Northern Gardener - Fall 2024

Gardener

FALL HARVEST

The Bounty of the North

A Foray into Foraging

The “Best Berries” List Hosta Showcase Garden +

garden GROW YOUR FALL

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ANNUALS & PERENNIALS

TREES & SHRUBS GARDEN GEAR

MULCH, SOILS & FERTILIZERS

Feel the crisp air and embrace the harvest hues. Your fall garden is calling. Answer with vibrant mums and ornamental annuals. Enhance with unique perennials. Plan your garden with the expert help of the purple thumbs at Bachman’s.

Garden for Good

Fall Checklist

Your fall garden to-do list.

Ask the Expert Tips for planting a new tree

Weed-Free Brick Tricks

Take a torch to pesky weeds.

Easy-Care Perennials for Zone 3

Colorful, hardy additions to far-north gardens.

Garden Plan

Create a backyard herbal tea garden.

A Strong Foundation

Take your curb appeal from meh to magnificent.

Four-Season Garden

A Maplewood, Minn., garden with year-round flair.

Karamu, The People’s Garden

A North Minneapolis communal garden cultivates more than just fresh food.

Ferment

Try

Smitten with Mountain Mint

Attract pollinators with this

Bee the Solution

Rusty-patched bumblebee numbers are declining, but you can help.

The Idea Garden

An expansive hillside garden offers endless inspiration.

A Gardener’s Foray into Foraging

Five expert foragers help us rethink how and what we eat.

Berry Bounty

Juicy, sweet, tart and ubiquitous, native berries abound.

Made in the Shade

A wooded Minnetonka yard showcases the incredible beauty and variety of hostas.

Writers & Photographers / Fall 2024

Susan Barbieri has been a writer and copy editor for the Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly and Pioneer Press. She gardens in St. Paul, Minn.

Alan Bergo is a James Beard awardwinning chef, author, show host and forager from Minnesota. ForagerChef.com | @foragerchef

Michelle Bruhn is a gardener, writer, speaker, local food advocate and coauthor of Small-Scale Homesteading (Skyhorse Press, 2023). forksinthedirt.com | @forksinthedirt

Meg Cowden is a garden writer, speaker and author of Plant Grow Harvest Repeat (Timber Press, 2022) based in Orono, Minn. seedtofork.com | @seedtofork

Soni Forsman is a garden writer and avid water gardener in Eagan, Minn.

Gail Hudson is a horticulturist, Emmy award-winning journalist, writer and video producer and avid gardener in Minneapolis.

Eric Johnson is a longtime contributor to Northern Gardener, blogger and lifelong gardener based in Roseville, Minn. gardendrama.com

Amy Kainz is an organic flower and vegetable gardener specializing in pollinator-friendly landscaping in central Minn. @milkweed.and.daisies

Burton Laine is an award-winning photographer, writer, author and editor. He is a USDA Zone 3 gardener in Cloquet, Minn. burtonlaine.com

Diane McGann is an award-winning writer who maintains perennial and shade gardens on 4 1/2 acres in Stillwater, Minn.

Jennifer Rensenbrink grows native plants and delicious treats in her south Minneapolis garden. @JenniferRensenbrink

Michelle Mero Riedel is celebrating 15 years writing and photographing stories for Northern Gardener. She is a master gardener in Washington County, Minn.

Beth Stetenfeld is a Wisconsinbased garden blogger and writer, native plant enthusiast and a master naturalist volunteer and instructor. plantpostings.com

Tracy Walsh is a professional photographer. She has been photographing the plants, productions and people of Bailey Nurseries since 2015. tracywalshphoto.com

Hungry for crisp air, tart apples, flowering asters, crimson leaves, hearty stews and berry pies? Fall in the north serves them up in spades.

This issue celebrates the bounty of the north, the expansive and incredible variety of berries, mushrooms, cabbages and other treats our northern gardens provide in abundance. Autumn is the season for harvesting, canning, preserving, drying, storing, sharing and feasting on our homegrown harvest and savoring a few final bursts of blooms (shoutout ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, orange coneflowers and meadow blazingstars) as we batten down the hatches for another one of our notorious winters.

Fancy fermenting? Don’t miss Minneapolis expert Mike Stewart’s kimchi and kraut recipes for the whole family (pg. 24). Wisconsin-based Beth Stetenfeld highlights the best native berries for

noshing (pg. 48). Dry and steep some chamomile flowers for a cozy cup of tea, with help from Amy Kainz’s tea garden tips. And our foray with some of the most experienced foragers in the Upper Midwest is a must-read—who knew the irritatingly persistent purslane could be rolled up into a tasty taco?

So, as you prepare to dig up the dahlias and compost your annuals, take a moment to clear a shelf in the pantry and bring the garden inside.

We’re falling into one of the most beautiful seasons Up North—savor it.

Rebecca Swee, Editor in Chief editor@northerngardener.org

Late fall harvest from the garden of Northern Gardener contributor Meg Cowden.

A note from the

MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

It all started with the apple. Back in 1866, we took on the challenge of growing this tasty fruit in our northern climate. Over time, we spread deep roots, championing not only fruit growing but also the many areas of horticulture in rural and urban Minnesota and beyond.

The longest running horticultural society in the United States, we’re a trusted resource for thousands of northern gardeners. Serving all ages and skill levels across USDA Hardiness Zones 3, 4 and 5 (Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Michigan, Montana, Alaska, Canada and more), we offer cold-climate gardening resources to support our members, garden clubs, plant societies, program participants, the horticultural industry and anyone who wants to grow plants in our challenging northern climate and positively impact the environment.

Deeply rooted in our mission to cultivate a healthy, diverse, sustainable community of northern gardeners, we publish Northern Gardener® magazine and grow cold-climate gardeners through educational classes, events and two signature community outreach programs, Garden-in-a-Box and Minnesota Green. Let’s grow!

Lara Lau-Schommer, Executive Director

Gardener

Editor in Chief Rebecca Swee

Creative Director Rose Daniels

Horticultural Editor Debbie Lonnee

Copy Editor Susan Barbieri

Newsstand Consultant JK Associates

Advertising Sales Manager Betsy Pierre

MSHS STAFF

Lara Lau-Schommer Executive Director

Rebecca Swee Communications + Marketing Director

Carrie Lyons Education + Outreach Director

Erik Bergstrom Membership + Marketing Manager

Anna Marhefke Programs + Marketing Coordinator

Mary Riehle Office Manager

MSHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Don Smith, Chair

Jill Rulli, Vice Chair

Paul Markwardt, Treasurer

Renay Leone, Secretary

Gail Hudson

Neil Imsdahl

Judy MacManus

Mary Hockenberry Meyer

ADVERTISE WITH US

Contact Betsy Pierre at:

Betsy.Pierre@Ewald.com

763-295-5420

Randy Nelson

Lisa Philander

Steve Poppe

Robin Trott

Copyright 2024 by MSHS. Printed in the USA on recycled paper with inks containing soy and/or vegetable oils. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission from MSHS. The information published in Northern Gardener® reflects the experiences and opinions of the writers and is not necessarily endorsed by MSHS. Northern Gardener is a registered trademark of MSHS. (ISSN) 1529-8515. Northern Gardener is published quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) with an additional digital issue in January by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minn., and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northern Gardener, 1935 County Rd. B2 W., Suite 125, Roseville, MN 55113.

Volunteer gardeners at MN Green garden on Mower County Fairgrounds in Austin, Minn.

101 Market Otsego, MN

Abrahamson Nurseries Scandia, MN

All Seasons Garden Center Grand Forks, ND

Bachman’s Multiple Locations

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory St. Paul, MN

Costa Farm and Greenhouse White Bear Lake, MN

Countryside Lawn & Landscape Zumbrota, MN

Dan and Jerry’s Greenhouse Monticello, MN

Dolan’s Landscape Center Austin, MN

Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply St. Paul, MN

Farmington Greenhouse Farmington, MN

Fiddles and Fronds Spring Park, MN

Flower Power Garden Center & Fred Holasek and Son Greenhouse Lester Prairie, MN

Forest and Floral Garden Center Park Rapids, MN

Garden Divas River Falls, WI

Garden Expressions New Richmond, WI

Gordy’s Gift & Garden Duluth, MN

Hartman Garden Center & Landscaping Victoria, MN

Heidi’s GrowHaus Corcoran, MN

Home Sown Gardens Eagan, MN

Hugo Feed Mill & Hardware Hugo, MN

Jean’s - The Right Plant Place Perham, MN

Kern Landscape Resources St. Paul, MN

Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping Northfield, MN

Members save at all participating locations. Not a member yet? Join today and start enjoying discounts at local garden centers and nurseries immediately.

northerngardener.org/discount-partners

Landscape Alternatives, Inc. Shafer, MN

Lilydale Garden Center St. Paul, MN

Lynde Greenhouse & Nursery Maple Grove, MN

Miltona Greenhouses Parkers Prairie, MN

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Chaska, MN

Mother Earth Gardens Minneapolis, MN

Nagel Sod and Nursery Medford, MN

Nature’s Garden World Fergus Falls, MN

Nelson Nursery Zimmerman, MN

Prairie Moon Nursery Winona, MN

Prairie Restorations, Inc. Princeton, MN

Otten Bros. Garden Center & Landscaping Long Lake, MN

Pahl’s Market Apple Valley, MN

Paisley Gardens LLC Northfield, MN

Patio Town Multiple Locations

RT Dock and Yard Inc

DBA The Green Lake Nursery Spicer, MN

Sargent’s Landscape Nursery Rochester, MN

Sargent’s Nursery, Inc. Red Wing, MN

Schulte’s Greenhouse and Nursery St. Michael, MN

Seed Savers Exchange Decorah, IA

South Cedar Garden Center Farmington, MN

Spring At Last Greenhouse Duluth, MN

Terra Garden Center Lakeville, MN

The Garden By The Woods Chanhassen, MN

Wild Birds Unlimited Woodbury, MN

Winter Greenhouse Winter, WI

In many cases, discount is 10% off select plants and merchandise. Visit us online for all discounts and details. Want a paper list? Grab a copy at any in-person MSHS event or visit northerngardener.org to print your own.

MSHS CLASSES

With a mission deeply rooted in education, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society offers a variety of popular online and in-person classes every month—all gardening-related and led by trusted pros. From growing vertically in small spaces to creating a compost pile, find a session, grab a friend and get ready to grow. Webinar attendees receive a recording of the presentation, so you can sign up even if you are unable to attend live. Enrollment is limited; registration required.

Upcoming Classes

To register, visit northerngardener.org/classes

Alternative Lawns

Wed., Sept. 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

$5 members, $10 non-members

Traditional high-maintenance lawns are becoming obsolete due to climate change, invasive pests, drought and environmental concerns. Organic Bob shares alternative turf solutions that not only replace lawns but can also contribute to mitigating climate change, safeguarding water quality and pollinators and fostering optimism for the future.

Sustainable Landscape Design Basics

Five sessions: Wednesdays in Sept. and Oct., 6-9 p.m.

$199 members, $209 non-members Learn landscape design principles and how to avoid common mistakes while designing a garden bed on your own property. Hands-on assignments and personalized critiques support you in developing a design.

No Dig + Hügelkultur

Thurs., Sept. 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

$5 members, $10 non-members Michelle Bruhn introduces techniques for home gardeners eager to avoid digging. Learn how to construct garden beds, harvest and prepare gardens for winter without disturbing the soil and build hügelkultur beds by layering organic materials that foster nutrient-rich soil essential for plant health and growth.

Restoring Abundance & Regenerating Ecosystems

Thurs., Oct. 24, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

$5 members, $10 non-members Learn how to heal the land by nurturing healthy soil, eliminating synthetic chemicals, managing non-native species responsibly and planting to maximize pollinator and insect health.

Community Events Calendar

Bookmark this robust calendar of gardening-related events in the Upper Midwest. See a sampling of upcoming events below and a full event list online: northerngardener.org/ community-events-calendar

7TH ANNUAL FLOWER, FOOD AND FOTO SHOW

Garden Club of Minneapolis

Sat -Sun , Aug 17 and 18

Location: Minneapolis, Minn.

The Garden Club of Minneapolis hosts its annual competition celebrating excellence in horticulture and photography. Participants are invited to showcase their best flowers, vegetables, floral arrangements or photos. This year, the featured flower is the coleus, and the featured vegetable is beans. For more details or to enter the competition, visit gardenclubmpls.org/calendar/flower-foodfoto-show.

15TH ANNUAL PLANT SALE

Carver Scott Extension Master Gardeners

Aug. 24, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Location: Chaska, Minn.

Perennial divisions from master gardeners’ yards, as well as over 60 varieties of native plants, will be offered for sale. Houseplants, garden art and fresh produce will also be on sale. Great prices!

CULTURALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS AS FOOD AND MEDICINE

Garden Club of Minneapolis

Sept. 10, 7-8 p.m.

Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Join the Garden Club of Minneapolis, along with Linda Black Elk, Educational and Engagement Director at the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). An ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist, Linda will discuss culturally important plants and their uses as food and medicine. Free & open to the public.

LATE BLOOMING POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PLANTS

St. Anthony Park Garden Club

Oct 1, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Location: St. Paul, Minn.

Rhonda Fleming Hayes will speak about plants for late summer and fall that are attractive to pollinators. Rhonda is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening (Voyageur Press, 2016).

Gienger

Fall Checklist

— WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN NOW —

To Clean or Not to Clean

That is the perennial fall question. Beyond deadheading, weeding and removing spent vegetable plants, consider leaving most plants untouched to support pollinators through winter. Birds feed on berries, bees hibernate in hollow stems and butterfly larvae overwinter in leaf litter. northerngardener.org/how-to-support-pollinators-in-fall

August

Stretch the season and plant a few quick-growing fall crops—try arugula, kale, lettuce, radishes and spinach. northerngardener.org/vegetables-forfall-harvest

Annuals looking leggy and haggard? Swap them out for fresh asters, mums, ornamental kale and peppers, purple fountain grass, pansies and other cold-tolerant annuals ready to shine through autumn.

Divide spring-blooming perennials, such as iris, peonies and allium. Share divisions with a friend or transplant to a new spot in your garden and water thoroughly.

September

Plant a tree. Master gardener Diane McGann offers planting tips on page 10.

Plant spring-blooming bulbs (hyacinths, allium, crocus and tulips) and thank yourself next spring.

Start transitioning houseplants back inside. But first! Clean the foliage and pots to avoid bringing in tiny hitchhikers.

Add a few new perennials to fill holes in your landscape. Less conventional fall favorites to try: northerngardener.org/five-unexpected-fall-flowers

October

Store your harvest. Chop and freeze herbs, such as chives and parsley, in bags to lock in peak flavor. Whip up a batch of pesto and freeze in ice cube trays. Cure winter squash and pumpkins outside two weeks after harvesting before storing indoors in a cool, dry spot.

Plant garlic cloves so the roots have time to grow before the ground freezes. northerngardener.org/ garlic-growing-tips-and-recipe

Water and weed until frost to set your garden up for success in spring. New trees and shrubs, in particular, need plenty of moisture through fall, and consistent weeding means fewer weeds next summer.

QA

&

Diane McGann is a University of Minnesota Tree Care Advisor, master gardener and Ask Extension panelist.

How should I plant my new tree?

Don’t hang up your garden shovel just yet. Late summer and early fall are ideal for planting, giving new additions a chance to settle in and establish healthy roots before winter arrives. Plus, you’ll be a year ahead when they start to bloom next spring.

10 STEPS FOR PLANTING A TREE

Evaluate your site and define your goal. Do you have sun or shade? Power lines overhead? Will your planting site accommodate the tree’s mature height and width? Are you looking for shade, habitat for wildlife, privacy or a focal point?

Dig a hole three times wider than the root stock and as deep as the bottom of the root ball.

1

2

Locate the root flare, the point at which the tree trunk spreads out before turning into roots, and gently knock away any soil above it. A recent survey found that many potted nursery trees are planted too deep in the container.

Check for girdling roots encircling the root ball. Score (clip) with pruners to prevent them from eventually strangling the tree. The remaining roots will be fine and grow out again, this time into the surrounding dirt.

Place root ball in the hole, roots spread in all directions and root flare visible, resting the base on firmly packed soil to avoid settling. Gently backfill, sprinkling previously removed soil over the roots. Compress the soil only slightly so air, water and nutrients can reach the roots.

3 4 5

7

6 8 9 10

Skip the amendments. Many experts believe that plants will acclimate to their surroundings more quickly and grow more readily when their roots aren’t confined to an idyllic mix of compost and additives. If you can’t resist, you might add compost or other amendments as a top dressing over the entire potential root system.

Spread a 3-4 inch layer of shredded wood mulch to trap moisture and prevent weeds.

Protect the tree from deer and rabbits if they are a nuisance in your neighborhood. A tree guard or fencing will help keep them at bay.

Use 2-3 opposing stakes only if you have strong winds or a toppling tree.

Water thoroughly right away and then regularly, particularly for the first two weeks.

+ WORTH THE EFFORT

A University of Illinois study highlights the importance of digging a wide hole and loosening the surrounding soil when planting trees, shrubs and flowers. Plants grown in loose soil grew twice the size of neighboring plants in compacted soil.

Weed-Free Brick Tricks

Unleash your inner pyromaniac while fighting weeds in your brick paths.

A weed torch can be purchased online for less than $50. You will also need small, camping-style propane tanks.

Several years ago, my husband was struck by a moment of inspiration: brick paths!

All over the yard! I loved the idea. Because I grow mostly native plants, brick paths bring order and intention to my otherwise wildlooking landscape.

The honeymoon phase with our brick paths lasted just one summer. After that, they started becoming infested with weeds. I’m not a fan of herbicide, so over the course of the next few years I tried several other methods with varying success. Here’s what I found out.

LEVEL 1: H AND - PICKING

Yep, you can simply pull weeds by hand from a brick path. This is best done wearing a good pair of grippy garden gloves the day after a good rain. You can imagine how hard that became during the drought of 2022-23. As I age, my hands do not respond well to hours of pulling. I needed something easier.

LEVEL 2: B OILING WATER

This really did work, and honestly, it’s not a terrible option. Fill a teakettle to the brim, bring it to the boil and pour it over a few square feet of weedy path. Repeat 17 times.

LEVEL 3: W HITE VINEGAR

Vinegar seems like it should be more hardcore than boiling water, but unfortunately, a similar amount is required. This meant I could either choose to only kill approximately 1/17th of the weeds or buy 17 gallons of vinegar. I only tried this method once.

LEVEL 4: W EED TORCH

I am not kidding when I tell you that the very first time I used a weed torch, I started singing the 80s song I’ve Had the Time of My Life. I’d never felt this way before, I swear! The weed torch is, hands down, the most fun I’ve ever had in the garden. Burning up the weeds is simply that satisfying. Some weeds take a surprisingly long time to succumb, so you get to have extra fun practicing with your torch until you get it right with timing and proximity.

A few considerations are in order if you choose to use a weed torch. First, be aware of weather conditions. High winds, drought and even just dry conditions can create a dangerous situation. It also pays to be sure there are not many dry, old leaves lying on the path. If you have any doubt whatsoever, keep a hose or watering can nearby.

A NOTE ABOUT HERBICIDES

I have used herbicides on occasion for very specific problems, but I prefer to avoid using them on a regular basis. They don’t work that much better than the methods listed above—you will still get new weeds after the herbicide works its way out of the soil and new weeds arrive again. In my experience, it’s not worth the other risks associated with herbicides to get rid of some simple weeds. And honestly, the torch is way more fun.

STORY AND PHOTOS JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

Easy-Care Perennials for Zone 3

STORY AND PHOTOS BURTON LAINE

When you live in the far northern reaches of Minnesota, it’s best to make friends with the snow and cold. Any flowering perennials, like our neighbors, have to be gritty and hardy. We don’t cover any plants during the long winter, so our perennial beds must be self-sufficient, insulated and protected only by snow all winter long. Looking for perennials that will thrive with little handholding and a whole lot of winter? These four standouts will shine.

TIGER LILY

I’ve lived on our family farm almost 70 of its 100 years, and Lilium lancifolium have grown in our gardens the entire time. Without garden centers to visit, my ancestors shared plants with neighboring families and this one became a staple. This tall, heritage perennial propagates like a biennial, dropping seeds and then sprouting as small, low-growing, single-leaf plants the following year. During the second year, it reaches 3 to 4 feet in height and sends up spectacular blooms in August.

‘ MAJESTE’ LUNGWORT

Pulmonaria longifolia is a low-growing perennial in our rock garden. The flowers are beautiful late spring to mid-June, luring in pollinating insects and hummingbirds. Dark green, spotted leaves hug the ground all summer. This lungwort spreads, so location is important—provide plenty of space so it won’t interfere with other plants. Four different lungwort plants grow in the perennial beds, most low-growing. The exception is marsh wound wort, a foot-high plant that keeps its color for over a month in late summer.

CUSHION SPURGE

Another heritage plant we transplanted from our family farm in central Minnesota (zone 5), Euphorbia epithymoides grows to 18 inches high and wide. Its signature yellow tops resemble gathering butterflies each spring. The blooms fade, giving way to a medium green, bushy foliage plant for the remainder of the summer, providing a mid-size accent amidst drifts of flowering perennials in the rock garden. This plant took a while to establish itself, so we wondered if it would adapt. Now it’s a vigorous grower—we recently noticed new shoots in other areas of the rock garden.

Selecting Perennials

QUEEN OF THE PRAIRIE

A friend shared Filipendula rubra with us 20 years ago. It’s been slow to take root and spread, so we only see two or three blooms each year. Even so, it is truly a focal point in our perennial beds—at a commanding 4 feet tall, the plant sends up large, pink flower sprays like big tufts of cotton candy in early August that will last up to a month. Easy to grow, this unique perennial prefers sun to part shade and consistently moist soil. While the blossoms don’t produce nectar, they are a significant source of pollen for pollinators, such as native bees.

Careful perennial selection can provide color throughout the summer. The plants in our gardens are arranged so the color migrates through the season. While the entire garden is never in full bloom, we can always find colorful spots to enjoy during the growing season. To plant for season-long color, visit northerngardener.org/native-plant-bloom-calendar.

The tiger lily forms seeds on the stem and drops them after blooming.

GARDEN PLAN

HERBAL TEA GARDEN

Create your own backyard tea garden, full of both unexpected and tried-and-true flavors for brewing. Come mid- to late-summer, roll up your sleeves and dig into the therapeutic art of harvesting and drying, gently plucking leaves and flowers at their peak and preserving their healing essence through gentle drying. Craft personalized blends for nourishing teas and enjoy a piping hot (or iced) cup of your homegrown elixir for holistic wellness.

STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS AMY KAINZ

The Plants

When consuming plants for tea, ensure they are properly identified and free from contaminants, as some plants can be toxic or cause allergic reactions.

A

Anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum PERENNIAL B Bee balm ‘Jacob Cline’ Monarda didyma PERENNIAL C Coneflower Echinacea purpurea PERENNIAL

D

Roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa ANNUAL E Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium PERENNIAL F Lemon balm Melissa officinalis PERENNIAL

G

Yarrow ‘Sassy Summer Lemon’ Achillea millefolium PERENNIAL

H

Wild geranium Geranium maculatum PERENNIAL

CROWD FAVORITE

Anise hyssop brings all the bees to the yard, and it’s incredibly easy to grow. With sun or part shade, dry or moist soil, this lowmaintenance perennial shoots up to 4 feet tall, and its purple-blue flowers are a pollinator magnet. Use the licorice-scented leaves in herbal teas, jellies or dried for potpourri.

The Plan

This 5 foot by 10 foot herb garden will thrive in a northern climate with well-drained soil and mulch to retain moisture and protect roots from frost. Regular pruning will produce a plentiful harvest throughout the growing season. When planning your garden, place taller plants toward the back and shorter ones in the front. This maximizes sunlight exposure and creates an aesthetically pleasing tiered effect.

Amy shares her top tips for growing, harvesting, drying and then brewing or muddling at home. Visit northerngardener.org/ backyard-tea-garden.

SPILLING THE TEA

A Strong Foundation

A well-planned foundation border will transform your curb appeal from meh to magnificent.

STORY AND ILLUSTRATION ERIC JOHNSON

Have a humble abode? A thoughtful foundation planting along the front of the house can make it spectacular. If your house is already a showpiece, a well-done front border can make it a standout on the block. When you landscape the perimeter of your home in an effective way, you meld it into the surrounding area, which makes it look like it comfortably belongs. You soften the hard edges and help proclaim the home’s personality.

Foundation beds also allow you to add a gentle slope away from the house, which is great for keeping the basement dry. Installing planting beds around air conditioners, rain gutters and other utility items also helps with lawn maintenance.

Starting with a blank canvas is always the dream, but most often we inherit the previous homeowner’s handiwork when we move into a house. I’m a big fan of trying to make existing plantings work, though sometimes they just need to go, especially if they are too big for a space or too close to the house. My first house had two shrubs when I moved in: an overgrown arborvitae that was rubbing the eaves and a lilac at one of the back corners. Rather than trimming the arborvitae, I took it down, which always hurts my heart, but I’ve used the branches as interesting art pieces in the garden for almost 20 years. The lilac was nicely placed a few feet from the corner and lived happily for years, bringing fragrant floral splendor each May and a nicely shaped specimen the rest of the year. These two shrubs showed me the best and worst of foundation plantings.

How to Design a Foundation Planting

1

INTRODUCE HEIGHT

One fantastic specimen tree or large shrub adds interest to the front of the house. If you have the space, two on either side will frame the entry and can work in both a formal and informal look.

2

ADD MID-SIZED PLAYERS

Shrubs like ninebark, smoothy hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) or compact lilacs offer beautiful blooms or colorful foliage in spring and summer. Space them according to their mature size, plus an extra foot. Stay clear of covering windows for security purposes. Ornamental grasses add height and movement and can work well in front of a window.

3

FINAL TOUCHES

Incorporate low-growing shrubs and odd-numbered groupings of perennials for additional color and texture.

Tips for More Effective Foundation Plantings

Give yourself space. A robust foundation planting bed, 6 to 8 feet deep, will serve you well, especially at the front of the house. Deep beds allow plenty of space for shrubs, trees and perennials to reach their mature size, and a mix of these three in varying sizes, colors and textures provides year-round interest and beautiful texture.

Consider the style of your home. Formal structures call out for symmetry and manicured plantings. Asymmetry and more free-form, flowing shrubs and perennials fit less formal homes. Contemporary or modern homes work well with a mix of the two—clean lines and geometrically shaped plants in asymmetrical arrangements. That said, there is plenty of room for interpretation and breaking of conventions. A farmhouse with symmetrical landscaping is charming and a mansion with kooky foundation plantings may not be to everyone’s taste but it screams of drama and creativity. It’s all about the layers. Foundation plantings often fall flat because they lack depth and dimension. Layering creates visual interest and ensures year-round appeal. Evergreens hold court in a foundation planting. Strive for half of your plantings to be evergreens, including boxwood and holly, which hold their color all winter. Then incorporate one quarter deciduous shrubs and one quarter perennials for color in the growing season. Vary heights and widths to create a visual rhythm.

Best trees and shrubs to plant near your home: northerngardener. org/foundationplanting-favorites

Choosing the plants is the fun part. Quantity depends on the size of your space; sketch a design and calculate where trees, shrubs and perennials will fit, once mature. Keep at least 18 inches between the house and plants to allow for air circulation and house access, and plan for at least a foot between mature plantings so you can navigate the bed for maintenance. Fight the urge to overplant.

Formal beds call for two of everything mirroring each other. For a more casual look, group odd numbers of plants, such as one tall evergreen shrub on one side of the house and three medium-sized ones on the other for balance.

Finish things off. Mulch not only retains moisture and suppresses weeds, it helps plants pop, visually. Define your bed's perimeter with stones, bricks or edging to create a clean look. Strategically placed lights or spotlights can highlight beautiful pathways and plantings even after dark. A heartfully chosen sculpture declares the personality of the home... and the homeowner. Well-executed foundation plantings elevate the look of your home, add value and curb appeal and make your house more beautiful to come home to.

Locally Grown Flower Bouquets available to purchase online www.sccflowerfarm.com

Locally Grown, Fresh Cut, Dahlia Bouquet Subscriptions available September & October

A Year-Round Garden

Allen Eldridge’s meticulous Maplewood gardens serve up beautiful blooms and water features that attract wildlife all year long.

STORY AND PHOTOS SONI FORSMAN

Allen eldridge’s passion for flower gardening began in far-west Minnesota where, as a young boy, he helped his grandfather cut gladiolus for bouquets delivered to the local hospital and nursing homes. From this simple beginning, Allen’s interest in plants eventually blossomed into a full-blown landscape of picturesque gardens filled with his favorite flowers.

When some robins spent a winter in his Maplewood, Minn., yard eating fruit from the crabapple trees and drinking from the open water koi pond, Allen realized his landscape was more than garden beds and beautiful blooms. He began to find ways to welcome wildlife all year long.

Most of the gardens are in the back and side yards, with a few smaller beds sprinkled around the front yard. Spring through fall, his gardens are packed with colorful perennials and tiny visitors.

A growing homestead

In 1987, Allen moved from a small home to a corner lot in Maplewood that offers easy access to the backyard and home as well as a sense of privacy with neighbors on only two sides. After moving in, he hired a garden designer to draw plans for his new gardens. After studying the plan, he says, “I paid the bill and decided I could design it myself using flowers I liked.”

The quarter-acre lot had been a sheep pasture. He hauled in loads of black dirt and compost for the lawn and flower gardens and made raised beds using landscape timbers. After a few years, Allen grew unhappy with the ‘square, rectangular look’ of the timbers and tore them out to instead create curving flower beds edged with field stones. The stones came from the farmers’ fields where he grew up. “I earned money for college piling up the rocks I’m now hauling to the Twin Cities one pickup load at a time,” he says with a smile.

SPRING

As the snow melts, a pair of nesting mallards fly in and stay until the female marches her brood to a nearby natural pond. Rhododendrons and earlyblooming tulips kick off the season, followed by azaleas, hybrid columbine, early-flowering clematis and iris. Pots of pansies add to the buffet of spring color, and bluebirds scope out the five houses as potential seasonal homes.

In a nod to his family history, he filled the beds to the brim, letting the plants grow together and touch but with an underlying order. Remembering both of his grandmas’ tightly planted gardens back home, Allen tried to replicate that look in his own garden. To keep the tradition alive, he adds new plants each year. “There is always room for one more,” assures the avid gardener.

To keep rabbits and deer from devouring his hard work, Allen fenced the backyard in entirely, as well as some of the smaller front-yard gardens.

SUMMER

Allen’s favorite time of year is the heat of the growing season, when his many lily cultivars and ‘fancy’ hybrid daylilies bloom in the border garden that sweeps around the perimeter of the backyard. Orienpet lilies stand tall in his garden, mixed with perennial coneflowers, daisies, phlox and clusters of annual Rudbeckia ‘Toto Gold.’ Bees flit between blooms, collecting and spreading pollen, and hummingbirds dart from plant to plant.

FALL

The colorful floral display continues well into fall in the form of dahlias, hardy hibiscus and asters blooming amid the foliage of spring and summer perennials now cloaked in fall colors. His annual fall tradition? Planting 300 early-blooming tulip bulbs—200 in the backyard and 100 in the front. To prepare for winter, he empties every container and stores them in the attic of the garage, dumping the used potting mix into the gardens, an annual amending of the soils.

vine and purple petunias fill a tall container. Annual Rudbeckia ‘Toto Gold.’ Hardy hibiscus brightens the late summer/early fall garden.

Opposite: A perennial garden in a side yard. Above left to right: Mandevilla

ALLEN ELDRIDGE

Adding a splash of water

To attract more visitors, Allen added two water features in the back landscape, utilizing the gentle slope down into the backyard. He built a pond-less waterfall first, the prominent feature in one side yard and visible from the street. A couple crabapple trees provide shade for the large hostas that flourish underneath them. The shady, quiet space is a cool respite for humans and critters alike, in contrast to the sunsoaked backyard.

In 1993, Allen created another water feature with help from his nephew. This time, it was a pond with a long stream flowing out of a bog. They built it adjacent to the patio to enjoy the peaceful sound of moving water. After receiving a single, small fish as a gift, Allen decided it needed “friends.” Now, the pond is home to 12 large koi fish, some more than 30 years old!

To keep the fish in the pond year-round, Allen made the pond deeper and larger in 2014. Aerators run all winter to keep the water from freezing. This open water and the nearby crabapple trees entice the robins to stay around. Allen says the robins feast on the fruit and sit on the rocks at the edge of the pond to drink and bathe. The same water that robins dip their wings in and splash on themselves also attracts mallards in the early spring.

Annual color

Dozens of colorful containers filled with annual flowers decorate the deck and patio. In addition, he has expanded his collection to include aquatic plants, both lotus and waterlilies. These grow in individual containers of water nestled along the koi pond and next to the patio.

Allen incorporates red mandevilla vines in many of the containers. Some are supported on trellises; others climb up supports. He sprinkles purple petunias in all the annual containers and in-ground beds. He uses the same annual in the same color to subtly tie the containers and garden beds together for an understated, cohesive look. For ambiance, low-voltage lighting accents plantings and the fish pond, illuminates the deck and patio and lights the pathways for safety. Solar lights are used farther from the home.

Simply helping cut gladiolus decades ago introduced Allen to gardening and sparked a lifelong passion to create his own gardens full of flowers and wildlife. His Maplewood home is the blank canvas allowing him to cultivate his dream.

ALLEN’S SIMPLE TIPS

Substitute tropical mandevillas for tropical hibiscus. Japanese beetles are not attracted to the flowering vines.

Use quality wheat straw to mulch and protect plants such as hardy hibiscus over winter. It leaves few or no weed/grass seeds.

Grow plants close together to eliminate the need for decorative mulch to suppress weeds.

Left: A stream flows out of a bog and under a bridge as it makes it way down to the koi pond.

Center: Mandevilla vines climb up a pergola.

Below: Field stones edge the back border garden.

The People’s Garden

A communal garden in North Minneapolis supports the community with more than just food.

STORY AND PHOTOS JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

On the corner of Plymouth and James Avenues in the Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis, a large garden took root on a formerly vacant lot. Karamu Communal Garden was the brainchild of Nothando Zulu and her husband Vusumusi, known as Elder Zulu. Although Nothando passed away in 2023, Elder Zulu and a small army of volunteers keep the garden alive and thriving, while supporting the neighborhood.

“Karamu is a Swahili word that means a place of joyous gathering,” says Elder Zulu. He says that Karamu just felt like the right name for this place. “We wanted to have food that was grown in the community available to anybody in the community, whether or not they worked in the garden.”

Feeding the community

Karamu was purposefully created as a communal garden in 2010. There is no fence and no private plots. The many tomatoes, peppers, collards, okra, watermelons and other vegetables are available for anyone in the community to harvest. Community members and master gardeners volunteer to educate anyone who wants to learn how to harvest the vegetables and maintain the garden.

In recent years, a grant from Urban Agriculture enabled the garden group to expand their mission and pay young people from the neighborhood for their time working in the garden, supporting the community with work opportunities that pay a living wage, in addition to the fresh produce.

Karamu is a Swahili word that means a place of joyous gathering.

“It’s the peoples’ garden,” says Elder Zulu.

“We really don’t have too much trouble with people taking more than their fair share,” said Katharine Sill, a Hennepin County Extension Master Gardener volunteer who is one of the lead volunteers at the garden. How have they achieved this? With constant community-building and ongoing education. Al Landers, one of the garden’s caretakers, lives across the street and chats with everyone he sees in and around the garden, making sure they know what the mission is and how to support it. This year, volunteers are creating signs with helpful advice about how to know when, for example, a watermelon is ready to pick.

Growing African vegetables

With the help of Hennepin County master gardener Chidi Chizodie, Karamu is one of several community and communal gardens that has featured African greens for the last two years. These are proving popular, particularly with newer immigrants in the neighborhood.

Back in 2010, when the Zulus first had the idea to create a communal garden, they reached out to local philanthropist Archie Givens for help securing the empty lot where the garden is located. “We told him our idea, and he liked it,” says Elder Zulu. The garden is also sponsored by the Black Storytellers Alliance, a group dedicated to keeping African oral traditions alive.

The garden started small and has grown over the years to include at least 16 raised beds and a field area for long rows of tomatoes, peppers and squash. Using lowimpact, no-dig, no-till methods, Karamu thrives each year on 10 cubic yards of compost delivered from the city of Minneapolis and the care it gets from many hands across generations—some classes are even taught by the Zulus’ grandchildren. Every week, whatever produce is left unpicked by the community is harvested by volunteers and given to Northpoint Food Shelf, so nothing goes to waste.

Surrounding the garden are shady places to sit, as well as raised beds with herbs and flowers, including a new perennial flower bed built this year to honor Nothando. Many plants are donated by community groups, and unused plants are distributed by garden volunteers to other gardeners in the neighborhood, making Karamu a hub not just for harvesting vegetables but for gardening education and resources.

Previous page: (L to R) Master gardener volunteers Helen Moser, Maureen Cassidy-Nyberg and Katherine Sill, plus Karamu volunteers Al Landers, Elder Vusumusi Zulu and Verlena Matey-Keke This page (top to bottom): Rows of cabbages in mid-summer by Mary Schier. Perennials and shrubs, such as this rose, surround and beautify garden area. Elder Zulu founded the garden with his wife, Nothando. Volunteers have been growing African vegetables like these Ethiopian cabbage for two years.

Garden to Table

A FINE BRINE

Ferment your vegetables to preserve fresh-from-the-garden flavor and ensure that none of your summer bounty goes to waste.

If you’re a northern gardener like me, nothing beats the fresh, juicy taste of right-out-of-thegarden vegetables. However, the bounty my garden produces can be overwhelming. Canning the surplus by boiling bushels of something in huge pots for hours has never appealed to me. But what if you could capture that fresh flavor another way, even enhance and preserve it to be eaten months later? Minneapolis gardener Mike Stewart says fermentation is the answer.

“Because we have a home garden and we have lots of vegetables coming in, I do fermentation almost exclusively,” he says. “Part of the advantage is you can do smaller batches.”

FERMENTATION 101

The word fermentation makes this age-old preservation practice sound a lot more complicated than it is. Basically, it involves cleaning and cutting up vegetables, and putting them in jars filled with a mix of salt and water. The brine keeps harmful microorganisms from forming and promotes the growth of good bacteria called Lactobacillus (sometimes the process is called lacto-fermentation).

Health experts say fermented veggies are superfoods filled with enzymes, healthy acids and probiotics—live microorganisms crucial to healthy digestion.

“But these days as much as anything, [the reason] people are fermenting is that it transforms the flavors,” Mike says. “It’s less about the actual vegetable—it’s more about capturing the essence of it.”

STORY AND PHOTOS GAIL HUDSON

VEGGIES to FERMENT STAY SAFE!

For this gardener and home cook, fermented garlic is a top favorite. Mike combines garlic and salt (non-iodized), ferments it for 12 weeks and uses it year-round in recipes to replace fresh garlic. “To me it tastes kind of like Worcestershire sauce. It’s got a weird complexity of flavors…not so sharp and bitey,” he says.

Mike’s go-to recipes also include ginger carrots, and traditional sauerkraut as well as the Korean version of it, called kimchi. “The plate of ingredients for kimchi I think is the most colorful, beautiful, interesting fermentation that I do, and it’s delicious,” he says.

You can spark fermentation by measuring the correct amount of salt by weight, adding volume based on a recipe or pre-soaking the vegetable in brine. The time it takes to ferment something varies from days to months and is mostly based on taste preference. Mike says he generally lets things ferment much longer than most recipes specify, tasting them along the way. TIPS from a PRO

Fermented foods do not contain harmful microbes—it is one of the safest preservation methods, if you make and store fermented foods appropriately. Follow these tips from Carole Cancler’s The Home Preserving Bible.

Make sure all vegetables are submerged 1-2 inches below the liquid to prevent spoilage.

Use pickling salt or Kosher salt. Additives in other salts may prevent fermentation.

Use fermentation-grade glass containers. If you don’t use a jar with an airlock or occasionally “burp” the jar, the build-up of carbon dioxide process can shatter the glass.

Sanitize anything that comes into contact with the vegetables. You can purchase a food-grade sanitizing solution such as Star Sani online, which is often used by home beer or wine makers.

The optimum temperature for fermentation of sauerkraut and other vegetables is between 70-75 degrees F. Cooler temps slow fermentation down and food may spoil. Warmer temperatures can inhibit bacterial activity and create off flavors. Store in a dark place to keep temperatures consistent. Fermentation is complete when no more bubbles appear.

If you see white scum on the surface of the brine, use a spoon to remove it. It is not harmful, but it will eventually use up the acid and the food will spoil.

Opposite: Kimchi ingredients. Top to bottom: Ginger carrots. Mike chopping cabbage for sauerkraut. Decorative cabbage patch.

RECIPES

Fermenting pro Mike Stewart has three goto, surprisingly easy recipe favorites. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the vegetables and the amount of salt you’ll need for fermentation. He says the most reliable containers are jars with an airlock, or you can “burp” them periodically to relieve pressure.

Simple Sauerkraut

Cabbage

Non-iodized salt

Water

1. Remove outer cabbage leaves that show signs of decay or bruising. Weigh the remaining cabbage. Shred or chop it.

2. Calculate 2 percent of the weight and sprinkle that amount of salt over the cabbage. Using a tamper or masher, tamp the cabbage every 20 minutes or so until the salt starts to extract moisture from the cabbage. 3. Put into a fermentation jar(s) and pack down until liquid level covers cabbage. If the cabbage is still not submerged after a few hours of tamping, make a 2 percent brine with salt and water and add just enough to cover cabbage.

4. Keep contents submerged with glass or ceramic weights. Fermentation is underway when the cabbage starts bubbling and burping as it releases carbon dioxide. Ferment 1 to 6 weeks or more based on taste. After desired fermentation length, repack in sealable jars and move to refrigerator. It will keep for months or even a year.

Ginger Carrots

Carrots Ginger

Non-iodized salt

Water

1. Wash and prepare carrots by cutting them into desired size and shape such as spears, coins, or shredded.

2. Peel and grate ginger equal to about 2 percent of carrot weight.

3. Weigh ingredients plus enough water to cover the carrots in a fermentation jar. Calculate 2 percent to determine the amount of salt to add.

4. Ferment to desired taste, typically 5 to 7 days.

5. Repack in sealable jars and move to refrigerator. It will keep for weeks but may lose flavor intensity after a month or so.

Basic Napa Cabbage Kimchi

1 (2-pound) napa cabbage

1/2 cup kosher salt or a little less for finer grained salt

About 12 cups cold water, enough to cover chopped cabbage

6 ounces daikon radish, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks

4 medium scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (use all parts)

1/6 cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) or more to taste

2 T. fish sauce

1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar or honey

1 carrot cut into coins

Peel from 1 orange, cut into thin strips

1. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the root end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover (about 12 cups), making sure the cabbage is submerged (it’s OK if a few leaves break the surface). Cover and let sit at room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

2. Place a colander in the sink, drain the cabbage, and rinse with cold water. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and toss with your hands until evenly combined and the cabbage is thoroughly coated with the mixture.

4. Pack the mixture tightly into a fermentation vessel. If cabbage doesn’t produce enough liquid, make a 2 percent brine and add enough to just cover cabbage.

5. Ferment in cool, dark place. Recipes vary wildly on fermentation time from days to months. My preferred fermentation time for this recipe is 8-12 weeks.

6. After desired fermentation length, repack in sealable jars and move to refrigerator. It will keep for months or even a year or more.

MORE RESOURCES

Mike Stewart’s been inspired by these rock stars of fermentation:

SANDOR KATZ’s book, Wild Fermentation, is a great starting point for beginners. wildfermentation.com

BRAD LEONE, entertaining manager of Bon Appétit’s test kitchens, explores fermentation basics to the experimental. youtube.com/@bradleone

RENE REDZEPI, chef and creative force behind the award-winning Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, dives deep into fermenting kombuchas to misos and more in The Noma Guide to Fermentation

Find these books at: northerngardener.org/bookshop

Sunday, October 6, 10am-3pm

Eisenhower Community Center 1001 MN-7 • Hopkins, MN 55305

Shop Over 1,500 Houseplants for Sale including tropicals, succulents, orchids, and more divided by light levels.

• Teams of Master Gardeners to help you select the best plants for your space.

• Pet-friendly plant recommendations

• Watch demonstrations of repotting, dividing, and other techniques

• Child-friendly activity

• Sales tax included in all prices

• Great prices

• Free admission

• Free parking

To learn more:

https://hennepinmastergardeners.org/events/

Become a Master Gardener Volunteer!

Do you have a love of gardening? Do bees just make you “buzz” with enthusiasm? Do you enjoy sharing with others about a topic that is important to you?

If so, the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program of Hennepin County may be for you! Master Gardener Volunteers take their knowledge and love of horticulture into the Hennepin County Community and share it with others.

Volunteers learn while they are volunteering; they also learn by attending required continuing education classes offered by the University of Minnesota, MN Landscape Arboretum and Minnesota Horticultural Society.

To learn more: https://hennepinmastergardeners.org/ become-a-master-gardener/

GARDENER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM | HENNEPIN COUNTY hennepinmastergardeners.org/events

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS Fermenting Basics with Mike Stewart

Wed., Oct. 23 northerngardener.org/ fermenting-intro

Above: Mike Stewart and husband John Larsen at Noma restaurant in Copenhagen and the Noma pantry. Photos by Mike Stewart.

GARDEN GREENER

THIS FOR THAT

Easy Native Plant Swaps

Want to help pollinators, but not sure where to start?

Next time you’re shopping for a non-native perennial, try swapping in a similar native plant.

STORY JENNIFER RENSENBRINK

Not all non-native plants are invasive, but why not let your landscape support bees, birds and other wildlife by doing a simple switcheroo?

If you’re new to native plants, take note. Deer and rabbits will browse many of them, especially the shrubs, so you may need to cage or fence young plants until they reach a mature size. All varieties listed are hardy

from USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7.

Many native shrubs and perennials have named cultivars, such as the Little Devil™ ninebark listed. If you’re dedicated to a particular look, these are still better than their non-native counterparts. But if your primary goal is to help wildlife, the original, wild species is a better choice and usually stocked by native plant nurseries.

A bee rests on a stem of Big Bluestem grass.

Here’s a list of popular nursery plants and suggested native replacements.

INSTEAD OF THAT... ...PLANT THIS NATIVE. WHY IT’S A GREAT REPLACEMENT

Little Devil™ ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’

Full sun | 3-4 feet tall and wide

Although Japanese barberries have already been phased out due to being invasive, European barberry shrub cultivars are still available. The safest bet is to avoid planting them. Ninebark cultivars can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Bonus: Rabbits will leave ninebark alone, and Little Devil™ turns a gorgeous bright red in the fall.

Chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia or Aronia melanocarpa

Full sun to part shade | A variety of sizes

Native chokeberry shrubs can have either black or red berries. Many cultivars have been developed in a variety of sizes. The spring flowers are attractive to bees and the fruits add interest during winter months.

Bloodroot

Sanguinearia canadensis

Shade | 6-12 inches tall

Full disclosure: I love tulips. But I’ve come to love bloodroot more. Not only do rabbits and deer avoid it, but newly emerged wild bee queens depend on it and other early spring flowers to establish their colonies.

FYI: It will slowly spread.

Solomon’s Seal

Polygonatum biflorum

Shade to part shade | 24-30 inches tall

Giant Solomon’s Seal fills the same shady niches as hostas, but it’s buzz-pollinated by giant bumblebees and then produces large, blue berries in the fall that birds devour (though poisonous to humans). Graceful plumage and drought tolerance make it a dry shade star.

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

Sun to part shade | 24-30 inches tall

Have a hot, sunny boulevard? Sub in butterfly weed for sedum and enjoy beautiful orange flowers. Plus, declining monarch butterfly populations depend on milkweed as their only food source.

Spirea

Tulip

Hosta

Sedum

Barberry

Chokeberry

Bloodroot

Solomon’s Seal

Butterfly weed

Little Devil™ ninebark

Jacob’s Ladder

Polemonium reptans

Shade to part-shade | 10-12 inches tall

Passers-by frequently mistake my Jacob’s Ladder plants for forget-me-nots. Beautiful purple spring flowers are followed by decorative foliage all summer. They thrive in very tough growing conditions, including my hot, dry, shady boulevard.

Aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’

Sun to part shade | 24-30 inches tall

Along with goldenrods, asters are a critical food source for migrating butterflies in the fall. Plus, native asters come in a wide variety of colors and heights, and they grow in many different conditions.

Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

Full sun | 4-6 feet tall

Although Big Bluestem is mostly wind-pollinated, it is occasionally visited by native insects, such as long-horned bees. Big Bluestem’s deep roots can easily withstand even severe drought.

Native lupine

Lupinus perennis

Sun to part shade | 8-24 inches tall

If you only choose one of these swaps to make, let it be this one. Native lupine looks very similar to garden lupine but will not invade wild areas and is also a host plant for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly caterpillar. To be sure you have native lupine, buy from a native plant nursery.

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Sun to part shade | 3-6 feet tall

Switchgrass is drought tolerant, easy to grow, has a wide variety of cultivars and provides cover for wildlife.

Hardy mum

Feather reed grass

Garden lupine

Flame grass

Forget-me-not

Aster

Big Bluestem

Native lupine

Switchgrass

Jacob’s Ladder

Photos: Chokeberry, bloodroot, Jacob’s ladder, Big Bluestem by Jennifer Rensenbrink. Tulip, hosta, Solomon’s Seal, butterfly weed, hardy mum, aster by Rebecca Swee.

NORTHERN NATIVE

Smitten with Mint

Add perennial mountain mint to a sunny flower garden in need of pollinators.

MINT CONDITIONS

In 2019, the Garden Club of America (GCA) gave me Pycnanthemum muticum seeds, more commonly known as mountain mint or short-toothed mountain mint. I was hesitant to plant them, as mint has a reputation for being an aggressive, fast spreader with underground runners. The reputable GCA has been recognizing a single, standout native plant annually for more than 25 years—so, when they named this underused North American native “2018 Plant of the Year,” I knew it was safe and worth trying.

In 2020, I winter-sowed the tiny mint seeds in a mini greenhouse, and they germinated successfully in the spring. That summer, I planted one plant in my front-yard garden and gave the rest away. That first year, the plant was small and didn’t flower, but I could see it had year-two potential. I wasn’t disappointed.

+ Perennial

+ USDA Zones 4-8

+ Full sun (preferred) or part-shade

+ Two- to 3-feet tall and wide

+ Native to the eastern United States

+ Blooms all summer

+ Low maintenance

+ Little to no diseases or pests

+ Accepts most soil types

+ Drought tolerant

+ Deer and rabbit resistant

+ Attracts an abundance of pollinators

+ Mint scent

STORY AND PHOTOS MICHELLE MERO RIEDEL

A case for mint

Why does mountain mint deserve a spot in your garden? First, it’s a slow spreader and not as aggressive as other varieties of mint. It’s been in my garden for four years, and I’m planning to minimize its size for the first time. It’s getting too close to some of the surrounding plants, and I’d like to keep it in its designated 3- by 3-foot space. Dividing the plant was effortless. The mint’s roots are shallow, making it easy to loosen with a shovel and pull out by hand. I plan to share these divisions with several lucky gardening friends.

While mountain mint isn’t a colorful garden specimen, its bluegreen and silver leaves are unusual and showy. Its naturalized, native appearance blends well with most plants. Telltale square stems hint at its mint-family connections, and one-inch flower heads hold petite, pinkish-white blooms that sparsely appear for three months and provide food for pollinators.

Insects flock the entire growing season. I witnessed assorted bees, moths, butterflies and the Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) making frequent trips to collect pollen.

The final reason to plant mint? Wildly scented and flavorful leaves are a fragrant addition to vases of cut flowers and fill your home with the fresh scent of summer. You can also dry and then crush the leaves and use as potpourri. Place fresh leaves in the bottom of a glass or mug and muddle before adding to a cold or hot beverage. Mint tea and mojitos, anyone?

Easy to grow, useful at home and beneficial to insects, mountain mint has been a welcome addition to my garden.

1 3 2 4

Mint to be together

Add mountain mint to an herb, pollinator, cottage or cutflower garden, or allow it to naturalize. Combine mountain mint with almost any perennial or native plant. My summer garden combination consists of native butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Maltese red cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) as its side-by-side neighbors.

SUN-LOVING PLANTS TO PAIR WITH MOUNTAIN MINT

Spring bloomers

Amsonia - Amsonia tabernaemontana

Poppies - Papaver somniferum

Salvia - Salvia officinalis

Summer bloomers

Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta Purple coneflower - Echinacea purpurea Great blue lobelia - Lobelia siphilitica

Fall bloomers

Joe-pye weed - Eupatorium purpureum Asters - Aster amellus

Chrysanthemums - Chrysanthemum indicum

Opposite page: Bees feed on mountain mint’s nectar and pollen. This page: 1. It’s rare to see a pollinator twice the size of the flower, but the Great Black Wasp is a fan of mountain mint. 2. Mountain mint is paired with native butterfly weed and Maltese red cross. 3. Mountain mint in a mixed perennial bed. 4. Mountain mint close-up.

Bee the Solution

Rusty-patched bumblebee numbers have declined dramatically since 2007. Gardeners can help support the bees and reverse the trend.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BETH STETENFELD

Rusty-patched bumblebees require a constant and diverse supply of flowers that bloom throughout the season.

The rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), once common across eastern North America, from Quebec to North Dakota and south to Georgia, is now a rare sight throughout most of its range, including Minnesota.

Why is it important to make special efforts to protect this particular species?

“Bumblebees like the rusty-patched bumblebee are crucial for gardens, orchards, prairies, woodlands and wetlands,” says Susan Carpenter, native plant gardener at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum. “They transfer pollen from flower to flower in many plant species, resulting in the production of fruits and seeds.

“In turn, we and other animals rely on plants, fruits and seeds for our survival and health. Bumblebees are especially efficient at pollinating vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, as well as many commercially important fruits.”

When various species like the rusty-patched are listed as federally endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is tasked with learning as much as possible about them and making and implementing recovery plans so they can eventually be de-listed, says Carpenter.

“To do this,” she explains, “we need basic information about life history, preferred habitats, plant species used, diseases, parasites, sensitivity to pesticides, effects of environmental

factors like temperature and other factors.”

Carpenter leads a citizen science conservation project that documents native bumblebees, including the rusty-patched. Since its listing on the endangered species list, she says, the bee has gained more attention and observation. But only seven rustypatched nests have been found and studied in the past three years, across its remaining range. The only known observation of an overwintering rustypatched gyne (new queen) was made at the UW-Madison Arboretum.

Some threats to the bees, she says, include loss and fragmentation of habitat (due to development, extensive and intensive agriculture, as well as increasing invasive plant species), disease, pathogens, genetics, climate change and pesticides. Interactions of these threats also contribute.

Gardeners can make a difference by taking some simple steps, Carpenter says. “We don’t know if we can reverse the decline, but we should learn as much as we can about this and other bumblebee species, which could lead to more effective conservation.”

How to Bee a Good Neighbor

The USFWS provides an extensive list of plants favored by the rusty-patched bumblebee. Some plants they tend to favor in the Midwest, according to the Minnesota DNR, include wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), spotted joe pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum), culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) and hyssops (Agastache spp.).

Carpenter recommends planting masses of flowers close together to help attract bees.

How to be bee-friendly

Monitor bumblebees by connecting with projects like Bumble Bee Atlases (UMN Bee Lab and Xerces Society) to share your observations.

Provide healthy foraging habitat (diverse floral resources, preferably native plants, with species blooming throughout the season).

Ensure pesticide-free plants and growing environments.

Teach and encourage others about ways to care for bumblebees through gardening and monitoring.

“Encourage neighbors to plant pollinator-friendly wildflowers or gardens to create a larger network of pollinator habitat,” she says. “Avoid using pesticides, especially systemic insecticides that persist throughout the plants or in soils. And check that plants and seeds purchased from nurseries are not pre-treated with systemic insecticides.”

WELCOME TO

he Idea Garden

An expansive hillside garden in Golden Valley offers endless ideas to inspire us all.

STORY SUSAN M. BARBIERI PHOTOS TRACY WALSH

A large brick patio hugs lush garden beds packed full of flowering perennials.

Robin Brookins’ hillside garden after a summer rainstorm is a visual feast of vivid colors and textures. Her handcrafted miniature castles and gnome village seem sprinkled with fairy dust, but it’s the plants that truly sparkle and glow. There’s silver inch plant, white angelica, coleus, ligularia, lamium, pink hibiscus, water lotus, variegated weigela. Planted here and there for a pop of color are her favorites: dahlias in a range of hues from white and pale pink to burgundy and black.

Robin approaches gardening the way a curator considers building a museum collection: with an eye toward acquiring the rare and exotic. All told, she has spent 33 years making the magic enjoyed by numerous garden clubs that tour her Golden Valley property.

“I’m to the point where I’m digging the common stuff out, and I will not buy anything unless I don’t have it. If I have it, I don’t buy it,” says the retired interior house painter. She gestures toward a bush with distinctive, gnarled and twisted branches occupying a premiere spot in her front yard. “I’m looking for unusual things now. That’s where the walking stick bush came in. I paid way more than I should have, considering it could die because it’s zone 5. But it was just one of those ‘gotta have it’

plants.” After about six years, the gnarled bush is doing fine in its own little microclimate, she says.

Up a slope from the prized bush is a charming rain garden that channels rainwater into a small depression planted with natives such as Joe-Pye weed, hyssop and a towering cup plant. Punctuating the little garden are non-native dahlias staked to natural branches found in the nearby woods.

We enter the backyard through a bottle fence that took two years to make. After collecting dozens of green and cobalt-blue wine bottles, Robin drilled holes in each and painted the rebar, and her husband did the woodwork. The whimsy doesn’t stop there.

At walkout level, the couple built a potting bench whose backsplash is tiled with colorful pottery shards and pieces from thrift stores. Teacups and vases inserted into the backsplash make handy storage. “When I can’t find a tool, I always know I’ll find one here,” she says.

Just beyond is an eye-catching water feature where water gently spills over giant concrete rhubarb leaves—another of her DIY projects (see pg. 41 for details).

Then there’s the fairyland structure she calls her “quarantine castle.” During the height of the pandemic, Robin built a replica of Bolt Castle, which is on Alexandria Bay in New York state. She studied

countless photos of the castle online so she could model it. Made of sheets of tile, polymer clay and Styrofoam, the castle has a clock tower, a moat and peaks that light up. “It was something to keep me occupied,” she says.

A pathway leading up the terrace to road level takes you past a princess castle complete with tiny princess bed and fireplace. Out a gate and alongside the road is a sprawling pumpkin patch that attracts plenty of attention from passersby. Again, Robin goes for the unusual and plants nearly a half-dozen pumpkin varieties along with a purpleleaf sand cherry tree and a hyacinth bean vine for color and texture. “The vine gets the most beautiful flowers, and then they get purple pods that look like a pea pod. Stunning,” she says. “I do floral arranging, and I’m always happy if someone wants color and I can throw those in.”

Robin is drawn to plants with great foliage texture, whether they bloom or not. Most of her plants are perennials, but she mixes in annuals such as coleus and zinnias for color. Lamium blooms in nooks and crannies as you continue back down the terrace and take in a little fairy village set into the hillside. The risers of the steps are planted, too— a sort of vertical garden that you can walk on.

A tiny stream spills over rock slabs, pooling at an iron bird's feet. Perennial hibiscus are as big as they are bold. Heart-shaped stepping stones cut a path through perennial beds.

A paver staircase leads to lush plantings. Winding paths meander through hydrangeas and evergreens.

Whimsical art, tucked among the plants, stops visitors in their tracks. Amaranth is a visual treat in bouquets and a nice addition to tea and smoothies. Robin’s Bolt Castle replica, a quarantineinspired art project, sits on a brick throne. Curt and Robin Brookins and their pup peek from behind a delightful DIY birdhouse fence.

To the left is a pond with a massive water lotus that is done blooming, leaving an exotic-looking seed pod that’s downright Seussian. She shares a photo of the luminescent lotus flower.

“They are the prettiest things I’ve ever seen,” she says. “The highlight of the summer is when the two lotuses bloom. The thing about the lotus plant is they bloom for four days. So if you’re gone during those four days, you’ve missed it. The seed pods are really cool. I did get four blooms this year so I'm hoping for more next year.”

Alongside the house is the vegetable garden, with vertical racks supporting cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers and squashes. She tried something new last year: tying the vines to rack structures. She grows amaranth, whose leaves can be used in smoothies or for tea. But she especially likes the flowers and uses them for wedding floral arrangements. The bounty is awe-inspiring: San Marzano tomatoes for canning. Broccoli, kale, cabbage. Espalier apple trees. (“I’m starting over with my espalier apple trees,” she says. “The bunnies ate them.”)

Robin figures she spends about 30 hours a week weeding, cleaning up and dragging a hose around. There’s no sprinkler system, and watering takes two days–30 minutes per section. For this reason, she says her next phase of gardening is to acquire drought-resistant plants.

Over time she’s grown fussy about how the garden looks and what to plant where. She says she’s not a master gardener, just a “fly by the seat of my pants gal” whose garden is a labor of love. “If I look at it and it doesn’t look that good, I know I need to change it up,” she says. “It’s never-ending. I’ve yet to be happy with my yard, so it’s going to be a lifetime thing for me.”

IDEAS + INSPIRATION

Robin Brookins’ garden sparks joy and highlights ways to weave more whimsy, color and art into your garden.

6 Rhubarb Leaf Fountain

INGREDIENTS

Concrete

Sand

Concrete

STEPS

1. Build up a mound of sand, then put Saran wrap over the top of it. 2. Put the rhubarb leaf upside down on it so the ribs are facing up, then put the concrete over the top and cover it in plastic for a day. 3. The next day you take the rhubarb leaf off and clean off all the spines. 4. Wait a week, then you can stain them.

1 SURPRISE & DELIGHT

Tuck unexpected elements, like this miniature fairy village, among plant drifts to surprise and delight garden guests.

2 GET CRAFTY

Repurpose mugs, teapots and pottery shards to create a playful potting bench backsplash, complete with little storage pockets for garden tools and tiny plantings.

3 SPOTLIGHT UNUSUAL PLANTS

Think beyond flowers and foliage. Unique stems and seed pods act as living, sculptural elements that spark curiosity and change with the seasons.

4

CREATE INTERESTING VIGNETTES

Dress up plain pots with an explosion of unique plants of varying sizes, colors and textures like this mini succulent garden.

5 BUILD A SHOWSTOPPING FENCE

Turn colorful wine bottles into a showy fence with just some rebar, a drill and a little elbow grease.

Yum, na delturally icious.

Forager Chef Alan Bergo enjoys some fresh mulberry leaves.

A Gardener’s Foray into

oraging

Climate change is forcing us to rethink what and how we eat—and five experienced foragers show how to expand our horizons.

STORY

AND

PHOTOS MICHELLE BRUHN

Have you experienced the thrill of discovering that a plant you’d thought was just a weed is actually edible? And, better yet, delicious? Foraging is exploding in popularity, and we’re not surprised—it’s intimately tied to our love of gardening.

Foraging is the act of gathering wild plants for food, medicine or crafting while walking through a landscape. The search awakens deeper awareness, especially in us plant people.

“Foraging gives us a chance to be in our bodies, moving through and physically experiencing nature,” says mycologist and professional forager Tim Clemens. “We start seeing the individual plants and the communities they form rather than an amorphous ‘green wall’ along park trails. As we learn more about individual plants, we appreciate them more and want to take better care of them and their environments,” he says.

The environment itself reveals some of its secrets when we notice relationships, says Twin Cities foraging educator Jaime Rockney.

“You might think you’re mushroom hunting, but usually you’re hunting for the trees that host the species of mushroom you’re looking for. Aspen and elm trees may produce morels in the spring while chanterelles are more often found around oak or pine trees in the summer.”

Black chokeberry

Plant protectors

WHY WE’RE FALLING FOR FORAGING

+ Eat more local food

+ Conserve local plant populations

+ Remove invasive species

+ Spend time outdoors

+ Hike and exercise outdoors

+ Eat more nutrientdense foods

While many professional foragers are seeing increased demand for their classes and online resources, government agencies are tightening rules around foraging on public land.

These restrictions may seem logical—more people harvesting more food could harm the plants, land and wildlife—but the opposite is unfolding. “The people who collect the plants are the people who protect the plants. We need more people foraging to protect more land and plants,” says writer and longtime Midwest forager Sam Thayer.

The foraging-protecting dynamic plays out in real time during invasive species (think buckthorn) removal events at local parks. Roughly half the volunteers who show up to these events are the same foragers who already have a relationship with the park land.

State DNR websites offer general rules and links to resources, and laws are mostly consistent for all state parks, forests and wildlife management areas, but it is best to check with local offices. In Minnesota, you can harvest edible fruits and mushrooms for personal use as long as you have the landowner’s permission. It is also important to verify that no toxic chemicals have been used on the land before harvesting.

Building relationships

The first foragers were indigenous people whose sustainability practices live on today, acccording to Minneapolis-based ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk.

“Indigenous foragers all over the world have always been in relationship with the land, shaping it. Our practices include spreading the ripe seeds of many plants, including echinacea, bee balm or even various onions, after harvesting,” Linda says.

Indigenous seeds are so important that they have been protected and passed on, even in times of hardship. “As a way to save ancient lineages of seeds after Indigenous people

were repeatedly displaced, women would secretly sew seeds into the hems of their skirts to carry them through forced removal,” Linda says. “This wise act saved many ancient seeds after fields and seed stores were destroyed by the military, and it is a testament that many of these seeds are being planted and enjoyed today.”

This is a reminder that humans are a part of the natural landscape and that, even in tough times, we can carry these relationships into the future.

Wild or tended

“Lines are blurring between garden and nature as we bring more native plants into our home gardens,” Sam says.

He reminds us that “the domestic plants we purchase to grow in our gardens have been bred from wild plants. Sometimes the only benefits these hybrids possess is their ability to last longer on a store shelf while losing much of their flavor, nutrient density and digestibility.”

Just like when harvesting from a garden, a big part of successful foraging is getting the timing right. All crops have a brief peak-harvest window. By frequenting and cultivating a relationship with a piece of land, you’ll catch the times when wild plants are in peak season.

As an avid vegetable gardener, I continue growing domesticated varieties while supplementing my harvests with foraged foods. Nothing beats picking a basketful of wild food and adding it to the day’s meal. It boils down to expanding our plant knowledge enough to learn the nuanced differences of more plants. As gardeners, we can better tend our own plants by finding their relatives in their natural settings.

As you keep learning, the whole plant world keeps unfurling in front of you. And then you realize your ancestors ate like this for centuries before grocery stores and were, in many ways, healthier.

Ripening blueberries

Tim with a patch of common burdock

Getting started

Jaime says, “The thrill of the hunt is real… and addicting. Helping people find their first mushroom is such a rush and sometimes sets them on a new course.”

All of the foragers interviewed suggest starting in your own backyard or neighborhood parks. It is so empowering to realize there is food growing out your front door that you didn’t have to water or weed. “Start with one plant, get to know it well. Where does it thrive, what kinds of variations exist? There will be more variation than with cultivated plants because nature thrives on diversity,” Sam says. This diversity is one reason why guided forays or foraging walks are so popular. There’s nothing that compares to finding and identifying plants and mushrooms in person while being led by a professional. This is especially true when foraging mushrooms, known for their potential toxicity. Sam suggests the “banana test” when foraging for anything new. “You want to be as confident that a new food is what you think it is as you are confident of a banana being a banana.”

Tasting the wild side

“Finding and learning plants is easy compared to overcoming our ingrained food prejudices,” Sam says. “After about age 3, humans need to be exposed to new flavors multiple times before our bodies accept them as food.” Without multiple exposures, some wild foods may taste too bitter or just not good at all. “But once people get past that prejudice, a switch flips and a whole new world of food opens up to you,” he says.

Passionate about making wild foods delicious and accessible, James Beard Award-winning chef Alan Bergo suggests starting with “small amounts of cooked greens or even smaller amounts of raw greens or mushrooms if it’s your first time.” As a chef who works with foraged

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Oct. 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

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foods, Alan puts himself in the diner’s chair. “How we present foraged foods makes a huge impact on a person’s acceptance of the new flavors.” He suggests starting with easy-to-identify and palatable options like lambsquarters, nettles or berries.

Linda says, “I love sharing that sweet potato stems and leaves are every bit as delicious and nutritious as the tubers, and eating the whole plant reduces food waste.”

Expect a learning curve when cooking with these new foods, and maybe a little more time preparing them. “Remember that you got to just pick this food while on a walk, so the time is spent in preparing rather than tending the foods. The rewards will pay off for your taste buds, your health and the planet’s health,” Alan says.

Future of foraging

While general plant knowledge is currently at its lowest in generations, it is rising again. To positively impact current foraging legislation, Sam says “foragers should take the narrative into our own hands. Policymakers need to hear from an organized and unified group to have an impact on the future.” If you’re interested in joining a growing group of foragers commanding attention from local and state agencies, connect with Tim (info on next page) and ask about the Minnesota Foraging Alliance.

Luckily, our northern area is rich with biodiversity. Sam Thayer, internationally known forager, says, “Minnesota, and specifically the southeast driftless region, is home to some of the best and most diverse foraging in the country, if not the world.”

Once we open our eyes to the abundance of native food—nutritious, delicious, local, organic, habitatforming food all around us—we see the garden never really ends. Our job is to tend what we can and gratefully enjoy nature’s abundance.

Jaime goes mushroom hunting

Morel mushrooms

Fantastic Foragers

Alan Bergo (left) is a James Beard Awardwinning chef, author, show host and forager who is passionate about making wild foods delicious and accessible.

ForagerChef.com @foragerchef

Jaime Rockney (middle) runs public and private mushroom and wild food foraging classes around the Twin Cities metro area. ChickoftheWoods.com @chick.of.the.woods

RTim Clemens (right) forages and teaches foraging classes around the Twin Cities. He’s a consulting mycologist for the MN Poison Control Agency. IronwoodForaging.com @ironwoodforaging

Linda Black Elk (Makoce Ikikcupi) is an ethnobotanist, food sovereignty activist and Director of Education at North American Traditional Indigenous Foods Systems (NATIFS) in Minneapolis. @linda.black.elk

"The people who collect the plants are the people who protect the plants. We need more people foraging to protect more land and plants.”

SSam Thayer is the author of four critically acclaimed books, an internationally recognized authority on edible wild plants and has been foraging and homesteading in Wisconsin for decades.

Foragersharvest.com

TikTok: @wellfedwild

Recommended ReadingH

BY ALAN BERGO

The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora

BY SAMUEL THAYER

Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants

The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

Nature’s Garden

Incredible Wild Edibles: 36 plants that can change your life

Find these books at: northerngardener.org/ bookshop

RPurslane is an edible wild green used in cuisine around the globe.

COOKING with FORAGED FOODS

Find more seasonal foraging favorites and recipes: northerngardener.org/foraging-recipes

RECIPE K

Purslane Tacos de Quelites

COURTESY OF THE FORAGER CHEF, ALAN BERGO

Purslane is one of hundreds of edible wild greens used in cuisine across the globe. This traditional Mexican recipe creates a guisado or thick stew that makes a delicious alternative to taco meat. One taste of the rich, tender greens in a tortilla with melted cheese and you might end up planting purslane instead of pulling it.

This is a flexible “choose your own adventure” recipe, so make it your own with favorite hot sauces, salsas, etc. Let the garden and the season be your guide.

Makes about 16 small tacos and reheats like a dream. Add ground pumpkin seeds or nuts for a richer version.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound mixed greens like purslane, lambsquarters and amaranth

1 medium (5 ounce) yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons cooking oil or lard Kosher salt, to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin, or to taste

1 12 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes or peeled fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons chili powder like guajillo or ancho, or more to taste Handful of chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste

TO SERVE

Grated queso, quesadilla cheese, or a melting cheese

Corn tortillas

METHOD

1. Blanch the greens in boiling salted water until just tender, about 30-60 seconds. Drain and refresh in cold water. Squeeze the greens dry and reserve.

2. Squeeze the seeds from the peeled tomatoes, then puree.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the oil and garlic until aromatic on medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes. Add the onion, stir and cook 3 minutes more. Add the tomato puree, chili powder, cumin and greens.

4. Stir, cover, bring to a simmer and cook on low heat until the pan is nearly dry and the greens are very tender. I like them soft and nearly spreadable, which takes about 30-45 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry. Taste the greens for salt, heat and cumin and adjust until it tastes good to you. Stir in the cilantro.

5. To serve, heat the tortillas in a large skillet, griddle or non-stick pan. Put a pinch (1/2 oz) of cheese on each tortilla and melt, then add 2-3 tablespoons of the greens. Fold the tacos in half, cook a few minutes more to brown both sides and serve.

Above: Taco photo by Alan Bergo. Purslane photo by Michelle Bruhn. Opposite: Alan, Jaime and Tim photo by Michelle Bruhn. Sam Thayer photo by Melissa Price. Linda Black Elk photo by Linda Black Elk.

Berry Bounty

You might be surprised how many trees, shrubs and plants bear edible berries. Some are delicious fresh, while others can be used for baking and preserves.

STORY BETH STETENFELD

Bowls of freshly picked native black, pin and sand cherries are ready to become jams, jellies and syrups.

Berry List

Plants bearing edible berries are all around us, in the wild and in our gardens. Some are commonly appreciated, while others are lesser-known treasures. Here are just a few Minnesota-native plants with edible berries to look for.

Black chokeberry

Aronia melanocarpa | ZONE: 3-8

This 3-6 foot tall shrub bears plentiful fruit once established—often in clusters of dozens of berries. Fruits ripen to black, blueberry-sized berries, and are ready for consumption in the fall. Most describe the berries as too astringent to eat fresh, but they’re favored for baking or in jams and preserves. They also are rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants. The foliage of the shrubs is brightly colorful in the fall.

Black raspberry or blackcap raspberry

Rubus occidentalis | ZONE: 4-8

A vining plant, this berry species has perennial roots and biennial shoots— growing 6 foot canes that flower and produce berries in the second year. Found in thickets, clearings and woodland borders, black raspberries are important nectar and food sources for pollinators and mammals, alike. The berries, ripe in midsummer, are sweet and tasty right from the vine, but can be used in preserves and baking, too.

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana | ZONE: 2-7

A large, deciduous tree (up to 30 feet tall), the chokecherry often forms thickets along stream banks, woodlands and prairie hillsides. Berries form in late spring but ripen in mid- to late summer. Dark red/purple when ripe, they have an astringent taste, but work well in preserves, syrups, pies and wine. One of the most common trees/shrubs in North America, chokecherry is found in every county in Minnesota.

Cranberrybush viburnum

Viburnum trilobum or V. opulus var. americanum | ZONE: 2-7

While not true cranberries, the fruits of this plant resemble cranberries, with their bright red color, size and form. Also known as highbush cranberry or American cranberrybush, the 3-16 foot tall shrub is often found at woodland edges and in moist thickets. Uncooked, the fruits are sour and bitter, but they perform well in sauces and jellies.

Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis | ZONE: 3-9

This shrub grows 4-12 feet tall and is often found in moist soils along roadsides and streams. Common elderberry’s native range covers most of the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida and west through the Dakotas and Texas. Its purple-black berries ripen in late summer and early fall. Often used for pies, jellies, juices and wine.

Lowbush blueberry

Vaccinium angustifolium | ZONE: 2-8

Minnesota has two native blueberry species— lowbush and velvet-leaf (V. myrtilloides), with the former being most common. Growing as a 1-2 foot tall bush, it’s often found in sandy, dry soil in open woods and clearings. Berries ripen in mid- to late summer. Delicious freshly picked, as most are aware, the berries can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen for later use in baking, for toppings, or as preserves.

Red mulberry

Morus rubra | ZONE: 3-8

Though rare, this native woody plant can grow nearly 60 feet tall in southeastern Minnesota. This medium-sized tree thrives in sun or shade. The fruit is sweet, slightly tart and tasty plucked from the plant or in pies, jams, juice, wine, muffins and cakes. Mulberries attract birds, butterflies and humans alike. Note: Native Morus rubra often hybridizes with non-native species.

Riverbank grape

Vitis riparia | ZONE: 3-9

Two species of grapes are native to the state, according to the Minnesota Wildflowers website. Riverbank grape is the most common, reported in most counties, often along waterways and in damp, cool woodlands. It’s a large, climbing deciduous vine. An important food source for insects, birds and other wildlife, its berries are somewhat sour, but when very ripe (after first frost) can be eaten fresh. The seeds aren’t harmful but can be spit out. The berries are also used for juice, jellies and syrup. Berries ripen in autumn.

Top to bottom: Mulberries by Alan Bergo. Blueberries by Alan Bergo. Black cap raspberries by Michelle Bruhn. Thimbleberry unripe berry, bud and flower by Beth Stetenfeld. Wild grapes by Alan Bergo. Previous pages: Native cherries (left) and highbush cranberry (right) by Alan Bergo.

Mulberries

Blueberries

Black raspberries

Wild grapes

Thimbleberry flower

Two risks to picking berries in the wild: potentially encountering bears, snakes and other wildlife, and picking something poisonous. Be cautious when eating berries you’ve collected. Research berries or consult a knowledgeable person before consuming them. Some berries and plants are extremely toxic.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier spp. | ZONE: 4-9

Several species of Amelanchier are native to Minnesota. Also sometimes referred to as juneberries, the plants range from small shrubs to small trees. Frequently found along edges—of woodlands, clearings and riverbanks— serviceberries, which resemble blueberries, ripen in late June or July. Many describe the ripe, fresh fruits of some species/varieties as a combination of berry flavors, but not quite as juicy. They can also be used in juice, preserves and sauces.

Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus | ZONE: 3-10

Many consider fresh thimbleberries to be very tasty, while others dislike them. Red, raspberry-like berries ripen in mid-summer and don’t store well (they flatten and turn to mush fast), so they must be eaten, frozen or used quickly in baking or preserves. The 3-8 foot tall shrubs are native and common in the western U.S. and in northern areas around the Great Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Fun to forage when berries are ripe (mid- to late summer), the plants are thornless, unlike other Rubus species.

Berries abound!

These are just a few examples of Minnesotanative plants with edible berries. The options are as plentiful as the flavors, uses and seasonal availability. All plants listed here can be grown in gardens, based on plant preferences and horticultural availability. Good luck in your quest for refreshing fruits!

Serviceberry Syrup

BY MARY LAHR SCHIER

Note: This recipe is not precise and depends on how many berries you have and how sweet or thick you want the syrup to be. Harvest berries when purple for the best flavor.

8 cups serviceberries 2 cups water 1 cup white sugar

1. Combine ingredients in a heavybottomed pan. Bring the mixture to a boil; then simmer for 15 minutes. Berries should look pale and the liquid a deep purple-red color.

2. Let cool a couple of minutes, then pour the liquid and berry bits through a strainer (a jelly bag or a tight sieve will work well). Gently press on the berries to extract as much syrup as possible.

3. Add the juice of one lemon to the mixture.

4. Store in jars in the refrigerator or freeze for later use.

Can be mixed with warm apple cider or drizzled over pancakes.

LEARN MORE

Visit extension.umn.edu or “Wild Fruits of Minnesota: A Field Guide,” from the University of Minnesota. Special thanks also to minnesotawildflowers.info and missouribotanicalgarden.org.

MADE

Lighting up shady garden corners, chartreusecolored hostas are exploding in popularity.

SHADE in the

Minnetonka ‘hosta-holics’ turn their heavily wooded yard into a showcase for the rich foliage textures, shapes and colors of hostas.

STORY AND PHOTOS GAIL HUDSON

Hundreds of hosta varieties carpet this rolling backyard hillside.

Julie spends up to 8 hours a day weeding their expansive perennial gardens.

Delicate springtime blooms, swaths of intense summer color and a long-lasting visual punch in the fall—a Minnetonka, Minn., couple achieved the ultimate in gardening, despite their heavily wooded yard. And they did it by relying on the perennial queen of shade, the hosta.

Since moving to their home in 1985, Gary Mosiman and Julie Carley amassed 875 varieties of hostas, a collection that rivals a public garden. And that staggering number does not include the dozens of companion plants Gary and Julie added to enhance their shade-loving superstars.

It all began when they removed a few trees and added some timbered terraces in their then-bare backyard. Gary recalls thinking, “Now we have beds, what do we do with those?” A friend saw the empty space and immediately gave them two hostas: Hosta undulata and H. lancifolia. The first has dense mounds of showy green leaves with wavy margins and creamy markings, and the other is a medium-sized variety with lanceshaped, wavy leaves and funnel-shaped violet flowers arching to 20 inches high.

Julie, who remembers growing up with “funkia” (an old common name for hostas) surrounding the house, volunteered for a plant sale and discovered even more kinds

of hosta (over 3,000 registered varieties). Her admiration quickly turned her into an admitted “hosta-holic.” “You start wanting this one and that one,” she says. “You saw the leaves, they were beautiful. But the flowers were not the highlight for us.”

Hand-holding hostas

The couple uses what they call a “holding hands” technique to display their collection. Instead of spaces between the plants, their leaves touch and “interact with each other,” Julie says.

She designs beds with hostas of contrasting heights, foliage and colors. “I usually like to have one big one [of a variety],” she says. But if they’re smalI, “I get three and plant them together in a clump. Julie moves the hostas around, adjusting their location for growing conditions. “It’s really a matter of trial and error to find the right spot,” she says.

While Gary says he enjoys “watching [the hostas] from the minute they pop out of the ground until they get holes in them in October,” he soon noticed how visitors to their expanding garden looked around for flowers. “I’m the one who insists on both perennial and annual color from spring through fall,” he says.

SPLITTING TIME

Dividing hostas is easy and can be done in early spring or fall. With a sharp spade, cut the plant in half while it’s still in the ground and gently tease apart sections (like a pie) with your fingers. Or dig it up, taking care to shovel 3-4 inches from the edge of the stalks to retain the most roots, then divide with a spade. Replant at the same depth.

Spring companions

As soon as the fresh green stalks begin to emerge, this hosta-dom is a sight to behold. The waxy yellow leaves and purplish stems of H. ‘Coconut Custard’ (USDA Zone 3) shines in front of native Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica, zone 3). The dazzling white petals of white trillium (zone 4) and a ground bouquet of crisp, white anemone (Anemone blanda, zone 4) draws the eye to H. ‘Dragon Tails,’ a zone 3 miniature hosta with wavy margins on the leaves. Other springtime companions include lilac-purple barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum, zone 4) with its heart-shaped leaves, the paper mâché-like flowers of double bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis, zone 3), the ephemeral Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria, zone 3), delicate hepatica (zone 4a), plus a soft pink, dwarf flowering almond.

Left: Hosta collection emerging Above top to bottom: Flowering almond shrub. Trillium with Polygonatum falcatum ‘Variegatum’

Summer companions

The couple plant hundreds of annuals, such as ageratum, vincas, Persian shield and New Guinea impatiens each summer.

The vibrant perennial color comes from their lily collection. “We discovered martagon lilies that grow in the shade,” Gary says, “We’re gravitating to more daylilies, too, because of the deer.”

The subtle, fruity fragrance of the Orienpet lily ‘Conca d’Or’ is a bonus, sailing lemon-yellow flowers with creamy edges 4 feet off the ground. It holds its own over a giant H. ‘Sum and Substance,’ a chartreuse hosta specimen that can grow up to 60 inches in diameter.

Large blue-green centers look like they’ve been painted on the creamy leaf of H. ‘Diana Remembered,’ and a lime stripe on the green of H. ‘Grand Marquee’ stands near a stunning tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium, zone 3) with upside-down caps of orange. ‘Diana’ produces extraordinarily large white flowers with a heavenly scent.

An imposing patch of Ligularia Rocket Golden Ray ‘The Rocket’ (zone 4), a hummingbird favorite, forms a canopy of big, toothy leaves and sends up spikes of vivid yellow, daisy-like flowers. It’s a good choice for moist, shady gardens like this one.

Additional summertime color comes from purple coneflowers, allium, bee balm, pink veronica and bright periwinkle balloon flowers.

Julie likes to play with foliage textures, too. By mid-July, a small and spunky H. ‘Tea and Crumpets’ (zone 3) with white-outlined ovate leaves pairs nicely with the fronds of a Japanese painted fern. She uses lungwort for its fuzzy and dappled leaves. “We don’t have spotted hosta,” she explains. But you’ll also see Pulmonaria ‘Dana Clare’ with its eerily whitish green leaves—no spots.

Fall splendor

When the cooler temperatures of fall arrive, bright pink flowers of ‘Hot Lips’ turtlehead (Chelone lyonii, zone 3) pop among the hostas, along with native red cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis, zone 3) and yellow-orange, tall coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata, zone 3).

Toad lily (Tricyrtis) peeks above the hostas, too, but must be sprayed to keep the deer away.

The garden’s future

The couple, both in their 70s, intend to keep growing their amazing collection of hostas for now, adding new favorites as long as they can.

“We’ve been blessed to be able to do it as long as we have,” Gary says, “and to have brought peace, tranquility and joy to thousands of people for decades.”

Hostas provide a rich foliage backdrop, setting off dramatic lily blooms. Above left: Toad lily. Above right: Turtlehead ‘Hot Lips’. Left: Julie and Gary document their hosta collection in a binder.

Top:

Most Striking

Eye-catching H. ‘Majesty’ marries bright gold, blue and green foliage in a big package, 16 by 45 inches. Margins fade to white in summer. Grows well in bright shade.

Best of the Bunch

Most Unusual Foliage

The narrow, twisty, dark green leaves of Hosta ‘Manzo’ have a pure white center and form a small clump in the garden. This Hosta sieboldii variety is native to Japan.

Most Monstrous

Meet one of the giants in the hosta world. At 32 by 72 inches, H. ‘Sum and Substance’ is hard to miss. Bonus: its thick foliage makes it more slug resistant, too!

Best Miniature

At just 5 inches tall and 12 inches wide, Hosta ‘Coconut Custard’ is as tiny as it is cute. Heartshaped leaves are bright, waxy yellow with purple petioles. Lavender flowers emerge in summer.

Best of the Blues

Hosta ‘Hadspen Blue’ is considered one of the best blue varieties ever developed. Its thick cupped, heavily textured leaves are slug resistant. Pale lavender flowers appear in midsummer.

Most Colorful

The narrow green leaves of Hosta ‘Kaleidochrome’ have splashes, streaks and patches of yellow to creamy white. Pale purple flowers join the color show in mid- to late summer.

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Growing together

FEATURED PROGRAM

Oak Ridge Nature School

At this nature-based preschool and kindergarten in Avon, Minn., students spend most days outdoors, learning in nature, gardening, foraging and growing “bushcraft skills.” To help students grow even more this year, they joined the Minnesota State Horticultural Society’s beloved Garden-in-a-Box program.

“The children absolutely love being part of watching and helping their own food grow,” says teacher Lorena Menk. “They are learning how to identify the plant names, how to care for them and what makes them grow.”

Students have full access to the garden throughout the school day, watering, weeding and watching. “We had a problem with squirrels and chipmunks digging out the plants right after we planted them, but we bought a bag of plastic fake snakes to lay in the gardens and it seemed to help quite a bit!”

Follow @mnhort on social to see this group and others grow.

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