Hydrangeas of 2011

January Plant of the Month

As edible gardening becomes ever more popular, over 41 million individuals tended and harvest their own food last year, new varieties continue to be released. While some of these releases will become compost due to lack of performance others will become classics, Pink Lemonade in one such plant.

Released by Brigg's Nursery in 2009 Pink Lemonade is the first blueberry with pink fruit. Not only is it pink but the flavor is sweet. The plant also makes for a nice ornamental addition to the garden with its pinkish-white flowers in the spring followed by clusters of pink fruit and then to finish off the year with a display of red-orange leaves.

Just grow in rich, acidic soil in full sun and you will be harvesting these delicious pink jewels come summer.

September Plant of the Month

Hello Gardeners,

Looking for some fall color other then the change of leaves? Then try Chelone 'Hot Lips' which begins blooming in late August and blooms through September. You can't beat this partial shade plant.

Happy Fall Gardening

JUNE PLANT OF THE MONTH

May Plant of the Month

April Plant of the Month

Early Spring in Minneapolis

In case anyone is wondering it has been 161 days since we last saw any color in the landscape other than white, black, various shades of grey and the occasional green evergreen. Not much of a color pallet. Today though, I saw the first garden color since our first snow last October 10th. A handful of spring crocus where in bloom on a south facing slope. If you too want a some early spring color after a monochromatic winter one of the best selections of these tiny beauties is at http://www.odysseybulbs.com/springcrocus.html.

Happy Spring.

First Crocus

by Christine Klocek-Lim

This morning, flowers cracked open the earth’s brown shell. Spring leaves spilled everywhere though winter’s stern hand could come down again at any moment to break the delicate yolk of a new bloom. The crocus don’t see this as they chatter beneath a cheerful petal of spring sky. They ignore the air’s brisk arm as they peer at their fresh stems, step on the leftover fragments of old leaves. When the night wind twists them to pieces, they will die like this: laughing, tossing their brilliant heads in the bitter air.