Heather's Garden Blog

Let the Countdown Begin!

2011-01-16T00:57:00.000-06:00

According to the Farmer's Almanac for 2011, we are only 75 days from our average last frost for the season. Seventy-five days may sound like a lot, in fact it sounds like a lifetime when you look out your window to a white blanket of snow. But when you think about it, seventy-five days ago we were getting ready for the great Halloween Haunt. So, we're half way there, if not a bit more. In 30

Dirt Therapy for Me!

2011-01-07T13:39:00.000-06:00

So, I've been a little cranky the last couple days. It's snowy, cold and we still have a good 70 days to go before we really hit a good "meltage" possibility. Not only that, but I've already screwed up my garden resolution. Sorry, just wasn't in the mood to blog yesterday. But I'm making up for it today. If you don't already know, our 1914 home has a HUGE dungeon basement. there are four rooms,

Winter Blues Therapy

2011-01-05T21:10:00.001-06:00

As I continue to market Heather's Garden I get antsier and antsier. And for those of you who know me well, you know that that is not necessarily a good thing. My basement is full of seedlings, cuttings and little peat pods with germinating seeds. I decided that if I'm struggling with the winter blues, I must not be alone. So how about a little dream time for all of us.....simply pictures of

More Tidbits

2011-01-04T08:53:00.000-06:00

I love tidbit posts. It gives me an excuse to page through my hundreds of gardening books and pull out the best of the best. Or at least the most interesting! Most of these are from Jerry Baker's Old-Time Gardening Wisdom. You can make wine from dandelions! For FIVE GALLONS you only need 12 pounds of sugar, four diced oranges, four diced lemons, four gallons of water, 4 gallons of dandelion

Forcing Spring Bulbs

2011-01-03T09:10:00.001-06:00

If you have bulbs that should have been planted in the fall, but never got around to it you can still enjoy tulips, daffodils, crocus, muscari and many other spring bulbs. The best part is you can enjoy them before they would have bloomed in your garden! Tricking spring blooming bulbs is fairly simple. Store them in a cool, dark place. The temperature should average about 35 - 40 degrees, which

Miscellaneous Tidbits

2011-01-02T16:49:00.000-06:00

Have you been frustrated trying to keep kitchen scraps for compost and ending up with either a wretched stink or fruit flies? Try using a freezer bag (or a few....) and keeping your veggie and fruit scraps for your compost pile in the freezer until you're ready to dump them. No stink. No fruit flies! Earthworms are the kings of compost piles. They turn all the "trimmings" into the ultimate plant

I Love My Yard Because.....

2011-01-01T22:11:00.001-06:00

I'm looking for a little info! Tell me why you love your yard. Or what you don't love.Or tell me about the yard you wish you had! Imagine we don't have 20 below windchills and a shit ton of snow on the ground! Dream summer with me! I hate that this garden is gone! But I love that I get to redo it!

My Garden Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-01T21:36:00.001-06:00

I have to admit that I stole this idea from the Garden Rant Ladies. If you have not checked out their blog at http://www.gardenrant.com/, I highly suggest you do, their blog is very fun! My top 10 Garden Resolutions for 2011? I honestly hadn't thought about it until I read their blog. But, in no particular order, here's what I will accompish in my gardening life this year: 1. I will build and

Chamomile

2010-12-31T14:28:00.000-06:00

Chamomile I decided to try to grow Chamomile this year. It's currently germinating very well in it's cute little peat pods. Since I've never grown it before I thought maybe I should learn a little bit about it! There are both perennial and annual varieties of Chamomile. The perennial variety is heary in Zones 3-5. Chamomile is a part of the daisy family and is easily grown from seed.

Crazy Plant Names

2010-12-29T13:28:00.000-06:00

Paging through seed and plant catalogues, you'll commonly find plants with names that you can't pronounce. They are derived from Latin or Greek or whatever whatever. As more and more plant varieties are created and introduced someone needs to come up with more and more names. Most plant common plant names refer to the color of the blooms or the foliage. Some, on the other hand, come from out of

Easiest Perennials to Grow in Northern Gardens

2010-12-28T14:29:00.002-06:00

Many new gardeners unintentionally pick plants for their gardens that are doomed for failure. Even if the plant isn't doomed, the placement of it may doom it. They may be looking for the most unique plant they can find or simply the most beautiful. Unique plants are fun in gardens. They are conversation starters and allow for some serious bragging rights, not to mention the "

Taking down a 200+ year old Elm :o(

2010-12-26T19:01:00.000-06:00

This fall we had to take down a MASSIVE Elm Tree. The poor old dear got Dutch Elm. Part of what we loved about this yard when we bought our house four years ago was that Elm. My husband and I could not get our arms around it together. It looked like a mini-Swiss Family Robinson Tree. I planted my first shade garden under it. Just looking at that trunk, I'm sure it doesn't seem like much. Here

Minnesota Wild Flowers in Danger!

2010-12-24T18:00:00.001-06:00

I would consider myself pretty in tune to perennials that grow well in Minnesota. I was unaware, however, of how many native Minnesota Wild Flowers are actually threatened or of "special concern." Did you know there are Orchids that are native to MN wetlands? I had no idea! Here's the list from Wikepedia: Short's aster Aster shortii (threatened) Three-leaved coneflower Rudbeckia triloba

Angel's Trumpet

2010-12-23T17:17:00.000-06:00

Angel's Trumpet (Brugsmania) Angel's Trumpet are one of the most amazing plants that I have grown. For several years I would page through plant catalogs and dream about ordering them. Though the plants are usually quite expensive to order. They are native to the subtropic regions of South America thus only grown as annuals or house plants in North America. Last year I

Surviving a Minnesota Winter as a Gardener

2010-12-22T20:47:00.000-06:00

Fall is a beautiful time of year in the Northern Zones. The leaves signal the beginning of a slightly cooler climate with bright reds, oranges and yellows. There are great things about every climate. This time of year, however, is the beginning of the end for every gardener in colder climates, particularly Zone 5 and above. I put my gardens to sleep at the end of September, with exception of

How it all Began!

2010-12-22T20:44:00.000-06:00

Where did this passion come from? It's hard to say how I became a gardener. My mom had a little garden in the front of the house, but I never helped with it. Once I moved out, I never had house plants nor did I pay a second glance to them when I saw them at other peoples homes. In the Summer of 2000, I was pregnant with my second son and we bought our first house. It was just a little old