The garden is calling - answer with annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. Need inspiration and outdoor decor ideas? Visit our stores and make plans with the help of our purple thumbs. Let your imagination bloom in the season of possibility.
Cedar Acres
Your
Find a Cyperus for every
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While not maintenance-free, raised beds are worth building.
20 Let’s Talk Texture
How to add visual texture
Twelve
27 The Flowers They Love Plant a variety of flower shapes to encourage biodiversity.
34 Shady Natives for City Lots
Five favorites that will please you and the pollinators.
37 Restore Your Shore
Strengthen your shoreline with willow branches and native plants.
40 Crushworthy Chamomile Delicious, nutritious, easy to grow and even beneficial to other plants.
42 Building a Better Berry University of Minnesota research focuses on sustainable mulch, pest and weed management.
44 On Lake Superior A shorefront garden designed with an artist’s eye.
48 Rambling Roses
Hunt down a hardy rambler and save these roses from extinction.
52 Mastering the Slope
Taming a tough grade doesn’t have to be an uphill battle.
56 There’s a Sedge for That Grass-like sedges are ecologically beneficial and come in infinite varieties.
5 Editor’s Letter
8 MSHS Classes and Community Events
61 Gardener’s Market
64 Member Photo Club
Susan Barbieri has been a writer and copy editor for the Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly and Pioneer Press She gardens in St. Paul, Minn.
Michelle Bruhn is the founder of Forks in the Dirt and co-author of Small-Scale Homesteading (Skyhorse Press, 2023). forksinthedirt.com Instagram: @forksinthedirt
Soni Forsman is a garden writer and avid water gardener in Eagan, Minn.
Gail Hudson is a horticulturist, MSHS board member, Emmy award-winning journalist, writer and video producer, as well as an 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. Instagram: @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 and longtime contributor to Northern Gardener
Kathy Purdy is an awardwinning writer gardening on 10 acres in upstate New York. coldclimategardening.com Instagram: @kopurdy
Jennifer Rensenbrink grows chamomile along with a host of other delicious treats in her south Minneapolis garden. Instagram: @JenniferRensenbrink
Michelle Mero Riedel is celebrating 15 years writing and photographing stories for Northern Gardener. She is a master gardener in Washington County, Minn.
Mary Lahr Schier is a longtime Minnesota garden writer. mynortherngarden.com
Beth Stetenfeld is a Wisconsinbased garden blogger and writer, native plant enthusiast and a master naturalist volunteer and instructor. plantpostings.com
She was the chubbiest bumblebee I’ve ever seen. I heard her loud buzz from 10-plus feet away and noticed the sturdy wooden stems of the tree peony nearly buckling under her heft, giant pink blossoms dancing as she traversed the stamens. I shared a photo with the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, and their reply made my heart skip a beat—I was sharing my yard, just minutes from the bustle of a southeastern Minnesota city center, with the elusive and endangered rusty patched bumble bee. A queen, no less. As is typical, I learned from the U experts, she was the first of her colony to wake from winter rest and venture back to work. She flitted from bloom to bloom, caked in golden pollen, diligently working alone before the workers roused weeks later.
Like many of us, I try to garden with our planet in mind, steering clear of pesticides, planting for wildlife and doing what I can do to support pollinator populations. But this queen inspired me to dig deeper. I rolled out the red carpet for my newfound neighbor, cutting out all chemicals and filling big patio containers with salvia and lantana. She brought home, quite literally, the fact that we’re not the only ones who call our cold-climate gardens home Moths, bats, caterpillars, frogs, salamanders, fireflies, songbirds, owls and a host of other wild things depend on the landscapes we tend for food, habitat and nesting. And, as “wild” areas continue to shrink, our home gardens only grow more significant to their health and survival.
This summer issue is sprinkled with reminders of how our gardens are as important as they are beautiful. Michelle Mero Riedel documents a shoreline restoration project designed to protect a fragile riparian ecosystem and cultivate community (p. 37). Michelle Bruhn shines a light on sedges as a native lawn alternative or addition to any rain garden or wetland restoration effort (p. 56). Artist Laura Stone embraces sustainable practices such as composting and hügelkultur, and she plants for the countless hummingbird visitors to her Lake Superior garden (p. 44).
To celebrate the season, Kathy Purdy and Susan Barbieri remind us to try growing the quintessential plants of summer: roses and strawberries. If you’re facing a frustrating hillside project this summer, Diane McGann reveals how gardening on a slope doesn’t have to be an uphill battle (p. 52). And be sure to bookmark our community events calendar for a long list of upcoming plant sales and garden tours (p. 8)—Minneapolis is hosting the 2024 North American International Lily Show and Symposium this July! At the very least, don’t forget to pick up a Pollinator Pak™ (or three) at your local garden center to support the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds sharing your yard. A portion of every purchase supports production of this publication and the many other educational and community outreach offerings of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.
It’s time to dive headfirst into the heart of the growing season—dig in!
Rebecca Swee, Editor in Chief editor@northerngardener.org
Minnesota Green participants tend Victory Community Garden in Minneapolis, Minn.
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-aBox and Minnesota Green. Let’s grow!
Lara Lau-Schommer, Executive Director
Northern ®
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 Ohm Office Manager + Volunteer Coordinator
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.
Award-winning Oso Easy Peasy rose passes every test with armloads of vivid, dragon fruit-colored miniature blooms and unparalleled disease resistance. If it comes out on top in trials across the country, imagine is how well it will perform in your garden. Look for Oso Easy Peasy roses in the distinctive white Proven Winners ® container at your local garden center, or learn more at ProvenWinnersColorChoice.com
WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS FOR GARDENERS
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.
COST: $5 PER WEBINAR FOR MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS
To register, visit northerngardener.org/classes
Thursday, May 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Ever feel like gardening is a battle? A war against weeds, diseases and pests? Amend and make peace with the soil and it will support your plants (literally) just as nature intended. Wisconsin-based instructor Maks Kopish, avid compost maker and vegetable gardener, shines a light on the web of life underground.
Wednesday, May 29, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Explore integrated pest management practices for your own garden. Presenter Courtney Tchida brings over 20 years of horticulture and food systems experience.
Wednesday, June 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Cultivate height and abundance in your garden with creative plant spacing and trellising. Suburban homesteader Michelle Bruhn shares the basics and reveals what she does in her own garden.
Wednesday, June 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Ready to start your own compost pile? Ginny Black shares the do’s and don’ts so you can kickstart your own backyard compost system.
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
LANDSCAPE REVIVAL: LAKE ELMO
St. Paul Audubon Society
Saturday, June 1, 9-1 p.m.
Location: Lake Elmo, Minn.
Local conservation and restoration groups share how to select and grow native plants to benefit wildlife and water quality. Plants native to Minnesota available for purchase from a variety of local growers— no cultivars or systemic insecticides.
JUMPING WORM INVASION IN MINNESOTA
Garden Club of Minneapolis
Tuesday, June 11, 7-8 p.m.
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
The Garden Club of Minneapolis and Lee E. Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, discuss jumping worm identification, their spread across our region and how they might be controlled. Free and open to the public.
2024 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL LILY SHOW AND SYMPOSIUM
North Star Lily Society
Friday-Sunday, July 10-14
Location: Bloomington, Minn.
This “Land of 10,000 Lilies” themed show includes informative presentations, weekend bus tours to area gardens and a cruise on the scenic St. Croix River.
DAYLILIES GALORE IN '24 - REGION 1 DAYLILY SOCIETY CONFERENCE
Daylily Society of Minneapolis
Friday-Sunday, July 19-21
Location: Minnetonka, Minn.
Bus tour of three fabulous gardens, including Springwood Gardens. Enjoy guest speaker Eric Simpson of Blue Ridge Daylilies, plus a boutique, silent auction, bargain table and meals through Saturday banquet. Discounted registration if you register before June 19. Visit daylilysocietyofminnesota.org/region1.shtml for more.
Gordy’s Gift & Garden Duluth, MN
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
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
Prairie Moon Nursery Winona, MN
Winter Greenhouse Winter, WI NEWLY ANNOUNCED
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
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
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 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
NEW! Wild Birds Unlimited Maplewood Woodbury, MN
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 call to request a mailed version.
It’s time to get busy in the garden.
When temperatures start escalating as quickly as your garden to-do list, there’s just one thing to do—roll up your sleeves and dig in. It’s time to savor our all-too-short growing season.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilacs and magnolias, once they’re done blooming to encourage development of young shoots that will bear flowers next year.
Deadhead annuals and perennials regularly to keep them looking their best and to encourage repeat blooming.
Add mulch to protect roots, trap moisture and keep weeds at bay.
Monitor rainfall. With any less than one inch of rain per week, most plants need supplementing from the hose. Focus on watering deeply rather than frequently. During hot spells, containers need daily watering.
Train flowers like clematis up trellises or arbors. Stake or cut back floppy perennials, such as blackberry lilies and peonies.
Sow veggie seeds like green bean, squash and zucchini directly in the garden.
Harvest early lettuces, spinach, arugula, radishes and peas now, when they’re tastiest.
Weed regularly to keep them under control and beds tidy. Protect seedlings from any cold spurts: northerngardener. org/late-frost-plant-protection
Support local garden centers and plant sales hosted by area garden clubs or plant societies.
Celebrate National Pollinator Week
June 17-23
Snag a Pollinator Pak™ from your local garden center or plant sale and support bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Choose a pack with carefully curated plants that will provide food and habitat for particular species. Don’t underestimate the power we have as home gardeners to support local wildlife with every native and pollinatorfriendly plant we add to the landscape, whether you tend a home acreage or a container on a balcony.
Find a Pollinator Paks™ retailer near you: northerngardener.org/pollinator-paks
Fertilize roses to encourage blooming. Apply a slowrelease formula low in nitrogen.
Plant new-to-you or unusual plants that catch your eye at the garden center.
The zany annual silver cock’s comb is a conversation starter and show stealer.
Summer is heating up— grab an ice-cold glass of homemade cucumber lemonade, string a hammock between shade trees and enjoy the birds, bees and bountiful blooms. And while you’re out there…
Continue weeding. Pulling a few weeds daily is easier than tackling a fierce takeover all at once later in the summer.
Water regularly because midsummer heat can take a toll on all plants.
Fertilize annual flower containers with a liquid fertilizer every one to two weeks to encourage blooming.
Harvest herbs and early vegetables such as greens, beets, zucchini and summer squash.
Plant natives, such as blazing stars, coneflowers and asters, that will bloom mid- to late-summer or fall and provide food and habitat for pollinators later in the season, when many other plants are fading. northerngardener.org/ native-plant-bloom-calendar
Keep an eye out for problems—pests, chewed leaves, mildew and nutrient deficiencies tend to become noticeable in July, when plants finish their first burst of growth and turn their attention to flowering and fruiting. Pay special attention to squash bugs, squash vine borers and Japanese beetles, in particular.
Look for the dreaded Japanese beetles as early as July. Pluck them off roses and any other plants by hand and drop them in a bucket of soapy water—unless they have a white dot on their head, which indicates a winsome fly is present and will slowly kill it.
Late summer is the ideal time to divide irises, peonies, allium and other springblooming perennials.
When the dog days of summer set in, our minds often turn to thoughts of school starting and fall approaching. Don’t wish this last, lazy month of summer away—there are still plenty of reasons to keep visiting the garden.
Harvest often. Usually, the more you pick (beans) or cut back (lettuce), the more you’ll get!
Track the weather so you can prepare for any early frosts. Be ready to protect your plants from early cold snaps.
Reduce fertilizer applications to allow perennials, shrubs and trees time to harden off before cooler weather.
Remove tired, leggy annuals and veggies and replace with new ones. Take advantage of lateseason sales at your local garden center.
Cutting back some annuals and perennials will encourage new growth and give the plants a fresh look for fall.
Continue watching for pests on or around plants. Taking care of insects now may prevent several generations from appearing in your garden next summer.
Tie up floppy flower spikes.
Stretch the season by starting cool-season crops, such as leaf lettuce, kale, radishes and spinach, in a shady spot in early August for a September harvest.
As wildly beautiful as they are tasty, striped tomatoes pack both a visual and delectable punch. Wisconsin-based gardener Samantha Johnson recommends adding these striped stunners to your summer garden:
• Green Zebra
• Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
• Striped Roman
• Brad’s Atomic Grape
Learn more: northerngardener.org/ striped-tomatoes
Find a Cyperus for every garden size and style.
STORY AND PHOTOS SONI FORSMAN
Baby Moses,’ ‘Crown of Pharaoh,’ ‘Queen of the Nile’ and ‘King Tut’ are all modernday plants with names that harken back to antiquity. With a silhouette as striking as their deep-rooted history, members of the genus Cyperus bring architectural interest to all gardens with their sturdy stems topped by spiky or upsidedown, parasol-like inflorescences.
There are about 700 species of sedge in the genus Cyperus. The mostly aquatic plants grow in tropical and temperate climates throughout the world and are able to adapt to drier conditions. Papyrus is a particularly useful species with buoyant stems prized by ancient Egyptians for paper making and boat building. The book Waterlilies and Other Aquatic Plants, compiled by the staff at Stapeley Water Gardens in England, says of papyrus, “It is likely that it was the bulrush plant in which the baby Moses was hidden from Herod in biblical lore. ”
Two popular papyrus species are Cyperus royalty. Cyperus papyrus ‘King Tut’ is a large plant reaching a height of 6 feet or more. Cyperus papyrus ‘Prince Tut’ grows to half the size of the King, making it more manageable. The stems of both are topped with puffs of stiff, upright quills.
Rounding out the royal family, Cyperus prolifer ‘Queen Tut’ and Cyperus involucratus ‘Baby Tut’ have different flower structures. The Queen grows 18 to 24 inches tall with flowers of stifflooking spikes that radiate out from the center, forming an almost flat flower. At the top of ‘Baby Tut’ stems are bracts that resemble the spokes of the underside of an umbrella. It is bushy and grows 3-plus feet in height. Cyperus ‘Baby Moses’ resembles ‘Baby Tut’ but is slim-looking, a foot shorter, and the diameter of the umbrella-looking flower measures 6 to 8 inches, half the size of the bloom on ‘Baby Tut.’
Two new-to-me papyrus last year were Cyperus papyrus ‘Crown of Pharaoh’ and Cyperus papyrus ‘Queen of the Nile.’ The Pharaoh is short, 18 to 24 inches and ‘Queen of the Nile’ grows up to 4 feet. Mine topped out just over 3 feet. Pom poms top the stems of the ‘Pharaoh.’ ‘Queen of the Nile’ flaunts sprays of long, thin, somewhat floppy threads.
My first introduction to this genus was a plant commonly known as umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius). It was my first aquatic plant for a container water garden. It attains a height of 3-plus feet.
The umbrella palm continues to be a favorite water plant and is a striking thriller in a container of mixed annuals and/or perennials. In the latter, keep extra moist until well established. If possible, select companion plants that like or tolerate extra moisture. Cyperus require full to part sun. In the upper Midwest, full sun is recommended.
Why are the green toppers on the Cyperus stems flowers rather than foliage? The true leaves are inconspicuous and resemble ribbons wrapped around the base of the stems. Cyperus are not hardy in colder growing zones. Consider it an annual or overwinter it as a houseplant. To grow it with annuals in a container, use an appropriatesized pot. Indoors, provide bright sunlight, if possible, and keep very moist. If you’re growing it in a pot with drain holes, allow it to sit in a deep saucer of water.
Cyperus come in all sizes, each with unique flowers. They seem deer resistant, maintenance is minimal and the only pest I have seen is an occasional Japanese beetle resting on a ‘Prince Tut’ flower and doing no damage. There is a Cyperus for every style of garden, from a small container of mixed flowers to a large water garden.
To grow Cyperus as a water plant, plant in 1- or 2-gallon growers’ pots—shorter plants (18 to 30 inches tall) do best in 1-gallon pots, and taller plants prefer 2-gallon containers. Recommended planting medium is good quality topsoil. When planting, add aquatic fertilizer, following product directions based on container size. Top dress the pot with small river rocks to give the planting a finished look. Place the Cyperus in a water garden with the top of the growing pot at water level or just below. Fertilize a couple more times during the growing season. Stop feeding in the middle of August and do not fertilize indoors.
From left to right: Cyperus prolifer ‘Queen Tut’ flower. Cyperus prolifer ‘Queen Tut’ planted with a fall mum and celosia (photo by Mary Schier). Cyperus ‘Baby Moses’. The flower of Cyperus papyrus ‘King Tut’ resembles a puff of stiff, upright quills. The round green blooms of Cyperus papyrus ‘Crown of Pharoah’ covered in maturing seeds (nutlets). Cyperus papyrus ‘Prince Tut’ towers over white waterlilies in a container with other aquatic plants.
is a University of Minnesota Tree Care Advisor, master gardener and Ask Extension panelist.
Even the most experienced gardeners need growing guidance sometimes. The good news? Help is often closer than you think, if you know where to look. Here is a list of trusted resources to consult.
As a member of this group, I see firsthand the expertise and helpfulness master gardeners offer. Visit ask2extension.org, submit a gardening question and we will answer it to the best of our ability. Panelists research, consult one another and reach out to horticulture professors and professionals as needed. Or, search the site’s recently submitted questions— oftentimes someone else has faced your conundrum and received helpful advice.
Some of the best advice comes from people living closest to you. Many county master gardeners will answer your questions—to find them, search keywords “master gardeners” and “extension” along with your question and the name of your state. In Minnesota, you’ll find a website listing phone numbers for each county and the option to ask questions virtually. Call your county’s number, leave your information and a local master gardener will return your call with answers.
Staffed by master gardener volunteers, the Arboretum’s Yard and Garden Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (612) 301-7590.
To learn about the quality of your soil, contact your state’s soil testing lab. Search “soil test” and “edu” to find one near you. Your lab will provide directions for getting a sample and sending it to them. This service usually costs $15 to $20 and is a useful way to unearth any nutrient deficiencies in your soil.
Most state universities also have a laboratory that will test for bacterial, fungal, viral and other plant issues. When an easy answer isn’t surfacing during your research, this can be a lifeline. Search “plant disease clinic” and the name of your state.
Master gardeners from many counties staff local garden markets.
Sleuthing on your own before reaching out for answers?
Be wary of amateur advice and the many sites serving up inaccurate tips. For information you can trust, include “edu” in your internet search—state university extension sites offer reliable professional advice on a variety of topics. The University of Minnesota Extension site covers many topics, from lawn care to growing guides, and offers a plant search function. Subscribe to e-newsletters, such as its Yard and Garden News, for timely and regional horticultural information, and try the University of Minnesota’s diagnostic tools to identify weeds, insects and plant issues.
Look no further! Let us know what challenges you’re facing in the garden, and we’ll find answers and maybe even share in Northern Gardener. This column appears in each quarterly issue of the magazine and addresses your questions about growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 3, 4 and 5. Contact us at info@northerngardener.org.
These perennials love the summer heat.
Discover the allure of a heat-loving garden bed—nature’s resilient sanctuary basking under the summer sun. This perennial garden offers a sustainable oasis for northern gardeners facing rising temperatures. Stroll along the garden path through a vibrant mix of colorful blooms. A blend of beauty and sustainability, this garden celebrates heavy-flowering, workhorse perennials and provides a serene retreat from the heat of summer.
A. Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed Susan
B. Penstemon 'Red Riding Hood'
C. Echinacea purpurea, Purple Coneflower
D. Nepeta, Catmint
E. Hemerocallis 'Stella De Oro', Daylily
F. Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'
G. Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed
H. Clematis Charmaine™ Regal® PPAF
I. Hylotelephium spectabilis, Showy Stonecrop
J. Thymus serpyllum, Creeping Thyme
Raised garden beds have their advantages, but they are not completely maintenance-free.
STORY BY ERIC JOHNSONMy mom built raised beds in her garden long before it was all the rage to do so. She collected rocks from the farm fields to build the walls of the structures, which were a series of ovals that made it easy to access all parts of the bed. She filled them with a mix of soil from the fields—we were lucky to have a patch of peat on our property—and then she would endlessly incorporate grass clippings, fallen leaves, and bedding from the barn, which she would let sit for a year before adding. If memory serves, she pulled massive amounts of vegetables out of her beds. Mom had the two necessities of raised-bed gardening covered: a sustainable containing system for the dirt and the patience to refresh and revitalize the soil on a yearly basis.
Years later, I became the king of raised-bed vegetable gardens in my south Minneapolis neighborhood. My vegetable plot was situated on an old gravel driveway; it was the only spot in the yard that received ample sun. When I added a garage to the property, I asked the builders to pile the excavated soil on the area and I climbed the pile and shoveled the dirt around and built raised beds about 18 inches deep, 8 feet long and 3 feet wide. I did not contain my beds, but rather, I constructed berms with sloping sides. This meant there were no containing structures to maintain, but I did need to regularly shovel dirt from the path back onto the berm as it eroded down.
The benefits of raised bed gardening are many. You can make a bed anywhere you want, even if the existing soil doesn’t accommodate it. You have control over the quality of the growing medium because you can bring in good dirt to begin the bed. Be sure to search out free compost in your area. The county compost site near my house in Roseville is a wonderful resource (and a very active place in the spring). Raised beds warm up earlier in the spring and maintain a higher temperature throughout the season; they also dry out quicker than an in-ground garden, so more watering may be needed. Visually, they are attractive and can give structure and order to a garden space.
The biggest downside? Raised beds have a shelf life. Raised beds are an ongoing, never-ending project. Containing a raised bed garden within a structure is a good thing and maintains the form of the bed. Wood boxes are relatively easy to build, and they don’t need to be anything fancy. But, even if you use cedar, they will rot and probably faster than you’d imagine.
So, dig in. Whether wood or stone, big or small, hoisted up on legs or resting on the ground, raised beds are a worthy investment. Build a new one (or three) or refurbish shabby, worn boxes and reap the rewards in the form of fresh herbs, veggies and flowers for many years to come.
How to build a raised bed garden: northerngardener.org/raised-beds
How to build a raised bed
To avoid rotting wooden boxes, build a raised bed of cement blocks or stone. Struggling to find stones? Befriend a farmer, they are often looking to get rid of them, or you might find rocks and boulders on Facebook Marketplace for free. Be aware that stone walls aren’t as easy to weed around as a wood box and they take up more real estate in the garden.
If you go with a wooden bed, plan to repair or replace the walls within a few years. I made a raised bed that acted as a retaining wall at the base of a small hill using inexpensive pine boards and rebar pounded into the ground to hold the boards in place. The pressure from the soil kept the boards firmly in place against the rebar, and the boards were easy to replace when needed.
Raised garden beds offer great drainage; rainwater passes through readily…and takes nutrients with it, unfortunately. Just as we replenish the fertilizer in container plantings come August, you will need to continue amending the soil to keep raised beds growing powerhouses. Consider keeping a compost bin near your beds so you can easily and regularly add nutrients.
Go for it! If the structure begins to break down in a few years, you can repair or remove it and incorporate the soil into your garden or maintain them as berms.
Suppressing
How to add visual texture to your garden.
STORY AND PHOTOS MARY LAHR SCHIERTexture is tactile, right? It’s the way plants feel when we touch them, like the sharp tip of a thorn or the fuzziness of a lamb’s ear’s leaf. In garden design, though, texture is also a visual element. Texture influences how we perceive a garden bed from a distance as the different shapes and arrangements of leaves reflect light and shadow. Adding varied textures can make your garden seem larger or cozier or just more exciting. This is why beautifully textured, all-green beds still look interesting.
Texture in the garden usually refers to leaves, but texture also can come from bark, blooms or the branching habit of a plant. How we experience texture changes with the seasons, too, as different textures emerge or fade. Garden designers usually describe texture three ways.
Coarse- or bold-textured plants are those with large, prominent leaves that demand visual attention. Tropical plants, such as cannas or elephant ears, have bold texture, as do large-
leaved hostas or those with prominent swordlike leaves, such as irises. Big blooms, such as those on hydrangeas or hibiscus, create bold texture. From a distance, fine-needled plants such as yews or pines may merge together and appear bold. Coarse- or bold-textured plants create focal points and they can make a large space feel more intimate. Too many coarse-textured plants may make your garden seem heavy or chaotic.
Fine-textured plants are those with smaller leaves arranged more closely together. Think ferns, grasses, dill, Russian sage, threadleaf coreopsis, Amsonia and plants with airy blooms such as Astilbe, Verbena bonariensis and some alliums. If it sways in the wind, it’s probably a fine texture. Plants that have variegated leaves or foliage that is lobed appear to have a finer texture. Japanese maples are an example of a fine-textured tree. Fine-textured plants can make a small space appear larger and provide a lush background to bolder plants.
Texture is just one element of garden design, but if something seems off or lacking in your garden, consider adjusting the texture.
Medium texture describes most garden plants, and they should make up the majority of the plants in any ornamental bed. Coneflowers, impatiens and many deciduous shrubs are examples of medium-textured plants.
Plants are not the only elements to create textural interest in a garden. A boulder is certainly a bold texture. A turf lawn is considered a fine-textured element. And, outside of the three broad categories of texture, foliage, blooms and stems may be spiky, glossy, ridged, feathery, wrinkly, peeling, downy, metallic and dozens of other descriptors that add interest. This is the texture we see up close and want to touch.
Adjusting texture, like so much of garden design, is art as much as science. Like colors in the garden, designers repeat or echo textures to make a garden more cohesive. You can play with texture in the garden by adding containers with bold plants or edge a border with a wispy foliage plant, such as Hakone grass or alyssum.
New to garden design? Or ready to learn more about texture and additional design elements and principles? Explore these trusted resources:
The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for YearRound Beauty from Brandywine Cottage (Timber Press, 2012) by David Culp
Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces (Countryman Press, 2019) by Jan Johnson
YouTube videos from Garden Answer or The Impatient Gardener
Monty Don’s Gardeners’ World (available on streaming services)
If you’re not sure how well the textures of your garden work, here’s an easy way to assess them. Take a digital photo of the bed, then remove all the color to make it a black-and-white shot. (In your photo application, take the color saturation level down to zero.) Without color to distract you, the textures (and plant forms) will be more evident. If the photo looks blotchy, maybe you have too many bold-textured plants. If it looks busy, perhaps too many finetextured plants or just too many plants with the same texture.
Clockwise from top left: This public garden is made up largely of green plants, but their textures make it an interesting space for visitors. Allium has fine textured foliage and airy blooms. The contrasting foliages of Tiger Eyes sumac, hostas and cranesbill add excitement to this garden bed. The foliage of the buttonbush is medium textured, but up close these space-age looking blooms add interest. The stepping stones have a bold texture that contrasts beautifully with the fine foliage of grassy leaved sweet flag (Acorus gramineus). Above: Fine, medium, and bold: Three plants, three different textures.
Just because your garden is “sun challenged” for part of the day doesn’t mean you can’t grow sun-loving plants.
In fact, many perennials prefer shade for a portion of each day. If you have a mix of sun and shade, and if you select plants that naturally grow in “savanna” locations (mixed woodlands/grasslands), many plants will thrive—sometimes even if the label says “full sun.” Also, keep in mind that early-season blooming plants generally perform well in deciduous woodlands because they’ll get plenty of sunlight to form buds before the trees leaf out.
1. Sunflower and False Sunflower
Helianthus and Heliopsis spp.
Did you know some sunflowers naturally grow in partial shade? For example, woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) and oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) are often found in the wild along woodland edges and in savanna habitats. If they get several hours of direct sunlight, they bloom reliably.
2. Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
This common garden perennial, native to much of the eastern and central U.S., loves sun. It doesn’t grow well in mostly shade, but it thrives and blooms in spots that get bright sun for part of the day.
3. Some milkweeds
Asclepias spp.
Fourteen species of milkweed are native to Minnesota. While most prefer full sun, several perform very well in part sun, including swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), purple milkweed (A. purpurascens) and poke milkweed (A. exaltata). All three are commonly found in open woodlands.
4. Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
It’s common to see wild bergamot in prairie settings. But it’s also often found in oak savanna and deciduous woodlands that receive dappled sun throughout the day. This plant may bloom more profusely with more sun, but it will do just fine with all-day dappled sun or a few hours of bright sun, preceded and followed by shade conditions.
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More perennials that perform well in a mix of sun and shade.
The Allium genus includes hundreds of species and cultivars, including ornamentals in a variety of sizes and colors, blooming in late spring, summer and fall. The early bloomers, in particular, bloom even in dappled deciduous shade locations, setting buds before the trees leaf out.
Hemerocallis spp.
While these bloomers grow well in partial sun, they flower more in full, direct afternoon sun, or with morning or afternoon sun and midday shade. Of the more than 35,000 registered daylily cultivars, some naturally grow and thrive in partial shade.
7.
Lilium spp.
While lilies grow well in sun, these reliable garden favorites perform well in filtered sunlight or partial shade, which actually helps the blooms retain their color. If you grow them for cut flowers, a little shade might even be preferable.
8.
Iris spp.
Under deciduous trees, earlyseason blooming varieties perform better, since they receive plenty of sun before the trees leaf out. While bearded irises (Iris x germanica) prefer at least six hours of sun per day, they often perform well in all-day dappled light. Siberian irises (I. sibirica) are more shade-tolerant and bloom well with just a few hours of sun each day.
9
Sedum spp.
Of the 400 to 500 species, some are woodland plants, while others are native to sunny, open habitats. Most grow well in partial sun but will bloom more in sun. And taller varieties might get leggy and become top-heavy in shadier locations.
Various species
This genus includes hundreds of species and cultivars. Most prefer full sun, but ‘Nellie Moser,’ C. alpina and C. paniculata and some others perform well in partial sun. Some sources recommend, “feet in shade; faces in sun.” Plant them on the south side of a structure in dappled light to encourage growth toward the sun.
Tradescantia spp.
Often found in open woodlands, savannas and mixed habitats, spiderworts thrive in sun and shade. Three species are native to Minnesota: ‘Ohio’ (T. ohiensis), long-bracted (T. bracteata) and prairie (T. occidentalis) spiderworts. Flowers open in the morning and actually may wilt on hot days when grown in full sun.
Sisyrinchium spp.
While “grass” is in their name and appearance, these plants are in the iris family. Low-growing prairie plants, they’re often shaded by other taller plants. Plant them in spots receiving bright sun for several hours a day or dappled sun from dawn to dusk.
Full sun: at least six hours of direct sunlight per day
Partial sun/partial shade: three to six hours of sun, with the remainder of the day dappled sun or shade
Full shade: fewer than three hours of direct sunlight each day.
While it’s easier to determine garden locations with full sun and full shade, some locations can be tricky. For example, a spot that gets dappled sun all day might suffice for a plant that prefers full sun but will grow well in partial sun. Or a plant that prefers partial shade placed in a spot that gets intense sunlight for several hours a day may struggle.
Microclimates play a role, too. For example, plants placed near a rock wall won’t experience the temperature extremes faced by plants in open areas. By the same token, these plants near the wall might get sun in one season and shade in another.
This complicating factor of changing light conditions throughout the span of a growing season is often a learned thing over time. Seasonal light changes are particularly dramatic in northern gardens that get intense sunlight in summer and angled sun in early spring and fall. Also, tree pruning, storm damage, excessive rain, drought conditions, garden redesign/reorganization and other factors can change a garden’s sun conditions over time.
Be open-minded about trying plants in various locations in your garden. You might be surprised that sun-loving plants you’ve written off in the past actually can become stalwarts in partial shade.
With all this said, of course there are plenty of colorful, beautiful plants that actually prefer more shade (the topic of another story). Also, other factors play into plants’ tolerance for, and performance in, different light conditions, including soil type and fertility, water availability and temperature extremes.
To get a good handle on light conditions in various locations in your garden, simple observation over time may suffice. Or you can try experimenting with a few plants or keep a journal of garden light before placing plants in particular locations. Remember, all plants need some sun. And if you notice a plant isn’t doing well in a spot, try transplanting it to a garden area that better meets its growing requirements.
NOTE: Information in this feature is based partially on personal experience and observation. In addition, several sources provided reference for specific plant preferences and natural growing conditions. Special thanks to Minnesota Wildflowers, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
No matter the size of your garden, whether it’s a window box or a sprawling landscape, the plants you grow can play an essential role in supporting a rich biodiversity of plants, animals and insects. We now know that what we do as gardeners is critical, as researchers have projected that a million plants and animals are at risk of extinction, many within decades.
If you’ve planted a bee-friendly garden, you are already well on your way to helping the pollinators and plants of the world. But the task of creating a fully biodiverse haven in our urban green spaces for these creatures can sometimes be daunting and complex.
Minnesota alone is home to thousands of insect pollinator species, including 508 species of native bees, according to the University of Minnesota, as well as hundreds of native plant species waiting to be pollinated by those insects.
Each of those insects might access nectar differently. For example, a butterfly has a long proboscis or food tube that they use to suck the nectar from a tubular flower. Bees lap up sugar-rich nectar with either short tongues or long tongues. Longer tongues make those bees specialists, favoring a few deep-throated flower species. Some bee species are generalists, too, visiting many different flowers.
But catering to this buzzy crowd is not as difficult as it might seem. Fortunately, the flower type, shape, color, odor, nectar and structure vary by the type of pollinator that visits them.
By paying attention to flower shapes, you’ll go a long way in helping to boost the biodiversity in your yard and garden. The benefits are twofold: A diversity of flower shapes feeds a wider range of pollinators and creates good garden design to add interest to your flower beds.
Become a matchmaker with flower shapes and pollinators, with guidance from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab.
One of the most accessible flower shapes for pollinators is the daisy, with rows of ray petals surrounding a disk made up of many small, tubular flowers. Think of it like a landing pad for a bumblebee (Bombus spp.) to collect a drink of nectar from the middle. Daisy shapes are good for beetles (Coleoptera) and butterflies (Lepidoptera), too. Some bees and plants are very closely matched, with the bee tongue sized to the flower depth. For example, New England asters are visited primarily by long-tongued bees, bee flies, butterflies and skippers.
DAISY-SHAPED FLOWERS
• Asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, zone 3)
• Bird’s-foot violet (Viola pedata, zone 4)
• Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia, zone 3)
• Borage (Borago officinalis, zone 2)
• Dahlias (shown below)
• Hungarian Daisy (Leucanthemella serotina, zone 4, shown above)
• Multiflora rose
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zone 4)
• Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale, zone 3)
• Sunflowers (Helianthus, zone 2)
An important shape that’s often forgotten in garden design is the umbel—a cluster of tiny flowers on short stalks that spread from a common point, like the ribs of an umbrella. Plants in the celery family (Apiaceae) have umbel-shaped blooms. The nectar can be quickly accessed, making it especially attractive to hoverflies and wasps.
• Angelica (Angelica gigas, zone 4, shown below)
• Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum, zone 3)
• Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (zone 3)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, zone 3, shown above)
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FLOWER SHAPE #3
The fluffy purple flower spikes of blazing star (Liatris spp., zone 3) are a butterfly magnet, particularly for the monarch butterfly. The spikes can be anywhere from 2 to 5 feet tall, blooming from July to September. Blazing star is a host plant for the liatris flower moth, but it’s also visited by many kinds of bees, hoverflies and the rare phlox moth (Schinia indiana), which is listed of “special concern” in Minnesota.
SPIRES OR SPIKY FLOWERS
• Astilbe (zone 3, 4, 5, shown above)
• Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, zone 3)
• Hyssop (Agastache, zone 4)
• Liatris (Liatris aspera, zone 3)
• Mountain fleece (Bistorta amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’, zone 4)
FLOWER SHAPE #4
Consider planting flowers with this unusual shape more often. These orbs are heavily used by bees of all sizes. The flowering heads of rattlesnake master attract many kinds of insects including long and short-tongue bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, beetles, and plant bugs.
BALL OR BUTTON FLOWERS
• Allium (shown in circle below)
• ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea (zone 3)
• Blue Star Sea Holly (Eryngium alpinum, zone 2, shown below)
• Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, zone 3)
• Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium, zone 3)
FLOWER SHAPE #5
These flowers typically have long, arching stems, which persist through the summer and fall, attracting honey bees, bumblebees, ants and beetles.
PLUME-FLOWERING PLANTS
• Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus, zone 4, shown above)
• Goldenrod (Solidago spp., zone 3, 4, 5)
• Snakeroot (Cimicifuga ramosa ‘Hillside Black Beauty’, zone 4, in circle above)
• Solomon’s plume (Maianthemum racemosum, zone 3)
Learn how to create a cafe for a variety of pollinators in your yard:
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas: Plants of the Pollinator Garden at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab bellatlas.umn.edu/checklists
University of Minnesota Bee Lab beelab.umn.edu/plant-flowers
U.S. Wildflowers uswildflowers.com
University of Missouri-Extension: Pollination Mechanisms and Plant-Pollinator Relationships extension.missouri.edu/ publications/m402
-Travis Gienger
Start with the best varieties chosen for superior performance, beautifully grown by horticultural craftsmen.
5 faves that will please you and the pollinators.
STORY MARY LAHR SCHIER
Small town or big city, urban lots tend to be compact—usually a quarter acre or less—and shady due to buildings in close quarters and the urban tree canopy. Finding native plants that thrive in that environment, look good and don’t run wild is a challenge. Many native plants, such as Baptisia or Penstemon, even goldenrod, can grow well with less sun than is ideal but they might get leggy and struggle.
Here are five that thrive in part shade or shady environments. They don’t spread much, have pretty blooms and all are hardy to USDA Zone 3. Pollinators appreciate them and you will, too.
Geranium maculatum
Also called cranesbill, these plants offer seasonlong beauty with large, lobed deep green leaves, a pretty pink flower in May or June and red tones to the foliage in fall. And they loved the shady area of my backyard in St. Paul, Minn. Wild geranium makes a soft groundcover under trees, shrubs and taller perennials. Plants mound up 12 to 20 inches high and wide. In the perfect environment, wild geranium might spread but not enough to be a problem. +
Asclepias incarnata
A swamp milkweed, this variety is often listed as a sun plant that likes moist soils. I’ve grown it in an area that was shaded by a garage and a house all but about four hours a day. It grew 3 to 4 feet tall and produced abundant pink-rose flowers. It did not spread and brought in swallowtail and monarch butterflies and tons of bees. Another milkweed that likes shade even more is poke milkweed (A. exaltata), which is a taller plant with white blooms. Try it in the back of the border.
Polemonium reptans
This member of the phlox family has a mounded form and light blue flowers in spring. It’s sometimes called spreading Jacob’s ladder, and it will send up seedlings in ideal conditions with bright shade and moist soil. If you go too far the other way with heat and dry soil, it may fade after blooming. Its native range extends only into southeastern Minnesota, but Jacob’s ladder is hardy to zone 3 and in the right setting is a beauty. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is a widely available variegated cultivar.
Chelone glabra
A wetland plant, turtlehead grows best in full sun if the soil is moist. In regular garden soil, however, part shade is enough. Creamcolored flowers shaped like the head of a turtle bloom in August, and bees climb in and out of the turtle's mouth. Up to 4 feet tall, this erect plant spreads very slowly. While white turtlehead is available from native plant nurseries, most garden centers carry pinkflowering C. lyonii, especially the cultivar ‘Hot Lips.’
Symphyotricum cordifolium | This late bloomer brightens up shady spots in August and September. I grew it in an area with clay soil and it did not spread, though in a more friendly environment it will self-seed. Leaves at the base of the plant are heart-shaped and the purple-blue flowers rise on narrow stalks and seem to float above the plant. Bees will swarm it. An extra benefit? It’s deer and rabbit resistant.
GOT SUN?
These native plants need more sun but are well-behaved enough for any garden.
Prairie smoke Geum triflorum
False blue indigo
Baptisia australis var. minor
Prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Meadow blazing star Liatris ligulistylis
Protect and enhance the health of your shoreline using willow branches and native plants.
STORY AND PHOTOS MICHELLE MERO RIEDELGretchen and Chris Cudak own 3.5 acres of land, including 175 feet of shoreline on Lake Bertha, north of Brainerd, Minn. It’s a peaceful setting with a comfortable cabin, excellent views of the lake and natural shoreline.
Like many lakeshore property owners, the Cudaks have noticed their shoreline receding due to waves, drought and erosion. There are many options for dealing with receding shorelines. Rows of rocks or boulders, commonly called riprap, are popular among landscape companies. Riprap is pretty, but there’s a downside. The sun heats up the rocks which, in turn, heats the water, killing fish eggs and plant life. Since rock is superficial and not in the ground, it can succumb to wave action, erosion and ice heaving. There are better ways to restore your shoreline.
Riprap wasn’t an option for the Cudaks. “We want to do everything in our power to keep our water and lakeshore healthy for future generations,” Gretchen says. They decided on a natural approach.
They met Kristie Roedl, shoreline restoration volunteer for the Whitefish Area Property Owner’s Association, at a seminar. Kristie shared some natural shoreline restoration options. She also informed the Cudaks that federal grant money was available if they applied through the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation district (CWSWC). (See sidebar.) This option was a no-brainer for the Cudaks.
The CWSWC provides support and suggestions based on the lakeshore conditions. The Cudaks filled out an onsite visit request form, got a site analysis for a small fee, then a bid. The next step was hiring a shoreline landscape restorer.
WANT TO RESTORE A SLICE OF SHORE? Federal funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment for native shoreline health and improvement provided a stimulant to help the Cudaks start their project. Funded projects are reimbursed for half the cost incurred. If you are losing shoreline and are interested in restoring it, contact your local soil and water conservation district for information, funding support and a site analysis. Note that not all projects are funded.
Laura Mendoza Romero, owner of Great Roots in Aitkin, Minn., used the site analysis to create a landscape plan. She recommended adding 850 native plants along the shore, including: plants of differing heights, a low grassy area with path rush (Juncus tenuis) for the family dog and foot traffic, an assortment of flowers with staggered bloom times for pollinators to enjoy, plus long-root shrubs, grasses and sedges. Before planting day, Gretchen removed reed canary grass and crown vetch. Short roots make the grass impractical for a lakeshore, and vetch has spreading rhizomes that could impede surrounding plant growth.
On June 9, 2023, after a year of planning, 27 volunteers—friends, family and lakeshore restoration enthusiasts— gathered to plant 850 native sedges, grasses, shrubs and flowering perennials along the shore. Just before planting, they installed a wattle, or natural fence, made of willow branches. “It’s the key to success, keeping the plants in place by protecting the shoreline long-term from erosion,” Laura says. (See sidebar.)
Volunteers gathered the willow, bundled the branches together tightly with sisal baler twine every 2 to 3 feet and carried the bundles to the shore. They pounded 3-foot stakes in about 3 feet apart, using half-inch sisal rope to tie the stakes.
The perks of planting natives are plentiful. Dense root systems absorb excess rainwater, preventing erosion, while deep roots filter fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants. Native varieties require fewer resources and upkeep (think watering, fertilizing and mowing) than non-natives, and they provide habitat and food for small fish, pollinators and other wildlife. They help reduce air pollution and can increase property value. And if that’s not enough, no-edge mowing even keeps phosphorus and lake weeds at bay. Fifty-four different native varieties dot the Cudaks’ shoreline—here are Laura’s top 10.
Blue flag iris (Iris versicolor)
“I like to use that size so that it lasts long enough and can support the waves,” Laura says. “I don’t use it in every project, but I like to do it where there is more wave action, either from boat traffic or wind, as a way to secure the willow better.” Eventually the stakes decompose as they are pushed further against the shore due to wave action.
The volunteers settled native plants into the wattle. They planted shorter plants about a foot apart. A trowel worked well, but even better was a drill with a 24-inch long, 3-inch auger bit to create a hole a little wider than the size of the plant plug. The native plants’ long roots, which can grow up to 6 feet deep, will help hold the wattle in place.
By protecting their shoreline, the Cudaks created a maintenancefree solution that reduces erosion and creates an attractive garden for pollinators and wildlife.
in.
edge 3 to 9
Common rush (Uncus effusus) 48 in. Water’s edge 4 to 9
Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) 24 in. Water’s edge 4 to 10
Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) 6-9
Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba)
Brown fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea)
Lake sedge (Carex lacustris)
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Golden alexander (Zizia aurea)
shrub 3 to 7
shrub 3 to 7
to 7
in. Lake bank 3 to 6
in. Lake bank 3 to 6
to 9
to 8
After earning a degree in environmental science and running an organic agriculture consulting business in Mexico, Laura moved to northern Minnesota in 2019 with her Minnesota-native husband. She helped the Cudaks with their shoreline plan, ordering plants and supplying the willow. On installation day, she helped volunteers make the willow wattle log, stake it to the shoreline and add the plants.
An old English term, a wattle is a fence or log made of interlocking branches. This natural barrier supports erosion control by collecting debris, giving young plants time to establish roots and rebuilding the shoreline over time. The wattle eventually disappears under sand and roots. Willow is best because it grows thin and tall, up to 10 feet. Laura dries the branches for two weeks after cutting to prevent sprouting.
Hennepin County Master Gardener Volunteers Upcoming Events For more information: hennepinmastergardeners.org/events
Saturday, May 18, 9am-2pm Hopkins Pavilion, 11000 Excelsior Blvd., Hopkins, MN
Offering perennials, annuals, natives, vegetables, herbs & more!
20,000+ Plants—More than ever before! One of the largest plant sales in Hennepin County. Bring your wagon!
Fully staffed by Master Gardener Volunteers ready to answer all your gardening questions. Free parking!
To learn more: Hennepinmastergardeners.org/events/ spring-plant-sale/
Saturday, July 13, 8:30am-4:30pm
Explore 10 inspiring gardens! This year’s self-guided tour showcases 10 gardens around Minneapolis and Edina. Join us for inspiration, education, and garden-related shopping.
Cost: $15 in advance; $20 day of tour. Discounts for groups of 10 or more. Children under 12 free with a paying adult. Tour held rain or shine.
All proceeds support the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer – Hennepin County community programs.
To buy tickets & learn more: Hennepinmastergardeners.org/events/ learning-garden-tour/
Garden to Table
Delicious, nutritious, easy to grow and even beneficial to other garden plants, chamomile checks all the boxes.
If this magazine had a scratch-n-sniff feature, you’d find the scent of fresh chamomile at once energizing and soothing, intoxicating and comforting—it’s apples and daisies and honey and freshly cut grass.
Tea made with whole, recently dried chamomile flowers from the garden captures that aroma and has a more intense flavor than store-bought varieties. Chamomile tea has many purported health benefits, from calming your stomach to bringing serenity to your mind. It has antiinflammatory properties as well.
There are two different varieties of chamomile, both from the Asteraceae family. German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is more common and grown as a self-seeding annual here in the north. Roman chamomile
(Chamaemelum nobile) looks almost identical but grows best as a perennial in climates where summers are cool and dry, like southern Europe. I have grown both and found German chamomile to be easier in the Upper Midwest. Depending on how much you harvest, it will self-sow to some extent the following year.
It’s a “cut and come again” flower—every time you harvest from the plant, it gets bushier and produces more flowers for the next harvest.
Chamomile is my favorite herb to grow. If you’ve never tried growing it before, it’s not too late to try some this year.
I start chamomile from seed indoors each year, since the self-sown volunteers don’t always come up in convenient places. Starting from seed could not be easier—lightly press the fine, powder-like seeds on the surface of the soil, then mist with water. If you keep them moist and warm, they sprout very quickly. I have not had great results direct -sowing chamomile outside; those seeds dry out very quickly.
In addition to its culinary and aromatherapy benefits, chamomile is a great companion plant in the vegetable garden. When interplanted with brassicas, it
attracts beneficial bugs that come to sip its nectar and consume cabbage worms. I have interplanted chamomile with leeks, kale and kohlrabi with good results.
Unfortunately, chamomile is quite susceptible to powdery mildew. The best treatment for this is to ensure your plants are in full sun in an area with plenty of air flow. I simply remove affected plants and start over with new ones when it strikes—it’s usually near the end of the flowering period anyway. Rabbits will eat your chamomile, but the plant protects itself fairly well from most insect pests.
Chamomile is a beloved herb, embraced worldwide by different cultures for, well, you name it. Insomnia, inflammation, anxiety, nausea, indigestion, eczema, wounds, allergies, hair lightening, diabetes, nasal congestion, burns, ulcers, arthritis and mosquito repellent top the list. Can one plant do all this? Your results may vary.
German chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
Height: 2 feet
Planting info: full sun, perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8, selfseeding annual in the North.
Roman chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
Height: 6-12 inches
Planting info: full sun, prefers cooler summers, perennial that slowly selfseeds, USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9.
Cut small bouquets and tie them upside down to dry. Both the leaves and flowers can be steeped in tea—I actually prefer the taste of the tea if it has some leaves in addition to the flowers.
Or, run your fingers through the plant, palm facing up, and lift your hand up, gently pulling the flower heads right off the plant and into a bowl. Dry the flowers flat on a paper towel for a week or two.
RECIPE: TEA TIME
I use a ½ cup of dried chamomile flowers for a pot of tea, but you could make it stronger or weaker to taste. I’ve also made tea with freshly picked chamomile but found the flavor to be more subtle. German chamomile tea is sweeter while roman chamomile tea is more bitter.
Strawberry research at the University of Minnesota focuses on sustainable practices to manage weeds, pests and mulch systems.STORY SUSAN M. BARBIERI
Matthew Gullickson plucks a ripe July strawberry from the University of Minnesota’s test field and hands it over. It is perfect: not too big, not too small. Luscious red inside and out. And oh, so sweet.
“There’s nothing better than a fully ripe strawberry that’s just been warmed in the sun,” says Matt, a PhD candidate and doctoral dissertation fellowship winner who is researching non-insecticidal pest management strategies for the spotted-wing drosophila, an invasive fruit fly that damages fruit crops.
University horticulturists are constantly researching ways to grow more resilient crops, whether it’s grapes, apples or strawberries. Mary Rogers, assistant professor of sustainable and organic horticultural food production systems, says the U’s efforts to build a better strawberry revolve around three projects: weed management, sustainable mulch systems and pest deterrence.
“Managing weeds is probably the biggest challenge because strawberries are not very competitive with weeds. They’re very low-growing. We’re growing them in organic systems to reflect the growing consumer interest,” Mary says.
Strawberries are typically grown commercially in rows using polyethylene “mulch,” and the plastic accumulates in the soil. “So here we’re looking at how we can use different mulches. There are paper-based mulches we’re looking at, and there’s challenges to that,” she says. “One of the treatments is reflective mulch that supposedly would reduce some of the insect pressure.”
There are three types of strawberries: day-neutral, June-bearing and ever-bearing. The U research focuses on day-neutral strawberries, which are generally annuals and have a longer fruiting season. Home gardeners in Minnesota most often grow the June-bearing variety, which is a perennial. The ever-bearing variety produces one crop in early summer and a second in early fall.
Researcher Kate Fessler says each of these types of plants respond to light differently. June-bearing strawberries initiate the flowering process when days are short.
“They do that in the fall and they actually overwinter their flowers, so their flowers and buds are closed up for the whole winter. And in the spring when it’s warm, there are leaves and flowers they’ve created before that unfold, and that’s how you get spring strawberries.”
June-bearing cultivars are the most commonly grown in Minnesota because they’re cold hardy, Kate says. “They can survive the winter and then they’ll reestablish daughter plants and they’ll keep producing next year, and then they have very predictable timing,” she says. “We haven’t had as much experience with the techniques that you need to use to grow (day-neutral berries) because we’re used to June-bearing cultivars.”
Strawberries always need a lot of light, but dayneutrals aren’t particularly sensitive to light and day length and are able to produce their flowers— and fruit—throughout the season.
The longer growing season for day-neutral strawberries means even more tasty meals for thrips, spider mites, tarnished plant bugs and spotted wing drosophila fruit flies—the most common pests plaguing strawberry plants. One of Matt’s projects involves comparing four different pest treatments: harvesting twice a week, not applying anything to the plants, applying an organic or botanical insecticide and harvesting more frequently to clean the field of rotting fruit. The half-acre test field is dotted with yellow, orange, blue and red flags indicating the type of treatment process being used.
“There’s only one organically approved insecticide that’s effective, and drosophila fruit flies have really short life cycles, so they can develop insecticide resistance really quickly,” Matt says. “That’s one of the reasons we’re looking at these alternative management options, so growers don’t have to rely on the one insecticide.”
The team planted sweet alyssum as a border between strawberry rows because alyssum is thought to be a repellent for spotted wing drosophila. Alfalfa is being used as a “trap crop” for tarnished plant bug–one of the worst pests
for strawberries, Matt says. They’re highly attracted to alfalfa, so by planting alfalfa next to the strawberries, researchers had hoped it would pull the tarnished plant bug toward the alfalfa. Unfortunately, the bugs found the strawberries as well.
When insect nymphs feed on the strawberry flower, the developing fruit becomes misshapen, with a distinctive clustering of the seeds at the apex of the fruit. This is called “cat-facing.”
Researcher and entomologist Eric Burkness notes that the researchers are all studying the same problems and pests but looking at different ways of dealing with them. The goal of trying different mulching systems is to find an organic solution that is sustainable as well as successful in terms of good yields and fewer pests.
“We’re looking at, does the mulch itself repel pests because it’s too hot or it’s giving off too much light? These reflective mulches can confuse the insects because of the wavelength of light that’s reflected off,” Eric says. He’s standing near a row of berries planted in paper mulch, which is biodegradable and better for the environment, but has degraded due to weather. Commercial producers tend to use plastic because it prevents weeds from growing up over the plants and keeps the fruit clean.
The researchers hope to ultimately find new ways to grow strawberries that don’t involve harmful insecticides or plastic sheeting, with its potential for leaching chemicals into the soil.
“There is a real sincere interest by researchers at the university to find alternatives that are more sustainable, more environmentally friendly,” Kate says. “The potential economic benefit to growers is definitely a part of it, but the additional sustainability and making our food chains more resilient by growing more produce locally— those things are just as important to us.”
Top left: A “king” strawberry lives up to its commanding name. Grown in a tabletop system, this supersized berry is the product of the primary flower on the inflorescence (flower shoot) being pollinated first and most completely. Top middle: Horticulture department researchers Kate Fessler and Matt Gullickson inspect midsummer strawberries growing in the U’s test field. Top right: Kate grew these berries in soilless media at table height, making maintenance and harvest easier. The result of her years of research? These beautiful berries. (Left/right: Kate Fessler, Middle: Susan Barbieri)
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Best strawberry for home gardens: June-bearing cultivars are extremely cold hardy, so they thrive in northern gardens with lots of light.
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Best mulch for home gardens: While it degrades over time, paper mulch is biodegradable, better for the environment and won’t leach chemicals into the soil.
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Best border berry: Plant day-neutral varieties along the front of a perennial border, sidewalk or driveway. They produce fewer runners than Junebearing types, so maintenance is minimal.
A shorefront garden designed with an artist’s eye.Swaths of allium, lowgrowing evergreens and perennial grasses blanket the shoreline along the frigid Great Lake. Photo by Laura Stone.
Step through Laura Stone’s front gate and you are immediately engulfed in a sprawling garden nestled along the shore of Lake Superior. A stroll through lilies and clematis leads to a winding trail that snakes through a sea of cinnamon ferns and opens up to sweeping lake views, a collection of evergreens and an explosion of summer garden flowers.
Originally a commercial fisherman’s home operating base, the property was home to 21 apple trees when Laura purchased the house in 1986. Three of the trees, which she figures are now roughly 120 years old, still stand.
After completing a home remodeling project in 2011, Laura turned her focus outside. A creative at heart, she looks at her landscape as an artist looks at a canvas. Every year, the changing seasons bring a new, blank slate and opportunities to tweak the design as plants mature and spaces open up. “Each time something is added, the view changes,” she says.
When we started a tour of the gardens, the first stop was an area where she composts soil. “Composting is the number one most satisfying activity of all garden projects.” When creating a new garden, “I start it a little like hügelkultur. I dig down 2 to 3 feet, then fill with rotten firewood, pruned tree branches, leaves, weeds and raw kitchen scraps, and then cover it with at least 8 inches of soil. This replaces purchasing large loads of garden soil,” she explains. “The North Shore is generally one big drainage field with lots of rock and sand, which means that some places dry out fast. Adding compost is about conserving moisture as well as about nutrient building.”
The shoreline of Lake Superior can be challenging to keep stable, primarily because the level of the lake rises and falls, affecting the wave action on the shore. For this reason, Laura and her husband invested in massive boulder riprap on the shore in front of the house. “Then we can relax and watch the wave action even during major storms. The wave dynamics fascinate me.”
The gardens on the shore of the lake were recently renamed zone 5a (previously 4), but the microclimates protected from the lake winds are zone 5b. “The snow drops on the other side of the house, so the snow cover’s better there in the shade in the shadow of the house—that is, for the most part, protected.” She adds that the sun is low at that time of year and can be bright on the lakeside gardens, so those plants can burn in the winter sun.
“The growing season lasts late into the fall, and oftentimes we don’t get a frost until November. You might call it a really slow death of everything in the fall. It’s rarely abrupt.”
Laura’s landscape is a web of garden areas. A boreal microclimate is snugged up against one side of the house. Across the sidewalk is a rock wall that supports the soil for a spring garden and a few flowering plants that bloom all summer. Further north is a garden featuring lilies and clematis. Behind that and up a hill is a fruit and vegetable garden sprinkled with climbing red beans and blueberries.
A swath of cinnamon ferns on the north side of the house gives way to a large sun garden near the front of her home. Both Laura and local wildlife love the plant combinations in the heart of this bed. “There’s wild geranium and blue fescue. The hummingbirds go nuts for the lamb’s quarter.
It’s just amazing. They spend so much time, and we sit up here and just watch them all evening.”
Laura’s gardens don’t feature mass plantings of any particular flowers. Instead, she frequently weaves in
unique evergreens and other individual specimen plants that act as focal points. She orders a variety of dwarf evergreen trees and shrubs from nurseries in Colorado and Oregon because she finds that they adapt well to the unique lakeshore climate. Then she fills in areas with combinations of plants that provide small, multicolor patches.
“My father was an architect, and he always said, ‘You’ve got to have a plan.’ So, the gardens were on paper to begin with. Being a creative person, I think there’s a lot to be said for having concepts and executing them, but I think the real moments of creativity happen when you’re right in the middle of messing with things. Messing with the possibilities. This evolves. The evolution is just a beautiful thing to participate in.”
“What I found the most interesting part of the designing is, something is added, a view is changed. And that view asks for something, so it’s just some way to frame it. Many times you don’t see the possibility until you take the first step.”
It’s easy to see Laura’s artistic ability in the garden designs, but she’s also applying an artistic touch in other ways. For example, she has meticulously arranged stones at the base of the rock wall on the hillside of the house for visual interest. The walkway on the north side and the lakeside gardens features pebble mosaics Laura has designed (top right). “I went to Italy and also to England to learn how to do some of this work,” she says. In the winter, she brings her artistic interests indoors, painting, drawing and creating beaded “compost pile” textile art (bottom right). Learn more: laurastone.art
LAURA’S TIPS for shorefront gardens
Left to right: Hollyhock (Lavatera trimestris) dances in the cool breezes coming off the lake. Blue Light® clematis adds a powerful pop of purple. Cinnamon ferns line a narrow path to the water. Garden sign. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass sways in the lake winds.
Try growing inexpensive, fastgrowing groundcovers, such as sedum, low evergreens and thyme in a new garden. These serve as mulch and placeholders for later plantings when physical energy, budget and time allows. Thyme is a deterrent for slugs.
Gardening along a shoreline can have two drawbacks in the winter. The northeast or east wind blows the snow in a straight line and often leaves the ground bare. Parallel lines of taller plantings near the lake help create air eddies that curl the snow to the ground. Sunsensitive evergreens really take a hit from the sun’s reflection off the water. Plant those in winter shadow areas.
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Do not plant a spruce, balsam or pine unless you know that they’re dwarf varieties. The largest she plants is a ‘Fat Albert’ spruce that grows to a maximum of 25 feet.
Nothing adds more drama and romance to a garden than rambling roses blooming on a pretty pergola or arbor. Rambler rose bushes in full bloom turn heads and stop people in their tracks–especially if the variety is fragrant. Imagine an evening stroll in your garden or dinner under the pergola with the perfume of hundreds of flowers wafting around you.
STORY KATHY PURDY PHOTOS LEON GINENTHAL
The American Rose Society only recently recognized rambler roses as a separate classification of rose shrubs. Rambler roses have a distinctive growth pattern—they send up multiple long, flexible canes from the base. The flowers tend to be small but grow in clusters with great visual impact. Even though ramblers just earned an official designation, opinions differ on the classification of some roses. Climbers and ramblers are still sometimes lumped together, though climbers flower throughout the summer while ramblers flower once in an eye-popping display.
While there are a few repeat-blooming ramblers, most of them flower for several weeks and then they’re done. For some gardeners, this is a deal breaker—but why? Do we expect peonies or lilacs to bloom all season long? A rambler will bloom longer than either of these.
Rambler roses “produce more flowers in the three to five weeks they’re in bloom than any other rose does in an entire season,” says rose expert Leon Ginenthal, owner of Der Rosenmeister Nursery in Ithaca, New York. And that’s a great reason to add this beauty to your landscape.
This
an Brod’ closeup.
Be brave, be bold, be different. Hunt down a hardy rambler and give it pride of place in your garden. Save these roses from extinction.
You may have heard that ramblers are not hardy for our climate, but this is not true. Tough rose species such as Rosa kordesii, R. maximowicziana, R. beggeriana and others contribute their hardiness to hybrid ramblers. Because ramblers bloom on old wood, it’s important to avoid freeze damage, so plant a rambler hardy to your zone. However, once-blooming ramblers have a long time to harden off their canes, which helps ensure their hardiness. If you are concerned that your rose is marginally hardy, avoid southern exposure against a wall. This is the warmest microclimate possible and will encourage a rose to come out of dormancy prematurely, and then be exposed to late freezes. Unfortunately, hardy ramblers are difficult to find. They reached their height of popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but then largeflowered climbers became more popular. Many ramblers have been lost to cultivation or are solely preserved by a few growers. Some websites encourage you to ask for roses not listed on their site.
Many growers, including Leon, propagate different roses each year, so the same cultivars are not always available. A list of currently available cold-hardy ramblers is provided online at northerngardener.org/rambler-roses. Ask rose sellers if they could custom-propagate a rose you are interested in but cannot find. The only way these roses will become readily available is if nurseries see there is demand for them.
Before planting, it’s best to improve your soil with organic matter so that it’s fertile and freely draining, rather than fertilizing the plants. Test your soil, and if it’s high in phosphorus, you don’t need to fertilize. If fertilization is necessary, Leon recommends feeding on Mother’s Day, when the shrub is setting buds, again on Father’s Day, when the rose is at peak bloom, and then in mid-July, when the plant is building growth for next year. By August, flowering is over and the shrub needs to harden off its canes.
Pruning should be done when forsythias bloom in your area. Ramblers do not need as much pruning as many other types of roses. Shorten last year’s flower stems (called laterals) to 6 to 12 inches and tie up canes as needed. Of course, all dead and diseased wood should be removed. Be brave, be bold, be different. Hunt down a hardy rambler and give it pride of place in your garden. Save these roses from extinction.
The biggest challenge in growing a rambler is providing sturdy support. All those flowers become even heavier when drenched with rain, and the canes collect snow in winter.
“In their native habitat, rambler roses trailed on the ground, through underbrush or up into trees,” Leon says. While ramblers are hardier when growing along the ground, most gardeners prefer to train them up an arch, arbor or pergola.
You can also grow a rambler up a tree.
Plant a rose at the edge of the dripline and train it into the tree using rebar or a sturdy bamboo pole.
Or, create a focal point in a garden bed by crafting a tripod from three 20-foot pieces of 5/8-inch rebar. Sink the rebar into the ground 1 foot deep and wire together at the top. Plant a rose at the base, tie it in spirals up to the top, and then let it cascade down.
RAMBLER ROSES FOR YOUR GARDEN
Find a list of commercially available rambler roses for your garden, including some of Leon Ginenthal’s favorites and a video tour of his nursery, at northerngardener.org/ rambler-roses.
Rambler roses can also be trained to climb a chain link fence, or attach cattle panel fencing to sturdy posts and create a trellis or arch.
For a more unique way to train roses, suspend chains from posts so they dip in elegant arcs (called catenaries) down to the ground before rising up to the next post. Leon plants a rambler at the low point of the chain and trains it up both sides toward the posts. Visit derrosenmeister.blogspot. com and search “catenaries” to learn more.
Ramblers can also be gently bent to the ground and attached there, a method called self-pegging.
Jenny Barnes, head gardener at Cottesbroke Hall in Northamptonshire, England, trains rambler roses into fantastical loops and domes by tying the canes to themselves.
While slopes add interest to any landscape, they can also be challenging, particularly if the grade is steep. You don’t want to be mowing that hillside, but with a little planning, hard work and appropriate greenery, you can turn your ugly duckling into the star of your yard.
STORY AND PHOTOS DIANE MCGANN
If you’re lucky enough to have a hillside slanting toward the back of your house, you can turn it into a panorama of plants (and possibly water), a living focal point framed by your windows. If instead the hillside runs from the front of your house down to a sidewalk, it can serve as a horticultural frame for your home and increase its curb appeal.
Clockwise from top left: Use your imagination when finding materials to hold back soil. Groundcovers and deep-rooted plants retain soil. Boulder walls tame a slope and provide a perch for flowers and shrubs. Slopes are a perfect setting for a backyard waterfall. Opposite: A shallow retaining wall prevents erosion and acts as a pleasing landscape edge.
The key to a successful slope garden? Careful planning. Assess the degree of incline—very steep hillsides call for different remedies than more gradual grades. Do you want a path or stairs to bisect your slope? Will you do the work yourself or enlist help? What is your vision for the space? Is it a landscape studded with rocks and traversed by paths? Or do you prefer a sea of plants? Will you install a water feature? Do you need flat areas or terraces for trees and shrubs? Look online, in magazines and around your neighborhood to see what others have done with hilly lots.
Softened by cascading plants, a retaining wall can dramatically transform even the toughest terrain. If your slope has over a 50 percent grade, retaining walls are your best option. They will hold the soil in place and prevent rocks from tumbling and soil pooling at the bottom. Unless you’re very handy, contact an experienced contractor. Install steps, if needed. Opt for a natural stone wall if your budget allows—it offers aesthetic appeal, even though manufactured blocks are looking better and better. To beautify an existing cement block or treated wood wall on your property, add cascading plants and vines to spill over harsh edges and help the hardscape blend into the garden.
In lieu of a wall, consider scattering large rocks and boulders among plantings to stabilize the soil and prevent runoff. Bury them to about 1/3 to 1/2 of their height, depending on the verticality of your slope. The steeper the slope, the deeper you install them. Stick to the same type of rock in various sizes and shapes and place them randomly on your hill for a natural look that will enhance your plantings.
Once retaining walls are built and boulders laid, it’s time to plant. Choose small varieties that will be easier to plant on a hillside. You won’t want to wrestle with large root balls that could be left partially exposed by the slant of the slope. Create a rough plan of where you want everything to go. Use stakes of various sizes and colors to lay out your plan. Do you want contours or terraces, flatter areas where water can pool and drain and planting will be easy? These areas are particularly suited for any shrubs or trees you are including in your landscape plan. When you’ve decided where you want everything to go, have all your plants ready, watch the weather for the start of a dry spell and plant everything over a few days. Place smaller plants and groundcovers so that the top of the soil in the containers is flush with the angle of the slope.
PLANTING YOUR SLOPE
Fill your hillside with deeprooted grasses, shrubs and flowers that will hold the soil in place. Because water will drain off any grade and leave behind dry soil, look for plants that can withstand drought. Choose low-maintenance varieties so you can avoid sidestepping up and down your slope to weed and prune.
Plants that thrive on a slope include grasses, low-growing conifers, catmint, Siberian iris, hostas, candytuft, geraniums, and groundcovers such as creeping phlox and Lamium. For more, see The Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites, a booklet written by master gardeners, available as a free download: conservancy.umn.edu
Flowers and grasses will grow upright, and groundcovers will hug the soil surface. Stagger plants on the slope so that any rain will hit them, slow down and then course around them. If the grade is especially steep, lay jute mesh down like landscape fabric. You can cut holes in the mesh for plants.
Once your new landscape is complete, add a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch to minimize erosion and keep weeds from growing. Choose material that won’t blow away, such as a shredded wood bark that should interlock, and don’t use anything rounded that may just roll down the hill. Keep your beautiful new vista moist with a light spray until the plants take hold. Congratulations! You’ve turned a challenging landscape into an asset.
Grass-like sedges are ecologically beneficial and come in infinite varieties.
STORY
MICHELLE BRUHN
PHOTOS
MT. CUBA CENTER
Sedges can easily get swept into the “just like grass” group. But, if we slow down and maybe even bend down to get a closer look, the diversity and ecological benefits of sedges may sweep you right off your feet.
I became obsessed with these plants as a young girl after noticing the little yellow pom pom blooms coming from what looked like grass. I was instantly intrigued. A few varieties of sedge happen to grow wild in the oak and maple hardwood forests and bogs that I grew up with. I now know that it was a sedge, specifically Carex pensylvanica, that caught my eye way back when. I still admire how Pennsylvania sedge produces their little tufts of green on the dry hills under the oaks. Their bloom time reminds me to hunt for the nearby patches of wild ramps.
Because sedges can be found across North America, you’ve likely seen them on a hike if not in a cultivated garden. Carex is a genus of herbaceous grass-like perennials with solid, three-sided/triangular stems.
There are many variations of the following rhyme, but this gives us the general idea:
Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees that bend to the ground.
Most of the time this handy mnemonic device rings true, but nature likes to keep us guessing. With well over a thousand species worldwide, several hundred species in the United States and close to 200 species in Minnesota, diversity abounds. You can catch some of that sedge diversity on display with the 30-plus varieties grown at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minn.
Left: Spring flowers of Hayden’s sedge or cloud sedge (Carex haydenii) glow a golden wheat color against their green foliage.
Right:
A single seedhead of Carex muskingumensis
‘Oehme’ (palm sedge) stands tall. Many wetland bird species eat the seeds and hide in the foliage.
Naming exactly which sedge you’re looking at can be extremely tricky. Sedges tend to require close inspection of the seeds—while some require microscopic viewing of the floral parts—to pinpoint the exact variety. But for the average home gardener, more important (and more useful) than knowing the exact Latin name is knowing how they fit into the landscape.
Because they grow in a shockingly wide array of habitats, there is “a Carex for every garden” says Sam Hoadley, Trial Garden Manager at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware. Sam and his team recently completed a four-year trial evaluating 70 types of Carex. The results are in, showing sedges to be one of the most versatile problem-solving plants for home gardens. “Carex woodii, or Wood’s sedge, was the top performer in the trial, demonstrating the genus’ ornamental value and versatility in the garden. It excels in both sun and shade and offers a carpet of straw-colored flowers from April to May,” Sam says.
Sedges are also extremely low-maintenance plants. “We did almost nothing besides watering the plants in the first year,” Sam adds. “We found there’s literally a Carex for every garden application, from rocky outcrops to wet, shady bogs. And because they can thrive in such diverse growing conditions, they can be used as a unifying feature in a landscape to bring your eye from shade to sun and back again.”
Carex also provide food and shelter for a wide array of native wildlife. Because almost all sedges are wind pollinated, the interactions might look different than what we’re used to (another way this plant family can get overlooked) but are just as important to the biodiversity of an area.
“Sedges provide food for specific native larvae like our Minnesota native Skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera hesperiidae),” says professor emeritus and University of Minnesota Extension specialist Mary Hockenberry Meyer. While insect larvae feed on the leaves, sedge seeds are enjoyed by birds and other insects.
In the Mt. Cuba Center Trial Gardens, Sam and his crew saw abundant frogs, toads and spiders in the Carex trial gardens, likely because the plants kept the surface of soil moist and provided ideal habitat.
With the increase in ecologically focused gardening, native sedges have become more sought -after for waterlogged applications (hello rain gardens) and as lawn alternatives. However, there are many other worthy ways to use this plant’s natural tendencies.
“Sedges are a group of perennials that can create a dense cover that reduces erosion and weed competition,” says Mary Hockenberry Meyer. “They have a place in the ‘matrix’ ecological system of landscaping, where uniformity is valued and tends to create a base level of growth covering the ground completely.”
Most grasses spread by bunching roots, while some sedges spread via rhizomes. This, coupled with Carex’s tendency toward deep and thick roots makes it great at preventing soil erosion and suppressing other weeds.
In the circle: The roots and rhizomes of Wood's sedge (Carex woodii) are thick, producing a thick mat of foliage that suppresses weeds. Above: Close-up of seedhead of a shallow sedge (Carex lurida). In the background: Emory’s sedge (Carex emoryi).
For ornamental use, Sam suggests Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge) for its dark green foliage and many of the palm sedges for their unique form and flowers.
A few Carex varieties tolerate annual mowing and are drought tolerant, making them smart options for lawn alternatives. They don’t do well with heavy foot traffic, though, so Mary says they’re best treated as ground cover that can more easily be kept in check. One of the biggest surprises for Sam’s team was that even when mowed every two weeks at 4 inches, Carex woodii made a decent lawn replacement option, especially for dry shade.”
• Carex pensylvanica: Pennsylvania sedge
• Carex woodii: Wood’s Sedge
• Carex flacca: blue sedge (on the aggressive side)
These varieties show off wider, ½ inch to ¾-inch-wide leaves that need at least partial shade to thrive. These can rival hostas for their variegated leaves. While tending to be slower growing, they will mature into 6- to 15-inch mounds of dense foliage.
• Carex laxiculmis: weak-stemmed wood sedge
• Carex morrowii: Japanese sedge (not native)
“Carex generally tolerate competition with tree roots like maples and spruce and offer a native alternative for planting in dry shade,” Mary says. Most sedges do well in shade in general, but for dry shade there are a few standout options.
• Carex pensylvanica: Pennsylvania sedge
• Carex radiata: Eastern star sedge
• Carex rosea: Rosy/curly wood sedge
Aided by the shape of the stems, sedges can grow in low oxygen conditions by developing air channels in their leaves, stems and roots. These channels are called aerenchyma and allow oxygen to transfer from leaves to roots, making sedges at home in wetlands, bogs and rain gardens.
• Carex muskingumensis: palm sedge
• Carex bromoides: broom sedge
• Carex grayi: Gray’s sedge, or mace sedge
• Carex lupulina: hop sedge
• Carex stricta: tussock sedge
• Carex lacustris: lake sedge / hairy sedge
• Carex gynandra: Nodding sedge
When sedge shopping, support trusted native plant retailers, such as Prairie Moon Nursery (prairiemoon.com) and Izel Native Plants (izelplants.com).
Sedges add a layer of complexity and depth in any garden design, in a way that you may take for granted but you’ll miss once they’re gone.”
—SAMHOADLEY
Despite their adaptability to so many diverse landscapes, they’re a little tricky to cultivate in a controlled setting. Add that they can also be difficult to distinguish, and you’ll understand why nurseries have been slow to gather enough stock. Luckily, as demand rises, so does supply.
Sedges are delightfully ubiquitous in our northern landscape, holding space everywhere from woodlands to wetlands. And, once you start noticing them in their natural habitats, you’ll want to add them to yours.
As Sam says, “Sedges add a layer of complexity and depth in any garden design, in a way that you may take for granted but you’ll miss once they’re gone.”
While most sedges are wind pollinated, Carex fraseriana (Fraser’s sedge), formerly Cymophyllus fraseri, lures insect pollinators with its fragrant white flowers. Although not included in the trial, this fascinating species can be seen in the naturalistic gardens at Mt. Cuba Center.
The ever-popular and versatile Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) is a turf grass alternative.
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Perennials you’ve only seen in catalogs 250+ varieties of hostas
Over 1,300 perennial cultivars (20,000+plants) ...and the people who know how to grow them.
MSHS member Katherine Tane created an extensive water retention system of rain gardens and rain barrels in her St. Paul, Minn., yard. And that’s not all. The real showstopper? Bluestone slabs (mountains) plunging vertically into a sea of Mexican beach pebbles (the ocean) flanked by cascading hakone grass (waterfalls). Katherine incorporates this unique, bluish rock in low walls softened by curly onion, hostas and dwarf conifers. Plus, she adds, “I use a lot of tropical plants in containers for bold foliage growth in our somewhat short Minnesota growing season.”
this view from a groundhugging deck built to seemingly float over the “water” beside it.
Left: A dry streambed flows toward a rain chain that feeds a pipe connecting five underground cisterns that water the back garden.
Right: One of three front yard rain gardens, this driveway bed is full of plants for pollinators and packs a powerful punch, helping with water retention and providing pollinator food and habitat.
Whether you have a single balcony pot or ten acres, show us what you’re growing Up North! Send your photos (a plant, a harvest, a unique garden project or even a full landscape) to editor@northerngardener.org for a chance to be featured in the next issue. MSHS members of all ages in USDA Zones 3, 4 and 5 welcome.
When it comes to creating the perfect growing conditions, well, you have it c overe d. But when it comes to energy money-saving LED rebates to make them possible, well, we have that c overe d. Whe ther your business is big, small or somewhere in between, see our bonus rebates to help c over the cost of upgrading to more
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