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Perennials

Perennials

Plant American Bittersweet and Gourds for a Fall Reward

If you want to have beautiful American Bittersweet or quirky gourds this fall, find a place for them in your garden this spring. Read this article to learn more about why you want these plants to be part of your garden and how to grow them successfully.

Perennials

Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata): A Beauty with Many Names

Are you looking for a good low-maintenance plant for a prairie, pollinator, native or butterfly garden? Consider Spotted Horsemint. This native is valuable to pollinators as it attracts butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. It is a great source of nutrients to a number of native specialist bees. It will look great in your garden as a border or mass planting.

Perennials

Ground Cover Plants May Be Just What You Need

Whatever stage your garden is in, there is one plant that you can always find space for but is often an afterthought in the garden. This article will guide you through the uses, care, and selections of our Perennial Plant of the Month: Ground Covers.

Perennials

Rose Mallow - A Rose of the North

Have a riverbank, marsh, or rain garden to manage? Consider adding the lovely, long-blooming Rose Mallow. This article will tell you why and how.

Perennials

Stumped by a Stumpery?

Have you thought about planting a Stumpery in your yard? A what? A Stumpery is basically a stylized shade garden. The garden uses stumps and logs as habitat for shade-loving plants; mainly, ferns, mosses and lichen. Colorful mushrooms may eventually grow and add color and character to the wood.

Perennials

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): A-Long Blooming Stunner

Anise Hyssop or Agastache foeniculum is a tough plant, easy to grow, beautiful to behold and a one of the premier plants for feeding pollinators. Add to those virtues, Anise hyssop is drought tolerant and does not attract deer or rabbits. As a perennial native to the American Midwest, this plant belongs in your garden.

Perennials

Harvesting Seeds for Native Prairie Restoration

Dakota County Parks and Recreation is restoring the county’s native prairies. The goal is to grow the same types of plants that have successfully supported local insects, mammals, and birds for thousands of years. Prairie restoration rebuilds prairies by planting prairie seeds in areas that have changed to another land use. This article explains the how and why of native prairie restoration through the experience of Master Gardeners in Dakota County. Learn how you, too, can help wildlife and the environment by developing your own “pocket prairie” garden.

Perennials

Enhance Your Home with Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Enhance your home’s curb appeal and enrobe it in fall color by growing Boston Ivy on your home or patio. Boston Ivy is easy to grow, requires little maintenance, and provides lush green color in the Spring and Summer turning to vivid reddish-purple in the Fall.

Perennials

The Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Native Perennial Workhorse

Wild Geranium is a pretty, flowering, native plant that serves as an easy-to-grow groundcover. Read on to learn why and how to include it in your garden.

Perennials

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a shade requiring native plant best grown in rich, moist woods or marshes. Read about this unique and fascinating long-lived perennial here.

Perennials

All About Peonies

Peony is a favorite flower of many northern gardens.  The sweet-scented flowers are large and range in colors of pink, red, white and pale yellow with attractive stems of pink to red. 

Perennials

Ornamental Grasses

Interest in Ornamental Grasses has exploded. They can fit into any garden theme. They provide height, movement, and long season color to your landscape. Most questions about ornamental grasses consist of when to plant them, trimming grasses and how and when to divide them.

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