Swimming With The Bees ...(Bees Rock!)

Finally, bees have arrived to beekeepers in Minnesota. If you read my blog last month, you'll remember that an entire truckload of bees coming from CA was lost when the trailer crashed in a North Dakota snowstorm. (California drivers should NEVER attempt North Dakota in the winter season).

Now, a new load of bees have arrived and beekeepers spent the weekend picking up their ordered packages of bees to take home to hives around Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

This beekeeper is using a flashlight to check the Queen in each package. He has apparently lost his bee suit...or just doesn't care anymore.

This is the distributor's building holding all the boxes of bees until beekeepers come to pick up their orders. They were shipped from California to Minnesota, and about 200 beekeepers will come to pick up their bees within 48 hours.

Extra Queen Bees are individually packed in small wood boxes. There are many other bees crawling around on the Queen boxes.

Personally, I love honey bees and I was not afraid to photograph them. I work around bees all the time in the garden, and don't remember the last time I was stung. It annoys me frequently when I am working on a gardening project for a client, and they tell me they want me to try to plant things that "don't attract too many bees"!! ....I think we need to do exactly the opposite...What is the paranoia about bees? I think it's just mis-information. When bees are collecting pollen, they are very "busy" and do not bother people. The creature that invades picnics and gets in your pop (soda) can is a wasp- not a honey bee. Very few people are really allergic to bee stings. (Sorry if you're one of them) But honey bees are usually not the problem.

Because of the recent problems affecting bee colonies, people are starting to notice their importance, and bees are becoming "fashionable".

Bee Aware of issues affecting honey bees. And if you want to be hip in your community, plant flowers that attract bees and provide pollen. The best choices are often plants that are native to your area. Here are a few ideas:

Asters, Basil, Bee Balm (Monarda), Black-eyed-Susans, Clover, Cosmos, Fruit Trees, Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium), Marigold, Mint, Purple Coneflower, Rosemary, Salvia, Sedum, Sunflower, Zinnia.

Magnolia, Take Your Time

2008 R-n-R Gardener's Annual Guitar "Picks"

(For Containers and Hanging Baskets)

My colors this year for annual flowers are: Burgundy, Orange, Wine Red, Hot Pink and "Deep Purple".

I'm declaring out of style: Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea) ...barf.
...it's so... 'last 2 years'.

And along those lines...Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia) has been used a lot, so plant sparingly.
F.Y.I. : Dracena Spikes have been out of style for a while now if you weren't paying attention!...If you're still using spikes, turn off your computer right now...you need to get out more. And any silver plant...BBFN (bye bye for now).
Also out of style, although I love it still: Portulaca (Moss Rose).

And one color that's not cool: Pepto Bismol pink...It's abysmal. In Minnesota, we don't have much time for annuals...so make it fabulous, go big, Rock it out!

Here are some hot plants I will be using in containers this year:

Grasses...Any clump-forming grass is awesome- (Purple Fountain Grass is still in).

Coleus...Very Hot- There are many new varieties...it's very fun and totally in my colors!

Chenille Plant...It's back, it's hot, it's fun and funky.


New Petunia varieties...I love one called Tie Dye- it changes colors.

Torenia is a pretty alternative to trailing petunias...I like "Pink Moon"

Canna w/dark colorful leaves...like 'Tropicana' ....(The white variegated canna seem to scorch in full sun).

Heuchera (Coral Bells)..OK, it's a perennial, but awesome anywhere in part sun.

"That's Hot".

Earth Day

I got myself some beautiful compost today.

And I had my little helper with me. We checked on the worms to see if they wanted to come out and play.

Party This Weekend at Blotanical

Just before Earth Day, I thought I would pay homage to a friend of mine, named Blotanical.

He is my ultimate contact for all my garden party friends. Just one click over to his site, and I can meet other gardeners from around the world doing things from Xeriscape to Water Gardens… Cat Zen Retreats to Rodent-ravaged mayhem.
When you’re a ROCKER like me, you have to meet lots of people. I’ve met everyone from Plant Gurus to a Confused Grannie.

Even though I can’t spell Fluffius Muppetus, I know it’s always MillerTime at Lisa’s place. People at Blotanical are very honest. They admit to being a Garden Fool, or a Bamboo Geek. They will openly say they’re a Cheap Vegetable Gardener, or will just tell you to Leave Me Alone. Sometimes you’ll run into a Wicked Gardener, or someone may be so bold, that they tell you to Kiss My Aster !!

Blotanical is fun for garden bloggers. If you like to destroy the competition, you’ll love the points system, and the networking. If you aren’t competitive, and like to just sit around reading Weeder’s Digest and telling Wild Garden Stories, you’ll still like the Blotanical directory of Garden Blogs.

Go check it out if you haven’t…It’s an International Garden Party that’s always new.

A New Image for Earth Day

Here's a new tree photo I'm working on.

And a Banana Leaf Landscape...

If You Can't Stand The Heat, Get Out of The Garden

It is sleeting outside right now, in a slurry of snow and slushy slop.
And it's so cliche' to show you photos of bulbs popping out of the ground and pots of pansies !!

So I will Spice it up a bit and show you something I'm growing.






The Chiltepin Chile is a wild plant from Mexico/Central America/South U.S.
(Pronounced: Chill-Tee-Peen)-accent on the chill.
It is one of the smallest chiles in the world...But I say it has got to be the smallest you'll ever see!

This chile will burn your mouth to hell, and keep you coming back for more. Don't be confused by the similar, chile piquin...that one is longer and a bit bigger. The best chiltepin is tiny and almost round in shape. Es una de las comidas muy tipicas en el hogar Mexicano. Yo lo encuentro en el estado de Puebla en la Sierra Madre. He viajado mucho a todos partes de Mexico, y me encantan los sabores de la comida verdadera de Mexico.

These are commonly found in the markets in Mexico, always in a huge pile. You buy it dried by the kilo and take it home to prepare. The way chiltepin is prepared is to roast it in a pan on the stove (The family needs to leave the building while this is done!!) with a little oil and perhaps salt. Then it is ground by hand in a molcajete (made from stone). The taste becomes a bit smoky and deep. This is a staple on the tables in Mexican homes.


The ground chiltepin is kept in a container on the table, where you can take a pinch (if you dare) to add to your food. Do not be mistaken...This is not the red chile flakes you see at pizza parlors ! This is the real deal.

Anyway, the chiles are tiny, and the seedlings are tiny too- see the photo of the chiltepin seedlings compared to a dime. I'm growing some seeds that I harvested from a few dried chiles we had at home. The Chiltepin plant can grow to be a little tree about 4-6 feet tall. Of course in a northern climate, you'd have to bring it in for winter.
Click Here to see a good Chile Chart from ChilePlants.com

OK, so did this warm you up?...Ay Chihuahua !!!

A Rabbit Ate My Garden and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

Assessing the damage... I was too lazy last fall to put fencing around every plant in my yard...and now that the snow has melted, the realization is setting in... This rabbit carries a pair of Felcos and is a ruthless pruning maniac.
Anybody wanna buy a pound of little round garden balls?

Some favorite woody plants for my little garden buddy: My Rosebushes, Dogwood, Sand Cherry (prunus), Burning Bush , Spiraea, and Bittersweet Vine.

The bottom of the bittersweet looks like a cheese grater was rubbed on it all winter !

This is war ...I'm calling Elmer Fudd.