< Back Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard A family's dog fall into an outhouse on a camping opened up a new world to a young girl - fungi, mineral-colored soil, humus, insects, worms, and more. The young girl grew up to become a forest ecologist and educator. Suzanne Simard’s look into the communicative world beneath our feet highlights nature’s resilience and its enormous capacity to heal. Valerie Rogotzke, Master Gardener “This is not a book about how we can save the trees. This is a book about how trees might save us.” A family's dog falls into the outhouse on a camping trip in a Canadian forest. Uncles, aunts, grandparents, and parents all begin to dig out the poor creature, clearing away leaves from the forest floor, ripping up several feet of tree roots, and overturning several feet of earth. What a young girl sees, though, is not just the tree roots or the dirt itself, but a whole world under the ground: fungi, mineral-colored soil, humus, insects, worms, and more. That young girl grew up to become the forest ecologist and educator Suzanne Simard, a woman whose academic research would lead her back to the world beneath our feet. She began studying the fungal networks of mycelia and the ways that trees communicate with one another through root systems, and discovered that the oldest and most established trees—what she calls mother trees—direct the sharing of resources amongst all the flora of the forest. Simard’s look into the communicative world beneath our feet highlights nature’s resilience and its enormous capacity to heal. Her work appeals to gardeners, naturalists, and scientists alike. For more, her 2016 TED Talk educates on mycelia and mother tree communication, culminating in her advice for all to get out into local forests, to save old growth forests, for loggers to save the mother trees when logging occurs, and for logging companies to regenerate our forests wisely after logging. Simard’s book Finding the Mother Tree goes further still. This is not a dry or stuffy read, but an adventure story. Simard shares her fascinating field research in clear prose, telling stories about her sometimes-eccentric Canadian family of loggers and campers. Readers end with a deeper knowledge of how the natural world works and deeper appreciation for our human responsibility in protecting it. SOURCES : https://mothertreeproject.org https://suzannesimard.com Simard, Suzanne. Finding The Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest . New York, NY: Knopf Publishing, 2021. “How Trees Talk To Each Other,” TED. 2016 https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other ? language=en Photo credit: book jacket

< Back Indoor Allergen Friendly Plants Janelle Rietz-Kamenar, Master Gardener Did you know that Americans spend roughly 90% of their time, on average, indoors according to US EPA report? As a gardener, perhaps it’s time we focus on our indoor space and the benefits and types of plants we could have indoors. Click on this link to learn more about Indoor Allergen Friendly Plants. Did you know that Americans spend roughly 90% of their time, on average, indoors according to US EPA report? As a gardener, perhaps it’s time we focus on our indoor space and the benefits and types of plants we could have indoors. Read on to learn more about Indoor Allergen Friendly Plants. I thought this article would be simple to write, but as it turns out, it is a much more complicated topic than I thought. Many gardeners understand the psychological benefits of having living plants around us. According to the American Horticultural Society, indoor plants can improve air quality through air purification, reduce stress, improve productivity, and bring beauty to your home. However, some people who have asthma or other lung conditions need to choose what type of plant, if any, is best for them. If you are concerned about allergens in your home, potted plants can be a challenge as the soil, if not properly watered, can create mold. Mold is created in soil from overwatering with limited air circulation and not enough sunlight. The Mayo Clinic suggested that if you do have potted plants in your home, you can put aquarium gravel over the dirt to contain any mold that could develop. Removing dust from your plants periodically also helps with allergies. Flowering plants can also be a challenge for people with airborne allergens. In my research I discovered the Ogren Plant Allergy Scale System (OPALS). It is a standard which considers the likelihood a plant will cause pollen allergy symptoms. Plants are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most allergenic. This system can be used for trees, shrubs, and other plants (indoors and outdoors). While researching, I did discover that there were many lists to cross reference and it was confusing as some of the lists said they were allergen friendly and other lists said they were not. So, I am including some of the most common plants that showed up on multiple lists realizing that this is a limited list. There are some colorful plants that produce pollens which are heavier and stickier. These plants will be less likely to cause irritants. Another suggestion is to consider cross referencing this list with a plant list that can cause skin rash sensitivities or are harmful to pets. Snake Plant (also called Mother-In-Law Tongue) Peace Lily Parlor Palm Areca Palm Lady Palm Bamboo Palm Dracaena Golden Pothos Dragon Tree (also called Marginata) Rubber Plant Philodendron Brasil Aloe Vera and other Succulents Horsehead Philodendron Dumb cane String of Pearls So, if you have been avoiding houseplants because of concern about allergies, know that there are houseplants out there that can provide the greenery, color and other benefits of houseplants this winter. Reference: “Healthy Living: How a Lab Founded with Mayo Clinic is Fine-tuning the Indoors”. By Liv Martin, September 13, 2021; Minnesota Monthly. https://ahsgardening.org “The Joys and Benefits of Indoor Gardening” Mayo Clinic website: “Allergy-proof your home” By Mayo Clinic Staff House Digest, “15 Best Houseplants for People with Allergies” by Kailen Skewis, October 16, 2022 Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, “Smart Gardening: Tips for an Allergy-Friendly Garden”, AAFA Community Services, 4/18/18 Good Housekeeping, “10 Best Indoor Plants for your Health According to Research”, by Erica Sweeney, Juley 29, 2022 https://zyrtec.com/indoors “5 .“Best Allergy Friendly House Plants” Https://plantify.co.za Https://flonase.com/allergies , “Best and Worst Indoor Plants for Allergies” Photo Credit: Commons.wikimedia.org-Creative Commons (1), Gardening.stackexchange.com-Creative Commons (2), www.flickr.com-Creative Commons (3)

< Back The Vacation is Over Paul Wood, Dakota County Master Gardener Your orchids have been enjoying an invigorating respite outside, but like all good things, it must come to an end. Orchids, like any indoor plant that has summered outdoors, have the potential of picking up nefarious bugs and potential diseases that you don’t want to bring into your indoor growing area. It is better to go on the offensive while they are outside because there are more treatment options available to combat the offenders when the orchids are outside. Read this article to learn how to return your orchids (or other house plants) indoors after their summer vacation. When is the vacation over ? Orchids are tropical plants, but that doesn’t mean always hot and humid. There are warm growing orchids (Dendrobiums), Warm-Intermediate Orchids (Paphiopedilum and Phalaenopsis), Intermediate (Cattleya), and cool growing orchids (Cymbidiums). Most home hobbyists have orchids in the middle two varieties and this temperature range is 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. So, when the night time temps begin to fall below 60 it is time to think about ending the vacation. Temperature variations of 10 to 15 degrees between day and night cue orchids to think about blooming. I challenge my orchids by letting the temperatures dip below 60 and have found this does stimulate the growth of flower spikes. My Cymbidiums are an exception; they need to be vernalized to re-bloom and can withstand temperatures between 20 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit (!). I leave my Cymbidiums outside until the nighttime temperatures dip to the upper 30s and they bloom reliably once indoors. Prepping to come home. When you bring any plant indoors from outside you want to be sure they are not bringing anything home they didn’t leave with. You want to be sure nothing has taken up residence the in the spaces between the bark chips or on the leaves or that an infection hasn’t invaded the plant. Pests I find the easiest way to get rid of the pot of pests is to soak the pot in a container clear up to the pot’s top. Anything inhabiting the mix will float to the top or drown. The culprits I usually see are sow bugs, earwigs, millipedes, and an occasional slug or two. Be sure to inspect the leaves, both top and bottom for pests. Be on the lookout for scale, mealy bugs, and spider mites as these are the most common. You can handle these by wiping down the leaves with water and a drop of dish washing soap. After wiping the leaves, I apply insecticidal soap. To kill two birds with one stone, I mix in a systemic pesticide, like Safari ®, into the water used to get rid of the resident pests. The systemic will continue to help your orchids fend off any sucking pests once they get into the house. Also, I use this occasion to clean off the exterior of the pot because some pests, mealy bugs in particular, will lay their egg masses outside the pot. I then let the pots drain for a day before bringing them in. Diseases Frankly, I haven’t found infections on my orchids; pests seem to be the biggest problem. Having said that, however, it doesn’t hurt to look. If your orchids are outside in the open where it is difficult to control moisture, you might want to look for crown rot. This is treatable with hydrogen peroxide (see reference below). This is also a good time for prophylactic treatments because there are many pesticide options available than can be applied outside, but not inside. These would be the topical sprays that are absorbed into the leaves of the orchid. Any spray that is OK for tropical plants will be OK for your orchids. Summary When you bring in plants from the outdoors to winter in an indoor growing area, it is important to make sure you do not introduce any pests. While this article deals specifically with orchids, the approaches can be used with any tropical plants. Your mantra must be “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” References: Cymbidium Orchids - 10 Essentials for Growing Stunning Cymbidiums | Orchid Care Zone Time to bring houseplants back inside | UMN Extension Bringing Houseplants Indoors ( psu.edu ) What's wrong with my orchid? - American Orchid Society ( aos.org ) Orchid Crown Rot - Treatment and Prevention - Orchid Bliss Photo Credits: Paul Wood (1,2)

< Back Have No Doubt, Plant a Garden That Will Resist a Drought In recent years, Minnesota plants and trees have faced pressures from warmer temperatures and prolonged drought. You can foster a healthy, resilient garden by adding species that adapt well to these changes. Read here to find out the type of plants and garden conditions that optimize a drought-resistant garden. Mary Gadek, Dakota County Master Gardener Choosing Drought-Resistant Plants As you head to your favorite garden center, look for plants and trees with at least some of the following characteristics: Native plants- Look for plants labeled as native to Minnesota or ask at your nursery. Native plants usually adapt to or better tolerate local growing conditions and require less water. Shorter plants- Plants that grow less than 3 feet use less water. Compact and clumping plants- Usually, these types of plants have deep roots, which can access water deeper into the soil. Adaptable plants- Look for plants that can grow in either sun or shade or tolerate many soil conditions. Creating the Best Garden Conditions Now that you have chosen your drought-resistant plants, maximize their success in your garden by creating the following conditions in your garden: Appropriate location - Place your plant in the recommended light condition area, (sun, shade, or partial), to ensure the best survival. A plant getting too much or too little sunlight will struggle and require more water for survival. Soil - Loose soil with compost or organic material helps plants’ roots spread and retain moisture. Avoid tillage of soil to allow maintenance of soil’s nutrients. Limit fertilizer, especially in dry conditions, because it can force the plants to work too hard, instead of conserving moisture. Mulch - Spreading mulch in your garden beds aids in reflecting heat and maintaining moisture. Avoid landscaping with rocks around plants and trees as they can absorb heat from the sun and get hot, robbing the surrounding soil and plants of water. Water deeply - Until the plants are established (usually two weeks), water deeply and daily. Then, water deeply about every 7-10 days, depending on the current rain received. Established plants need approximately one inch of water a week. During a drought period, these plants may need supplemental water. “Deep watering” is defined as slow and steady watering at the base of the plant for about 30 minutes. Early fall planting - While spring and summer are fine to plant, the best time is fall, with its shorter days and cooler nights, which allow plants more moderate weather to get established. Lists and Resources for Drought-Resistant Trees and Plants Trees and plants for Minnesota’s climate: https://extension.umn.edu/managing-woodlands/climate-ready-woodlands List of drought-tolerant native plants and turf grasses: https://mnbwsr.medium.com/drought-tolerant-native-plants-and-turf-grass-alternatives-a-short-list-9134c43840a3 List of adaptable native plants: https://northerngardener.org/native-plants-any-garden/ https://www.midwestgardentips.com/drought-tolerant-perennials THE resource for best plants for tough spots: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/51549/08464.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y By selecting the plants and trees with the listed characteristics and then choosing the best site and conditions, your landscape can withstand the more frequent Minnesota droughts while still providing beauty. Photo Credit: Mary Gadek (1,2,3)

< Back Imagining Your Garden’s Possibilities January is a month of fresh starts, a time to renew and begin again. Whether you were pleased or frustrated with your garden in 2021, the new year is a great time to dream about your 2022 garden’s possibilities. Valerie Rogotzke shares some thoughts about how to reimagine your garden. Valerie Rogotzke, Master Gardener January is a month of fresh starts, a time to renew and begin again. This might not seem to be the best time to be thinking about the garden for Minnesotans, but the frozen ground outside gives gardeners a reprieve from weeding and a chance to imagine possibilities for the future. Perhaps your dream garden evokes a specific place. Imagine an English cottage garden with meandering borders bursting with colorful perennials and a bench under an arbor of hardy wisteria, like one of Gertrude Jekyll’s horticultural masterpieces at Hestercombe House or Lindisfarne Castle . Picture a formal French garden with manicured hedges and a water fountain, like the grounds of Vaux-le-Vicomte or the Tuileries in Paris. Envision a Japanese garden such as Kenroku-en or Koraku-en with winding stone paths through mossy undergrowth, evergreens in abundance, and a pool of still water. Which small elements from these styles could be transplanted to Dakota County? Perhaps your dream garden serves a particular function, providing you with flowers for cuttings, bees for pollinating, or vegetables for eating. To have flowers for bouquets all through the growing season, gardeners must plant with an eye to the calendar, making sure there are options peaking in each month. In addition, it is helpful to have flowers of different scales when assembling arrangements, with larger blooms like dahlias and roses balanced by smaller blooms or ornamental grasses to fill the vase. To encourage bee populations, begin to dig around in the UMN Extension program’s resources on choosing the best pollinator-friendly plants for our area and creating habitat and nesting sites for pollinators. To maximize your success with vegetables and fruits in your garden, take some time now, in winter, to take stock of what has been growing in your garden and what you would like to cultivate this year. Perhaps you have always wanted a small plot of asparagus or a pizza garden with basil and tomatoes. Maybe it’s just time to try something new: sorrel, maybe, or endives? Browse the U’s vegetable guides for ideas and tips for healthy vegetables. A vegetable garden need not be a grand ornamental potager like the kitchen gardens of Villandry – just consider what things you want to eat. Perhaps your dream garden includes time-intensive projects that will not be ready in a year or two, like espaliered apple trees . Perhaps you’d like to rewild an area of your land to encourage native prairie growth , build an Elizabethan knot garden out of interlocking hedges, or develop a natural dye garden with madder and indigo and coreopsis in order to dye fabrics. Whatever your dreams are for your garden, do your dreaming now and dream big! There will be time to prune these dreams back later when practical concerns are considered but January belongs to the imagination. Photo credits: University of Minnesota Extension (1, 2, 3)

< Back How Trees Talk to One Another Karna Berg, Master Gardener Have you ever walked in the woods and thought there was someone there, someone talking? Well, if you have, you were right. It was the trees talking to one another. Oak trees are the perfect example. My back yard has a small, wooded area of mostly oak trees. I now feel them talking to each other. Or are they talking to me? Are they saying they need more water? Would like a sunny day? Just what are they saying? As we all know, our trees are under attack from pollution, drought, pests, and disease. And while trees cannot just move to a more hospitable spot, they can help one another deal with all the stresses on them. Scientists have discovered that trees, and specifically oaks, have developed a root system, or network, through which they communicate. That root system is populated by fungus that aids them in this process. Let’s say a pest is moving into the neighborhood. As we know, they move in slowly, often tracked by tree specialists providing warnings to the public on what to be on the lookout for. Well, the trees are tracking the pests as well. And as the pests land on their branches, they signal ahead through the network that their neighbor trees should be prepared. Oaks and other trees will then produce chemicals and enzymes that help to ward off the pests. It sounds impossible, right? But it is true. Some scientists now even believe that trees also communicate through their leaves. If this is as fascinating to you as it is to me, you can read more about it in some of the books I relied on here. They include: “The Life & Love of Trees,” Lewis Blackwell; “The Hidden Life of Trees: What they Feel, How they Communicate,” Peter Wohllenben; and “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest,” Suzanne Simard. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Photo credits: Julie Harris (1), seeing-nature.de (2)

< Back The Three Sisters Planting Julie Henrichs, Dakota County Master Gardener As spring approaches, we begin to look for ways to not only welcome the “Little Sprouts” into our garden plan, but also create an education opportunity as well. Let’s explore how to best incorporate into our gardens more sustainable gardening practices no matter what the size through using the Three Sisters planting or “Milpa”. The Three Sisters planting creates a way that three crops - corn, beans and squash compliment and work together to create a beautiful sustainable harvest. As spring approaches, we begin to look for ways to not only welcome the “Little Sprouts” into our garden plan, but also create an education opportunity as well. Let’s explore how to best incorporate into our gardens more sustainable gardening practices no matter what the size through using the Three Sisters planting or “Milpa.” The Three Sisters planting creates a way that three crops - corn, beans and squash compliment and work together to create a beautiful harvest. The Three Sisters planting was first practiced by Indigenous peoples who learned that three crops - corn, beans and squash, planted together, help the other grows stronger and healthier. Each crop is an asset to the others and in the end provides what is needed to grow a healthy and sustainable garden. Photo of Three Sisters plant Corn, beans and squash are each planted separately at various times and provide the following benefit for the betterment of the whole. The corn stalk provides the stability or strength for the other crops to grow upon and is planted first. The strong and tall cornstalk can be seen as a support for the beans to grow upon. Beans are planted second in the rotation. The beans, when growing, provide the needed natural nitrogen to help all of the plants grow healthy. And they provide a crop high in protein when eaten. Finally, squash is planted last; but squash is important in that it provides a canopy on the ground as it grows to prevent weeds from growing. It also keeps the ground underneath cooler from the hot sun which prevents the ground from drying out so quickly. The Three Sisters planting is seen as sustainable in that it does not need a lot of space to produce a bountiful harvest and outside items are not needed or can be reduced, such as a structure, fertilizer, watering and weeding. How to Plant : Find a suitable site that receives full sun for 6-8 hours. Once a site has been located, mound soil 4-5 inches high. Within this mound, plant 4 corn seeds approximately 6 inches apart. Since we want the pole beans to grow up the corn stalk, please plant beans seeds when the corn stalk is 4-6 inches tall. The pole bean seeds (bush beans will not work - pole beans or a climbing variety are needed) can be sown at the bottom of the mound about 3-4 inches from the corn. Once the bean seeds have begun to grow, place two squash seeds approximately 24 inches from the center of the mound where the corn was planted. It is recommended that waiting about a week after the beans have emerged will ensure that the beans become established and begin to climb the corn stalk before the squash gets too big and shades off the beans. Squash should also be encouraged to trail out and not overcrowd the beans. Over the summer watch the three crops provide what is needed to the other two as a sustainable harvest is created. Enjoy sharing even more with your Little Sprouts from planting to harvest through using the Three Sisters planting method. Items Needed : Corn (tall variety) Seeds corn seeds Pole Bean Seeds pole bean seeds Squash Seeds (preferably winter squash) squash seeds Trowel Watering Can (Water) diagram of Three Sisters plant Planting a Three Sisters grouping with your little “growing sprouts” is easy and they will delight in watching and caring for the three plants as they grow. What a fun way to learn how plants can help each other thrive in nature. Photo Credit: www.flickr.com (1), www.pexels.com (2,3,4), www.wikimedia.com mons (5)

< Back How To Prepare New Fruit Trees for the Winter Months Amanda Drews, Dakota County Master Gardener Intern Here are some steps you can take throughout the year for the greatest chance of success no matter what Mother Nature throws at you! During the growing season - thin the smallest fruits from your tree to encourage growth of larger fruits (cherries are an exception). If too much fruit is on the tree, nutrients are more dispersed leading to smaller fruit this season and less fruit for the following year. For apples and pears, thin to 1-2 fruits per spur for every 6 inches of branch. For apples, this is done before the fruit is the width of a marble in June or July. Make sure there aren't any ripe fruits left on the tree so limbs do not break from the extra weight. Your fruit tree is going to need some training to become fully winter hardy and survive the cold temperatures. Hold off on the fertilizer after July. This includes any lawn areas within 20 feet of your tree. You don’t want to stimulate growth and delay the hardening-off process. This gradual process starts up in the buds and ends in the trunk. At the end of the season (October and November) - clean the fallen fruits and leaves off the ground around your tree. Skipping this step creates more opportunities for fungal disease and insect issues for the following spring. Keep this type of litter out of your compost pile to reduce disease in your yard overall in case pathogens are present. Adding 3 inches of organic mulch around the base of your tree helps retain water and will insulate the soil around your plant’s roots. Think of it as tucking in your plant with a nice mulch blankie but not too tight! Make sure to keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk and continue to provide adequate amounts of water until the ground is frozen. If the weather turns too cold too quickly, the tree can be damaged. There can also be damage if the weather turns unseasonably warm in the winter. White plastic guards or tree wrap should be applied to the trunk in November. These will help reflect the sun’s rays so the tree’s cells don’t wake up on those nice warm and sunny days, re-freeze and damage the trunk’s tissues. Just make sure to take those guards off again in the spring so it doesn’t create a haven for fungi. Take a moment and put a reminder in your calendar right now! Plum tree protection Cut down any plants at the base of your tree or around your shrub to prevent unwanted creatures from nibbling on the trunk during the winter. Bury ¼ inch mesh galvanized hardware cloth up to 4 inches in the ground to prevent small rodents from nibbling and girdling the trunk of the tree. Imagine there’s snow on the ground and how high a rabbit (not a rodent but equally as destructive) could reach. Leave enough room with meshing for the tree to grow into over a few seasons as well as any stakes for new trees the first year. Large fencing and tubes can be used to minimize deer browse and antler rubbing. Once temperatures have plummeted, enjoy your time off from tree care! In the late winter or early spring, after the severely cold temperatures have passed, it’s time to prune your fruit trees. For trees less than three years old, opt for later rather than earlier. Young apple tree needing pruning With some preparations and a little luck, you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor this coming growing season! Resources: https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/preparing-trees-for-winter/ https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/10/how-do-i-prepare-my-backyard-fruits-winter https://extension.umn.edu/find-plants/fruit#stone-fruits-2394860 https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/watering-newly-planted-trees-and-shrubs https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9598-fruit-thinning https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/white-tailed-deer-damage#netting%2C-tubes-or-other-protective-structures-1880562 Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (1,3), Amanda Drews (2)

< Back Know Your Resources “Hey, Siri, what’s the best kind of mulch for my garden?” This is a question often overheard in a plant center from someone trying to make a selection for their yard. And while Siri can give some options, one has to doubt the accuracy of the reply. Questionable advice can always be found somewhere, whether that’s from artificial intelligence or your neighbor’s second cousin on Facebook, but surely there’s a better way to get the most accurate and helpful answers! This article explains how you can find answers to many of your gardening questions from experts and based on research. Read on to learn how to find reliable answers to your gardening questions. Valerie Rogotzke, Dakota County Master Gardener For Dakota County gardeners, let’s get better acquainted with two websites: the U of MN Extension site and our Dakota County Master Gardener site. You can bookmark these on your phone, computer, or tablet—and I encourage anyone to do so. You can find hundreds of helpful articles, guides, books, pamphlets, and more, all available for free! Everything is backed by scientific research and all specific to our growing zone and climate. U of MN EXTENSION SITE: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden From this start page, you see several specific guides to get started in the garden and solve common problems. How-To Guides Growing Guides (starting a garden, composting, fertilizing, hydroponics, houseplants, and more) Pollinator Guides Growing Safe Food Soil and Nutrient Health (including information on how to get your soil tested to learn which fertilizers are best for it ) Watering Guides Landscape design Lawn Care (with calendars for when to seed, mow, and more) Find Plants Flowers (annuals, perennials, native flowers) Fruit Houseplants Native Plants Trees and Shrubs Vegetables Weeds (identify weeds and learn control strategies) What’s wrong with my plant? This helps you diagnose problems in the yard and garden caused by insects, diseases, or other issues. If, for example, your eggplants look strange in the vegetable garden this summer, look up eggplants in this guide to learn what the issue is and solve the problem going forward. Weeds Identify the weed in your lawn and find the best way to eradicate or manage it. Dakota County Master Gardener Volunteers : https://www.dakotamastergardeners.org/ On our local Dakota County Master Gardener website, you’ll find a calendar of local events as well as updates on our local projects and other gardening resources. You will also find dozens of articles on a variety of gardening topics (most articles previously found in the Garden Buzz monthly newsletter). You will find articles on what you might be doing in your garden monthly, good gardening tips, features on native and perennial plants and vegetables; recipes using vegetables or fruits from your garden, and tips to deal with problems in or related to your garden. There is a search box to help you find articles by topic. There is also a link to subscribe to our Garden Buzz newsletter. This is a great supplement to the statewide website. Information on Let’s Get Growing (our spring gardening expo) and the Annual Plant Sale in May is there, as well as a list of the farmers’ markets where our Master Gardener Volunteers will be, answering questions and ready to discuss home gardens with all who stop by. Other resources of note: Gardening Projects with Children This section has dozens of project ideas to do with the kid gardeners in your life! Projects are available for all seasons and incorporate science learning and art. Gardening Book Club Recommendations Looking for a book to read with your gardening club? We’ve got you covered with dozens of book reviews on horticultural topics. Finally, a last way to get information on gardening and the Dakota County Master Gardener projects going on all around you is to follow us on Facebook and Instagram . When the U of MN offers free webinars on pollinators or when a garden tour in our area pops up, we’ll be sure to let you know! Photo credits: Photo 1 for newsletter: Credit Paul Wood Photo 2, credit: U of M Extension

< Back Trifecta of Small Fruits Ride along with Margie Blare as she provides winning advice about how to grow “small fruits” - strawberries, raspberries and blueberries - in an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek style. Marjory Blare, Master Gardener Excitement at the Garden Track! Learn how to beat the odds and win the small fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) race in your garden. 1st race: Maiden Race - Track Prep All tracks need full sun, good drainage and air circulation. Test soils before planting. Soil pH needs: Strawberry needs a soil pH of 6-7.0 Raspberry needs 5.5-6.5 pH Blueberry needs 4.0-5.0 pH 2nd race: Planting Stakes Race 3rd race: Maintenance Claiming Race 4th race: The Harvest Home Derby Strawberry out of Hija X Deckard (0.5” to 6”) Jockeys: Ever Bearing (spring and fall harvest), June Bearing (spring harvest) and Day Neutral (all season). Racing strategies: Remove flowers during year one to grow a better root system. Plant new crowns above soil level 12-18” apart. Runners should be pruned; leave enough daughter plants to replace diseased, non-productive crowns or plants older than four. Change track location every 4 years to stop build-up of diseases and insects. Renovate the bed after harvest. New leaves will re-grow quickly. Remove last year's mulch, add fresh mulch. Strawberry wins The Harvest Home Derby around 2-4 years-old. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Discard berries that are bird/insect damaged or diseased. Raspberry out of Hedgehog X Shillelagh (2'-5') Jockeys: Primocane Fall-Bearing (fall harvest),and Floricane Ever-Bearing (spring and fall harvest). Racing strategies: Raspberries need to be cross-tied in order to win the Harvest Home Derby. Posts and wires work well. In early spring, plant red and yellow raspberries about 2-3' apart, spreading the roots. Rows wider than 12” impede harvesting. Black and purple raspberries form 'hills' with primocanes sprouting from the crown. Plant in rows four feet apart. Feed Raspberry frequently. Annual pruning increases productivity and reduces disease. 2-3” of mulch controls weeds and conserves moisture. Mosquito netting can exclude pests, but can also exclude pollinators. Use support and pruning to control the spread of black and purple varieties; when arching canes touch the ground, they root. At two years, Raspberry will win The Home Harvest Derby as the berries develop full color. Raspberry keeps 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Pick berries daily, with clean hands; afterward, pick all uneatable berries and dispose of them. Blueberry out of Boreal X Peewee (4”-12') Jockeys: Northern Highbush (up to 12'), Half-bush (3-4'), Low bush (2-3'), Dwarf (1-2') Racing Strategies: Add amendments before planting. Use a raised bed or 'hill' your Blueberry. Blueberry needs a pollinator of a different variety to win the Harvest Home Derby. Dig a hole twice the size of the pots your blueberries came in. Loosen the roots and spread as much as possible. Remove flowers during year one to grow a better root system. Roots are shallow; keep the water bucket handy! Acidify your water with 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Mulch to retain moisture; keeping it 6” away from the trunks. Replace mulch annually to control diseases. Animals can be excluded with appropriate height fencing. Insects and birds can be mostly excluded with mosquito netting, (except during flowering). Blueberries can be early, mid or late season producers. Blueberry will start winning races in 2-4 years. He wins The Harvest Home Derby by year. He may take 8 years to reach full maturity. For more information on growing these and other fruits go to the University of Minnesota Extension Yard and Garden website and search “Growing [insert fruit] in the Home Garden.” Photo Credit: www.flickr.com (1) & University of Minnesota Extension (2,3)

< Back Winter Hardy Cacti in Minnesota Sarah Heidtke, Dakota County Master Gardener Cactus – does not only grow in the desert! Who knew? There are cacti that are not only winter hardy, but native to Minnesota? Read on to learn more about how you can grow a cactus garden in your yard. On a cool November day, I found myself standing in front of something I didn’t expect - a cactus garden in Minnesota. This particular garden is a gift from the St. Paul Garden Club and is located right on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Campus, outside the Conservatory & Botanical Collection (free and open to the public most weekdays 9am-3pm). According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, our state is home to three native cacti: Brittle Prickly Pear ( opuntia fragilis ). This cactus may develop a pretty yellow flower but the spikes of this plant are not pretty and no fun. Handle with care as the spikes can easily get stuck in your hand. They cactus is easily spread through the fur, feet, or skin of a passing animal as a piece of the plant will tear away - leading to the “brittle” name. The plant will be carried along by the animal and, at some point, dropped to grow in a new location. Plains Prickly Pear ( opuntia polyacantha ). This cactus has longer spines and pretty yellow flowers. It forms a mat that will spread along the rocks and grassland - or in your rock garden. Ball cactus, also called Pincushion cactus ( coryphantha vivipara or escobaria vivipara . ) This cactus is part of the UMN Landscape Arboretum rare species work because the plant and its native habitat are endangered by land use, including granite mining operations. The Arboretum and conservation partners are leading a project to seed bank and translocate seedlings to protected areas. They are creating educational displays at the Arb, and will eventually train local volunteers to take on the responsibility of monitoring these populations. In their native habitats, cacti prefer rocky soil and drier grasslands. In Minnesota, this environment is mostly found in the western counties. Gardeners can mimic these conditions with well-drained soil in raised beds and rock gardens. Amending the soil with gravel can improve drainage. Cacti are able to store water and nutrients for a long time in their stems, which helps them to survive the extreme temperature and moisture conditions found throughout the seasons in Minnesota. Cacti will often grow in crevices and crannies along rock slabs; they use the heat stored in the rocks when the sun shines to help them survive our cold winters. So, if you are drawn the desert look or are looking for a plant that will grow in your rock garden, consider these Minnesota native cacti for your garden. For more information and photos of Minnesota native cacti, including teacher resources, visit https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2024/jul-aug/yn.html For more information about the University of Minnesota CBS Conservatory and Botanical Collection, visit cbs.umn.edu For more information about the Arboretum’s rescue projects and conservation partners, visit https://arb.umn.edu/plant-rescues Photo Credits: UMN Landscape Arboretum (1), Sarah Heidtke (2,3,,4),Peter M. Dziuk, Minnesota Wildflowers https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/pincushion-cactus (5)

< Back Practical Pointers for Planning Your Garden The seed catalogs are here so spring must be around the corner! It’s time to turn the dreams of January into the plans for a new or renewed garden in your yard. Read this article to gain some practical pointers for planning your garden. Let’s get planning! Joy Johnson, Master Gardener It’s only February but you probably have already received some seed catalogs in the mail reminding us that spring will soon reappear. As we look longingly out our windows, it’s a great time to start thinking about a new or improved garden for your yard. A new garden can replace an existing garden, enlarge or re-shape an existing garden or carve out a completely new space in a neglected part of your property. When designing a new garden, there are some general design principles and other things you should consider. I am old school and prefer to do my thinking with a pencil and a large sheet of paper. It’s a good idea to sketch out the area you have in mind. Ask yourself some basic questions as you sketch. Topography Is the new garden area on a slope? If it is, will you need a retaining wall or terracing? For example, we designed a new garden along the east side of our yard. It has a gentle downhill slope. We wanted to add some contour to our flat front yard and create a visual barrier to block the view of the side of our neighbor’s house. We needed a retaining wall to add height and keep the garden on our side of the land. The wall ended up being 30 feet long and 4 feet wide on each end. It is 4 feet high and made from bricks and large boulders. We filled it with soil and made a small hill, with two depressions and an S shaped curve along the front side for visual variety. Light How much daylight does the area receive? Watch the area over several months and make note of any areas shaded by buildings or trees for more than 6 hours a day. An area that is in the shade for at least 6 hours a day will only support plants designed to grow in the shade. Sun loving plants need a minimum of 6 hours of full sunlight. If you are just starting this process in February, you will need to remember back to June, July, and August to determine the amount of sunlight your spot will receive during the summer. This can be very different than in the winter months due to the angle of the sun and day length. Specimen Plants Do you have any specimen plants in the area that you want to highlight (or plant new in the area)? How can you set it, or them, off? Some ideas are to highlight a specimen bush or tree with a contrasting color of mulch or a contrasting low growing ground cover. We wanted to highlight a weeping pussy willow, which has an interesting shape, but is basically green the entire growing season, so we planted purple Bugleweed around the base. The Bugleweed has tiny purple flower spikes during June, July and into August, so it looks like the Weeping Pussywillow is floating on a purple carpet. Color Palette What’s your color palette? When designing a garden that includes blooming flowers and shrubs, it’s pleasing to the eye to group similar colors together and to plant numerous plants of the same variety. This is called color block gardening and is effective if you have a large area to fill. For example, since our area is long and narrow, we planted one section with weigela which has burgundy leaves and pink flowers for most of the summer. Around one side of the weigela we planted Asian Lilies in a variety of pink hues. Beneath them and trailing down the small hill we planted a low growing creeping sedum which gets tiny pink flowers. This leads us to another design element you should consider. Plant Size Plant size. It is pleasing to the eye to have a variety of heights in your garden. You should use the Rule of Thirds. The plants at the back of your garden should be two-thirds taller than the plants in front of them. In the example given in number 4 above, the Weigela are taller than the Asian Lilies and they are both taller than the sedum. They are in the same color palette as the peonies. The creeping juniper softens the edge of the rock boarder and anchors the color palette with a dark green. A variegated willow with its very pale pink spring leaves is a light back drop at the edge of the garden. Much taller Smokebushes with their burgundy, green leaves are two-thirds taller than the Weigela. Another example from our garden is the row of Arborvitae along the back of the garden that will eventually grow taller than the Ninebark, Forsythia and Weigela that are planted in front of them. In front of those bushes, we have planted a variety of shorter flowers, grasses, and creeping ground covers. Soil Type It is important to look at your soil type. That will be hard to do in February, but when spring comes, it’s a good idea to send in a sample of the soil from your garden area to the University of Minnesota . They will send you back a soil test report that will let you know if you need to add any phosphorus or Potassium to your area. If you google “soil testing University of Minnesota” you will find directions for submitting a sample. Make a Sketch As we looked through all our gardening catalogs and downloaded plant information from various websites, it was easier to visualize our ideas if we cut out the physical pictures of the shrubs and flowers we were considering and taped them on to our paper lay out. We used a 1” = 1’ scale, to get an idea of the size. After taping the pictures on our layout, we sketched a circle around the plant to show the size of the full-grown plant. Be Flexible Flexibility is the last element of design. A flat piece of paper and photos do a good job of preparing you for the final garden look, but the contour of the land will also affect how things look. We ended up redesigning a couple of areas and moving plants around in the spring when planting began to get the look we were going for. Also keep in mind that the mature size of a plant is very different than the seedling you first get from the nursery. Your garden may not look as full as you want it to until the plants have had a couple of years to grow and settle in. Sensory Considerations A couple of other considerations: plant plants with a pleasing fragrance near your front door or other heavily trafficked area, so people can enjoy them. Don’t plant ‘unwelcoming’ plants near your front or side doors. Things with thorns, spikes, trailing branches, or pungent smells are better suited to other areas. Some tall grasses make lovely swishing sounds when the wind blows through them, consider using those near an outdoor seating area or near an entry way for auditory variety. There are many things to consider when planning a garden so enjoy the process. Choose one or two main goals or focus points (is this an edible garden or a cutting garden, or a garden to block an ugly view or a “native-plants-only” garden). Don’t let yourself get pulled off track by all the beautiful plants you see in the catalogs, online and at nurseries. Keep a narrow focus for the first year. You can always add more plants and move plants in the following years. That’s one of the fun things about gardening, plants are always changing and growing. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson