Northern Gardener - November/December 2019

MINNESOTA’S ONLY HOMEGROWN GARDENING MAGAZINE

Gardener Northern

VINTAGE CHARM IN THE CITY

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editor’s note a nonprofit organization

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) is a nonprofit, educational and charitable organization established in 1866. Our mission is to serve northern gardeners through education, encouragement and community.

For information about subscribing to Northern Gardener magazine or becoming an MSHS member, visit northerngardener.org/membership, call 651-643-3601 or email membership@northerngardener.org.

Minnesota State Horticultural Society

1935 County Rd. B2 West, Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113-1334 Phone: 651-643-3601 Editor: Mary Lahr Schier, 507-581-4145 Horticultural Editor: Debbie Lonnee Copy Editor: Julie Jensen Design: Barbara Pederson

MSHS Staff

Accountant: Dennis Feit; DFeit@northerngardener.org Development Associate: Diane Duvall; DDuvall@northerngardener.org Community Outreach Manager: Lara Lau-Schommer; LLSchommer@northerngardener.org Communications and Marketing Director: Becky Swee; BSwee@northerngardener.org Garden-in-a-Box Coordinator: Maria Brosofske; MBrosofske@northerngardener.org

MSHS Board of Directors

Mike Heger, Waconia, Chair Joel Karsten, Roseville, Vice Chair Margaret Klis, Minneapolis, Treasurer Laura Wagner, Minneapolis, Secretary

Mary Lahr Schier

Public Gardening

A

s anyone who has ever planted a garden in the front yard knows, gardens that face the street are inherently public gardens. Neighbors stop to chat if they see you weeding; some may even pull one you missed. Folks you don’t know will ask what you are planting and some may comment on your efforts. “You sure like to work hard,” one observer noted as I stood sweating in the garden one day.

Our “public” gardens can also be community gardens—in the best possible way. Mark Addicks and Tom Hoch have one of those gardens. Surrounding their renovated historic home near Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, the couple have created a garden that is so beautiful that people happily stop by (and donate) when the couple opens their garden for a charity event.

Mark and Tom do more than share their own garden. They are stewards of 10 pocket gardens around Minneapolis.

They organize neighbors and friends to plant and weed each spring in these small public garden spaces and then watch over the gardens during the

growing season. Through their gardening, they create a beautiful and welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.

In this season of gratitude, I’m grateful for all of the gardeners (and we know there are thousands of you!) like Mark and Tom who make their cities and towns better places to live. Thanks to Gail Brown Hudson for sharing the story of Mark and Tom’s garden with Northern Gardener readers. It begins on page 22.

One other note of gratitude: This issue marks the last time Don Engebretson and Lynn Steiner will write columns for Northern Gardener. These two have shared their knowledge, insight and enthusiasm for gardening with our readers for decades. I owe much of my own garden knowledge to reading their articles (and books!) over the years. Thank you, Don and Lynn, and good luck in your new endeavors.

—Mary Lahr Schier, editor

mary@maryschier.com

At large: Tina Dombrowski, St. Paul Jennifer Ebeling, Maple Grove Del Hampton, Minneapolis Debra Kvamme, Blaine Mary Marrow, Minneapolis Joanne Wahlstrom, Sunfish Lake

Connect with us

Copyright 2019 by MSHS. Printed in the USA on recycled paper.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission from MSHS. The information published in Northern Gardener reflects the experiences and opinions of the writers and is not necessarily endorsed by MSHS. Northern Gardener is a registered trademark of MSHS.

www.facebook.com/mnhort

(ISSN) 1529-8515. Northern Gardener is published bimonthly (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/ August, September/October, November/December) by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minn., and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northern Gardener, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113.

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Colorful leaves in late fall

November/December 2019

1

Minnesota State

Horticultural Society

GIVE THE GIFT OF

SUSTANE PROVEN WINNERS AD AD

A Northern Gardener gift is great for garden enthusiasts, new homeowners and anybody who loves to cook with homegrown ingredients. Give the gift of membership today and save $10.

northerngardener.org/gift-membership

Offer expires 12/31/2019

www.northerngardener.org

contents

November/December 2019 | Volume 147, Number 6

in every issue

features

1

Editor’s Note

22

4

MSHS News: Classes,

12

Northern Natives:

calendar and more.

27

Putting the garden to bed—not!

Kitchen Garden: How sweet (potato) it is.

30

By Design: Signing off.

BY DON ENGEBRETSON

16

34

Plant communities.

Plant to Pick: First Editions® Parkland Pillar™ birch

37

How-to: Create a holiday centerpiece.

40

Pollinators: Helping monarchs, or are we?

BY RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

42

Gardener’s Market

44

Northern View:

Technological tweaks to traditional techniques keep this family’s veggies fresh all winter.

Protein-Packed Garden Get more nutrition from your garden by adding nuts, seeds and legumes that thrive in the North.

Divide and Grow Multiply your garden inventory by dividing perennials.

BY SUSY MORRIS

BY ERIC JOHNSON

20

Root Cellar Renaissance

BY SUSANNAH SHMURAK

BY DEBBIE LONNEE

19

Deck your halls (and porch) with handmade holiday-themed containers.

BY MEG COWDEN

Garden Solutions:

BY LAURA SCHWARZ

18

Season’s Greetings

BY MARTIN STERN

BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON

15

A historic garden along a Minneapolis lake gets a new, colorful look.

BY GAIL BROWN HUDSON

BY LYNN M. STEINER

14

Lakeside Gem

North American Yew This seldom-planted native evergreen shrub shrugs off winter and welcomes birds.

BY JANET CASS

Farewell friends.

BY LYNN M. STEINER

about the cover

A unified color palette that includes pinks like this astilbe adds charm. See page 22. Photo by Gail Brown Hudson

a nonprofit organization

Northern Gardener is published by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.

MSHS classes Classes are sponsored by MSHS but held at various locations. Enrollment is limited, and registration is required. Register online at northerngardener.org/mshs-events. Questions?

Contact llschommer@northerngardener.org. Refunds will not be issued for nonattendance except by cancellation at least one week before class.

Make and Take Evergreen Container Thursday, Nov. 7, noon to 1:30 p.m. $40 members, $45 nonmembers Location: Wagners Greenhouses, 6024 Penn Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Take a break from your day and head over to Wagners Greenhouses to make a winter container! Simple and attractive evergreen arrangements will add beauty and color all winter long to your front door. After a brief presentation, you will work with a variety of greens, including red and white pine, cedar, balsam and dogwood, to create an eye-catching evergreen container. Included is your choice of red or yellow dogwood to add height and color to your container.

Enhance your winter container with purchases from Wagners including natural products like winterberry, pinecones, pods and birch branches, or colorful baubles to add a glittery look. Please bring your gardening gloves and pruners.

Dress warmly as we will be working in the greenhouse.

Instructor: Chris Gueorguiev is a manager at Wagners Garden Center in Minneapolis.

She has been with Wagners for 19 years and her passion is container gardening for all seasons.

Make and Take Holiday Swag at Minneapolis Holiday Boutique Saturday, Nov. 9, noon to 5 p.m.

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis. $25 Join us at the Minneapolis Holiday Boutique, a festive marketplace where you can shop for holiday gifts, see works from local artisans, and experience holiday displays that will inspire your own decorations. MSHS is hosting a makeand-take booth near the Legacy Gate at the entrance of the boutique on Saturday afternoon. Stop by and decorate a seasonal swag for your door and enjoy all the festivities the holiday boutique has to offer!

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Create a Thanksgiving Centerpiece Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6:30 to 8 p.m. $40 members, $45 nonmembers Location: MSHS offices, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville.

Create a beautiful fresh floral design using the abundance of fresh autumn flowers. You will be revitalized with the textures and colors of these beauties and greens. This design could be a hostess gift or adorn your table for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Instructor: Jenn Hovland is the owner and principal designer of Fleur de Louise Flower Studio in Stillwater.

Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6:30 to 8 p.m. $10 members, $15 nonmembers Location: MSHS Classroom, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Roseville.

Did you know that you can grow fresh salad greens throughout the winter with no lights, no greenhouse and little more than a cupboard and a windowsill? Lee Olson will teach you how to grow sprouted seeds in soil, employing a method that encourages a long stem without expansive roots and provides delicious, healthy salad greens in less than 10 days at a fraction of the cost of buying sprouts at the market. You will leave with five trays to sprout at home, including broccoli, radishes, sunflowers, peas and buckwheat. Have greens in time for the holidays!

Instructor: After learning how to grow an indoor salad garden, Lee Olson was inspired to teach this method. She has taught yearround indoor gardening to more than 2,500 students.

Holiday Wreath Making Saturday, Nov. 23, 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Location: MSHS Classroom, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Roseville. $38 members, $43 nonmembers Wreaths are wonderful décor for the holidays. Join us for a morning of fun and creativity as we decorate a wreath for your front door or to give as a gift.

We will all work with the same wreath kit

2019 from Mickman Brothers, and enjoy tasty hors d’oeuvres. Please bring your own wire cutter and ribbon scissors, if you have them. We will lead you through a fun process of thinking creatively and individualizing your wreath. You can bring items to personalize your wreath, too!

This class has been extremely popular in the past. “Fun with friends and a beautiful wreath to take home,” said one attendee. “Loved the attention to helping each person,” said another.

Instructor: Mickman Brothers staff.

Garden Planning for the Next Growing Season Webinar Thursday, Dec. 5, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Location: Your computer.

Free for members, $5 nonmembers This class will help you plan for a great vegetable garden in 2020. Using crop rotation (planting different crops of different families in the same place over time), companion planting (two or more crops that benefit each other together) and succession planting (multiple crops in the same space over the course of the season) you can maximize your productivity and minimize potential pests, diseases and weeds. We will look at each of these concepts in depth, which will help you create a cohesive plan for your growing space in the next growing season and beyond.

Instructor: Courtney Tchida is the student program coordinator for the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Minnesota and the farm manager for Cornercopia Student Organic Farm.

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

Friday, by appointment MSHS offices will be closed for the holidays: Nov. 28-29, 2019 Dec. 24-25, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2019-Jan. 1, 2020

Community Events Washington County Master Gardeners Garden Market Craft Sale Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bayport Public Library, 582 Fourth St. N., Bayport.

Nature- and garden-themed crafts handmade by master gardeners, family and friends will be available for purchase just in time for your holiday shopping! These beautiful and affordable gifts include houseplants, dried botanicals and more.

Funds raised support the work of the Washington County Master Gardeners, along with our special project, the Sensory Gardens at Granite House in Bayport.

Contact: www.mastergardenersinwashingtonco.org.

Hennepin County Horticultural Society 10 Plants That Changed Minnesota Mary Meyer, University of Minnesota

horticulture professor and extension educator, presenter Monday, Nov. 11, 6:45 to 8:30 p.m.

Faith Lilac Way Church, 5530 42nd Ave. N., Robbinsdale.

Learn the significance of 10 plants that changed and transformed the way we live today in Minnesota and how essential they are to our everyday life, environment and well-being. Visitors are welcome. No registration required.

Contact: Diana, diana.straate@gmail.com.

Men’s and Women’s Garden Club of Minneapolis Toxic Fungi and Plants of Minnesota Laurie Willhite, clinical pharmacist and poison specialist, presenter Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Lake Harriet United Methodist Church, 4901 Chowen Ave. S., Minneapolis.

Contact: mwgcm.org/MGCM/events.

MARY LAHR SCHIER

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

St. Anthony Park Garden Club Humane Critter Control in Your Garden Theresa Rooney, author, presenter Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

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

Theresa Rooney is a master gardener and author of The Guide to Humane Critter Control (Cool Springs Press, 2017).

Contact: sapgardenclub@comcast.net.

Events continue on page 6

Holiday Wreath Making

at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society

Saturday, November 23, 9:30 to 11 a.m.

join us!

Mimosas, wreaths and fun!

Decorate a beautiful fresh holiday wreath for your door or to give as a gift.

northerngardener.org All basic wreath supplies are included in the registration fee.

Registration is required online: northerngardener.org/mshs-events November/December 2019

5

mshs news

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

Membership Matters Give Green Digging for the perfect gift for a new gardener or seasoned pro? Hoping to help a fresh-cut flower fanatic learn how to grow their own blooms? Stewing over what to get your favorite foodie or budding bartender who loves to cook, mix or muddle with homegrown ingredients?

Give your green-thumbed family and friends the gift of gardening this holiday season with a membership in MSHS. Your membership gift includes a full year of discounts on plants, free gardening webinars, educational and makeand-take classes and a subscription to Northern Gardener magazine, our award-winning publication exclusively for cold-climate gardeners.

Minnesota Winners

Several garden communicators from Minnesota were honored at the Garden Communicators International annual meeting in Salt Lake City recently.

Newport-based Bailey Nurseries was presented with the Wilfred J. Jung Distinguished Service Award for its longtime support of gardeners and garden communicators. In addition, Rhonda Fleming Hayes, the Pollinator columnist for Northern Gardener, received a silver medal for a selection of gardening columns written for the Star-Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis. Tracy Walsh, whose photography frequently appears in this publication, received two silver medals: one for a photograph used on the cover of Grower Talks magazine and the other for photography in the book Vertical Vegetables (Cool Springs Press, 2018). Congratulations to all the Minnesota winners!

Donations Help Grow Gardeners

Discount on Gift Memberships Order online before Dec. 31 to save $10 on your membership gift. The discount applies to online gift memberships only.

Visit northerngardener.org/gift-membership and help us grow gardeners of all ages and skill levels.

One-Day, In-Person Flash Sale We’re offering $15 off gift memberships for one day only! Swing by our Holiday Open House Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to purchase a gift membership or subscription for $15 off the usual price. You’ll also receive a complimentary canvas MSHS tote to give the lucky recipient.

MSHS recently received a sizable gift from the estate of Marian Rohde (see article, page 10). Marian chose to include MSHS in her will because she felt that more young people should learn to garden and that MSHS is well positioned to bring education to new and young gardeners. We strive to provide the best programs to educate cold-climate gardeners of all skill levels in this area—programs such as Garden-in-aBox that teach underserved youth how to grow their own food. These programs depend on the generosity of members like you for funding. Help us educate more gardeners by making a gift to MSHS today.

Donate online at northerngardener. org/support-mshs or with your year-end appeal envelope, arriving in mailboxes this fall.

Events continued from page 5

Orchid Society of Minnesota Ecuador and My Orchid Obsession Ron Saxton, Batavia Orchid Society, presenter Saturday, Nov. 16, 1 to 3 p.m.

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

Ron has a collection of 700 orchids, mostly species. He judged the 22nd World Orchid Conference in Ecuador and stayed an additional eight days in the Ecuadorian Andes studying habitat and photographing orchids in the wild. This presentation documents his trip where he saw more than 140 species, five of which were potentially new species. He returned with 180 orchids and with the cultural data he learned he hopes to get them to bloom. He will share what he discovered on this adventure and the cultural needs of these orchids.

Contact: orchidsocietyofminnesota@ gmail.com.

Goodhue County Horticultural Society Making Holiday Decorations Tori Clark, Sargent’s Nursery, presenter Monday, Nov. 18, 7 to 8 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church, 503 W. Sixth St., Red Wing.

Learn about making holiday decorations with items from your yard and garden.

Contact: Cindy, clp55066@yahoo.com.

Washington County Horticulture Society Pruning Young Trees and Old Shrubs Paul Richtman, master gardener, presenter Monday, Nov. 18, 7 to 8 p.m.

Hope Church, 7910 15th St. N., Oakdale.

Learn proper pruning techniques for keeping shrubs and trees healthy, productive and safe.

Contact: Barbara, bjronningen@yahoo.com.

Events continue on page 9

Correction An article in the September/October 2019 issue of Northern Gardener incorrectly identified black locust as an appropriate tree for planting in our area. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a restricted noxious weed and should not be planted. We regret the error.

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Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere

HOT OFF THE PRESS

By Mike Lizotte Storey Publishing 2019 Mike Lizotte uses an expansive definition of a meadow—a garden that is “loose and informal and … doesn’t take a lot of time to maintain.” In this book, he argues that a meadow can be nearly any size and include plants of almost all types.

Lizotte describes a process for planning and creating a meadow in whatever space you choose—from deck planter to quarter acre. Clearing methods, such as tilling and smothering, are offered for large-space meadows along with tips for using raised beds and containers.

He covers the planting, watering and fertilizing basics briefly but thoroughly enough for inexperienced gardeners.

Photos of the same spot 30, 60 and 90

days after planting are instructive.

Lizotte’s style is inclusive. You want annuals? He suggests more than a dozen that will provide early, reliable pops of color. Is your heart set on foxgloves or hollyhocks? He explains how to incorporate biennials into your plan. Native perennials? Of course. Nonnatives?

Sure, as long as they behave.

The owner of a seed company, Lizotte is particular about seeds and the process of choosing and using them. The section on figuring out how much seed you need is particularly helpful. (He’s not against popping in some plugs and seedlings, too.)

Helpful specifics include plants for difficult spots such as hellstrips, bogs, hillsides and clay; meadows that feed wildlife (pollinators) and meadows that repel wildlife (deer); and regional

recommendations.

A particularly endearing aspect of the book is Lizotte’s advice on involving children in the garden based on activities he and his daughter enjoy.

Whether you call your green space a meadow, wildflower garden, pollinator waystation, cutting garden or just a garden, Lizotte’s solid advice might make your time in it even more fun.

—Julie Jensen

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7

Peace Lutheran Church, Coon Rapids

Since 2016, Peace Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids has been a member of the MSHS Minnesota Green program. This has enabled the church’s garden committee to improve and add new plant material to the perennial beds located throughout the 3-plus-acre church grounds.

When Minnesota Green came to the attention of garden committee member Susan Peterson, she took the opportunity to participate so that she could stretch the budget and acquire plant material to create gardens that would have something in bloom throughout the growing season. Minnesota Green supports her mission, and it has provided benefits that she hadn’t anticipated.

“It got me out of my comfort zone for growing plants I was unfamiliar with,”

Attend an Open House to see what we’re all about!

BECKY GREFTHEN

MINNESOTA GREEN

Vegetables are donated to Loaves and Fishes.

Susan says, “and I really enjoy connecting with other program participants.”

In addition to its perennial gardens, the church has dedicated an acre of land to Loaves and Fishes, a free meal program for those in need, as a garden to grow fresh produce for their 20 meal sites throughout the Twin Cities area.

Five years ago, church members decided to build this relationship, which has kept them busy working first to develop the land and then helping as needed

with planting, weeding and harvesting.

“This summer we have already harvested 900 pounds of zucchini, hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and beans,” Susan says.

Susan is a tireless volunteer in her community and applies her master-gardener skills along with her lifelong love of gardening to help others. A frequent MSHS volunteer, she is a proud member of Minnesota Green.

—Becky Grefthen

KDIOF is a proud sponsor of the MSHS Make + Take class series.

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

8

www.northerngardener.org

Events continued from page 6

Garden Club of Ramsey County Landscape Spaces and Planting Bed Design James Calkins, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association, presenter Monday, Nov. 18, 7:25 to 8:25 p.m.

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

Designing a new yard or garden for next year, or ready to give what you have a facelift? Pick up some tips on avoiding common pitfalls even experienced gardeners make.

Contact: Susan, sswwriter@aol.com.

Rochester Flower and Garden Club Bloom with Fox and Fern Floral for the Holidays Brianna Prudoehl, owner, presenter Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Rochester Community and Technical College, 1926 Collegeview Rd. S., Rochester.

Brianna will provide design ideas to take us from fall through the holidays, indoors and out. Brianna opened her private, by appointment-only floral studio located in the Cooke Park District in Rochester in 2011.

Contact: Carol, dcnaatz@yahoo.com.

St. Anthony Park Garden Club Ikebana: History, Art Form and Sculpture Don Marier, presenter Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

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

Don is an exhibitor and Ikebana teacher holding a Level 2 Teaching Certificate in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. This class will focus on the history, art form and sculpture of Ikebana and include a demonstration using a flower and branch.

Contact: sapgardenclub@comcast.net.

Decking your halls

...indoors and out

• Wagners Grown Poinsettias • Fresh Trees, Wreaths and Greens • Spruce Tops + Outdoor Designer Planters • Holiday Décor + more

Wagners Minneapolis welcomes Minneapolis 6024 Penn Ave. S. • 612-922-6901

Bloomington 2100 W. Old Shakopee Rd. • 952-884-7889

wagnergreenhouses.com

Plate & Parcel Holiday Market

60 plus vendors Saturdays + Sundays November 2– December 22 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

November/December 2019

9

Heirloom Circle Member Marian Rohde

Marian Rohde gardened in the north Minneapolis home she grew up in until she was 93 years old. “She was very down to earth and attuned to the seasons,” says her longtime care companion, Wendy Ivins. “I once came home with a melon from the grocery store in January and Marian was very upset that I had purchased fruit out of season.”

Born in 1917, Marian grew up during the Great Depression. Typical of her generation, she is described as frugal, no-nonsense and independent by those who knew her best. She preferred plants and animals to people. Along with her Minneapolis garden, she had a large vegetable garden at her cabin in Grand Marais and enjoyed growing her own food. “It drove Marian crazy that young people had gotten away from gardening,”

says Wendy. “She would have loved the MSHS Garden-in-a-Box program because it teaches kids how to grow plants.”

Marian was a longtime employee of Honeywell and although she enjoyed her work there, she felt best in her gardens.

When Marian was no longer able to live in her home, she reluctantly moved to an assisted living apartment where she connected with staff and residents through her love of plants. “Marian earned a reputation for being the plant expert at English Rose Estates,” says Wendy, “so everyone brought their sickly plants to her for care.” When Marian died at age 100, she was surrounded by people who loved and respected her, Wendy says.

Marian Rohde shared her love of gardening with the next generation by

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SPOTLIGHT

generously including MSHS in her estate plan. Her gift will help young people and others embrace gardening for years to come.

—Diane Duvall For more information about joining the Heirloom Circle, contact Diane Duvall at dianed@ northerngardener.org.

Garden-in-a-Box Season Recap

In 2019, the MSHS Garden-in-a-Box (GIAB) program distributed a record 545 gardening kits throughout Minnesota! MSHS worked with more than 75 participating groups: 58 percent of these groups were located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, 24 percent were based in northern Minnesota, and 18 percent were located in the southern part of the state.

GIAB provides access to gardening materials and educational support to help children and adults successfully grow local, fresh, homegrown produce.

We are beyond grateful for our partnerships with schools, University of Minnesota Extension, adult centers, hospitals, cities, community centers, early childhood educators and an array of nonprofit organizations that hosted

10

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the gardens. Perhaps the best part of the program is seeing the diverse and creative methods used to grow gardens and communities.

Barb Klavik, a master gardener in Hennepin County who worked with children at St. Joseph’s Home for Children and its day treatment program, says the GIAB program built social skills as well as gardening knowledge. “The kids loved, loved, loved picking tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. and were excited to share them with their classmates,” she says. “Sharing is generally something that is difficult for these kids. This would not have happened without Garden-in-a-Box.” The successful 2019 season also grew from our material partnerships. Thanks go to Wagners Greenhouses, Garden Circles Raised Beds, Sustane Fertilizer,

MARIA BROSOFSKE

GROWING TOGETHER

An MSHS Garden-in-a-Box planted with herbs, vegetables and flowers.

Seed Savers Exchange and Creekside Soil and Compost for providing boxes, soil, fertilizer, plants and seeds for the program. We look forward to continuing to grow together in 2020.

—Maria Brosofske For more information and to view a full list of GIAB participants and partners, or to apply or volunteer, please visit northerngardener.org/ garden-in-a-box.

Make Gardening a Part of Your Legacy

Our roots run deep

connecting PEOPLE & PLANTS

MSHS Wintergreen workshops

l o o m C ir c

l

e

H

e ir

Nov 2 & 8 | 12 pm - 4 pm Nov 9 | 10 am - 4 pm

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

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Everything you need for a greener lifestyle

Unique garden centre & nursery experience Extensive selection of native & edible plants Year-round educational events & workshops Fine gardening & seasonal containers Landscape design & installation services

holiday open house

763.420.2909 | 7555 County Road 116, Corcoran | GrowHausMN.com

Nov 14 | 5 pm - 7 pm

—Terry Beitlich, Society Heirloom Circle member

Ready to GROW as a gardener?

Join or renew today. northerngardener.org/membership

TANGLETOWN AD

Legacy gifts from members like you help to ensure that MSHS programs inspire generations of gardeners to come.

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

a nonprofit organization

November/December 2019

11

northern natives

Lynn M. Steiner

Putting the Garden to Bed—Not!

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LYNN M. STEINER

I

t used to be that a gardener’s goal was to go into winter with a garden completely void of plant stalks and ground debris, with all leaves raked up and bagged. The only winter wildlife we wanted to attract was the pretty songbirds at our feeders. We have learned, however, that gardening is not just about what we want. Our gardens are havens for overwintering pollinators, birds, butterflies and other creatures. When we strip our gardens bare, we destroy their winter habitat and threaten their survival.

Thousands of native bee species, which are important pollinators, overwinter in place and need shelter from cold and from predators. They find this shelter in plant debris, in the ground and in hollow plant stems. When we cut back plants and rake the soil bare, we destroy their overwintering sites. If you aren’t comfortable leaving plants standing all winter (maybe it’s the front yard and you have neighbor issues or some plants just reseed too much), a good compromise is to leave at least 12 to 18 inches standing.

Other insects require the same types of habitat for overwintering: inside plant stems, tucked under leaves, or hidden under rocks or logs. Before you bemoan the thought of more insects in your garden, remember that most garden insects are beneficial predators, bird food, decomposers or soil aerators, and are crucial to a working habitat.

Not all butterflies migrate. Many overwinter in protective chrysalises, and some go through winter as adults or even caterpillars. In all cases, they need a spot where they are protected from cold and predators.

They can’t find that in a garden that has been stripped of all vegetative matter.

Most gardeners are looking for ways to attract more birds to their winter landscapes. Leaving your plants standing through the winter is a good way to provide seeds, berries and shelter for them. But remember that many birds are insect-eaters. They are very good at finding overwintering insects on dead plants and in leaf litter, thus helping to

Many pollinators depend on plant debris for overwintering. Late bloomers, such as false aster (Boltonia), provide food into late fall.

keep your insect populations in check.

One of the main reasons for cutting back and raking gardens in fall was to get rid of any possible overwintering spots for insects and diseases. And while this may be good advice for plants that are especially prone to problems (iris borers and hosta slugs, for example), the vast majority of plant “problems” are not necessarily solved by cutting back plants in fall. Many diseases and insects are wind-borne and will re-enter your garden the next spring. Removing leaves from plants infected with powdery mildew or botrytis will not guarantee you won’t have the problem again.

You can see where this is going. More plants and leaf litter mean more insects, which means more birds and pollinators.

All of which is a good thing. Plus, there

is the added bonus that many plants add winter interest when they are left standing through the cold months. An attraction for us humans as well!

This fall, instead of fighting the cold weather and “cleaning up” your garden beds, enjoy some time inside planning and preparing for spring. Next spring, when all the creatures have emerged and the seeds and berries have been stripped bare, remove plant stalks and any excess ground debris and place it all in the compost pile. Any insects that are slow to wake up should be able to find their way out of the pile just fine. ng Lynn Steiner’s most recent book is Grow Native (Cool Springs Press, 2016). Read about her move to New England in the Northern View column on page 44.

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www.prairieresto.com November/December 2019

13

kitchen garden

Samantha Johnson

How Sweet (Potato) It Is

I

To bake sweet potato chips, heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Slice sweet potatoes in uniform slices, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Coat sweet potatoes in olive oil thoroughly and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Salt the chips, if desired.

Bake 15 minutes, then flip the chips. Bake 8 more minutes and check for doneness. Chips may need an additional few minutes.

Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

Growing Sweet Potatoes Growing sweet potatoes is different from growing regular potatoes. They are not even in the same botanical family. Potatoes come from the nightshade family (Solanaceae) as do tomatoes and peppers. Sweet potatoes are members of the Convolvulaceae family and are related to morning glories. To plant sweet potatoes, you start with slips—shoots grown from a mature sweet potato. These go into soil that has reached a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Covering the soil with black plastic or using a cold frame will warm it up earlier in the spring.

Plant your slips in raised beds, and plant each slip approximately 4 inches deep (enough to cover the roots) and about 18 inches apart. Many varieties require 100 days to mature. However, there are varieties that are ready for harvest in about 90 days. ‘Beauregard’ is beloved for its quality and flavor. ‘Georgia Jet’ is considered the most reliable variety for the North.

Sweet potatoes do not tolerate frost, so harvesting before frost is essential. To harvest, turn over the soil with a potato fork and discover your underground treasures. But don’t eat them right away— sweet potatoes need to be cured to turn their starches to sugar and develop their delicious taste. To cure them, rinse them off lightly, then store them in a humid, warm environment for one to two weeks.

The ideal environment is 85 degrees and 14

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ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

t’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving meal without sweet potatoes. In my mind, they’re more important than the turkey. And since the holidays are practically upon us, let’s take a closer look at this versatile and vitamin-packed vegetable.

Maybe you’re thinking what I used to think: Sweet potatoes? I can’t grow those here! And while it’s true that sweet potato plants love heat and don’t tolerate cold temperatures, it’s definitely possible to grow them in cooler climates, if you take the appropriate steps.

80 to 90 percent humidity—a greenhouse or cold frame would work. After curing, they can be stored in a cool, dry environment (55 to 60 degrees) until you are ready to eat them.

Beyond Thanksgiving Dinner Once they’re ready—they’re amazing!

Sweet potatoes are a versatile vegetable that works well in a host of dishes from entrees to desserts.

I love the taste of roasted sweet potatoes, especially when they’re prepared along with other root vegetables for a truly flavorful treat. But they’re also delicious when served mashed with cream, brown sugar and nutmeg. (Marshmallows, too, if you wish.)

Exciting things really happen when you begin to think a bit outside the box.

Mashed sweet potatoes are a marvelous addition to pizza dough (it gives the baked crust an added tenderness), or you can include it in the crust when making your favorite quiche. Adding sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes is a great upgrade for your favorite potpie recipe.

What’s better on a chilly December afternoon than a bowl of warm sweet potato soup made with apples and

onions? (A bit of bacon never hurts, either.) Or incorporate sweet potato into your favorite tried-and-true casserole or chowder recipes and savor the rich flavor and color that sweet potatoes add.

Feeling adventurous? Make nachos with crispy baked sweet potato slices in place of chips.

Sweet potatoes really live up to their name when showcased in sweet dishes.

Brighten a Monday morning with a batch of sweet potato muffins or incorporate sweet potatoes into your favorite desserts—like sweet potato bars or sweet potato pie. And if you haven’t tried sweet potato cookies, you’re missing out!

To top it all off, sweet potatoes are remarkably nutritious and are packed with beta-carotene and fiber. They’re among the healthiest vegetables, which is just the icing on the (sweet potato) cake! ng Based in northern Wisconsin, Samantha Johnson is the author of several books, including The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, (Voyageur Press, 2013). Visit her online portfolio at http://samanthajohnson.contently.com.

by design Signing Off

Four Favorite Tips from Don We’ve learned a lot from Don Engebretson over the years. Here are four favorite tips.

1. Think foliage first. Blooms are always secondary to foliage, form and shape.

2. Don’t downsize your patio. Hard surfaces make a garden livable. Give them room.

3. To prevent perennial flopping, prune selectively in June.

4. Think of lawn as water. Your garden beds and borders should surround lakes, ponds and rivers of grass.

—Eds.

G

ardening and writing go hand in hand. Both are peaceful pursuits that gently coax creativity from the participant.

Whether beginning a new garden bed or a new gardening article, the process is the same. Start with something blank.

Draw on past experience. See what happens.

Already reviewing my lead paragraph above—no different from final appraisal of plant placement before digging holes and sticking them in the ground—I see that my choice of “coax” as it relates to inner creativity may be too kind a word.

The concept of pulling teeth sometimes applies.

Whether gardening or writing, an errant will may cause a simple pond project to become as frustratingly elongated as an editor’s assignment of a simple article on how to build a pond. At the nursery, the new gardener buys too many plants.

At the computer, the new writer uses too many words.

Creativity happens only when welcomed. It disappears when grabbed by the throat.

A Garden Writer’s Journey As this is my final column for this award-winning magazine, I’m feeling some pressure. No worries, it’s the same angst I’ve felt preparing the enormous hole and soil, then planting a $1,200 Pinus sylvestris ‘Hindu Pan’ tree in a client’s yard. I cover it with a two-year warranty.

My wholesale nursery doesn’t. I’ve made an expensive misstep if it dies.

Now safely into the article, the pressure is gone. Northern Gardener, after all, is my home. Thirty years ago, I wrote my first gardening article and submitted it to this magazine, at the time encumbered by the clanking and confining title Minnesota Horticulturist.

The editor, the wonderful writer Lynn Steiner, gave it a stern rinse and published it. She also encouraged me to join Garden Writers Association of America, now Garden Communicators Interna-

Don Engebretson

This is Don Engebretson’s last column for Northern Gardener.

tional. I did, and through fresh contacts began writing for many national magazines. I wrote some books and started my crazy website.

About the website, renegadegardener. com: I had to do it so I didn’t go nuts.

Editors have rules. I tend not to. I recall the decade when I was pounding out articles for myriad Meredith Publishing magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens and Midwest Living. Working for Meredith, it helped to write in a suit and tie. I swear every masthead read, “We Don’t Find Anything Funny.”

My website became a place to supplant the classical guitar music played during the intro to yet another insufferable HGTV gardening show with punk rock.

Or at least AC/DC.

What’s Ahead?

I am retiring from garden writing in order to write fiction and nonfiction on other topics. I would be remiss if I did not sign off with two confessions: 1) Every Northern Gardener editor through the years made my articles better. 2) I was burned out—pulling teeth—from writing about perennials the fifth and final year I wrote the Perennial Favorites column for this magazine. I did the best I could. (See number one above.) Once I started writing about landscape design, I was fine again.

I would be remiss if I did not sign off with thanks to the many readers who have engaged me over the years. Your comments, encouragement and corrections also made me a better writer.

I would be remiss if I did not sign off with some final advice to gardeners: Remember, gardening is not tree surgery. It is simple, though not always easy.

When it becomes hard, it means merely that you are breaking new ground. If the new ground is dense clay, add compost.

You will save in the long run buying the most expensive gardening tools and equipment, particularly hoses and containers. Practice your speech about these costs before being queried by your partner or spouse.

Newer gardeners, beware of burnout.

Each season you want to accomplish so much! You will discover that nature provides a preordained pace. It is wise to match it.

Veteran gardeners, loosen up. Try to rekindle the awe and delight with which you first eyed Potentilla varieties, Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ or dwarf Alberta spruce decades ago. Now laugh as you realize, they were dreadful plants. Get thee to a nursery. This is the Golden Age of Northern Gardening.

Finally, if you love gardening, try writing about it. You never know where it may lead. ng Don Engebretson is finishing a novel. He can be reached at renegadegardener.com.

November/December 2019

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garden solutions

Laura Schwarz

Plant Communities

T

here’s a term that’s become popular in horticulture over the past few years: plant communities. I don’t usually follow trends too closely, but I’ve had the privilege of attending presentations given by several proponents and practitioners of plant communities. Garden designers and authors Roy Diblik, Claudia West, Thomas Rainer and Larry Weaner each spoke at the Minnesota Landscape and Nursery Association’s Northern Green Expo, a trade show with continuing education classes for industry professionals.

After attending their talks, I bought all of their books and I’ve been slowly working my way through them.

The techniques these authors discuss are much more complex than I’ll be able to describe to you in this column. I encourage you to check out these books and do some learning on your own, if the topic interests you. For my own personal use—and for developing garden management techniques for my clients—I

have focused on a simplified definition of plant communities. I understand plant communities as groups of plants that can grow together in close proximity while retaining good health over long periods of time.

Plant communities reflect the way plants grow in nature, not the way we traditionally grow them in our gardens. In a plant community, the roots and shoots of many different plants are interwoven; there are no isolated specimens separated by several feet of mulch or bare soil. Each member of a plant community takes up its own level, both underground and in the garden canopy. Plants with meandering rhizomatous roots can grow in and among plants that have central taproots. Low, shade-tolerant plants can thrive under larger sun-lovers. All of the plants in the community have compatible moisture and soil needs, but none of them steals nutrients from the others.

Golden creeping Jenny, glossy bergenia and ‘Biokovo’ geranium are among the groundcovers here.

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Perennial Groundcovers My plant community experiments have been centered on planting many perennial groundcovers. While I still use shredded hardwood mulch for my less-established beds, I rely on groundcovers to act as a living mulch. I’ve been designing my gardens with whichever trees, shrubs and tall clump-forming perennials I like. Then, I fill in around them with groundcovers, sometimes planting several varieties in the same bed. Since groundcovers spread horizontally by rhizome or stolon, they usually don’t compete for resources with the larger vertical, structural elements. Many common groundcovers are shade-tolerant, so it doesn’t matter if the focal-point plants shade them out. Groundcovers with differing root structures can grow amidst each other, too. They go wherever the conditions allow, with only minor editing on my part.

Even on their own, groundcovers help suppress weeds, which was the

A thick layer of groundcovers gives weeds less real estate to inhabit.

PHOTOS: LAURA SCHWARZ

main reason I started planting them everywhere. Garden soil that is densely planted has less available real estate both above and below ground, forcing new weed seedlings to compete with existing plants for water, sunlight and nutrients.

When plant roots cyclically grow, die and decompose, they naturally increase the organic matter in the soil, taking care of another main reason that gardeners use wood mulches. Over time, groundcovers can help eliminate the need for mulch altogether.

My current perennial groundcover/ plant mulch list is as follows: Carex ‘Blue Zinger’, Artemisia (unknown cultivar), Geranium (‘Biokovo’ and ‘Bevans’), Sedum (too many to count), Thymus (lemon and others I don’t have recorded), Pachysandra terminalis, Astilbe chinensis ‘Pumila’, Vinca minor, Lysimachia ‘Aurea’, Asarum canadense, Viola labradorica, Antennaria neglecta and Fragaria (unknown cultivars). I like to use groundcovers with a diverse mix of textures and colors. Many

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis), sedum and astilbe provide coverage in a shady spot.

of these plants are such prolific growers that I can easily divide and transplant them several times each year. Other plants in my gardens—Origanum vulgare, Alchemilla molis and Calamintha nepeta— have become groundcovers as they’ve spread themselves via seed.

When I reflect on this past summer, I can say confidently that I really didn’t spend that much time weeding my established garden beds. And I haven’t spread more than 1½ cubic yards of wood mulch over the past two seasons, which isn’t much mulch compared to the surface area of my gardens. I don’t know if I’ve successfully cultivated any plant communities, but I do know that I’m a big fan of using plants as mulch! ng

For More Information

The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden (Timber Press, 2014)

by Roy Diblik Planting in a Post-Wild World (Timber Press, 2015)

by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West Garden Revolution (Timber Press, 2016)

by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher

—L.S.

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

November/December 2019

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plant to pick

Debbie Lonnee

Betula platyphylla ‘Jefpark’ PP25,468 First Editions® Parkland Pillar™ birch

DEBBIE LONNEE

Parkland Pillar in fall

Before I get to the lovely bark, Parkland Pillar has some other very fine traits. First and foremost, it has a beautiful, narrow, upright and dense habit.

This is an almost pencil-shaped tree and thus can fit into small gardens. If you need a vertical accent but live on a small city lot, this tree is for you. It can be used as a single specimen, or plant several as a hedge or screen. It reaches a height of up to 40 feet but only spreads to 6 to 7 feet wide.

The foliage is a rich dark green and turns a beautiful shade of bright yellow in autumn. It grows fast and has few insect pests. Be warned: It is not resistant to bronze birch borer. Because of that, you must plant Parkland Pillar where it will be taken care of properly—perhaps receiving some shade or relief from the hot afternoon sun and getting plenty of even soil moisture.

Lack of stress is the best way to keep the borer from your birch trees. Once established, Parkland Pillar tolerates drought and heat. And, it can handle alkaline soils very well.

Betula platyphylla is commonly called Japanese white birch, and it is that white bark color that will be a standout in the winter landscape. Very young trees that you see in the garden center will have some brownish tones to the bark, but once you get a tree planted in your yard and it starts to grow to a decent size, you will see the bark color turn a lovely shade of white with a bit of peeling that adds texture and character.

This tree is propagated in the tissue culture lab, so each tree is genetically identical. You’ll find it in containers at most local garden centers, from small 2-gallon pots up to large 10- and 25-gallon trees. It has been on the market about four years now and is readily available. ng Debbie Lonnee works in the horticultural industry and gardens in South St. Paul.

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More Trees with Great Bark While a white-barked birch is highly desirable, river birch (Betula nigra) also has beautiful exfoliating bark. This Minnesota native is easy to grow, moderate in size (30 to 40 feet tall at maturity), tolerates moist soils and has bark in shades of cinnamon brown. It is commonly grown as a clump with three to five trunks. The bark on younger trees will not exfoliate but that comes with age and size.

Amur chokecherry (Prunus maackii) is a small tree with unusual golden brown to russet bark. Hardy to USDA Zone 2, it reaches a mature height of about 20 feet. It blooms in spring with classic white flowers, which yield small glossy black berries in summer that can be used in cooking. This can be a short-lived tree, however.

A relatively unknown small tree or shrub, seven son flower (Heptacodium miconioides) is being used in zone 4 now. The species tree reaches a mature height of 20 feet. A dwarf form called Tianshen™ reaches only 8 to 10 feet. The tan bark exfoliates to reveal a darker brown inner bark, which is attractive year-round. This plant is a pollinator magnet!

—D.L. Amur chokeberry bark

CREATIVE COMMONS

S

avvy Northern gardeners know that winter is a gardening season and plants that enhance our long, snowy winters are a welcome addition to our landscape.

Evergreen foliage, colorful shrubby stems, berries and bark color are all attributes of plants that stand out in winter.

Keep these features in mind when selecting new plants to add to your gardens, particularly the woody plants that form your garden’s structure.

I love trees that have bark that is an unusual color or texture. It makes the tree special. That is why I have been so taken with this birch tree selected in Canada.

Parkland Pillar™ birch was found as a sport of the variety Dakota Pinnacle® at Parkland Nurseries in Alberta, Canada, in 2006. After many years of testing, it has been brought to market and is a superior plant to Dakota Pinnacle. It was introduced by Jeffries Nurseries near Winnipeg and is an extremely hardy tree.

It tolerates USDA Zone 3 conditions well, so it works for all Minnesota gardeners.

how-to

Eric Johnson

Create a Holiday Centerpiece

O

rchids definitely bring the “ta-da” to a table and, because they stay in bloom for so long, they are perfect for winter decorating. You can create an arrangement that will serve you from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Orchids can be finicky about their surroundings when they are trying to rebloom. When an orchid is in bloom, however, it only needs to be kept away from drafts and cold and have some light. If you can read by the light, it will be enough to sustain an orchid during bloom time.

I pair orchids with other seasonal fare to make a holiday centerpiece, letting the orchid be the star and incorporating seasonal favorites around it.

want to buy one in bloom annually. The price is reasonable. I’m a fan of white orchids, but you could make any color work in your arrangements. A purple orchid and orange mums—gorgeous.

ERIC JOHNSON

Container

The Orchid Surround your orchid with baubles for holiday cheer.

Arrangement Have fun with what goes around the orchid. Potted mums are ideal nestled around the orchid pot, but if these are not available, go with cut flowers in fall colors. Arrange them in pretty containers like Mason jars, small vases or even drinking glasses that perhaps have sentimental value to guests who will be coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Consider dried flowers like hydrangea blooms. To transition into December, you are limited only by your imagination. Glass bulbs and baubles, poinsettias, cactus, a nest of little white lights or again, seasonal cut flowers. ng

ERIC JOHNSON

Phalaenopsis species are widely available and easy to care for. They are the most tolerant of low-light conditions, which also makes them perfect for holiday decorating. To keep an orchid happy and make it bloom, you need to place it in as bright a light as possible, without it being in direct sunlight. Orchids will be happy with whatever house temperature you find comfortable, though somewhere in the high 60s to 70s is ideal. Fertilize with a regular dose of orchid-specific fertilizer following the directions on the container, though I use the often-employed weekly and weakly approach.

Orchids need a very minimal amount of water each week—around ¼ cup of warm water. They must not get wet feet. I’ve had good luck keeping them in the container they come from the store in and then perching them in a vase or large pot that allows excess water to drain away from the base of their pot.

In my experience, it takes about 12 months to get an orchid to rebloom, so it is possible to get your orchid on a cycle of blooming during the holiday season, like a Thanksgiving cactus (Zygocactus truncata). This is a tall order, though, so if this doesn’t work out for you, you may

A container that’s at least 12-by-12inches will give you space for an orchid pot and a variety of floral and decorative elements. A ready-made box or metal container or basket in your own personal taste and style is perfect. In my arrangement, I built a very simple 12-by-12-inch frame from four 12-by-5½-inch pieces of reclaimed redwood fence panels. They are very simply nailed together and then sanded to remove any rough edges.

Decide if you would like a rustic, traditional or modern look. The arrangement could be the size and style to work as a centerpiece or if you want something larger, it could be on a buffet, sideboard or entrance table.

Eric Johnson is a Minneapolis-based gardener, writer and designer.

Orange mums with the orchid in a wooden box is a great look for the Thanksgiving table.

November/December 2019

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pollinators

Rhonda Fleming Hayes

W

hen neighbors along my street go away on vacation, it’s not unusual for them to enlist other neighbors to take in mail, water plants and babysit their monarch caterpillars and chrysalises. It’s a popular activity here along the boulevard. I don’t raise monarchs myself but I do know the drill.

I’ve been handed a few emerging butterflies to release when nature’s timing hasn’t synced with out-of-town trips.

Among other ways I support monarchs (both wild and indoor-reared) is by growing a big stand of milkweed in the front of my garden. It’s my version of frontyard evangelizing on our well-trafficked sidewalks. The neighbors rarely borrow a cup of sugar, but they know where to go when their caterpillars need fresh milkweed.

So when the news came out recently that monarchs reared in captivity might have lost the ability to migrate, naturally these well-intentioned folks were alarmed and surprised. Are we really helping out the monarch?

Many people are planting pollinator gardens and raising monarch butterflies now.

Nature vs. Nurture?

In the wild, females lay 300 to 500 eggs.

The survival rate for these eggs is a mere 10 percent. Adult butterflies may signal toxicity to enemies with their bold orange and black coloring but the journey to maturity is fraught with danger. Predators such as ants and spiders devour the eggs, while insects, birds, wasps, lizards and toads feast on the caterpillars. Then there’s bad weather and pesticides.

It seems like common sense that any butterflies we raise and release must be a good thing. But there’s a lot still to learn about their miraculous migration.

In fact, it wasn’t until 1976 when it was discovered they went to Mexico to overwinter. The trigger for migration may be several things—scarcity of food, shortening daylength or other celestial signs such as the position of the sun—or all these factors.

This latest study claims that butterflies 20

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raised indoors on farms (that in itself sounds weird) and sold to release at weddings, for schools and to people who want large numbers to raise themselves are unable to migrate. Simply put, they are not receiving the signals needed to prompt migration and they lose the ability to navigate while kept indoors.

Upon hearing this, several people I

know immediately moved their “operations” to sheltered spots outdoors. Until more is learned, that seems a practical solution. It still leaves us to wonder if our efforts at conservation may count as interference. But in a time of mass extinction caused by human activity, it is often humans who have to interfere to save endangered species.

RHONDA FLEMING HAYES

Helping Out Monarchs, Or Are We?

CREATIVE COMMONS

A monarch cocoon in its early stages

Best Practices for Rearing Monarchs If you still want to raise monarchs, there are tips and guidelines offered by monarch advocate organizations such as Monarch Watch and Monarch Joint Venture. Here are 10 tips culled from those guidelines.

1. Collect eggs from the wild, in small numbers.

2. Rinse off milkweed leaves and blot dry before feeding; store extra leaves in the fridge to keep them fresher longer.

4. Keep a damp paper towel in the bottom of the cage, to keep the humidity up and for simpler cleanup of frass (caterpillar poop). Replace the paper towel often.

5. Keep the caterpillars in a sheltered outdoor location, such as a screen porch, out of harsh sunlight and cold temperatures. Move them inside temporarily in unseasonable weather.

6. Remove any diseased or dead caterpillars as soon as you notice them.

7. Don’t allow adult butterflies in the same area while caterpillars are feeding. Adults can transmit diseases and parasites to the developing larvae.

8. Give emerging butterflies of plenty time to “hang out and dry.” If they fall, gently lift them up to help them reattach themselves to the top of the cage.

9. Do not relocate them to faraway destinations. (You’ve heard of people sending latecomers with truckers and vacationers heading south, all with the best of intentions.)

10. Sterilize the container after each use with a 20 percent bleach solution.

Observing a miniscule egg turn into a tiny caterpillar, watching it eat an enormous amount of milkweed, then turn itself inside out and form a gilded green, jewel-like case in which to cocoon itself before emerging as a beautiful butterfly is truly miraculous, even before you get to the migration part! It is one of the most out-of-this-world yet easily accessible wonders you’ll ever witness.

It’s important that children see it.

In the meantime, we can help in other ways. Plant more milkweed. Reduce and eliminate pesticide use. Contribute to citizen science.

Let’s be careful out there. ng Minneapolis-based Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyageur Press, 2016).

MARY LAHR SCHIER

3. Raise only one caterpillar in a container. In the wild, caterpillars don’t live in high-density habitats.

Plant milkweed and you will get plenty of monarch caterpillars.

November/December 2019

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After renovating their 1890s home, Mark Addicks and Tom Hoch revived the gardens surrounding it.

LAKESIDE GEM A historic garden along a Minneapolis lake gets a new, colorful look.

Story and photos by Gail Brown Hudson

J

ust a stone’s throw from Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, you could say that Mark Addicks and Tom Hoch are not just channeling gardening vibes from the past but are repeating history. After more than a century, visitors can once again gaze at the lake below their home surrounded by a spectacular garden oasis.

“All the time, I have people come in and they’re like, ‘Oh, your gardens are so great. I don’t even know how to get started,’ ” says Mark, a retired chief marketing officer for General Mills.

Trees and tall arborvitae prevent passersby from peeking into the garden that can only be accessed from the street through a dark green wooden gate. “You look over this gate and you see this winding path,” Mark says. “It looks like you’re walking through this forest. Then you come around this bend and see the lake … and then keep coming around, you see the house and the hydrangea. But then you see these inner [courtyard] gardens.”

The garden is the product of just eight

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years of planning and hard work.

In 2011, the couple bought a sprawling Victorian house perched on a rise of land on the north end of the lake—a place Mark had often noticed while jogging around the lake. “I’d always wondered about it because it has such unique landscape potential,” Mark says. “That’s frankly what made me fall in love with the house because of the opportunity to create a garden here.”

Historical Roots The house, one of the oldest on the lake, was built in the 1890s by Mendon Schutt for his new bride, Clara. Clara Schutt was a great gardener and a good friend of Eloise Butler, a retired botany teacher who created and curated what became the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis—the first of its kind in the country. Clara readily gave Eloise various native plants from her yard for her garden.

Three generations of Schutts gardened on the property until it fell into disrepair. Mark and Tom had their work cut

Lilies and bee balm brighten the courtyard garden of the Victorian home.

Edged with lush plants, a stone walkway leads visitors to the courtyard garden.

Mark Addicks (left) and Tom Hoch

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Lakeside Gem

out for them. “By the time we took over, it was pretty well let go,” Mark says. The yard was full of dead trees, buckthorn, some hostas and a sloping lawn that became a mud slide when it rained.

After a major house renovation, Tom and Mark designed the new landscape themselves. “We did it on a napkin,” says Tom, who is a retired teacher, lawyer, director of the Hennepin Theatre Trust and 2017 mayoral candidate in Minneapolis. A key concept was to move the main sidewalk to the far side of the yard. “We thought if we put it over there, you’re going to be able to walk around the plants as opposed to looking at them from afar,” he says. The result was a series of garden rooms filled with the couple’s extensive perennial plant collection set off by winding bluestone paths. There’s no lawn in sight.

“I love perennials and I like the idea that they’re renewing, year in and year out,” Mark says. “They grow like human beings, and they have whole generations and some of them spread and are aggressive.”

The lot is heavily planted for an almost forested feel.

Star Perennials Many of Mark and Tom’s flower favorites have personal meaning for them. In the spring, a wide half circle of pink azaleas and rhododendrons dazzle and anchor the center of the garden. “I grew up in Texas and when you get that far south, there are phenomenal azaleas and rhododendrons,” says Mark.

The summer features other plants to remind him of home including massive blue false indigo (Baptisia australis), which is in the same plant family as the wild Texan lupines he loves. “I’ve grown it before and they don’t ever get this big—they must love that spot,” Mark says. Dark coralbells (Heuchera) grow under a minigrove of white birch trees; deep blue salvia (Salvia nemerosa) surrounds a water fountain of hugging cherubs; and peach and yellow Martagon lilies (Lilium martagon) bring light to the garden’s forest. “I’m hoping we get to a 24

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This row, top: Hardy hibiscus Above: False indigo (Baptisia australis) Center row, top: Blue Star sea holly Right: The lake can be seen beyond this petunia-filled urn, surrounded by iris.

critical mass with the Martagon lilies, which I think are phenomenal,” he says.

Hydrangea, coneflower and bee balm take the stage in late summer and fall, along with a swath of bright pink turtlehead (Chelone glabra), burgundy wine-colored hardy hibiscus and Autumn Joy sedum tucked behind a classic, low cement bench.

“I like big swatches of color, so you get things to make a statement,” Tom says. “I love seeing a lot of it together.”

TOM HOCH

Blooms Every Week Once Mark determined the garden’s dominant color palette of pinks, purples and lavenders, he made sure there would be something in bloom “literally week to week to week.” It’s a technique he says he learned years ago from a perennial plant seller at the farmers’ market.

“She said, ‘figure out your color palette, think about textures and sizes, then come here every week and buy something in bloom and then every week it will be blooming,’ ” Mark recalls. “I’ve always used that as a kind of philosophy for gardening.”

Gardening Essentials

This row, top: A Texan, Mark loves azaleas, which bloom at the same time as the crabapple tree.

Center: Black Krim tomatoes grow in the vegetable gardens.

Above: The formal cherub-decorated fountain enhances the house and gardens.

Since this garden is all about blooms, Tom and Mark religiously deadhead their plants. “We try to get a second flowering,” Mark says. “Usually it’s not as beautiful, not as vibrant, but at least you get some new color.”

They also make good soil a top priority.

“It’s like, soil, soil, soil,” Mark says. “It makes all the difference in the world and we see that all the time. You couldn’t have this be eight years old and have had this kind of growth without the [good] soil.” They water everything “intentionally,” Tom says, and make a point of doing some deep fall watering before winter comes. “It’s really essential,” he says.

While the two used to cut everything down in the fall, they’ve learned to let their plants go dormant and leave them in place. They clean everything up in spring.

“I think that’s been the secret to saving most of it from the winter,” Mark says, although they did lose some plants after a polar vortex the previous winter. “Winter is pretty harsh because you get these winds whipping across the lake,” Tom says.

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Lakeside Gem Right: Mark and Tom chose pinks and purples for the garden’s color palette, including these astilbe.

Far right: A birch tree shades plantings of coralbells.

Below: The Mount Curve public garden near their home is a civic project for Mark, Tom and neighbors, where they do planting and weeding.

Civic-Minded Gardening Mark and Tom are willing to spend long hours on weekends to keep the garden in shape for others to enjoy, too. As it turns out, they are as civic-minded as the original homeowners were.

Part of this couple’s vision was to create an inviting garden backdrop for the many charity fundraisers they hold at their home throughout the warmer months including a fundraiser for the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. “If you create a really nice environment, people tend to come 26

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and support things,” Mark says. “They come to see the gardens really.”

They’ve also lent their gardening talents and muscle to the city’s parks. In 2015, they noticed a weedy, triangular plot at the southeast end of Lake of the Isles. “It always used to be a beautiful garden,” Mark says. They soon learned the inspiring story about the man who had always cared for it. He had become too old to keep it up.

The couple found more volunteers who helped them plant a sea of purple coneflowers, liatris, grasses and big purple balls of allium in clear view of passersby.

“People rave about the allium,” Tom says.

“They say, ‘More, more, more!’ ” “I just think we could make our city much more beautiful and distinctive [with gardens] especially for people who come and visit,” Mark says. “There’s great research that shows it changes the way people view their city, think about their city and feel when they’re experiencing the city.”

Mark and Tom signed up to become

park stewards (volunteers) and today oversee the planting and maintenance of 10 public gardens in the neighborhood.

“The first year, we hauled away 60 bags of weeds,” Mark says. “We thought, what have we done?”

A Satisfying Outlet “To me, what I love about gardening is you can really create, and you can create it all in one day if you’re really ambitious—map out a bed and plant it,” Mark says, describing a source of instant gratification that is starkly different from his corporate experience.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” agrees Tom. Next season’s challenge is turning their full-sun perennial garden into one that adapts to more shade. “Our goal is to make it better!” Tom says. ng Gail Brown Hudson has a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Minnesota. She is an Emmy® award-winning journalist, writer and video producer, as well as an avid gardener in Minneapolis.

Season’s Greetings

Deck your halls (and porch) with handmade holiday-themed containers.

LAURA SCHWARZ

Story and photos by Martin Stern

Winter arrives and despite the many challenges it presents, we celebrate. We anticipate with joy the upcoming holidays. We cozy into our homes; there are candles and simmering soups.

And we decorate to cheer our souls and enliven our winter garden.

One of the best ways to add a festive touch to the outdoors is with a holiday-themed container. While you can buy beautiful filled containers at many shops and garden centers in November and December, it’s fun and easy to make one of your own design. You may even find materials in your garden to give your container a personal touch.

Here are some tips on making your very best containers this year.

Top: Window boxes with similar arrangements give a formal look.

Left: Gather your supplies before starting your holiday container.

Choose Your Container Our weather’s constant freeze-and-thaw cycles in early and late winter are hard on containers, so choose one that can withstand winter’s worst. While wood, fiberglass or plastic composites may be safe and durable, a better result occurs when a beautiful, stylish container is chosen, such as one of metal, ceramic or terra cotta. You can use a liner inside these containers to prevent cracking.

Damage to vulnerable containers also can be avoided by using a container soil mix that drains quickly and absorbs less water. (Remember, your materials will be frozen in place most of the time.)

For winter-hardy containers, I start by removing the summer potting soil from the container well in advance of unexpected freezes. I replace it with a mix of

65 percent fine pine bark or cocoa bean mulch and 35 percent coarse or play sand. This container fill is easy to work with and drains freely so that water does not collect.

Materials and Design With your pot prepared, it’s time to choose materials. I put materials in four November/December 2019

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Season’s Greetings

Structure: These materials create the basic shape of your container’s design and are often a mix of evergreens and dramatic sticks and branches. For greens, some of my favorites are boughs of red pine, white pine, Scotch pine, spruce or balsam. Sticks and branches with interesting colors or shapes include alder, birch, willow and, of course, red and yellow dogwood. You can buy these at nurseries and garden centers or cut them from your property.

Infill: These materials help fill out your container design by adding bulk and texture. Western greens, such as incense cedar, coned cedar, western juniper or noble fir, provide contrast and different shades of green. Preserved leaves are another way to add texture and a full look to your container. Many of these are leaves from non-hardy plants that have been treated to withstand our winters.

They will last all season. Magnolia leaves are widely available and come in rich

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION? Designing a container should be fun—keep it playful. If you’re unsure of your design skills, there is no sin in copying the work of experienced designers. Walk around your favorite neighborhoods for inspiration. Or check out the containers in public spaces—you may be able to create a smaller or simpler version for your home.

—M.S.

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rusts and browns, but other options include Oregonia, Eucalyptus, seeded eucalyptus and boxwood. The contrasting colors and shapes of the greenery in the structure and infill provide interest and a substantial backdrop for the contrasting elements to come.

Accents: With the backdrop elements set, it’s time to pick out some fun accents for your container. These nature-inspired accents will add personality to your pot.

Favorite accents include rosehips, pepperberry, moss balls, pinecones, mosses and mossy branches.

Mixed greenery adds fullness to holiday containers.

LAURA SCHWARZ

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Look for accents and extras that add contrast in height, texture and color.

Extras: Finally, you may want to include some glittery or festive extras in your container. A string of lights, ornaments that won’t burst, ribbon or other décor that inspires you are among the many options for your container. Have fun when picking extras.

How much of any of these materials do you need? It’s really up to you—you can have a very simple and elegant container with only a few items. If you want a mixed container, it will look balanced with four to five kinds of greens and three or four accents and extras. Any more than that may look chaotic.

LAURA SCHWARZ

categories based on their function in the container: structure, infill, accent and extras.

SUSY MORRIS

LAURA SCHWARZ

Choose materials with lots of texture.

Yellow twigs complement the bright blue container.

Time to Design With your materials nearby and your container prepped, it’s time to design. Start by setting the height of your design. A rule of thumb is that the height of the design can be up to two-and-a-half times the height of the container before it looks awkward.

Start with the largest components in your container. Spruce tips and taller pine boughs are useful for a strong, full look. Branches create a frame. Use a minimum of three branches in your container: two tend to look like antennae.

Once you have a basic structure set, you are ready to add infill using contrasting textures and colors of native, western-grown greenery and preserved leaves. Incorporate stiffer upright forms

Terra cotta pots filled with pinecones sit below this dramatic twig sculpture.

as well as draping materials. As you add materials, make sure they are firmly anchored in the soil. From time to time, step back and check the shape and structure of your container. Consider how your pot will be viewed from the street, your porch or inside your house. Does it look full and interesting from all views?

When your container has a full shape, it’s time to add accents to provide further contrast and texture and welcome color. I sometimes use birch logs as a focal point.

The white, textured bark sets off the greenery around it. Another option is a simple design with pinecones to attract the eye.

Incorporate any extras at the very end of your design process. You don’t want

to over-do these. Use ribbon that can withstand snow and ice to add color and another texture. You can also incorporate lights, if you have an outlet nearby and can conceal the plug. Although there are many battery-powered lights available, batteries will only perform for a short period of time out of doors.

With everything in place, step back and look it over again. If you are satisfied, water the pot well and set it outside on a cold day so the materials can freeze in place. Give your container a place of honor on your porch or front stoop to welcome guests and passersby. ng Garden designer Martin Stern owns Squire House Gardens in Afton.

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Root Cellar Renaissance

Story and photos

by Meg Cowden

Technological tweaks to traditional techniques keep this family’s veggies fresh all winter.

IT’S SIMPLE, REALLY. I PREFER THE EASY ROAD. Grab a carrot, a couple of potatoes, maybe an onion or garlic and cook a simple family dinner. Whether it’s August or the middle of February, I like my vegetables homegrown and fresh.

And that’s why my family built root cellars to help store the harvest from our one-eighth-acre vegetable garden. To me, keeping a root cellar is the epitome of year-round, garden-to-table eating, and I can’t imagine life without one.

While I enjoy preserving some of our harvest through lacto-fermentation and canning, I prefer a fresh, whole head of cabbage in December to a jar of sauerkraut. I want a crisp, homegrown carrot for my January garden salad or stir fry, not the shredded, ginger-fermented alternative that must be stored in the fridge. Root cellars are simple, practical and a little romantic. A passive refrigeration system that extends our undeniably short growing season deep into winter is like having your 30

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own daily farmers’ market.

Yearning for seasonality and simplicity is what drew us toward enjoying fresh, homegrown food for longer than just the growing season—without boiling jars of veggies for hours or pretending to enjoy limp green beans “fresh from the freezer.”

You need three things for a successful root cellar: garden space, careful timing and, most importantly, proper storage.

Plenty of Space Our former city lot was too small to grow enough food for year-round eating, but on a larger suburban lot we have room to grow much more. In our current fenced (to keep out deer) vegetable garden, we have about the same amount of space as our entire previous lot. Some deer-resistant vegetables, such as onions and leeks, are planted outside the fence. Having this

From garden to storage: The author’s large vegetable garden yields plenty of produce for eating during the winter.

much space makes the concept of feeding ourselves year-round so tangible that we want to taste that freedom. We are not nearly there yet, but each year we adjust our fall planting schedule to give everything the best chance possible to mature before winter sets in.

Timing and Seed Starting To have a root cellar, you need to grow the right food at the right time. We really enjoy the planning process, mapping out square footage requirements for each vegetable. We plant a diverse lineup of food, and keep planting all summer long, starting plants from seed throughout the summer. Succession planting is key to having food for the root cellar. About one-third of our summer and the vast majority of our fall harvests go into the cellar.

The first seeds destined for the cellar get sown indoors as early as mid-April, and continue to be sown through August. Root

Harvested beets can be stored in damp storage for several months.

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cellar carrots are sown in late June through mid-July, in beds where spring cabbage and broccoli have been harvested. Brussels sprouts are space hogs but a holiday tradition in our family, so they get their own garden space from May until November.

Potatoes and butternut squash take a full season, too, requiring a dedicated area. Onions and garlic go into the garden early and come out in time for fall crops such as lettuce, peas, celery and radishes. It’s a bit of a vegetable waltz, and starting most vegetables indoors under lights four weeks before transplanting is how we are able to maximize harvests for the cellar and our summer table.

These cabbages were started in July for a late fall harvest.

Storage Styles

Leeks can stay in the ground until late in the fall.

You need two types of root-cellar storage to maximize your efforts: damp and dry.

Root vegetables require surroundings similar to their outdoor growing conditions: a dark, moist environment where humidity approaches 100 percent. Imagine creating a space that emulates still being in the ground after a fall frost. It’s chilly, but not freezing. You’re surrounded by damp but not soaking soil, and it’s pitch black. All those edibles you’ve plucked from the ground—potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, winter radishes and so on—require a storage area that is consistently dark, humid and chilly to remain at peak harvest conditions.

Included in this damp environment are cole crops and leeks in addition to fruits such as apples and pears.

While the term “root cellar” probably elicits memories of your grandmother’s musty basement where jars of preserved fruit, canned tomatoes and dilly beans mingled with bins of onions and burlap sacks of potatoes, root cellars can take on many shapes, forms and locations. Our root cellar is located above ground in our garage. It faces southeast making it less than ideal because of the warmth from the sun. To ameliorate the solar gains, which are a foe of food storage, we insulated both the walls and ceiling really well, loosely following the guidelines laid out in the wonderfully informative book Root Cellaring (Storey Publishing, 1991) by Mike and Nancy Bubel.

We selected materials that would not absorb moisture, thus minimizing any possibility of mold establishing in this high-humidity environment. For the walls, we installed foil-lined insulation panels and used metal HVAC tape in lieu of sheetrock and mud. For the shelves, we invested in metal shelving systems and metal baskets instead of wood. We built this to last for decades to come as we hone our skills and perfect our systems for eating fresh during the summer while growing plenty of vegetables that can be easily stored for later consumption.

To monitor humidity, we have a digital thermometer with a hygrometer. This is a must-have for a root cellar. A less ideal way to measure interior moisture of your cellar would be the firmness of your roots, though once they begin to lose moisture, they won’t regain it. And that’s not a risk worth taking after all that effort to grow our own food. We embrace the blending of modern technologies such as a digital hygrometer with the traditional practices of storing garden harvests with minimal processing.

DAMP STORAGE

Root vegetables packed in damp sawdust are stored in a cool garage.

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With succession planting, new starts mingle with vegetables almost ready for harvest.

Carrots, winter radishes, turnips, beets, daikons and the like all require damp bedding for storage. Sand is a common medium used, but we chose fine sawdust from our local farm supply store. We dampen the sawdust evenly, alternating layers of sawdust with a single layer of vegetables. Between layers we fully cover the vegetables with more damp sawdust and repeat.

As the winter wears on, you dig deeper and deeper for carrots until one day you’re left with simply sawdust in the bin. It is a deeply satisfying and delightful meal-prep task to head out to my garage for garden-fresh produce on a sub-zero day.

Dry Storage Not all vegetables store well in high humidity. Some require warmer, drier conditions, which makes storing them much easier with significantly less investment and effort. Imagine the inside of your dry, winter home, where humidity is naturally low—that’s where you’d tuck crates of these vegetables in dark corners where temperatures are consistently a bit lower than the rest of your home. Vegetables in this category include onions, garlic, shallots, winter squash and sweet potatoes.

Because it was a no-cost option, putting up vegetables in a dry cellar is where we began our root cellar journey three years ago.

A dry root cellar doesn’t need to be a large or dedicated space, especially if you have a small kitchen garden. Just toss some cured onions into a milk carton and set them in a corner of your entryway. It’s not attractive, but works just as well as cleaning out your draftiest closet for bins of vegetables. I’ve done both.

DRY STORAGE

Winter squash do well in dry storage.

Rooted in Joy I don’t anticipate ever being fully self-sufficient, but exploring food storage and the self-imposed challenge of feeding ourselves for as many months as possible throughout the year drives our yearning to expand what is possible in a northern climate. It grounds me in all the best ways, highlighting the beauty and abundance surrounding us every day, especially when a carrot sown by my children on July 1 is casually plucked from a storage bin in our root cellar in the middle of a February blizzard and is as sweet, crunchy and fresh as the day we harvested it in October. ng Meg Cowden is a self-taught gardener, writer and photographer, who has grown to love northern gardening. She gardens in Orono and shares her passion on Instagram @seedtofork and blogs at seedtofork.com.

After several weeks of curing, onions move into dry storage in early fall.

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Story and photos by Susannah Shmurak

Get more nutrition from your garden by adding nuts, seeds and legumes that thrive in the North.

PROTEIN-PACKED GARDEN While many of us grow food for the sheer pleasure of homegrown flavor, others enjoy using their gardens as a means to at least partial self-sufficiency. While juicy tomatoes and cucumbers get much of the summer glory, if you want to source more family meals from your garden, try incorporating protein-rich plants into next season’s garden for more balanced homegrown nutrition.

How Much Protein?

You may need far less protein than you think. The recommended daily allowance 34

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is only 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight, which works out to about 50 grams of protein for a 140-pound adult. Many nutritionists consider this number the minimum to prevent illness, and protein requirements vary according to age and activity level. Joanne Slavin, professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, cautions that during growth and development, protein needs rise considerably, and babies, children and pregnant women need to make sure they’re getting enough. The U.S. Department of

Agriculture has an online calculator that can help you determine the right amount of protein for someone with your age, height, weight and activity level.

Unlike protein from animal products, the proteins from plants do not contain all the amino acids needed to make what are called “complete proteins,” but according to the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada, our bodies can assimilate the different acids from plant sources over the course of the day. Soaking and sprouting beans, grains and seeds can help maximize the

Even broccoli adds protein to your plate.

nutrition you can get from them.

Most importantly, Slavin counsels, eat a wide variety of foods to ensure you’re not getting too much of some nutrients and not enough of others.

Protein-Packed Vegetables Nearly everything you grow has small amounts of protein that will add up over the course of your day, even your salad.

Cucumbers, radishes, cabbage and tomatoes all contain small amounts of protein. Some garden favorites have surprising amounts of protein, most notably broccoli and spinach. The steamed broccoli you serve with dinner has 4 grams per cup, and one cup of cooked spinach has more than 5 grams of protein.

Brussels sprouts contain about 3 grams per cup. Kale, chard, asparagus, summer and winter squash and beets each have 2 to 3 grams per cup cooked.

Even the luscious summer watermelon and cantaloupe you have for dessert have about 1 gram per cup, and who eats only a cup? Seedy fruits like mulberries, blackberries and raspberries have around 2 grams per cup.

Potatoes are one of the higher-protein root vegetables, with nearly 8 grams per large baked spud, while sweet potatoes contain 4 grams per cup.

If you really want to focus on getting more protein from your garden, add some protein heavy-hitters: legumes, seeds, grains and nuts.

Easy-to-grow dried beans come in many colors and shapes.

Super Seeds

Protein Powerhouses: Legumes If you’ve ever browsed vegan recipes, you probably noticed that they tend to feature legumes, a top source of vegetable-based protein. Some popular legumes require a long growing season, like lentils and chickpeas, making them challenging for

short-season gardeners. Natalie Hoidal, an educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, cautions that these crops prefer drier climates, too, so while North Dakota gardeners may have some success, Minnesota gardeners won’t.

Hoidal recommends triedand-true crops that thrive in our climate, like peas and beans.

“Dry beans are really diverse,” she says. “You can find beans that are beautiful and colorful and exciting that grow really well in our climate.” Consider Calypso, Speckled Cranberry, Jacob’s Cattle and scarlet runner beans, which make for a gorgeous homegrown bean stew.

Edamame (18 grams of protein per cup cooked) is an especially easy crop to grow in addition to more common green beans and peas, which provide just under 2 grams per cup raw. Edamame can be boiled and eaten straight from the pod, or added to salads and stir fries. You can also grow shelling peas for drying (16 grams per cup cooked). There’s not much that’s more satisfying than a protein-rich split pea soup on a cold winter day.

For gardeners who like a challenge, consider some of the shorter-season peanuts like the northern-hardy Valencia peanut.

Tasty edamame packs 18 grams of protein per cup.

An often-overlooked source of protein from the garden is seeds, both large and small.

Pumpkin seeds, for example, pack 5 grams of protein per ounce. To get the hull-less pepitas you find in the grocery store, you need to grow Styrian or oilseed pumpkins. The seeds from your pie pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns will have some protein, but you’ll have to either eat the hulls or go through the laborious process of shelling them.

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Protein-Packed Garden Seeds from many squashes can be roasted and eaten as well.

Roasted acorn and spaghetti squash seeds are especially tender and tasty.

Those gorgeous summer sunflowers are not just beautiful, they’re packed with protein-rich seeds. Shelled sunflower seeds contain 7 grams of protein per ounce and can be ground into butter, used in baking or roasted for snacks.

Amy Stross, author of The Suburban Micro-Farm (Twisted Creek Press, 2016), recommends amaranth, which she describes as a “super easy and beautiful” addition to the garden that provides 9 grams of protein per cup cooked. Amaranth tolerates a variety of growing conditions and does well in northern gardens.

Stross harvests the tiny seeds by clipping off flowerheads once dry and hanging them upside down in a paper bag, which also helps prevent self-seeding.

Buckwheat is a protein-rich seed (more than 5 grams per cup cooked) that can be used whole after it is hulled in stews and dishes like kasha or ground into flour for home-grown pancakes.

A relative of rhubarb, buckwheat isn’t a type of wheat and is naturally gluten-free. It’s also a fast grower and a good cover crop.

Resources

Dietary Requirements Calculator: https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/ fnic/dri-calculator/

How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land with Less Water Than You Can Imagine (Ten Speed Press, 2017) by John Jeavons.

Homegrown Whole Grains: Grow, Harvest, and Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn and More (Storey Publishing, 2009) by Sara Pitzer.

Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year (The Experiment, 2012) by Del Sroufe.

—S.S.

Nuts for Nutrition

Amaranth is garden-worthy and good for you.

Growing Grains Though not everyone has space, a small patch or garden row of high-protein grains can add considerably to your protein harvest.

The grains highest in protein are spelt (11 grams), kamut (10 grams), teff (10 grams) and sorghum (9 grams). Additional options include millet and oats, each with 6 grams per cup.

An ear of sweet corn contains about 3 grams of protein, or you can grow corn to dry for cornmeal (just under 10 grams per cup uncooked).

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Hazelnuts grow well in the North and are a good source of protein.

In addition to adding protein-rich legumes, grains and seeds to your garden, consider growing nuts. If you’re lucky enough to have a butternut or walnut tree, gather them before the squirrels do and you’ll harvest about 5 grams of protein per ounce.

Since most nut trees grow quite large, Stross recommends hazelnuts (4 grams per ounce) as the most practical for the home garden since they grow in shrub form. “You can prune them to a manageable size and still get a nut harvest,” she says. However, she cautions, “squirrels really love hazelnuts,” so if you choose to grow them she advises putting up temporary cages to protect your crop as harvest time approaches. You will need to plant more than one hazelnut shrub for pollination.

Incorporating protein-rich veggies as well as seeds, beans, nuts or grains into your garden means you can harvest more complete meals from your garden next season. Bon appetit! ng Susannah Shmurak is a Northfield-based health and garden writer. Her website is healthygreensavvy.com.

Divide and

GROW

Multiply your garden inventory by dividing perennials.

Story and photos by Susy Morris

Moving and dividing perennials is a task that can paralyze even the most experienced gardener. No one wants to ruin a prized perennial. Fortunately, there are many ways to make dividing and transplanting easier on the plants—and the gardener. Keep calm and keep a spade handy.

Many perennials lose vigor over time and will grow and bloom more after they’re divided. Some can be divided every three to five years; others can go 10 years. If a plant is dying in the middle (the telltale donut look), not blooming as much as it used to, or has outgrown its spot in the garden, it’s time to divide it.

I divide and transplant regularly because I prefer to grow new plants in a nursery area in my large garden. I can observe growth habits and watch for plants that are too aggressive or don’t do well in my area before giving them premier space in the borders. I divide them when they are moved to their eventual home, which allows me to purchase fewer plants.

Here are 10 tips gleaned from decades of dividing.

1. Divide in spring.

Many sources recommend dividing and transplanting fall bloomers in spring and spring/summer bloomers in fall. But I think northern gardeners are better off doing all dividing and transplanting in the spring. This gives plants’ roots a full season to get established before winter hits. You may miss a year of bloom with some plants, but overall plants will be healthier. Many perennials can be moved throughout the summer, if absolutely necessary, but they do it with more grace in the shoulder seasons.

2. Don’t procrastinate.

Divide plants before they get too big and develop large, tough root systems. These require more digging, prying and soil disruption to get out of the ground. They’re also harder on your back!

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Divide and Grow

3. Know your roots.

In general, plants with woody or long taproots do not transplant well, including tree peonies, perennial hibiscus, baptisia and ornamental fennel. That’s not to say that plants with long taproots can’t be moved, but they don’t move with as much ease as others. For best results, get as much of the taproot as possible.

4. Watch the weather.

Hot, dry spells can be tough on established plants and brutal for transplants. Even if the plants are bigger when moved, it’s best to wait for cool, cloudy or rainy days to reduce plant stress.

Transplanting in the evening gives plants an additional half-day of coolness to recoup before the sun and heat of midday. Or provide temporary shade with cardboard cabanas, which are easy to make and can be used for a few days during the hottest part of the day.

as much of the root system as you can. Start by digging at the edge of the drip line, continuing around the circumference of the plant. Repeat digging around the plant, going deeper on the second pass. Angle the shovel in toward the plant on each pass and attempt to dig about 12 inches deep.

7. Plan your cuts.

After digging the plant, determine how and where to divide it.

Some plants can be divided into many smaller portions; others can only be cut into a few sections. Typically, the larger the section, the sooner the plant will bloom and look mature in its new

5. Dig the planting hole first.

Dig and water the planting hole before uprooting the transplant.

This keeps the plant’s time out of the soil to a minimum, reducing stress and risk of drying out.

Having moist soil in the bottom of the planting hole helps encourage roots to grow deeply. This pre-watering will also let you know how well the soil drains in your plant’s new home.

location. For small transplants, choose a couple of eyes for each section. Cut larger plants in halves or quarters.

6. Water, then dig to divide.

8. Choose your tool.

Before digging up a plant to divide or move, water it well. I like to give plants a good soak in the afternoon to allow roots to hydrate and the water to drain before digging in the evening.

When pulling a plant, dig as wide and deep as possible to get

Smaller perennials, such as catmint, can be divided easily with a spade. Others, such as bee balm, can be teased apart by hand and divided into many sections. Perennials with tough woody centers may require a sharp serrated knife to slice the crown.

Some gardeners use the double fork method, inserting two garden forks back to back, working handles back and forth to divide roots. While you are dividing, cut out and discard damaged or dead roots. Whatever tool you use, be careful. Wear heavy gloves, cut away from yourself and watch out for spade handles that can snap back and hit you.

Figure out where you will cut a plant before taking a shovel to it.

9. Plant properly.

After dividing, place the plant in its new home and spread out the roots. Then fill the hole with soil, water it well and mulch to maintain the moisture level. If transplanting in fall, don’t add mulch until the soil freezes. Plants can also be potted up for giving to others, using a pot twice as big as the root ball.

A week or two after transplanting, a foliar feed with a half- or quarter-strength liquid fertilizer can help plants bounce back more quickly. Transplanting disturbs the feeder roots and a bit of foliar feed can give plants the nourishment they need to root well.

Dividing plants regularly gives you more plants and a healthier garden.

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DIVIDNG FAVORITE PERENNIALS Common name Scientific name

How often to divide

When to divide

Notes

A list of 125 perennials and their division needs is available at https://extension. umn.edu. Search for “dividing perennials.”

The chart is at the bottom of the article.

Aster Aster spp.

1 to 3 years Spring or fall Many cultivars require frequent division.

Astilbe Astilbe x arendsii 1 to 3 years Spring or fall Needs division for best bloom.

Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis 1 to 3 years Spring Divide with spade or pitchfork.

Bee balm Monarda didyma 1 to 3 years Spring Discard old central clump.

Catmint Nepeta spp.

Annually; Spring Cut into sections with sharp knife or spade. Can also be divided in

as needed spring after primary bloom period if cut back and watered carefully.

Daylily Hemerocallisis spp. 3 to 5 years Spring Divide immediately after bloom.

Delphinium Delphinium 1 to 3 years Spring Note that plants dug in fall often die over winter. Regular division can grandiflorum prolong the life of this plant.

Dwarf Sidalcea spp.

1 to 3 years Spring or fall hollyhock Echinacea, Echinacea 4 to 5 years Spring or Can remain undisturbed for years. Divide every 4 to 5 years for plant’s purple purpurea early fall health. Cut crown apart with sharp knife.

Foamflower Tiarella wherryi 1 to 3 years Spring or fall Divide by hand.

Globe flower Trollius chinensis Annually; Fall Slow to recover after transplanting.

as needed Goldenrod Solidago pp.

4 to 5 years Spring or fall Divide with spade or pitchfork.

Hosta Hosta spp.

6 to 10 years Spring or fall If center of plant begins to get bare, cut out center and discard.

Iris - bearded, Iris spp.

1 to 3 years 4 to 6 weeks Fewer blooms indicate need for rejuvenation. Cut groups of leaves German after flowering back to fan shape to reduce water loss. Discard older part of plant.

Joe-pye weed Eupatorium 1 to 3 years Spring to Use knife to slice woody crown. purpureum summer/

early fall Lamb’s ears Stachys byzantina 4 to 5 years Spring or fall Divide by hand.

Blazing star Liatris spicata 3 to 5 years Spring Cut into sections with sharp knife.

Ornamental Annually; Spring Most grow well for years without division. Discard old, central portion grasses as needed of crown.

Phlox Phlox subulata 1 to 3 years Spring or Replant only non-woody stems. creeping early fall Phlox - tall Phlox paniculata 2 to 4 years Spring or Discard central core if woody or dead.

late summer Pinks Dianthus spp.

1 to 3 years Spring Dividing every few years can often extend longevity.

Sedge Carex spp.

As needed Spring Divide with spade or pitchfork.

Shasta daisy Leucanthemum x 1 to 3 years Spring or fall Regular division can extend their life. Discard old central portion. superbum Sneezeweed, Helenium 1 to 3 years Spring or fall Helen’s flower autumnale Stonecrop Sedum spp.

4 to 5 years Spring Divide by hand.

Tickseed Coreopsis 1 to 3 years Spring or Cut crown apart with sharp knife. Coreopsis grandiflora and Coreopsis

early fall Coreopsis lanceolata live longer if divided every 2 to 3 years.

Yarrow Achillea spp.

1 to 3 years Spring Separate by cutting or pulling apart. Discard central woody core.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension

10. Don’t overwater.

Plants are more likely to die from overwatering than underwatering so don’t panic if the plants wilt dramatically, especially on hot afternoons. Watering deeply and less often is better than a bit of water each day.

Finally, make a list of which plants were moved and where they were moved to. It’s very handy to have a list for weekly watering and monitoring. It doesn’t matter how much you think

you will remember, there’s a risk of forgetting a plant only to remember it when it’s too late.

Don’t let transplanting and dividing intimidate you. Not only will plants perform better when divided occasionally, you will have extra plants for your gardens and to share with others. ng Writer and photographer Susy Morris grows a large garden in Maine and blogs at chiotsrun.com.

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This seldom-planted native evergreen shrub shrugs off winter and welcomes birds.

By Janet Cass

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN EASY-CARE shrub that tolerates Minnesota winters, doesn’t trespass on neighbors’ property and supports several types of wildlife, consider American yew. Just be warned—it has a dark side.

As with all yews, American yew is toxic to humans and certain animals, including cattle, horses and dogs. American yew is not toxic to deer, however, and they love it.

The only member of the Taxaceae family native to Minnesota, Taxus baccata subsp. canadensis (Marshall) is also called Canada yew and ground hemlock. Hardy to USDA Zone 2, this sprawling shrub prefers partial shade and moist, well40

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Plants typically grow slowly to 3 to 6 feet tall, though they can be as tall as 10 feet.

The branches extend from the plant’s base and upward along its height. In an undisturbed setting, you’re more likely to see a clonal mat of this shrub than a single yew because branches root where they touch the ground.

The smooth branches spread horizontally for two-thirds of their typically 6-foot length before curving upward. The branches look flat because the narrow, sharply pointed needles project laterally.

Needles are half an inch to an inch long and dark green on their upper surface.

The underside is lighter green but darker in the middle along its length, making the leaf look striped. The leaf’s midrib is elevated so subtly that the leaf looks flat and because the leaves basically are flat, you can’t roll them between your fingers.

In April or May, the shrub flowers with interesting male and female conelike structures called strobili. Male and female flowers are separate structures, usually on different branches of the same plant but sometimes on separate plants.

A flower later becomes a fleshy red berry (aril) about a half-inch in diameter that ripens July to September. The aril is open at the top, showing the single dark brown seed inside.

Female strobili of Taxus canadensis

Male strobili of Taxus canadensis

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROB RUTLEDGE, SAULT COLLEGE

Shade Garden Shrub

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER M. DZIUK, MINNESOTAWILDFLOWERS.INFO

drained, slightly acid soils. It’s typically found in understories of northern hardwood and spruce and fir forests, from Manitoba to Tennessee.

Within Minnesota, American yew grows wild in the northern one-third of the state. Travel south along the St. Croix River and along the Mississippi River to Iowa and you may find it in cool, damp woods; ravines and wooded swamps; along riverbanks; and along the edges of bogs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER M. DZIUK, MINNESOTAWILDFLOWERS.INFO

ALL-AMERICAN YEW

Yew berries are bright red.

ISTOCK.COM

PROTECTING PETS If you think your pet ingested yew, contact your veterinarian immediately or call APCC (888) 426-4435; a consultation fee may be charged.

OTHER YEWS TO CONSIDER Most yew species used in landscape plantings are varieties of the Japanese (T. cuspidata) or English (T. baccata) yew, or are hybrids of the two (Taxus x media). The hybrids are relatively disease-free and easy to care for. The Japanese yew species are similar in appearance and cold-hardiness to the American yew, though they have broader leaves and branches that look fuller than those of the American yew.

—J.C.

Landscape Uses American yew grows relatively slowly and lives a long time, making it a good investment for homeowners who want a shade-tolerant planting that won’t outgrow its space quickly. It grows 6 to 12 inches annually, reaching maximum height in about 10 years. Bird-watchers also may enjoy the American yew because its arils attract ruffed grouse, pheasants, cedar waxwings, robins, starlings and thrushes. Once an aril is eaten, the exposed seed is eaten by hawfinches, greenfinches and great tits.

Deer, unfortunately, also find yew tasty, which is why you won’t find it in Prairie Restoration’s native plant catalog.

“It’s heavily browsed by deer and is difficult to use in the landscape without it being decimated by our heavy deer populations,” explains Gene Schmidt, woody plant production manager/bore-

Taunton yew is a more commonly planted nonnative yew.

al natives for the company at its site in Cloquet.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth cages its yews in its Bagley Nature Area. In addition to caging, protect your yew from winter burn by planting it in moist, well-drained soil with northern or eastern exposure and partial to heavy shade.

All parts of American yew are toxic to humans except the flesh of the arils, although the seed inside each aril is poisonous. Sometimes victims do not experience symptoms and if the poisoning goes undetected, death can occur within hours. Other victims may have an accelerated heart rate, muscle tremors, convulsions, difficulty breathing, impaired circulation and cardiac arrest.

Yew’s toxicity persists in plant material that has been cut, so keep people and animals who might be inclined to chew it away from cuttings.

Don’t be scared off by American yew’s toxicity. Many ornamental plants pose health risks if eaten, including the Japanese and English yews.

Plant it to Preserve It Planting American yew in gardens may be useful as a preemptive step to help this species survive: It is listed as a Species of Special Concern in some areas of its range because of deer browsing, land-clearing and rising temperatures.

While this native yew has been listed as a special concern in Wisconsin, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources doesn’t currently consider American yew to be endangered, threatened or of special concern. ng Janet Cass is an editor and writer in Minnesota.

November/December 2019

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gardener’s market ACCESSORIES

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Restorative care for the garden and soul™ Garden Maintenance • Re-Design Restoration • Container Gardening

651-434-7349 www.HomeSownGardens.com

Dear MSHS members and supporters: We are honored and excited to announce that we have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. And you have the chance to help direct a portion of Target’s donation to us!

Now through Jan. 5, 2020, vote for us through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target’s donation will be divvied up. Find out more about Target Circle here: www.target.com/circle We’re asking our supporters to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity. Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue our mission to grow cold-climate gardeners through education, encouragement and community.

Don’t forget, as you earn more votes, you can keep voting multiple times during the campaign!

Thank you for your support, and we encourage you to share your support for us (and your thanks to Target) on social media throughout the duration of the voting!

NATIVE PLANTS

Lakeshore, Rain Gardens, Pollinator Gardens, and more!

TREE SERVICES

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HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

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SATURDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2019 9 A.M. – 3 P.M.

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h Brian Mickelson ISA Certified Arborist MN-4166A 612-216-1767 • 651-343-0389

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Gardener Northern

IN THE NEXT ISSUE! January/February 2020 r How to Get the Earliest Blooms in the Neighborhood r 5 Steps to a More Sustainable Garden r Foliage Plants for 3 Seasons of Beauty r Start Your Vegetable Garden NOW

northerngardener.org

gift memberships and subscriptions

ONE DAY ONLY KICK OFF the holiday season with festive treats and holiday gifts for gardeners at our new office location.

Find unique stocking stuffers and gifts, including: • Handmade wild bird feeders by Jules Loft • Punny T-shirts for plant lovers • Garden-themed socks • Garden tools, endorsed by local pros • $15 off gift memberships and subscriptions • Gardening books • And handmade holiday items made by talented local vendors!

While you’re here, join in our holiday wreath making class from 9:30 – 11 a.m.

Registration is required online: northerngardener.org/ mshs-events

1935 County Road B2 W, Suite 125 Roseville, MN 55113 651) 643-3601 November/December 2019

43

northern view

Lynn M. Steiner

Farewell Friends

M

y husband and I are getting ready to move from Minnesota to New England, so I have been saying a lot of good-byes lately. It’s not easy, but in today’s world I know that I will be able to stay in touch with friends and family through social media, Facetime, email, phone calls and texts. It’s not the same as spending time with them, but I will still be able to hear their voices and see their expressions as we talk. And I plan to see many of them again in the future as our paths cross, either here or in our new home.

It won’t be the same saying good-bye to my home and gardens. Sure, I have taken hundreds of pictures over the years. And I will certainly use them to remind me of what I lovingly created and cared for over the past 34 years. But pictures won’t give me the whole experience of the place. I won’t be able to hear the grasses rustle in the breeze. Or watch the hummingbirds flit from the monarda to the joe-pye weed. I won’t smell the sweet scent of black snakeroot when it’s in full bloom. Or see the almost daily changes that occur as my woodland garden wakes up in spring. You can’t capture these things in photographs or even videos. You must experience them in real time and real life.

My friends and gardens aren’t the only things I will be saying good-bye to. I have a long relationship with the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, dating back to 1983 when I started as a clerk doing administrative work for the staff of five. It 44

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progressed into my position as editor of Northern Gardener (then called Minnesota Horticulturist) for 15 years, from 1987 to 2002. After leaving as editor to become a freelance writer and photographer, I came back to the magazine in 2005 to write the Northern Natives column, which I have happily done for 14 years. All in all, a pretty good run with a great organization, through which I have met so many wonderful people and toured hundreds of beautiful gardens. I know that the organization will continue on well into the future, inspiring many more gardeners who discover this amazing and unique statewide organization. And I will happily watch the progress from a distance.

By now you are wondering why I would move away from my home and gardens and all these things I love. If any of you have children or grandchildren who are miles way, you will understand the pull.

I wrote one of my first columns as editor of this magazine right after my oldest son was born. So it seems appropriate I write this last one as grandchild. It’s a new it will be filled with our new home and

I await the birth of my first phase in my life, and I know great things as we settle into spend more time with our family.

Of course, most good-byes come with a hello. We are looking forward to exploring New England and finding new public and private gardens to visit, as well as meeting new people and finding new organizations to be a part of.

And, maybe best of all, starting new gardens at our new home—in USDA Zone 6! ng Lynn Stein is an author, speaker and long-time contributor to Northern Gardener. We at MSHS wish her the very best in her new adventures.

THE SHOPPING EVENT OF THE SEASON

Make-and-Take Holiday Swag U.S. BANK STADIUM

Saturday, November 9, 1-5pm Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN $20 members/nonmembers

SHOP MORE THAN 300 BOOTHS AND FIND THE LATEST TRENDS IN APPAREL, JEWELRY, DÉCOR, SEASONAL GIFTS, GOURMET FOODS AND MORE! SATISFACTION GUARANTEED — OR THE PRICE OF ADMISSION IS ON US.

MinneapolisHolidayBoutique.com

The Minneapolis Holiday Boutique is a festive marketplace where you can shop for holiday gifts, see works from local artisans, and experience holiday displays that will inspire your own decorations.

MSHS is hosting a makeand-take booth near the Legacy Gate at the entrance of the boutique on Saturday afternoon.

Stop by and decorate a seasonal swag for your door and enjoy all the festivities the Holiday Boutique has to offer!

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MINNESOTA GREEN

A BIG

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS Your generous donations have been serving the greening and growing efforts of thousands of gardeners throughout the state.

In 2018, Minnesota Green distributed over $200,000 worth of plants, seeds and tools.

Through your support we can continue to grow the gardens that strengthen our communities and neighborhoods.

DONORS:

Bachman’s l Egg/Plant Urban Farm Supply l Friends School Plant Sale l Green Earth Growers Heidi’s GrowHaus l Hennepin Technical College l Jeanne Weiggum l Lake Valley Seeds Monrovia Growers l North Heights Hardware Hank l Permaculture Action Gardens l Rush Creek Growers Tom Saby l Carolyn Sjoblom l Tonkadale Greenhouse l Unteidt’s Garden Center Wagners Greenhouses & Garden Center l Waldoch Farm Garden Center