Rock and Roll Gardener in Art Show

This weekend, I was in an art show in Madison, Wisconsin. I displayed my rockin' plant photography, along with a few other friends who had photos, paintings, and other mixed media masterpieces. It was a great time, and we received good comments and feedback on our work.

Winter Cracks Me Up

Can anyone identify this treacherous northern river?

(Hint: It only flows at this time of year).

Green City

I really should not be revealing our secrets...in case you all decide to move here.

But Saint Paul and Minneapolis are wonderful cities for gardening and getting outdoors

(if you don't mind hibernating for 5 months or so).

(From The City of St. Paul Website)

The Saint Paul Division of Parks and Recreation Operates:
101 parks
41 recreation centers
three golf courses
two city pools
Como Zoo
the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Maintains: 450,000 trees
101 miles of paved off-street trails
30 miles of bike lanes
10.8 miles of bike routes
30.3 miles of striped shoulders
24 miles of dirt trails
160 unique garden sites
150 hanging baskets
Is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park & Recreation Agencies (CAPRA)
One of only 59 park agencies nationwide to have received this accreditation and one of only three in Minnesota

For more information, visit http://www.nrpa.org/. or http://www.stpaul.gov/initiatives/sustainable/programs/initiatives.html

Lotus Be Friends

Who Can Identify The Body?

Time for a winter identification game.

See how many of these 'Sleeping Beauties' you can identify. You Northerners should do better on this. The photographs were just taken in Minnesota. What else is there to do during the long frozen winter? Answers are in the side bar, lower on the page.

Waiting

"I'm not waitin' on a lady...I'm just waitin' on a THAW".

Oh-Oh, February

Darn, It's February.
That means I need to decide whether I'm going to attempt to start seeds this year, or just avoid the hassle and buy all my annuals. I don't have a lovely little sunroom or greenhouse, so seedlings have to go in the window; and in Minnesota we don't have enough sunlight yet to grow strong seedlings, so a grow light is needed during these first months. The timing is always tricky, because the plants may grow too much too fast, and we can't put them outside safely until possibly Mid May. I suppose it's worth a try...so I'll start collecting my little pots and egg cartons and see what I can get started.

...A few seeds I'm starting: Coleus, Zinnia , Chiles, an assortment of tomatoes, Marigolds, and Mexican zucchini.

Succumb To The Cold

OK, It's January, your garden plants have given up. They are in a deep freezing sleep, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just keep your sidewalk shoveled, sanded and salted and GO INDOORS...

Visit the indoor tropics to avoid getting the blues this month. And...forget about your garden dreams, just for now.

Twisted Sister

Winter reveals the sick and twisted reality. Now is the time to access tree branches and do your pruning (if necessary). I tend to discourage excessive tree pruning. Don't do it if you don't know what you're doing! Pruning should be done for a good reason and in the proper way. You can do more harm than good if you just start hacking away.


Here, read this: http://www.rainbowtreecare.com/stories/story_15.htm

Plant For Winter

When you live in a climate that's cold for half the year, it's a good idea to PLANT FOR WINTER. Think about winter all year- even in June when you're putting in a new flower bed- remember winter- What do you have for winter interest?
A snowy garden can be beautiful. That's the time your GARGOYLE statue is really in it's glory !!!

HERE ARE SOME PLANT IDEAS FOR WINTER INTEREST:
Red Twigged Dogwood, Perennial Grasses, Evergreens, Burning Bush, Vines, Hydrangea, Winterberry (it's toxic though), Boxwood, Coneflower.

Rock and Roses

I grow roses for the Rose Hips. The flowers themselves are a bit cliche'. There are a few new hardy roses with vivid color that I like, such as: "Firecracker".

Roses are VERY Rock and Roll: (REMEMBER GUNS AND ROSES) ! Every other tattoo out there is a picture of a thorny rose.

Roses can be evil, but they're tough and durable- they have rewards, and hey, they get the chicks!

BAREROOT ROSES: Planning to buy bareroot roses? It's hard to find quality plants-Mail order direct from a reputable grower often works well.
The bareroot roses should not be dried out, should not be molded, and should have good looking roots, and a good amount of long canes. Before planting, prune out all dead or weak canes, leaving about 4 good canes on Hybrid Tea/Grandiflora/Floribunda roses. Leave a lot more canes on shrub or miniature roses. Prune the tops of the remaining canes to stimulate new growth.
Prune the roots to stimulate root growth, cutting maybe 1/3 of the roots off. Plant A.S.A.P. in a lightweight potting mix in a pot which is approx. 2 gallons. The potted rose needs to be warm, with lots of strong light, and humid- so mist the canes with water, or put a loose-fitting clear plastic bag over the plant to retain moisture. (Slightly dangerous because you don't want mold or mildew. If you do this, Remove the bag when leaves start to emerge). Keep the soil well-watered.
Don't fertilize until you have leaves on the plant. Roses need lots of sun, and heat, and once they get going, they need regular fertilizer to bloom and do well.