The white for Christmas arrived a bit late this year!

We had a green Christmas this year, but last night our "White" appeared a few days late!

So, Denny had to remove snow today before of packing to leave tomorrow morning for AZ!

I just had to nab a picture of my lilac tree this morning.    Actually it is just as beautiful a sight as it is when covered with lilacs! 

A gardeners night before Christmas...

 
T'was the night before Christmas and under the snow,
Perennials now dormant were waiting to grow.
The roses were mulched, the soil piled high,
To protect the graft union so the plants wouldn't die.
The strawberries were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of fertilizer (organic or not) danced in their heads.
The orchard was clean, the fruit trees at rest,
No diseases were living much less any pest.
The evergreen branches, all coated with ice,
Provide shelter for birds that they would entice.
Shrubs were all sprayed with repellents this year,
To protect them from feeding by mice and by deer.
Inside the house are poinsettias galore,
While wreaths, boughs of holly adorn the front door.
While enjoying my garden this quiet, cold night,
What my eyes then spied whas a gardener's delight!
A jolly old man in suit red and white,
Pulled up in a sleigh and began to alight.
He laughed as he said, " I'm a gardener myself,"
And began to leave gifts packed by his elf.
Practical gifts like tools and a mower,
Along with some labels, pots, and a sower.
To protect our hands were hand cream and gloves,
For my spouse a sun hat in a color she loves.
A hoe will be useful for pulling up weeds,
New flats and soil media for sowing spring seeds.
Next came a trellis for the clematis vine,
Stakes for new trees, and to hold them some twine.
For the patio a planter and large flower pot,
Both were in colors bold, bright, and red hot.
To help all our veggies grow sweet and grow strong,
There were large bags of compost to help them along.
Our cats will be happy with their new catnip mouse,
Our birds will enjoy their heated bath and bird house.
For fun was a rain gauge and new garden book,
A train for the garden, homemade jam for the cook.
As jolly St. Nick finished he winked and stood tall,
And I heard him exclaim "Merry Christmas," and Happy Gardening to all.

Viola blooms in Dec. in MN!

Betty O., a garden friend, had a surprise Dec. 15th when she looked down while walking towards her kitchen door and saw these bright smiling faces peeking up at her! 

Violas from the Penny Series



Betty lives in rural SE MN and this is not in a very protected area!  Hrmmmm.....I think I need to remember the name of this hardly little variety!

Happy Holiday Season!

Red poppies for Christmas!

From my husband!

At last, a Karen LeQuia original to hang on my office wall!

I can gaze as long as I want at red poppies 12 months a year!  I don't grow them, but covet them! 

http://karenlequia.com/
 

I have wanted one Karen's paintings for so long and her poppies have long been my favorite subject.  It's like having a favorite gardening friend, who is also a talented artist, in my office with me now!  I'm not sure which I will enjoy the most hanging around here, Karen with her beautiful smile and vibrant personality or her poppies! 

Tiny Christmas butterfly wings.

The blossoms of the Cyclamen twist and turn like tiny butterfly wings.    The silvery, marbled coloring of the foliage accents the beautiful flower colors of lavender, rose, maroon, red, or white. My favorite indoor holiday/winter plant lately has become the festive miniature red Cyclamen!  It is only 4 1/2" tall and tucks into tiny spaces so easily!  It just needs to be free of drafts, get lots of indirect light and frequent watering to be happy!  It blooms usually for two months so brings lots of smiles to my face!   I find this adorable miniature at Bachman's & Gerten's in the cities for only $2.98 each, so indulge in several for myself and sharing with friends!   The abundant buds pop up from beneath the foliage and turn from white to pink before   bursting into a cheerful red!    I fell in love with full size Cyclamens in AZ where they grow easily outdoors in the winter months.  I often indulge in a few hanging baskets of them when we are there and have them blooming for three months!  I have a hard time picking which colors to buy, they are all so beautiful!   I found the pottery pot at Bachman's, which fits it perfectly and I found another miniature plant for them in the spring to enjoy.  I'll share that with you in the spring!

Ideas abundent today...

I spent today with gardening friends at Bachman's Garden Center & Idea House in Mpls.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch dining in their greenhouse surrounded by holiday plants, decorations and good friends!

If you haven't been to Bachman's Idea House  check out this website:
http://www.bachmans.com/Ideas-House/store-locator.html?cnb=IdeasHouse

We'll be back in the spring for another visit for lunch surrounded by spring flowers in bloom and check out the Idea House for more new decorating ideas! 

 

I heard giggling during the night...

It must have been the fairies playing in the snow! 

When I stopped by my desk to turn on the computer, I found my indoor fairy garden covered in a light layer of snow!  WOW!  A snow storm in the house during the night!

Tis the season...

to decorate outdoors for the winter holiday season!

A couple of car loads of garden friends attended a seminar in Nov. for ideas on decorating our homes inside and out.  Ideas we brought home and used.  One of the suggestions was to use a sizeable item as the focus in a porch pot beyond the usual berries and ribbons.  Here is one idea used by garden friend, Barb V.

Doesn't that snowman put a smile on your face instantly!

Christmas Fairy Garden

I'm not the only Fairy Gardener in town!  I just love what Rita created for her holiday decorations to include the fairies that hang out at her house!  Lots of sparkle, good cheer and no upkeep! 

Indoor Fairy Garden?

Yep, I decided to see if I could keep my fairies happy during the winter, when they move into shelter from the MN cold!  Happy fairies keep them out of troublesome mischief!  This one is my first entirely artificial fairy garden complete with plants, which has been fun and carefree for my desk!  I've changed some seasonal elements such pumpkins & spooks at Halloween and a darling turkey during Nov. For Dec. I decided to do without the snow as it could prove a mess to clean up but I love the wreath, snowman and tree ornaments!  I think I can hear the fairies playing in it at night!

Thankful for you!

My little experiment with this blog has been a fun experience that seems to continue to live on with so many of you following it.  I'm looking forward to sharing gardening related experiences in AZ this winter.

Most of you are following my blog by viewing the email notices about new posts, which is quick and easy. 

Many of you are using the email notices to tap directly into the website versions of the posts, which is also fun with many extras available, such as a decorative background, other blogs to visit, links to other sites you may find of interest as well as being able to review past posts since I began this in July 2014.

It is easy to do, just go to the bottom of the email notice and click on  Over The Garden Gate

 

Enjoy your family time and memories of past Thanksgivings! 

How many roses did you lose last winter?

My friend, Rita, lost several roses last year, and they were hardy shrub roses!  This is a gardening tip from Rita:

My roses are on the south side of the house.  Therefore, they go through a lot of freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw fluctuations, which is what winter-kills many roses.  I used to use rose cones with a slit in the back so they could "breathe" and wouldn't "cook" inside the rose cones on warmer sunny days.  But rose cones are big and bulky to  store, and break apart easily at the bottom when you secure them to the ground with garden staples.   

 

I found these in the Gardener's Supply Catalog, and thought I'd give them a try.  They look like they will work beautifully.  They have a tomato cage-like frame underneath that you slip the cover over.  The cover is a thick plastic-like fabric, and the top has mesh so that the plants can breathe underneath, but will still protect them from the winter sun.  They have two pockets (one on each side) that you can slip a brick or a rock into to hold them down.  I'm anxious to see how my roses do underneath them.  I lost 4 roses last winter, so am looking forward to a new solution.     

 

We'll check with Rita in the spring and see how they worked for her! 

 

 

 

The website is www.gardeners.com

 

 

If you have a gardening tip you'd like to share with others, please feel free to send me the details and I'll be glad to include it on my blog!  Contact me at  kjgardengate@charter.net
 

 

 



 

 

 

 

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Lemon Cypress Trees

are appearing in garden centers for holiday decorating!

I just had to go check out the interesting display of what appeared to be small trees among the holiday plants at a popular garden center last week.  They had various sizes starting with the one I purchased that is about 9 inches tall and upwards to almost 2 1/2 feet +.  With only a $5 price tag on the 9 inch one, I got interested fast as it is an ideal size tree for a fairy garden!  The tag indicated it was a house plant in MN during the winter but can be moved outdoors for summer!  Yep, ideal for a fairy garden inside now and outside in the spring.  So I'll try to keep it alive and healthy indoors this winter and move it out in the spring and what a bargain price for a miniature tree!

Now I am finding them in other greenhouses among the seasonal plants for the holidays!
I ended up putting mine in a holiday mug for now and it will be among my holiday décor, maybe even with a few mini ornaments added to it!  If you see them, check them out!
Makes a nice fresh touch of the outdoors inside!

cultivar of the Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa)

Mona declares war on slugs!

Thanks Mona for permission to share your recent article in the Shades of Green Hosta Society's newsletter!  I read it, l related, I enjoyed it and I laughed long and hope you also enjoy this as much as I did!  


Her Obsession With Slugs Turns to WAR    By Mona Keehn

The third week of July, I noticed that a few of my hosta leaves had collapsed and were turning brown.  With my garden on the Master Gardener Tour only a few days away, I thought I might be able to find out just what was going on with those leaves. During the tour, I pulled one of the damaged leaves off and found that something had eaten away much of the petiole. No one seemed to know what the culprit could be. A few days later, I was walking by H. Liberty and pulled off one of the brown leaves to show my husband, Rick. I was surprised to see THREE slugs happily sleeping in the petiole. I had no idea that slugs could cause such damage.

 

Then I recalled one of the tips offered at one of our local hosta society’s meetings: Spray diluted ammonia (one part ammonia to 10 parts water) to kill slugs. “Yes!” The next morning I mixed up a gallon in my pumper sprayer and headed out to the garden at 6 am. I couldn’t believe how many slugs were happily munching away on my plants. It was very satisfying watching them shrivel up and fall to the ground as I sprayed them. This became my ritual every morning for

two weeks. Of course getting to the possible so I alternated and hit different areas each morning.

I wondered how many slugs I was actually killing, so one morning I counted: 258. Hmm, that’s a lot of slugs. But just how many were there? Was I making a difference? I decided to do a little research, so I Googled “slugs” and began reading.  Slugs live two years, lay eggs several times a season, they are hermaphrodites (they have both male and female sex organs, so any slug can mate with any other), they can stretch to 20 times their normal length and squeeze into very tiny openings. Slugs have 27,000 teeth, more than a shark, and like sharks they routinely lose and replace their teeth. They eat in cycles so only 5% are out at one time. “OH NO!

 

What?” This was looking hopeless.  But then I wondered: They live for two years, but can they survive our winters? The opinion is that they cannot, but their eggs can. So, my curious brain started thinking, if only 5% are feeding at a time, where are the other 95%? I was going to find out. In the middle of the day, when they were resting, I went to H. Frosted Jade and with my head in the plant, started handpicking slugs. Tweezers proved very helpful. Slug slime absorbs water and that is why it is nearly impossible to wash it off of your hands. At first I didn’t see many, but as I started picking them off the petioles, I started seeing more and more. Some were at the very base of the petioles and some were even wedged into the holes they had eaten in the petioles. I counted 59! On to H. Montana Aeromarginata.  I came up with 75. “OK”, I thought, “tomorrow I will see if there are any feeding on these plants”. At 6 am, I rushed out to check. OMG. There they were munching away. “This is insane,” I thought. “Maybe if I pour the ammonia solution into the center of the plant it will kill all the sleeping slugs.” I tried this for a while, but it wasn’t nearly as gratifying as seeing

them die before my eyes, and I really had no way of knowing if this was working.

 

The days were starting to get shorter by now and the time of day I could get out in the garden started to get later. One day as I was spraying, my pumper ran dry. As I was walking by a block wall on the north side of the house, I noticed that there were slugs clinging to it. I decided to hand pick those slugs and feed them to the fish since I was so close to the pond. Now that is a sight - watching the fish devour the enemy. I have always believed in recycling. What better way? So, I hand picked along the wall, fed the fish, went back and there were more slugs on the wall. I’m sure I didn’t miss them. Where were they coming from? I started counting. I noticed they were in the grass coming to the wall. For what? Werethey going to hide in the cracks for the day? 

Not if I could help it. I kept picking and feeding. I got 358 throughout the day. That morning I sprayed 2 gallons of spray and counted 558 for a grand total of 916  in one day! My obsession was

getting bad. 

 

Good Question    

So, you ask, if they don’t live through the winter, why keep on? Well, they lay eggs several times a season! One square yard of garden on average can have 200 slugs. One slug has the potential of producing 90,000 grandchildren. Those are some devastating statistics. I have declared SLUG WARS. Why do I count? Don’t we always count the casualties of war?

 

 



A slug!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It's white out there...

and cold!  I am missing my green and flowers and stepping outdoors without a jacket on!  Snowbird friends are showing up in our favorite AZ location but I'm not jealous yet.  They tell me it is in the 90's and that's a bit too warm for me beyond a day or so.  But the white scene out the window here looks nice and clean and fresh so I'll settle for that until after the holidays. 

Not quite ready to look for gardening catalogs and here comes an email today from a quality hosta website with their catalog with new offerings for 2015!  Also their announcement of reducing the number of older varieties they are carrying!  Gee, does this mean some of my favorite hostas will become more valuable?  Or, just hard to find?  Time will  tell.

If you want to peek at what new varieties may be on the market in 2015, check out this website:   https://www.naylorcreek.com/  I'm not into buying hostas over the internet. I'd rather purchase hostas that have spent some growing time in my part of the country if possible and are more mature than a year or two, but its fun to look. 

Some of my golden oldies at the lake!

Winterizing fairy gardens...

includes tucking the accessories inside for the winter to protect them and preparing their garden homes so the perennial plants can go to sleep for the winter.  Looks a bit dreary when I peek at them now while they are "cooling down" for their nap.  We are expecting a bit of snow tomorrow, which  will give them a drink while they are waiting for the deeper freeze to settle in.

Once they are pretty well frozen and temps low enough in the garage to keep them from thawing they will get moved into their snug winter home under the boat and trailer.  A handful of snow about once a month will give them a bit of moisture until about mid April.  Then my fun begins as I wake them up with a bit of compost, vitamins (slow release fertilizer) and moisture after I clear off the dead plant material and begin treating them to some sunshine in the driveway during the nice days.  I dearly enjoy watching them "wake up" to spring and begin another season of growing!  An experience in faith indeed!

While they sleep I will be dreaming up some new landscape designs for them and finding some new garden art to incorporate into the designs.  January will find me in AZ doing a demo/seminar for snowbirds on creating fairy/miniature gardens using desert succulents!  It is so fun to share this fun!

This awkward stage...

between mums with jack o'lanterns and winter/holiday décor!  Inside I just pick up the pumpkins with faces, ghosts, etc. and substitute turkeys, and other Thanksiving objects among the other fall themed accents.  Done quickly but outside seems to be a different challenge.  Got to get rid of the carved pumpkins and ghosts but it seems too early for Christmas themes.  We head for southern comfort right after the holidays so I don't do winter themed décor any more, just Christmas and undecorate before we leave.  That way my neighbors don't have to view dried up greens, etc. yet in March!

What are you doing?  If you've decorated your entry or garage, etc. for this season how about emailing me a picture to share?  Just let me know if you want me to share your whole name, etc. also. 




My neighbor with the window boxes does this simple but effective décor!
 

Remembering this spring...

I lost some tulips this last winter!   A few weeks ago, while I was clearing off plant material while preparing for winter, I remembered I wanted to replace some tulips and add some daffodils.   A quick trip to a garden center did the trick.   I didn't find many late blooming ones so had to settle for a few mid season bloomers.  I recall a speaker from the MN Arboretum advising for longer lasting blooms in MN we need to plant ones that are late season boomers so they miss most of the rainy weather.  While I enjoy some blooming mid season, I usually plant mostly late season ones.  I also splurged on some King Alfred daffies, they are so worth it! 

The last blooms of 2014 ....

are gone today!  My friend, Purple Dome Aster, finally bit the dust...or rather  the frost bit it hard?    I got a chance to try out my new toy, a battery powered, rechargeable small hedge trimmer that I can easily handle.  A friend purchased one this fall and said he liked it.  Like me, he is looking for easy to use tools that he can handle at the stage of his life.   So, Denny picked it up on sale $20.  It is a trimmer, pruner, cutter.   So, I decided to try it out with my woody stems on  the aster.  It worked fairly well and am looking forward to it helping me next fall!   When Denny helps me he digs out his big hedge trimmer, which he likes but I usually lose a few of my good plant markers when he is powered up!

What blooms after it rains?

Rain Lily or Rain Flower are the common names for Zephranthes.

15 years ago my daughter's neighbor gave me a pot of Rain Lilies and they continue to enchant me each year.  I noticed this year the amount of blooms were a bit sparce so it is time to repot them again in the spring and make a least three pots of them!  One or two to share as gifts for friends again!  Interested?  Let me know! 

They are definitely not a zone 4, they are a tropical plant.  Tiny bulbs planted 2-4" deep in a pot of potting soil and they thrive in full sun.  Keep them watered in the summer and they will bloom all summer right up to frost.  They bloom best just after a rain, they must like mother nature's watering system best?

When frost nears it is time to bring the pot indoors and set it in the basement where it is cool, dark (or not much light) and quit watering until you take them outdoors again in the spring.  After frost danger is gone in May remove the dried plant material, water well and let sunshine do its magic.  My current pot has not been repotted since 2005!  Definitely beautiful and thrives on neglect!  My favorite kind of plant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday...

I was a bit overwhelmed by the experience of receiving an award from Minnesota State Horticulture Society.  I understood I would be receiving an award at their Annual Recognition and Awards Ceremony in Minneapolis but the one I received was an unexpected surprise!  My favorite assistant gardener, my husband, Denny, was there also and I forgot to give him recognition in my acceptance speech for all the support and help he gives me!  Needless to say I was feeling a bit overwhelmed!  Must have been a "senior moment"!  :)

The event was shared by special gardening friends who were with me representing our garden club.  Our Rochester Garden & Flower Club also received a wonderful honor.  The MSHS Garden Club of the Year Award is a very treasured award representing the achievements we have accomplished! 

Indeed it was a very special day!

 
 
 
 



June, our President,  accepted our award!



Mother Nature's Garden...

in all its glory was at it's SE MN peak color along the Mississippi River this last weekend!  Our favorite drive is from Winona north to Lake City and once again we were not disappointed.  We crossed into WI to get close and personal with the backwater area and to treat ourselves to lunch at Beth's in Nelson!  Yummy lunch, with home made chicken soup with dumplings, and we left there with a fabulous apple dumpling treat for later!  We watched lots of tired duck hunters coming out of the water.  Denny was doing a bit of reminiscing as we passed the Weaver Bottoms area.  Of course a stop at Lark Toys was also added to our agenda!  That is always a fun stop!  I had already purchased apples at an orchard at home so we bypassed the apple orchards along the way.

 

Tis the season.....

for admiring our SE MN fall color! 

We had perfect weather this last weekend to get out there on the country roads and soak up the sunshine and colors!  On our way to our favorite route along the Mississippi in SE MN we drove thru some spectacular Minnesota farmland and didn't miss noticing the fields of corn and their contributions to the day's scenery! 

Yarrow blooms all summer and fall!

While I was cutting down plant material last week I realized I was about to cut down a plant that was still blooming!  I think my pastel yarrow has been blooming since June, at least!  That makes it four months of blooms!  This year I consistently deadheaded it correctly, leaving stalks that could produce more blooms and it just kept on producing more week after week!  WOW!  No wonder I've had that plant for at least 14 years!  It's great in arrangements and the blooms are so long lasting.

Fall

Finally, this week I tackled cutting back the summer growth on perennials and pulling annuals out.  My slave gardener, my husband, has been helping me the last several years but is having a problem with a knee.  So I took a deep breath on Tuesday and tackled the project by myself!  (At age 75 and three knee replacements puts limits on my flexibility a bit)  Several hours each afternoon, taking lots of rest breaks, and soon Friday had arrived and I was done!  4 car trunks full of plant material went to the community compost site. Wow, I accomplished a major project by myself and it feels great!  (Well, I rode with him  to the compost site!)  Of course, this wonderful weather was a huge help!

I have a new batch of daffodils to plant yet.  At least now I can find some bare spots for their new home! 

Purple Dome Aster

The last bright spot of color of summer in my garden beds at home is old reliable Purple Dome Aster.  He never fails me, he's like old faithful!  Right on time early October in all his purple glory!  He also seems to resist frost so I keep a few alyssum at his feet to keep him company.  I get lots of questions from the neighborhood army of walkers about what that plant is.  I keep splitting it every three years and donate pieces to my garden club annual plant sale.

Verbena bonariensis,

I first saw these in a large clump in a garden bed at Rochester's Mayowood Mansion about 12 years ago. They were attracting monarch butterflies!  It was enchanting and I went searching for their name and how to get some plants for my garden!   I found my gardening friend, Doris, has them among her many garden beds and learned they are an annual that readily reseeds for her!  They are delightful as they are so open and airy dancing among other tall plants or over the top of shorter plants.  Their pinkish purple flowers fit well into my color scheme at home and make a great addition to floral arrangements! 

They are not readily found as bedding plants in most garden centers but I am aware they often can be found at either Sargent's locations in Rochester.  Or, you can visit my friend, Doris, like I do and come home with a handful of young plants!  Mine don't readily reseed so easily because of my mulching material.  But, I love to visit Doris regardless!  I think of her every time I stop and admire them in bloom! 

They grow to 4-5 Ft tall