full-size tomatoes and lots of vertical support. Most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate varieties, meaning the vines keep growing until stopped by frost. As with any tomato, full sun, well-drained

Left: Patio Choice, a prolific tomato, grows well in a container.

Cherry tomatoes climb a trellis in the author’s garden.

soil, and adequate water is needed. The conventional method for managing vines is a cage. But the plants usually manage to outgrow that as they reach for the sky, which has led me to try some different strategies.

After seeing another gardener grow hers over a metal arch you could walk beneath, the little fruits dangling so cute like Christmas ornaments, I tried a similar approach. I grew them

over an arch placed inside my raised bed. I wasn’t as diligent about pruning and tying as I could have been, and the vine ended in a not-so-tidy tangle. In addition, it was hard to reach up inside the arch to pick them from outside the raised bed. Nonetheless, the arch method is something I recommend trying in the right circumstances.

I’ve thought of growing them tied to a tall, flat trellis in a semi-espaliered technique as well. But once again, that’s a commitment. Meanwhile, there are more varieties designed for small spaces, such as Patio Choice. These are determinate varieties—they grow to size and stop growing—that maintain a compact size. I’ve found that’s an easy way to grow a basic yellow cherry variety to add more color to salads and other dishes, while saving space. The attractive foliage and diminutive size make patio tomatoes great container candidates, and I’ve been surprised by their productivity. I’ve found only red or yellow cherry tomatoes in this petite form, but maybe other colors will be developed in this handy size.

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Taste the Rainbow

Sunsugar tomato salad with basil and feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes, no matter the color, are early and prolific.

Once production ramps up, it can be hard to keep on top of the tiny fruits. Yet they are incredibly versatile in the kitchen. Beyond salads, I often substitute them for regular-sized tomatoes. In many situations, they are easier and more vigorous than conventional tomatoes.

• I like to use them for a quick, fresh salsa. Whiz them in the food processor with onions, a few jalapenos, lime juice and cilantro or perhaps oregano. Boom, you’ve got a wonderful topping for your tacos.

• When they threaten to overwhelm me, I slice them and spread them on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil, and herbs like basil, thyme or rosemary, and garlic. Roast them at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until they soften and you have delicious sauce for pasta and other dishes. You could add this sauce to soups for depth of flavor or freeze it for winter use.

• Sometimes, I fill a large skillet with cherBumble Bee ry tomatoes and a bit of olive oil, heating gently until they burst. As the juices flow, I let them simmer slowly then add a little cream and let the mixture thicken. I’ll then add sautéed chicken or shrimp and put it over rice or pasta, or even white beans. Improvise with whatever herbs you have on hand.

• I tuck them into my tomato pies, filling the gaps between layers of regular tomato slices.

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Sungold

Color and Flavor

It’s usually thought that tomato flavor is determined by color, with red tomatoes having a more robust taste, the dark brownish purple ones a smoky flavor and yellow tomatoes a mild to bland flavor. I wonder if color subconsciously affects our perception? Then again, tomato flavor can be influenced by soil makeup—minerals and micronutrients affecting it, known as terroir, just as soil affects grapes for wine. Water quantity and ripening temperatures make for differences, too. Every garden has its own conditions.

There are many colorful cherry tomatoes to try. I’ve grown all those listed below in my kitchen garden with raised beds, rich loamy soil refreshed every year, consistent watering and a warm southern exposure. You may get different results.

But with so many color choices, it’s fun to keep exploring the possibilities.

Sungold: This tangerine-colored tomato is a perennial (as in time and time again) favorite. It has a nice sweet/acid balance with a cheerful hue. You can’t lose with this one. Very prolific.

Sunsugar: Touted as an alternative to Sungold, in my garden it suffered from a bad case of early blight, with the fruit and leaves affected, and a less than impressive yield. Yet those

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Harvest A-Plenty

Yellow Pear

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

“I tuck [cherry tomatoes] into my tomato pies, filling the gaps between layers of regular tomato slices.”

that I roasted had a wonderfully sweet, almost apricot flavor.

Bumblebee Series: These oversized cherry tomatoes are gorgeous! They come in shades of pinkish red, orange, red or brownish-purple with orange or gold striping. They resist cracking. With a bright taste and good looks, they’re great for salads, bowls and appetizers.

Shimmer Hybrid Series: Similar to the Bumblebee series, but somewhere in size between a cherry and a Roma, their color is dark red with bronze to green striping. They have a nice flavor, not too sweet. Imagine them on a skewer in a bloody Mary!

Indigo Rose: More style than substance, this tomato has a beautiful ombre affect as it ripens from orangey-red to deep blueish-black. Too bad it has little flavor and a mealy texture.

I’ve seen other reports with similar opinions. If you have lots of room, you might grow it for the novelty and mix it with other tomatoes for color in a salad.

Yellow Pear: You’ll get hundreds of darling yellow fruits with mild flavor. Try them in a delicious golden tomato jam.

Minneapolis-based Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the Pollinators columnist for Northern Gardener and a long-time kitchen gardener.

Shimmer Hybrid tomato Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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THE

Finest Phlox Story and photos by Michelle Mero Riedel

‘Pink Flame’ phlox

Revitalize your garden and extend the growing season with colorful, vigorous blooms from spring to fall.

When I make a list of top, musthave plants for every garden, I always include hardy, perennial phlox.

They are dependable and long-lived.

They attract pollinators—a must for today’s environmentally minded gardener—provide an amazing display of color and are easy to maintain. And tall phlox don’t require staking, which makes them winners in my book.

Phlox species bloom from early spring through late fall, so there’s a sweet fragrant blossom in my garden the entire growing season.

There are three types of phlox: groundcover, native and upright.

Thanks to their distinctive features, there’s a perfect type of phlox for each season.

Phlox for Spring

Groundcover Phlox (Phlox subulata) Also known as creeping and moss phlox, groundcover phlox produces stunning color early in the season.

They look terrific as an under carpet to spring-blooming bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils. Groundcover phlox are mostly found in tough growing sites among rocks and boulders, on hillsides, or in front borders. When in bloom, every inch of the plant is covered with half-inch, star-shaped blooms of white, pink, magenta-red, violet, blue or bicolor. Moss phlox has needle-shaped leaves, which make it look a bit like asparagus fern when it is not in bloom. This plant also thrives in full sun and is hardy to USDA Zone 2. Give this groundcov-

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If you are in downtown St. Paul this summer, take a stroll through the Saint Paul Hotel gardens for a breathtaking display of mixed phlox.

er some room; as the name suggests, it’s a creeping plant that prefers to dwell in well-drained soil. As a bonus, it needs little to no care and is deerand pest-resistant.

Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata) As the name suggests, woodland phlox prefer shady, moist soil locations similar to a forest’s edge. These zone 3-hardy native plants will also flourish in a sunny morning garden given plenty of moisture. The delicate, 1-inch wildflowers bloom shortly after groundcover phlox. Woodland phlox also has more of an airy, loose feel compared to the dense flower cover of moss and tall or upright phlox. Woodland phlox’s nectar-rich flowers are only pollinated by hummingbirds and insects with a long tongue, such as butterflies. After blooming, woodland phlox fades into the background, especially when it’s surrounded by shade-loving hostas and

heucheras. Unfortunately, deer and rabbits may graze on the foliage.

Summer Bloomers

Carolina Phlox (Phlox carolina) Not many cultivars are available in this category, but they are worth mentioning. These North American natives bloom earlier and have slightly skinnier flower heads than Phlox paniculata.

They are an early summer surprise in a sunny garden, reaching 3 feet tall.

Their 1-inch, star-shaped flowers start blooming in June and July, then sporadically throughout summer. Flower colors are pink or white.

Summer to Fall Phlox

Tall Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) The most popular and eye-catching type of phlox by far, P. paniculata climbs 2 to 4 feet tall. The plant’s star-shaped flowers are about an inch

in diameter, assembled into 5- to 7-inch panicles (or flower heads) atop a strong stem. You’ll find them in a wide range of colors, including shades of white, pink, orange, red and purple.

There are also many bi-color varieties worth investing in. The leaves of garden phlox are a deep green, making them attractive to look at both before and after blooms.

Years ago, tall blooming phlox only came in a towering height—up to 5 feet. Today, we can enjoy phlox around 2 feet tall for the garden edge.

You can find a garden phlox for front, mid and back borders.

Compared to other types, tall garden phlox blooms longer and requires more care. It’s important to plant them in the best spot—one with evenly moist, well-drained soil.

Add organic matter to the planting location, especially if you’re dealing with sandy soil. Strong sun will keep Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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The Finest Phlox

the plant blooming happily, although part sun is tolerable. Too much shade makes the stems too weak to support the weight of the full flower cluster.

Avoid excessive overhead watering, which may cause fungal disease. Fill in around phlox with other perennial beauties such as coneflowers, beebalms, sedums, Shasta daisies and lilies. But don’t pack them in too tight; phlox like some breathing room—18 inches per plant is safe.

There are some common tall phlox leaf problems that you’ll want to avoid. Powdery mildew, a rarely fatal fungal disease, affects the foliage in an unappealing way, making it look like it was dragged through flour. To avoid mildew, keep space around the plants, irrigate at the root, avoid shade and select disease-resistant phlox cultivars.

Spider mites can also affect tall phlox. The mites like to feed on the plant’s leaves, causing them to curl or yellow and eventually drop off, if there’s a large infestation. Checking on leaves early is key. A simple spray of insecticidal soap may kill the mites in their early stage.

Grazing deer are another pest for tall garden phlox, as they may chomp the leaves and flower buds. If deer are present in your garden, spraying a repellent may be necessary.

The last pest that bothers tall garden phlox isn’t a disease, arachnid or critter. Rather it’s the seed that drops and self-sows from some cultivars.

Unfortunately, the phlox offspring are not the true color of the parent plant.

The new plants are usually a lavender-pink, and it’s easy to remove the seedlings. It’s best to deadhead after blooming or add plants by division (preferably in spring) when transplanting to other garden areas.

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‘Emerald Cushion Pink’ and ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’

Favorite Phlox Cultivars In the right conditions, all perennial phlox will bloom for weeks, and you can find one to fit any garden location and growing season. With so many to choose from, you’re sure to find some favorites.

Some of mine are: ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’ and ‘Emerald Cushion Pink’ among the groundcover types.

Phlox divaricata ‘Blue Moon’ is a cultivar of the native woodland phlox that resides in my shady garden.

I also love P. carolina ‘Miss Lingard’, which is known as the wedding phlox because it blooms in early June and intermittently all summer long.

‘Blue Moon’ ‘Miss Lingard’

‘David’

‘Little Laura’

‘Thai Pink Jade’

Peacock™ ‘Cherry Red’

‘Starfire’

‘Orange Perfection’

‘Bright Eyes’

Among the tall garden phlox, you have many choices in a variety of sizes and bloom colors. My picks: ‘David’, a long-popular cultivar with white flowers. It is 3 feet tall and has excellent disease-resistance.

‘Little Laura’ is a short lavender-pink phlox for the garden border.

‘Thai Pink Jade’ PP22,961 is another disease-resistant phlox. Its medium height and compact habit make it great for small gardens.

Peacock™ ‘Cherry Red’ stands less than 2 feet tall and boasts long-blooming, striking flower color.

‘Starfire’ has unusual dark stems and brilliant foliage.

‘Orange Perfection’ is my favorite tall phlox that blooms from late summer into fall.

‘Pink Flame’ (‘Bartwelve’) blends beautifully in the garden. I’ve planted it with rudbeckia, coneflower and blue sea holly.

‘Bright Eyes’ features light pink petals and crimson eyes.

Whichever phlox you pick, it’s sure to brighten your summer.

Michelle Mero Riedel is a master gardener, professional photographer and regular contributor to Northern Gardener.

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A PLANT FOR ALL

Seasons Story and photos by Gail Hudson

Bergenia does it all— and now there are more reasons to grow it.

We

are so demanding of our garden plants in 2021. We want them to enchant us in the spring, dazzle in the summer and blaze with color in the fall. Oh, and can they bloom longer, be low-maintenance and attract pollinators but resist the nibbling of deer and rabbits, too? It’s enough to send nurseries and plant breeders scurrying around the world on a mad hunt for these perfect plants.

And yet, we often overlook the standby perennials, which tick every box on this wishlist for gardeners. And Bergenia, also known as pig squeak, heartleaf bergenia, elephant ears or saxifrage, is one of them! This easy-care plant is one of the most stunning perennials for shade or partial shade that can be found. And lucky for us, it’s just being rediscovered by the green industry. This spring, you’ll see new, tantalizing varieties of this versatile veteran popping up in your local nursery or garden center.

I first noticed this fuss-free groundcover displayed for fall and winter interest in a British garden. The visual drama of a mass of reddish-green, thick leaves (their fall color) massed under yel-

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low-stemmed dogwood was stunning.

Bergenias typically have large rosettes of leathery, glossy, rounded, dark green leaves, which are heart shaped at the base (the leaves “squeak” when rubbed together). The leaves form a clump of foliage that slowly spreads through rhizomes. The flowers rise above the leaves on colorful, hardy stalks. Bergenias are rabbit and deer resistant.

All Season Performer

At winter’s end in the North, bergenia leaves stand out in the brown landscape—evergreen (except for one deciduous variety) and ready for spring. In April and May, the plants sprout pretty, dense clusters of small bee-friendly flowers. The pendulous, goblet-shaped blossoms range in color from white to pink to magenta to red, and sail high above the leaves on 16- to 23-inch-tall stalks. (Dwarf varieties can be 4 to 8 inches high.)

In the summer, the texture of the large, bold leaves is beautifully suited for any style of garden and is particularly effective when planted in a broad sweep, punctuating the landscape in

Left: Bergenia cordifolia ‘Winter Glow’ (‘Winterglut’) Below: Bergenia blooms in early spring.

Lower: Bergenia ‘Overture’ adds winter interest to the garden.

“

Bergenias typically have large rosettes of leathery, glossy, rounded, dark green leaves, which are heart shaped at the base.” groups. They are just as at home in a cottage or formal garden as they are in a woodland or rock garden. This great foliage perennial is long-lived and tough as nails. Many varieties thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 9.

Bergenias can tolerate most types of soil, preferring well-drained soil, rich with humus. They tolerate neglect; moist, poorly drained banks or borders; and can thrive in dry conditions, too.

No worries about the lighting conditions either—they grow in sun or shade but perform best in partial shade.

In the cool temperatures of fall and winter, those dependable leaves of many bergenia varieties put on a fiery show, changing from dark green to jewel-like colors of plum purple, bronze and wine red. And they’ll remain vibrantly colored until the snow covers them up.

This is truly an all-season performer.

History and Uses

Since the 18th century, bergenia has been used to set off statues and fountains, planted in masses to soften the edges with their dense growth and interesting leaves. They’ve also been

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A Plant for All Seasons

spotted in one of the first garden photographs by famous British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll back in 1885, interspersed with spikes of yucca. Jekyll wrote that she appreciated bergenia’s smooth texture and clumping growth habit to give unity to a garden border.

That’s a great use for them today, too. Bergenia are particularly stellar at edging a curved bed, along a walkway or planted as a groundcover in areas of erosion. Stick a bergenia in a container, and it’s a visual foil to fine-textured plants or plants with strappy leaves. The blooms make long-lasting cut flowers.

Low Maintenance Care

It’s a cinch to take care of these perennials. Like most plants, bergenias benefit from spring mulching with well-rotted compost or manure. Since this is an evergreen plant, do not cut back bergenia in the fall as it needs the leaves for food to survive the winter.

But do snip off any winter-damaged leaves in late winter or early spring.

You can also remove faded flowerheads and the occasional brown leaves in the summer to keep them looking their best. Decaying foliage can harbor slugs, snails and caterpillars if not removed.

Divide bergenia clumps in the spring by cutting the rhizome-like stem every three to four years to keep them happy and vigorous. Bergenia is easily grown from seed. You can also take basal leaf cuttings from the crown of the plant to propagate them.

PROVEN WINNERS

‘Miss Piggy’ bergenia Right: ‘Solar Flare’ bergenia

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Bergenia plants first form interesting bud structures (above) before they open up.

Favorite and New Varieties

Check your favorite nursery or go online to find many varieties of bergenia.

Think of cherry blossoms in Japan in the spring and get a taste of that breathtaking display with Bergenia Dragonfly™ ‘Sakura’ (zone 4 hardy). The rosy-pink flowers on this diminutive plant of 10 inches are double to semi-double in the spring. But another visual punch comes in the fall when the thick 8-inch leaves transform from dark green to a deep purple black.

The short (12 inches) Bergenia Dragonfly™ ‘Angel Kiss’ (zone 4) is covered with clusters of snow white double flowers in early to mid-spring, which mature to blush and pale pink, hover-

ing above large rosettes of foliage. ‘Miss Piggy’ PPAF, a new variety from Proven Winners, produces a large canopy of foliage with its broad, substantial leaves.

Need a particularly cold-hardy perennial? Bergenia ‘Winter Glow’ han-

“

Bergenias are rabbit and deer resistant.”

Left: In midsummer, bergenia brings texture and a bright green accent to a hillside planting.

Below: Flower stalks rise dramatically above the foliage.

MARY LAHR SCHIER

dles zone 3 temps, shines from March through May with its vivid magenta flowers and occasionally reblooms in the fall before frost turns the leaves reddish bronze. ‘Magic Giant’ (zone 2) is a bergenia hybrid sporting extra-large, rounded, evergreen leaves up to a foot long and 9 inches across—magenta-pink flowers float above foliage in midspring. Fall leaf color is purple bronze.

Find white flowers on bergenia varieties like ‘Bressingham White’ and ‘Wintermarchen’ and white flowers on red stems on ‘Bach’, red blooms on ‘Bressingham Ruby’, and salmon-colored, hyacinthlike flowers on ‘Rosi Klose’. Achieve the most dramatic fall and winter bergenia leaf color with ‘Bressingham Ruby’, ‘Red Beauty’ and purple bergenia (B. purpurascens). The latter is a knockout with its rich, beet red to shades of purple leaves. Amazingly, the color is most intense when the plant is grown in poor soil.

Another notable variety is bergenia ‘Spring Fling’ (zone 4), a showstopper with its 2-foot-tall, magenta-pink flower clusters. Fringed bergenia (Bergenia ciliata ‘Dumbo’, zone 5) is an unusual deciduous variety with Dumbo-sized leaves covered with soft, downy hairs.

Great Companion Plants

Many plants partner beautifully with bergenia in the garden. The flowers nicely complement spring-blossoming plants like lungwort, hellebores and brunnera, along with tulips and daffodils. In summer, bergenias look great under a dogwood shrub, tucked around peonies, or paired with lacy ferns and astilbe, colorful foxglove, lady’s mantle or anemones.

Expand your planting palette and grow bergenia, an exceptional evergreen plant that’s just about perfect!

Gail Brown Hudson has a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Minnesota. She is an Emmy® awardwinning journalist, writer and video producer, as well as an avid gardener in Minneapolis.

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Leaves of scented geraniums add fragrance to bouquets.

Story and photos by Theresa Mieseler

Every year, I plant a cauldron of scented geraniums near my front door—lemony ‘Mabel Grey’, spicy ‘Rober’s Lemon Rose’, strawberry-tinged ‘Lady Scarborough’ and pine-scented ‘Clorinda’.

Guests can’t help but reach out and touch the leaves to release more aroma.

It’s the diversity of scents in these Pelargonium species that fuels my fascination with scented geraniums.

Scent comes from the essential oils of the plant, but it is much more than that.

Aromas are created by a combination of several volatile chemicals that are in all fragrant plants in variable amounts. The dominant scent may appear different from day to day, depending on the stage of the plant’s growth, available sunlight and even the time of year. You may love the scent of one plant while the person next to you may not like it all!

Growing in the North

HEAVENLY SCENTS Spicy, sweet, fruity, piney scented geraniums offer aroma and delight.

Clockwise, from left: ‘Rober’s Lemon Rose’, ‘Mabel Grey’, blooms of ‘Lady Scarborough’

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Native to South Africa and areas near the Indian Ocean, geraniums will not survive our winters outdoors. But they can be kept going indoors from year to year if you have a bright window. To overwinter scented geraniums, plant them in a large container in spring and bring it indoors in the fall. They do not transplant well from the garden.

Scented geraniums are easy to grow in bright sunlight, with regular fertilization.

Be careful not to overwater. In outdoor containers, insects or diseases are usually not an issue. Indoors, whiteflies may be a pest, but they are easily controlled with insecticidal soap. Pinching and pruning the plants will make them fuller and bushier.

Most nurseries will have several scented geranium varieties to choose from in spring. While taking photos for this article, I found a large collection of scented geraniums at the Kelley and Kelley Greenhouses in Long Lake, Minn., for example. If you want to grow more unusual varieties, seek out specialty herb greenhouses or mail-order nurseries.

I hope you’ll go for some scent this spring when you are shopping for plants.

The soft fragrance of scented geraniums is welcoming on any front porch.

I love to use scented geranium leaves in small arrangements, sometimes called tussie-mussies.

Peppermint geranium is a good choice to form the base of this floral arrangement.

—T.M. Above: ‘Cy’s Sunburst’, Pelargonium x blandfordianum

SO MANY SCENTS!

I enjoy these plants first for their fragrance, and then for their leaf shape, growth habit and flowers. I’ve grown all of these and they are some of my favorites. Let your nose guide you.

ROSE Pelargonium graveolens ‘Rober’s Lemon Rose’ You’ll know this geranium by its irregularly lobed, soft graygreen leaves. It is a fast, upright-growing geranium.

Flowers are small, pale pink to mauve, and are held in clusters on long stems. The spicy rose scent carries a hint of a lemon.

P. ‘Snowflake’ ‘Snowflake’, also known as round-leaf rose variegated, has large, rounded leaves that are heart-shaped and lobed. They are velvety to the touch. The variegation varies with white streaks and blotches to sometimes green all over. If you see a stem with all green growth, cut it off to maintain the variegation.

Snowflake is rose-scented with pink-lavender petals.

P. ‘Variegated Attar of Roses’ The variegation on this rose-scented geranium is spectacular. It has large, trilobed leaves that are bright green with variegation in white, yellow and cream. The sweet scent is one of the best you’ll find in rose geraniums.

The small flowers are single

and light lavender. Only propagate from colored foliage to maintain variegation.

P. x blandfordianum This spreading and sparsely branched plant has velvety, deeply divided leaves. The complex rose scent has been described as lemon, pungent and even musk rose. The mostly white flowers are small with two upper petals marked with red spots.

MILD P. fragrans ‘Snowy Nutmeg’ Pine rather than fruit is the dominant scent in this mild variety. Its medium height makes it perfect for containers.

Well-branched with small white flowers, you may find the variegation is not stable, branch to branch. If leaves revert to green only, remove them.

P. ‘Old Scarlet Unique’ A sparsely branched plant with lobed, dark green leaves and unevenly cut margins. The colorful upper petals are bright red with a dark brown blotch.

It is a showy plant when in bloom with very little scent.

PUNGENT P. ‘Clorinda’ Possibly one of the largest and most erect of the scented geraniums, the leaves are lobed with a eucalyptus and pine scent. The bright pink flowers have red blotches and maroon veins.

Give this plant plenty of room in a large container or the garden.

FRUIT P. ‘Fringed Apple’ ‘Fringed Apple’ has a sour apple scent.

Its attractive leaves are serrated and fringed. The small white flowers form in clusters at the end of the stem on plants that are compact and rounded. Its green leaves turn gray as the plant grows from 1 to 2 feet.

P. ‘Old Spice’ A medium-sized geranium with soft, graygreen, heart-shaped leaves with some of the margins overlapping. Fine hairs cover the velvety leaves. The scent is strong and spicy with apple notes. It grows well in a hanging basket or window box that shows off its small white flowers.

LEMON P. citronellum ‘Mabel Grey’ ‘Mabel Grey’ is a large-leaved geranium that was introduced from Kenya in 1960. It has the most intense lemon fragrance of any scented geranium.

The plant only needs to be touched to release its scent.

It has large, diamond-shaped, coarse leaves on upright plants with rose-lavender flowers in summer. Add a leaf or two to your tea or whip a clipped leaf into butter with honey and spread it on your morning muffin.

P. ‘Cy’s Sunburst’ A new compact variety with a refreshing and pleasing lemon scent. It grows 24 inches tall and just

12 inches wide, making it suitable for small pots or trained as a topiary. The leaves are light green with white and green edges. It will occasionally flower with pink flowers.

P. ‘Golden Lemon Crispum’ The chartreuse-edged leaves of ‘Golden Lemon Crispum’ are from a plant that is a sport of P. crispum, a green variety.

The leaves and stems of this plant are smaller than its parent, P. crispum. The scent is a flavorful lemon.

P. ‘Lady Scarborough’ A strawberry-lemon scented geranium that was formerly known as ‘Countess of Scarborough’, the leaves are glossy, three lobed and crinkly edged. To distinguish it from P. crispum, it has thinner stems and does well in hanging baskets. ‘Lady Scarborough’ is a very rewarding plant to grow and smells of fresh strawberries and citrus.

MINT-SCENTED P. tomentosum One of the most distinguishable geraniums is a peppermint-scented geranium that prefers light shade. It has soft, large, lobed, velvety light gray-green leaves with a strong peppermint aroma. This spreading plant is perfect for large containers or in a garden setting; it will outgrow a small pot quite fast.

Small single, white flowers grow in clusters and above the leaves.

Theresa Mieseler and her husband, Jim, 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. Her website is www.shadyacres.com.

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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Resistance May Be Futile …

Story and photos by Jennifer Rensenbrink

I like to imagine what a squirrel real estate listing for my backyard would look like: ... Mature silver maple tree with several nice south-facing holes, excellent sheltered sunlight in winter. Heated birdbath nearby provides ample water year-round. Black dog on property is inept and need not be feared; cat is kept inside. Property features a wealth of food, with a variety of fruits including apples, raspberries and strawberries, as well as fresh vegetables such tomatoes, green beans and zucchini.

Pumpkin occasionally available. Proximity to alley garbage cans makes this a prime location; be prepared to defend your territory ...

No matter where you garden, you are going to deal with furry critters.

Since I live in the heart of south Minneapolis, my two most common furry yard visitors are rabbits and squirrels. Over the years, I’ve learned enough rabbit-proofing techniques that I’m not bothered by them, but squirrels are another story. They are so smart. Too smart.

Put up a barrier and they will make it their personal mission to get past it—whether it’s a “squirrel-proof ” bird feeder or a tomato plant surrounded by mouse traps. Yes, I’ve done that. It worked for at least a day or two.

There are many ways to fight back against squirrels, but few are 100 percent effective. If you’re going to battle with squirrels, it helps to understand some squirrel behaviors.

Squirrels plan their next foray into the garden from a convenient perch in the author’s silver maple tree.

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In the Mind of a Squirrel

One squirrel lifestyle hack is respecting the importance of digging to them. They bury food all over the yard—sometimes I find whole

But try these tactics for keeping squirrels out of your garden.

Chicken wire is the gardener’s best friend when dealing with squirrels.

bagels or discarded pizza crusts in my garden. When they’re out squirreling about for the day, if they find freshly dug soil (say, in a pot, with some cute pansies) they find it irresistible. They dig it up, either looking for food or to bury some new-found treasure—and this also helps mark their territory. And your pansies are toast.

The important thing to understand is that squirrels will get less interested in the freshly dug soil as soon as it loses that freshly dug smell and texture. This is usually around the time your transplants start actively growing.

You can discourage squirrels from digging for at least a few days by pressing sharp sticks into the soil all around your plants. Set them so that they just barely stick out of the soil, giving the squirrel a painful surprise when it steps in the pot. I’ve had moderate success with this.

I’ve also had moderate success with scare tactics—a big plastic owl, shiny objects on strings that shimmer in the breeze, and the aforementioned mouse traps, which were not big

enough to trap a squirrel but enough to scare it. All of these tactics work fine—for a while.

Squirrels in my yard also get very excited when I plant large seeds, such as sugar snap peas and sunflowers.

Last year they ate every single snow pea that I planted. Seeds of this type require protection until they’ve fully sprouted and are actively growing—at least three weeks.

If your plants survive those first few days or weeks of active digging, you can then welcome your next big squirrel challenge: fruiting season. From zucchini to cucumbers to tomatoes to pumpkins to raspberries to apples—if it’s a fruit or vegetable, they eat it, with few exceptions. So, what’s a gardener to do?

Exclusion Tactics

The only completely effective solution is exclusion—and with squirrels you must exclude them on all sides, including the top. Happily, in the spring I have chicken wire cages all over my yard from protecting my shrubs

from rabbits all winter. Each spring, I make simple chicken wire cloches and covers of various sizes to cover plants.

They’re not pretty, but fortunately they only need to be in place for a few weeks for containers of annual flowers and herbs. I keep all my containers out of sight on the back deck until they’re done settling in, and the cloches can be removed.

For the main vegetable garden, I try to work up my soil and work in my amendments a few days before planting, and just let the soil rest for a few days. That way, it’s lost that freshly dug scent by the time I sow my vegetable seeds and transplants.

I grow large tomatoes, sweet peppers and zucchini in a squirrel-proof fortress with access doors on both sides.

My husband designed the fort and built it to fit in my garden. I covered the wooden frame with chicken wire so that it’s still easy for pollinators to get in and out. Someday I’d like to enclose my entire vegetable garden this way, like a reverse chicken coop that keeps creatures out instead of in.

Northern Gardener l May/June 2021

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Resistance May Be Futile …

Another option is to grow extra vegetables and fruit, so you have some to share. Squirrels get some of my raspberries each year, but I have so many that I don’t mind, though I still regularly sic my inept black lab on them. It took squirrels months to figure out that apples were inside my apple maggot covers last year on my new Honeycrisp apple tree, so I’m hoping that holds true again this year.

Trees and large shrubs are difficult to completely protect.

If complete exclusion is not possible, there are several more ideas that work well, just not perfectly.

• Pick your tomatoes when they are a little underripe and let them ripen on a windowsill inside.

• Place a bowl of water next to tomatoes, cucumbers or zucchini.

(Sometimes squirrels are just thirsty.)

• Place something that smells unpleasant to squirrels, such as freshly cut human hair (the dirtier, the better) around your plants or spray plants with garlic or hot pepper spray.

Pepper Paint

When we carve our pumpkins each fall, we mix 2 or 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper with a little water to make a paste, then brush it on the outside of our jack-o-lanterns to protect them from being eaten. It works perfectly well but needs to be re-applied if it rains. If I grow pumpkins or watermelons, I place a small cloche over each fruit as soon as it reaches the size of a golf ball. The cloche is held in place with landscaping staples.

Let’s say none of these options—exclusion, spraying your plants with hot pepper spray, sharing your produce— sounds appealing. You still have other options, because squirrels don’t eat everything we plant. Choosing strategically which edibles to plant is also helpful (see lists). Losing a handful of

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Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Covering a window box with a wire cage protects tender nasturtiums.

Squirrel Proof Your Garden INSTEAD OF THIS

PLANT THAT

Beefsteak tomatoes Sweet peppers Large sunflowers Cucumbers Raspberries or strawberries

Cherry tomatoes Hot peppers Mexican sunflowers > Cucamelons (Mexican sour gherkins) Sour cherries or currants —J.R.

cherry tomatoes is not as devastating as a handful of beefsteak tomatoes.

Squirrels don’t eat sour cherries and currants as readily as they eat raspberries and strawberries.

I’m my own worst enemy with squirrels sometimes. They take advantage of the heated birdbath and the bird feeders that I provide all winter, despite my creative attempts to make them squirrel-proof. I could staple hardware cloth over the holes in my silver maple tree, eliminating access to their luxury condominium spaces, but I just never get around to it.

On some level, I’ve made peace with the squirrels and concede that they will get some of my harvest each year. But I still cross my fingers and look hopefully to the sky every time a red-tailed hawk or bald eagle flies over the house.

Follow Jennifer Rensenbrink’s urban gardening adventures on Instagram @jenniferrensenbrink.

Vegetables Squirrels Don’t Like Onions and their relatives (leeks, garlic) Potatoes Hot peppers Bush green beans Greens (lettuce, chard, kale) Herbs —J.R.

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NORTHERN VIEW

A Whiff of Wonderful nothing jogs your memory quite like scent—the slightest hint of aroma can send you traveling back in time in an instant. Many years ago, I visited my Great Aunt Mabel in La Jolla, Calif., with my younger sister. Mabel’s two-story home was set on a lush double lot, surrounded by citrus and avocado trees. Birds of paradise and calla lilies lined the walkways.

The smell was heavenly, a tropical paradise for two Midwestern girls.

Forty years passed and my sister and I returned to California on vacation. Both gardeners, we visited a nursery to shop for succulent plants. Strolling through the store, I spotted a blooming citrus tree. “Come here,” I called to my sister.

“What does that smell like?”

“Oh, it smells just like Mabel’s,” she said, tearfully. Mabel’s house and garden had been sold several years before, ending our long family relationship with her tropical landscape. The scent of a tree gave us a momentary link to our beloved aunt.

Citrus is not the only plant that sends me time traveling.

Oh, it smells just The scent of a favorite like Mabel’s.” spring flower—peoTo me, the start of summer nies—reminds me of smells like tomato leaves during years gone by. Spring that first warm spring day when is the only time of the year when I you stake the plant. A few inhales and want less sun, cooler temperatures and I’m back to my childhood home, looking no heavy rain showers—anything to up at the vigorously growing vines. preserve the peony blooms and their Why are hybridizers breeding the magnificent smell. The scent of peonies smell from our plants? I did some can be light or heavy and has been called research and discovered it has a lot to “sweet,” “rosy” and “spicy” among other do with making flowers that last longer descriptors. To me, they smell like the in bloom. The roses that we buy from past. When my common variety peonies florists have leathery petals (really, feel in red, white and pink bloom, I hold them sometime), which will last longer them to my nose and inhale deeply, tellthan the delicate shrub roses grown in ing them how much they were missed. our gardens.

Ten years ago, I developed an interest Compare the breeding of flowers to in tree peonies. The first one I plantthe tomatoes we bought out of season in ed was Paeonia obovata var. alba. More years passed. They looked beautiful, but shrublike than common cultivars, its had no taste or smell. Flower bouquets flowers grow 10 inches or more wide, purchased at grocery stores seldom have with single white petals, a yellow center scent. Even mums—an indestructible, and a delicate scent. Not as strong as the heavy scented, long-lasting flower— common peonies, but still lovely. smell of nothing.

“

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Lilies are another plant from which the scent is being bred out. I love the delightful, strong aroma of ‘Stargazer’ lilies. I have heard the advice to never use them at a dinner party because the scent will compete with the food. I don’t agree. Their complex fragrance adds to the ambiance.I don’t think I’m the only gardener craving scent. More of us are choosing native species—plants that use scents to attract beneficial insects so they can be pollinated. They help the environment and give us a whiff of nature’s perfume. This year as you are deciding what to put in your garden, think about the garden smells you’ve cherished—and plant those.

Janet Favorite is a gardener and writer in St. Paul. Her website is janetfavorite.com.

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