Fairy gardens are a great way to experience gardening with your children or grandchildren but – grownups love them, too. It’s said that if you plant a fairy garden, something magical happens. Years drop away, stress leaves you and you’re transported into the world of make believe. Nothing brings out the inner child in us more than when we plant a fairy garden. This article will inspire to experience the joy of fairy gardens.

Annual flowers are welcome additions to our yards because they add a wide variety of color to the garden. Unlike most perennials, annuals will often provide colorful flowers throughout the growing season in Minnesota. Planting these colorful gems can be a fun activity for every member of your family and something your whole family can enjoy. This article reviews how to find the best annuals and how you can grow them successfully in your garden.

It’s not too late to plant tomatoes in Minnesota this summer. But, how do you choose from the many, many brands of tomatoes that are out there. Read this article for very useful information about choosing the right variety of tomato to grow in your garden.

Pussytoes is a cute name for a sturdy native plant. If you are looking for a tough, resilient groundcover for those difficult areas, consider one of the Antennarias (Pussytoes).

Myths abound in the gardening world. The internet provides limitless information, but is it reliable? Or is it a myth that has floated around for so long it has become accepted as fact? To save your time, effort and money, make sure that the advice you read is research-based from a dependable source. In this article, we review several gardening practices and reveal which ones are based on science or myth.

Now it’s June and for many reasons, you don’t have your garden planted. Is it too late? This article explains why the answer is a resounding No! There are many vegetables and annuals that have a shorter time to maturation and will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your June labor. Read on to learn how to save your summer planting enjoyment.

Growing ginger is relatively easy, and it can be grown both indoors and outdoors. Read this article to learn the steps to grow ginger successfully.

As you get excited about the growing season really getting going, you may also be seeing weeds popping up amongst your more intentional plantings. Wondering what you can do to keep those weeds in check? Read on for information from Master Gardener Marjory Blare on identifying weeds and some ideas for managing them.

I have heard it said tongue in cheek that Minnesota’s average weather is the midpoint between two ridiculous extremes, because when we talk about averages, it can be misleading. Sometimes it happens that one huge deluge of rain will offset a long dry spell, at least on paper, where the average rainfall for the month or year may appear as normal in the record books. But those long drought periods are not so easily erased in the lives of the trees.

“Time spent in nature is essential for our health and comes with myriad benefits,” says
Dr. Jean Larson, the manager of Nature-Based Therapeutics and Nature Heals Initiative at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and faculty lead of the Nature-Based Therapeutic Studies at the Earl Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing of the University of Minnesota. Read on for Master Gardener Mickey Scullard’s article about the therapeutic applications of horticulture and ways to make the benefits of gardening more accessible to many different levels of ability.

In May, the annuals were planted, but as the hot and dry days of July arrive are some of your annual planters looking overgrown or have they lost their curb appeal? Are your children still wanting to play in the dirt? Then look no further than the world of succulents. Succulents can easily be added to existing planters to refresh the look or they can be planted alone in a container. Explore with your child what makes succulents so unique and start planting!

The Dakota County Master Gardeners partner with the Dakota County Juvenile Services Center in Hastings to plant and nurture a garden that teaches important lessons to the residents of the Center and provides produce for the county’s food shelves. The garden is part of the New Chance day treatment program. Male youth have the opportunity to work in the garden with the guidance of Master Gardeners. Read this article to learn more about how this important project serves as a teaching tool for youth and a source of food for county residents in need.