know it and grow it
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistFebruary 22, 2022January is behind us and that means we are closer to spring. That is good news. The days are getting longer and the sun gives more warmth. Plants notice that just as much as we do. So those wonderful houseguests are gearing up to put out some new growth. That means this is a good time to repot if they are growing out of proportion with their current pot. Generally we recommend moving to the next…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJanuary 18, 2022January … my least favorite month – cold, lots of cloudy days, short hours of daylight, nothing much to do except move snow and work on taxes. Well, maybe not the “nothing to do” part, because it is the perfect time to plan next year’s vegetable and/or flower garden. It is amazing that the day after Christmas, seed and nursery catalogs appear in my mailbox, and that continues for most of the…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistDecember 14, 2021Last week I gave you some tips for keeping holiday blooming plants happy. This week I want to talk about fresh flowers and flower arrangements. Fresh flowers have their own unique way of adding life, color and happiness to our living spaces. Handing your host a wrapped bunch of fresh flowers will nearly always bring an appreciative smile. So if that recipient is you, here’s where what you do will…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistNovember 16, 2021Last week’s weather convinced me that I am finished with my garden for the 2021 season. I managed to get 225 new tulip bulbs planted in areas where I wanted more early spring color. I used my cell phone camera to make a video of my flower beds early last spring so when I was ready to plant this fall, I knew exactly where the open spaces were. It will be fun to see that effort rewarded next spring…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistOctober 12, 2021According to the weather forecast, our growing season is about finished. If you have tender bulbs like cannas, gladiolas or dahlias, a light frost will kill the tops but not harm the bulb itself. When the top growth is dead, it’s time to dig the bulb. I use a potato fork to loosen the soil and lift the bulb or clump of bulbs from the soil. In the case of “clump” bulbs, I leave the adhering soil…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJuly 20, 2021Japanese beetles … they’re back and they’re hungry. I saw the first of these pests on my rose blossoms last week. Last summer I fought them on my roses, my zinnias, my beans and my raspberries. Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are small insects that carry a big threat. They do not discriminate when it comes to what types of plants they feed on, though they do have favorites (like roses.) In…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJuly 13, 2021Summer-blooming spireas have pretty much finished their early bloom cycle. A light shear now will remove those dead flower heads, and within a couple of weeks they will put on a new crop of foliage that will look as bright and fresh as they did in the spring. … Wish a hair cut would do that for me! Rain over the weekend was another huge blessing, especially the fact that it was more widespread. I…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJune 29, 2021We were blessed with a wonderful rain shower on Monday afternoon, and my gardener’s spirit is revived! It is disheartening to watch the vegetable and flower crops you carefully nurtured succumb to extreme heat and drought. I am grateful! I noticed that the slugs have arrived. I was hoping that the dry weather would have curtailed their appearance, but the damaged leaves on some of my hosts are…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistMay 11, 2021I hope you have noticed the beautiful lavender flowers of the rhododendron shrubs that have been blooming for the last two weeks. The variety is PJM, and these rhododendrons are broad-leaf evergreens, meaning that they do not drop their leaves in winter. This rhododendron grows to about 3 feet tall. They prefer a slightly acidic soil, which is not what we have in this part of Minnesota, so…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistMay 04, 2021Seems that our weather has kept us guessing, and that includes the weather forecasters. We go from no frost in the 15-day outlook to a pretty definite light frost sneaking in the mix. Our average last frost date is May 15. To get an average, some years that last date is earlier and some years it is later. My advice is if you can’t move it and you can’t cover it, don’t plant it until after May 15…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistApril 27, 2021Our spring weather certainly has been unstable this year. I don’t understand how a tulip flower stem can survive 16 degrees and still stand firm and continue on to a beautiful flower. My blooming daffodils didn’t come through the cold as well. The leaves are still green so they can feed the bulb to develop the flower for next year. That is why we stress the importance of leaving the leaves of…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistApril 13, 2021In years past, I have recommended applying a product called Systemic Rose Care as a fertilizer and insect preventative for your roses. Bonide and Beyer are two brands that have this product available, and they are basically the same. Now is the time to make that first application of the granules. You will do a second application six weeks from now and a third application six weeks after the…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistApril 06, 2021It seems that garden plants that were showing growth last week survived the 16-degree cold without damage, and I’m appreciating that, especially after one breezy 88-degree day yesterday, I have daffodils blooming this morning … what a glorious morning view! I do seem to have more than my share of critter problems … both two legs and four legs. A pair of Canadian honkers seem to think Poplar Creek…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistMarch 30, 2021It is Monday and I have been cleaning up the Healing Garden at Sanford. As I was working, I noticed little sprouts of bluegrass that have been hiding among the stems of perennials that I didn’t notice last year. That reminded me to remind you that this is the best time to remove perennials grass that may have begun invading your garden area. Many of these grasses like blue grass or quack grass…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistMarch 23, 2021Spring is a transition between winter and summer, and this week we have been transitioning. The snow added some much-needed moisture to our top soil and that gives me confidence after last year’s prolonged dry season. Today I will remind you that now is a good time to rejuvenate your indoor plants if they are needing that attention. Taking cuttings from old plants to get new plants is the best…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistApril 28, 2020It seems that we are on track for an earlier than average spring, and that means that this is the time to apply crab grass preventer. Crab grass is an annual weed. The seeds don’t germinate until the ground temperature is warm, and that is happening now. This is a pre-emergence herbicide, so once the seed has germinated, the product will not be effective. This is also the time to…
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